ã€ŠHow to Make a Wandã€‹


 Dragon Scale Required: nQeuom, Identify

    Magdala watched the fetid mixture sizzle and bubble in her cup, wondering where she¡¯d gone wrong. Cautiously, she poured a drop of the liquid on the table and watched it burn a hole through the wood and down to the floor. Covering the hole with her cup, Magdala returned to blaming her lord uncle for being late and giving her time to experiment. Her nQe spells were always unstable, but they got worse when she was tired or stressed. Well at least this result was new. She pulled a vial from underneath her cloak and poured some of the former cider into it. When she got back to the academy, maybe she could shock her teachers with her ¡°creativity.¡±

    ¡°Need anything else, ma¡¯am?¡±

    The waiter smiled down at Magdala. Magdala tried to return that smile. The corners of her mouth strained with the effort.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she said. Seeing the pained expression on her face, the waiter politely bowed and fled. Sighing, Magdala heard her mother¡¯s words echo in her reddening ears.

    If you smiled more often, it wouldn¡¯t scare people off!

    Her mother scared people off too. Mostly members of her own family, sure, but still¡ª

    ¡°Do you want more cider? That one looks¡­done.¡±

    Not bothering to smile this time, Magdala looked up and growled, ¡°No, I¡¯m¡ª¡±

    She saw the speaker and her jaw dropped. On hearing a classically melodic Souran accent, she¡¯d expected a wide ruddy face with brown eyes underneath nearly blonder brown curls. Instead she saw a face that was the color of stained hardwood with nearly black eyes that watched her reaction. His wide lips moved.

    ¡°Sorry?¡± asked the Wesen man.

    ¡°I-I¡­uh¡­t-thought you were someone else,¡± Magdala said as her face started to match the color of her hair. ¡°You¡¯re not, ha ha¡­¡±

    ¡°Lady Magdala Gallus, right?¡±

    Her father¡¯s training kicked in. Magdala grabbed the knife in her cloak as her eyes searched the man for weapons, finding only a large tome strapped to his side. However, he was wearing a worn leather cuirass from the Farrells, Magdala¡¯s family armorer. That gave her pause.

    ¡°Lord Kalan was supposed to meet you here?¡± the man asked, stepping back and showing that his hands were empty.

    ¡°How¡¯d you know it was me?¡± asked Magdala, her hand still on the knife. The rest of the tavern was watching them.

    ¡°He described you as a ¡®short red-haired girl with a spine like an iron rod.¡¯ You¡¯re taller than he remembered. I¡¯m Dwayne.¡± He offered his hand. Magdala noted he didn¡¯t offer his family name.

    ¡°A pleasure,¡± she said, wondering what to do with the hand extended toward her. Before she could ask, Dwayne pulled it back, gave a stiff bow instead, and sat at the table. As he settled in, the rest of the tavern started cautiously to go about their business.

    ¡°Where is my lord uncle?¡± Magdala asked in a low whisper, starting to recover from her embarrassment.

    ¡°Back at the inn,¡± Dwayne answered, leaning in. ¡°He¡¯s been working on a paper for the past couple of days.¡±

    ¡°How did you know to pick me up?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I read all his mail.¡±

    As Magdala¡¯s jaw dropped for a second time, Dwayne explained.

    ¡°If it¡¯s not a paper or something, he¡¯ll lose it before he gets to it. Sorry I was late. It¡¯s a pain for me to walk around town.¡±

    ¡°Because¡­you¡¯re¡­ah¡­¡±

    Dwayne blinked and then chuckled.

    ¡°No I, uh, get lost easily,¡± he said. ¡°Anders is bigger than I thought it would be.¡±

    ¡°Did you come from over the Great Desert?¡± Magdala blurted out.

    Dwayne gave Magdala a brief smile as her face started to redden again.

    ¡°How was your trip in?¡± he asked, sitting back. ¡°You didn¡¯t run into any bandits?¡±

    ¡°No, but it was still miserable,¡± said Magdala, ¡°and it took forever! We had to eat beans every day for every meal because they said that was the only thing that would stay fresh, and I haven¡¯t taken a proper bath in forever. I have butt sores, real ones. How do people do that on a regular basis¡­What?¡±

    Dwayne was smiling again.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°From Bradford to here, how long did it take you?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Two weeks. What? Why are you laughing?¡±

    Dwayne wiped tears of amusement out of his eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s just you traveled hundreds of miles in just two weeks, and you¡¯re complaining about the food.¡±

    Magdala watched the Wesen man fail to hold in his laughter.

    ¡°Why? Is that weird?¡±

    ¡°Most people have to walk, and it takes them months.¡±

    Dwayne glanced at Magdala¡¯s cup.

    ¡°You sure you don¡¯t want more cider? I can pay.¡±

    ¡°No, let¡¯s go deal with my lord uncle. I can¡¯t believe he sent a servant to pick me up.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m his apprentice.¡±

    Magdala stared.

    ¡°Wha¡ª really? But you¡¯re not Souran!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s get you to your uncle.¡±

    When he stood, the rest of the tavern¡¯s patrons flinched. They¡¯d heard the same stories that Magdala had, stories about dark skinned monsters raining fire and lightning on their enemies, but Dwayne ignored them and walked straight up to the waiter, who started to panic.

    ¡°How many did she have?¡± Dwayne asked him as Magdala caught up to him.

    ¡°J-Just one.¡±

    ¡°How much?¡±

    The waiter glanced at the owner behind Dwayne. The owner made a sign.

    ¡°Uh, three counts.¡± Magdala opened her mouth, but Dwayne had already pressed the coins into the waiter¡¯s hand and walked out of the bar. She jogged to catch up with him.

    ¡°That cider wasn¡¯t more than four barons,¡± she said. Dwayne kept walking.

    ¡°Why did you pay him that much?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not worth the fight.¡±

    Magdala followed Dwayne¡¯s hurried steps deeper into Anders, his long strides equal to two of hers. Then, after they were out of sight of the tavern, he stopped and looked around.

    ¡°Ah¡­where¡­are we?¡± he asked.

    Magdala glanced around and panicked. Twilight had turned Anders into a mass of dark shapes and shadows. The wide cobbled boulevards that had funneled crowds of people and carriages from place to place during the day had become broad, empty stone fields. Worse, Magdala couldn¡¯t see any of the signs she¡¯d used to get to the tavern.

    ¡°Ah damn,¡± she said, pulling a map out of a pocket in her cloak and peering at it.

    ¡°We can¡¯t be that far from the¡­damn, can¡¯t see.¡±

    Dwayne pulled close to her, filling her nose with the smell of earth and the distinct chemical smell of a magical lab.

    ¡°Allow me,¡± he said. ¡°Ri¡¯a¡¯tha.¡±

    The unfamiliar Wesen spell, sung softly in a low baritone, pulled a small flicker of flame from thin air. Enthralled, Magdala started to reach out and touch the playful orange flame when Dwayne asked, ¡°So where are we on this map?¡±

    ¡°Ahem. Right here,¡± said Magdala. ¡°Do you know where your inn is?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­which way is west?¡±

    Magdala frowned and after consulting the map, pointed down the street.

    ¡°Oh, good. Ri¡¯t.¡± The flame went out.

    ¡°You¡¯re a flame mage,¡± said Magdala. ¡°Why are you here? I thought all of you lived in Wesen.¡±

    Dwayne froze, his lips tightening for just long enough for Magdala to notice. Then the slight smile and exaggerated calm returned.

    ¡°At least one of us has to see the world,¡± he said. Again, he strode down the street, forcing Magdala to practically jog to keep up. At his pace, it took only a few minutes to get to a small rundown inn where the Criminal Element, as Magdala¡¯s mother would call them, were huddling up for warmth. A man, dressed in decaying rags, tried to sidle up to Magdala, his empty-toothed grin leading the way.

    ¡°A coin, pretty lady?¡± he asked. ¡°Mayhaps a duke?¡±

    ¡°Not today, Walter,¡± said Dwayne, pushing the man away gently and pressing something into Walter¡¯s palm. ¡°She just got here.¡±

    ¡°Oh so she¡¯s yours, hur hur,¡± said Walter, backing away. Magdala advanced on Walter.

    ¡°Listen here, you¡ª¡±

    Dwayne pulled her into the inn before she could finish.

    ¡°He thinks we¡¯re married!¡± she said. Dwayne blinked.

    ¡°Um¡­no. They definitely don¡¯t think that,¡± he said.

    ¡°Really? What else could he mean?¡±

    Without a word, Dwayne turned and headed up the stairs, waving vaguely to the barkeep as he passed. After one last look at the door, Magdala hurried after him, catching up just as he reached the top of the stairs.

    ¡°This place is a dump,¡± she said. ¡°Can¡¯t you afford better?¡±

    ¡°Lord Kalan spends his money and time on his research,¡± said Dwayne, searching for the key in his pockets. ¡°He doesn¡¯t do anything else.¡±

    ¡°Then who¡¯s been writing all those letters back to Mother?¡± asked Magdala.

    ¡°Me.¡±

    Dwayne found the key and opened the door partway.

    ¡°Since when?¡±

    ¡°Since your mother nearly drowned us with a remote flood spell last year,¡± said Dwayne, inching his way into the room. Peeking in, Magdala saw that the floor was covered with dozens of bottles filled with liquids and powders of various colors and consistencies. Every other surface from the bed to the drawers was crammed with stacks of papers piled high to the ceiling. There was barely enough room for a mass of clothes lying on the edge of the bed. Magdala slipped carefully into the room.

    ¡°What is all this?¡± she asked, picking up a bottle off the floor. Dwayne shrugged.

    Stilling her mind, Magdala whispered ¡°nQeuom.¡± Her nQe responded, whispering her the contents of the bottle. She blanched, put the bottle back down very carefully, and pulled Dwayne back out into the hallway.

    ¡°Why do you have that much firewater?¡± she asked in a furious whisper.

    ¡°Firewater? What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°An explosive. Did my uncle make it?¡±

    ¡°No, we bought it off a trader¡­a couple weeks ago, I think.¡±

    ¡°Get rid of it now!¡±

    Dwayne saw the fear on Magdala¡¯s face.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that dangerous,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯ve used it to show that¡ª¡±

    ¡°Dwayne? You back with that cokop root yet?¡± said a gravelly voice from inside the room. Magdala peeked back into the room. The pile of clothes had in fact been her uncle, Lord Bartholomew Kalan.

    ¡°Got it for you last week,¡± Dwayne called back. ¡°It¡¯s right next to you.¡±

    ¡°Really? Ah, so it is. Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡±

    ¡°You were in the middle of your paper on the effects of tup-tup on fell rats.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t tup-tup poisonous?¡± Magdala asked Dwayne in a whisper.

    ¡°Yeah, but when you feed it to fell rats, they can shade with magic much better. Then they suffocate on their own blood.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s that with you?¡± asked Lord Kalan. ¡°I told you not to bring anyone around while I¡¯m working.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s your niece, Magdala.¡±

    ¡°What? By the cup, is my sister here too? Quick, we have to¡ª¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just her,¡± said Dwayne, opening the door and gently pushing Magdala into the room. Her uncle was attempting to make a break for it through the window. Before he jumped, he looked back and peered at her, blinking his watery blue eyes. Magdala stared at his unshaven chin, which actually had something stuck to it, and had to force herself to remember he was the present count of Sanford, the seat of her family¡¯s holdings.

    ¡°You¡¯re too tall,¡± said her uncle after getting off the windowsill. ¡°My niece is shorter than you.¡±

    ¡°I thought my lord uncle would smell better than you,¡± replied Magdala, ¡°but there you are.¡±

    ¡°Oh heavens, she¡¯s got my sister¡¯s tongue. And her hair. And Gary¡¯s chin. Still, you¡¯re too old to be Maggie. Maybe you¡¯re Drusilla.¡±

    ¡°Aunt Drusilla¡¯s married with kids.¡±

    ¡°She is? To whom?¡±

    ¡°Lord Vander¡¯s eldest son.¡±

    ¡°The fat one?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then maybe you¡¯re¡ª¡±

    ¡°Lord Uncle, if you say I¡¯m any of my cousins or aunts, I will march back home and tell Mother that you turned me away despite the beans and butt sores I will invariably suffer along the way.¡±

    Lord Kalan sprung to attention for just a moment. Recovering, he turned to his last refuge.

    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Apprentice, did you check her seal?¡± he asked Dwayne.

    ¡°Her what?¡± Dwayne looked appalled.

    ¡°All nobles have a seal that confirms them as part of the family,¡± said her uncle, refusing to look Magdala in the eye. ¡°Get her seal and show it to me.¡±

    Still clearly confused, Dwayne held out his hand to Magdala, who pulled a simple ring out from underneath her robes and dropped it into Dwayne¡¯s hand. Without looking at it, Dwayne tossed the ring to Lord Kalan. Both nobles panicked. Her uncle dove off the bed and caught the ring before it hit the floor, just barely brushing a bottle of firewater. Her heart pounding, Magdala wondered if she more afraid of dying in a firewater explosion or her mother¡¯s wrath. Once she and her uncle realized all was well, they turned to the apprentice.

    ¡°Treat it with respect!¡± they said. Seeing Dwayne¡¯s continued confusion, Magdala explained.

    ¡°The seal proves my house, my rank, and who I am. If we had lost it, my mother would kill us both.¡±

    ¡°I once left my ring back at the academy,¡± said her lord uncle while inspecting Magdala¡¯s ring, ¡°and my sister locked me in a water prison spell and flung me all the way back to find it.¡±

    ¡°She tells my little brother that story every morning before breakfast.¡±

    ¡°Qeuiveut,¡± said Lord Kalan.

    The ring floated gently from her uncle¡¯s hand to Magdala¡¯s, who secured it in her robes. Lord Kalan sighed.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s good you made it here safely,¡± he said to Magdala. ¡°I was just¡­oh, Dwayne!¡±

    ¡°Sir?¡±

    ¡°We can prove magic works by resonance and not emittance! I have an experiment that will put Lady Pol in her place!¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± asked Magdala.

    ¡°Ah, just a sec,¡± said Dwayne. He rummaged through the piles of papers on the desk and handed a single sheet to Magdala.

    ¡°Read this,¡± he said.

    Magdala read the paper, which was apparently an abstract. Written in a clear hand completely unlike her lord uncle¡¯s, it first detailed the three known schools of magic, Qe, Ri, and Xa. Qe was the magic that Souran mages like Magdala and her lord uncle used, and it gave them two abilities: to move and manipulate earth, air, and water (Qe) and to transmute them into materials of the same type (nQe). Wesen mages, Ri mages, like Dwayne were able to produce and manipulate light, flame, and electricity. Xa was from Tuqu, the empire to the west of Soura, and enabled mages to change their physical bodies into animals and plants.

    Magdala read on. The paper¡¯s abstract stated the fact that one mage only had access to one school of magic at a time. Each mage was born knowing one congenital spell and used that spell as a base to learn other spells, starting with the ones that were the most similar. As such, there was no spell that allowed a Ri mage to figure out how to move water like a Qe mage or vice versa. Magic was fundamentally divided into the three schools, and one mage only had access to one school.

    ¡°Lord Kalan¡¯s theory is that magic is the same for everyone, from mages to dragons,¡± said Dwayne.

    Magdala scoffed.

    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous. No one being uses multiple schools of magic.¡±

    ¡°How do you know that?¡± asked her uncle. Magdala looked at him.

    ¡°They taught us that in school.¡±

    ¡°How do they know it then? Have they definitively proved that only one kind of magic is used by every single creature in existence? I believe currently they claim that animal magic is different from human magic, but upon dissection we see that animals have a number of similarities with humans. Why should magic be different?¡±

    ¡°I, uh¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s good you came now,¡± said her lord uncle, drawing himself up. ¡°Your nQe magic will be very useful in proving my theory that not only is all magic drawn from the same source, but we can convert that source into any magic that we want. You have heard of the Wishes, right?¡±

    Magdala repeated the saying from memory.

    ¡°The First Wish was lost. The Second Wish was to move heaven and earth. The Third Wish was to live and talk with nature. The Fourth Wish was to harness the power of the gods. We¡¯re taught that in nursery school.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s assume that the Wishes were real,¡± said her lord uncle. ¡°If so, then our magic must stem from a common source because all the stories start with someone finding the Font of Magic and making a wish. I intend to make an instrument capable of converting that source into any kind of magic.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­impossible.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s find out!¡±

    ¡°Well if you¡¯re right you¡¯d make the family rich,¡± said Magdala. ¡°I was wondering why Mother let you go on these long expeditions when you should be producing an heir.¡±

    ¡°Sir, you said we can prove your theory. How?¡± asked Dwayne. ¡°Our experiments on that jackalope we caught last month were inconclusive.¡±

    ¡°A what?¡± asked Magdala.

    ¡°Of course they were! Jackalopes are much too weak magically speaking. We need something much stronger to react to our tests.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not digging up human¡ª¡±

    ¡°Oh, that would have been a total bust anyway. Humans lose their magic far too quickly after death and, live humans, oooh, let¡¯s just leave them be. No! I¡¯m talking about a creature whose very bones have been used to enhance magic for millennia.¡±

    ¡°Unicorns again? Last time, they gave us horse bones with little shiny sparkles sprinkled on them,¡± said Dwayne. Magdala¡¯s uncle glared at his apprentice.

    ¡°Are you enjoying this?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Your ¡®proof¡¯ has been the same thing done multiple ways. What are we going to do differently?¡±

    Lord Kalan continued to glower at his apprentice for a moment and then started to talk.

    ¡°We¡¯re going after a¡ª¡±

    ¡°Dragon?¡± asked Magdala. Her uncle sulked.

    ¡°How did you know?¡± he asked.

    ¡°There¡¯s a picture of one stuck to your¡­beard,¡± she answered. Her uncle pulled off the offending paper and tossed it.

    ¡°We leave in the morning,¡± he said, sitting back down on the bed and starting to write again. Magdala started to speak, but Dwayne pulled her out of the room.

    ¡°I¡¯ll start preparations to head west to Yulan¡¯s Pass. That¡¯s just south of the region where most of the dragons live.¡±

    ¡°West? Isn¡¯t that way full of bandits?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll slip right by them,¡± said Dwayne, walking over to the neighboring room and opening the door. ¡°The preparations will take a while, so you can just sleep in my bed tonight.¡±

    Magdala looked into the room and despite the tiny bed, thin straw mattress, and pig-iron frame, thought it looked like heaven after sleeping in the coach. She fell onto the bed.

    ¡°I¡¯ll wake you up tomorrow,¡± said Dwayne. He closed the door behind him.

    ¡°Okay¡­¡±

    As Dwayne¡¯s footsteps faded, Magdala pulled out a letter and looked at it in the dim light from the window. She couldn¡¯t read it, but she still remembered every word. The first paragraph set the tone.

    Dearest Magdala,

    I am disappointed. Sen Laurence informs me that you¡¯ve been spending your time making explosives instead of focusing your rare alchemical nQe skills on more productive pursuits. Your father and I discussed your habit of holing up in the library reading up on ancient wars, and while your father said that you were just letting off steam after studying hard, you¡¯ve fallen to 10th place in your class. As such, we felt that we had to take action. It seems you do not appreciate what you have. That will change.

    The letter had been accompanied by her father¡¯s version of an apology, a new pair of leather soldier¡¯s boots, fitted perfectly to her feet.

    She wondered if her parents knew what her uncle had really been up to.

    ***

    For the first three days of the long trip to Ti Mei, Dwayne listened to his new companion¡¯s complaints. She¡¯d started out strong on day one, complaining about her well-made and expensive pair of boots and how they hurt her feet. She went to bed whining about how her mother didn¡¯t ever think about her needs and what she wanted. On the second day, she¡¯d petered out after five hours of complaining about the heat and the dirt on the road even though it was autumn and early morning drizzles were keeping the dust down. On the third day, she zeroed in on the mere existence of routine, starting with their daily task of gathering herbs for Lord Kalan¡¯s research.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t we just buy all this at an apothecary before we left?¡± she asked, kneeling to inspect a group of pink flowers blooming merrily at the foot of a tree, her pocketknife at the ready. Satisfied, she cut off the petals and secreted them away into a pouch neatly labeled ¡°Pink Arms.¡± Dwayne was dumbfounded by how many pouches and vials Magdala had on her person. Apparently she didn¡¯t mind their weight.

    ¡°I mean seriously, he has money. I¡¯ve seen the estate and¡ªDon¡¯t touch that!¡± Magdala slapped Dwayne¡¯s hands away from a large bright blue mushroom. ¡°These are poisonous. Use these.¡± She reached up into a songmaple tree and pulled four large leaves off of it. She handed two of them to Dwayne.

    ¡°Hold the cap while I cut away the stem,¡± she said. Complying, Dwayne watched as she sawed away at the stem with her knife.

    ¡°This would cost just knights in the city. It¡¯s not worth walking all the way out here just to grab it fresh. It¡¯s just another sleep inducer.¡± She took the mushroom cap from Dwayne and stuffed it into yet another pouch.

    ¡°After all this, we get another confusing lecture from Uncle,¡± she said. ¡°How do you learn anything from him anyway? He forgets what he¡¯s talking about every ten seconds!¡±

    ¡°I read his papers mostly. He¡¯s more focused in writing since his right hand aches if he writes too long.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about? His hand is fine.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been that way since I¡¯ve known him,¡± said Dwayne, his hand resting on the book strapped to his side. ¡°Though I guess that hasn¡¯t been that long¡­¡±

    ¡°He hasn¡¯t come home in a long while, but at the last Consortium I saw him at, his hand was fine.¡±

    ¡°How long ago was that?¡±

    ¡°Eight years ago? He came with this woman from Wesen¡­She wasn¡¯t related to you, was she?¡±

    ¡°No, she wasn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Well, they worked together to create this really detailed model of Father¡¯s estate in Bradford, complete with little flames in all the torches. They even made it look like wintertime with snow falling on the roofs and everything. Even my mother was impressed.¡±

    Magdala stopped talking and frowned into the bunch of lebelweed she was harvesting.

    ¡°So¡­how did you get apprenticed to my lord uncle?¡± she asked. ¡°It¡¯s still kind of a shock even seeing you. He¡¯s never taken an apprentice before.¡±

    Dwayne pulled up a plant, inspected its root and then stowed it in a bag.

    ¡°Lord Kalan bought me two years ago,¡± he said finally, moving on to another plant.

    Magdala stopped in the middle of pulling out lebelweed.

    ¡°You¡¯re a slave,¡± she said.

    ¡°I was a slave.¡± His tone made Magdala fall silent and go back to working, carefully hiding her face in weeds. After several minutes of silence, Dwayne sighed and then concentrated, letting true joy fill his mind for a moment. He held his hand out.

    ¡°Ri¡¯a¡¯tha.¡±

    A flickering orange flame burst into being just over his hand. Magdala rushed over to see, a fascinated grin already on her lips. ¡°This was my first spell,¡± he explained. ¡°I¡¯d just arrived in Soura, and Lord Kalan was passing by with a huge stack of books in his arms, trying to cram himself into a carriage. Next thing I knew, he tripped and I was buried in this huge pile of books. The first one I picked up was this.¡± He tapped the massive tome strapped to his side. ¡°When I touched it, I heard that song and just sang it.¡±

    ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Lord Kalan calls the book Na¡¯cch. I don¡¯t really get the details, but it basically sings a spell when I¡¯m ready to cast it.¡±

    ¡°Do you know any other spells?¡± Magdala asked, still entranced by the little flame as it flickered.

    ¡°Just one other,¡± said Dwayne, pulling a leaf off the tree. ¡°Ri¡¯upo¡¯it.¡± The leaf started to smoke. Magdala gave a weak smile.

    ¡°That¡¯s nice,¡± she said.

    ¡°It¡¯s a heat spell,¡± explained Dwayne. ¡°I mostly use it to cook small things. If I hold it for too long, I start to feel nauseous.¡±

    Magdala nodded.

    ¡°Thaumaturgical shock,¡± she explained. ¡°Usually happens when you try a spell for too long or you¡¯re just not ready for it. Mother forces me to learn water spells and I¡¯m usually vomiting within the hour. How long can you hold the other spell?¡± She pointed to the little flame, which was still merrily burning.

    ¡°Days, I think.¡±

    ¡°So that spell is who you are, warm and steady.¡±

    Dwayne looked down at his feet. ¡°I¡­hadn¡¯t thought of it that way,¡± he said. ¡°What¡¯s your congenital spell?¡±

    Magdala turned away.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that interesting,¡± she said.

    ¡°Is it Qeuiveut?¡±

    Magdala jumped at his melodic pronunciation of the spell. Adjusting herself, she turned back to Dwayne.

    ¡°What did you just do?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Lord Kalan reacts like that whenever I repeat his spells too,¡± said Dwayne. ¡°I wonder why that happens¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t do that again.¡±

    ¡°Lord Kalan says it tickles.¡±

    ¡°He would¡­¡±

    ¡°So what¡¯s your spell?¡± Dwayne pressed.

    ¡°It¡¯s really not impressive.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re your mother¡¯s child. I once made a man cry by mentioning she was coming to town.¡±

    ¡°Well, my mother is ashamed of me for a reason.¡±

    The little flame flickered again.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been an apprentice for a year and know two spells,¡± said Dwayne. ¡°I know you know more than that. I¡¯ll repeat that spell over and over again until you tell me.¡±

    Magdala shook her head.

    ¡°Fine, Qeui¡ª¡±

    ¡°No, don¡¯t! Fine, it¡¯s Nqerm.¡±

    Dwayne looked around.

    ¡°Okay¡­¡± he said. ¡°What happened?¡±

    Sighing, Magdala pulled an empty vial from her cloak. She filled it with a dash of dirt and a couple of the herbs they¡¯d found. She then spat into it. Holding out the vial, she took a deep breath.

    ¡°Nqerm.¡±

    The vial flashed and morphed into a glowing green liquid. Once it stopped bubbling, Magdala threw it against a tree several feet away, where it smashed with a bright green flash and a pop. As tendrils of smoke rose from the tree, Magdala turned back to Dwayne.

    ¡°Pretty much all my magic does that,¡± she said. ¡°I have to focus really really hard to not make explosives.¡±

    ¡°That was so cool!¡±

    Magdala¡¯s jaw dropped.

    ¡°What?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Can you make stronger explosions if you change the ingredients?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­usually? I haven¡¯t had time to focus on impact. Mostly I¡¯ve been working on different effects.¡±

    ¡°Like what?¡±

    ¡°I¡­created an explosive that knocks out everyone within fifty prinwirs.¡±

    ¡°Impressive. How did you do it? Can any Qe mage do that? What about¡­oh, too many questions?¡±

    Magdala was staring dumbly at him.

    ¡°No, but¡ª¡±

    ¡°Hey! I heard something over here!¡±

    Dwayne grabbed Magdala and pulled her into the bushes. As they hid, two men entered the clearing, the tall one kneeling down to inspect the remains of the blue mushroom.

    ¡°Freshly cut,¡± he said. ¡°That wizard was lying.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s two of ¡®em,¡± said the other one, inspecting the ground. ¡°One of them has a nice pair of boots.¡±

    ¡°Two? We only found female underclothes back at the camp.¡±

    ¡°There are two sets of boot prints, one big, one little. And one of them is a southern mage.¡±

    ¡°You can tell that from boot prints?¡±

    ¡°I can tell that from that little flame floating right behind you.¡±

    When the tall man turned to look, Dwayne burst out of the bush and tackled him.

    ¡°Gah! Get it off me!¡±

    The other bandit pulled out a wooden club and ran to free his comrade.

    ¡°Just hold him still!¡± A vial hit the man in the face and engulfed him in azure smoke. The bandit wiped glass and goo out of his face and scowled at his fingers. ¡°What is this shi¡­¡± He collapsed, his club falling to the ground.

    Grateful, Dwayne focused on the bandit he¡¯d tackled. While they were matched in strength, the bandit was the better wrestler. With a grunt, he twisted around and caught Dwayne in a headlock.

    As his vision darkened, Dwayne reached up and put his right hand on the man¡¯s breastplate. ¡°Ri¡¯upo¡¯tha.¡±

    ¡°What the fuck you do?¡± The bandit released Dwayne and jumped back. ¡°Must¡¯ve been a dud,¡± he said, drawing his sword. ¡°Now come quietly.¡±

    He wiped sweat off his brow, letting a drop of it fall on his breastplate, where it sizzled. Dwayne stayed out of the reach of the bandit¡¯s sword, watching.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to have me a little fun when I get back to camp,¡± said the bandit, stepping forward. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­why am I so hot? What did you do to me?¡± He charged Dwayne, who sidestepped and tripped the bandit. When the bandit fell on his face, he screamed as his skin blistered from the heat off his armor. Appalled, Dwayne rushed to the man¡¯s side and floundered. Maybe he could knock the man out? He grabbed the dropped club and raised it, but another vial hit the wailing bandit in the face and the azure smoke claimed the man¡¯s consciousness.

    Relieved, Dwayne raised his hand. ¡°Ri¡¯t.¡± The little flame went out as both bandits snored peacefully. He¡¯d just gotten the second bandit¡¯s breastplate off when Magdala crept out of the bushes, her eyes wide in shock.

    ¡°What did you do?¡± she whispered, gingerly touching the still hot breastplate.

    ¡°I heated up his armor. What did you do?¡±

    Dwayne kicked the sleeping bandit, who mumbled something and turned over.

    ¡°I synthesized an explosive mixture to induce sleep.¡±

    ¡°Fascinating. Same thing you used to knock out all those people?¡±

    ¡°Same thing that got me kicked out of school.¡±

    ¡°Huh.¡±

    Dwayne rifled through the bandits¡¯ belongings and found two lengths of rope and a few copper knights. Leaving the coins on their laps, he trussed up the bandits.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go save your uncle,¡± he said.

    ¡°Do you have a plan?¡±

    ¡°You make more of that stuff and knock them all out.¡±

    ¡°What if they¡¯ve spread out? What if one of them is a mage? What if one of them is a Ri mage just like you?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll figure it out then.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll figure it out now,¡± said Magdala. ¡°Father says plan, if only so we know what can go wrong.¡±

    ¡°Your father is a mage?¡±

    ¡°My father is a general.¡±

    Dwayne saw the pride in Magdala¡¯s eyes. He also saw excitement and not a hint of the complaining girl he¡¯d traveled with on the way here. He grinned.

    ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡±

    ¡°Well we still have most of that mushroom left¡­¡±

    ***

    A few minutes later, Magdala, her heart beating so fast it was buzzing, watched Dwayne stride right into the middle of their camp where four bandits were talking and laughing. All of them paused to watch Dwayne stop and put his hands up in surrender. One of them, a portly man with badly shaved stubble, tossed aside one of her uncle¡¯s books and spat onto the fire.

    ¡°Who¡¯re you?¡± he asked, looking Dwayne up and down. ¡°Some sort of manservant?¡±

    Dwayne gave a polite smile.

    ¡°I¡¯m Lord Kalan¡¯s apprentice,¡± he said, ¡°and I¡¯ve come to surrender myself.¡±

    ¡°Bullshit,¡± said the bandit. ¡°No way that¡¯s a lord. Where¡¯s his crew, his retinue?¡±

    Still hidden, Magdala searched the bushes and trees around the camp, remembering what her father had taught her over his battle maps. New information could turn any battle.

    ¡°Lord Kalan finds anyone who can¡¯t understand thaumaturgical theory useless,¡± said Dwayne. ¡°So it¡¯s just me.¡±

    ¡°You look like a slave,¡± said a gangly bandit, standing up. ¡°A chatty slave.¡± As the bandit stood and drew her knife, Magdala saw that she¡¯d been sitting on her unconscious uncle.

    ¡°I assure you that I¡¯m his apprentice.¡±

    All four of the bandits laughed. One of them, a large man dressed in a tatty robe, stood up and towered over Dwayne. Magdala waited for Dwayne to close his fists, his signal that he was about to attack.

    ¡°Apprentice, slave, same thing,¡± he said, bending down so his face was inches away from Dwayne¡¯s. ¡°Does he have you do his housework? I¡¯ve seen your like. Traded them too.¡±

    ¡°Well he¡¯s too ugly for anything else,¡± said the gangly bandit. ¡°When we sell him, let¡¯s beat that look out of him.¡±

    Dwayne stopped smiling and turned to the gangly bandit.

    ¡°You can try,¡± he said. His head smashed her nose.

    ¡°Oh god,¡± said Magdala. Her father had said that the only thing that got a man into more trouble than his pride lay between his legs. She¡¯d hoped Dwayne was smarter than that. As she watched, Dwayne threw one of her sleeping potions into the robed bandit¡¯s face, tackled the portly one, and smashed a vial into his face too. As they collapsed, Dwayne turned to the last two bandits, pointing at the gangly girl and muttering something under his breath.

    ¡°A potions master,¡± said the fourth bandit. ¡°Don¡¯t let him throw anymore!¡±

    The gangly bandit yelped and dropped her knife.

    ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡±

    ¡°It was fucking hot!¡±

    ¡°Rush him!¡± The two bandits ran at Dwayne as he pointed at their faces.

    ¡°Ri¡¯a¡¯tha! Ri¡¯a¡¯tha!¡±

    Both bandits howled as their faces lit on fire.

    ¡°You idiots! Qemilo!¡±

    A gust of wind blasted Dwayne into the tent. Before he could stand, a woman dressed in light leather armor landed right next to him and kicked him in the stomach.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you can¡¯t take a fucking apprentice!¡± the air mage said to her men.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you forgot about me,¡± muttered Magdala, throwing a vial.

    It exploded in the woman¡¯s face, and she fell to the ground fast asleep. Two more vials took care of the still-howling bandits. As silence fell on the camp, Magdala ran to Dwayne, who was still lying in the remains of the tent. She pulled him to his feet.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you signal?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Sorry, forgot.¡± Limping a little, he walked over to her lord uncle and looked him over.

    ¡°He¡¯s just bruised,¡± he said. ¡°He survived an inn collapsing on him, he¡¯ll survive this.¡±

    ¡°When did that happen?¡± asked Magdala, sitting down next to her lord uncle. She dumped a mixture of herbs into a vial and added water from her canteen.

    ¡°Two months ago.¡± Dwayne started to tie the bandits up with rope he found in their packs.

    ¡°What happened? Nqerm.¡±

    Magdala put the potion under her uncle¡¯s nose. He came to.

    ¡°Oh, did you get the herbs?¡± he asked. ¡°Ugh, why does my head hurt?¡±

    He looked around at what remained of the camp then jumped to his feet.

    ¡°My books!¡± He rushed toward one that was perilously close to the campfire and tripped over one of the bandits. He peered at her.

    ¡°Who is this?¡± he asked.

    ¡°A bandit,¡± answered Dwayne, gagging the mage with a strip of cloth he¡¯d torn off one of the bandit¡¯s tunics.

    ¡°Did they have anything of use?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately not, sir.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­a pity.¡±

    Magdala stared at her lord uncle and his apprentice.

    ¡°We were just ambushed!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°That¡¯s a big deal! How can we take on a dragon like this?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll hire¡­what are they called? Mercenaries?¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir, mercenaries.¡±

    Magdala groaned.

    ¡°How far is it to Yulan¡¯s Pass?¡± she asked.

    ¡°A couple more days,¡± answered her lord uncle.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s hurry up before we have to fight more bandits,¡± said Magdala. ¡°We¡¯ll buy herbs at the pass.¡±

    ¡°But they won¡¯t be fresh!¡±

    ¡°Dried herbs are more than worth the price of not being fresh bodies!¡±

 Dragon Scale Required: Xa-we-un-ze, Tigeréˆ¥æªš Face

    While stretching his arms and legs, Huan looked up at the inner wall of Han Luo fortress. He gave a brief groan. His back muscles were still twanging from the pain of climbing the Han Luo¡¯s immense outer wall, and seeing the inner wall reminded him that had been just the first step of many.

    Think of Mei.

    Readjusting the rope and bag of tools on his shoulders, he palmed two climbing nails and then slid into a dark corner. After checking to make sure he couldn¡¯t be seen by the guards patrolling the walls, he started his climb. As he pushed through the pain in his back and feet, he asked himself why he was breaking into one of the most heavily guarded fortresses in Tuqu. The answer was simple. His sister wouldn¡¯t be happy otherwise. With any luck, she was sleeping off the drugs he¡¯d slipped into her dinner. He planned to apologize with the best souvenir ever.

    ¡°Did you hear something?¡±

    Huan froze, pressed himself into the shadowy corner, and breathed slowly to calm his racing heart. Above him in the archery tower, a guard peered out into the night.

    ¡°Ah, I think it was a bat or something. No rampaging hordes tonight.¡±

    ¡°If they knew who was here, they¡¯d run. Hell, I¡¯d run.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s probably why General Mao was sober this morning. Drunk men can¡¯t run very fast.¡±

    ¡°Then you haven¡¯t seen me drunk!¡±

    As the guards continued to chat, Huan worked his way up the wall, listening carefully for any gaps in the conversation so they wouldn¡¯t notice the clink of nail on stone. Now with adrenaline driving him, he scaled the wall in record time and alighted on the top just out of sight of the archery tower. Tucking the climbing nails into his pocket, Huan slipped on a pair of rubber-soled shoes and padded softly toward his target, a giant tower erected at the back of the fortress.

    That was step two.

    Both reconnaissance and experience told Huan that the guards on the inside of the walls were far less vigilant than their counterparts outside them, since they knew nothing could get in. His footsteps muffled even on the hard stone, he dashed from shadow to shadow, making sure the guards in the tower above couldn¡¯t see him with their lanterns. Seeing that it was so easy, Huan briefly considered heading upstairs and helping himself, but luckily for the owner of the weapons, scrolls, and not least of all, gold stored on those floors, Huan wasn¡¯t going up. He stuck to the bottom floor, slipping in behind a patrol making their rounds.

    ¡°Did you see Na Jen?¡± said one of the guards. ¡°She wears the best armor!¡±

    ¡°She certainly got General Mao to sober up. Now we know what it takes.¡±

    ¡°The strength to crush rocks with your bare hands?¡±

    ¡°At least.¡±

    As they walked out of sight, Huan slipped into the building. Following the map he¡¯d stolen last week, he crept down the hallway and then scrambled up the wall and into the rafters where he peeked around the corner. Four of the tallest men he¡¯d ever seen were guarding an unassuming metal cage. They were dressed in steel armor and armed with spears, which they kept aimed at the corridor in front of them. If Huan hadn¡¯t jumped up to the ceiling before looking, they definitely would have seen him. Slipping his hand into his bag, Huan pulled out a glass ball filled with a drug that could knock out an elephant in an instant. It had been expensive, and part of Huan still wanted to see if he could hawk it to get his money back. Sighing at the loss, he started to aim.

    A blast shook the tower, nearly knocking Huan out of the rafters.

    ¡°What was that?¡¯

    ¡°Someone set off fireworks at the front gate!¡±

    ¡°Rebels?¡±

    ¡°Go get water!¡±

    As one, the four guards advanced, two of them marching right under Huan. Before he could react, a messenger ran up to the guards and kneeled.

    ¡°Someone loaded up a wagon full of fireworks and rammed it into the gate,¡± said the messenger. ¡°General Mao wants us on high alert!¡±

    A horn sounded twice as the messenger raced away, leaving the motionless guards standing under Huan. Covering his mouth, Huan tried not to smile at his good luck as he let the glass ball drop right in the middle of the guards. As promised, all four of them fell to the ground in a clatter of armor and weapons. Dropping down from the ceiling and stepping over the comatose guards, Huan walked over to the cage and inspected the lock. He expected it to be a masterpiece, something that only the best thieves could crack, but when he got past the ornate exterior, he had to stifle a laugh. All it took was a gentle prod from his knife, and the lock almost came apart in his hands.

    Someone pocketed that money.

    Entering the cage, Huan found a series of levers and pulleys, a complex and arcane control scheme for a system Huan was still amazed actually existed. Hoping that the weeks it had taken him to find the man who¡¯d built the cage, copy that man¡¯s plans, and then figure them out would pay off, Huan pulled the second lever from the right. With a groan, the cage jerked and then started to descend into the floor. By the light of the cage¡¯s oil lamp, Huan saw one of the guards start to twitch.

    Well, that¡¯s step three.

    As the cage jerked its way downwards, the solid stone foundation of the fortress gave way to the empty air of a large cave. Peering out into the darkness, Huan searched for anything that would help him with the next step. After months of conning bureaucrats and breaking into registry offices, the only thing he knew about this place was that it existed. Only the members of the Jade Lotus and the twelve members of the ShengXiao Guard were allowed to enter this cave, and Huan had failed to find a member of the Jade Lotus who wasn¡¯t holed up in a palace surrounded by dozens of witnesses and guards. As for the ShengXiao Guard, their identities were closely held secrets, protected by masks styled after each of the twelve animals of the Tuquese Zodiac. People said they were mystics, sorcerers, assassins, even kings. The only thing Huan had been able to confirm was that the Yinshi, the Tiger, had died in battle a couple of years ago. Useless information that had cost more than that glass ball.

    When the cage rattled to a stop, Huan pulled a torch out of his bag and lit it. The flame revealed a series of shelves and behind them a ten-foot-high wall of carved cave stone. Stepping out of the cage, He checked out what was on the first shelf, but only found scrolls filled with strange interlocking symbols. He didn¡¯t know what they were, but he¡¯d seen them on the clothing of the Jade Lotus. He guessed that it was probably some weird form of writing, intended to keep secrets out of the hands of common folk.

    After checking all the shelves, Huan found a staircase cut into the cave that led to upwards. Climbing them, he found yet more shelves and walked past them to another set of stairs on the far end. Ascending these, he looked back and saw that the levels had been terraced, each level set back from the one below. He could still see the cage by the light of its oil lamp. Shrugging, he turned around.

    A mask glared at him.

    ¡°What the¡ª!¡±

    When it didn¡¯t move, Huan took a closer look at the wooden Tiger mask, which had unfamiliar characters painted into its stripes. Still Huan felt like he¡¯d heard of this mask, and his suspicions were confirmed when he read the label on the mask¡¯s pedestal.

    Yinshi, May the Tiger¡¯s Eyes and Strength protect you.

    Huan had to keep himself from just grabbing the mask and stuffing it into his bag. If he stole the Yinshi mask, he¡¯d be a legend with songs sung about him and beautiful women swooning into the arms of the handsome men who played him on stage. It was tempting.

    Think of Mei.

    Mournfully, he stepped away from the mask and started to walk down the corridor to the next set of stairs. Stopping, he sighed, went back, and stuffed the mask¡¯s label into his bag. It wasn¡¯t worth a song, but it would have to do. He stole the labels from the other eleven platforms and then walked up the stairs. Unlike the others, there was a solid iron door built into the stone wall at the top. When Huan opened it, his eyes burned from the bright light streaming from the ceiling. Once his vision cleared, he gasped in wonder.

    The room was filled with weapons and armor that Huan had only heard rumors of. To his left lay a segmented sword arranged on a shelf. To his right stood a bronze suit of armor, which sparked on its wooden stand. Each item was something a thief would give his right hand to nab, and there was more of it than Huan had ever dreamed. He¡¯d thought the name, Vault of Legends, was just hyperbole, something dramatic to whisper into someone¡¯s ear. Apparently it was simply a description. Shaking off the itch to steal everything in the room, Huan focused on what he was here for, something that had never made it into tall tales. His father had forged its barrel and carved its stock and let Huan assemble it. It was Mei, his sister, who¡¯d learned how to shoot, clean it, and care for it, and she¡¯d delighted their mother with the meat she¡¯d brought home. Just because a member of the Jade Lotus had stored it here after ordering the execution of their parents didn¡¯t mean it was a legend. It was his sister¡¯s. Huan found what he was looking for at the back of the room.

    Mei¡¯s rifled hand cannon, their father¡¯s last work, was set on a stand at the back of the vault like it was a famous sword. The leather case that their mother had made for it was just below it. Huan picked it up and scoffed.

    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    Of course, they¡¯d let dust and grime foul up the mechanism.

    His sister didn¡¯t need to see it like this. If they¡¯d been this careless with it, then they might have lost some pieces. Carefully, Huan took apart the rifle and checked that each part was in place from the priming pan to the trigger guard, cleaning as he went. After reassembling the rifle, he wiped its leather case and slid it in. Slinging the case over his shoulder, he turned to leave.

    ¡°Magister Shi wondered how it was put together. He didn¡¯t let me smash it to find out.¡±

    Huan froze, not sure where the chittering voice was coming from.

    ¡°Wow, you really didn¡¯t hold back on the guards. What did you use? We can¡¯t get them to wake up at all.¡±

    Huan looked up and received a smack in the face. He fell on his side then rolled, barely dodging the blow from a staff that dented the floor. Flipping to his feet, Huan faced the small female figure in front of him, leering at him from behind the wide ears and grinning face of a monkey. The ShengXiao guard spun her bo staff once and took a low fighting stance. Without hesitation, Huan ran, dodging around a suit of burning armor and making for the door.

    ¡°No, you get to stay and play!¡±

    Huan dived to dodge a hearty swing from Monkey and made it to the door where an uppercut sent him spinning backwards. A huge man with huge ears and whiskers peered down at him.

    ¡°Stay still,¡± said Rat.

    In reply, Huan kicked him in the balls. As Rat wailed, Huan vaulted over him and dashed down the stairs. Since the cave was terraced, he decided to just jump from level to level. Before he could start, a hand closed around his ankle.

    ¡°You fucker.¡±

    Rat picked Huan up and smashed him face first into the back wall of the cave. Winded, Huan just managed to kick himself free when Monkey vaulted over both of them, landing just behind him. Panicking, Huan grabbed a mask pedestal and threw it, blocking Monkey¡¯s vision and giving Huan time to turn to punch Rat. His fist passed through empty air as Rat shrank to half size and delivered a hard blow to Huan¡¯s solar plexus, knocking the breath out of him. Winded, Huan tried to grapple the shrunken man, but Rat turned huge again and neatly threw Huan over his shoulder, smashing him into another mask pedestal. Grabbing it, Huan swung it at Rat¡¯s feet, causing the man to stagger.

    As Huan stood up, Monkey sailed over Rat¡¯s head and double-kicked Huan in the face, sending him tumbling backwards into another stand. Cursing, Huan wiped blood off his lip, got to his feet and grabbed the nearest pedestal. Something fell to the ground. He looked down and saw the Yinshi mask. Without another thought, Huan flung the stand aside and put on the mask, praying the rumors were true.

    ¡°Oh, no you don¡¯t!¡±

    Huan barely dodged three thrusts from Monkey¡¯s quarterstaff. Rat pulled her back, drew a shining double-edged sword and advanced on Huan, using the sword to keep him from jumping to freedom. Huan backed up, not wanting a blade in the back if he turned and ran toward the stairs. It was looking like the mask was a bust anyway. He decided it would make a better hostage. Huan noticed that the cave was much brighter now.

    Had they lit more candles on their way in?

    ¡°Take that off!¡±

    Huan fell away, and Tiger caught Monkey¡¯s staff and flung her toward Rat, who sidestepped out of the way of her flailing body. The big man raised his sword and advanced. He feinted right to test Tiger¡¯s reaction, slashed to force Tiger back, and then left a small opening to spring a¡ª

    In a flash, Tiger¡¯s fingers were digging into Rat¡¯s thick neck. Desperately, Rat tried to bring his sword to bear, but Tiger bit his wrist and the sword fell clattering to the lower level, allowing Tiger to continue to strangle Rat. Shouting, Monkey kicked Tiger hard, forcing him to release Rat so she could follow up with a heavy staff thrust to the ribs. The blow sent Tiger tumbling down to the lower level and Huan returned, wheezing. He tried to focus, his body buzzing with the desire to attack while he tugged at it to flee.

    He¡¯d just managed to steer himself back toward the cage when Rat and Monkey landed in front of him and dropped into fighting stances. Desperate, Huan dove for Rat¡¯s sword, which he¡¯d landed next to when he fell, and held it out in front of him. Huan felt the beast push forward and his tongue licked his lips of its own accord.

    ¡°Just¡­get out of my way,¡± Huan said, Tiger growling beneath his words. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­I¡¯ll leave the mask outside the front gate or something. I don¡¯t even want it.¡±

    Monkey spat.

    ¡°Like we¡¯d let a thief walk out of here alive,¡± she said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t talk to him,¡± said Rat, his voice a soft whisper.

    ¡°I can take him.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure you can,¡± said Huan, as Tiger inspected her slim neck.

    ¡°Fuck you!¡±

    Monkey charged, her staff a whirlwind. As she brought it down on his head, Tiger caught the staff with his left hand, ignoring the pop in Huan¡¯s shoulder. In one motion, he pushed aside the staff and thrust the sword at Monkey¡¯s neck.

    ¡°Xiaoming!¡± shouted Rat.

    Rat appeared in front of Tiger, and the sword sank into the man¡¯s belly. The rounded ears on the Rat mask shook as its owner fell back and tripped over Monkey.

    She gaped at her colleague. ¡°Chan? Chan!¡±

    Satisfied, Tiger faded and Huan fled, pausing only to tug the sword out of Rat¡¯s body. Jumping down to the lowest level, he made it to the cage before Monkey could follow. As he pulled the last lever on the left, he heard Monkey¡¯s wails as the cage started to ascend. With danger gone, Tiger retreated to a corner, leaving Huan exhausted. Shaking, Huan pulled at the mask, trying to get it off, but he couldn¡¯t find the seam where his face started and the mask ended. All he could feel was a rapidly thickening layer of fur. Then he nicked himself with his nails.

    ¡°Shit.¡±

    He looked down at his fingers and saw claws.

    ¡°Shit!¡±

    When the cage rattled to a stop, Huan stumbled out, stepped over the still comatose guards and started to run.

    ¡°Stop.¡±

    The voice, authoritative and sure, banished Tiger completely from the tired and battered thief¡¯s mind. Fully in control, Huan turned to face the voice¡¯s owner. The warrior in front of him was seven feet tall and bore a spear that reached up into the rafters. The only armor she wore was a chest plate, and her bulging arms were bare. Those arms were already the basis for a hasty retreat, and the woman¡¯s Dragon mask was the basis for prayer. Sensing danger, Tiger tried to rise again, but Huan kept him back and brought Rat¡¯s sword forward in a dimly remembered pose his mother had taught him long ago.

    ¡°The Li style,¡± said Dragon. ¡°Rare nowadays.¡±

    Her voice pushed Tiger back even further, allowing Huan¡¯s fear to kick in. He started to inch away from Dragon.

    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t know that,¡± he said. ¡°Thought everyone did it this way.¡±

    ¡°Leave the mask, the sword, and the cannon here,¡± said Dragon, ¡°and I¡¯ll let you go.¡±

    His hands shaking, Huan pulled the mask up so she could see his face, relieved that the mask could come off now.

    ¡°How about just the mask?¡± he asked, tugging at it. ¡°I didn¡¯t even want to take it.¡± The mask felt glued to his scalp.

    ¡°Just give me a min¡ª Whoa!¡±

    Dragon¡¯s spear drilled a hole in the space Huan had just been. He pulled the mask back over his face, prompting Tiger to roar to the surface. This time Huan indulged the beast, letting Tiger parry the spear with Rat¡¯s sword while Huan tried to think of a way out of this. It took him two near misses to think of a dumb plan.

    As Dragon wound up for another round of vigorous spear thrusts, he threw Rat¡¯s bloody blade into her face, and in the moment it took her to knock it away, Huan got his climbing ropes out of his pack. Seeing them, Dragon watched him warily for a moment and then her spear was barreling toward Huan¡¯s chest. Deftly Huan sidestepped and looped the rope around the haft of the spear. When Dragon tried to pull the spear back, he pulled on the rope just long enough for her to use all her strength, and then let go. When she tumbled to the ground, Huan ran, Tiger whining in disappointment at the failure to take down his prey.

    He made it as far as the courtyard before Dragon¡¯s shout boomed into the night.

    ¡°Archers, shoot the thief!¡±

    Through Tiger¡¯s ears, Huan heard a dozen bowstrings twang at once. Two arrows nicked him as he ran to the center of the courtyard. As more than three dozen arrows were notched, Huan regretted dying and leaving his sister alone.

    BOOM!

    Suddenly it was New Year¡¯s again as the night sky lit up with fireworks, some of which landed among the archers as they scrambled for cover. Grateful, Huan used Tiger¡¯s strength to make it the final few wirs to the front gate. More fireworks went off as he approached, scattering the guards with their dancing red and yellow sparks. Vaulting over the cowering guards, Huan made it to the gate and unbarred the massive door.

    ¡°Stop!¡±

    This time Dragon¡¯s voice didn¡¯t still Tiger. Huan pushed open the door and fled down the road where a small figure stood. As he approached her, she held out her hand.

    ¡°Mei, what are you doing here?¡± he asked.

    Mei kept her hand open. Huan tried to pull her away, but she fended him off and kept her hand out.

    ¡°Fine.¡±

    Huan handed her the rifle. In a flurry of motion, she pulled it out of its case, loaded it with a small lead bullet and powder, and aimed along its barrel. Dragon had already made it as far as the gate.

    ¡°Stop!¡± Dragon¡¯s voice betrayed a torrent of anger. ¡°Stop, now!¡±

    Mei pulled the trigger, and the rifle gave off a crack and a small cloud of smoke. Dragon was still charging toward them, still roaring for them to stop. Before Huan could contemplate his sister missing, Dragon fell to the ground, clutching her ankle. A believer again, Huan pulled his sister away and into the forest.

    ***

    Three days later, Mei watched her brother sleep with the strange mask he¡¯d stolen hidden underneath a stolen dark blue scarf. Cradling her gun case, she watched him dream, his slow breathing indicating that he was enjoying himself. That was good. He needed sleep to recover from the dozens of new bruises and cuts he¡¯d hidden under his long sleeves. Considering that he winced every time he tried to laugh, he was probably concealing a cracked rib too. That was likely why he¡¯d bought rather than stolen the short sword he kept nearby at all times. It had been the first time she had ever seen her older brother buy something. By the end of the sale, the storekeeper was convinced that Huan was actually a nobleman¡¯s son, even though Huan had growled, something Mei had never heard her brother do before. Huan preferred to be liked and then forgotten. Fear had a way of sticking in people¡¯s memories, he said.

    There was a knock on the barn door. Mei stood up and let the farmer¡¯s wife waddle in.

    ¡°Still asleep, eh?¡± said the old woman. ¡°Must be all that talking he does. Will you stay another night?¡±

    Mei shook her head.

    ¡°Good. I need this barn for animals. I like your money, but I like them more. You understand?¡±

    Mei nodded. The old woman waddled back out of the barn. When she was gone, Mei carefully shook her brother awake. He rose with a snarl.

    ¡°Oh¡­oh fuck,¡± he said. He looked around and groaned.

    ¡°How much did we pay for this?¡± he asked. Mei held up two fingers.

    ¡°Ugh, that¡¯s way too much,¡± said Huan. ¡°And now we stink like horse droppings.¡±

    Mei watched her brother flip to his feet and start shadow fighting, something he used to do all the time when they were little. Right now he was imagining some tall opponent with impossibly long reach. He froze, shook his head, and then pictured a much shorter opponent, one who could apparently jump over his head. As Huan fought his ghosts, Mei stepped outside and inspected the forest lining the horizon. The camps of guards still combing the forest for them belched columns of black smoke into a clouded sky. One of the camps was closer than it was last night. They would have to move.

    Huan caught up to Mei while she was watching the old woman tend to her chickens.

    ¡°Going to write a poem about chickens?¡± he asked.

    Mei shook her head. Huan looked at the forest and then pulled away from the old woman.

    ¡°They¡¯re getting closer, aren¡¯t they?¡± he asked in a whisper.

    Mei nodded.

    ¡°They¡¯re pushing us east. I bet they have some men going west to cut us off. Think I could fight them all off with this?¡± Huan tapped the scarf.

    Mei shook her head.

    ¡°Yeah, me neither. If only I could get this damn thing off, we¡¯d be in the clear.¡±

    Mei pointed northeast.

    ¡°Yulan¡¯s Pass,¡± she said.

    ¡°There¡¯s no way I could beat them there. Unless¡­right. Think that old woman will talk?¡±

    Mei shrugged.

    Huan pulled the mask out of the scarf and pulled it onto his face. Mei tightened her grip on her rifle as a low growl tumbled out of her brother¡¯s throat. He stayed frozen in place, breathing slow as he took control of his body. When the growling stopped, Mei relaxed.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go,¡± said Huan. He picked up and started to run northeast. Before they disappeared into the forest, Mei watched the old woman¡¯s face shift from shock to fear.

 Dragon Scale Required: Qeuike, Earth Shake

    As they exited the forest, the three mages came within view of Luin¡¯s Wall, the fortress that guarded the eastern end of Yulan¡¯s Pass from the vicious hordes of Tuquese who wished to sully Souran life. The wall was a two-hundred-wir high solid piece of granite stone. Along the top of the wall, guard towers looked out over the forest, the men manning them barely visible from that high up. A twenty-wir tall wooden gate painted in jade green was set dead center in the wall. Since it was noon, the gate was wide open and teeming with merchants and nobles aiming to get to the market. Dwayne kept his eyes up as questioning looks focused on the color of his skin. His companions didn¡¯t notice.

    ¡°Wow, it¡¯s bigger than I thought it was,¡± said Magdala. ¡°Lord Great Uncle Tuin¡¯s magical ability must¡¯ve been off the charts!¡±

    ¡°Anyone could do that given time and men,¡± said Lord Kalan. He took out a little notebook and made a few quick calculations. ¡°I could do it in about a week.¡±

    ¡°Tuin had to do it while under attack from Tuqu savages. I wish I¡¯d inherited more magic like that.¡±

    ¡°Sadly your mother got all of it.¡±

    Dwayne blinked.

    ¡°That was all done by magic?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Can you imagine how many men it would take to drag that much granite here, much less in a single piece?¡± asked Magdala. ¡°I mean it would take days! It does make the wall almost impossible to penetrate by normal means. You¡¯d have to bring in mining equipment, which makes the worst siege weapons.¡±

    ¡°The door too?¡±

    Magdala¡¯s nose wrinkled.

    ¡°No, Tuin let them put it in as a show of good faith,¡± she said. ¡°I always wondered why he didn¡¯t just take over the pass.¡±

    ¡°Tuquese magic is nothing to sneeze at,¡± said Lord Kalan.

    ¡°Tuin had them beat!¡± said Magdala, her face lighting up. ¡°It was actually a pretty smart move. Tuquese magic is all about nature, turning into animals and other creatures. He found out that that made their scouts extra sensitive to bright lights and strong smells. He got his younger brother Lord Kuin to mix up a batch of ruimous and then lobbed it into the enemy camps every morning. The Tuqu troops were so disoriented Tuin was able to push them out of the pass and back into their country.¡±

    Dwayne chuckled.

    ¡°What?¡± asked Magdala, frowning.

    ¡°When your uncle told that story, I ended up hearing about all the different spells that were used in that battle,¡± he said. ¡°You focus on tactics.¡±

    ¡°That was the cool stuff.¡±

    Lord Kalan walked them past the long line full of merchants counting their wares and up to where a knight and his squire were overseeing the guards checking the merchants¡¯ papers. The knight visibly groaned as they approached but put on a smile.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have to wait in line like everyone else.¡±

    Lord Kalan started to walk by the knight, then stepped back to look at the knight¡¯s face again.

    ¡°Sir Marcus?¡± he asked. ¡°What are you doing all the way out here?¡±

    The knight frowned for a moment.

    ¡°Do I know you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry!¡± said Magdala. She pulled her seal out of her robes and presented it to the guard. ¡°He¡¯s kind of not all there. This is my uncle Lord Bartholomew Kalan and his apprentice.¡±

    Sir Marcus glanced at his squire, who scowled.

    ¡°There¡¯s no way that¡¯s a lord,¡± said the squire.

    ¡°Looks like we both have people in training,¡± said Lord Kalan. ¡°I thought you swore you¡¯d never have a squire. That you¡¯d, how¡¯d you put it, ¡®put on your own damn armor and let people get on with things.¡¯¡±

    Marcus laughed and slapped Lord Kalan on the back.

    ¡°Oh my god, Bart! It¡¯s been a while. You really should get yourself looked at,¡± he said. ¡°You look poorer than a vagabond in that getup! Let me see your seal while I¡¯m at it. The Knight Captain will know if I let you through without checking.¡±

    ¡°You still a terrible flir player?¡±

    ¡°Like you¡¯re one to talk,¡± said Marcus. He looked Dwayne up and down. ¡°This is your apprentice, huh? Is he ¡­?¡±

    ¡°No, he¡¯s not.¡±

    ¡°Very well then. Nathan, say hello to your peers!¡±

    ¡°They are not my peers!¡± exclaimed the squire.

    ¡°Judging by your emblem, you¡¯re a Rutters,¡± said Magdala. ¡°My father commanded your father on the Southern Line ten years ago. I hope you can stand to his example.¡±

    ¡°Better than you can!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± Marcus¡¯s voice brought Nathan to attention.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be cleaning out the stables tonight,¡± said Marcus. Magdala stuck her tongue out at Nathan. Lord Kalan turned to her, his eyes clear.

    ¡°I suggest you refrain from behavior like that,¡± he said. ¡°Do you want me to put a seal to Sir Marcus¡¯s report to your mother?¡±

    Magdala blanched and looked down at the ground.

    ¡°Your lady sister would put the fear of Cueller in anyone,¡± said Marcus. ¡°I¡¯ll send the report to General Gallus instead. At least that¡¯ll delay the blow.¡±

    Magdala brightened.

    ¡°Thanks! Have you heard anything from the capitol?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t get much windsong out here,¡± said Marcus, ¡°but last I heard your father was still pushing for an expedition to old Vanuria.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s beyond the Line. What¡¯s out there for him?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s talk of ghosts and immortals in those lands,¡± said Marcus. ¡°I¡¯m actually surprised Bart here hasn¡¯t gone to take a look.¡±

    ¡°In time,¡± said Lord Kalan. ¡°My task comes first.¡±

    ¡°What brings you out here then?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going to kill a dragon.¡±

    Nathan laughed.

    ¡°There¡¯s no way you can kill a dragon,¡± he said. ¡°I mean only one of you is wearing any armor!¡±

    ¡°Before you get yourself killed, talk to the Knight Captain,¡± said Marcus. ¡°She¡¯ll want some assurances that you¡¯re doing this on your own.¡±

    ¡°Her position out here is that precarious?¡±

    ¡°No, she just doesn¡¯t like nobles getting themselves killed on her watch. Promise me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take him,¡± said Dwayne. Marcus and his squire both jumped a little.

    ¡°So you can speak our language,¡± said Marcus.

    Dwayne let that pass.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the Knight Captain¡¯s office?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to go now,¡± said Marcus. ¡°Just go before you leave. I suggest you get Lady ¡­¡±

    ¡°Magdala Gallus.¡±

    Marcus frowned at her and then looked at her lord uncle.

    ¡°You¡¯re bringing her daughter to fight a dragon?¡± he asked.

    ¡°She¡¯ll be fine,¡± said Lord Kalan. ¡°It¡¯s better than being at that academy.¡±

    ¡°The academy doesn¡¯t have creatures whose breath can sever limbs.¡±

    ¡°Master Potts definitely tried though.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll include this in my letter to the general. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to take responsibility for this.¡±

    ¡°Do as you wish.¡±

    Lord Kalan started to walk off. Dwayne caught a scowl off Nathan and then caught up with Magdala and her uncle.

    ¡°So¡­¡± said Magdala, after they¡¯d walked a little ways. ¡°Where can we get armor?¡±

    ¡°If I recall correctly most of the armorers are two streets over. Dwayne, give her money.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t go alone?¡±

    ¡°Why not? I need to finish a couple of papers and Dwayne needs to find us some mercenaries.¡±

    ¡°Sir, if I recall our discussion last night, it was the other way around. Go and dress like a noble.¡±

    ¡°Or at least get a shave,¡± said Magdala.

    ¡°Absolutely not,¡± said Lord Kalan. ¡°I distinctly remember¡ª¡±

    ¡°That you wanted to prove Lady Pol wrong as soon as possible? Your papers primarily need editing and clarification. The mercenaries need to see a face they can follow.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what my father always said.¡±

    Lord Kalan scowled as he tried to think of a counterargument while Dwayne rummaged in his master¡¯s pack and pulled out his sheaf.

    ¡°Fine,¡± he said, ¡°but those papers had better be perfect! And go with Magdala. If you don¡¯t want me looking over your shoulder, you¡¯d best work someplace else. Go to that inn over there when you¡¯re done. Now if I recall, the mercenaries all congregated over there¡­¡± Lord Kalan turned left and disappeared into the crowd.

    Magdala turned to Dwayne, already grinning from ear to ear.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go shopping!¡±

    ***

    Huan placed a bag of gold on the table and waited for the delight to spread on Honorata the Fence¡¯s face.

    ¡°What can I do for you?¡± she asked in Yani, a trade language.

    For the past two days, Huan had been scouring Ti Mei, the merchant¡¯s city in Yulan¡¯s Pass, for someone who could get him and Mei out of Tuqu. With the damn mask hidden under a navy-blue scarf, Huan was confident that he looked like a typical if prone to preening young adventurer who was just a little bit sweaty from the road. The money move was to make it clear that he trusted the woman behind the counter; the sword promised pain if that trust was betrayed. If that didn¡¯t work, Mei was hidden outside the building with her rifle aimed at any threat. Huan liked the fact that Ti Mei¡¯s guard hadn¡¯t started to follow up on the wanted posters that had followed him from Han Luo.

    Hopefully Huan had judged this woman right. She was shorter than him, but bulkier by far. Her short brown hair framed a square face that could probably break more than a few noses.

    ¡°You can get me two passes to Soura,¡± said Huan. ¡°I thought that was enough money for you to listen.¡±

    ¡°The solid smack of metal on wood gets everyone¡¯s attention,¡± said Honorata. She leaned in. ¡°Is it all yours?¡±

    ¡°Sadly I got some of it honestly. The rest, well ¡­¡±

    ¡°Say no more, friend. Unfortunately you¡¯ll need more.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Honorata laughed.

    ¡°I¡¯m good at what I do and that¡¯s not nearly enough money for what you¡¯re asking,¡± she said. ¡°You came through the Red Gate, yes?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be asking to go back otherwise.¡±

    ¡°They checked you, didn¡¯t they?¡±

    In fact they hadn¡¯t. They¡¯d checked Mei, but Huan had climbed over the wall during the night. Tiger had been good for something other than tearing out throats.

    ¡°They made me touch a stone,¡± said Huan, recalling what Mei had told him. ¡°It glowed.¡±

    ¡°That was your registration into this city,¡± said Honorata. ¡°They run your blood against all the known bloodlines in the Empire. If you¡¯ve got a granddaddy you can¡¯t explain, well ¡­¡±

    She drew her thumb across her neck.

    ¡°They run you going out the Green Gate to Soura too,¡± she said, ¡°but we civilized folk at least allow for the possibility that your granddaddy came from nowhere. Maybe you¡¯ve worked your way up from nothing, arranged business contacts here and there and got enough to set yourself respectable. Then maybe if you kiss the right ass you¡¯ll get one of these from one of our fine nobles.¡±

    She pulled a slab of metal from her pocket and placed it on the counter.

    ¡°This is a noble sponsorship,¡± she said. ¡°Touch it.¡±

    Huan felt the metal and frowned. Harder than silver, smoother than steel, lighter than air, the plate was etched in an intricate pattern unlike anything Huan had ever seen. The other side had a picture of the woman standing in front of him. She showed him the edge.

    ¡°No seams,¡± she said. ¡°There¡¯s no way to take the picture out without destroying the picture or the plate. The metal itself is impossible to get. There¡¯s just one family in all of the world that knows the secret, and they¡¯re not telling. To make this you have to get that metal and a licensed Souran mage who can make the etching on the back using an approved design from a noble sponsor. That¡¯s a week of work and more ma than you put on my counter.¡±

    ¡°So if I stole yours, all I¡¯d do is piss off a beautiful lady?¡± asked Huan. Honorata smirked.

    ¡°I¡¯d rip your dick off,¡± she said.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure. How much are we talking?¡±

    ¡°A hundred oma.¡±

    Huan laughed.

    ¡°No seriously, how much?¡±

    ¡°A hundred oma,¡± repeated Honorata. ¡°Nobles from my country don¡¯t really have to work, and they don¡¯t want to pay for ¡­ someone with your skills. They can hire someone from Soura to do it for much cheaper.¡± She smiled.

    ¡°I like you. You¡¯re cute. That¡¯s why I¡¯m giving you a price. Show me that much money and I¡¯ll find a noble to sponsor you.¡±

    Huan reached into the bag and dumped a couple dozen tio on the counter.

    ¡°Thanks for the information,¡± he said. ¡°When I hit it big, I¡¯ll come looking for you.¡±

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    ¡°Please do.¡±

    Huan left the shop, his mind trying to calculate how long it would take him to get that much money. He¡¯d only ever seen an oma once. It had been in the fingers of the only Jade Lotus member he¡¯d been able to find. Someone grabbed his elbow. Tiger whirled around, ready to fight.

    ¡°Oh shit,¡± said Huan, seeing Mei. She gently pulled his hand away from his scarf. Then she stepped back and waited.

    ¡°We need to steal a hundred oma.¡±

    Mei¡¯s eyes widened slightly.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve been doing the math. I¡¯d have to steal from literally everyone here,¡± said Huan. ¡°One oma would buy everything in that auction house. There¡¯s no way they¡¯d bring anything half that valuable into the city without an escort the size of a village. Even with this¡­¡± Huan indicated the hidden mask. ¡°It would be too much.¡±

    Mei nodded. She rubbed her fingers together.

    ¡°Nope, can¡¯t steal them either,¡± said Huan. ¡°I¡¯ve seen that wall. I can¡¯t climb it and they have people staring at it all day. We could go up into the valley and¡ª¡± Mei shook her head vigorously.

    ¡°Yeah, too dangerous, but if we got dragon parts we¡¯d be able to maybe bribe our way into Soura. Well, one problem at a time.¡± Huan walked over to a garbage dump and returned the piles of metal he¡¯d put into the bag.

    ¡°First we need money to eat.¡±

    His fingers itched as he spotted a likely target, a bumbling merchant with a fat pouch.

    ***

    Magdala was in heaven. Out here away from the need to show off to potential employers and fianc¨¦s, the armor fashion veered toward the pragmatic. Mattison¡¯s designs were known to be easy to maintain with easily available and interchangeable parts. The piece she was looking at had been forged by a particularly skilled hand. She made a note of the name in case her father needed a new suit of armor made.

    ¡°Uh, miss? Your slave has taken over a table.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have a slave,¡± said Magdala.

    ¡°Then your manservant. He¡¯s getting in the way of our work.¡±

    Magdala sighed and turned from the masterpiece to find that Dwayne had flooded a table with dozens of papers and drafts, which he was transcribing at a furious pace, somehow managing to write, blot, and refill without spilling a drop of ink. Walking over, she saw that despite his speed, his copies were improvements on both the grammar and legibility of the originals, which were chicken scratch. Was this really her lord uncle¡¯s handwriting?

    ¡°Um, Dwayne?¡± she asked.

    Dwayne stopped mid blotting and looked up.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Did you have to take over this table?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Are we leaving?¡± asked Dwayne. He looked her over and frowned. ¡°You haven¡¯t bought anything yet.¡±

    ¡°Oh, we came in here because they had some of Mattison¡¯s work,¡± said Magdala. ¡°I can¡¯t actually go into the field wearing metalwork.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ To another place then?¡±

    Magdala caught the eye of the owner. She sighed.

    ¡°Yes,¡± she said.

    As Dwayne packed up the papers, a Souran noble strode in with his bodyguards. One of his bodyguards was resplendent in a dark steel-visored helmet and breastplate with detailing around the edges. Magdala walked straight up to him.

    ¡°Excuse me,¡± she said. ¡°Where did you get that armor?¡±

    The bodyguard looked down at her from on high, flipping up the visor on his helmet to get a better look. He was Wesen with skin just slighter darker than Dwayne¡¯s. The noble raised his eyebrow at her, signaling his manservant to appear between Magdala and the bodyguard.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t think you can afford it,¡± said the bodyguard.

    ¡°Oh?¡± The noble approached Magdala and looked her up and down. ¡°You look familiar.¡±

    Magdala didn¡¯t place the noble at all, but she presented her seal with a flourish.

    ¡°Lady Magdala Gallus at your service,¡± she said with a curtsy. The noble¡¯s eyes practically popped out of their sockets.

    ¡°That is a scandal,¡± he said, presenting his seal. ¡°What are you doing so far from the capital?¡±

    ¡°Even mages have to get their hands dirty,¡± said Magdala. ¡°I was wondering where your bodyguard got his armor from. The leatherwork is superb.¡±

    The noble smiled.

    ¡°Well he¡¯s a valuable asset,¡± he said. ¡°You have to buy the best armor for slaves as strong as he is. What¡¯s yours doing?¡±

    Magdala turned to see Dwayne staring at the Wesen slave.

    ¡°Dwayne?¡± she asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he said, unclenching his fists. He bowed stiffly.

    ¡°I¡¯m Dwayne, Lord Bartholomew Kalan¡¯s apprentice,¡± he said.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s¡ª¡±

    ¡°Lord Bader, I do have other business to attend to,¡± said a voice in yawning Yani.

    The speaker was dressed in various shades of green and wore a jade ring in the shape of a lotus on his finger. His fingers just barely peeked out from his long, wide sleeves. The fabric was covered in intricate designs, some of which shimmered as he walked. Lord Bader bowed.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Shi Hu,¡± he said in Yani. ¡°It is customary for Souran nobles to greet each other.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes.¡± He said something in his native language. A man dressed in leather leggings and an Ox mask appeared in the door. Shi Hu continued to speak.

    ¡°This is Shi Hu,¡± said Bader in Yani. ¡°He¡¯s a high-ranking member of the Tuqu bureaucracy. I¡¯m negotiating a business venture with him.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± said Magdala. Shi Hu turned back to them.

    ¡°You are a mage, yes?¡± he asked. Magdala nodded, but Shi Hu waved her off. Dwayne nodded. Shi Hu breezed past Magdala and nearly bowled over Dwayne. He grabbed Dwayne¡¯s chin.

    ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve seen a male Wesen mage outside of the Ri,¡± he said. ¡°And you¡¯re apprenticed to a Souran mage? Interesting.¡±

    Dwayne pulled his chin out of Shi Hu¡¯s grip and backed away from the man, his fists clenched again. Magdala, however, stepped forward.

    ¡°Oh I¡¯m sorry,¡± said Shi Hu. ¡°Was I supposed to ask permission?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± replied Magdala, ¡°from him.¡±

    ¡°Intriguing. Bo?¡±

    A ghoulish snake face appeared in front of Magdala.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    As Magdala stumbled back, the owner of the snake mask, a woman with short black hair, leaned in to whisper into Shi Hu¡¯s ear. Shi Hu frowned.

    ¡°You are attempting to create a means for mages to perform all three Magics?¡± he asked. Magdala looked down and saw that one of Dwayne¡¯s drafts was in the snake woman¡¯s hands. Dwayne snatched it back.

    ¡°Yes, so?¡± he asked.

    Shi Hu¡¯s mouth smiled, but his eyes tightened.

    ¡°I wish you the greatest success,¡± he said. ¡°Come, Lord Bader. To the rest of your properties.¡±

    As Shi Hu and the rest left the shop, Magdala turned to Dwayne. He had his eyes closed and was breathing very slowly. His fists were still clenched.

    ¡°Are you all right?¡± she asked. Dwayne opened his eyes and smiled, opening his fist at the same time.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± he said. ¡°Let¡¯s get you some good armor.¡±

    ¡°If you want the armor that slave was wearing, the shop¡¯s two doors down,¡± said an attendant. The owner scowled at him. ¡°What? It¡¯s not like they were buying anyway.¡±

    The word ¡°slave¡± had made Dwayne shut his eyes again.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Magdala said. When Dwayne opened his eyes, she pulled him gently into the street.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± she asked again.

    ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    Magdala watched Dwayne head down the street, still feeling the burn from his angry eyes.

    ***

    Mei saw her first. She was wearing the mask of the Rooster proudly with an embroidered red and blue celk jacket to match. Rooster¡¯s eyes flicked over the crowd constantly, assessing every single person¡¯s threat level. The ones she was concerned about got the barest hint of a sneer; everyone else was ignored. The woman was quite tall, towering even over the pale skinned Souran men shopping in the market. As Rooster approached, Mei slipped inside the shop where Huan was finishing up with a nervous little Souran man.

    ¡°Are¡ªare you sure this will take care of it?¡± asked the little man. ¡°I do so enjoy their company¡­¡±

    ¡°Your wife will never find out,¡± said Huan, smiling and pressing the little bag of herbs into the man¡¯s hand. ¡°You won¡¯t regret this.¡±

    ¡°Th-thank you!¡± The little man scurried off. Huan watched him go, slipping the money pouch into his pocket.

    ¡°He¡¯s headed straight there, isn¡¯t he?¡± he asked. ¡°I hope the jails here are nicer than the ones they have back in the capital.¡± He read Mei¡¯s face. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Rooster,¡± she said.

    ¡°Fuck!¡± Huan started to run outside, but Mei grabbed his elbow and pulled him toward the back of the shop. The owner frowned, but Huan whispered ¡°former lover¡± as they rushed through, and he nodded in understanding. Once out in the back alley, Mei inspected it for more danger. When she was satisfied she turned her attention back to her older brother.

    ¡°Shit, I don¡¯t even¡­right¡­I¡¯ve got something here¡­¡± He pulled a pack of cards out of his pocket and flipped through them.

    ¡°¡®May the Rooster¡¯s Voice and Vigilance Protect You,¡¯¡± he read. ¡°What the fuck does that mean?¡± Mei heard the owner greet someone inside and, putting two and two together, grabbed Huan and hustled him down the alley.

    ¡°Wha¡ªWhy? Oh shit, she saw you somehow? Vigilance¡­she saw that you were a danger and followed you on a hunch?¡±

    Mei pushed him out into the crowd and started steering him through it. When she hunted, she took steps to make sure that her quarry was limited in its options. With the mask stuck to her brother and an imperial guard at your beck and call, the best way to trap them was sheer weight of numbers.

    Mei stopped and threw her brother into a dark alley out of sight of a Souran knight in shiny armor, who was talking to the commander of a wall of Tuqu guards, each of whom were checking the necks of everyone who passed through Tuqu or Souran.

    ¡°Oh shit,¡± said Huan. ¡°I thought we¡¯d have at least another day.¡±

    As she watched her brother eye the rooftops, Mei remembered that her brother was less like a tiger and more like a mouse, always looking for an angle to escape. Nudging him, she nodded at the other side of the street where a half-dozen archers were on patrol.

    ¡°Damn.¡±

    The Souran captain waved a hand and a dozen Souran guards showed up and formed half of the line, replacing the Tuqu guards. Relieved, Souran travelers started to walk up to them. As the Tuqu commander left in a huff, Mei watched Souran nobles and their entourages simply stride past the Souran guards. That was their opening. She waited for her brother to notice.

    ¡°We need a noble,¡± he said. Mei nodded.

    ¡°Most nobles are like that idiot before; they come for pleasure. I can scam them, but I can¡¯t appeal to them.¡± Mei noticed he didn¡¯t think that she could appeal to them either. ¡°We need someone who needs services rendered outside this damn city. They¡¯ll have to need a bodyguard or a hunter¡­¡±

    Mei checked that the guards hadn¡¯t noticed them and prepared to leave.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the nearest hunter haunt?¡± Huan asked her. Mei started walking, one eye still on the wall of guards. The Tuqu commander sent one of his men into the crowd, presumably to find Rooster and tell her about the hole in their security net. They needed to hurry.

    It took five minutes to reach the tavern where most of the hunters came to gossip, tell tall stories, and procure customers for their rarer findings. Most of them paid scant attention to the myriad requests pinned to a wooden board to find rare dragon parts; the ones that did mostly scoffed with disgust and passed on by. Mei saw Huan acquire his target, a middle-aged blond man with a freshly shaved chin. To Mei, he was just a scruffy man in rags that bore the stains and tears of carelessness, but her brother licked his chops. While he didn¡¯t think things through, he knew people like he knew locks.

    Huan stood up straight, stole a look of confidence from the most impressive hunter in the place and rearranged his sword so that it was barely hidden by his cloak, drawing even more attention to it. Mei waited for his instructions.

    ¡°We¡¯re siblings who mostly hunt out west,¡± he said. ¡°If he knows his hunting, you answer those questions. If he doesn¡¯t, just give him that look that makes people squirm.¡±

    Mei blinked and frowned.

    ¡°The one where you¡¯re trying to figure out what they want, but they think you¡¯re reading their soul.¡±

    Mei nodded.

    ¡°Good.¡±

    Huan led the way and got in the way of the man as he tried to turn around to leave. The man landed on his ass. Huan looked down at him with disdain.

    ¡°What are you doing this far west, Souran?¡± he asked.

    The man stood up and regarded Huan with interest. Mei saw his clear blue eyes flicker to Huan¡¯s scarf.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t asked you yet,¡± the man said in Yani. ¡°I¡¯m looking for people to accompany me on an expedition to Godan Valley. To be blunt, I need to collect some dragon scales at minimum. A claw or even a heart would be ideal.¡±

    Her brother did not react properly, and it raised the suspicion of every hunter within hearing.

    ¡°Considering you just bumped into me, you¡¯ll have to offer me something substantial to take that offer,¡± said Huan, raising an eyebrow. The hunters near them took a deep interest in their drinks. Mei kept her face neutral as she assessed whether or not they would get in her brother¡¯s way. It wasn¡¯t Huan¡¯s fault he didn¡¯t know that any sane hunter would say no to taking on a dragon. She would have to take up the slack.

    ¡°Are you hiring anyone else?¡± she asked. Huan covered his surprise with a cough. The blond man regarded her, his eyes flickering to her cannon case.

    ¡°I have two mages with me already,¡± he said. ¡°One Ri and one nQe to be precise. And there¡¯s myself of course. Qeuike.¡± The back of Mei¡¯s neck tingled as the blond man muttered the unfamiliar word. The whole tavern started to rattle, causing men and women to run into the street. Mei almost grabbed her brother and ran, but Huan still had his smirk and hadn¡¯t moved an inch. She followed his lead.

    ¡°Qeil.¡± The shaking stopped.

    ¡°Good show,¡± said Huan. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t think shaking a dragon to death will get you want you want.¡±

    ¡°You do your job,¡± said the blond man, ¡°and you¡¯ll get your money. Lord Bartholomew Kalan.¡± The Souran noble bowed. Huan smirked.

    ¡°You can call me Li,¡± he said. Their real last name was too common to lead back to them. ¡°You can call her Li too. We¡¯ll know which one you mean.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± said Lord Kalan. ¡°I¡¯ll give you the name of my hotel and¡ª¡±

    ¡°We haven¡¯t discussed the terms,¡± said Huan. ¡°Ten of your earls and passage into Soura.¡±

    The mage didn¡¯t hesitate. ¡°Done.¡±

    Mei did the math in her head. Fifty Souran earls was around seventy ma, or more money than Huan had ever gotten from a scam ever. Her brother managed to keep his surprise to himself.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to follow you now,¡± he said. ¡°We need to see what your mages can do.¡±

    Mei nodded.

    ¡°I suppose that makes sense,¡± said Lord Kalan. ¡°They may be out shopping at the moment. My niece insisted on buying armor and my apprentice went with her. Let¡¯s catch up with them.¡± Lord Kalan left the tavern as the waitresses tried to clean up the place. Huan stepped back and whispered to Mei.

    ¡°What do Ri and NQe mean?¡± he asked. Mei shrugged.

    ¡°Why did the whole tavern look like they were about to laugh when I said I¡¯d take the job?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t hunt dragons,¡± she answered. Huan¡¯s face turned white.

    ¡°Oh fuck,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to dump these fools.¡±

    Lord Kalan led them back to the wall of guards they¡¯d seen earlier, walking right up to the shiny female knight and hailing her. Huan put on his cocky hunter look as Mei found herself face-to-face with her own reflection. The knight had buffed her breastplate to a beyond ridiculous degree.

    ¡°Lord Kalan,¡± said the knight in Yani, spitting the words. ¡°What a pleasure it is to see you out here.¡± Mei could catch a couple of the words, but they mostly bubbled by. She kept her eyes on the Tuqu guards who were starting to take an interest in them.

    ¡°Dame Caldwell, it is good to see you here,¡± said Lord Kalan.

    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± the knight asked. ¡°I¡¯m afraid Tuqu isn¡¯t letting any Sourans through the border for quite some time. Something happened on their side of the mountains, and they want to make sure it¡¯s contained. As such, if you create an incident, I¡¯ll gut you myself and bring your body to Lady Gallus. The Tuqu are far too tense as it is.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure my sister would do that herself if I caused trouble with her daughter in tow,¡± said Lord Kalan. ¡°Do not worry; Marcus has already informed them.¡±

    The female knight glared at Kalan for a moment and then her face softened.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a while,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re out and about instead of being holed up in that tower. Someone even convinced you to shave!¡±

    ¡°My niece is going to be just like her mother when she grows up. She could even convince you to shave.¡±

    Huan stifled a laugh as the knight blushed.

    ¡°Are you all right?¡± Kalan asked.

    ¡°You would not survive as a commoner, Lord Bart,¡± said the knight.

    Mei caught a bright red flash in the knight¡¯s breastplate. Turning, she saw Rooster advance toward them. Huan was oblivious; he was probably trying to learn Souran accents and mannerisms. If Mei did nothing, Rooster was going to catch him and she¡¯d never see him again.

    After taking a breath to slowing her heartbeats, Mei considered how prey escaped watchful predators and came up with a plan. Out of sight of her brother and the nobles, she slipped into a nearby alley then ran to the other side of the building where another wall of guards, all Tuqu this time, were inspecting all the comers and goers. The inspections had caused pileups on both sides of the wall, a huge mass of people gawking and pushing their way to the front. Mei gauged the crowd and pulled out her last three fireworks. She¡¯d used the rest on the fortress gate. Lighting all three of them, she tossed them into the crowds.

    BOOM! POP POP POP!

    As the fireworks went off, setting the crowd into a panic, Mei dove back into the alleyway and reappeared next to her brother just as he was looking around to see what happened. Rubbing her arms, Mei watched Rooster turn to the commotion and take a deep breath.

    ¡°GUARDS! CONVERGE ON FOURTH STREET!¡±

    Rooster¡¯s voice felt like it could level battlefields. As one, the Tuqu guard ran toward the commotion, leaving the Souran guards bemused in their dust. The female knight shook her head.

    ¡°I am going to have a word with their commander at our next meeting,¡± she said. ¡°Get out of here before they insist on jailing everyone they see.¡±

    Lord Kalan nodded and walked down the street with Huan and Mei in tow. Mei could feel Rooster¡¯s eyes return to watching the street, but her booming voice didn¡¯t fill the air again. Mei¡¯s hands finally unclenched.

    ***

    Still shaken by her encounter with Shi Hu, Magdala wasn¡¯t able to really enjoy the new leather armor she sported. It would take a few days to break it in, but she knew it was better to be uncomfortable now than dead later. Since then though, Dwayne had been quiet, finishing up his transcription at a cleared table at the inn with record speed and spending the rest of the time sitting with his strange tome in his lap. Watching him, Magdala found that her curiosity about his past was growing. She was about to interrupt Dwayne to ask him about the book when her lord uncle entered the tavern with two Tuqu ruffians in tow.

    ¡°Finally!¡± she said, standing up and looking him over. ¡°I told you to wear something impressive. All you did was shave.¡±

    Blinking, her lord uncle looked down at his garb and shrugged.

    ¡°Oh sorry, I forgot,¡± he said. ¡°At any rate, I did manage to hire us a couple of hunters.¡±

    He gestured to the two ruffians, a boy with a cheap sword at his hip and a girl with a strange long thin leather case on her back. They looked both young and unweathered, nothing like the hunters Magdala had envisioned.

    ¡°Oh no,¡± she said.

    The boy approached her, a smirk on his lips.

    ¡°This is your mage?¡± he asked in Yani.

    ¡°Lord Uncle¡­I¡­You hired¡­¡± Magdala managed to get her thoughts back into order. ¡°What are you paying them?¡±

    ¡°They agreed for just ten earls,¡± said Kalan with pride.

    Magdala had to keep herself from slapping him. He was still her lord uncle, and that did afford some respect.

    ¡°Well that¡¯s enough to keep a commoner lodged in Anders for half a year,¡± she said. ¡°Are they worth it?¡±

    The boy¡¯s smirk deepened.

    ¡°We¡¯re worth it,¡± he said. ¡°Where¡¯s the other mage? Maybe he¡¯s more impressive than you are.¡±

    ¡°Oh sir, you¡¯re here.¡±

    Dwayne put away the strange tome and stood. Seeing him, Lord Kalan ran to the papers and looked them over, raising an eyebrow as he read.

    ¡°Good job incorporating the Mana Font theory into my exploration of the emission theory,¡± he said. ¡°Humanity has better things to do than search for impossible legends.¡±

    ¡°Lady Pol thinks there¡¯s evidence of the Font in the desert,¡± said Dwayne. ¡°Its existence does not preclude your theory, sir.¡±

    ¡°Its existence is inconsequential to what we¡ªwhat? What?¡±

    Magdala stopped poking her uncle with her finger.

    ¡°You need to find us better mercenaries,¡± she told him. Dwayne looked up from the papers and saw the two Tuqu. He approached the boy and extended his hand.

    ¡°Dwayne,¡± he said. The boy took the hand.

    ¡°Li,¡± he said. Dwayne extended his hand to the girl who¡¯d come with Li. When the girl bowed instead, Dwayne returned it and turned to Magdala.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with them?¡± he asked her.

    ¡°They¡¯re clearly scam artists or something,¡± said Magdala. ¡°We¡¯re going after a dragon, and he¡¯s just got that crappy sword.¡±

    ¡°This crappy sword is more than enough,¡± said Li. Magdala scowled at him.

    Dwayne turned to the girl.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Mei.¡±

    Magdala caught the ghost of a wince on Li¡¯s face.

    ¡°Mei, what would you need to get a dragon¡¯s scales and claws?¡±

    ¡°Some way to distract it, some way to get through its skin, and some way to stop it so we can hide and escape,¡± she answered.

    Mei¡¯s quick answer raised Magdala¡¯s eyebrows. She gave a quick curtsy and stepped up to the girl.

    ¡°Lady Magdala Gallus,¡± she said to Mei. ¡°Why do you need those things? Can¡¯t you and¡­Li do all of that on your own?¡±

    ¡°Magu¡ªMag¡­¡± Mei¡¯s face crinkled as she worked through the name.

    ¡°You can call me Maggie it that¡¯s easier,¡± said Magdala.

    ¡°Maggie,¡± repeated Mei. She nodded. ¡°My brother can distract the dragon, but he¡¯ll get burned. My weapon can hurt most things, but a dragon¡¯s skin is tough.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s your weapon?¡± Magdala asked. Mei looked around and shook her head.

    ¡°All right¡­,¡± said Magdala.

    ¡°We won¡¯t show you here,¡± said Li, stepping between Magdala and Mei. Mei stepped out from behind him, took Magdala¡¯s hand and, ignoring her brother¡¯s shock, led Magdala to a corner of the room. Magdala¡¯s nose filled with the smell of explosive powder as Mei pulled the long leather case off her back and pulled out a slim weapon, a complex crossbow trigger married to a long metal tube. Mei then rummaged in her pocket and placed a small metal ball into Magdala¡¯s hand. After weighing the ball in her hand, Magdala whispered, ¡°nQeuom.¡± She blinked. It was simple common lead, the metal that her father¡¯s mines threw out because it was useless.

    ¡°You fire this with this?¡± she asked, indicating the ball and the weapon in turn.

    ¡°It¡¯s like a crossbow, but with fireworks,¡± said Mei.

    Magdala marveled at the idea.

    ¡°Oh wow,¡± she said. She tested the explosive residue. The exact mixture was new to her, but she¡¯d learned more potent blends in school.

    ¡°I know how to get this to penetrate a dragon¡¯s skin,¡± she said.

    Mei¡¯s eyes sparkled.

    ¡°Then we hunt a dragon,¡± she said.

 Dragon Scale Required: Riéˆ¥æª“unéˆ¥æªœiéˆ¥æª–o, Fire Wall

    Early the next morning, Huan crept up to just within a few short wirs of the gate out of Ti Mei, keeping himself hidden in the brush, and watched the guards. The Souran guards were relaxed, stretching and drinking cups of hot kota. Their Tuqu counterparts stood at attention without a word, not moving a muscle. Since that night when he¡¯d penetrated the Han Luo fortress, Huan hadn¡¯t seen a relaxed Tuqu guard ever. The masks must have a lot of power. Getting back into Ti Mei was going to be a problem, but it still wasn¡¯t like hunting dragons.

    Ever since that night, Huan had woken up to find Mei¡¯s hand already on her knife. She did it unconsciously, raising her threat level so that Tiger wouldn¡¯t dare to tear her throat out. After Huan wrestled Tiger back down to the back of his mind, she always relaxed, fading back into the background; yet still each morning Huan was reminded that his sister was prepared to kill him to protect herself. It never failed to put him in a foul mood.

    Last night, they¡¯d slipped out of the inn where the mages were staying and snuck out of Ti Mei through the northern gate. Before Tiger, he would have complained about waking up sore and tired after a night of sleeping on the cold hard ground, but Tiger made sleeping indoors a pain. The one time they¡¯d tried an inn, Huan had spent the whole night trying to keep himself from jumping out of the window. Tiger didn¡¯t much like the cold either, but it hated being indoors.

    Creeping back to Mei, he interrupted her as she started a fire for their breakfast, four rabbits she¡¯d hunted while he¡¯d been scoping out the gate.

    ¡°There¡¯s no way we can kill a dragon, is there?¡± he asked.

    Mei gave him a look and then pulled out a piece of flint and a steel bar. She started to send sparks at the pile of wood shavings she¡¯d created in the fire circle.

    ¡°You said I could distract it. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m fast enough.¡±

    His sister inspected the little smoking pile and began to gently fan it. Huan¡¯s heart sank.

    ¡°The only way to do that is to use this¡­thing.¡±

    Mei nodded.

    ¡°I can¡¯t do that.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± she asked.

    With a little fire going, Mei started to feed it small sticks.

    ¡°We need to get rid of this thing,¡± said Huan.

    ¡°They¡¯ll be here soon,¡± said Mei, continuing to build the fire.

    Huan stood up and returned to the gate. Before leaving the inn, they¡¯d left a note saying that they¡¯d meet the party outside the northern gate. Huan could only imagine how suspicious the note had made the red-haired witch; without a doubt, she was arguing that they find different hunters. On the other hand, it wouldn¡¯t bother the lord mage, who wasn¡¯t concerned about being betrayed, judging from how enthusiastically he¡¯d ordered his Wesen to pay him. As for the Wesen¡­Huan had seen his like before. The ambassador of the Ri, a kingdom far to the south, made semiannual processions to the Tuqu Imperial Palace. They were lavish affairs with proud Wesen guards marching up the center lane. The ambassador herself, an old waif whose clothes outweighed her person, sat in a lavish litter carried by slaves from each of the four corners of the world: the dark-skinned Wesen, the light-skinned Soura, the bronze-skinned Vanurians, and of course the golden-skinned Tuqu. The last was probably a studied insult.

    Huan had seen the difference between the free Wesen and the enslaved and despite his bland, friendly exterior, the Wesen mage couldn¡¯t hide his past.

    All of the Souran guards came to attention at once. A Souran knight with a worn but well-cared-for breastplate walked through the gate, followed by a preening boy in leather armor. The knight talked to the guards, patting them on the back and tasting the kota. He made a face and the men laughed. The boy laughed the loudest and longest, subsiding into silence when he realized what he was doing.

    As Breastplate exchanged greetings with one of the Tuqu guards, Huan¡¯s marks walked through the northern gate. The red-haired witch already appeared to be complaining, likely that Huan and Mei hadn¡¯t met them outside the gates. Huan stepped out into the road and waved, hoping that it would color those ears of hers. The Wesen noticed him first and waved back heartily. He left the group and strode up to meet Huan.

    ¡°Li, how was your morning?¡± he asked.

    Huan dropped into the cocky hunter persona.

    ¡°Waking up to the sounds of birds and water is always the best way to go,¡± he said. ¡°If you want to hunt a dragon, best get used to it.¡±

    ¡°I hadn¡¯t considered the auditory benefits of sleeping outside,¡± said the Wesen. Huan¡¯s mind finally fished up the name. Dwayne. ¡°Mostly it reduces our expenses.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s cheaper to sleep outside?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s cheaper to not rebuild the inn.¡±

    Leaving that alarming piece of information in Huan¡¯s mind, Dwayne waved for the others to join him, which, to Huan¡¯s dismay, included Breastplate and his boy. Breastplate gave Huan a quick appraising look and then gave a formal bow. The boy followed suit, his lip curling with disdain for Huan.

    Maybe Souran children are taught that look in schools, thought Huan.

    ¡°Sir Marcus of Pollum,¡± said the knight, rising.

    ¡°Li,¡± said Huan with a slight sneer. The boy didn¡¯t react well.

    ¡°This is a knight!¡± he said, stepping forward, his hand on his sword. Tiger¡¯s low growl brought the boy up short. Sir Marcus placed a hand on the boy¡¯s shoulder and pulled him back.

    ¡°This is my squire, Nathan,¡± he said. ¡°He¡¯s still working on his manners.¡±

    ¡°A squire? Is that some sort of servant?¡± asked Huan. The jibe raised Nathan¡¯s hackles.

    Good. Maybe he¡¯ll forget the growl.

    ¡°It means knight in training,¡± said Dwayne, stepping between them. ¡°Like an apprentice.¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s motion only reminded Nathan that he was there. He sneered at the mage but didn¡¯t make another move. The red-haired witch scoffed.

    ¡°Are you done?¡± she said to Nathan, who blushed. ¡°Li, where¡¯s your sister?¡±

    The witch¡¯s name came to mind.

    Magdala. No wonder she was so uptight.

    ¡°She¡¯s cooking breakfast,¡± said Huan.

    ¡°Something you caught?¡± Magdala asked.

    ¡°As if you¡¯ll eat anything we¡¯d catch out here,¡± said Huan.

    Nathan started to say something, but Lord Kalan cut him off.

    ¡°How long do you think it¡¯ll take to find a dragon?¡± he asked.

    Huan didn¡¯t have a clue.

    ¡°We¡¯ll need to pick up its trail,¡± he said. ¡°A couple of days tops.¡±

    ¡°If you find a dragon in that amount of time without just walking up to their nests, color me surprised,¡± said Marcus.

    ¡°We¡¯re that good,¡± said Huan, turning and walking toward their camp.

    ¡°Well if you¡¯re that good,¡± said Marcus, ¡°you can probably help out your countrymen. They seemed to have lost something, but they won¡¯t tell us what it is or who took it. Rumor has it the thief actually went into Han Luo fortress by himself.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve read about that fort,¡± said Magdala. ¡°There should be two walls, hundreds of guards and some of the best trained fighters Tuqu has to offer in that fort. How¡¯d he get past all of them?¡±

    Luck and fireworks.

    ¡°Shows what they can do,¡± said Nathan. ¡°I bet if Sourans manned those walls they¡¯d do better, right, milady?¡±

    ¡°Tuqu defenses have to deal with barbarians, pirates, and rogue Xa mages. Sourans just have to worry about the occasional bandit. Even on the Southern Frontier, our defense has to deal with mindless opponents. So no, I don¡¯t think they¡¯d do better.¡±

    Mollified, Nathan stayed silent for the rest of the way to Mei¡¯s camp. She already had the rabbits skinned and roasting on the fire when they arrived. Stepping past Huan, Dwayne inspected them.

    ¡°We have some spices that¡¯ll add some flavor,¡± he said to Mei. ¡°May I add them?¡± Mei blinked and then nodded. Huan wondered what Dwayne¡¯s angle was. As Dwayne worked, Lord Kalan sat down, pulled out a book, and started to read.

    ¡°Magdala, please go and gather some herbs,¡± he said. Dwayne looked up from his work.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you,¡± he said.

    ¡°No, I¡¯ll go,¡± said Nathan. ¡°You keep to your cooking.¡±

    Dwayne shrugged and sat back down, succeeding in infuriating the squire further. Shaking it off, Nathan smiled at Magdala, who simply walked past him into the forest. As the squire hurried after her, Marcus sat down next to Lord Kalan.

    ¡°I believe he¡¯s got a crush on your niece,¡± he said.

    ¡°Oh?¡±

    ¡°You think Lady Gallus will ever let a Rutters near her daughter?¡±

    ¡°My sister plays that game. I do not.¡±

    ¡°Ha ha. Right, you were never interested in politics. You do know that doesn¡¯t exclude you from them? What happened back then w¡ª¡±

    ¡°Marcus.¡±

    Lord Kalan¡¯s eyes darted to the Wesen, who was still showing Mei all the different spices.

    ¡°Fine, fine,¡± said Marcus. ¡°At some point, though, you know you have to find an heir.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve chosen one.¡±

    ¡°Oh, who?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll know when I die.¡±

    Denied any real secrets, Huan joined his sister by the fire.

    ¡°Lebelweed is pretty much the basis of all Souran spices,¡± Dwayne was saying. ¡°It¡¯s plentiful and easy to dry.¡±

    ¡°Probably why all Souran food tastes the same,¡± said Huan. His hostility fell on a blank expression.

    ¡°Well, when your¡­master will unconsciously starve himself if you don¡¯t add it, I guess you get used to the taste,¡± said Dwayne. Huan wondered at the strange pause.

    ¡°Lord Kalan is your master?¡± he asked. He was pleased to get a slight flinch out of Dwayne.

    ¡°I¡¯m his apprentice,¡± said Dwayne.

    ¡°I¡¯m supposed to expect an apprentice to keep me safe while I distract a dragon?¡±

    The barest hint of a wince crossed Dwayne¡¯s face as he rubbed the strange book strapped to his back.

    ¡°I¡¯ll figure something out,¡± he said. ¡°Magdala will have a good plan.¡±

    ¡°That witch?¡±

    ¡°Wow, are you censoring yourself?¡± said Magdala, pushing aside ferns and reentering the camp. ¡°There¡¯s another word you could use that rhymes with that one.¡±

    Nathan exited the forest too, his face red with shame. Huan wondered what had happened

    Magdala obviously wasn¡¯t going to elaborate. ¡°You just find the dragon,¡± she said to him. ¡°We¡¯ll take it down.¡±

    ***

    Four days later, Dwayne was finding the hunt beyond boring. Before heading out here, Sir Marcus had somehow convinced Lord Kalan to leave behind all but two of his books back at the inn and to instead burden themselves with medical supplies and food in bags. Since their injuries had mostly consisted of scratches and rashes, and Mei was fairly successful at hunting game, they weren¡¯t actually draining the supplies, and Dwayne was getting tired of dragging the cloth bags that contained them all around in the woods. To make things worse, he had no idea how he was going to protect Li from the dragon¡¯s flame.

    Both Sir Marcus and Mei described the dragon¡¯s breath as fire pure and simple, and the deeply charred remains of their prey, a formerly mottled pink deer, attested to this. Still Dwayne was unconvinced. Sure most of the prey they¡¯d found was charred, but they all were also missing their heads, and there were strange crater marks here and there near the bodies. Based on a hunch, Dwayne asked Mei to bring him the heads from her hunts. She came through with three rabbit heads, which she laid in front of Dwayne and then knelt down to watch.

    ¡°You should stand behind me if you¡¯re going to watch,¡± said Dwayne. As she stepped behind him, Dwayne closed his eyes. He remembered the first time he¡¯d done magic on command and watching a flame spark to life. He smiled and cast the spell.

    ¡°Ri¡¯a¡¯tha.¡±

    The first rabbit head lit on fire. Dwayne repeated the spell, covering the little brown head in as much flame as he could manage.

    ¡°Ri¡¯t.¡±

    The flames dispersed, leaving behind a charred rabbit head. He switched things up for the second rabbit head, going through the same process.

    ¡°Ri¡¯u¡¯po.¡±

    The rabbit¡¯s head started to steam and then smoke.

    ¡°Ri¡¯a¡¯tha.¡±

    The touch of flame set the whole head on fire immediately, filling the air with smoke. After a couple of minutes, he dismissed the flame and was again left with a charred rabbit head. The fact that magical flame didn¡¯t leave smoke was interesting but not what he was going for. Mei had already wandered off, her boredom reflecting his frustration with the results. Nathan walked by, holding his nose at the smoking heads.

    ¡°I thought cooking was the only thing you were good for,¡± he said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think dragon¡¯s fire is as simple as a campfire,¡± said Dwayne.

    ¡°Sir Marcus thinks so.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    Dwayne focused on the last rabbit head, pointing his finger toward its ear.

    ¡°Ri¡¯u¡¯po.¡±

    The joint connecting the ear to the head started to smoke. Dwayne held the spell steady, fighting to hold his breakfast down for as long as he could. With a pop, the whole ear was aflame. Annoyed, Dwayne set the other ear on fire too and then canceled the spells. Heat clearly wasn¡¯t enough to replicate what the dragon¡¯s breath accomplished.

    ¡°Waste of a good rabbit head,¡± said Nathan, walking away.

    Dwayne barely noticed him leaving. Moving closer, he inspected the rabbit heads. Both spells had done damage to the cartilage, but had no effect on the skull itself, nothing like the dragon breath which had cut through bone like a knife through butter. This paled in comparison to that. Pulling Na¡¯cch, the book Lord Kalan had given him, out of its bindings, he placed it on his lap and put his hand on the cover. For a long moment, filled with the whisper of leaves and the muffled conversation of his companions, Dwayne focused on the book. Nothing happened. He glared at it, contemplating throwing it away, but even if it had been his, he¡¯d never do that.

    Na¡¯cch was bound in some sort of lizard skin and its pages, which Dwayne had never seen, were paper, a rare material in Soura. Na¡¯cch was what Lord Kalan called it; there was no title on the cover and Dwayne had only seen inside once. He tugged at the cover and the book resisted, keeping the secrets on its pages to itself. Even more annoying, the book was nearly indestructible. The water-drenching spell that Magdala¡¯s mother had sent their way had set them back months, but Na¡¯cch had been unharmed. Fire was similarly ineffective. Once Dwayne had dropped it into a fireplace while making stew and the book had just sat there, completely failing to burn. The only thing that seemed to get a reaction out of the book was Dwayne¡¯s attempts to do impossible magic. The last time it had opened, he¡¯d been trying to heat a pan of eggs with Ri¡¯a¡¯tha and failing because it was hard to keep up that many small flames at once.

    Dwayne hated Na¡¯cch, but it was the only reason Lord Kalan let him study magic, and if he let go of magic, he¡¯d be alone. If Na¡¯cch had been silent that day, he would have been sold and forced to work on an ambersoul plantation or in an azade mine.

    Putting the book away, he focused his thoughts on the real problem: protecting Li from the dragon¡¯s fire. Assuming it was normal fire, he should be able to practice with normal flame. Magdala stepped into the clearing.

    ¡°We have to go,¡± she said. ¡°We¡¯re breaking camp.¡± She saw the still smoking rabbit heads.

    ¡°What were you doing?¡±

    ¡°Trying to find a way to disintegrate the heads using only fire,¡± said Dwayne. ¡°Apparently I need a stronger flame.¡±

    ¡°Maybe dragons actually spit acid,¡± said Magdala.

    ¡°We¡¯d see acid splash all over the place.¡±

    ¡°They just bite it off and swallow it whole?¡±

    ¡°Burn marks along the cuts in the vertebrae indicate otherwise.¡±

    Magdala thought some more.

    ¡°What if it was like lightning?¡± she asked. ¡°Lady Pol¡¯s been researching some techniques along those lines.¡±

    ¡°It can¡¯t be lightning because we¡¯d hear the thunder in the morning, but maybe there¡¯s something about lightning ¡­¡±

    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    Dwayne felt his frustration clear.

    ¡°That could be it,¡± he said.

    ¡°Lady Gallus!¡±

    Sir Marcus¡¯s voice echoed in the valley.

    ¡°God save us from overzealous knights,¡± said Magdala.

    ***

    They caught up to the others gathered around yet another cervine victim of the dragon¡¯s fire.

    ¡°Looks charred,¡± said Nathan. ¡°Just like it was set on fire.¡±

    ¡°Was that in question?¡± asked Li.

    Dwayne looked into the neatly cut neck and found the same bisected vertebrae with char marks on the edges. Shaking his head, he looked to Lord Kalan, who was rereading the books he brought with him.

    ¡°Sir, do you think lightning could have removed the head like this?¡± he asked.

    Lord Kalan looked up.

    ¡°Have you tried it?¡± he asked.

    Dwayne just managed to keep from punching his teacher in the face. Physical violence rarely led to clarification.

    ¡°I tried to replicate the effect with flame and I wasn¡¯t able to.¡±

    ¡°Well that speaks to a lack of effort on your part, no doubt,¡± said Lord Kalan. He went back to reading.

    Sighing, Dwayne walked over to Mei, who was inspecting the bushes around the kill. She stopped him with an upraised fist.

    ¡°What?¡±

    Mei pointed. There was a small four-toed footprint, not much larger than Dwayne¡¯s hand, pressed into the mud. Dwayne blinked.

    ¡°Think that¡¯s from dragon young?¡± he asked. Mei nodded. Dwayne ran to the corpse and inspected its non-burn wounds. A single cut to the belly after charring and dozens of small hand-sized bites on the inside.

    ¡°Magdala?¡± he called.

    ¡°Maggie,¡± said Magdala. ¡°Might as well have you say it too.¡±

    ¡°Come look at this.¡±

    Magdala knelt down and inspected the insides.

    ¡°Those are bite marks,¡± she said. ¡°Why didn¡¯t we notice this before?¡±

    ¡°Those are probably from scavengers,¡± said Sir Marcus. ¡°They come out to feed on the body after the kill.¡±

    ¡°But there aren¡¯t any big bite marks,¡± said Magdala. ¡°Just all these little ones, which all look the same.¡±

    Mei nodded.

    ¡°This is for the young,¡± she said.

    ¡°The fire cooks it for them,¡± said Magdala. ¡°I can¡¯t believe no one knew about this before.¡±

    ¡°Maybe they did, but kept it to themselves,¡± said Li. Magdala glared at him.

    ¡°We¡¯re starting too late in the day,¡± said Dwayne. ¡°We¡¯ll need to head out before sunrise to catch a dragon.¡±

    ¡°We should keep heading north,¡± said Sir Marcus. ¡°That¡¯s where they come from.¡±

    ¡°Would you keep heading toward an enemy base simply because that¡¯s where they come from?¡± asked Magdala.

    ¡°Well¡­no¡­¡±

    ¡°Mei, do you know where the next dragon attack is going to be?¡±

    Mei nodded.

    ¡°Good,¡± said Magdala. ¡°Then it¡¯s all coming together. I know what we should do.¡±

    ¡°Why are we listening to a girl?¡± Nathan asked Sir Marcus.

    ¡°Keep that up and I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get what you want,¡± said Li, making a rude gesture behind Magdala¡¯s back. The squire nearly charged the hunter, but Dwayne blocked him, holding back Nathan with just one hand. Nathan stood back.

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me,¡± he said.

    ¡°Stop acting like an idiot,¡± said Magdala. Nathan scowled.

    ¡°Nathan, let it go.¡±

    ¡°Sir, I¡ª¡±

    ¡°Nathan.¡±

    Nathan subsided and stomped off into the underbrush. Sir Marcus walked up to Dwayne.

    ¡°I suggest you let things take their course,¡± he said. Dwayne felt Lord Kalan¡¯s hand on his shoulder, supporting him.

    ¡°Marcus, you tend to your squire. I¡¯ll tend to my apprentice.¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± said Marcus. He followed Nathan into the brush. Dwayne turned to Lord Kalan, an apology already on his lips. Lord Kalan cut him off.

    ¡°Do what you want,¡± said Lord Kalan. ¡°Just own it.¡± His master patted him on the back and then wandered away, leaving Dwayne bemused. He turned to Mei.

    ¡°Think you can track that thing down?¡± he asked. Mei nodded and led Dwayne into the bush. Li caught up to them.

    ¡°Where are you two going?¡± he asked.

    ¡°If we can find dragon young, I can see if they use normal fire or not,¡± answered Dwayne.

    ¡°I¡¯m coming with you,¡± said Li.

    ¡°Me too.¡±

    Li turned to Magdala.

    ¡°No, you should stay here. Don¡¯t want to have to protect anybody.¡±

    ¡°I could just knock you out,¡± said Magdala, ¡°then you wouldn¡¯t need protection.¡±

    ¡°Shh!¡±

    Mei held a hand up to her lips and then disappeared into the brush. With a low growl, Li followed suit, leaving the two mages alone in the brush. Dwayne inched forward, his breath slowing. He became aware of how dense the brush was, how it moved with the wind rushing through the trees. Li and Mei were gone, somehow melding into the greenery, leaving not a trace that they were there. In comparison, Dwayne and Magdala were fumbling babes traipsing through the woods. Each snap, each rustle gave away their position. This was not the world of the mage.

    ¡°Dwayne.¡±

    Magdala kept her voice low. When Dwayne motioned for her to be quiet, Magdala grabbed his hand and pointed at a tree trunk, which blinked two yellow eyes at them. They watched as the creature yawned, its bright teeth promising a quick death. With effort, Dwayne was able to see the thing¡¯s dark talons, which gripped the trunk hard. On its back was a strange rippling pattern, like someone had drawn bat wings badly. A low growl caught its attention as Li appeared, wearing a tiger mask, an odd affectation for a hunt, but Dwayne kept his focus on the little dragon

    Unfortunately, it spooked at Li¡¯s appearance and spat flame.

    ¡°Ack!¡± Li leapt out of the way, letting the flame hit the tree behind him.

    Mei appeared and let loose two knives, but the creature¡¯s tail slapped both out of the air. It looped around the tree for a moment and took stock of all four of them.

    ¡°Well that looks like normal fire,¡± said Magdala. Her voice jolted Dwayne into action. He watched the little dragon track Li and start to growl again.

    ¡°Ri¡¯a¡¯tha.¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s little flame failed to intercept the spit of fire that flew toward Li¡¯s head. Li was forced to dive back into the brush as the flame charred another tree.

    ¡°You can¡¯t block fire with fire,¡± said Magdala.

    ¡°I thought it would consume the fuel,¡± said Dwayne.

    ¡°What? That¡¯s not how fire works!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s how they stop fires in the forest.¡±

    Magdala pulled Dwayne down as the dragon sprayed more fire at Li.

    ¡°Let me think,¡± said Magdala. ¡°You know about how heat works, right?¡±

    ¡°Hot stuff rises.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s more complicated than that. How do you think your heat spell works?¡±

    ¡°It heats things up.¡±

    ¡°Where do you think the heat comes from? It doesn¡¯t go away when you cancel the spell.¡±

    ¡°I create it.¡±

    ¡°When you create the flame, it goes away when you tell it to. When you create the heat, it stays, right?¡±

    Dwayne recalled the rabbit heads. He stood up.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Testing your theory.¡±

    Li was trying to get closer to knock out the dragon, but its flames were keeping him at bay. Mei attempted to grab her knives, but the lizard snatched them away with its tail. On another day, Dwayne would have been amazed. Today, though, he picked up a stone from the ground and waited. Just as the lizard started to growl, he threw the rock. The lizard whirled on him and spat flame.

    ¡°Ri¡¯u¡¯po!¡±

    Robbed of heat, the flame died and Dwayne¡¯s leather jerkin was sprayed with a noxious chemical. As he crinkled his nose in disgust and tried to wipe it away, the lizard blinked and reposition. It had started to growl again when Li pinned it to the tree with his sword. The creature screeched, its tail knocking Li toward Mei, who dodged her flailing brother, collected her knives, and drove both of them into the creature¡¯s head. When it stopped twitching, the four looked at what they had wrought as Nathan and Sir Marcus came running after them.

    ¡°What happened?¡± asked Marcus.

    Nathan glanced at Dwayne and Magdala and sneered.

    ¡°Were you helping milady walk?¡± he asked.

    Dwayne and Magdala realized that they were clinging to each other and separated.

    ¡°Looks like we got a dragon,¡± said Marcus. ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡±

    ¡°Did you? Excellent!¡±

    Lord Kalan came bounding through the forest. He inspected the carcass and then his shoulders drooped.

    ¡°No, not acceptable,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m guessing my apprentice was able to neutralize its flame quite easily. Judging from the damage to the trees, this youngling had hardly more magical power than a child. There¡¯s no magic in its scales or its claws. This is useless.¡±

    Everyone groaned. Canceling his spells, Dwayne sat down and processed what had happened. Lord Kalan walked over to them.

    ¡°Magdala, what were you doing out here?¡± he asked. Magdala grimaced.

    ¡°I just wanted to do something,¡± she said. ¡°If I had to catalogue one more herb¡­¡±

    ¡°Well I can understand that, but the pursuit of magic is mostly satisfying, not thrilling.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a hard sell.¡±

    ¡°So did you try the heat spell?¡± Lord Kalan asked Dwayne. ¡°I thought that should work.¡±

    Dwayne glared at his master.

    ¡°You knew,¡± he said.

    ¡°Of course I knew,¡± said Lord Kalan. ¡°I¡¯ve seen the spell done before.¡±

    Dwayne groaned.

    ***

    That afternoon Mei investigated the fire lizard¡¯s body after dragging it back to camp and placing it next to her sleeping pack. The creature¡¯s skin was scaly as expected, but it was also surprisingly bumpy, unlike snakeskin, which was smooth. There was also a thick ridge that ran along the lizard¡¯s back from head to tail, which looked like it was starting to harden particularly along the tail. Unlike a lizard, it didn¡¯t show any signs of being able to lose its tail, but it did have bite marks all along it. The skin was dented, but not broken or scarred, giving Mei the image of play rather than combat. The creature¡¯s teeth were sharp and curved, perfect for gripping and ripping flesh. Inside those jaws was a surprisingly deep mouth cavity. The tongue sat almost three inches below the teeth and showed no signs of ever being burnt.

    Mei found what she was looking for at the back of the creature¡¯s mouth: a hole that had the same liquid dripping out of it that Dwayne was currently washing out of his clothes. She slid her knife into the hole, got some of the liquid on it and then dipped the blade into the breakfast fire. It burned merrily. She turned to Maggie, who had been watching her work the whole time.

    ¡°Can you get more?¡± asked Maggie, taking the knife from Mei. Taking the knife, she sang ¡°nQeuom¡± softly under her breath. She blinked.

    ¡°This is firewater! I¡¯d wondered where they¡¯d gotten the formula,¡± she said. ¡°They had to adjust it because some of these materials are probably impossible to find outside of a dragon¡¯s stomach, but it¡¯s pretty spot on. Did you find the igniter?¡±

    Mei peered inside the jaw and shook her head.

    ¡°Nothing like flint or anything like that?¡±

    Mei shook her head again. Magdala closed her eyes in thought.

    ¡°It growled every time it spat flame, right?¡± she asked. ¡°What did it sound like?¡±

    ¡°Like it was using its nose to say Rrrria.¡±

    Maggie stared at Mei, who blinked back. Then Maggie grinned.

    ¡°Dwayne!¡± she called. Dwayne stepped out of the forest, pulling on his shirt, which was still damp from the river.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Come here!¡±

    Dwayne strode over, pulling Huan into his wake. When Dwayne sat between Magdala and Mei, Mei¡¯s brother assessed the group, trying to figure out where he fit in. Finally, he sat down next to Mei, facing the two mages across the fire. Maggie turned back to Mei.

    ¡°Do it again,¡± she said.

    ¡°Rrrria.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± asked Dwayne, leaning in.

    ¡°It¡¯s what the lizard was growling,¡± said Maggie. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it sound like a spell?¡±

    ¡°It sounds like at least half of one,¡± said Dwayne. He picked up a stick from the ground and held it in front of him. ¡°Ri¡¯a.¡±

    The stick sparked for a moment, leaving it smoking.

    ¡°Without an ending like tha or it, it fizzles,¡± he said.

    ¡°It¡¯s more than enough to start a fire,¡± said Maggie. ¡°This must be how dragons flame.¡±

    Dwayne frowned and tested the end of the stick with his fingers.

    ¡°That wasn¡¯t hot enough to take off a sheep¡¯s head,¡± he said, wiping the charcoal off on his pants.

    ¡°It would blind its attacker and buy time,¡± said Mei. Huan¡¯s mouth slid open, but the two mages both lit up.

    ¡°That¡¯s why it was always going for the face,¡± said Maggie. ¡°Maybe it could even use the flame as a mark to help with tracking. I know some students who would kill to study this thing.¡±

    ¡°Would your rich friends really risk their lives and come all the way out here?¡± asked Nathan, coming from the forest caring firewood. Maggie gave the boy a raised eyebrow.

    ¡°Would yours?¡± she asked. Nathan blinked.

    ¡°Well, of course,¡± he said. ¡°They¡¯re all in training to be knights. I mean it¡¯s not like it¡¯s hard to be a mage. All you have to do is read books and say the magic words.¡±

    ¡°If only,¡± said Dwayne, standing up.

    ¡°What was that? You should speak up when talking to people.¡±

    Dwayne turned and started to walk away.

    ¡°Going to cry to your master?¡± asked Nathan.

    From her experience hunting, Mei knew that animals trapped in a corner were at their most dangerous. Even docile creatures will scratch, bite, and claw to gain just the hope of freedom. Dwayne stood still, his fists clenched, his breath slow. Before the kota-skinned boy could turn around, Huan stepped between him and Nathan, a poor imitation of Tiger¡¯s growl rumbling in his throat.

    ¡°I suggest we get ready for tomorrow,¡± he said. Nathan turned to Mei¡¯s brother, whom he had a few dowirs of height over.

    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s do that,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯ll be another useless day looking for dragons.¡±

    ¡°No it won¡¯t,¡± Mei said. ¡°We¡¯ll find one tomorrow.¡±

    They all looked to her.

    ¡°What? How?¡± asked Maggie.

    ¡°They hunt in the morning in the mountain¡¯s shadow so that their prey won¡¯t see them coming from the sky. They fly over, burn off the head for the kill and then roast the body for the young. I can take one down as it dives in.¡±

    ¡°With what, your knife?¡± asked Nathan.

    ¡°We need to up the odds,¡± Maggie said. She turned to Mei. ¡°You make your own projectiles, right?¡±

    ¡°Bullets. Yes.¡±

    ¡°Show me how. Dwayne, practice that spell. Nathan, tell Sir Marcus we¡¯ll be fighting a dragon tomorrow.¡±

    ***

    The next morning was quiet and cool, and the birds hadn¡¯t woken yet to fill the sky with song. A slight wind blew in from the north, rustling the tree leaves and shaking the dull green of the forest. Perched high in a doak tree, Mei listened, watched and waited. To the south she could see the walls of Ti Mei, the stone slab on the Souran side and the intricate craving on the Tuqu side. To the north she saw a gray hazy hill almost a dozen wir away. From her perch in the tree, Mei could see where the dragon would likely strike first. The forest cover was dotted with large clearings and lakes, places that a flying dragon could find prey. And if it was working with its young, then there was just one thing that had to happen.

    The pained screech of a deer shattered the morning quiet, likely as the young dragon flung fire into its face. Mei readied her rifle, sighting along its length at the hazy hill to the north. Her foresight was rewarded with a mottled green and brown creature swooping out of the mist and making a beeline for a clearing. It swung low and surveyed the edges of the forest. As it searched for prey, Mei aimed, taking note of how the trees bent in the wind, the dragon¡¯s speed and direction, and even how cold it was. She took a breath, held it, and fired.

    The dragon kept flying, kept searching.

    Quickly she loaded the rifle again, this time with Maggie¡¯s pointed steel bullets she¡¯d forged last night. The dragon had circled around, flying upwind as it tracked the deer below. Changing her calculations, Mei adjusted. She took a breath, held it, and fired.

    This time the dragon flinched, screeching as it pulled up from its swoop. Her third to last bullet hit the same spot on the dragon¡¯s shoulder, right where the wing met the body. The dragon reeled in the air, dropping a half dozen wir before righting itself and gaining altitude, its yellow eyes scanning the forest. That was bad. Most animals just ran from pain, but this dragon had already guessed where the attacks were coming from.

    Mei pulled her second to last steel bullet out of her pocket, one laced with a powerful tranquilizer that Maggie had distilled with Dwayne¡¯s help over the course of hours. The dragon was heading in her direction, and then it looked up and saw Mei in the tree. Right as the dragon¡¯s maw opened, Mei fired. The dragon paused and then tumbled into the forest below, its fall accompanied by the crack of breaking branches. Mei sent up a flare, clambered down the tree, and hit the ground running, only pausing to load her last bullet into her rifle. Deer and rabbits were already fleeing the area, abandoning stealth to get away from the great wounded beast at their backs. Occasionally Mei caught flashes of flame as the young dragons pursued.

    As a grin formed on her face, Mei dashed forward, reveling in the moment of the hunt. She found the clearing the dragon¡¯s body had made and saw Maggie taking cover behind a tree. Nathan and Huan had already engaged the dragon with the knight¡¯s help, attacking it with swords while the knight kept the dragon distracted. Dwayne had taken cover on the other side of the clearing, waiting for his chance. But there was one person missing. Maggie caught the look on Mei¡¯s face.

    ¡°My uncle apparently sleeps like a rock,¡± she said. ¡°You sent the flare up before we could wake him.¡±

    Mei took aim. The dragon coughed and the green and brown scales shifted to steel gray. Mei fired. The bullet rebounded off the dragon¡¯s skin.

    ¡°Oh dear,¡± said Maggie. The dragon¡¯s right wing was limp, but the rest of the dragon was ready to fight. It growled as it tracked Marcus.

    ¡°Ri¡¯u¡¯po!¡±

    The dragon¡¯s spit splashed right next to Marcus as he dove out of the way. Undeterred, the dragon charged at the knight, jaws wide open, but Tiger jumped in and stabbed it in the gums with Huan¡¯s sword. As the dragon wailed in pain, Tiger dodged its flailing claws and darted back into cover. Recovering, the dragon¡¯s eyes found Nathan trying to sneak around it. It growled.

    ¡°Ri¡¯u¡¯po!¡±

    Again Dwayne¡¯s spell took away the flame, but the dragon¡¯s spit still hit Nathan, nearly drowning him in the stuff. Mei loaded one of her usual bullets and took aim at the dragon¡¯s all too intelligent right eye. Her shot caused the dragon to reel again.

    ¡°Okay, so it can strengthen its skin,¡± said Maggie. ¡°That¡¯ll make it harder to¡ª Dwayne, run!¡±

    The dragon pounced, trying to get to Dwayne, but the knight tackled the fire mage out of the way. The dragon, unable to stop itself, went careening into the edge of the clearing, smashing a few trees on the way. It picked itself back up and looked around and saw Mei and Maggie.

    ¡°Run.¡±

    Mei grabbed Maggie¡¯s hand and pulled her deeper into the forest as the dragon growled and then spat, engulfing their cover in flames. Apparently satisfied, the dragon roared, its voice shaking the air. Mei and Maggie looked at each other.

    ¡°Reinforcements?¡± Maggie asked.

    Mei nodded. They ran back to the clearing, circling around the fire.

    ¡°We have to get out of here!¡± shouted Maggie. ¡°It¡¯s calling for more support!¡±

    Mei loaded her rifle.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be that smart!¡± said Nathan. ¡°We can take it down.¡±

    Tiger was already rushing in, dodging flame and claw as he closed in on the dragon. When he was just within reach of the dragon¡¯s jaws, the dragon scooped up a mountain of earth and threw it at him, burying Tiger in a deluge of soil. Before the dragon could finish him off, Mei shot its eye again. While the dragon wailed, Marcus managed to pull Huan out of the ground and carry his unconscious body to Mei. took note of the fact that he was still breathing and kept her eye on the dragon.

    ¡°We should retreat,¡± Marcus said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll let us,¡± said Maggie. The dragon recovered and started to run at them. It growled.

    ¡°Shit!¡±

    ¡°Ri¡¯u¡¯po!¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s spell missed as the dragon¡¯s fire arced and landed behind them, setting the forest ablaze. The dragon followed up by kindling the rest of the clearing, trapping all in a cage of fire.

    ¡°Dwayne, can you put out the flame?¡± shouted Maggie.

    ¡°I-I can try!¡±

    ¡°Nathan, help Sir Marcus with Li. Mei, can you distract it again?¡±

    Mei raised her rifle and took aim. As if in response, the dragon grabbed a chunk of earth and threw it at them.

    ¡°Look out!¡±

    Maggie pushed Mei and Dwayne out of the way, causing Mei¡¯s shot to miss and Dwayne¡¯s spell to fizzle as they landed. Mei got to her feet, but she saw that the dragon was watching both her and Dwayne, and it intended to keep them here until reinforcements arrived. There was no way out.

    ***

    Magdala¡¯s ears rang. Wherever she was, it was dark and smelled like burning wood and it was slowing the effort to get her bearings. They were fighting a dragon, a creature that could apparently breathe fire and form plans. It could also do something that bothered Dwayne, something that it was holding back. And they were trapped. And she was buried under a pile of dirt. This had been a bad idea.

    A rough gauntleted hand grabbed her shoulder and hauled her out of the dirt. Sir Marcus stood her up and looked her over.

    ¡°Are you hurt, milady?¡± he asked. Magdala shook dirt and ash out of her hair.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± she said. Before she could say more, Marcus pulled her out of the way of another pile of dirt.

    ¡°It¡¯s not breathing fire anymore,¡± said Sir Marcus. ¡°It knows something is up with Mei and Bart¡¯s apprentice.¡±

    ¡°No one told us that dragons were smart. It¡¯s like it knows that Dwayne can stop its fire,¡± said Magdala, looking around. They needed to extinguish the flames behind them so they could run. ¡°Dwayne, try to¡ª duck!¡±

    Hearing her warning, Dwayne hit the ground just as the dragon tossed another huge clump of dirt at him. He stood up, nodded to Magdala, and turned to the fire behind them.

    ¡°Marcus, Nathan, guard him!¡± commanded Magdala.

    Nathan scoffed.

    ¡°Why are you giving¡ª¡±

    ¡°Just do it, lad!¡± shouted Sir Marcus.

    The knight and his squire stood behind Dwayne, put their shields up, and braced themselves. When the mass of earth hit, they both got pushed back a wir. Through all that and with dirt and cinders flying around him, Dwayne raised his voice in song.

    ¡°RI¡¯U¡¯PO!¡±

    His spell sucked all the flames up into the sky at once, leaving a smoking pile of blackened trees and brush.

    ¡°Run!¡± shouted Magdala.

    ¡°RIIMMMWWWEEEEUUUU!¡±

    Someone tackled Magdala as the world became light, heat, and thunder. When her sight cleared, Mei and Magdala stood up and saw that a tunnel had been bored into the forest, one that led all the way to the eastern mountains.

    ¡°Is everyone all right?¡± asked Magdala.

    ¡°Sir! Sir! Your arm!¡±

    Marcus was lying on the edge of the path of doom, and his arm had been neatly cut by the flame. Tears cutting trails down the dirt on his face, Nathan pulled him deeper into the forest and away from the dragon. Maggie ran to them.

    ¡°By the cup, are you okay?¡± asked Magdala. Marcus gave a smirk.

    ¡°Yes, milady, I¡¯m just fine. Dragon had the decency to cauterize the wound.¡±

    ¡°We have to get out of here!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s about to do it again!¡±

    ¡°There are more dragons on the horizon.¡±

    Magdala saw Dwayne walk back out into the clearing. The dragon, looking winded, regarded him cautiously.

    ¡°Dwayne, we need to¡ª¡±

    ¡°That spell didn¡¯t have an ending suffix,¡± Dwayne said. ¡°That¡¯s how mages keep from expending all our magic in one go. It¡¯s probably why it didn¡¯t do that spell right at the start, but it¡¯s desperate now.¡±

    The dragon growled and spat, blocking them with flame. The dragon then started to take a deep breath.

    ¡°Dwayne!¡±

    ¡°RII¡ª¡±

    The dragon wailed as Li, still wearing that ridiculous mask, drove his sword deep into its eye. As Li fled back into the forest, Magdala grabbed Dwayne and tried to pull away from the dragon.

    ¡°That spell won¡¯t work,¡± she said.

    ¡°It has to work,¡± said Dwayne.

    ¡°You¡¯ll just concentrate all that energy in one place. It¡¯ll explode in our faces.¡±

    ¡°If only I could just redirect the¡ª¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s book sang. Both mages stared at it.

    ¡°What was that?¡± asked Magdala. Dwayne placed his hand on the book¡¯s cover and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he grinned.

    ¡°Okay, this¡¯ll work.¡±

    He held his hand out.

    ¡°Maggie, run,¡± he said.

    ¡°What are you going to do?¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s grin grew wider.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to do some magic. Run!¡±

    Magdala ran back to where Mei and the others were trying to find a way past the flames.

    ¡°Time to go,¡± she said. ¡°I think we can¡ª¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s he going to do?¡± asked Nathan.

    ¡°Give us time to run. Li, help Nathan douse those flames so we can get out of here. Mei, if we run into the forest, will those dragons find us?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Good, let¡¯s get Sir Marcus to safety.¡±

    As the others worked, Magdala stayed behind to watch Dwayne. The dragon, now recovered, saw them trying to escape and took another deep breath, but Dwayne started first.

    ¡°RI¡¯MUN¡¯UI¡¯PO!¡±

    ¡°RIIMMMWWWEEEEUUUU!¡±

    A column of white light hit the air right in front of Dwayne and bounced back at the dragon, which dove out of the way of its own attack.

    Magdala cheered.

    Dwayne collapsed.

    Crying out, Magdala ran to her lord uncle¡¯s apprentice, finding him still breathing but unconscious. Judging from the slight shake and the pain crossing his face, Magdala guessed he was in thaumaturgical shock. She looked up and saw the dragon pick itself up.

    ¡°Crap crap crap crap crap!¡±

    Magdala tried to drag Dwayne¡¯s body, but he was so heavy. She only got a few feet before the dragon reached them and raised its claw to smash them.

    ¡°Qeueke.¡±

    Both Maggie and the dragon fell as the earth shook beneath their feet. Her uncle, unperturbed by his own spell, walked up next to them. He shook his head.

    ¡°You weren¡¯t even close to getting what we needed,¡± he said. He pointed to the ground beneath the dragon. ¡°Qeuiut.¡± The ground rose up and flipped the dragon onto its back.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wake up?¡± she asked. ¡°Because of you, Sir Marcus is¡­¡±

    ¡°Qeueke.¡±

    The dragon, stunned, fell down again. The steel color of its flesh faded back to mottled green as her uncle approached it with a knife. Deftly he cut off a few scales and then shaved off some of the dragon¡¯s claw.

    ¡°Qeuiut.¡±

    Beneath Magdala and Dwayne¡¯s feet, the earth shook and rose into the sky, dribbling dirt and plant matter onto the dragon below. Both of them staggered as the earth pushed them higher and higher. Magdala was shocked. More than five wir across and ten wir tall, the amount of earth that her lord uncle was moving was massive, far more than she¡¯d ever seen a Qe mage move.

    They were lifted level with the others. Nathan and Mei were working to bandage Sir Marcus¡¯s wounds while Li looked on. When Kalan rose up among them on a much smaller mass of earth, Nathan glared at him.

    ¡°You should have been here,¡± he said.

    ¡°You should have waited,¡± said Lord Kalan. ¡°Come. We¡¯re done here.¡±

 Dragon Scale Required: Epilogue

    Shi Hu looked over Snake, Ox, and Rooster, the three members of the ShengXiao who answered to the Jade Lotus and therefore to him. They were kneeling before him, ready to give their excuses as to why this trip to the far eastern edge of the Tuqu empire had been a waste of time. He started with Rooster.

    ¡°Report,¡± he said.

    The proud cock¡¯s comb sagged.

    ¡°I have not been able to find either the weapon or the mask within the city limits. I haven¡¯t even been able to confirm that they made it into the city.¡±

    ¡°Nonsense, of course they made it here,¡± said Snake. ¡°Dog tracked them this far.¡±

    ¡°Then Dog should have led this search!¡± spat Rooster.

    ¡°Involving the emperor¡¯s guard would complicate things. The fact that the military is involved is more than enough trouble for us,¡± said Shi Hu. ¡°Bo?¡±

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    Snake bowed her head.

    ¡°I heard an interesting story from the Souran Knight Captain¡¯s new squire. He said they fought a dragon and a strange hunter who wore a cat mask helped them. He also reported a girl using a strange tube as a weapon.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s possible they just climbed through the mountains,¡± said Rooster.

    ¡°It would be easier to climb the walls,¡± said Snake. ¡°After all, he¡¯s done it once.¡±

    ¡°Guong?¡± said Shi Hu.

    ¡°I believe that they escaped when the Souran rushed that knight home,¡± said Ox. ¡°The Knight Captain insisted that only Souran soldiers escorted him when they left. It happened too quickly for us to intervene.¡±

    ¡°So they¡¯ve escaped.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my lord.¡±

    Shi Hu took a deep breath.

    ¡°You three shall report to Hanzuo and stay on standby until I have need of you. Before you leave, Bo, send a bird to Lian Ho and inform her of the situation. Do congratulate her on the birth of her nephew.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my lord.¡±

    Shi Hu watched them leave. He took deep breaths, letting the rage drain from his body. There was one advantage that he had gained over Na Jen and the military. He pulled a bronze etching out from his robe and saw the children who bore their parents¡¯ faces.

 Qesuyit, Dragon Scale

    She entered a small clearing and came upon a pile of scat larger than her boots. Curious, she snapped a twig off a nearby tree and knelt to dig into it, finding seeds and nutshells though the smell told her that the animal was omnivorous. Standing up, she searched the ground around the scat and found a massive paw print from left back foot with five clawed toes. It was two thumbs deep.

    Mei grinned. This was the track of a full-grown grimbear. Ever since she was a child, her father had told her stories of hunting them in the Tuqu¡¯s Southern wilds, and now she had a chance to track one down herself. As she followed the tracks to bush to half-eaten bush to gutted animal carcass, she guessed that her quarry didn¡¯t bother to search for food, and if so, she could get ahead of it easy. Picking up her pace, Mei blazed a new path that curved away from her quarry¡¯s, hoping to reach a spot in front of it that would allow her to observe the bear at a distance and not just chase it. Soon she found a bunch of berry bushes unmolested by bear lips and smiled. This was the chance of a lifetime. All she was grab a snack, climb a tree, and wait.

    As far as Mei could see, the forests in Soura weren¡¯t very different from the ones that she¡¯d played and trapped and hunted in back home. Both had the same trees and both filled with the chorus of bird calls and the whispers of the wind through the trees. Already, she felt herself relaxing. Today, her plan was to just track, since she and her brother Huan had more than enough money to buy food back in Anders. With any luck, her hunting knife would stay sheathed and her rifle, which was loaded with her last bullet, would stay strapped to her back. Best to save her last shot for emergencies.

    Below her, a stick snapped.

    Mei tensed. That had been too quiet to be the grimbear, who weren¡¯t known to be light-footed animals. Leaning forward, Mei pulled her rifle out of its case, slowed her breath, and listened as the same sounds - creaking branches, bird calls, whispering leaves - became suspect. There was a soft smoosh as something sank into a pile of dead and dying leaves. Too heavy for a small animal, too light for a bear, too cautious for the large antlered creatures that wandered these words. It was a person. Mei¡¯s grip on her rifle tightened. They were trying to sneak up on her tree. It didn¡¯t sound like they knew she knew though. She just had to keep track of where the footfalls fell.

    Smoosh.

    Smoosh.

    Crunch.

    What was that? Mei shifted around around her tree and searched the ground, but the interloper was gone. She could still see the footprints, including a strange two footed one like they¡¯d just jumped straight up, but where? It wasn¡¯t possible for-

    The tree next to hers shook as something landed in it, and Mei had her rifle trained on it before her eyes registered that the interloper was wearing a red and black mask with the chubby cheeks and long ears of a rabbit. The end of her rifle dropped. That was Rabbit of the ShengXiao Guard. They¡¯d been found by the ShengXiao Guard. Quickly Mei pulled her rifle back up, but Rabbit leapt down into the thicket and dashed away before she could fire. With the bad line of sight, Mei couldn¡¯t risk her only shot. She¡¯d have to pursue. She clambered down the tree and followed Rabbit through the brush. Luckily she was faster on her feet, but not fast enough to line up a clean shot. If she didn¡¯t catch Rabbit now, then Mei wouldn¡¯t be able to warn Huan. She kept up the chase, jumping over fallen logs and pushing through bushes until Rabbit led her to a meadow and stopped putting both hands up.

    Mei took aim at Rabbit¡¯s head and paused. It was an easy shot, only a few wir, and Rabbit wasn¡¯t moving, but all the Guard had was a small bag at their hip and the clothes on their back. A moment ago, it had been easy to decide to shoot Rabbit, but this felt like an execution. Still, she had to do it or Huan would be in danger. That mask he¡¯d stolen made him a target.

    Mei was still trying to convince herself to pull the trigger when something crashed through the forest to the left. A full grown grimbear, a burly gray-furred animal with a bone plate on its face, ripped through the forest and entered the meadow. Rabbit had led her here, back into the grimbear¡¯s path. Hurriedly, Mei let her rifle drop, not wanting to make any loud noises that would anger the grimbear. Hopefully, Rabbit would back down.

    Something hit Mei¡¯s foot and burst, filling her nose with a foul scent. Rabbit had thrown the bag at Mei and then scampered into the forest. It seemed like a kid¡¯s prank, stupid to do in front of the grimbear, but it was just annoying. At least it hadn¡¯t made a noise so the grimbear wasn¡¯t spooked.

    A low growl cut through the air. There hadn¡¯t been any noise, but all of the grimbear¡¯s attention was on Mei. Mei sniffed again and realized what Rabbit had hit her with. Urine, and judging by the growls, grimbear urine. Already the grimbear was approaching her, its beady eyes narrowed, its yellowed teeth bared. If all had gone as planned, Mei would have been in awe of how right his stories had been. Twice the height of a house and almost as wide with a white bone face plate too thick for an arrow to penetrate, this grimbear was a majestic animal, one that Mei would have been happy to watch eat berries and rummage through corpses. Instead, it was charging her.

    Running wasn¡¯t an option and neither was hiding. That left one choice.

    Mei¡¯s rifle came up and she took aim at the grimbear¡¯s forehead. The animal was already only five wirs away from her and picking up speed, its beady eyes wide with rage. The problem was that skull plate. It was clearly thick and while her rifle had better penetrative power than a bow and arrow, but she¡¯d never hunted grimbear before and if her one and only shot didn¡¯t take it down, she¡¯d be torn apart. So, she waited.

    At four wirs, the grimbear¡¯s footfalls shook the ground beneath her feet.

    At three wirs, it became a hill of fur, muscle, and teeth, rushing towards her.

    At two wirs, Mei could see the whites of its eyes were and smell its grey summer coat.

    At one wir, the grimbear opened wide and roared fury and Mei fired.

    The grimbear¡¯s head snapped back, and its momentum carried it past her and into a tree, cracking the trunk. As it crumpled to the ground, Mei put away her rifle, drew her knife, and approached her quarry. The grimbear¡¯s eyes were wild, unable to focus, and its breathing grew more and more labored by the second. Mei had shot down its throat, hitting the back part of its brain, a cruel shot that left the bear in anguish as it died slowly, but without knowing where the bear¡¯s heart was or the confidence that her rifle could penetrate that skull plate, it had been the only sure way. She could only hope her failure to shoot Rabbit didn¡¯t force her down a similar path.

    Mei knelt next to the bear and placed her the edge of her knife along its neck. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ***

    Ignoring the sounds of Anders¡¯s market day trickling in through the open window, Magdala dipped her quill into an ink bottle, wiped excess ink off its tip, and positioned it over a blank piece of parchment. It hovered there for one long moment, then she put it back on its stand and sat back with a sigh.

    That had been Magdala¡¯s fifth attempt to write a letter to her mother and, sadly, the furthest she¡¯d gotten since she¡¯d returned from Yulan¡¯s Pass with her lord uncle¡¯s party three weeks ago. It shouldn¡¯t be this hard. All she had to do was write a letter detailing the bandit ambush, her lord uncle¡¯s hiring of actual mercenaries, and a successful venture involving capturing juvenile dragon, using it to lure a mature dragon into a trap in order to get a few scales and some claw shavings. Surely, her mother would read that letter and not travel all the way out to Anders and personally drag her daughter and brother all the way back to Bradford by their ears.

    With a thunk, Magdala¡¯s forehead hit her desk, crinkling the parchment. The worst part was that she had no idea what would happen when her mother found out about her lord uncle¡¯s apprentice Dwayne. For a Souran mages particularly those blessed with a noble title, apprenticeships were either precursor to marriage or adoption, not the product of mere whim. Yes, Dwayne was smart and yes, he was remarkably able to manage her lord uncle, but that wasn¡¯t a strong enough reason on its own. It didn¡¯t help that there was a certain other issue.

    Three hard knocks at the door broke Magdala¡¯s concentration. ¡°Magdala? Are you decent?¡±

    Magdala¡¯s face heated, and she hurried to make sure that she was actually decent, clipping her hair with the aluminum plated hair clip her father had sent her and making sure that her dress was smooth. ¡°Yes. Come in.¡±

    A tall boy with closely curled black hair and dark brown skin pushed open the door with his hip and strolled in. Ah, the certain other issue was that Dwayne was undeniably Wesen.

    Magdala noticed the stack of envelopes he held in his hand and bolted to her feet. ¡°Any word from Mother?¡±

    ¡°No, nothing.¡± Dwayne rifled through the envelopes. ¡°Mostly overdue library book notices and letters from Lord Kalan¡¯s rivals.¡± He tossed them all onto his bed without opening any of them. ¡°They¡¯ll say the usual.¡±

    ¡°So, you won¡¯t even bother to read them?¡± Magdala wasn¡¯t sure if she¡¯d get used to rooming with Dwayne. He always left when she asked and never peeked, but it still felt¡­ close. ¡°Maybe they¡¯ll have something that you missed in your ¡®universal¡¯ magic theory.¡±

    Sighing, Dwayne sat down on his bed, and select up a sky blue envelope. He checked the wax seal. ¡°This is from Lord Hobstock who believes that diet powers magical abilities. He¡¯ll cite the evidence that the most powerful mages have always been well fed.¡±

    Dropping that envelope, Dwayne selected a butter yellow envelope. ¡°The Duchess of Hamms proclaim that magic is ¡®simply a mystery¡¯ and that we¡¯re wasting our time investigating. I think she¡¯s a member of a Church of Cueller order who frown on any kind of magic.¡±

    He picked up a pink envelope. ¡°Professor Corns, who switches between declaring that magic must derive from emittance and asking about Lady Pol and her whereabouts. It¡¯s both annoying and sad.¡±

    Magdala swallowed her laughter at this description. Professor Corns was a tenured professor at the Magisterium and an experienced user of Earth Qe, whose students considered a hack.

    Dwayne picked up the last envelope, a plain purple one, frowned at its seal, and put it back down. ¡°All of them just want Lord Kalan to stop questioning dogma, so they can enjoy their perch atop the academic world in peace.¡±

    Magdala raised her eyebrows. ¡°My lord uncle¡¯s words?¡±

    ¡°I paraphrased for politeness¡¯s sake.¡±

    ¡°What about this one?¡± Magdala reached over and plucked the purple envelope out off the pile. She inspected the seal. ¡°This is from Lady Luisa Pol! She¡¯s writing to my lord uncle? She¡¯s got loads more cred than him. Seriously, I heard that she can create lightning with wind magic.¡±

    Dwayne winced. ¡°Lord Kalan calls her ¡®that woman¡¯ when he¡¯s sober. I won¡¯t share what he says when he¡¯s drunk.¡±

    Magdala rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve read his essays. She¡¯s a far more compelling writer.¡±

    Dwayne shrugged. ¡°Too bad her theories only backed up by hearsay and children¡¯s stories.¡±

    ¡°No, they¡¯re backed by history, which is something people understand unlike my lord uncle¡¯s lectures on magical resonance.¡± Magdala tore open the envelope and scanned the letter. ¡°She¡¯s usually pretty insightful. My father says her essay on Vanuria gave him ideas on how to handle the Southern border.¡± Her eyes bulged.

    Dwayne blinked. ¡°Lady Pol¡¯s prose and penmanship isn¡¯t that good. Very useful for study sure, but-¡±

    ¡°This is an invitation. To help with a dig.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Dwayne snatched the letter out of Magdala¡¯s hand. He read it. His eyebrows raised. ¡°What¡¯s in Yumma?¡±

    Magdala gaped at him. ¡°Yumma was the capital city of the Yaniti empire, the largest empire to have ever existed.¡±

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°And they had amazing magic! They created an irrigation system that ran all the way from here to northern Wesen, thousands of miles away. It¡¯s all just ruins now, but it had to have been awesome.¡±

    Dwayne reread the letter. ¡°Where is it?¡±

    ¡°In the Great Desert.¡±

    Dwayne mulled over that. ¡°Are you talking about the City of Souls?¡±

    Magdala grimaced. ¡°Why would you call it that?¡±

    ¡°Because it¡¯s haunted?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not. It¡¯s just a ruin.¡±

    ¡°A empty city in the middle of the desert sounds haunted. Anyway,¡± Dwayne¡¯s hand disappeared behind his back with Lady Pol¡¯s letter, ¡°there¡¯s no way Lord Kalan will ever accept this invitation, new magic or no.¡±

    Magdala sagged. ¡°And my mother would never approve of a trip out into the middle of the desert.¡± She smiled weakly. ¡°I am supposed to be studying after all.¡±

    ¡°On the other hand,¡± Dwayne leaned in, ¡°seeing those canals firsthand would give us some ideas on the limits of Qe magic.¡±

    Magdala shook her head. ¡°They couldn¡¯t have used Qe magic to build them. Those canals are too precise and the amount of water pushed them them would burn out a thousand mages.¡± Magdala¡¯s eyes slid to the blank piece of parchment. ¡°Still, considering the amount of focus it would take to get water across the desert over such long distances, it may be worth looking into...¡±

    ¡°Shoot, I have to go.¡± Dwayne stuffed the letter back into its enveloped and got to his feet. ¡°Lord Kalan needs me to run through the experiment again.¡±

    Magdala nodded. ¡°You know what? I need a break too.¡± Her letter to her mother could wait. ¡°I¡¯ll walk you down.¡±

    ***

    With his master¡¯s niece trailing behind him, Dwayne entered the small yard behind the inn, where a table had been set with dozens of varicolored vials. When Dwayne and Magdala approached, Lord Kalan looked up from inspecting the vials and frowned. ¡°What were you doing?¡± His eyes dropped to the purple envelope in Dwayne¡¯s hand. ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡±

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    ¡°Nothing.¡± Dwayne stuffed the envelope into his pocket. ¡°What are we starting with today?¡±

    ¡°These.¡± Lord Kalan selected three vials and handed them to Dwayne. Each one was a suspension of shaved dragon scales in different liquid bases.

    Magdala peered at her handiwork. ¡°The bluecut mushroom, lebelweed, and kui sap?¡± She cocked an eyebrow. ¡°Lord uncle, you have no idea what you¡¯re doing, do you?¡±

    ¡°These materials,¡± Lord Kalan glared at his niece, ¡°are all known to have limited magical properties even in their processed state.¡±

    Magdala frowned. ¡°I thought you said that any magic in the suspending fluid may inhibit the-¡±

    ¡°Well, of course, a non-magical base didn¡¯t work. There was nothing to carry to resonance. This should work.¡±

    Magdala rolled her eyes. ¡°If you say so.¡±

    ¡°Now, stand over there.¡± As Magdala went over to stand next to the table, Lord Kalan cleared his throat. ¡°Now, Dwayne, recite what you¡¯ve learned.¡±

    ¡°The core of Qe magic is imagination.¡± Dwayne had found memorizing this part easy. Too bad the next step wasn¡¯t. ¡°I must focus my magic, imagine the result and then speak the word.¡±

    Lord Kalan nodded. ¡°Excellent. Then let¡¯s start with the kui sap. I have a good feeling about it.¡± He handed Dwayne a strip of cloth and stepped back.

    After he placed the other vials back on the table, Dwayne held up the vial of shaved dragon scale and tree sap and pressed it against the cloth. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on the part of himself that burned when he used magic and then imagined the cloth becoming as stiff as dragon hide. ¡°Qesuyit!¡±

    Hearing the words from his own lips sent a shiver up Dwayne¡¯s spine, and he felt the ground shift under his feet, but the cloth remained limp.

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Lord Kalan took both vial and the cloth from Dwayne. ¡°Qesuyit!¡± The vial flashed white, and the cloth stiffened. ¡°Qeit.¡± The cloth went limp. ¡°Disappointing.¡± Lord Kalan made a quick note in his journal. ¡°Let¡¯s move on to the next one, the lebelweed. Here.¡± He held out the cloth, his eyes still on his journal.

    As he took the cloth from Lord Kalan, Dwayne felt a familiar tension behind his eyes. This was going like last time. ¡°Okay.¡± He picked up the next vial and pressed it against the cloth and went through the same process. Focus. Imagine. ¡°Qesuyit!¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s knees turned to jelly, and he used the table to stay standing. The cloth was limp.

    ¡°What¡¯s it doing to him?¡± asked Magdala.

    ¡°Believe or not this is a result.¡± Lord Kalan checked the cloth and made another note. ¡°The nonmagical suspensions did nothing. Next, the bluecut mushroom.¡±

    Magdala gave the vials a sidelong look. ¡°Are you going in order of magical potency?¡±

    ¡°And cost.¡± Dwayne¡¯s knees finally felt normal again. ¡°These ingredients are the easiest to get.¡± He picked up the third and last vial. Maybe he had the wrong image in his mind. If he tried to think like a dragon, maybe it would work. Unfortunately that was guesswork, but he had nothing. Once again, he pressed the cloth to the vial and closed his eyes. Focus. Don¡¯t imagine the cloth becoming dragon hide. Imagine it turning away the sharpest sword. ¡°Qesuyit!¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s magic rebelled and cut his legs out from under him, and he woke up with his cheek pressed against the dusty yard, the taste of blood in his mouth, and yelling in his ears.

    ¡°Dwayne, are you okay? Can you hear me?¡±

    ¡°Give me that potion.¡± Hands rolled Dwayne over, propped him up. ¡°Drink.¡± Dwayne¡¯s mouth was forced open, his head tilted back, and something cool and sweet poured down his throat, sweeping away Dwayne¡¯s nausea and calming his magic.

    Swallowing, Dwayne opened his eyes. Both Lord Kalan and Magdala were leaning over him, concern creasing their faces, though something strangely sad expression on Lord Kalan¡¯s. Dwayne sat up. ¡°Did it work?¡±

    His master showed Dwayne the limp cloth. ¡°No.¡± He got to his feet, knocking dust off his robes, his eyes elsewhere. ¡°We¡¯ll have to try again.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Magdala glared at her lord uncle. ¡°It¡¯s clearly making him ill.¡±

    ¡°It won¡¯t kill me.¡± Dwayne rolled to his feet, a move that turned his stomach. He didn¡¯t think anyone saw. ¡°Just give me a few minutes, and I¡¯ll be ready to go again.¡±

    Magdala¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°This can¡¯t be good for you.¡±

    ¡°We are making progress, young lady.¡± Lord Kalan collected the fallen vial and placed it on the table. ¡°That said it looks like we¡¯ll need to leave it here for today. I, uh, have to look through my books. Excuse me.¡± He shuffled out of the yard.

    When his master was out of sight, Dwayne found a bench and plopped down on it as he gulp air to stave off the nausea. Yes, the potion they¡¯d given him had taken away his usual post-casting failure headache and steadied his magic, but it had done nothing for his shame.

    ¡°You should stop.¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s eyes snapped to Magdala, who had her arms crossed. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°What you¡¯re doing is dangerous.¡± Magdala tapped the vial of bluecut mushroom and dragon scale. ¡°You should stop before you hurt yourself.¡±

    Dwayne narrowed his eyes. ¡°This spell is so simple children can do it.¡±

    ¡°Bright children can.¡±

    Dwayne bristled. ¡°So I¡¯m not bright enough?¡±

    Magdala¡¯s face flushed. ¡°No, you¡¯re bright enough, it¡¯s just that its impossible for you.¡±

    Dwayne grit his teeth. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be. I already know this spell in and out and I know that the theory is sound. It has to be.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be.¡± Magdala looked away. ¡°You may not have the, the, mental capacity to pull this off.¡±

    ¡°Mental capacity.¡± Dwayne snorted. ¡°At least I have the ¡®capacity¡¯ to face my problems head on.¡±

    Magdala¡¯s eyes bulged. ¡°What does that mean?¡±

    ¡°It means: why haven¡¯t you written to your mother?¡±

    Magdala flushed. ¡°Because¡­ you wouldn¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°I understand that she cares about you and you¡¯re just wasting that!¡± Dwayne finally noticed that his voice was raised, that his fists were tight at his side, that his magic was stirring within him. No, Magdala didn¡¯t deserve any of that. Only he did. He breathed away his anger. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. This is¡­ I¡¯m frustrated. We¡¯ve been at this for months.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡­ what?¡± Magdala goggled at him. ¡°You¡¯re sorry?¡±

    Dwayne stood up. ¡°You¡¯re right that our theory might be wrong. I don¡¯t want it to be, but it could it be. It¡¯s just a theory after all, a guess.¡± He faced Magdala. ¡°But I think you should write to your mother. When she¡¯s worried, she sends water spheres to drown us.¡±

    ¡°Mother doesn¡¯t care about me.¡± Magdala wrapped her arms around herself. ¡°She wants me to be like her, to graduate top of the class, to become Dean of a prestigious college, to become the Water Sage, the Aqua Magia, one of the most powerful mages in Soura.¡±

    Dwayne frowned. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that?¡±

    ¡°Everything.¡± Magdala grimaced. ¡°Nothing. I don¡¯t know.¡±

    Ah that was familiar at least. Dwayne patted her the shoulder. ¡°Maybe that¡¯s the problem?¡±

    ¡°Dwayne, I can¡¯t find my copy of Shocks, Chills, and Colds.¡± Lord Kalan ignored his apprentice and niece as they sprang apart. ¡°Did I leave it out here?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s, uh, underneath your pillow.¡±  Dwayne¡¯s face heated. ¡°You were reading it last night.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Lord Kalan looked Dwayne over. ¡°You look better. Good. For now, focus on your Ri studies, and, Magdala, let¡¯s prepare the liquefied azade and ambersoul extract. I have a good feeling about those.¡±

    Magdala was making a show of fussing about with the empty vials, her eyes bright red. ¡°Yes, lord uncle.¡±

    As the two of them worked, Dwayne collected Na¡¯cch from its place on the table and retreated to a far corner of the yard. The book was a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, it was the reason why Lord Kalan had freed Dwayne and made him his apprentice, and it was the only way for Dwayne had to learn Ri magic. On the other, the book worked on unknown and arbitrary principles and Dwayne didn¡¯t know if it he could spend the next several hours trying to get it to reveal a new spell when he could try to get the vials again. After all, the last time he¡¯d made progress on Ri spells was when he¡¯d been out in the field and there was no way they were risking another trip like that. Unless¡­

    Dwayne pulled Lady Pol¡¯s letter out of his pocket. ¡°I have something¡­ master.¡± The address felt icky on Dwayne¡¯s tongue, but it had the desired effect.

    Lord Kalan perked up. ¡°What is it?¡±

    Dwayne held up the letter. ¡°This is an invitation from Lady Pol to explain Resonance theory to her.¡± He saw Magdala¡¯s eyes widened, but she didn¡¯t contradict him because it was true. Sort of.

    Lord Kalan frowned. ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like the woman who calls herself the Lightning Bolt of the East.¡±

    Did she really call herself that? ¡°Apparently, she¡¯s at some dig down in the City of- in Yumma and found something that could support your theory.¡± Possibly true.

    ¡°If so, she¡¯d-¡±

    ¡°Master, she¡¯ll definitely back down in the event of your theory explaining evidence that she herself found.¡± This was definitely a lie. As far as Dwayne could tell, Lady Pol was just as stubborn as Lord Kalan. ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯ve been running all these experiments? To find hard evidence?¡±

    His master waved Dwayne over. ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s from Luisa?¡± When Dwayne showed him the envelope¡¯s purple wax seal, a stag and a tree, Lord Kalan stroked his chin. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s here. Well, it looks I have a great deal to write. You¡¯ll make the arrangements Dwayne?¡±

    ¡°Always.¡±

    Magdala arranged her materials. ¡°Won¡¯t we need protection for the journey?¡±

    Dwayne blinked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure-¡±

    ¡°Yumma is pretty far away from her. There may be bandits.¡±

    ¡°Good idea.¡± Lord Kalan looked distracted. ¡°Dwayne, hire some bodyguards.¡±

    ¡°I think those Tuquese mercenaries we hired last time are they still in town.¡±

    Dwayne understood. Magdala wanted to hire Mei and her brother again. ¡°I can track them down.¡±

    ¡°Excellent.¡± Lord Kalan was already scribbling away. ¡°Get it done.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°Yes, lord uncle.¡±

    Dwayne strode out of the yard.

    Magdala caught up to him. ¡°You lied.¡±

    Dwayne shrugged. ¡°Did you want to stay here making vials?¡±

    ¡°No, but you lied.¡± Magdala caught his elbow. ¡°Tell me why.¡±

    Dwayne shrugged. ¡°I think that I¡¯ll get better results out in the field.¡±

    Magdala¡¯s green eyes searched his face. ¡°Hmm¡­ Well, if you say so.¡±

    Dwayne looked away. ¡°You came up with Mei¡¯s name rather quickly. Are you still in contact with them?¡±

    ¡°I am with Mei.¡± Magdala released him and they entered the inn. ¡°Not her brother.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°Because he¡¯s a villain.¡±

    ***

    ¡°Please, good sir, spare a coin for me?¡±

    Baron Ruil, a lanky grey-bearded noble, recoiled at the foreign beggar¡¯s sly yet pitiful smile. ¡°What is the border guard doing these days?¡±

    The beggar wheezed into his blue scarf then grabbed Ruil¡¯s fine green cloak. ¡°Just a coin, good sir.¡±

    ¡°No, you vagabond, let go of me.¡° Baron Ruil snatched back his cloak. ¡°Cups, you¡¯re a blight.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll handle it, milord.¡± Ruil¡¯s bodyguard, an armored hulk of a man, grabbed the beggar by the collar and shoved him to the ground. ¡°Have this, you leech.¡± He sank a foot in the beggar¡¯s gut. ¡°That¡¯ll teach you to bother your betters.¡± A growl, low and soft, made him grab his sword hilt. ¡°What the-?¡± The bodyguard peered at the beggar, who groaned loudly.

    Ruil sniffed. ¡°What is it? Is he armed?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing, milord. Let¡¯s keep moving before more show up.¡±

    As soon as the noble and his bodyguard were out of sight, the beggar slipped into the nearest alleyway and removed the tape pulling at the corners of his eyes and the false teeth he¡¯d stuffed into his mouth, tossing both into a sack he¡¯d pulled from its hiding place. Then Huan checked his haul: twenty-three counts, Ruil¡¯s flask of tea, and his real target, a small thick book that Ruil had kept close to his heart. It had taken Huan four days to confirm that the baron had a book that detailed the secrets of the Tuquese binding art, the very magic used to create the Tiger mask that Huan had been involuntarily bonded to for nearly a month. With this, he could free himself and move on to bigger, better things.

    He opened the book to the first page past the table of contents:

    It must be said; Tuquese nobles are as obsessed with what they can do with string and thread as they are with tea as both are intrinsic to how a Tuquese noble presents herself to the world. If you see a noble who serves you the finest tea while you rest on threadbare carpet, rest assure that you are in the company of someone desperate to win your favor.

    What is this crap? Huan shut the book and looked at its title. Strung History: The Importance of Weaving in Tuquese Culture. Worthless. He flung the book into the nearest trash heap.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t throw away books.¡± The voice was prim, self-important, and, sadly, familiar.

    Huan plastered a smile on his face. ¡°You can have it if you want.¡± He turned to face Magdala. She was with Dwayne, the idiot noble¡¯s apprentice. ¡°I think it¡¯s right up your alley.¡± He pulled the book out of the trash and held it out.

    ¡°Oh, you do, do you?¡± Magdala reached for the book.

    Huan pulled it back. ¡°Three counts.¡±

    ¡°You threw it away!¡±

    ¡°And now you want it.¡± Huan¡¯s smile became a shark¡¯s grin. ¡°Four counts.¡± How did they find me?

    Dwayne stepped forward, and Huan fought the urge to step back. Up close, the Wesen mage was tall enough to tower over Huan, and that imbalance curled the beast¡¯s lips and made Huan very aware of the knife hidden in his sleeve. Huan widened his smile. ¡°Ten counts if you want it. It¡¯ll expand your horizons.¡±

    Dwayne didn¡¯t give the book a single glance. ¡°One earl a day for you and your sister¡¯s expertise.¡±

    Oh, this is a negotiation. ¡°Two earls.¡±

    ¡°1 and 2 counts.¡± Dwayne raised his chin. ¡°You barely helped with the dragon.¡±

    How dare you. Huan scoffed. ¡°1 and 6 counts. My sister found the dragon after all.¡±

    ¡°1 and four counts then.¡± Dwayne¡¯s eyes twinkled. ¡°For her.¡±

    Bite him! Huan ignored the beast¡¯s suggestion and cut off the negotiation. ¡°Done.¡± He needed to get rid of this mask or else he¡¯d end up killing someone. ¡°What¡¯s the job?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going to Yumma,¡± Dwayne said.

    Huan managed not to roll his eyes. ¡°Are we hunting dragons again? Because if so, it¡¯s double.¡±

    ¡°Where is Yumma?¡±

    Huan jumped as the answer to how two mages found him in a city like Anders stepped up beside him. ¡°Mei, there you are.¡± The beast shifted warily. It never did hear her coming. ¡°You want to work with these two again?¡±

    ¡°Yumma is in the middle of the Great Desert.¡± Magdala beamed at Mei. ¡°There¡¯s an antiquarian dig there.¡±

    Huan narrowed his eyes at his sister. ¡°You didn¡¯t ask what the job was?¡±

    Mei looked southwest. ¡°Is that far from here?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but-¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll do it.¡±

    ¡°Mei, we should at least¡­¡± Huan¡¯s sister smelled like blood and urine and she¡¯d changed clothes since this morning. ¡°What happened?¡±

    At the back of Huan¡¯s mind, the beast rumbled with pleasure. Her hunt went well.

    ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± Mei nodded to Magdala. ¡°I¡¯ll need some things.¡±

    Huan¡¯s head jerked back. She wants to negotiate now?

    Dwayne gave Mei a sidelong look. ¡°Like what?¡±

    ¡°More bullets. More powder.¡±

    Magdala nodded. ¡°Easy. I¡¯ll make you some.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll take it out of your pay,¡± said Dwayne.

    Huan shook his head. ¡°No, you-¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Mei bowed.

    ¡°Deal.¡±

    Someday, Huan had to teach his sister how to haggle. ¡°Deal.¡± He clapped his hands together. ¡°When do we leave?¡±

    ¡°The end of the week,¡± answered Dwayne. ¡°I¡¯ll send word to where you¡¯re staying.¡± He turned and started to walk away.

    Classic. Dwayne was trying to cut off further negotiations. ¡°You¡¯ll be paying for our stay at the tavern, of course?¡± Huan asked Magdala.

    The noble frowned and nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t see why not.¡±

    Behind her, Dwayne¡¯s shoulders lifted in a sigh.

    Huan managed to stifle a smile and bowed deeply. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± He waited until both mages were gone before tossing the useless book back in the trash and turning to his sister. ¡°Mei, tell me why we¡¯re going out to the middle of the desert?¡±

    Mei walked away from him.

    ¡°Hey, I was talking to you.¡±

    ¡°I need sleep.¡±

    Confused, Huan caught up to Mei and tried to get her to talk while they crossed Anders¡¯s tiny noble district and walked to the city¡¯s outer limits, where the tavern they were lodged at stood. He¡¯d made zero progress when they¡¯d entered the main room where a party was in full swing around a mountain of fur and flesh.

    Huan stared. It was some kind of bear, but it had a bone plate on its face. ¡°What on Markosia is that?¡±

    ¡°Ho, ho!¡± A hunter clapped Huan on the back and nearly dunked him in beer. ¡°You ain¡¯t never seen a grimbear before?¡±

    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t.¡± Huan stepped out of the hunter¡¯s shadow. ¡°Where¡¯d it come from?¡±

    ¡°Your sister,¡± the hunter pointed to Mei, who was already making her way up the stairs, ¡°brought it in by herself. Don¡¯t know how she did it.¡± She took a swig of beer.

    The beast knew. Penetrated back of the throat  and then cut the carotid artery.

    Huan heart dropped into his stomach, but he hid his dismay with a laugh. ¡°That¡¯s my sister.¡± He glanced over at the stairs, but Mei was gone. She¡¯d said that she wasn¡¯t going to hunt, not while they still had the money from the dragon job. What had changed? What happened? ¡°If you would excuse me.¡± He¡¯d ask her properly later. Right now, he needed a drink.

    The barkeep glowered at Huan when he sat down.

    Huan pointed to the corpse. ¡°My sister did bring down that grimbear. That¡¯s worth a free drink, I think.¡±

    The barkeep extended a hand.

    ¡°Come on! I¡¯m drinking to her success.¡±

    The hand didn¡¯t move.

    ¡°You¡¯re so cruel.¡± Huan pulled out a coin from the baron''s purse and dropped it into the barkeep¡¯s hand.

    The barkeep glanced at the silver count then glared at Huan.

    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s honest money,¡± said Huan. At least it wasn¡¯t hiding something.

    The barkeep grunted, dropped the coin into a pocket, and then placed a tankard in front of Huan.

    Huan sniffed the contents. ¡°That was a whole count!¡±

    The barkeep moved on to other customers.

    Relenting, Huan picked up the tankard and turned on his stool to watch the party his sister had started. The tavern¡¯s regulars were either hunters like Mei, who needed someplace close to the forest that wasn¡¯t too picky about the smell, or scoundrels like Huan, who profited off the people of Anders and needed an easy escape route into the forest. This was all helped by the fact that the barkeep and her husband didn¡¯t care that were anyone was from, only that they paid.

    Sighing, Huan took a sip, winced, and took another sip. Baron Ruil had been his last lead to finding a way to remove the Tiger Mask. Now, he only had two choices left: return to Tuqu or head deeper into Soura. With the ShengXiao guard were still out for blood, the former was right out, but as a foreigner the latter was complicated. Yes, he and his sister both had metal plates provided by Lord Kalan¡¯s nobility that allowed them to stay on this side of the border, but that was the only thing they did. They didn¡¯t create any new opportunities.

    Huan took another sip. An antiquarian dig had to be backed by someone rich, probably someone with connections to Soura¡¯s capitol Bradford, and ff he was lucky, that someone wouldn¡¯t have a shrewd tightwad like Dwayne watching their books and purses. In the meantime, almost one and half earls a day was more than enough to pay someone to find a way to free him. Or maybe even erase his sister¡¯s criminal record and let her go home. He¡¯d drink to that.

    Huan emptied the tankard and slapped down a count. ¡°Another!¡±

 Qeuieryit, Shatter

    An earl a day isn¡¯t worth this. Hot and thirsty, Huan looked up from the ever-present dust of the Great Desert and searched the horizon for any signs of civilization, but all he found was dust, sky, and the occasional hand-shaped plant.

    Ahead of him, a sweat-swamped Magdala asked, ¡°Why would anyone civilized come out here?¡±

    Huan tried to respond with something witty, but a growl came out instead. For once, the beast found this as miserable as he did. It hated the heat, despised the open sky, and loathed the many, many errands Lord Kalan had forced huan to run, from helping Magdala drain sap from the strange plants to assisting Dwayne as he put up the caravan¡¯s tents. The beast¡¯s irritation increased Huan¡¯s misery so much that he envied Magdala¡¯s freedom to air her complaints.

    Pulling his gaze away from the empty, shimmering horizon, Huan doubled his pace and caught up to his sister, who was walking out ahead of the caravan. With her rifle case slung across her back, Mei looked at home here in this wasteland. She¡¯d enjoyed her errands, catching a menagerie of small creatures for Lord Kalan¡¯s pleasure. Out here, she seemed more alive.

    Huan slowed. Is that why she wanted to leave Anders?

    ¡°Hey you, move out of the way!¡±

    Huan made way for the mule handlers and their half dozen mules. Somehow Dwayne had somehow scrounged up them and a guide to get them to Yumma, an impressive feat sullied by the decision to load up fully four of the mules with books instead of supplies. With half of the provisions consumed and their destination not even in sight, Huan hoped that they reached Yumma soon. Curse mages and their love for books.

    A soft jangle pulled Huan¡¯s attention back to the caravan, where a surprising sight kept pace with the mules. Four armored men of immense size bore an ornate litter in which sat the personage of a south Souran noble. According to Dwayne, he¡¯d run into her while he''d been arranging the trip, and she had insisted on accompanying them, apparently out of curiosity. The Wesen mage had described her as ¡°short, brusque, and rich.¡± Huan adjusted the scarf that covered the Tiger mask. It was well past time to confirm that report.

    After putting on his widest smile, Huan made his way to the litter. As he approached, one of the litter bearers took in his cheap sword and rough clothing, then, insultingly in the beast¡¯s view, dismissed him as a threat. His hand only dropped to the giant curved sword on his hip out of habit, not concern.

    Covering the beast¡¯s peeved growl with a cough, Huan looked up into the litter addressed the figure within who was writing on fine parchment using a feather quill pen. ¡°Good day, milady.¡±

    The quill didn¡¯t stop moving.

    ¡°I must apologize.¡± Huan removed his hat and bowed. ¡°It¡¯s been four days since you joined our little expedition, and I¡¯ve failed to introduce myself. My name is Huan, and I¡¯m providing security for this caravan. I trust your journey has been comfortable thus far?¡±

    The noble dipped her quill into a small black bottle, wiped the excess ink off the tip, and kept on writing, her right hand keeping the sleeve of her deep red silk robe out of the way. It and the wide yellow sash that kept it closed at the hip were odd choices for a Souran noblewoman, who mostly preferred skirts and dresses, the pretend-soldier Magdala notwithstanding. She also wore a jade ring that was inscribed with a familiar pattern.

    I¡¯ve seen that before. Where? Huan¡¯s smile stiffened. Han Luo fortress. Huan switched to Tuquese. ¡°That ring is most impressive. The design reminds me of one worn by members of the Jade Lotus.¡±

    The quill stopped moving. ¡°You are?¡± The noble¡¯s Tuquese was harsher than his, more focused on the consonants, like she¡¯d learned the language from a Souran.

    ¡°Huan.¡±

    ¡°Family?¡±

    Huan¡¯s mind raced. ¡°Ma.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± The noble put down her quill and turned to him, finally giving him a clear view of her blue eyes and bronze skin, a compelling combination, though the shape of her eyes did look familiar. She held up her right hand and showed Huan the ring. ¡°Where did you seen this design?¡±

    Huan made a show of looking at it again then bowed an apology. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯ve traveled all over the empire, and I¡¯ve had many dealings with many people.¡± He tried not to squirm under her gaze. After all, his ¡°dealings¡± had been robberies, burglaries and, when he could, straight up confidence scams.

    The noble shifted in her seat. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She snapped her fingers

    The litter bearers stepped out of the way of the caravan and knelt so that the noble could step down onto the dusty ground. Once so alighted, she bowed her head. ¡°I am Lian Momin.¡±

    Huan updated his assessment. No title. Tuquese first name, Souran last name. Not a noble, but still incredibly rich. He bowed again. ¡°It is a pleasure to meet you.¡±

    Momin¡¯s eyes assessed him. ¡°Why are you on this expedition?¡±

    ¡°As security, like I said.¡±

    ¡°Are you paid well?¡±

    Huan¡¯s stomach fluttered. What was she getting at? ¡°More than enough.¡±

    ¡°Is that really why you¡¯re on this expedition?¡± Momin searched his face. ¡°You''re not at all curious about what was uncovered at Yumma?¡±

    Something was uncovered? Huan shrugged. ¡°Money and good company are more than enough for me.¡± As soon as he said that, he knew it was the wrong answer.

    Momin¡¯s next question dripped with ice. ¡°Did you know who I was before I introduced myself?¡±

    ¡°No, I did not, milady.¡± Huan forced a smile. ¡°I hadn¡¯t yet had the pleasure.¡±

    Another wrong answer. A ghost of a frown crossed Momin¡¯s face. ¡°I see.¡± She stepped back onto the litter and snapped her fingers. The litter bearers resumed their work.

    Huan couldn¡¯t let her go. ¡°Ah, milady, I¡­¡±

    The litter¡¯s curtains snapped closed.

    ***

    As the sun touched the horizon, Mei took in the ancient city of Yumma and its series of impossibly tall white rectangular monoliths with square holes cut into them. As the caravan traveled up a dry canal - it was so wide giants must have carved it - Mei tried to figure out what was missing. Then it came to her; the smell of horse dung, the murmur of human voices, the light of a dozen fires, none of that filled this empty city, which for all its awesome structures lacked the warmth of human breath and touch. While Mei hadn¡¯t really liked Anders, it had been a normal sort of strange, one made by the living, not the eeriness of the dead.

    They couldn¡¯t go back though. Rabbit was there.

    Mei would be more at ease if Yumma didn¡¯t tailor made for a trap. She couldn¡¯t hide here as she¡¯d stick out against the city¡¯s white stone like shadows on snow, and hiding in the buildings was like walking into an open maw. With all that, it was clear that this wasn¡¯t her place, and Mei hoped they wouldn¡¯t stay long.

    A gale whined through the buildings, and Mei pushed into it to keep herself steady, but it caught Maggie¡¯s cloak and yanked her back, so Mei quick-stepped and pushed Maggie back to her feet. When the gale died away, Mei asked her, ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    Maggie nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡± She gazed upwards. ¡°This place is¡­ I thought it would be something more familiar, but they¡­ this isn¡¯t even stone.¡±

    Mei glanced at the nearest building, which looked like marble to her. ¡°It isn¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°No, I tested it. It¡¯s some sort of multipartesque compound, like a cross between wood and mine oil.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± That didn¡¯t sound possible, but Mei seen Maggie turn animal parts and water into explosive powder.

    Maggie ran a hand along the nearest wall. ¡°I have no idea how they made any of this.¡±

    ¡°However they did it,¡± Dwayne joined them from the back of the caravan, ¡°they did it before Ri mages existed. Qe mages too.¡±

    ¡°They did?¡± Maggie pushed hair out of her eyes. ¡°Uh, how do you know that?¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s mouth worked a bit before he spoke. ¡°I, uh, read it in one of the late Lady Pol¡¯s papers. She tracked down references to both magics and there¡¯s nothing credible before the rise of the Empire. Oh,¡± he pointed ahead, ¡°looks like we¡¯re here.¡±

    They¡¯d reached an encampment set up in the vacant city¡¯s broad central square, in the western shadow of an immense block that was roughly ten wirs on each side and carved with thousands of symbols. Under normal circumstances, it would have dominated Mei¡¯s attention, but the relief from smelling and hearing and seeing human activity pulled it away. Finally she had a crowd to hide in and maybe chance for some stew.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go inform Lord Kalan.¡± Dwayne dropped back to the back of the caravan.

    ¡°Tea, miss?¡±

    Her heart pounding and her hand on her knife, Mei jumped back from the black suited, white gloved man who was armed with a silver tray of¡­ teacups. She frowned.

    ¡°Mei, stop!¡± Maggie pulled Mei¡¯s hand away from the knife. ¡°He''s just serving you tea.¡± She took two cups off the tray and handed one to Mei. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Mei sniffed the brown liquid, which smelled earthy and floral and not like tea at all.

    ¡°Is Lady Pol available?¡± Maggie asked.

    The man in the suit shook his graying head. ¡°Currently Milady is resting, but I shall apprise her of your arrival immediately, milady.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. That¡¯ll be all.¡±

    Mei tracked the suited man as he offered tea to Lord Kalan, who took it without looking up from his book, and to Dwayne, who fled.

    ¡°He¡¯s a butler,¡± said Maggie.

    Mei blinked at her.

    ¡°A servant,¡± Maggie explained.

    Mei had only seen those from afar before. ¡°He¡¯s very quiet.¡±

    ¡°All the good ones are. My mother,¡± Maggie winced, ¡°fires any servant who makes a sound while serving tea.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Mei returned to tracking the butler, but he was gone. The only sign of his passing through was that Huan now had a cup in his hand.

    ¡°Do you want¡­ different tea?¡± asked Maggie. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re used to what we have here. I mean I know most of our tea comes from West Tuqu, but I don¡¯t know if you drink our kind.¡±

    Mei shook her head and took a cautious sip. A soothing bitterness filled her mouth and washed the dust from her throat. She liked it so much she downed the rest of the tea in one gulp.

    ¡°More tea, miss?¡± asked the butler.

    This time Mei did not go for her knife. She did, however, jump back, just a little. As for the butler, he waited patiently for her response, tea pot as still as stone in his hands. Cautiously, Mei held out her cup.

    The butler filled it with a flourish. ¡°My apologies, milady and miss, dinner will be served shortly.¡± He straightened up. ¡°I can assure you that the results will be well worth the wait.¡±

    Honestly, anything other than water and salt bread would be worth the wait.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure it will suit.¡± Maggie inclined her head. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    As the butler bowed and moved to fill other cups, Mei¡¯s eyes followed him.

    Maggie leaned in. ¡°You don¡¯t need to keep an eye on him. He¡¯s doing an excellent job, considering our sudden arrival.¡± She stiffened.

    Mei frowned. ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I just, well.¡±

    Dwayne walked by with a tall stack of books in his arms. He saw Maggie and Mei, muttered ¡°oh, excuse me¡±, and shuffled off into the encampment.

    Maggie huffed. ¡°He really should get one of the handlers to help him unpack. He literally hired people to do that for him.¡±

    Mei, not seeing how she could contribute to this conversation, drank more of her tea and kept her eyes on the butler.

    ¡°Did you know that he¡¯s been trying to cast that bloody spell every day?¡± Maggie crossed her arms. ¡°I have never seen someone get heat stroke and thaumaturgical shock at the same time. Why does he try so hard?¡±

    Mei lifted her eyebrows. The butler was gone. Looks like she¡¯d have to summon him. Mei finished her tea.

    The butler appeared at her side. ¡°More tea, miss?¡±

    Impressive. After taking advantage of her attention to Maggie to slip out of sight, he¡¯d approached from her blind spot. She had to know how he did it. ¡°What is your name?¡±

    The butler bowed. ¡°I am called Myers, miss.¡±

    ¡°Myers. I¡¯ll remember that.¡±

    Maggie scowled at Mei. ¡°Were you listening?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Mei sipped her tea. ¡°Dwayne tries hard.¡±

    ¡°But you think he should stop, right?¡±

    Mei savored the tea for a moment then shook her head. ¡°No, I think he wants to fly.¡±

    Maggie blinked. ¡°What? What does flying have to do with anything?¡±

    Mei lowered her cup and let her nascent thought grow. ¡°Last spring, I found a nest with five baby birds in it. They had just grown wing feathers, so they already starting to leave the nest soon, but there was one with new feathers, who was smaller than the others. Everyday he tried so hard to fly like his brothers and sisters, but he couldn¡¯t get much further than the edge of the nest because his mama kept stopping him and pushing him back. He kept trying and trying, even falling out of the nest a couple times before his mama could stop him. It didn¡¯t stop him though; he always tried again the next day. Then, two weeks after his brothers and sisters had left, he finally flew.¡±

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    Maggie stared at Mei. ¡°You¡¯re saying that Dwayne wants to fly? That¡¯s a much harder spell!¡±

    Mei shrugged and took another sip of tea. Maggie would understand eventually.

    ¡°Well, I think he should give up on being a Qe mage. He¡¯s barely a Ri mage. He should focus on that. Here.¡± Maggie gave Mei her still full cup of tea.

    Mei frowned at it. ¡°You don¡¯t want it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to find him and stop him.¡± Maggie stomped off in the direction Dwayne had gone.

    Mei shrugged and went to wander through the camp, sipping from both tea cups. Soon she reached the giant square block overlooking the camp. She peered at the symbols. Close up, the grand swoops and curls were made of smaller squiggles that looked a little like the markings Maggie put on parchment, only these were more complex. Mei moved to a door, which - unlike the walls - was covered in carvings of people and creatures. Along its left side farmers tilled the land under a dripping wet a fish-bird, on the right workers erected buildings with the help of a huge monkey-lizard, across the top, a giant crab with tentacles for eyes hauled a boat full of men and fish across the sky, and in the center a massive tree held all of it. None of these creatures were in any stories Mei¡¯s father had told her, which described beasts and bugs and birds across all of Markosia, Tuqu, Soura, Wesen, even some place called Vanu-something, but not a single one of them looked like these strange beasts. She hoped she never had to hunt any of them.

    After finished up both cups of tea, Mei was making her way back to the caravan when Dwayne rushed into view, staggering under a mountain of books. He dropped the books in front of Lord Kalan¡¯s tent, grabbed a particularly large one off the pile, and sat to read aloud. Curious, Mei stepped in close to see what was written.

    ¡°¡®Imagination misleads the Qe mage to try and do the absolutely impossible,¡¯¡± read Dwayne. ¡°¡®Instead of relying on fantasy, one needs to think of concrete and real things and focus on use the materials before¡¯ -whoa! Mei?¡± Dwayne clutched the book to his chest. ¡°Um, do you need something?¡±

    Mei shook her head. The writing in Dwayne¡¯s book was less interesting and pretty than the stuff carved into the block. In fact it was so regular, she couldn¡¯t imagine how they were made by humans hands.

    Dwayne opened the book again. ¡°Are you interested in magic?¡±

    Mei shook her head.

    ¡°I thought not.¡± Dwayne sighed. ¡°Unfortunately, this collection is pretty focused on magic. There aren¡¯t any books on hunting or...¡± He gestured at Mei¡¯s rifle.

    Mei crossed her arms. ¡°There are books on hunting?¡± Her father had had a few pictures, but nothing more.

    ¡°Almost too many.¡± Dwayne smirked. ¡°When Lord Kalan first¡­yeah¡­ we spent a lot of time up north staying in castles and having dinners with noblemen. You cannot believe how many times saying the word ¡®scat¡¯ saved me. It usually got me through a whole dinner.¡±

    Mei¡¯s stomach grumbled.

    ¡°Dinner should be ready soon,¡± said Myers, tray and teapot at the ready.

    Mei covered her smile when Dwayne jumped. ¡°Thank you for telling us,¡± Dwayne said.

    Myers raised the tray. ¡°Tea, milord, miss?¡±

    Mei held up both of her cups. ¡°Yes, thank you.¡±

    Dwayne clutched his book to his chest. ¡°No, I, uh, can make my own.¡±

    ¡°Is this variety not to your liking?¡± Myers filled both of Mei¡¯s cups. ¡°Milady has an excellent collection of teas. What is your preference, milord?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a¡­ Just whatever I have. Ha ha.¡±

    Myers bowed. ¡°If you change your mind, just call. I¡¯m sure we can accommodate you.¡± The butler walked away.

    ¡°Somehow,¡± Dwayne stood up, ¡°I completely forgot about butlers.¡± He glanced at Mei. ¡°Are you looking for Magdala?¡±

    Mei kept her eyes on Myers. ¡°She¡¯s looking for you.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Dwayne grimaced. ¡°Just¡­ tell her know I¡¯ll see her at dinner or something. I have to go study.¡± He grabbed a couple more books off the pile and ducked off into the night.

    Alone again, Mei continued her tour of the camp and came upon the strange noble from the caravan just as she alighted from her litter. Mei blinked. Where had the noble gone to arrive so late? Why was she even here? These questions faded when Mei caught sight of Myers approaching the noble from an oblique angle, his tray of tea at the ready. He wasn¡¯t being sneaky exactly, but he was keeping out of sight nevertheless, slipping between the noble¡¯s guards before they knew it, but before he could offer her tea, the noble¡¯s hand came up and waved him away. Mei sucked in a breath. How had the noble known? Even Maggie and Lord Kalan hadn¡¯t noticed Myers.

    The intrigue was only enhanced when one of the guards approached her and bowed, his lowered head still towering over her. ¡°Lian Momin requests your presence.¡±

    Mei glanced at the noble, who was directing her guards to lay out a rug, a small table and two cushions out on the dusty ground. Momin, who wasn¡¯t much taller than Mei, who had hair which shone brown in the fire light, who knelt on the cushion with her ankles and knees tucked under her, seemed Tuquese not Souran. Curious.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Mei allowed the guard lead her to Momin. She knelt on the second cushion, placing her tea cups on the table.

    Momin smiled. ¡°It¡¯s good to meet you, Mei.¡±

    Mei stiffened. ¡°How do you know my name?¡±

    Momin gestured to Huan. ¡°He told me.¡±

    Mei¡¯s eyes flicked to her brother, who was chatting up one of the workers, but before she could reply, a bowl of stew was placed in front of her. Her mouth watered at the meat, tubers and vegetables floating within.

    ¡°Locally sourced stew.¡± Myers refilled her tea and turned to Momin. ¡°Would the missus like some stew?¡±

    ¡°Not at the moment.¡± Momin¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t leave Mei. ¡°Leave us.¡±

    ¡°As you wish.¡±

    As Myers departed, Mei wolfed down her stew, finishing it off in barely a dozen spoonfuls.

    ¡°That is some appetite,¡± Momin said in fine, articulated Tuquese. She spoke like an Imperial scholars.

    Mei shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m hungry,¡± she replied in Tuquese.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± Momin¡¯s smile returned. ¡°Children your age are always hungry I¡¯m sure.¡± She gestured to Huan, who was collecting a bowl. ¡°Your brother told me you two are providing security for the caravan. You both are very young to have been hired for such work. Where are your parents?¡±

    ¡°Dead.¡± Mei tried to get the last bits of stew out of her bowl, using that to cover for the sharp pain in her heart. Even now, she could still remember Huan crying for days, nights spent clutching her mother¡¯s pillow. Another bowl of stew materialized in front of her. Mei looked up at Myers and smiled in thanks.

    Momin again refused the bowl and waited for Mei to finish her stew. ¡°I think you eat more than my men. I do wonder how you guard our caravan, considering your lack of weaponry. Are you trained in unarmed combat?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Eating had given Mei enough time to assess the not-actually-a-noble sitting across from her who was less like the pampered cats of the Tuquese nobility and more like a panther, her blue eyes staying cheerful and open and discerning. Mei casually let a hand drop to her knife.

    Momin shifted in her seat. ¡°Fascinating,¡± Momin leaned forward, ¡°and yet, that boy of Lord Kalan¡¯s swore by you and your brother¡¯s skill and ability, and seeing you work has convinced me. I run a small company down in Adhua. I was wondering if after your work here, you¡¯d be willing to accept a job from me. It might take you into the Tuqu Em-¡±

    ¡°No.¡± When Momin¡¯s smile grew teeth, Mei knew she¡¯d given away something she could not take back. Her hand closed on her knife.

    Huan¡¯s hand pulled it away. ¡°What she means is,¡± he said in Souran, ¡°that we¡¯re not currently interested in returning home.¡± Huan placed Mei¡¯s hand on her lap and sat down. ¡°Frankly, opportunities here in Soura are far more interesting. Sourans prize transparency and objectivity and that makes it easier to do business here. All you have to do is show the profit in a venture, they¡¯ll provide the funds.¡±

    Momin sat back, her smile gone. ¡°What services do you provide on these ventures?¡± Her eyes shifted. ¡°Mei?¡±

    At this snub, a low growl, audible only to Mei, emanated from Huan. This was not the time for Tiger. She slapped her brother on the back. ¡°Are you okay?¡± When Huan faked a cough and nodded, Mei answered Momin¡¯s question. ¡°I hunt.¡±

    Huan brought his hands together. ¡°She brought down a grimbear by herself.¡±

    Momin raised an eyebrow. ¡°That is certainly an achievement.¡± Her eyes met Mei¡¯s. ¡°How?¡±

    Enough. Mei got to her feet. ¡°I¡¯m full. I¡¯ll go help set up camp.¡± She walked away.

    ¡°Oh? Pity. We¡¯ll talk later then.¡±

    Huan caught up to Mei as she pulled their stuff from a mule. ¡°What was that?¡±

    Mei glanced at Momin. ¡°I don¡¯t like her.¡± She didn¡¯t tell Huan why.

    ***

    After an hour of failing to get Marshall¡¯s Thaumaturgic Theory to make sense, Dwayne returned to camp and found that the stew had been put away, and so he went to the cooking tent hoping to find leftovers. He walked in just as a scoop of the stew plopped into the bowl of a rail-thin scullery boy.

    The cook froze, her serving spoon still over the bowl. ¡°Oh uh¡­ are you hungry?¡± She noticed his traveling clothes, which even dusty were finer than most. ¡°Milord?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m starving.¡± Dwayne searched the tent, ignoring the stares of the scullery boy and the cook¡¯s assistants. ¡°Is there any left?¡±

    ¡°Just what I¡¯ve given him, milord.¡± The cook indicated the scullery boy¡¯s bowl.

    The boy tried to hide his panic behind a scowl and a dare, but it was the congealing glares of the adults that concerned Dwayne.

    ¡°He can have it.¡± Dwayne tried to keep his tone light. ¡°He¡¯ll need it to grow big and strong.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, milord.¡± The cook put away her spoon as the boy practically dove into the bowl. ¡°We¡¯d have more if that Tuquese girl you brought hadn¡¯t had like five bowls.¡±

    That was surprising. Mei hadn¡¯t eaten any more than anyone else on the way over. Dwayne asked, ¡°Is there any bread or cheese?¡±

    The cook pointed. ¡°Over there on the shelf.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Dwayne grabbed half a loaf and a slice of cheese.

    The cook eyed him. ¡°You don¡¯t want any more, milord?¡±

    ¡°No, no, this is good. Thanks again.¡± Dwayne stepped out of the tent, pausing to arrange food and book into an easier to carry configuration.

    The cook¡¯s voice, low and soft, came from within the tent. ¡°I ain¡¯t ever seen one up close before.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s darker than them southerners by far,¡± said a gravelly voice, presumably one of the cook¡¯s assistants.

    ¡°He¡¯s dressed like a nob though. Talks like one too,¡± said another, their voice more squeaky than the others. ¡°Probably he thinks he is one.¡±

    Dwayne sighed. This was usual. Most common Sourans were suspicious of him, and there was nothing he could do about it. Quickly, he made his way back to his makeshift retreat on the edge of the camp, where a half dozen fire lights floated gently in the air and created just enough to read by. Taking a seat on an ancient stone bench, he opened up Marshall¡¯s and once again tried to make sense of it, nibbling on bread as he read. He¡¯d almost parsed a paragraph when something clinked behind him. He looked up. He had company

    A hooded figure bearing a large crossbow cupped one of his flames in one hand. ¡°How romantic,¡± they said, trilling the ¡®r¡¯s and clicking the ¡®c¡¯s. ¡°Also bold, showing off your magic in the open like this.¡±

    Dwayne jumped to his feet, Marshall¡¯s, bread, and cheese spilling to the ground. ¡°Who are you?¡± That accent brought memories of whips and blood. ¡°Vanurian.¡±

    ¡°The accent gave me away, didn¡¯t it?¡± The hood came down, revealing dark braided hair, wide brown eyes, and a dusky face with high cheekbones. ¡°Still, most Sourans would guess Adhua.¡± The speaker stepped into the fire circle and sat down on the bench with her crossbow laid across her lap. ¡°I assume you¡¯ve heard the stories.¡±

    They weren¡¯t stories for Dwayne. ¡°What are you doing north of the Line?¡±

    The Vanurian pulled a flask out from under her cloak. ¡°Traveling the world, eating delicious food, and making good friends.¡± She took a swig. ¡°What about you? What are you doing here outside the Ri?¡± She peered over her flask. ¡°You are male, yes?¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s fist clenched. ¡°That¡¯s none of your business, Vanurian.¡±

    ¡°Odette.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my name, Odette.¡± The Vanurian gazed up at the lights. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen Ri magic used like this, just for plain old light. This is sight worth traveling to see.¡±

    Questions threatened to dislodge Dwayne¡¯s anger, questions like ¡°Where had you seen Ri magic used?¡± and ¡°Why did you ask if I was male?¡±, but he wanted her, needed her gone. He was still figuring out how to resolve that when Magdala crashed into the circle.

    ¡°Dwayne! Dwayne!¡± She bent over, panting. ¡°It¡¯s my lord uncle.¡±

    Dwayne felt a chill. ¡°Is he okay?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s fighting Lady Pol!¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Ooo,¡± Odette popped to her feet. ¡°This should be good.¡±

    Dwayne stared at her. ¡°I don¡¯t know why¡­¡± But Magdala¡¯s glare reminded him why. ¡°The invitation.¡± Between arranging the caravan and studying Qe theory, he¡¯d completely forgotten about his lie. With a word, he dismissed his flames and sprinted back to the square with Magdala and Odette on his heels. There he found his master in a standoff with a short blond woman in front of the giant cuboid monolith. Lord Kalan was still in his dusty disheveled traveling clothes, but the woman, Lady Pol Dwayne guessed, was dressed in typical Souran evening wear, three layers of skirted clothing and a heavy woolen shawl.

    Lady Pol put her hands on her hip. ¡°Why are you here again? I hope it wasn¡¯t just to terrorize my expedition with your crazy demands.¡±

    Lord Kalan raised his chin. ¡°I received your invitation, and I have prepared proof and demonstration of my theory. The only question you should be asking me is do you want me to start now or in the morning?¡±

    ¡°Invitation? What invitation?¡± Lady Pol put a hand to her forehead. ¡°Cups, man, I sent you a challenge! Is reading comprehension the first thing that goes when you lose your mind?¡±

    ¡°Oh, ho, ho, are we trading insults now?¡± Lord Kalan grasped his collar. ¡°I¡¯ve read your papers. A true Qe mage bases her ideas and opinions on facts, not childish notions!¡±

    ¡°Childish? You arrogant waste of magic!¡± Dwayne found it was hard not to empathize with that statement. ¡°I feel for your dear lady sister, who¡¯s related to a brother so demonstrably ignorant of his role in society that he abandoned his duty to queen and queendom. There has been serious debate of stripping you of your position at court, and its only Her Majesty¡¯s faith in you that protects you, but despite royal favor, this is what¡¯s become of you?¡±

    Lord Kalan tried to come up with a retort. ¡°You¡­You¡­wench!¡± Scintillating.

    It was at this time that Dwayne felt he should wade in. ¡°Lord Kalan. Lady Pol.¡±

    The scorching attention of two of the most powerful mages in Soura turned on the lowly apprentice, who broke out into a cold sweat.

    Both spoke at once.

    Lord Kalan said, ¡°Dwayne, we¡¯re leaving.¡±

    Lady Pol asked, ¡°Who is this?¡±

    Lord Kalan harrumphed. ¡°This is my apprentice, Dwayne.¡±

    Lady Pol¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°No, no, no, he is not your apprentice. If he was, his name would be in the Joanburg Register as required by royal decree. If he was, I¡¯d know him because he¡¯d either be a noble¡¯s son or a prodigy personally vetted by the Sages. If he was, Odette would have had a field day gleefully reminding me that my rival Lord Kalan has an apprentice and I don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true. I would have,¡± said Odette.

    Lady Pol continued, ¡°He is not your apprentice.¡±

    ¡°Mere formalities.¡± Lord Kalan put an arm around Dwayne¡¯s shoulders. ¡°He is my apprentice, and he¡¯s already made significant contributions to my research, to the world even.¡±

    ¡°Where did you even get him?¡±

    ¡°That-¡± Lord Kalan coughed. ¡°That is none of your concern.¡±

    Lady Pol looked over Dwayne. ¡°He¡¯s not young enough to be your bastard. Are you going to claim you were found him on the side of the road?¡±

    ¡°Of course he didn¡¯t, Lu.¡± Odette moved next to Lady Pol. ¡°He bought him.¡±

    Lady Pol froze. ¡°He¡­ what? How do you know that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s obvious. A young Wesen boy who hates Vanurians as much as - Dwayne, was it? - was either a slave or he fell in love with a beautiful Vanurian just like me, who tricked him out of his money and left him for dead. Since there¡¯s no one else like me¡­¡±

    Lady Pol rounded on Dwayne. ¡°Were you a slave?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Dwayne drew himself up to his full height, ¡°but now I¡¯m Lord Kalan¡¯s apprentice, and¡­¡± He glanced at Lord Kalan. ¡°I have a confession to make. Lord Kalan, Master, I lied.¡± The sudden hurt in Lord Kalan¡¯s eyes made it hard to continue, but Dwayne couldn¡¯t stop. ¡°She just wanted you to see if you could open this¡­¡± He gestured to the cuboid monolith. ¡°-thing. That¡¯s all.¡± He stepped back, his eyes on the ground.

    Lord Kalan¡¯s voice shook. ¡°You¡­ lied to me.¡±

    ¡°I do think we have a chance to convince her with our latest evidence though.¡± Dwayne couldn¡¯t look up. ¡°I¡¯ve been reading-¡±

    ¡°No.¡± His master¡¯s voice was forceful. ¡°You¡¯ll get us ready to leave immediately. We¡¯ll discuss this once we¡¯re out of sight of this place.¡±

    ¡°Yes, master.¡± Dwayne looked up and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll do that.¡±

    ¡°See that you do.¡± Lord Kalan turned on his heel and started to walk away.

    ¡°So,¡± Lady Pol was looking up at the monolith, ¡°you can¡¯t open this, right?¡±

    Lord Kalan stopped. ¡°What did you say?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not even going to try to rise to the occasion, are you?¡±

    Lord Kalan glared at her and then turned to the monolith. ¡°Dwayne, light.¡±

    ¡°O-okay¡­¡± Dwayne held his hand over his head and cried, ¡°Ri¡¯a¡¯tha!¡±

    It took dozens of castings to fully light up the monolith in its entirety, but when Dwayne was finished, Lord Kalan stepped past him to inspect the ancient symbols carved into monolith¡¯s surface.

    ¡°Early Yaniti of course.¡± He traced the symbols with his fingers. ¡°No idea how they etched this stone. The establishment assumes the Yaniti had very advanced Ri and Qe magic but provides no hint as to how it was achieved. Of course we could listen to Hobstack and say that they had some sort of fourth magic, but that¡¯s ridiculous. There¡¯s only three magics in the world.¡± He reached the door and leaned in close. ¡°This is interesting. They etched something here in small print.¡±

    ¡°Even northerners sleep last time I checked.¡± Lady Momin pulled a thick red robe around herself. Strangely, her guards were nowhere to be found. ¡°Is this some sort of pissing contest?¡±

    Dwayne offered a weak shrug and kept his eyes on Lord Kalan, who was absorbed in inspecting the door¡¯s mural.

    ¡°Can he read that?¡±

    Dwayne jumped. ¡°Mei?¡± The hunter had found new reserves of stealth. And Dwayne¡¯s dinner. ¡°Yes, he can.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Mei returned to munching on cheese. Despite the late hour, she hadn¡¯t changed for bed and still had her strange weapon slung across her back.

    Dwayne pointed to it. ¡°Do you sleep with that?¡±

    Mei pointed at the monolith with a piece of bread. ¡°Can you read that?¡±

    Dwayne shook his head. ¡°No, I haven¡¯t had the time to¡­I mean¡­¡±

    ¡°Some mage you are.¡± Huan joined them, yawning hugely. ¡°Can¡¯t even come up with a good excuse.¡± He adjusted the sword strapped to his hip.

    Were they on patrol? Dwayne frowned at Huan. ¡°What does that have to do with anything?¡±

    Huan watched Mei wander off to join Magdala, who looked distressed. ¡°Mages are scholars, and scholars are practiced liars.¡±

    Lord Kalan stepped back from the door. ¡°This door is fake.¡±

    ¡°Took you long enough.¡± Lady Pol yawned. ¡°I figured that out within a minute of coming here.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you did, did you?¡± Lord Kalan turned to her and pointed to the ground. ¡°Did you also find the circle in front of it?¡±

    ¡°Circle.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s underneath your camp.¡± Lord Kalan cupped his hands over his mouth. ¡°Move these tents out of the way!¡± He pointed to half the camp.

    The few workers that were awake looked to Lady Pol. She gave Lord Kalan a look. ¡°Really?¡±

    Lord Kalan raised his chin. ¡°I know I¡¯m right.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d better be or I¡¯m telling your sister about your ¡®apprentice¡¯.¡± As Lord Kalan blanched, Lady Pol called out, ¡°Do what he says!¡±

    As the tents were taken down and moved, Dwayne approached Lord Kalan. ¡°Sir, I¡­¡±

    Lord Kalan looked sharp, awake, and sad. ¡°We¡¯ll talk after this. I¡¯m disappointed in you.¡±

    Dwayne wished he knew a spell for digging graves.

    After an half hour, Lady Pol¡¯s workers had cleared the area, creating an empty patch of dust in front of the monolith.

    ¡°Now, we¡¯ll just need to clean this off.¡± Lord Kalan bowed to Lady Pol. ¡°Do you want to do it or should I?¡±

    Lady Pol rolled her eyes and pointed at the ground. ¡°Qemilo!¡±

    Wind smashed into the ground, filling the air with dust, dirt, and thunder, and it didn¡¯t stop until they were standing on a clean slab of gray stone that was etched with a complex magical circle filled with depictions of creatures stranger than the ones that graced the monolith¡¯s door. Dwayne now stood on the image of a humanoid creature with a mushroom cap for a hat.

    ¡°This is amazing!¡± Magdala pinned her hair out of her face and then dropped to her hands and knees. ¡°Definitely late period Imperial Yaniti, which is simpler than Early Yaniti that was derived from Old Iani.¡± She traced a symbol. ¡°It¡¯s like Tuquese etching magic. There¡¯s nothing like it in the literature.¡±

    ¡°Certainly not in Magisterium canon.¡± Lady Pol shook dust out of her hair. ¡°My mother wrote loads about this place, but no one read her.¡±

    ¡°Being unread hardly makes her special.¡± Lord Kalan placed his hand on the stone, and muttered a spell. The ground shook. ¡°Hmm. Seems like there¡¯s something under there.¡± He glanced up at Lady Pol. ¡°So, you think I can¡¯t open this, do you?¡±

    Dwayne caught the gleam in his master¡¯s eye. ¡°Sir, I don¡¯t think-¡±

    ¡°Qeuieryit!¡±

 Vulicur, Defend Home

    Shatter! Magdala woke up buried in sand. She¡¯d recognized the spell her lord uncle had cast but hadn¡¯t had time to realize what it meant before the ground opened up. She¡¯d fallen, something had smashed in her cloak, and then she was knocked out.

    She spat out sand and then clawed her way out of the heap. Now free, she shook the loathsome stuff out of her hair and clothes. It would take days before she got it all out of her clothes, weeks for her hair; honestly, if it had been socially acceptable, she¡¯d shave her head to be free of it. Once she was as sand-free as possible, Magdala tried to stand up. She promptly slipped and fell.

    A million bruises, aches, and pains bloomed on her body, exactly as if Magdala had fallen down a stone shaft for Cueller-knows-how-long. Groaning, she stood up again, this time careful to keep her footing on the shifting sand mound, and made her way a patch of stone floor that was clear of sand. After shaking more sand off herself, she looked around. She¡¯d ended up in a three wir by three wir cell, which was filled with a strange azure light.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to kill my lord uncle when I-¡± The bluecap. Magdala reached under her cloak and instead of a vial of bluecap mushroom extract, she found a sticky mess of broken glass and the lead bar she¡¯d bought for Mei¡¯s bullets. That explained why she¡¯d been unconscious for the fall. The bluecap extract¡¯s soporific effect had knocked her out. Maybe that was lucky if galling.

    She checked the rest of her inventory. Thank Cueller. Everything else including her hair clip, the basic ingredients for Mei¡¯s propellant had survived, and her spare vials had survived the fall. Magdala stowed it all away and considered her next problem: getting out of here.

    Above the mound of sand she¡¯d fallen into, there was a giant hole, still dribbling sand. A quick look up it revealed no clear way out unless Magdala made like Mei¡¯s birds and learned to fly. Could she blast her way up? No, she didn¡¯t have nearly enough components for that and there wasn¡¯t any water or plants here. She¡¯d have to find another way. Magdala turned her attention to the rest of the cell.

    Like the ruins above, it was dusty, dry and devoid of any decorative features although it did have one close wooden door, whose cracks allowed the weird azure light to enter. Magdala went to it and pushed it as hard as she could. It barely budged.

    Was it barred? Magdala peered through the crack between the door and the frame. Yes, it was. There was a long slab of wood across the door. Considering that there was nothing but sand in here, it seemed odd to bar the door like that, but whatever. Magdala moved on to the walls, which were made of stone blocks with no gaps between them. She wasn¡¯t getting out that way either.

    Magdala sagged, wishing that she had Dwayne¡¯s abilities. Then she could- Wait. Would that work? Magdala¡¯s eyes darted to the door. What was that bar made of? She had the magic to answer that. She returned to the door and slipped one finger through the crack and got it on the door bar. ¡°Nqeoum.¡±

    Elemental proportions and formulae poured into her mind. The door bar was wood, but it was jaw-droppingly dense, almost as dense as stone. There was only one variety of wood in the whole world that dense: nuhajyny, a rare and expensive species of hardwood native to the forests of southeast Wesen. And  here it was being used to block a mere door. Were the Yaniti so rich that materials like this were a pittance to them? Magdala shook her head. It didn¡¯t matter. Wood was wood. It would burn.

    After mixing some of the propellant ingredients with sand, Magdala sprinkled some on the bar then pressed her finger into it. ¡°Nqerm.¡±

    She snatched her hand back as the mixture congealed and sizzled and ignited, an orange flame happily eating through the wood bar. It wasn¡¯t as cheery as Dwayne¡¯s but it would do. As her latest hellish concoction did its work, Magdala investigated the rest of the cell. She ignored the hole in the ceiling. Clearly it was a late addition.

    She placed her hand on the nearest wall. ¡°Nqeoum.¡±

    Sandstone. Magdala touched the other walls. More sandstone. She pressed against them, but there were no hidden doors or secret switches or pressure plates and so Magdala turned her attention to the big heap of sand and groaned. The heap was huge and considering that she was still scratching sand out of her hair, she didn¡¯t relish the idea of digging through it. She glanced at the brightly burning flame outside the door. That was going to take a while. If only Dwayne or Mei were here¡­

    Magdala swallowed. Were they trapped down here too? Was her lord uncle? Were they- Magdala banished that thought. No, they were all fine. Mei had her rifle, and both her lord uncle and his apprentice had their magic. They were fine. She just needed to focus on her own situation. And that involved digging. Crinkling her nose, Magdala knelt at the edge of the sand heap and started to scoop sand off the pile. Soon she was sweaty and desperately wishing she¡¯d brought a shovel. She¡¯d take off her cloak, but if something happened she¡¯d need everything in it, and she couldn¡¯t afford to lose it. Her mother had given it to her when Magdala had entered the academy, the last time Iona Gallus had been unequivocally proud of her daughter. That pride didn¡¯t survive long did it. After all, Magdala had-

    Her hand hit something hard. A trapdoor? Magdala dug around it and grabbed hold of it, used her weight and her strength to pull it free. When it came free with an odd pop, Magdala fell back onto her well bruised haunch with a slim book in her hand. Another hand, mummified and dusty, still held the book.

    Aware that part of her was screaming, Magdala ripped away to the hand and tossed it onto the sand heap. Then after getting her heart rate back under control, she inspected it. The hand was small, no bigger than her own, and had a tarnished silver ring on its index finger. Was this another explorer or a Yaniti ancient? If the latter, had she been barred in here by her own people and left here to die when the city fell?

    Magdala was still grappling with these questions when, with a heavy thump, the bar on the other side of the door fell to the floor. Magdala stood up and brushed sand off her knees. Whatever fate had befallen the hand¡¯s owner, she wouldn¡¯t share it. Tucking the book under her arm, Magdala pulled the door open and entered a curved corridor that was riddled dozens of barred doors. Was this a prison? How many people had been trapped in those cells with nothing but this book to keep them company? And why this book? Magdala opened it. It was in Imperial Yaniti, which she¡¯d learned her first year at the Magisterium academy. And she¡¯d complained that she¡¯d never use a dead language.

    Pointedly not looking at any of the doors, Magdala moved into a bright patch of azure light that streamed down from the ceiling and started to read.

    <blockquote>

    Once upon a time, there was a boy.

    </blockquote>

    Ah, yes, Yaniti creativity at its best.

    <blockquote>

    He lived alone in the dry and dusty mountains where he grew cokop root and tended a small well.

    One day, while he was watering his roots, he heard a voice whisper, ¡°Are you lonely?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± said the boy, continuing to work. ¡°I have my roots and water. I have my house and bed. I have the sun and earth. They keep me company.¡±

    </blockquote>

    How could anyone be satisfied with that?

    <blockquote>

    ¡°Oh, but what about your family?¡± asked the voice.

    ¡°My family is gone,¡± answered the boy.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you miss them?¡±

    ¡°They live in the earth who feeds me. They taught me about the sun, which warms me. They built the house who shelters me.¡±

    </blockquote>

    ¡°Well, he clearly needs his head checked.¡± Magdala ignored how the hallway swallowed the sound of her voice.

    <blockquote>

    ¡°That is all very well and good, but who do you talk to? Who keeps you from thinking about the fearful nights and hard days?¡±

    The boy hesitated. Since his father¡¯s death, all day he tended his cokop alone. Since his mother¡¯s death, all night he listened to the wolves howling. Since his sister¡¯s death, he¡¯d talked to no one.

    Still, he said, ¡°I do.¡±

    ¡°Liar.¡±

    ¡°Who are you to call me Liar?¡± shouted the boy. ¡°You¡¯re just a voice from nowhere.¡±

    ¡°All voices come from somewhere. Mine just happens to come from very far away.¡±

    ¡°Then why talk to me? Are there not others where you are?¡±

    </blockquote>

    Magdala wondered how it was talking to him.

    <blockquote>

    ¡°Though there are many others here, I am lonely. When I see them, I talk to them, but they just laugh and walk away. So the nights are hard because I fear that the day will come, and the days are fearful because I hear only laughter that isn¡¯t mine. I do not wish to be alone, Liar.¡±

    ¡°Then, where are you?¡± asked the boy.

    ¡°I am where I am.¡±

    </blockquote>

    Odd. Most of the Yaniti myths Magdala had read had described awesome beings wandering the earth, performing miracles beyond modern magic¡¯s understanding, but this was just about a boy on a farm.

    <blockquote>

    The boy considered this and then glanced at his roots. He knew that they would keep so he took his water jug, filled it, and then placed it under his arm. He walked towards the whisper. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go where you are. What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°¡®Name¡¯? What is a ¡®name?¡¯¡±

    ¡°Something to call you by,¡± said the boy. ¡°A word that others use to call you.¡±

    ¡°Ah, then, I do not have a name. The others do not call me.¡±

    The boy paused. ¡°Would you like one?¡±

    ¡°Maybe. How does one get a name? Is it difficult?¡±

    ¡°Someone just calls you by it and then it is yours.¡± The boy continued to walk.

    ¡°I would like someone to call me.¡± The voice grew clearer with each step the boy took. ¡°Please. Give me a name.¡±

    </blockquote>

    Magdala¡¯s family name Gallus meant prestige, honor, and justice and, to her mother, magical excellence. Maybe it would easier to be nameless.

    <blockquote>

    The boy considered the request. He¡¯d never named anything before. His parents had given him one name, his sister another. He hadn¡¯t named the cokop or the river or the sun or the moon or the twinkling stars. Still, he knew what name to give. ¡°Lonely Whisper.¡±

    ¡°I do not wish to be lonely,¡± said the voice.

    ¡°Then how about just Whisper then?¡±

    The voice fell silent. For a long while, the boy walked without the voice¡¯s guidance, drinking water from his jug when he was thirsty and foraging for berries when he was hungry.

    When three days had passed, Whisper replied, in a breath that tickled the boy¡¯s ear, ¡°I like it.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± The boy corrected his heading. ¡°I¡¯m glad.¡±

    ¡°Oh, Liar, I think you¡¯ve given me something very precious.¡± Whisper¡¯s voice echoed out from a cave carved into the side of a stone cliff. The boy put his empty water jug down at the entrance and entered without fear.

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    ¡°So, Liar, are you lonely?¡±

    The boy considered. ¡°No, I have you.¡± He kept going deeper and deeper into the dark cave until he came upon a swirling pool of light.

    ¡°Liar,¡± the pool rippled with Whisper¡¯s giggles, ¡°I gave you a name. The least you can do is stick to it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s true. I¡¯m not lonely.¡± The boy knelt by the pool. ¡°Not anymore. May I see you?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± The pool burst, splashing light everywhere and drenching the boy¡¯s eyes. When he could see again, an owl with eyes as bright as the stars and feathers the color of the evening sky hovered over him. It changed into a child with fluffy purpled hair and twinkling eyes and joined the boy beside the pool. ¡°Nice to meet you, Liar.¡±

    The boy smiled for the first time in a long time. ¡°My name isn¡¯t Liar.¡± He embraced Whisper. ¡°It¡¯s Asaph.¡±

    </blockquote>

    Magdala stared at the name, double-checking to make sure she hadn¡¯t made a mistake in her translation. But she hadn¡¯t. This was a story about Asaph, the founder of the Yaniti Empire, master of a thousand spirits. In history class and in church, she¡¯d been taught that he¡¯d come out of the east bearing scrolls that the Yaniti mages had used to build the first magical civilization after the Cataclysm that had ended the Age of the Gods. This was a lost piece of history. She had to get this to the others.

    Magdala sped up, running past door after barred door until she reached one that stood at the end. She reached for the handle. A thunderclap made her jump, but before she could run, the door opened on its own.

    Magdala thrust the book in front of her like a shield. ¡°Sorry, sorry, I had to-¡±

    ¡°Maggie?¡±

    Magdala peeked over the cover of her book. ¡°Mei?¡± She grinned. ¡°Mei, you¡¯re all right!¡±

    Mei frowned at the book Magdala hid behind and then gently pushed it out of the way. ¡°We¡¯re being hunted.¡±

    ***

    ¡°Qeuieryit!¡±

    As the ground crumbled beneath her feet, Mei made a break for the edge of the city square. Something snatched at her ankle and she leapt over it, not bothering to see what it was and kept running. The ground¡¯s crumbling was speeding up, and she had to keep ahead of it, but first she needed to find her brother and¡­ Where was Huan? She risked a glance back and the world slowed. Huan was on his back on the ground, fighting off grasping tree roots that curled up from underground. Not bothering to question where the roots had come from, Mei changed direction and dashed to her brother¡¯s side. ¡°Huan!¡±

    Her brother turned to her and snarled from behind the Mask. Reflexively, Mei stopped a couple of wirs from Huan, her hand flying to her knife, but there wasn¡¯t the time to calm Tiger and the crumbling was catching up to her.

    ¡°What are you doing? Ri¡¯a¡¯tha!¡± Dwayne¡¯s flame burnt away the roots. ¡°Move!¡± He tried to pull Huan to his feet, but the beast caught Dwayne by the throat and pulled him down. Then the ground opened beneath them and they were gone.

    ¡°Huan!¡± Mei rushed forward, but crumbling caught her and dropped her into the rustling darkness. Hoping to minimize injury, Mei tucked her rifle to her chest, rolled into a ball and waited for impact, which didn¡¯t come. Instead she kept falling, the dry desert air becoming wet and musty, the star-filled night giving way to blue twilight. By the time she¡¯d just started wondering if she¡¯d survive hitting the ground, she hit water and sank. Gritting her teeth against the cold, Mei oriented herself and swam upwards, one hand still holding her rifle. When she reached the surface, she sucked in air and looked around.

    She¡¯d landed in a bowl-like lake that looked as if a giant had taken a spoonful out of the earth and, despite not being full, was so deep that she couldn''t see the bottom through the crystal clear water. Around the lake, hundreds of arches and terraces in dozens of layers disappeared up into a twilight blue expanse. How far has she fallen? Was she still in Yumma? Where were Huan and the others?

    Mei shivered. She¡¯d deal with those questions later. Holding her rifle over her head, she swam to shore, scaled the lake¡¯s sides and laid herself out on the ground, letting the air warm her. She let her heart rate slow, her breath go quiet, her mind still. When fear had finally drained from her, she took stock of her situation. Despite the sudden fall, she still had her knife, rifle, and bullets, but the water had ruined the rifle¡¯s explosive powder, making her rifle useless. She¡¯d need Maggie to make more. Mei was sure that Maggie was down here too; mages seemed incapable of avoiding trouble. At least it made deciding who to find first easy: first Huan, then Maggie, then the Wesen boy, who they¡¯d have to find because Maggie would want to, finally anyone else who¡¯d fallen down here.

    With her priorities set, Mei prepared to explore by checking her knife, wringing out her clothes, and disassembling her rifle and leaving it to dry. Then she slid into the shadows of the arches, taking care not to touch the strange scribbles on them. Past the arches were statues in various poses and dozens and dozens of doors, all barred with huge beams of dark wood. Edging past a statue, Mei tried to unbar a door, but it was too heavy to lift with just her arms, and considering how she¡¯d ended up down here, she wasn¡¯t keen on finding out what was on the other side so she backed away. Something crunched under her boot. She looked down.

    A human rib cage.

    With a soft squeal, Mei pulled her foot free and scrambled back from the pile of bones. As her eyes adjusted to the gloom, she became able to take in the horror around her. This was a battlefield, the statues versus the bones. The nearest statue had impaled the skeleton Mei had stepped in with a massive spear, pinning its hip to the stone floor. There was no expression on the skull, but the statue was showing rage and fangs. It was so convincing that Mei drew her knife and backed away and waited for the statue to see her and attack. It didn¡¯t. It held that final pose of death. Whenever this battle had happened, it was over.

    Once again calm, Mei inched towards the nearest statue again, inspecting its face and form. In Tuqu, statues were rare and only made to honor the most honorable ancestors and emperors, and in Soura, there were dozens of statues standing on the street corners, in town squares, in front of their temples, and they were all of the same four people, but both in Tuqu and Soura, statues were made of humans.

    These statues weren¡¯t. The closest one, whose chest had been stoved in, had curled ram horns and a snake¡¯s face, its neighbor cloven hooves and a monkey¡¯s tail. Yes, what was left of their torsos were human, at least if humans ever came bear-sized, but otherwise every other part of them had been stolen from some animal and the effect was unsettling. Mei had planned to wait for her rifle to dry properly, but if these statues could move, she didn¡¯t want to wait and find out.

    She returned to her disassembled rifle, wiped down its pieces as best she could, and then reassembled it, keeping one eye on the statues. The weapon would probably still work, but Mei hoped to have a chance to clean it properly soon. After double-checking that she still had her knife, Mei started to walk around the edge of the lake, keeping the arches between herself and the statues while looking for a way out.

    She¡¯d made half a circuit when the arch next to her filled with water. Mei pulled back from it, her knife drawn, deep breath taken, but the water didn¡¯t pour out; it just hung in the archway like it was sitting in a cup, chittering softly. Wary, Mei slid back towards the lake. This, like the tree roots and the statues, was nothing like any magic she¡¯d seen before.

    The water chittered for a little longer and then changed. ¡°You are?¡±

    Mei nearly fell into the lake from shock. It spoke Tuquese.

    ¡°You are?¡± The water stilled, waiting for Mei¡¯s reply.

    Mei wasn¡¯t going to as ¡°Talk to magic water¡± didn¡¯t sound like a good idea. She ran, going under the archways and slipping between statues. If humans had gotten in, they had to have gotten out. When she finally found a door left unbarred, she made a beeline towards it.

    The doorway filled with water. ¡°You are?¡±

    Cursing, Mei slid to a stop. What did this thing want? This was the only unbarred door. Could she unbar the others before this thing caught up to her? What if it blocked her again?

    A heavy thump echoed throughout the chamber, stilling the water in the door and it evaporated, leaving Mei alone.

    What was that? Mei considered the now dry door and decided against going through. Instead she sheathed her knife, went to the nearest pillar and started to climb. She pulled herself up to the second floor, slid over the railing, and waited. Two sounds reached her ears, a low murmuring and a splash of water. If the latter was the thing behind the water, then the former had to be what it was looking for and it was close. Mei followed her ears to another barred door and pressed her ears to it. There were footsteps, light an unconcerned. Maybe a guard, but so long as they were human Mei didn¡¯t care. Knowing she couldn¡¯t lift the bar with her arms, Mei got under it and pushed it upwards. The bar resisted, but Mei didn¡¯t relent, and soon it gave way and she made it drop to the floor. The resulting thunderclap silenced both the murmuring and the splashes. She had to hurry.

    Mei wrenched opened the door, and a wild-haired girl shoved a book into her face. ¡°Sorry, sorry, I had to-¡±

    ¡°Maggie?¡±

    ¡°Mei?¡± Maggie grinned. ¡°Mei, you¡¯re all right!¡±

    Mei frowned at the cover of the book, which had the same characters as the arches around them and the cube above. It didn¡¯t seem very shield-like. She gently pushed it out of the way. ¡°We¡¯re being hunted.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Water dropped on Mei¡¯s nose. She grabbed Maggie¡¯s hand. ¡°We have to go.¡± She pulled the mage into the corridor just as the doorway filled with water.

    ¡°Mage!¡± The water froze and shattered, and an serpentine white weasel Mei dropped to the floor, its hackles already raised. It was longer than Mei was tall and packed with muscle and its steel blue eyes flicked between them.

    A dozen heartbeats passed before Maggie asked, ¡°What is that?¡±

    The animal¡¯s eyes focused on Maggie, and the air chilled.

    Mei put a finger to her lips and shook her head. Then, she slid closer to the animal, which kept all its attention on Maggie. To it, Mei¡¯s knife and rifle weren¡¯t the real threat. Maggie¡¯s magic was. First Mei needed to get it to refocus. Slowly, she slid in front of Maggie and forced the animal to look at her. The animal blinked and backed up, unsure what Mei was doing.

    ¡°Wha-¡°

    Mei shushed Maggie and gestured for the mage to sit, doing so herself slowly and with both hands up and away from her knife. Behind her, Maggie compiled in a soft chorus of clinking glass. The animal¡¯s eyes narrowed, but the tension in its shoulders was fading. Good. Mei assumed a cross-legged sitting position and waited. Behind her, she could feel Maggie¡¯s impatience and confusion but also the trust. Good, everyone was calming down. Now that Mei could get a good look at it, the animal had webbed first and broad shoulders, like the otter she¡¯d seen in her father¡¯s hunting portraits.

    When the otter stopped growling and started sniffing the air, Mei pointed to herself. ¡°I''m Mei.¡±

    The otter blinked and then chittered.

    ¡°Is that your name?¡±

    The otter nodded. Its eyes slid to Maggie.

    Maggie inched forward to sit beside Mei. ¡°I''m Magdala.¡±

    The otter padded forward and then raised up on its haunches and tilted its head. Mei smiled. Sure the otter was as large as a human and had appeared out of a pane of ice and had cold vapor was pouring off its pelt, but it was really cute.

    Maggie shivered. ¡°What now?¡±

    With the eyes of otter and mage on her, Mei tried to come up with a plan. Maybe the otter could-

    ¡°PORTHOP! VULICUR!¡±

    The strange words rippled through the otter and transformed curiosity into rage. The otter leapt at Maggie, teeth and claws ready to dig into her. Mei shoved the mage out of the way and allowed the otter to fly past them into the corridor behind. Getting to her feet, Mei drew her knife and got between Maggie and the otter, which snarled and then darted down the corridor and into a vertical pool of water, which shattered as the otter passed through it.

    ¡°Who said that? What was that?¡± Maggie stood up. ¡°What happened?¡±

    Mei shrugged. They had to find the way out first.¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± She led Maggie down the corridor, her eyes searching for the sound of splashing.

    ¡°Cups, where are we?¡± Maggie stared up at the blue tinged abyss above them. ¡°How far down did we go?¡±

    Mei shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t-¡± A sudden chill hit her from behind. She whirled around and intercepted the otter as it tried to pounce on Maggie. It was heavy and had momentum, but Mei pushed back hard and shoved the otter back into the water, receiving frosty scratches down her arms in return. They had to get out of here. The corridors had too many doors. She grabbed Maggie and pointed. ¡°Climb down!¡±

    Maggie stared at her. ¡°What bu-¡±

    Again, the air chilled. There was no time to discuss it. Mei grabbed Maggie¡¯s arm, climbed over the railing, and pulled the mage down with her, right out of the way of the otter¡¯s latest charge. They fell and it was only Mei¡¯s desperate grab at the pillar that slowed their descent to the first floor.

    ¡°Ow!¡± Both girls hit the floor, their fall cushioned by bones, a fact that Mei had no time to consider before the archway next to them filled with water. Mei steeled herself for another attack, but Maggie grabbed the back of her tunic and pulled her into the pool¡¯s bowl. The otter sailed over them and into a vertical pool on the other side. Here, they had enough room to dodge and enough room to fight. Mei pulled her rifle out of its case, readied her knife and waited for the otter¡¯s next attack.

    ¡°That was a spell.¡±

    Mei stared at her. ¡°What?¡±

    Maggie peeked over the edge of the bowl. ¡°That word Vulicur. It must have been a spell. There¡¯s someone else down here.¡± She glanced at Mei¡¯s rifle. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to shoot it?¡±

    Mei shook her head. ¡°Wet powder.¡± She gestured to the archway. ¡°So that¡¯s magic too?¡± She tried not to rub the scratches on her arm, which didn¡¯t bleed but did ache.

    Maggie grimaced. ¡°It has to be although I¡¯ve never heard of magic like that. That movement shouldn¡¯t be possible. Luckily, it looks like it only does one portal at a time so it¡¯s pretty easy to dodge-¡± A wintry blast filled the chamber as every archway on the first and second floors filled with water. ¡°No, no, no! That''s not fair.¡±

    At least they weren¡¯t in the corridor. Mei stood up and kept her eyes and ears open. An archway up and to the left splashed, and she turned to see the otter barreling down towards them.

    ¡°Behind you!¡±

    At Magdala¡¯s warning, Mei glanced back and stared. An ice pillar the size of a tree trunk was rocketing towards them. The otter had used itself as bait for this attack, and they couldn¡¯t dodge it, it was too close, too fast. Mei raised her knife anyway.

    ¡°HA!¡± A red and brown blur slammed into the pillar, knocking it off course. The shock that they were safe spurred Mei to turn back to the otter, slashing her knife across its face before using its momentum to toss it away. Howling, the animal scrambled to the nearest portal and disappeared into it and then all the archways all dried up.

    After a quick check that she was in fact alive, Mei turned to Maggie and their savior, but instead of thanking them, she sucked in a breath. It couldn¡¯t be.

    ¡°Oh, thank Cueller.¡± Maggie stood up. ¡°I am so glad you-¡±

    Mei¡¯s hand blurred, and her knife flew through the air. The woman in the red robe dodged it lazily.

    Maggie dove between Mei and their savior. ¡°Mei, what are you doing?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s Rabbit.¡± Mei reached for her rifle. ¡°That¡¯s Rabbit and she¡¯s after Huan.¡±

    Maggie turned to their savior. ¡°What is she¡­ oh.¡±

    The woman was bronze-skinned, had furred feet, had tied back dark brown hair, wore a red celk robe, which she¡¯d closed around her waist with a yellow sash, and her blue eyes glittered behind a stylized rabbit mask. ¡°I really should carry extra shoes.¡± She removed the mask and tucked it into her sash, and her feet began to shift to human. ¡°Rabbit¡¯s feet are five times larger than mine.¡±

    Shouldering Maggie aside, Mei grabbed her rifle and took aim. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    Momin smiled. ¡°Did you really think you''d gotten away from the Tuqu Empire?¡±

 Xa-lau-we-mui, Tigers Claws

    "Sir, that might not be-¡±

    ¡°Qeuieryit!¡±

    When the ground beneath Lord Kalan shattered, Huan panicked and slapped on Tiger¡¯s mask. He hoped to grab his sister and escape, but Tiger overwhelmed the thief and seized control. Without a glance at Mei, it fled, heading straight for the edge of the square.

    ¡°Huan!¡±

    Mei?

    Tiger shoved the thief into the corner of his mind and snarled at Mei. She skidded to a stop, her hand on her accursed knife.

    No, don¡¯t stop! The thief rushed to the fore and tried to push Tiger out of the way.

    Tiger knocked the thief back. They needed to move and this mental scuffle was keeping them in place. Let me save us. Tiger turned his attention back to the real world and tried to make a run for it, but something caught at his foot and he fell.

    ¡°What are you doing? Ri¡¯a¡¯tha!¡± As a puff of flickering flame freed Tiger, Dwayne tried to pull him to his feet. ¡°Move!¡±

    I don¡¯t need help. Tiger grabbed Dwayne by the throat. ¡°Don¡¯t. Touch. Me.¡±

    That was too much for the thief. Stop! Huan shouldered the beast out of the way and released Dwayne, but before he could apologize, the ground fell away and they both dropped into the rustling dark.

    That¡¯s not fair.

    The thief let Tiger wrest control back and retreated. The concern in Mei¡¯s eyes when the beast snarled at her and the fear in Dwayne¡¯s when it had grabbed his throat, those things weren¡¯t really the thief, but nevertheless, he¡¯d have to deal with the consequences.

    Tiger whined and curled them into a ball.

    What is it? The thief turned away from his misery and saw that they were still falling. There was no sense of up or down anymore, of whether he¡¯d been falling for seconds or for hours or for ever, but a soft rustling and distant groaning. Then they hit a slope with a painful, but survivable thump. Tiger¡¯s curled pose let him roll down the slope and when it leveled out, he let momentum bring him to his feet as he slid to a stop. Then the beast slid back, making Huan deal with the dust and the pain. He rubbed his arms. Where are we?

    Behind him, there was another thump. ¡°Ow!¡± Dwayne had rolled after Huan, but had landed hard on his back instead of rolling to his feet. Groaning, the mage¡¯s apprentice sat up. ¡°Where are-¡±

    Guilt and the sounds of small rocks and sliding sand made Huan scramble forward, catch Dwayne¡¯s collar with one hand, and haul him out of the way of a deluge of stone and sand. He only released Dwayne when the onslaught had stopped and the hole they¡¯d come in by was only dribbling sand.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Huan pulled off Tiger¡¯s Mask.

    ¡°You attacked me.¡± Dwayne¡¯s voice was shaky. ¡°Why?¡±

    Huan¡¯s lie came easy. ¡°I thought you were someone else.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°Just someone.¡± Damn it. Because of the beast¡¯s shenanigans, Mei had fallen, Huan was hurt, and- Huan rolled his shoulders. Wait. He wasn¡¯t that hurt. Sure, he had bruises - his face would resemble a mashed up salad in the morning - but nothing was cracked, smashed, or broken. The beast apparently knew how to roll. Good job. Next time save my sister.

    Dwayne on the other hand was in worse shape. He was holding his side and wiping blood from his nose, which made his next statement surprising. ¡°You okay?¡±

    Huan¡¯s head jerked back. ¡°Seriously? I attack you and you look like fresh sausage and you ask me that?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m choosing to let that go and,¡± slowly, Dwayne got to his feet, ¡°I¡¯m¡­ fine.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± The speaker¡¯s voice was feminine, ironic. ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to carry you.¡±

    Huan faced its owner placed his hand on his sword, which luckily hadn¡¯t fallen off during the fall. ¡°Who are you?¡±

    Dwayne fell against the wall. ¡°Oh, no, not you.¡±

    Leaning against the far wall was the noblewoman¡¯s companion, who cradled her crossbow in her left arm while she counted arrows in her hip quiver. While her dark hair looked mussed and dusty, she¡¯d come out of the experience almost as well as Huan had. Huan hadn¡¯t recognize her accent, whose extra clicks and trills had made the word ¡°carry¡± sound completely different. Still, she was associated with a noble and thus with power.

    He bowed. ¡°Huan Ma at your service.¡±

    The companion cocked an eyebrow. ¡°Odette Montes.¡± She flashed a smile at Dwayne. ¡°See, that¡¯s how you introduce yourself.¡±

    ¡°Whatever.¡± Dwayne limped over to the opposite wall and leaned against it, still clutching his side. ¡°Huan is a professional at politeness. You should have seen him approach our guest.¡±

    He saw that? ¡°Have you seen my sister?¡± Huan asked Odette, hoping hide his discomfort. ¡°She¡¯s the only other Tuquese here.¡±

    Odette finished counting before answering. ¡°Five, six windbolts. Oh, that cute little huntress is your sister? Interesting.¡± She pushed away from the wall and got within five steps of Huan, her light brown eyes, made bloody by the crimson light, searching his face.

    Huan suppressed a squirm. ¡°What?¡±

    Odette grinned. ¡°And it¡¯s not even a lie. Even more interesting.¡±

    ¡°We should¡­ get moving.¡± With a groan, Dwayne peeled himself off the wall and limped past them into the passage beyond. ¡°We have to find Lord Kalan and the others.¡±

    Huan bowed. ¡°After you,¡± he said to Odette.¡±

    Odette rolled her eyes. ¡°Cute, but the one with the sword goes first.¡± She prodded Huan with a finger.

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯m going, I¡¯m going.¡± Huan followed Dwayne deeper into the cavern, which got warmer and drier as they went. Soon, it was as hot as a desert noon, an unpleasant fact, which nevertheless seemed to revive Dwayne despite his injuries.

    Huan on the other hand felt his clothes fill with sweat. What did I do to deserve this? ¡°Do you know where you¡¯re going?¡± he asked aloud.

    Dwayne kept moving. ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡±

    Huan¡¯s lips curled. ¡°Then we should go back-¡±

    ¡°Everyone fell down here.¡± Dwayne glanced back at Huan. ¡°Everyone. We just need to find Lady Pol or Lord Kalan, and they¡¯ll get us out of here.¡±

    ¡°In that case,¡± Huan pushed past Dwayne, ¡°we should be moving faster.¡±

    Odette chuckled.

    ¡°What?¡± Dwayne tried to face her and ended up folding over in pain.

    ¡°It¡¯s cute,¡± she said, ¡°the way you two bicker while lost in an ancient and fascinating underground complex.¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s question came through gritted teeth. ¡°You think it¡¯s cute?¡±

    Huan turned to them. ¡°We do not have time for this. We have to... grrugh...¡± A growl tumbled out of Huan¡¯s throat, an involuntary reaction to the thing standing behind him.

    ¡°Phonsfell.¡± Odette brought her crossbow and aimed it just over Huan¡¯s shoulder as a shivering Dwayne fell back behind her.

    Huan could smell passing storms, could hear the slither of metal sliding on stone, could taste the sour spicy scent Dwayne¡¯s magic left behind. Whatever was standing behind him wasn¡¯t a mere human or animal. He had to move fast. He drew his sword and about-faced, a snarl on his lips, but his defiance failed him when he saw it.

    It wore a steel suit of armor, tinged blood red in the light. Its right hand rested on the hilt of one of two sheathed swords, slightly curved blades able to slash and thrust, and its left hand was loose by its side as if it had all the time in the world to draw its weapons. Taking into account that it was a half dozen wirs away, it was half a head taller than Mei, a measurement that didn¡¯t include the two sweeping antennae on its helmet adding height. Still, despite the beast¡¯s senses and the way Dwayne bared his teeth, Huan saw a human and a human could be reasoned with.

    He sheathed his sword, spread his hands wide, and approached towards the armored figure. This was something he could do without the mask.

    ¡°Huan,¡± even Dwayne¡¯s voice sounded chilled, ¡°that¡¯s... that¡¯s isn¡¯t human.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t insult it.¡± Huan dipped into a bow. ¡°Greetings, my name is-¡±

    The air crackled.

    Fool! The beast¡¯s warning made Huan drop to the floor, right under a horizontal slice that would have cleaved him in two at the waist. He rolled to the left, hoping to avoid the follow up, and tried to draw his sword again. The armor raised its sword.

    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°RIIMMMWWWEEEEUUUU!¡±

    A blast of white flame ripped through the air and slammed into the armor¡¯s sword, but with nary a grunt, the armor twisted its blade and deflected the blast into the walls of the passage, where it melted a dent into the stone.

    Huan got to his feet and backed away.

    ¡°Told¡­ you,¡± said Dwayne.

    ¡°Shut up.¡± Huan put on Tiger¡¯s mask and drew his sword. ¡°You didn¡¯t-¡±

    ¡°Get down.¡± Odette stepped forward and fired her crossbow, but the armor cut the arrow in half with a lazy flick of its sword and then started a slow approach.

    ¡°What the hell?¡± Huan brought his sword up. ¡°We haven¡¯t even scratched it.¡±

    ¡°Apparently,¡± Odette¡¯s eyes stayed on the armor as she rummaged in her quiver, ¡°I¡¯ll need something stronger. Huan,¡± she gestured at Dwayne, ¡°get him out of here.¡±

    ¡°He can get himself out.¡± A coughing fit rebutted Huan¡¯s statement. Dwayne looked ill. Huan stared. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him?¡±

    ¡°Maybe that spell wasn¡¯t complete. Or he wasn¡¯t ready for it yet.¡± Odette finally pulled an arrow covered in yellow glowing script out of her quiver and slotted it into her crossbow. ¡°When I fire, move.¡± She took aim.

    ¡°Got it.¡± Huan put Dwayne¡¯s arm over his shoulder, batting away the beast¡¯s revulsion. We need him. He¡¯s going to help me find Mei and get out of here.

    Fool.

    ¡°Ready?¡± asked Odette.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Odette fired. The armor sparked and blurred and snatched the arrow out of the air.

    How? Huan looked back at Odette. She had a wide smile on her face. Why?

    With a howl, a gust of wind slammed into the armor, knocking it off its feet and pushing it all the way down the passage.

    ¡°Go!¡±

    At Odette¡¯s behest, Huan dragged Dwayne forward and charged after the armor. They made it up the passage in moment and entered a massive chamber, filled with anvils and workbenches arranged in concentric circles around a monstrous and lit forge. The wind had thrown the armor into the middle of the room, where it lay sprawled across an anvil. By the light of the forge, Huan could see the barest hint of a feminine shaping of the armor, but he¡¯d smelled it during the chase. That thing reeked of the sour spicy scent of magic. The only thing that had smelled more of magic was the dragon right before it spat a wall of flame. Dwayne had been right. What was in that armor wasn¡¯t human.

    With a creak, the armor righted itself and assumed the same stance as before, left hand at its side, right hand on a hilt.

    ¡°We have to¡­ beat it.¡± Dwayne slid free of Huan and straightened up. ¡°It won¡¯t leave us alone otherwise.¡±

    ¡°How do you know that?¡± asked Huan.

    ¡°Because it¡¯s¡­ guarding this place.¡±

    The armor took one step towards them.

    Huan looked around. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s just protecting this room.¡± There were other ways out of here, but they would have to get within reach of the armor to get to them. ¡°If we go a different way, it might not chase us.¡±

    The armor took another step.

    ¡°You are quite the optimist.¡± Odette entered the chamber and slotted another arrow into her crossbow. ¡°But if Dwayne is right, I think it guards this whole place. Maybe because of these.¡± She kicked a set of broken shackles that hung from the nearest anvil.

    The armor took another step.

    Huan recoiled from the shackles. ¡°Why are¡­¡± They attached to every anvil and, on occasion, bound a dessicated corpse to the hunks of metal. ¡°What is this place?¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s eyes were hard. ¡°A slave camp.¡±

    Huan gulped and then shook himself. ¡°Ah, yeah, whatever. Finding my sister comes first.¡±

    The armor took one last step, drew both of its swords, and dipped into a ready stance.

    I really was hoping it wasn¡¯t a dual wielder. ¡°I¡¯ve got this.¡± Huan took point and took his own stance, one foot forward, one back, sword up. Then the thief relinquished control, and Tiger charged.

    ***

    Dwayne had known that that slapdash spell would be a mistake. While it was easy to imitate the dragon¡¯s call, the spell ahd still needed something to cap it, something to keep it from draining every drop of his magic and causing - what had Magdala called it? - thaumaturgical shock. As he dry-heaved, he recalled how sick he¡¯d gotten learning the heating spell, Ri¡¯upo¡¯tha. Even now, he felt nauseous every time he boiled water with it. If he only suffered as a result, why bother learning magic?

    And why was it so hot?

    Dwayne pulled open his eyes. Huan had dragged him into a room with a glowing hot forge, and it looked like their attack hadn¡¯t fazed the armor, which had gotten back on its feet. Now it was approaching Dwayne, Huan, and the Vanurian with slow deliberate steps that belied the snap quick way it had sliced the Vanurian¡¯s arrow in flight, the large insectile eyes on its helmet glittering blood-red in the forge¡¯s light. Magdala would love to see this, would probably fawn over the pauldrons on it. Too bad that there wasn¡¯t a human inside that armor; every bone in Dwayne¡¯s body screamed that magic was involved. He just didn¡¯t know what kind.

    He did know one thing though. ¡°We have to¡­ beat it.¡± Dwayne got his feet under him and slid free of Huan. ¡°It won¡¯t leave us alone otherwise.¡±

    ¡°How do you know that?¡± asked Huan.

    Dwayne reached into his pouch. ¡°Because it¡¯s¡­ guarding this place.¡±

    Ignoring Huan¡¯s reply, Dwayne kept rummaging through his pouch until he found two vials: the azade and ambersoul suspensions. Between studying and preparing for the trip, he¡¯d evaded testing either of them out so when he pulled them out, he winced, remembering that the last time he¡¯d seen them he¡¯d lied to Lord Kalan. What was Lord Kalan going to do when he finally found Dwayne? Would he dismiss him as his apprentice? Leave him alone on the street?

    No time to think about that now, not with the armor getting closer. Which vial had the highest chance of success? According to Magdala, the azade was made of fossilized ambersoul sap and thus had the higher magical concentration, more than any other known substance. If it didn¡¯t work, the ambersoul definitely wouldn¡¯t.

    Huan recoiled from the shackles piled next to the anvil. ¡°What.. What is this place?¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s jaw tightened. ¡°A slave camp.¡± That ended any further curiosity about this place.

    Huan shook himself. ¡°Ah, yeah, whatever. Finding my sister comes first.¡±

    The armor took a stance, both swords drawn, one foot forward.

    Seeing this, Huan took his own stance. ¡°I¡¯ve got this.¡± Then he charged with a hair-raising bestial roar.

    The armor¡¯s left sword flashed and lightning whited out the room and thunder shattered the air. Blinded and deafened, Dwayne dropped to the ground. By the time he¡¯d overcome the sensory overload,  Huan had rallied for a second charge. The armor¡¯s riposte shattered Huan¡¯s sword and sent the bodyguard spinning into the wall.

    The Vanurian fired. The armor sidestepped it. She grinned. ¡°Not enough.¡±

    Wind blasted into the armor, knocking it back several wirs, but it dug its feet in and recovered. Once again, it started its advance.

    ¡°Phonsfell.¡± The Vanurian grabbed Dwayne by his shoulder and hauled him back to his feet. ¡°Get up!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡± Dwayne wrenched himself free and ran to Huan with the vial of azade in his fist.

    The armor kept advancing.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± asked the Vanurian.

    Huan coughed and staggered to his feet. Then he stared at the shattered sword in his hand. ¡°Oh¡­ damn.¡±

    Dwayne reached Huan and placed a hand on the bodyguard¡¯s shoulder. They needed an edge. ¡°The core of Qe is understanding,¡± intoned Dwayne. When he¡¯d tried this with bluecut mushroom, he¡¯d used the image of dragon scale. But what would a dragon imagine?

    Huan stared. ¡°What are he doing?¡±

    Dwayne didn¡¯t stop. ¡°I focus my magic.¡±

    ¡°ls he chanting?¡± asked the Vanurian.

    ¡°Why are you chanting?¡± asked Huan.

    The armor kept advancing.

    Dwayne had so little magic now, it was like wringing the last bit of water from a damp rag. But it was so much easier to focus and make the magic flow how he needed it to. Slowly, power shifted from his chest, to his fingertips, and finally into the azade suspension. The vial shook and glowed sapphire. ¡°I imagine the result.¡±

    ¡°Just get back.¡± Huan pushed Dwayne out of the way. ¡°Come at me!¡±

    The armor advanced.

    What was the answer to Dwayne¡¯s question? Right. A dragon didn¡¯t imagine what its scales would do. It just assumed they wouldn¡¯t get cut. The vial went still as Dwayne¡¯s magic sank into it. Dwayne smiled. ¡°I speak the word.¡±

    The armor stopped and put weight on to its right foot, its grip tightening on its sword. It was going to cut down both Huan and Dwayne in one swing.

    Now. ¡°Qesuyit!¡±

    The vial flashed, the armor blurred, metal shrieked, and Huan collapsed, having taken the full force of the armor¡¯s slash. With his bodyguard out of the way, the armor turned to Dwayne himself.

    ¡°Hah!¡± Huan¡¯s spin-kick sent the armor clattering to the ground.

    It tried to stand, but the Vanurian dashed forward, crouched, and fired another arrow slammed into right into the armor¡¯s flank. The resulting gust of wind sent the creature through the anvils and down a passage.

    ¡°It worked.¡± With that, Dwayne¡¯s legs gave up on him, and he dropped to the floor.

    Huan turned to him and stared. ¡°What the hell did you do? I should be in two very handsome pieces.¡±

    The Vanurian stood up, her mouth slightly open. ¡°He cast a Qe spell. How?¡±

    From his supine position, Dwayne laughed. ¡°It worked! Our theory works! We just-¡± A tingling wave of magic washed over him. He sat up. The armor wasn¡¯t done. ¡°Get-¡± No time. He threw his hands up. ¡°Ri¡¯mun¡¯ui¡¯po!¡±

    Lightning struck the nearest anvil and created molten metal that ripped through Dwayne¡¯s hasty heat shield, and in its wake, the armor dashed out of the passage with both swords drawn.

    ¡°Damn, what does it take to kill that thing?¡± asked Huan.

    The armor raised both of its swords, and suddenly the air was filled with so much electricity Dwayne could feel it in his teeth.

    ¡°Time to go.¡± The Vanurian pulled Dwayne to his feet. ¡°You first.¡± She heaved him down the nearest passage and then turned to Huan. ¡°You-¡±

    The air turned white.

    ***

    From the moment his apprenticeship began, Dwayne had managed Lord Kalan¡¯s affairs, and so one day when he¡¯d encountered a sheaf of unopened and unaddressed - all stamped with Lord Kalan¡¯s personal wax seal, a capital ¡®B¡¯ on top of a river delta- letters secreted away in his master¡¯s papers,  Dwayne had left them where he found them at first. However, as his travels with Lord Kalan continued, the sheaf grew thicker and thicker as each month another letter was added to it. Soon it was too thick to pack, and Dwayne had to give up and bring it to Lord Kalan.

    ¡°Who are these for? Should I arrange their delivery?¡±

    For a long moment, Lord Kalan just stared at the letters, as if they didn¡¯t have his personal seal on them, as if someone else had written each and every single one, but before Dwayne could offer a suggestion, Lord Kalan shook his head.

    ¡°No.¡± Lord Kalan pulled the most recent letter out of the sheaf and put it in his cloak pocket. ¡°I¡¯ll take this one. Burn the rest.¡± Then he fled.

    It had been hard for Dwayne not to open the letters and see who his master had written so diligently to, but an order was an order and he hadn¡¯t wanted to lose his chance.

    The only words that he caught before the letters turned to ash were ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± and after that day, Dwayne never found any of those letters again.

    ***

    A persistent ringing dragged Huan to consciousness and he winced at the pain piercing his side then sat up and took stock of his situation. His arms were still sore from failing to block the sword strike. His ribs were probably cracked. And he had even more bruises. Damn it! What the hell were you doing Tiger?

    Something pale lay on the floor by his feet. Tiger''s mask.

    It had been a long time since Huan had seen for himself the red and black lines that traced out the beast¡¯s face, examined the many strange symbols etched into its surface. It had been a long time since he was free.

    Huan stared at the mask. How? Why now? He shook himself. The answers to those questions didn¡¯t matter. He was free.

    Pulling his scabbard off his belt, Huan poked the mask with it. Nothing happened. Satisfied, he got to his feet and walked away. It was time to get out of here. Currently he was in a corridor, one end of which had collapsed by the force of the armor¡¯s attack. Huan was cut off from the forge and the mage and the archer. He could go deeper in, but he couldn¡¯t go back.

    Good. Dwayne and Odette might assume he was dead and move on, leaving him to go and find Mei and escape. First though¡­

    He walked over to the and raised his scabbard to smash it.

    A thought stopped him. What if I can sell it? The answer was no. If he¡¯d sold Tiger and the ShengXiao guard found him, they''d take his head off for selling Imperial secrets. But that means I can use it as leverage.

    Huan pulled his torn and dusty blue scarf off his neck, wrapped the mask in it, and tied the bundle to his waist. Then he walked away. Mei''s still out there. She needs my help.

    After finding her, they¡¯d leave this desert, these crazy mages. He could do whatever he wanted. He was free.

 nQeanum, Solidify

    ¡°Did you really think you¡¯d gotten away from the Tuqu Empire?¡±

    Magdala stared at Mrs. Momin, who looked like the perfect merchant: crimson robe, sun touched skin, soft hands, rare jade wedding ring. The only thing out of place was the mask tucked into the sash of her robe.

    Magdala inched away. ¡°Mei, what¡¯s going on?¡±

    Mrs. Momin ignored the weapon pointed straight at her chest and stretched. ¡°I thought she was your friend, Mei.¡± She tapped her mask. ¡°Surely they¡¯ve seen Laohu in action by now. Your brother has hardly been circumspect.¡±

    Mei¡¯s grip on her weapon tightened. ¡°Emching.¡±

    Hoping that that Tuquese word wasn¡¯t an insult, Magdala asked again, ¡°Mei, what¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s here,¡± Mei¡¯s breathing was ragged, ¡°to kill Huan.¡± She sucked in a breath. ¡°I won¡¯t let her.¡± Her finger moved to the trigger.

    ¡°No!¡± Magdala threw herself in front of Mei. ¡°You can¡¯t.¡± Mei¡¯s hand twitched, and Magdala shut her eyes, sure that a bullet was about to rip through her.

    Nothing happened.

    Magdala opened her eyes. The hunter¡¯s weapon was still trained on Mrs. Momin even through Magdala¡¯s body, but the hunter was wavering.

    Mei jerked her head to the left. ¡°Move.¡±

    Magdala shook her head. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°I have to protect my brother.¡± Mei stepped to the left.

    Magdala mirrored her. ¡°Why are they after him?¡±

    Mei scowled. ¡°He took Tiger from them. They want it back.¡±

    Mrs. Momin guffawed, her amusement a peal of thunder.

    Magdala forced herself not to turn around. ¡°I don¡¯t see how this is funny, Mrs. Momin.¡±

    ¡°You do lack both humor and perspective.¡± The merchant¡¯s amusement was infuriating. ¡°Do you get that from your mother?¡±

    ¡°I-¡± Magdala bit back her retort. Her friend was more important. ¡°Mei, are you on the run from the Tuqu empire?¡±

    Mei blinked, her face going blank as she parsed Magdala¡¯s question. ¡°Yes,¡± she answered.

    ¡°Will killing her solve that problem?¡±

    ¡°They can¡¯t chase us if they don¡¯t know where we are.¡± Mei stepped to the right.

    Again, Magdala mirrored her. ¡°But I don¡¯t think we can get out of here without her. We definitely can¡¯t fight off that creature by ourselves.¡±

    Mei¡¯s eyes flicked to Magdala. ¡°I have you. That¡¯s enough.¡±

    That vote of confidence warmed Magdala¡¯s heart and joined the part of her that was questioning her suicidal choice to jump in front of a hand cannon, but she was appalled at Mei¡¯s bloodthirstiness. Magdala tried a smile. ¡°We also have no idea how to get out.¡±

    The hunter shrugged. ¡°Humans made a way in. Humans will have made a way out.¡±

    Cups, she was determined. ¡°Killing her wouldn¡¯t be justice,¡± said Magdala.

    Mei¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°What is justice?¡±

    Magdala¡¯s mouth fell open. ¡°It¡¯s-¡±

    ¡°Was it justice that took Mama and Baba away?¡± Mei¡¯s eyes flicked to Mrs. Momin. ¡°If so, then justice is death and I can give it to her. Move.¡±

    Magdala swayed. ¡°I...¡± What could convince her? Was there anything that could? ¡°I still don¡¯t think you should kill her.¡± Magdala grabbed her cloak and spread her arms, fully blocking the hunter¡¯s view of Mrs. Momin.

    ¡°It would be so boring to die like this,¡± said Momin.

    Magdala tossed a glare over her shoulder. The merchant and spy was stretching her shoulders, looking for all the world like a woman getting ready for a bracing jog.

    Mrs. Momin bent over a touched her toes. ¡°Is your brother worth it, Mei? After shooting Long, hunting dragons, dodging the Empire, is he worth it?¡±

    Mei let out a cry and rushed forward, shoving her weapon past Magdala, but Magdala grabbed the end of it and pushed it up. ¡°No, don¡¯t listen to her,¡± she said.

    ¡°Is this Souran really your friend Mei? She doesn¡¯t seem to know you very well.¡±

    ¡°I could let her shoot you,¡± Magdala snapped.

    ¡°Yes, you could.¡± Mrs. Momin sounded confused. ¡°Why won¡¯t you?¡±

    Mei tried to pull her weapon free. ¡°Maggie, let go.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Magdala fought to keep Mei from aiming at the Mrs. Momin. ¡°She¡¯s a spy and maybe even a traitor, but right now we need her. Why are you trying to kill Huan?¡± Magdala asked Mrs. Momin. ¡°Why not just take the mask from him?¡±

    Mrs. Momin said nothing as Magdala continued to struggle with Mei.

    ¡°Momin!¡± shouted Magdala.

    ¡°Shh, young Gallus, I¡¯m trying to weigh how much I can tell you.¡± The spy sighed. ¡°You¡¯ve seen two masks now. Do you have any idea what they are?¡±

    ¡°Some sort of¡­ bound magic.¡± Magdala held on to Mei¡¯s weapon for dear life. The hunter was far stronger than her. ¡°Tuqu is famous for stuff like that.¡±

    ¡°Was famous. These masks are the only things left, the only bound objects we¡¯re allowed to produce. As such, it¡¯s a matter of pride for us. By Imperial Order, we¡¯re to find unauthorized users of the masks, kill them then destroy the masks they hold.¡±

    Mei stopped fighting Magdala and stared. ¡°You don¡¯t want the mask?¡±

    ¡°No, we don¡¯t.¡± Mrs. Momin reached over to stretch her right side. ¡°We were only keeping it around in honor of the last Tiger, who died saving the emperor; they aren¡¯t designed to be worn by more than one person. I¡¯m surprised that your brother has stayed sane this long.¡±

    ¡°Then why haven¡¯t you attacked Huan yet?¡± Magdala kept her eyes on Mei, who seemed stunned. ¡°You¡¯ve been traveling with us for days.¡±

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Mrs. Momin stretched her other side. ¡°I¡¯m a merchant. I have to consider my position here in Soura.¡± She pointed up. ¡°Those guards? Mine. That palanquin? Mine. This fabulous robe? Mine. None of it was handed to me by the Empire. What does that tell you about me, young Gallus?¡±

    Magdala¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You¡¯re not from Tuqu. You¡¯re Souran.¡±

    ¡°To be precise, I¡¯m half Tuqu on my mother¡¯s side.¡± The spy rolled her head from side to side. ¡°However, I did inherit my duty to Tuqu. I have to ensure that Imperial interests are honored.¡±

    ¡°And you don¡¯t think killing Huan serves those interests?¡± Magdala thought about it. ¡°Because you want something else.¡±

    Mrs. Momin grinned. ¡°Oh, your mother has underestimated you. It¡¯s too bad that the Gallus family is off limits. Yes, I am actually here for two other reasons: one, to find out what your uncle was doing and two to recruit her.¡± She pointed to Mei.

    Recruit Mei? Why? Magdala glanced down at the answer. ¡°You want this.¡±

    ¡°More importantly, I want its wielder,¡± said Mrs. Momin. ¡°Mei, darling, I want you. Join me and I can free your brother of that mask and bury that murder charge of his.¡±

    Huan had a murder charge? Magdala shook her head. No, not important. ¡°Join you and what?¡± Since Mei wasn¡¯t trying to take aim anymore, Magdala tentatively let go of her weapon. ¡°Become an assassin?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I think she¡¯d be an excellent assassin.¡± Mrs. Momin reached out her hand to Mei. ¡°But this is about you, Mei. What do you want?¡±

    ***

    The morning before he¡¯d stolen Tiger, Mei had caught her brother mid-preparation and asked him where he was going. He¡¯d packed new climbing nails, double-checked his notes, placed a strange glass ball into his pack, and then he¡¯d lied. ¡°I¡¯m going on an errand.¡±

    With that, he¡¯d left their little fireworks shop, sliding the door shut behind him. Because Huan was a good liar, good enough to hide how he got the money for their meals, for the shop, for the esoteric ingredients required to make fireworks, Mei had only caught him lying once before: the day their parents had died. Before that day, she¡¯d believed him when he¡¯d said that their parents going to be fine, nodded when he¡¯d said that the trial would go their way, smiled when he¡¯d said he¡¯d bring her to the magistrate¡¯s house on the day Mama and Baba would be set free.

    But the day their parents were executed for treason, when Huan had said that they had been merely exiled, he¡¯d failed to meet her eyes, and Mei had realized that that their parents were dead. She¡¯d lied back to him, pretended that she believed him, ignored his tears when they¡¯d hugged, and said nothing before sneaking out of the house and going to the town square. She¡¯d looked up and saw Mama and Baba¡¯s empty eyes gazed down on her from spears. She hadn¡¯t cried then because all her tears had been swallowed by the gaping hole that her mom¡¯s soft words and her father¡¯s rough pats used to fill.

    Huan had said, ¡°I¡¯m going on an errand¡± and then failed to look her in the eye, so she gave him a head start, packed her brightest fireworks, and followed him.

    ***

    With her heart pounding in her ears, Mei couldn¡¯t hear Rabbit¡¯s question. It didn¡¯t help that the otter was still out there, waiting for its next chance to strike. Right now she should be on the hunt, trying to track it down, but Rabbit was here and why couldn¡¯t Rabbit didn¡¯t just destroy the mask and leave Mei and her brother alone?

    ¡°Mei, are you okay?¡± asked Maggie.

    Finally, the mage had released her rifle. Time to end this.

    Mei took four steps back and brought her rifle to bear on Rabbit, but again Maggie got in the way.

    Mei found herself panting. ¡°Move!¡±

    Maggie shook her head. ¡°No.¡±

    Rabbit smirked. ¡°We¡¯re not getting anywhere like this.¡±

    Maggie glared back at her. ¡°You, shut up!¡±

    ¡°Astonishing. You¡¯ve reached the end of your arguments so soon.¡± Rabbit¡¯s hand blurred.

    An attack? Mei charged forward, sidestepped Maggie¡¯s attempt to tackle her, aimed her rifle at Rabbit¡¯s forehead, and pulled the trigger. The rifle¡¯s hammer came down on its firing pan with an audible click.

    Nothing happened.

    ¡°By the cup, Mei, stop!¡± Maggie grabbed Mei and pulled her away from Rabbit. ¡°Oh¡­ it didn¡¯t fire.¡±

    Mei stared at her rifle, the one her mother had made for her, the one thing that had never failed her. Then she remembered. It was unloaded. Because of the water and the otter and Rabbit, Mei¡¯s rifle was nothing more than an ornate stick. It hadn¡¯t fired and she¡¯d¡­

    She¡¯d wanted it to fire, to kill Rabbit.

    What was she doing?

    Maggie tugged the rifle out of Mei¡¯s hands. ¡°What were you thinking?¡±

    ¡°S-she was going for her mask.¡± Mei looked up. No, Rabbit had merely hooked her thumbs into her sash. She hadn¡¯t been readying an attack. Mei let out a pained squeal. What was she doing? Her fear had turned an innocent action into a setup for an attack. She hadn¡¯t even given Rabbit, no Momin, the opportunity to back off like she¡¯d given the grimbear. Shaking, Mei sank to the floor.

    Momin stepped forward, but Maggie put up a hand. ¡°No. You stay there.¡±

    Momin¡¯s hands came up. ¡°As you wish.¡±

    Maggie knelt, and gingerly took Mei¡¯s hands in her soft and warm ones, the kind of hands that had never had to chop wood for fires or carry heavy buckets of water for miles or climb trees to escape from scavengers.

    Mei¡¯s stomach roiled. What if the rifle had been loaded? Someone would have been dead; either Momin or the owner of these hands. If Maggie had died, would Mei have had to explain to Lord Kalan how she¡¯d shot his niece? If Momin had, would her guards avenge their master¡¯s death? Maggie was right. Mei hadn¡¯t thought it through.

    ¡°Hey.¡± Maggie squeezed Mei¡¯s hand. ¡°Have... have you ever killed anyone before?¡±

    Mei shook her head. When Maggie let out a breath, Mei¡¯s heart fell a little. She¡¯d caused Maggie stress.

    ¡°My father has.¡± Maggie sat down next to Mei. ¡°He¡¯s the Lord Commander now, but before that he was a knight, and before that he was a squire.¡±

    ¡°Like Nathan?¡± Mei asked.

    Maggie rolled her eyes. ¡°Yeah, like him, but like actually gallant. Back then, there was this bandit named Nilo, who was robbing estates and letting his men ravage homes and farms, just the worst kind of vagabond. At the time, my father served Sir Rutters, that¡¯s Nathan¡¯s great-uncle, who¡¯d been given a small company of men and a mission: bring Nilo to justice.¡±

    Mei tensed. That word again.

    The corners of Maggie¡¯s lips quirked. ¡°My father hates riding. He said if he had his choice of Qe magic, he¡¯d choose Earth just so that he could move fast and keep both feet on the ground.¡±

    ¡°Earth¡­ Like Lord Kalan?¡± asked Mei.

    Maggie laughed. ¡°Yeah, like my lord uncle, though I don¡¯t think anyone¡¯s ever described him as fast. Anyway...¡± She cleared her throat. ¡°They rode out to find down Nilo and his bandits. After days of following Nilo¡¯s trail of destruction and suffering, my father asked Sir Rutters why Nilo did it, why he hurt people. The knight just shook his head and said, ¡®We¡¯re not here for why, son.¡¯

    ¡°They finally caught up to the bandits just as the bastards were fleeing north, and Sir Rutters ordered a standard pincer attack: he and half the company would charge the bandit camp while my father and the rest of the company lay in wait on the other side. It worked. The dual attacks routed the bandits. Some of them begged for mercy, but not Nilo. He saw my father and charged.

    Maggie looked up at the ceiling. ¡°He, my father, never talks about the fight itself. I know he¡¯s a good swordsman, and old Rutters always said that he never shirked training, but all Father says is ¡®I survived. That¡¯s all there is.¡¯

    ¡°He always tells me and my brother this next part though.

    ¡°After he won, my father stood over Nilo, who started to beg for his life. He said that he¡¯d lost his farm to a bad harvest, his wife to disease, his child to the mines, and hearing that my father hesitated. But then he recalled that Nilo had destroyed farms, killed wives, orphaned children, and before Sir Rutters could stop him, Nilo¡¯s head was rolling on the ground.¡±

    ¡°He was a bad man.¡± Mei¡¯s voice sounded distant even to her. ¡°He deserved justice.¡± Her parents watched her from atop Imperial spears.

    Maggie shook her head. ¡°He didn¡¯t deserve that. My father says it still haunts him, not bringing the man to trial. He says he doesn¡¯t remember Nilo¡¯s victims, just his corpse. He says he had a choice not to kill Nilo and chose wrong.¡±

    Mei curled up. ¡°She won¡¯t stop.¡± Her voice was soft. ¡°They won¡¯t stop.¡±

    ¡°No, they won¡¯t, but,¡± Maggie squeezed Mei¡¯s hands, ¡°we¡¯ll figure out something.¡±

    ¡°Are you done?¡± Momin was tapping her foot. ¡°Can we look for a way out now?¡±

    Mei examined the spy, this time without fear and anger clouding her eyes. Momin¡¯s eyes were always on the shadows, her left hand kept edging towards her mask, and she winced when she shifted her weight onto her right foot. Apparently, kicking the ice pillar had not been the wisest choice. And Momin was nervous.

    Still, Maggie was right. They couldn¡¯t do this without her.

    Mei pulled her hands free from Maggie¡¯s and stood up. ¡°I need powder and bullets.¡± When Maggie¡¯s breath caught, Mei patted the Souran mage on the head to calm her. ¡°Not for her. For the otter.¡±

    Scowling, Maggie tried and failed to smooth her hair. ¡°In that case,¡± she pulled various mixtures out of her cloak, ¡°We need a plan.¡±

    Momin gave them a look. ¡°I¡¯m guessing an execution is no longer part of the plan?¡±

    ¡°No, we need you to keep it busy.¡± Mei inspected her rifle. ¡°It¡¯s smart and this is its home. We can¡¯t let it catch its breath.¡±

    ¡°And what will you two be doing while I draw its attention?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll shoot it.¡±

    ¡°And her?¡± Momin pointed to Maggie.

    Mei glanced at Maggie. ¡°Does your magic work on water?¡±

    Maggie¡¯s eyebrows lifted. ¡°Pardon?¡±

    ¡°Does your magic work on water?¡±

    The mage laughed. ¡°I¡¯m a liquid-based alchemist.¡±

    Mei blinked. ¡°Does that mean yes?¡±

    Maggie sighed. ¡°Yes, it means yes. Why?¡±

    Mei raised her rifle. ¡°Because you¡¯ll handle the doors.¡±

 Rimweut, Fireball

    Where am I? Between the armor and Dwayne and Odette¡¯s prattling, Huan hadn¡¯t had the chance to actually examine the area, but even though he now only had the forge¡¯s muffled light, he could see what this place had been: the community¡¯s beating heart.

    On passages were covered with thousands of scuff marks from hundreds of people coming in and out of the forge. They must have been packed in here shoulder to shoulder, their hands wearing away the stone walls and making them as smooth as river stones and because of, signs pointing to various destinations had been carved into the ceiling. They must have been a god send for the sightseeing tourist, but for Huan they merely presented more questions. What was the tree symbol? Why were some of the signs crossed out? Where did the many-arched pictogram lead?

    All I know is I don¡¯t want to follow the anvil sign. Huan braced himself for the beast¡¯s snarling retort.

    It didn¡¯t come.

    This quiet still felt unreal. For sometime now, all Huan could hear were his own foot falls echoing in the empty corridors, all he could feel was the forge¡¯s thirsty heat engorging itself on his sweat, all he could see was the ever present blood-filtered light, and it was glorious. No growling or shaming or prodding to challenge, to contest, to fight, just Huan desire to find his sister and escape.

    Huan continued onwards, using the signs to lead him away from the forge. He found a lot of dead ends: doors that wouldn¡¯t open, corridors that had collapsed, wide empty pits. He tripped over another set of dusty bones.

    They abandoned those in the forge. It wasn¡¯t a pleasant thought so Huan hurried past them, failing to look up at the sign he passed under. After a long while, he reached a passage that grew brighter and hotter as he walked up it. Is it morning? He tried to gauge how much time had passed, but it could have been either mere minutes or many hours since he¡¯d fallen down here. Still some breakfast wouldn¡¯t be missed.

    He entered the forge. ¡°Sh-¡±

    Huan slapped a hand over his mouth and dove behind an anvil. The armor was still here, kneeling in the center of the room like it was waiting for them to return.

    Did it see me? Huan held his breath and listened for the distinctive creak, but all he heard was a soft high-pitched whine. What is that? Huan let out a slow quiet breath and then peeked at the armor.

    The armor was still kneeling, its shadow flickering in the light of the forge. Its pose was meditative and still.

    Huan had know idea where the sound came from. What is it doing? Praying? He searched the room. I¡¯ll find another way.

    There was a door, a few unblocked corridors, and a pile of stone and half-melted anvils, the last place Huan had seen Dwayne and Odette. By the looks of it, it would take weeks to dig them out.

    Can¡¯t help them now. They¡¯re on their own. But maybe¡­ Huan slid to the wall and considered his next step. He could go back the way he¡¯d come, but he was certain he¡¯d end up back here. There was one other way out though: the first corridor they¡¯d landed in. He just had to get to it. Keeping one eye on the armor, Huan started to slide around the room.

    A soft screech cut through the whine and Huan froze.

    The armor had shifted and settled deeper into its kneeling position. From Huan¡¯s new position, he could see that the armor had placed its two swords in front of it as if they were offerings to the forge. Huan couldn¡¯t see its eyes, but it looked like the armor was staring into the light.

    Was it meditating? Huan had heard that experienced warriors did that in order to contemplate their past battles. Perhaps it was so engrossed in how the last battle went, it wouldn¡¯t care for a second one. One could be optimistic.

    Huan returned to his task, reached the target corridor, slid in, and snuck away. When he got out of earshot of the forge, he broke into a run, soon reaching the chamber that he and Dwayne had fallen into. Without the beast¡¯s eyes, he could barely see the tunnel above him, but, more importantly, he couldn¡¯t see the forge¡¯s red light at the other end. After checking that the mask and his scabbard were secure, Huan jumped up into the hole, jammed his fingers into a couple of handholds, then hauled himself upwards. To keep himself from dropping, he pressed his feet and back against the sides. Already his leg muscles burned, but this would work.

    Think of Mei. Huan shifted each foot one at a time and sliding his back up the sides, climbing up the tunnel a bit at a time. When he found his sister, he¡¯d have to convince her that this whole trip had been foolish, that they should return to Anders and make an honest living scamming idiot nobles. They should leave this desert and its maze-like tombs and its crazy suits of armor behind and thank the heavens to live somewhere where the air didn¡¯t choke you with its heat. Besides, with the mask off the ShengXiao couldn¡¯t-

    ¡°Ow!¡± Huan had hit his head against something. He reached up and felt the obstruction. It was wood. What? A branch, no a tree root, blocked his way. How? He wasn¡¯t an expert on trees, but surely there weren¡¯t any capable of growing this fast. I wasn¡¯t gone that long!

    Huan punched the tree root. He¡¯d try to chop through it, but his sword was shattered and there weren¡¯t anymore lying around. Except for the armor¡¯s. If the armor was still praying or meditating or whatever, then maybe it wouldn¡¯t notice if he borrowed a blade. With any luck, he¡¯d be back on the surface with Mei and far away from this place. Plan in hand, Huan descended the tunnel and jogged back to the forge, slowing when he reached the main room. He peeked. The armor hadn¡¯t moved at all. Good.

    Slowing his breath, Huan edged towards the armor.

    ¡°Salameh!¡± Huan skittered behind an anvil as a human kid dressed in a blue tunic skipped into the room. ¡°Blaadu!¡±

    The armor turned to the kid and inclined its head. ¡°Pari.¡± Its voice buzzed beneath its helmet.  ¡°Tuy sumulehah?¡±

    Pari hugged the armor. ¡°Yuluumaneh.¡± He pointed at Huan. ¡°Tuy juano?¡±

    The armor saw Huan and jumped to its feet. ¡°Shuo!¡± It drew its swords. ¡°Pari, lon. Lon!¡±

    Oh shit. As Pari scampered away, Huan darted out from behind the anvil. He hadn¡¯t seen where the kid had come from, but that wasn¡¯t an option right now. The armor was advancing and he only had one choice.

    To flee.

    ***

    ¡°Ouch¡­¡± Dwayne rolled onto his side and removed Na¡¯cch from its sling, but that simple movement was enough to summon a wave of nauseating pain that burned from his throat to his stomach, which made him curl up. He stayed like that, clenching his fists against the pain, until the pain faded to a mere ache. Then he looked up and saw who was with him.

    The Vanurian chuckled at his groan. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you weren¡¯t a slave very long.¡± She was leaning against a wall with her crossbow against her knee. ¡°Most ex-slaves I¡¯ve met showed fear, not anger.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not afraid of-¡± A cough wracked Dwayne¡¯s throat.

    ¡°Take it easy,¡± said the Vanurian. ¡°We¡¯ll need your magic to get out of here, at least if this is anything like what Luisa¡¯s mother wrote in her journal.¡±

    ¡°Whatever.¡±

    The Vanurian sighed. ¡°We¡¯re trapped here.¡± She pointed to Dwayne¡¯s left, where a pile of stone blocked the way out. ¡°That¡¯s from that thing¡¯s last attack. I barely got you out of the way of it.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Is that your thing? Getting saved from falling objects?¡±

    Dwayne swallowed a grimace and focused on the other wall, the one Vanurian hadn¡¯t pointed out. It wasn¡¯t a wall. It was another older rock slide that covered in ash and dust. More human remains peeked out from under it. It looked old and settled and was probably the result of some ancient calamity.

    ¡°Yeah, that looks very old, maybe a century or two.¡± The Vanurian, favoring her left foot, hobbled over to the newer pile. ¡°I can dig us out of this eventually, but it¡¯ll be faster if you blast it instead.¡± She patted the pile of stone.

    Dwayne glared at her. ¡°That spell nearly killed me.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± The Vanurian smirked. ¡°I hadn¡¯t noticed.¡± She grabbed a stone off the pile and tossed it. ¡°Since you can¡¯t help, you should keep me entertained.¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s lips curled. ¡°I¡¯m not going to do anything for you.¡±

    ¡°Suit yourself, but I¡¯ll prime the pump anyway.¡± The Vanurian tossed away another stone. ¡°My short name is Odette Montes, and I served as an inspector on Count Melo¡¯s Money Over Souls.¡±

    Dwayne winced, remembering the inspector on the ship that had taken him from his home. He¡¯d been a quiet man who¡¯d barely spent seconds doing his job and always fled the ship at every port.

    ¡°It¡¯s one of the most important jobs on the ship,¡± said the Vanurian.

    Dwayne¡¯s words came through clenched teeth. ¡°I¡¯m sure it is.¡±

    ¡°Believe me, it is.¡± The Vanurian sighed. ¡°We were supposed to make sure that the ¡®goods¡¯ made it to port in acceptable condition. If they didn¡¯t, the counts risked their reputation and their rights to trade in Adhua.¡± She kept digging. ¡°You were bought in Adhua, right?¡±

    That was southern Soura¡¯s largest port. Dwayne shook his head. ¡°Lord Kalan bought me in Vanuria.¡± It had been an island really, but it had definitely been Vanuria.

    The Vanurian stared. ¡°He stole you?¡±

    ¡°No, he freed me.¡±

    ¡°No, to the counts, he stole you.¡± The Vanurian shook her head. ¡°There is no way you got from Wesen all the way to a Vanurian port without someone knowing about your abilities. That someone must have been willing to risk the wrath of the Ri.¡±

    Dwayne blinked. ¡°Why would the Ri come after me? They didn¡¯t¡­ they don¡¯t care.¡±

    The Vanurian watched his face. ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t know.¡± She shrugged and returned to digging. ¡°You¡¯ll find out. Inspectors are supposed to know that kind of thing, what the state of the ¡®work units¡¯ is.¡± She grabbed a rock but didn¡¯t pick it up. ¡°You had to think of them that way, work units, because if you started to think of them as people then you had to ask yourself what was I really doing when all I wanted to do was to be a sailor, see the world, meet fascinating people not¡­not that.

    ¡°Anyway,¡± she tossed the stone away, ¡°on my first voyage I was assigned to a slave run. The captain spent the whole trip trying to convince me to have a drink with her, to just relax and let her and her crew handle everything, but I wanted to learn everything about sailing, the boat, the ocean, and so on our way to Adhua, I drank with the crew, taught the cabin boy his letters, scrubbed the decks, learned knots, all that. I finally felt free, liberated from the constraints of family and land and honor.¡±

    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    Dwayne crossed his arms. He couldn¡¯t remember the ocean, but even through the haze of thaumaturgical shock - probably from using the vial - he could remember the weight of shackles, the smell of human refuse, and the sounds of weeping, sobbing, and raging of the other slaves. ¡°Yeah, that sounds real idyllic.¡±

    The Vanurian smiled. ¡°It was. Until we got to Adhua and I found out what the Expected Manifest had meant by ¡®Work Units¡¯.¡± She picked up a stone and inspected it. ¡°Fifty-three.¡± She threw the stone to the ground. ¡°I was to confirm that fifty-three viable work units were acquired in Adhua and that at least forty-two of them made it to our home port.¡±

    ¡°They¡­¡± Dwayne swallowed bile. ¡°They expected almost one in five would die on the way?¡±

    ¡°That only one in five would die.¡± Montes the Vanurian threw the stone to the ground. ¡°Money was a good ship with a good captain so Count Melo had high expectations of her, and so on the way I learned what it took to keep at least forty-two people alive through bad treatment, bad weather, and the true killer, despair.¡± Her face twisted. ¡°Some of the crew complained that the slavers had cheated us because they didn¡¯t care about quality, just quantity.¡±

    ¡°Slavers?¡±

    ¡°The Ri.¡±

    Once again, bile rose in Dwayne¡¯s throat. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°Business.¡± Montes returned to digging. ¡°The Ri needs Souran metal and Tuqu bindery, and all they have to trade are the people from other Wesen tribes like yours.

    ¡°Anyway, that trip I got over my shock and did my job. I made sure that the crew kept their hands off the women and that the children survived the storms and that the men didn¡¯t commit suicide, and I did everything I could to lessen their suffering.¡±

    Dwayne eased himself upright. ¡°Did that make you feel better?¡±

    Montes tried to hide her wince. ¡°I hoped it would.¡± She tossed another stone. ¡°I made twenty more trips, only losing nine people total. When I got back from my last trip, Count Melo invited me out to his plantation, and, because he was my employer, I didn¡¯t refuse. I did hope to get some good food for once though.¡± She let out a pained ha. ¡°And that¡¯s how I ended up in a carriage with a young Souran researcher of ancient architecture, who¡¯d been recently titled the Lightning Bolt of the East.¡±

    Dwayne blinked. ¡°Lady Pol?¡±

    ¡°The same.¡± Montes grinned. ¡°Luisa spent the whole ride regaling me with stories about the people who¡¯d ruled before us, who¡¯d built the magnificent cities whose bones we Vanurians and Sourans lived among. Enthralled, I kept asking her questions throughout the ride and through dinner, even talking over Count Melo at times, but afterwards, after the plates had been put away and after the party had adjourned to the lounge, Luisa turned to Count Melo asked him a question.

    ¡°¡®Why do you need so many slaves?¡¯¡±

    Montes stepped away from the pile. ¡°I... I was floored because I¡¯d never even thought that question. I¡¯d just taken the job and completed it as best I could. Count Melo had an answer of course. Can you guess what it was?¡±

    ¡°Ambersoul is dangerous for mages to harvest,¡± Dwayne said. ¡°It explodes.¡±

    ¡°And since Vanuria has more mages and mage potentials than anywhere else in Markosia,¡± Montes¡¯s voice deepened, ¡°¡®It would be too onerous for us landowners to test them all so we source work units from a place that naturally has a low rate of magical talent. As a bonus, it saves us the trouble of dealing with runaways.¡¯¡± She shook her head. ¡°When he said that, Lady Pol looked me right in the eyes and asked, ¡®I¡¯ve seen Souran Qe mages handle the substance without incident ,and Tuqu Xa mages have to carry it vast distances after buying it from our markets, and I know that your local mage families tend to those lineages. Surely, it¡¯s safer to hire them. After all, if you missed a single Ri mage in your inspections, you¡¯d lose your plantation.

    ¡°When Count Melo laughed that off and replied that untrained Ri mages aren¡¯t that powerful, she said, ¡®Well, imagine this. You¡¯ve been taken to a faraway land against your will and then shackled, beaten, and spat upon for days, and now you¡¯re taken to a strange forest and ordered to work day and night without rest and with barely any food. Now, imagine that your magic is literally tied to your emotions, that it grows stronger the more you feel, and when you feel the right things, it flares-¡±

    ¡°Wait.¡± Dwayne raised a hand. ¡°What are you talking about? What does emotion have to do with it?¡±

    Montes grinned. ¡°You¡¯ll get your turn. ¡®When you feel the right thing, it flares up, feeding off that emotion. What would you do when you¡¯ve got literal fire at your fingertips?¡¯

    ¡°Count Melo retired to bed rather quickly after that, but I stayed, trying to grapple with the position I¡¯d accepted. After a while, Luisa finished her reading and asked me if I would join her on a walk around the plantation. I hadn¡¯t wanted to, but I had see what I was contributing to, and so I said yes.¡± Montes pulled a stone out of the pile and finally a sliver of red light cut into the alcove. ¡°There.¡±

    Suppressing a wince, Dwayne got to his feet, leaving Na¡¯cch behind. He felt hollow, but the nausea had finally passed, and so he trudged over to the pile and started to dig. ¡°Why did you tell me that?¡±

    ¡°To help you out.¡± Odette Montes smiled. ¡°And I don¡¯t want to keep digging.¡±

    Dwayne helped her pull more stones off the pile. He¡¯d known that Ri magic was fueled by emotion, but if each spell had to have the right emotion... ¡°What did you see on your walk?¡±

    ¡°People.¡± Odette redoubled her efforts. ¡°And clarity. In my heart, I¡¯d always known that what I was doing was wrong, but I hadn¡¯t avoided confronting it until then.¡± She glanced at Dwayne. ¡°So, why are you here? I know you lied to Bart.¡±

    Dwayne winced. ¡°I wanted to make progress. We were stuck, getting nowhere with our experiments.¡±

    ¡°So you lied.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I lied.¡± Dwayne ground his teeth. ¡°I lied because I don¡¯t want to feel this way anymore.¡±

    ¡°You know that frustration is normal, right?¡±

    Dwayne blinked at Odette. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Particularly for mages, trying to learn anything new is a trial.¡± Odette chuckled. ¡°When Luisa gets frustrated, she always ends up throwing a tantrum because of it, and if I¡¯m having a bad day too, we end up in the dumbest arguments where only Myers¡¯s well-timed tea can calm us down. All because she was angry at herself.¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°I¡¯m angry.¡± It was so obvious, it was dumb. ¡°And Ri is powered by emotion.¡± Leaving Odette to dig, he went over and picked up Na¡¯cch, which thrummed to his touch. Before, when he¡¯d met Lord Kalan, when he¡¯d faced the dragon, he¡¯d felt so many things all at once that the book had had its choice of what to respond to. Now, he¡¯d give it exactly one thing, his anger.

    At once, Na¡¯cch trembled and sang out, ¡°Ri¡¯mwe¡¯ut.¡±

    Dwayne grinned. That was the complete version of the dragon¡¯s breath spell. ¡°Stand back.¡± As Odette complied, Dwayne held the anger close, let it suffuse his being and then aimed his fist at the pile of rock. ¡°Ri¡¯mwe¡¯ut!¡±

    ***

    With the armor in deliberate pursuit, Huan ran as hard as he could, the mask bouncing at his side. As corridors, and signs and bones went by in a blur, he knew that he had no idea where he was going but also that the armor wasn¡¯t catching up. When he finally couldn¡¯t hear it clanking behind him, he slowed a stop and leaned against a wall, his lungs shuddering with pain.

    Over his own breathing, he listened. I don¡¯t hear -

    Clank. Clank. Although softened by distance, the armor¡¯s footsteps were clear as a bell. Clank.

    I thought it only protected that room! I have to¡­to.. Huan looked down. His right hand had already reached for Tiger¡¯s mask. No! He yanked his hand away. No, I need a weapon. A real one.

    Unfortunately, the only weapons he¡¯d seen aside from his own shattered sword, were either buried or clenched in the armor¡¯s gauntlets. It was unfortunate that however the dead had died, it hadn¡¯t been while armed. If he couldn¡¯t fight, he had to escape.

    But there¡¯s no way¡­ Huan rubbed the back of his neck. The kid! Where had he come from? Huan¡¯s wanderings and subsequent flight had reveal nothing but blocked corridors, but there was one place he¡¯d avoided. He just had to get past the armor to get to it.

    Clank.

    Time to go. Huan put the armor at his back and  matched pace with it, taking advantage of the slow pace it preferred going slow when it couldn¡¯t see its target and hoping it was following the path he took and didn¡¯t take shortcuts. He retraced his steps, using the signs on the ceiling to guide him back to the forge. The armor was hadn¡¯t caught up to him.

    Swallowing a ha of relief, Huan moved to search the room. Did the kid come in from that way? He walked along the outside of the room and had just reached the forge when-

    Clank. The armor emerged from the nearest corridor and placed a hand on its sword hilt.

    Strangling a curse, Huan dove out of the way of a sword slash that neatly bisected an anvil. He rolled to his feet and fled back into the corridors. How did it catch up?

    He slowed and listened for the armor¡¯s pursuit. When he heard it, he started walking again, pausing only to wrench his hand away from the mask. Now was not the time for the beast and its need to take fights he couldn¡¯t win. What is wrong with me? Why do I keep reaching for it?

    Clank. The armor rounded the corner ahead of Huan.

    How? Huan turned on his heel and dashed the other way, not bothering to wait for the armor to attack. Again he reached the forge and, not wasting time, vaulted over anvils and benches to the door next to the collapsed corridor, the only thing he hadn¡¯t passed through. He tried to open it and it didn¡¯t budge, but he was certain now this had to be the way out. All he had to do was pick the lock and he¡¯d be out of this place. He looked the door over. It was made of ancient pale wood and had an equally ancient lock, an intricately decorated thing worth a king¡¯s ransom, but locks were locks. He could handle it. He reached for his hip and found the mask. He hadn¡¯t brought his lock picks.

    Clank.

    Whimpering, Huan around. The armor had entered the forge and was already in the center of the room. All the other corridors were either behind it or blocked. Huan¡¯s hand tightened on the mask. No. He tried to convince himself to let go.

    Clank.

    No, I just got free!

    Clank.

    I just need to get out of here, grab Mei, and I¡¯ll be free!

    Clank. The armor had closed the distance, placed a hand on its sword.

    Damn it! Huan pulled Tiger¡¯s mask off his belt and tried to unwrap it, but his trembling hands dropped it. As it hit the floor, Huan looked up. The armor had shifted its weight onto its front foot. It was going to strike.

    The corridor next to Huan exploding, send stone and armor flying across the forge.

    Not letting this chance go by, Huan snatched up the mask, pulled his scarf off it, and looked at it. That explosion, probably Dwayne¡¯s, had only knocked the armor. It was already picking itself back up. He could still contribute but¡­

    Fear was unbearable.

    Helplessness was unbearable.

    Dying was unbearable.

    Huan put on Tiger¡¯s Mask. As it sealed itself to his face, sensations - the crackling of the fire deep in the forge, the salty taste of sweat, the strange tang of magic, the armor¡¯s glittering eyes - flooded the thief, who stepped aside and let Tiger come forth.

    With a roar, Tiger charged the armor, who shifted its weight onto its back foot. Seeing that, Tiger slid right, let the down slash pass by, then grabbed the armor¡¯s arm and twisted, pulling it to the ground. The armor¡¯s free hand grabbed Tiger¡¯s throat, but Tiger drove his fingers into the space between helmet and chestplate, where he found soft yielding flesh. Screaming, the armor flung Tiger away and then got up, one sword raised. It tried to draw its second sword, but it was gone.

    Behind the armor, Tiger flourished his new weapon. It was lighter than it looked and had a strange buzzy feel to it. The armor whirled around and bristled at Tiger, angry at the theft.

    ¡°Huan!¡±

    The mage? Ignore. Tiger placed the sword blade between itself and the armor and started to circle. The armor did the same, its rage sending shivers through its body. Ah good.

    ¡°Fascinating, I think he¡¯s growing actual fur.¡±

    The archer? Ignore.

    ¡°What? How?¡±

    ¡°I have no idea.¡±

    Under the mask, Tiger licked its chops. Up until now the armor had been more like a force of nature than a person, just a thing impersonally cutting down its opponets, but now he¡¯d gotten under its skin. Once again, Tiger flourished the sword. ¡°I¡¯ve handled better.¡±

    ¡°Asshsa!¡± The armor charged, its sword held high.

    Tiger blocked the down slash, parried the following up slash, pushed back the armor with a shoulder tackle, and then stabbed at the armor¡¯s feet when it stumbled. Leaping, the armor evaded the attack, kicked Tiger away, and then planted both feet on the ground, the air crackling as it leaned forward.

    ¡°Huan, listen, Huan!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s clearly not working. You¡¯ll need to be more emphatic.¡±

    ¡°What? Are you¡­ No, I might hit him.¡±

    The crackling grew louder and the scent of storms filled Tiger¡¯s nose. The blinding attack was coming. He rushed forward, hoping to interrupt it or divert it. Last time that attack had drained him, leaving the thief to run away.

    ¡°Ri¡¯mwe¡¯ut!¡± A fireball cannoned into the armor, an arrow whipped by Tiger¡¯s head, and a gust of wind took him off his feet and slammed him into the far wall.

    The beast faded and Huan came to.  ¡°What...what just happened?¡± He stared at the strange sword in his hand. ¡°How¡¯d I get this?¡±

    ¡°Get up.¡± Dwayne picked his way over a mess of stone and anvils. ¡°We need your help.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Huan got to his feet and staggered. He was exhausted, as if he¡¯d climbed a dozen fortress walls. Worse, the beast was back although it was resting now. Tentatively, he slid the mask off his face and let it rest against his chest.

    When he¡¯d made his way to them, Odette took one look at him and then nodded to Dwayne. ¡°Bolster him.¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s face went tense.

    Huan asked, ¡°Sorry what?¡±

    ¡°Just¡­ stay still.¡± Dwayne pulled out a vial full of blue liquid out of his pocket and placed a hand on Huan¡¯s chest. ¡°Qesuyit.¡±

    Huan¡¯s battered shirt became shiny, reflecting forge¡¯s red light.

    ¡°Now,¡± Odette pushed Huan into position between her and the armor, ¡°do what you just did.¡±

    Huan glanced at the armor, which was getting up once more. I don¡¯t have it in me. ¡°That door leads out.¡± Huan pointed. ¡°A kid came out of there.¡±

    Odette frowned. ¡°A goat?¡±

    ¡°I think he means a child.¡± Dwayne squared up next to Huan. ¡°Let¡¯s take this thing down and get through that door.¡±

    As if it understood them, the armor limped its way to a spot between them and the door, and raised its sword. At this, the beast stirred, its growl rumbling in Huan¡¯s throat.

    Huan coughed. You¡¯re not doing that again.

    The beast licked its chops. You liked it.

    ¡°Huan?¡± Dwayne raised his eyebrows. ¡°You there?¡±

    Technically. Huan set his jaw. ¡°Yeah.¡± He took the strange sword in a two handed grip. ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡±

 Vuoun, Twist True

    When Mrs. Momin kicked the door down and Magdala raised her arm to throw one of two vials she prepared at Mei¡¯s request, but the hunter called out, ¡°Stop.¡±

    This room, like all the others, was unoccupied. It did have the usual though: a bench against the back wall, a worn leather-bound book on said bench, and nothing else. Magdala went into the room, grabbed the book, looked it over. She sighed. It was another copy of Asaph¡¯s Fable as she¡¯d started to call it. Every room they¡¯d searched had had one. Was it was required reading for the Yaniti?

    ¡°Same thing?¡± Mrs. Momin plucked the book from Magdala¡¯s hands.

    Magdala nodded. ¡°Same thing.¡±

    Mrs. Momin winced. ¡°As much as mass market appeals to me,¡± she tossed the book back onto the bench, ¡°I don¡¯t want to dilute the market.¡± She¡¯d already tucked two of the slim volumes into her robe.

    ¡°Where is it?¡± Magdala moved back into the third floor corridor where she could look down at the circular chamber and its mirror still pool. ¡°Why hasn¡¯t it attacked us again?¡±

    ¡°There are three of us and one of it.¡± Mei moved on to the next door. ¡°Bad odds.¡± She gestured to the door with her rifle.

    Mrs. Momin scowled. ¡°Then we should focus on getting out of here.¡± She stepped over to the door, kicked it down and checked inside. ¡°Nothing. We¡¯ve searched two and a half floors and found nothing.¡±

    Magdala shook her head. ¡°How do you propose we get out of here? We already checked the tunnels you and I fell down and they were both blocked.¡± Mei had apparently fallen from the ceiling so that wasn¡¯t an option.

    Mei frowned. ¡°Those tree roots are weird. They grew too fast.¡±

    Mrs. Momin shrugged. ¡°Dear, we¡¯re looking for a giant otter that travels via water portals and summons giant pillars of ice. Fast growing tree roots are relatively usual.¡±

    Magdala rolled her eyes. ¡°There¡¯s no magic that makes things grow faster.¡±

    Mrs. Momin gave her a strange look. ¡°It¡¯s a wide world out there, young Gallus. If you¡¯d seen the things the Jade Lotus can do-what is it?¡±

    Mei had gone still.

    Magdala¡¯s chest tightened. ¡°Is it close?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Mei looked pained. ¡°We¡­ we haven¡¯t found Huan.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Magdala breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Well, he¡¯s a such loudmouth so we¡¯ll hear him long before we see him.¡±

    Mei turned to her, a frown on her face. ¡°Loudmouth?¡±

    Mrs. Momin muttered something in Tuquese. Mei glared at her.

    It was probably best if the spy didn¡¯t explain. Magdala cleared her throat. ¡°I meant that he¡¯s,¡± she had to be polite, ¡°got a very clear voice.¡±

    A moment hung in the air as Mei absorbed Magdala¡¯s explanation. Magdala tried not to fidget, but she could feel the smirk growing on Mrs. Momin¡¯s face.

    Finally Mei nodded. ¡°He does have a clear voice. We¡¯d hear him.¡±

    Mrs. Momin¡¯s whisper tickled Magdala¡¯s ears. ¡°You¡¯re lucky she trusts you.¡±

    Face red, Magdala stepped out in front of her companions. ¡°Weren¡¯t we knocking down doors?¡±

    ¡°PORTHOP!¡± The words shook the chamber. ¡°PORTHOP, BLAADU HON DEHKEY! VULICUR PARI!¡±

    On the other side of the chamber and two floors down, an archway filled with water and chittering spilled out.

    ¡°MON! DEHKEY LOUT! VULICUR PARI!¡±

    With a short sharp cheep, the water evaporated.

    Magdala drew close to Mei. ¡°That can¡¯t be good.¡±

    Momin tilted her head. ¡°That language¡­ Imperial Yani?¡±

    ¡°That can¡¯t be Imperial Yani,¡± said Magdala. ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound right.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve never heard a native speak it, how do you know?¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯ve studied it!¡±

    ¡°Shh.¡± Mei moved to the railing and looked down at the pool. ¡°Where did that voice come from?¡±

    ¡°Everywhere?¡± Magdala quailed. ¡°We should leave.¡±

    Mei nodded. ¡°Yes, we should- look out!¡± She tackled Magdala to the ground, and a pillar of ice smashed through the railing. As it splashed into the pool, Mei hauled Magdala to her feet. The portal was already dry. ¡°It is still hunting you.¡±

    ¡°Did you see it?¡± Mrs. Momin¡¯s voice was muffled through her mask. ¡°Where did it go?¡±

    Magdala searched the nearby doorways and caught a glimpse of the otter peeking out of a portal three doors down. ¡°There!¡±

    With a cry, Mrs. Momin bounded in that direction, leaping over statues and bones, but the otter saw her, panicked, and dove back into its portal and so Mrs. Momin¡¯s kick ended up merely smashing in a door.

    When Magdala and Mei caught up, Mei glared at the spy. ¡°You didn¡¯t wait.¡±

    Mrs. Momin shrugged, though her ears twitched. ¡°Sorry, I got excited.¡±

    ¡°We had a plan,¡± said Magdala. ¡°We agreed to- Oh no...¡± Her breath hung in the air. She looked to her right where a doorway was filling with water. She had to do something, anything so she grabbed a vial, fumbled it, and dropped it over the railing. ¡°No!¡±

    As the vial smashed on the ground and exploded, the otter pounced, leaping out of the portal with its claws out and teeth bared.

    ¡°Maggie!¡± Mei slammed into Magdala and fired a shot, but the otter flipped over the railing and dove into the pool below.

    As the portal next to them evaporated, Mrs. Momin stamped her feet. ¡°That is getting really annoying.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t maneuver here. We¡¯re too close together.¡± Magdala winced at her fumble. ¡°I only have one of those left.¡±

    ¡°You can make more.¡± Mei finished loading her rifle. ¡°We have to move.¡± She ran, leading the group down to the first floor of the chamber and onto the pool¡¯s shore, despite the pool, they weren¡¯t constrained by a narrow corridors.

    Magdala tried to find the otter, but it was gone. Any other time, she¡¯d want to know more about the statues, but she had to focus on the bigger question: How would they get out of here?

    Mei¡¯s rifle came up. ¡°Water.¡±

    Magdala tried to find it. ¡°Where?¡±

    ¡°Grit your teeth,¡± said Mrs. Momin.

    ¡°What? Why- aaah!¡±

    The spy grabbed Magdala around the waist and jumped into the pool, dodging an ice pillar. Underwater Magdala heard Mei fire, but she focused more on swimming in the freezing cold water. She reached the surface and looked around. ¡°Momin? Momin!¡±

    ¡°Get out of the water, girl!¡± Mrs. Momin, already out of the water, pointed and something behind Magdala chittered.

    Magdala glanced back. An moon white shape was darting towards her. The otter was in the water. Magdala swam with all her might, but right when she¡¯d begun to think that her mother¡¯s insistence that she learn to swim was going to pay off, claws tore into her cloak. She screamed and a shot rang out. With a squeal, the otter released Magdala and sank under the water, leaving her to swim the rest of the way to shore. As Mei pulled her out of the water,  Magdala saw a strange silvery shimmer on the water¡¯s surface. ¡°Y-y-you got it.¡±

    Mei shook her head. ¡°Shallow. Right cheek.¡± Once Magdala was out of the water, the hunter reloaded her weapon. ¡°It¡¯ll be back.¡±

    ¡°At least it¡¯s out in the open.¡± Mrs. Momin eyes didn¡¯t leave the pool. ¡°Now what?¡±

    ¡°Mei was right.¡± Magdala looked around. ¡°This is the best place for us to fight. It¡¯s far more open than up in the corridors and we can see the portals forming from far off.¡± She gestured to the archways. ¡°They only work with those after all.¡±

    Mei cocked her rifle. ¡°I do not think the otter will rush. It has patience.¡± She brought her rifle up and pointed it at the nearest archway. ¡°We have to trap it.¡±

    Mrs. Momin winced. ¡°So the plan is just to wait? That¡¯s not a very proactive plan.¡±

    Mei frowned. ¡°Proactive?¡±

    Magdala opened her mouth to explain, but Mrs. Momin cut her off. ¡°Quiet.¡± The spy put a finger to her lips then bounded forward and kicked the otter out of its hiding place behind a chunk of debris. The creature swiped at her with its claws, tearing through her robe.

    ¡°Down!¡± When Mrs. Momin dropped, Mei fired, but the otter had dropped too and her shot went over its head. Chittering, it dove into a fresh portal.

    Magdala stared at the otter¡¯s ambush position. It was closest to her. ¡°Mei.¡±

    The hunter was reloading, but her jaw clenched before she spoke. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°I have to be the bait, don¡¯t I?¡±

    The hunter¡¯s lips pursed. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Magdala wrung her hands. Why was the otter so fixated on her? Her only guess was that it had fought Qe mages before and found that taking them out was the best strategy. That would be flattering if it weren¡¯t so terrifying. She straightened up. ¡°Okay, then where should I stand?¡±

    Mei pointed to the edge of the pool. ¡°There. Rabbit will knock away ice pillars.¡± She ignored the look Mrs. Momin gave her. ¡°I will keep it from going anywhere but there.¡± She pointed to an archway across the pool. ¡°When you see it, use your magic.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± Magdala pulled out her last vial and ran. As she did, the battle raged around her.

    Something splashed into the pool. ¡°On your right!¡± The air turned cold. ¡°Duck!¡± Ice shards hit the back of Magdala¡¯s cloak. ¡°It¡¯s up there.¡± A shot rang out.

    Magdala reached the edge of the pool and waited for her allies to corral the otter into position. She was terrified, but she could trust Mei and her plan. Besides she had her magic, a vial that contained an nQeoum concoction of breath, water, and clothing.

    A portal opened across the water. ¡°It¡¯s coming!¡± Magdala shouted.

    Mei slid into position next to Magdala, her rifle trained on the portal. ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°Wait¡­¡± Magdala sensed that something was wrong. The otter had an preferred method of attack and this distance was wrong. ¡°Momin!¡± She whirled around, not seeing if there was a pillar coming towards her, not seeing if the spy had even heard her, and caught the otter¡¯s teeth on her left arm. The otter¡¯s momentum pushed Magdala backwards, not into the pool, but onto it. The pool was frozen. Magdala kicked the otter off her and before it could escape or attack, threw the vial into its face. The vial exploded, throwing Magdala back to shore and choking the air with mist and frost. When that all cleared away, the otter lay unconscious on the surface of the frozen pool.

    ¡°That was bold.¡± Momin limped over to her. ¡°I¡¯ll have to raise my opinion of you, young Gallus.¡±

    ¡°Thank you?¡± Magdala glanced at the hunter, who¡¯d slid over to them. ¡°Mei, is it over?¡±

    Mei watched the ice. ¡°It¡¯s cracking.¡±

    Magdala laughed. ¡°Well, that was an explosive. I¡¯d expect it to...to...¡± Golden light was spilling out from the cracks, which weren¡¯t stopping at the pool¡¯s edge. Already the shore was cracking. ¡°How? What is with this place?¡±

    ¡°Run,¡± Mei grabbed Magdala¡¯s hand, ¡°run!¡±

    Together they fled, the spy close on their heels, the golden light and the sounds of rustling leaves chasing them. Magdala tried to think of anything she could do to stop it, but her skills lay in destruction and cracks didn¡¯t propagate like this. Was the very space crumbling?

    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    The three of them kept running, but the cracks were forming too fast. Once again they fell, this time into a warm summer day.

    ***

    ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡± Huan¡¯s tone erected a facade of confidence, one buttressed by the sword in his hand. He hoped it hid his horror at how much Odette¡¯s plan relied on him.

    ¡°Get it done.¡± Odette shouldered her crossbow and slipped into a nearby passage.

    The armor moved to pursue.

    ¡°Ri¡¯mwe¡¯ut!¡± Dwayne¡¯s fire ball slammed into its chest, knocking it back a wir. ¡°Ri¡¯mwe¡¯ut!¡±

    This time the armor swatted away the fireball with its sword. That left it wide open.

    Now! The beast¡¯s command spurred Huan forward. He closed with the armor and swept his sword up into that hole in its guard, but it twisted and caught Huan¡¯s sword with its own blade. Muscling Huan¡¯s sword aside, the armor grabbed Huan around the throat and squeezed. As the dark closed in, Huan scrambled for leverage to free himself, placing his feet against the armor¡¯s chest and pushing as hard as he could. The effort freed him and he landed on his back stunned. Dimly he saw the armor prepared to drive the tip of its sword into his stomach while in the back of his mind the beast raged, exhorting Huan to dodge, to kick, to fight. He was so tired though and there was nothing he could do. Fake confidence wasn¡¯t any help here.

    A hand grabbed Huan¡¯s tunic. ¡°Qesuyit!¡±

    The armor¡¯s sword tip thunked against off diamond shiny and diamond hard cloth, the impact shaking Huan¡¯s teeth. Frustrated the armor kicked him into a nearby anvil. Before it could target flesh though, another fireball drove it back.

    As the armor recovered, Dwayne ran to Huan. ¡°You okay?¡± He held out a hand.

    Huan coughed and spat copper. ¡°Yeah.¡± He glared at the mage apprentice¡¯s proffered hand. He¡¯s just saving his own skin. He winced. Huan had needed the help. ¡°Thanks.¡± He grabbed Dwayne¡¯s hand and pulled himself to his feet. ¡°What is she waiting for?¡±

    Dwayne turned to face the armor, his fists up. ¡°That Vanur...¡± He shook his head. ¡°Odette will come through.¡±

    Huan¡¯s ears perked up at the correction. ¡°Ah.¡± What happened when they were buried? ¡°Good to know.¡±

    The armor was stomping towards them, its anger clear with every step. Huan stepped between it and Dwayne. Three more steps. ¡°Brace me!¡± The armor would attack soon.

    Dwayne slapped Huan on the back. ¡°Qesuyit!¡±

    The armor took that last step and blurred forward. Huan tried to counter with a slash, but the armor ducked under his guard, grabbed his collar and tossed him over its shoulder, and once again Huan was on the ground, looking up at the ceiling. The armor moved on to Dwayne, but the mage apprentice dropped to the ground and, bizarrely, grabbed its right boot. ¡°Ri¡¯mui¡¯it!¡±

    ¡°Ozmimdar!¡± The armor kicked Dwayne away and checked its ankle, but there was nothing, no fire or anything.

    Still it was surrounded now. Huan rolled over and jumped to his feet as the armor, realizing it was caught between the two boys, pulled back to keep both of them in view. Seeing this, Huan joined Dwayne. ¡°What did you do?¡±

    ¡°If I got the grammar right,¡± Dwayne stood up, ¡°then I just turned up the heat.¡±

    Huan frowned. ¡°Will that work?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Dwayne put up his fists. ¡°But I don¡¯t think it can keep up that speed forever.¡±

    Huan glanced at the armor. That¡¯s not good. The armor had regained its calm again and was studying the two of them.

    Block that first attack and you¡¯ll have it. The beast¡¯s eyes glittered from the back of Huan¡¯s mind. Can you do that? I can.

    Huan winced. ¡°I¡¯m not fast enough to block its first strike.¡±

    Dwayne blinked. ¡°No human is. That¡¯s what the armor spell is for. It¡¯s coming.¡±

    Study time was over. The armor advanced, left hand on its sword hilt, right on its scabbard.

    ¡°Get behind me,¡± said Huan.

    The mage raised an eyebrow. ¡°You just said-¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got this.¡± No human is, the mage had said. As he stepped between the armor and the mage, Huan regarded the beast. Can you?

    The beast licked its chops. Yes.

    The armor was getting closer.

    ¡°Huan¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve got this!¡± After clashing so many times, Huan was finally able to read the signs of the armor¡¯s next attack. At three paces from its target, it would take one right step, set its stance, and then attack.

    The armor took its last time and squared its left shoulder. Horizontal slash incoming.

    Tiger.

    Got it.

    The armor blurred and its blade impacted against Tiger¡¯s, who¡¯d braced against the strike with one hand on his sword blade and the other on his hilt. Still, the sword strike pushed Tiger back and strained every muscle in his body, but he couldn¡¯t leave it at that. With a roar, Tiger pushed the armor¡¯s sword up and away and then slashed at its neck. He missed, the armor bent back away from it, but it had to wreck its balance and break its line of sight.

    Dwayne stepped in. ¡°Ri¡¯mwe¡¯ut!¡± His fireball cannoned into the armor¡¯s stomach and knocked it onto its back.

    With a yowl of glee, Tiger pressed the attack, slashing at a chink in the armor¡¯s shoulder and finally, finally, drawing blood. Next was the neck. He raised his sword.

    The air crackled.

    ¡°Get back!¡± Dwayne hauled Tiger back by the collar as his free hand came up. ¡°Ri¡¯mun¡¯ui¡¯po!¡±

    Din, lightning and white light filled the room, banishing the beast and leaving Huan stunned, but when he could see again, he and Dwayne were still in one piece although the floor and anvils around them were a melted mess.

    ¡°How?¡± Huan asked.

    ¡°Apparently,¡± Dwayne grinned at Huan nevertheless, ¡°fire and lightning are made from the same stuff.¡± He sank to the floor.

    That explained nothing. But he didn¡¯t have time to fret about that. The armor was already getting to its feet. ¡°Dwayne, get up.¡± Huan raised his sword. ¡°Get up.¡±

    ¡°Right. It¡¯s still not down.¡± Dwayne tried to stand up, but failed. ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Dwayne looked pale. ¡°Going into thaumaturgical shock I think.¡±

    ¡°What? We don¡¯t have time for that. We have to move. It¡¯s going to¡­¡± Huan glanced at the armor. ¡°Oh.¡±

    The armor was struggling to stay upright. Sparks were traveling up and down its torso, and it twitched every time one hit its wounds. With great effort, it managed to take a stance, murder in its eye slots.

    ¡°Up you go.¡± Huan pulled Dwayne to his feet. ¡°One more time.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± The mage managed to stand under his own power. ¡°One more time.¡±

    Huan put himself between Dwayne and the armor and put the lack of the beast and the lack of sleep behind him. They weren¡¯t escaping here any other way. ¡°One more time.¡± He raised his sword.

    ¡°How cute.¡± Odette sounded far too amused. ¡°Duck.¡±

    Both boys dropped to the ground as an arrow whistled over their heads and slammed into the armor¡¯s breastplate where it stuck, gathering wind and spark. The armor tried to pull it out, but the gust turned into a gale and soon it was being pushed back. It tried to dig in its heels, but then it screamed and lifted its right foot, the same foot that Dwayne had cursed. That doomed it. The arrow blasted it back into and through the mysterious door, and with that the wind died down and the forge went quiet. It was over.

    ¡°Good job, you two.¡± Odette limped to Huan and Dwayne. ¡°You gave me just the right opening.¡±

    ¡°Next time, find it faster.¡± Huan got to his feet and slid the mask of his face. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here.¡±

    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s.¡± Odette helped Dwayne to his feet.

    The forge went out and golden light seeped into the room.

    ¡°Oh, no.¡± A loud crack punctuated Dwayne¡¯s comment.

    ¡°Run!¡± Odette¡¯s hands pushed Huan forward. ¡°Run!¡±

    With more golden light pouring in behind them, shining through from a dozen cracks in the walls, floor, and ceiling, Huan barely needed the encouragement. He sprinted to the door, the beast¡¯s senses coming back to him as he ran, his ears filling with rustling leaves, his nose with scent of flowers. Ignoring that, he reached the door and threw it open.

    ¡°Wait, stop!¡± Dwayne grabbed Huan and pulled him back from the edge of a sheer drop.

    The door hadn¡¯t led to the desert or even another corridor. Instead, it had led to an immense dome-like chamber that was occupied by a tree the size of a mountain, and that same golden light - it was the color of summer sunsets - poured down from the top of the tree, accompanied with the heavy scent of dozens of flowers.

    Huan was awe-struck. ¡°What the hell?¡±

    Dwayne just stared.

    ¡°No stopping!¡± Odette tackled both of them and all three of them went over the edge before, crunch, a tree root slammed into the doorway. Meanwhile, they fell.

    I wonder if she¡¯ll find me. Huan had no doubt he¡¯d die here.

    ¡°Qeuiyit!¡±

    Huan landed face first on soft soil. ¡°Wha-?¡± He¡¯d landed on a platform of soil that was floating in midair. ¡°How?¡±

    Odette sat up and brushed herself off. ¡°Qe mages.¡±

    Before Huan could ask for an actual explanation, a tired whining voice responded, ¡°Clearly you just had to follow me down here.¡± As the platform settled onto the floor of the chamber, Lord Kalan, bruised, dirty, and battered, walked up to Dwayne, who stared up at his master in awe. ¡°Where were you and what did you bring?¡±

    ***

    ¡°Sir!¡± Dwayne got up and rushed his master, grabbing him in a hug. ¡°You¡¯re okay.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes, I am.¡± Lord Kalan patted Dwayne on the back awkwardly. ¡°Well, I¡¯m perfectly capable of¡­ ahem!¡± He pushed Dwayne back. ¡°See here you-¡°

    ¡°I did it!¡± Dwayne couldn¡¯t keep a grin off his face. ¡°I learned a new spell, and Ri magic isn¡¯t about reason, it¡¯s about emotion, and I created a ball of fire!¡±

    Lord Kalan¡¯s eyes goggled. ¡°Y-you did?¡±

    Dwayne nodded. ¡°And I cast Qesuyit! With the azade, not the ambersoul, but it worked and I think I can-¡±

    ¡°Dwayne.¡±

    ¡°-write down what I visualized, but I¡¯ve done it a few-¡±

    ¡°Dwayne!¡±

    Dwayne finally caught the strained note in Lord Kalan¡¯s voice. ¡°Yes?¡±

    His master let out a quiet sigh. ¡°Now isn¡¯t the time for that.¡± He pointed behind Dwayne. ¡°We have to deal with that.¡±

    Dwayne turned around and groaned. At the base of the giant tree that filled the chamber lay the armor, which was trying to get back to its feet. ¡°Damn, I thought we were done.¡±

    A crack and a great roar echoed around the chamber and Dwayne wiped droplets from his face. ¡°Water?¡±

    Huan cursed. ¡°What is that?¡±

    Dwayne followed the bodyguard¡¯s gaze upward. ¡°Whoa.¡± A deluge of water was blasting out of a door that was set in the ceiling. Three people fell out, one of whom was screaming at the top of her lungs. ¡°Magdala?¡±

    ¡°Mei!¡± shouted Huan.

    Lord Kalan cursed and raised his right hand.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare, Bart!¡± Lady Pol rocketed past them on a gust of wind. ¡°You¡¯ll end up drowning them. Qemilo!¡± Her spell, the same one that had uncovered the stone slab above them, pushed Magdala and the others out of the stream of water. ¡°Qemiar!¡± Her next spell let them to fall gently onto the leave-covered ground. They were wind-blown and wet, but they were safe.

    The tree let out a groan and one of its branch reached up and stopped the flood of water.

    ¡°What is it doing?¡± Dwayne asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s repairing the damaged space.¡± Lady Pol landed next to Dwayne. ¡°We¡¯ve seen it do-¡°

    ¡°I say you it¡¯s an automatic reaction.¡± Lord Kalan crossed his arms.

    Lady Pol glared at him. ¡°Then why didn¡¯t it use its roots to plug the hole?¡±

    ¡°Obviously because it was too-¡±

    Dwayne slid over to Magdala, who was wringing water out of her cloak. ¡°Are you okay?¡± He frowned. ¡°And why is Momin here?¡±

    Magdala looked away. ¡°She¡¯s¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± Her jaw set. ¡°Don¡¯t ask me.¡±

    Dwayne frowned. ¡°Are you still upset about-¡±

    ¡°GUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRR!¡± A roar shook the chamber, showering everyone with sticks and leaves, and as everyone covered their ears from the din, a slim white shape darted around the upraised tree branch and dropped down to the ground, landing next to the armor. It looked like a white weasel, one as large as the armor.

    ¡°What is that?¡± Dwayne asked.

    ¡°An otter.¡± Mei knelt to disassemble her weapon. ¡°I need something to dry this.¡±

    ¡°Here.¡± Odette tore off a piece of her sleeve and handed it to Mei.

    ¡°So, we¡¯re not done here.¡± Dwayne gestured to Huan and the two of them moved to the front.

    Lord Kalan groaned. ¡°Of course both my apprentice and my niece brought monsters with them.¡±

    Magdala stepped up behind Dwayne. ¡°Is that armor?¡±

    ¡°Magic armor. I can move fast and summon lightning.¡± Dwayne grinned. ¡°I had to cast Qesuyit to stop it.¡± He nodded at the otter. ¡°And that?¡±

    Magdala said nothing for a moment. ¡°You actually did it?¡±

    Dwayne nodded. ¡°All thanks to you.¡±

    Magdala¡¯s face flushed. ¡°Well, I¡­ the otter creates portals and summons ice pillars. Be careful. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re okay.¡± She looked away.

    ¡°Children,¡± Lady Pol put a hand on each of their shoulders, ¡°I believe we have something more urgent than that to consider. Those things came from the spaces you fell into?¡±

    Dwayne frowned. ¡°Spaces? What do you mean?¡±

    Lady Pol glared at Lord Kalan. ¡°You¡¯ve been covering thaumaturgical theory, but not the wisdoms?¡± She shook her head. ¡°Space is how we describe what¡¯s left when there is no matter. That tree makes them.¡±

    Dwayne decided to parse that later. ¡°And you two fell into one too?¡±

    ¡°We fell into some sort of audience chamber then this idiot decided to smash through the first door we found and we fell here.¡±

    ¡°You used a door to get here?¡± Magdala asked Magdala. ¡°Where are they?¡± At a nudge from Mei, Magdala looked up. ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°So, do you two geniuses have a plan?¡± Odette asked Lord Kalan and Lady Pol.

    Lord Kalan cleared his throat. ¡°I surmise that this tree is holding this space together. Destroy it and this space will collapse.¡±

    Lady Pol put her hands on her hips. ¡°With us in it.¡±

    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s that kid again!¡± shouted Huan.

    The whole group turned towards the base of the tree where a young child, dressed in a white short tunic, had clambered down the tree where they comforted the armor and the otter.

    Huan drew his sword. ¡°Let¡¯s catch him and make him tell us the way out.¡±

    The tree rumbled.

    Magdala shrank back. ¡°I think it heard you.¡±

    Huan sneered. ¡°Yeah, right. It¡¯s a tree.¡±

    The child placed a hand on the armor¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Blaadu, Vuoun!¡±

    A faint glimmer surged through the armor, which shook, thundered, and reformed into a sleek insect with four legs and two folded up arms. It was still as tall as the armor had been and gray steel.

    ¡°What is that?¡± Dwayne asked.

    Mei said something in Tuquese, and aimed her rifle.

    Huan replied, ¡°Oh, shit. That¡¯s a praying mantis?¡±

    Then child moved to the otter and placed a hand on its nose. ¡°Porthop, Vuiem!¡±

    Again a glimmer surged and the otter rose on its haunches and froze into an icy facsimile of itself. A moment passed and then the facsimile shattered and revealed a coal-skinned white-haired bare-chested barbarian clad in white fur. He was too broad to have fit into the otters shape, but such thoughts were fell by the wayside when he reached up into the air and tugged an immense hammer made of ice and snow out of the air.

    Compared to that, Dwayne¡¯s achievements tonight paled in comparison.

    The child patted the mantis and nodded to the barbarian. ¡°Oumnadh?¡±

    ¡°Porthop, Blaadu.¡± The child turned and pointed at Dwayne and the others. ¡°Vulicur!¡±

    ¡°Suom.¡± The barbarian saluted. Together he and the mantis started towards Dwayne and his party.

    ¡°NUMA!¡± Another voice called down from the upper reaches of the tree. ¡°VUIR! TUY ERIM!¡±

    Crack! High above them, a tree branch broke off and plummeted towards them.

    ¡°Cups, I¡¯ve got this.¡± Lady Pol appeared between Dwayne and Huan. ¡°Qemilo!¡±

    Wind blasted Dwayne away and he slammed into a snarl of tree roots and heard something in his pocket shatter. He¡¯d deal with that later. Right now he¡­ He blinked. He¡¯d underestimated how thick the falling branch had been. Laying on its side, it was over one story tall. He¡¯d never get over that in time.

    ¡°Huan!¡± Mei ran to the branch and beat against it. ¡°Huan!¡±

    That was worth a shot. Dwayne cupped his hands around his mouth. ¡°MAG-¡±

    ¡°By the cup, boy, duck!¡± An arm caught Dwayne around his middle and pulled him down. An errant tree root whipped through the air, slicing through the spot Dwayne had vacated.

    Dwayne stared at his master. That was the fastest he¡¯d ever seen him move. ¡°What¡­ why?¡±

    ¡°This infernal tree hits loud people first.¡± Lord Kalan showed Dwayne a purpling bruise on his cheek. ¡°Luisa and I found that out firsthand.¡±

    Dwayne got to his feet. ¡°Okay¡­¡± He gestured to the tree branch. ¡°What do we do about that?¡±

    ¡°We climb.¡± Mei shouldered her rifle and jumped up on the branch.

    ¡°No.¡± Lord Kalan tried to pull her off the tree. ¡°We have to go.¡±

    ¡°Let go.¡± Mei¡¯s grip was white-knuckled. ¡°I have to help them.¡±

    ¡°Between my nemesis, your brother, and Odette, they¡¯ll be fine.¡± Lord Kalan pulled harder. ¡°We have to deal with the tree. Dwayne, help me!¡±

    Dwayne approached them. ¡°But wouldn¡¯t that would trap us here?¡±

    Lord Kalan glared at Dwayne. ¡°We don¡¯t know that.¡±

    ¡°Even so, we can handle ourselves. Let Mei go help her brother.¡±

    Lord Kalan¡¯s face flushed. ¡°I didn¡¯t hire her to look after her brother. I hired her to protect us!¡±

    Of all the¡­ Dwayne grabbed his master by the collar and pulled him off of Mei. ¡°Master, it¡¯s her brother. Let her go help him or explain yourself!¡± The look on Lord Kalan¡¯s face made Dwayne¡¯s stomach twist, but he didn¡¯t apologize.

    ¡°Fine.¡± Lord Kalan let go of Mei. ¡°I¡¯ll explain.¡±

    Mei dropped down and crossed her arms. When Lord Kalan said nothing, she turned back to the branch.

    ¡°Wait, Mei, wait.¡± Lord Kalan sighed. ¡°We will need more than magic to get out of here. That strange weapon yours might be what we need to get out of this place.¡±

    Mei didn¡¯t look convinced, so Dwayne rephrased it. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that this is about getting everyone out of here for good?¡±

    Lord Kalan nodded.

    ¡°Is that a promise?¡± Mei¡¯s eyes were wet, but determined. ¡°If I go with you, we¡¯ll get everyone home?¡±

    Before Lord Kalan could state a qualifying response, Dwayne said, ¡°Yes.¡±

    There was a shout on the other side of he branch and Mei¡¯s eyes snapped to its source.

    ¡°They¡¯re fine.¡± Dwayne forced a smile. ¡°Huan¡¯s strong.¡±

    Mei closed her eyes and nodded. ¡°And Maggie¡¯s there too.¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s Maggie?¡± Lord Kalan shook his head. ¡°Nevermind. Let¡¯s go.¡±

 Qemilo, Wind Blast

    A blast of wind flung Huan out of the path of the falling branch. As the branch thudded into the ground, Huan was hauled to his feet by his collar. ¡°You¡¯re not as skilled as your sister, are you?¡±

    ¡°I mean she¡¯s a¡­¡± Huan looked down at the hand holding his collar. It was covered in light brown fur. His eyes followed the arm, ¡°She¡¯s a¡­ You¡¯re¡­¡± May the Rabbit¡¯s legs and luck protect you. Huan drew his sword. ¡°Get back!¡±

    He slashed, but Rabbit skipped out of range. Huan tried to pursue, but Magdala jumped between them. ¡°Stop! We have a truce.¡±

    Huan tried to shoulder past her. ¡°There¡¯s no way that-¡±

    ¡°We have a truce.¡± Magdala pushed Huan back then spread her arms to block him moving past her. ¡°Do you understand?¡±

    The beast rumbled. Cut her down.

    Huan resisted. While the beast saw Magdala¡¯s bluish lips, her wet clothes, her shivering and saw weakness, it didn¡¯t see how the noble and her companion shifted to flank him or how Rabbit didn¡¯t bother to take a stance. If he attacked Magdala, he¡¯d be dead.

    Huan raised his hands in surrender. ¡°If you say so.¡± He tried not to stare at Rabbit. I thought we had more time.

    ¡°Good.¡± Magdala put her arms down. ¡°Now, what do we do about them?¡± She gestured to the kid, the bare-chested warrior and the giant bug, who were still deep in discussion at the foot of the giant tree. At least the child and the warrior were.

    Can the bug talk? ¡°No idea,¡± he said. ¡°Why don¡¯t you come up with a plan?¡±

    Lady Pol¡¯s upraised hand cut off Magdala¡¯s retort. ¡°Have either of you seen those forms before?¡±

    Both Huan and Magdala shook their head.

    The noble¡¯s shoulders dropped. ¡°A pity.¡± She straightened up. ¡°Well, since magic is as much form as it is power, if the form changes...¡±

    ¡°The power changes too.¡± Odette limped to her companion¡¯s side. ¡°So what¡¯s the plan?¡±

    Screw this. Sheathing his sword, Huan slid back from the others and edged towards the fallen branch, which is where he thought Pol¡¯s spell had thrown his sister. I¡¯ll just grab her and escape. They can deal with this. He ran into something. ¡°What the-¡±

    ¡°Surprised?¡± Rabbit stood in his path. ¡°Your sister would have noticed me.¡± She removed her mask and revealed the sun-kissed face of Momin.

    ¡°You?¡± Huan staggered back. ¡°How?¡±

    Momin stashed her mask in the belt of her robe. ¡°How what?¡±

    ¡°How can you just take it off like that?¡±

    The merchant gave him a look. ¡°That¡¯s a far more basic question than I expected. The answer is that Tuzhi and I were raised together.¡± She patted her mask. ¡°So she trusts me to return to her.¡±

    Huan shook his head. ¡°It can¡¯t be that simple.¡±

    Momin chuckled. ¡°The Masks are very simple object. If they were complicated, lay folk like us couldn¡¯t use them.¡±

    Huan raised his chin. ¡°Sorry for being lay folk.¡± Whatever that means. ¡°I¡¯m going.¡± He stepped to the side.

    Momin mirrored him. ¡°Laohu doesn¡¯t want to be left alone, and he definitely doesn¡¯t want to be destroyed.¡±

    Huan pushed past her. ¡°I took it off once. I can do it again.¡±

    ¡°And if you¡¯re thinking of running away,¡± Momin was walking backwards, ¡°know that if I find you outside the employ of a Souran noble like Lord Kalan, I will be forced to kill you.¡±

    Huan stopped, ice water pouring into his stomach. ¡°Y-you can try.¡± In the back of his mind, the beast growled. ¡°I won¡¯t go down easy.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Momin leaned in. ¡°What about your sister?¡±

    Huan¡¯s hand dropped to his sword hilt. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare touch her.¡±

    Momin grinned. ¡°Then don¡¯t run away from this fight, Huan Li.¡±

    She knows my real name!

    ¡°Oh, it looks like they¡¯re finished.¡± Momin put on her mask.

    Huan glanced at the others. They were still talking. ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Oh, not them.¡± Momin pointed. ¡°Them.¡±

    The kid patted the warrior and the bug on the head and then climbed up the tree as they started to approach the rest of the group.

    Crap. Huan followed Momin¡¯s lead and put on Tiger¡¯s mask and then ran back to the others. ¡°They¡¯re coming!¡± He took up position at the front and drew his sword. ¡°Stay behind me. I¡¯ll protect you.¡±

    Odette aimed her crossbow. ¡°Go, Lu.¡±

    The bug¡¯s eyes flashed.

    ¡°Wait, we¡¯re not-¡± There was a wrenching crackle. ¡°-up, snap out of it!¡± Magdala slapped Huan across the face.

    Huan fell to the ground. ¡°Wh-what just happened?¡±

    ¡°You were frozen in time.¡±

    ***

    When thunder boomed through the chamber, Dwayne tried to peek around the massive tree trunk to see what kind of magic had been cast but the tree¡¯s branches and leaves blocked his view. Too bad. He would have liked a distraction from the memories of the last time he¡¯d climbed trees.

    Back on the island plantation, Dwayne had been too weak to carry the barrels of sap, and so the overseers had put him to work setting taps high in the boughs of the ambersoul tree where the sap was watery enough to come out, but the other slaves always complained about how he got sick every time he reached the top. To keep them from complaining, Dwayne had learned how to climb, set the tap fast, and get down fast enough to vomit on the ground and not on the other slaves. At the time, he¡¯d assumed he¡¯d had a fear of heights, but right now he was higher than he¡¯d ever been and his head was clear. It was further proof that he shouldn¡¯t have been on that plantation.

    ¡°This¡­ magic is amazing.¡± Below Dwayne, Lord Kalan spoke between pained breaths. ¡°Its scale, its detail, its¡­ independence, all of it amazing.¡±

    Dwayne grinned down at him. ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s nothing like it in the literature. The Yaniti must have known almost everything about magic!¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re all dead now.¡± Mei was above and ahead of both mages, matching their slow laborious pace.

    ¡°Yes, likely annihilated by our ancestors at the start of the Golden Age.¡± Lord Kalan huffed as he hauled himself upwards. ¡°I¡¯ve read the stories about the epic battle here. According to them, it was glorious, unlike anything before or since.¡±

    The forge, with its shackles and bones, had displayed none of that glory, but Dwayne didn¡¯t want to get on Lord Kalan¡¯s bad side again. ¡°Yeah, sure.¡±

    At least it was easy to climb the tree. Unlike ambersoul trees, which had smooth flaky bark, the giant tree¡¯s bark was deeply grooved with crevices that Dwayne could fit his whole hand into. It was so easy that Mei made it look like walking although it was clear that Lord Kalan needed to spend more time exercising. Still, he didn¡¯t back down, persevering through lost handholds and stubbed toes.

    Seeing his master practically swimming in sweat reminded Dwayne of why they were here. His lie. Dwayne looked down. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, master.¡±

    Lord Kalan hauled himself up and stopped next to Dwane. ¡°For¡­ what?¡±

    ¡°I lied. I¡­¡± Dwayne cleared his throat. ¡°I just wanted to do something, go somewhere, and I was tired of failing, so I lied and that¡¯s how we got trapped here, and I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Lord Kalan glanced upwards. They¡¯d nearly reached the top of the trunk, the source of the harsh golden light that filled the chamber. Mei had climbed on top of and was waiting for them to catch up. This wasn¡¯t the time to apologize, but Dwayne had to.

    Lord Kalan sighed. ¡°I never told you her name.¡±

    Dwayne blinked. ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°The woman who gave me Na¡¯cch, her name was Chika.¡± He smiled. ¡°A simple name for a complicated woman.¡± Lord Kalan started to climb again, prompting Dwayne to follow. ¡°I met her on the sea, on my way back home from Vanuria. Well, I say ¡®met¡¯ her; she led a pirate attack on our fleet. The first time I laid eyes on her, she was throwing fire onto slavers and ordering her crew to free the slaves. When she swung over to my ship, she walked up to me with her fist covered in blue flame and asked ¡®Do you own slaves?¡¯¡± Lord Kalan laughed. ¡°I should have been scared out of my wits. I¡¯ve never been good at sea, at wind or water, but in that moment all I could think about was how beautiful her fist looked covered in flame, and so instead of answering her question, I said ¡®Oh, cups please come back with me!¡¯¡±

    Dwayne paused to stare at his master. Mei snorted.

    Lord Kalan chuckle at that. ¡°I know. I wasn¡¯t being dignified. Thank you.¡± With Mei¡¯s help, he climbed onto the trunk of the tree. ¡°Since then, I hadn¡¯t felt that shiver of discovery.¡± He reached down and offered his hand. ¡°Until tonight.¡± He pulled Dwayne onto the ledge and then put a hand on each of his shoulders. ¡°Show me.¡±

    Dwayne blinked. ¡°What, now?¡±

    ¡°Yes, now.¡±

    Gulping, Dwayne reached into his pocket for the azade suspension and found shattered glass and gel. Right, the the fall earlier. ¡°Oh, no, is the-¡± He found the ambersoul vial and pulled it out. It was battered, but still whole. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll work with this.¡±

    Lord Kalan squeezed Dwayne¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Just try.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Dwayne let out a breath and then, gripping the vial in his left hand, placed his hand on his own right sleeve. ¡°Qesuyit!¡± Oh. Where casting with the azade had been like twisting open a water faucet - a simple release - the ambersoul slurped up Dwayne¡¯s magic like it was a donkey at an oasis. He tried to cut it off, but not before he felt it drain him. He staggered.

    Lord Kalan¡¯s grip kept him standing. ¡°Are you all...¡± He squeezed Dwayne¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Oh? Oh, you¡­¡± A smile chiseled its way onto Lord Kalan¡¯s face. ¡°You¡¯ve done it.¡±

    Dwayne tried to move his right arm, but the cloth, which was as stiff as dragonscale, didn¡¯t let. He grinned. ¡°We did it, master.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯ve earned that.¡± Lord Kalan patted Dwayne on the shoulder. ¡°Now, let¡¯s get everyone out of here.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s an entrance there.¡± Mei pointed over her shoulder.

    There was a tunnel, tall enough for a carriage and wide enough for two, that went deeper into the tree, and at the end of it was a curtain of golden light. As they entered it, Dwayne wondered how the tunnel had been formed, though really he wanted to revel in the actual praise he¡¯d finally gotten from Lord Kalan. It was hard to see this trip as a waste of time as a result because between learning a new Ri spell, finally casting a Qe spell, and getting praised, all this had been more than worth it. He even had a guiding principle for properly understanding the Ri spells he¡¯d already cast.

    With thoughts of new spells and future praise going through his head, Dwayne was the last one to react when they exited the tunnel, only looking up when he ran into Mei. ¡°Oh, what is it?¡±

    Mei only pointed.

    Dwayne went still. The tunnel had led them to the edge of a garden. In it, red, purple and white flowers were arranged around a mirror still pond that reflected tiny star pouring golden light on all of them. The air smelled like nectar and freshly turned earth and felt like the middle of spring.

    But they weren¡¯t alone. Across the pond, reclining in a chair hung from a perfectly placed tree branch was a woman wearing a long robe and a tarnished silver crown with a baleful eye in its center.

    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Momma!¡± The child who¡¯d transformed the otter and the armor raced into the room. ¡°Momma!¡±

    Lord Kalan¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°They¡¯re both dressed like Yaniti royalty. How?¡± He tried to get closer.

    Dwayne pulled him back. ¡°Master, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s wise.¡±

    The woman¡¯s eyes snapped to them, her nose crinkling like she¡¯d smelled something foul, and with a grand gesture, she pointed to them and said, ¡°Nullo, humona!¡±

    ¡°Master, we-¡± Harsh golden light blinded Dwayne.

    ***

    ¡°- should back.¡± Dwayne blinked. Where was he?

    ¡°Get down!¡± Hands dragged him to the ground as the building next to him exploded, raining ash and debris on him. Dwayne¡¯s savior, a turbaned man whose beard was now more dust than hair, hauled him to his feet. ¡°Run, my child, run!¡±

    Too confused to refuse, Dwayne ran, making his way through the streets of the city, whose shapes looked familiar; The buildings were tall, block-shaped, and looked like they each made out of a single block of stone. This was Yumma, not the pale empty Yumma of the present, but a Yumma whose buildings were painted in dozens of bright colors,  a Yumma that was breaking under siege. All around Dwayne, Yumma¡¯s residents, kaftans and veils thrashing, fled the fire bombs and heavy stones descending from the sky.

    ¡°Umno!¡± A woman pointed up. ¡°Umno will stop them!¡±

    A trumpet split the sky, and an elephant the size of a stormcloud, all whirling winds and booming lightning, crashed through the cloud cover and charged, meeting a wall of water that reached to the sky head on. The elephant shoved its six trunks, each made of pure spark and boom, into the wall and vaporized enough water to flood Yumma three times over, but it wasn¡¯t enough. The water kept coming and inch by inch, the elephant was pushed back.

    At this stupendous display of magic, Dwayne stopped running and stared. How was this possible? If this was the past, was he stuck here? Was there a way home?

    ¡°Umno can stop it.¡± A man held his hands in prayer. ¡°Heavens willing, he can stop those blue-eyed monsters.¡±

    Umno the elephant rallied. Trumpeting, it stepped back and stretched its trunks wide then pressed forward, this time catching more of the wall in its trunk. The water stopped. There were ragged cheers.

    Thunk.  An spear, as long as a mountain was tall, impaled the elephant in the back. It took a moment for people, for Dwayne, for even Umno to realize what had happened, but when they did, their cries and screams rent the air. Umno staggered, recovered, and pressed back against the wave, but more spears ripped out of the cloudy sky and sank into the great beast¡¯s flank. It was too much. With a final, heart-wrenching trumpet, Umno fell,.

    ¡°We¡¯re doomed!¡±

    ¡°Run!¡±

    Once again, Dwayne ran, this time fleeing the streets and ducking into the alleys. He had some sense of getting outside the city, but those spears, that wall of water, they had to have come from somewhere though he hadn¡¯t seen an army yet, just their weapons. He rounded a counter. Maybe he could slip out of the city get away and figure this out.

    In front of him, a Wesen woman landed hard, her toes cracking the pavement. Taller and darker than Dwayne and dressed in a wrap robe, she raised a frost-covered fist, her expression grim and determined.

    Dwayne raised his hands, tried to say that he was Wesen, that he was on her side, but what came out of his mouth was, ¡°Don¡¯t hurt me!¡±

    The woman¡¯s lips curled, crinkling the white snowflake tattooed on her cheek. She said something in a language Dwayne should know in his bones, but his ears refused to let him.

    Behind Dwayne came a reply in another tongue. Dwayne turned around to see that a man, pale skinned and blue eyes and dressed in thick furs, had joined them. He was clearly Souran and the words he spoke that the right shape, yet Dwayne could not understand. The Souran and the Wesen had an argument where they pointed out Dwayne¡¯s his chin, his shoulders, his teeth, but didn¡¯t once actually talk to him.

    Someone sniffed Dwayne¡¯s neck and Dwayne turned to his left where a person in a hideously detailed wolf mask glared at him. At least Dwayne had thought it was a mask until the person sniffed again and the mask¡¯s nose crinkled. It barked.

    That ended the argument. The other two nodded at the wolf, who knocked Dwayne back against the wall.

    No, he wasn¡¯t going like this. Dwayne tried to bring up his fist, tried to summon his magic, but his body wouldn¡¯t listen.

    Meanwhile the three formed up.

    The Wesen aimed her fist. ¡°yRi''ou¡¯im!¡±

    The Souran pointed. ¡°Qenutgereut!¡±

    The wolf pounced.

    As cold sank into his bones, as blood drained out of him, as teeth closed on his neck, Dwayne heard the rustling of leaves in the wind.

    ***

    Huan took up position in front of Magdala, blocking her view of the mantis and the barbarian. ¡°I¡¯ll protect you.¡±  He assumed a basic stance with his sword drawn.

    ¡°Wait,¡± shouted Magdala, ¡°we¡¯re not-¡±

    The air crackled, and Huan, his clothes, everything, froze in place. Magdala stumbled back from him, her eyes wide. Was this the barbarian¡¯s ability? She looked around. No, he was gone, but the giant mantis wasn¡¯t, its eyes intent as it stalked towards them.

    ¡°Odette!¡± Lady Pol tugged at her companion, whose crossbow bolt hung in the air in front of her. ¡°Odette!¡±

    What had Dwayne said about the suit of armor? ¡°How is this shooting lightning?¡± Magdala asked. ¡°Or moving fast?¡±

    ¡°Change of form, change of magic.¡± Lady Pol sniffed then scowled. ¡°Obviously, we need to-¡±

    ¡°Duck!¡± Mrs. Momin¡¯s flying kicked knocked the barbarian¡¯s hammer off course and into the chamber wall.

    Magdala laughed. ¡°Good job!¡± A weapon thrown was a weapon lost. ¡°Now we can¡­No¡­¡± The barbarian raised his hand. ¡°No, don¡¯t.¡± The hammer dropped into the barbarian¡¯s hand. ¡°No, no, no, that¡¯s not fair!¡±

    ¡°Stop complaining,¡± Mrs. Momin rushed past Magdala, ¡°and start running.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Lady Pol pointed at the barbarian. ¡°Start fighting. Qemilo!¡±

    Her gale blew the barbarian back into the tree trunk, but the mantis held on and kept advancing. Already it was almost to Huan, its double jaws opening anticipation. Was it going to bite his head off, like its much smaller cousins? Magdala couldn¡¯t let that happened. Mei would never forgive her. Magdala ran at the mantis.

    ¡°Qemilo! What are you doing?¡± Lady Pol had to shouted over her cyclonic assault. ¡°Get back here!¡±

    What was she doing? Magdala didn¡¯t have a weapon, no sword or crossbow or hand-cannon thing, but the mantis didn¡¯t know that, so¡­ she could bluff, couldn¡¯t she? ¡°Hey. Hey!¡± Shoving her hands in her cloak, Magdala got between the mantis and its prey. ¡°Hey!¡±

    The mantis¡¯s eyes shifted to her. Hoping that it was surprised, Magdala kept her hands hidden. ¡°Back off or I¡¯ll blow you up!¡±

    To her ears, that didn¡¯t sound at all convincing, but the mantis pulled back turned its head and hissed at its partner who barked back. Right, they can communicate. How much had the otter told the armor? With a hiss of acknowledgment, the mantis faced Magdala, its curled up forelegs moving into position.

    Oh, she didn¡¯t have any armor. It was going to cut her in half.

    ¡°Fool!¡± Mrs. Momin kicked the mantis in the side, which knocked it over and gave the merchant time to grab Magdala and haul her back. ¡°That was reckless.¡±

    Magdala nodded weakly. That had been too close and worse if her mother heard about this, Magdala would never see the light of day again. Still despite the chagrin and the terror, a grin found its way onto her face. ¡°We have to adapt. This isn¡¯t working.¡±

    ¡°Qemilo!¡± Allowing her spell to push the barbarian back again, Lady Pol joined the two of them. ¡°I can¡¯t keep this up. We need to figure out what they can do and,¡± her jaw tightened, ¡°why the mantis targeted Odette and that bodyguard.¡±

    Magdala watched the barbarian help the mantis to its feet. ¡°They aren¡¯t dumb, even in animal form. So maybe they¡¯re going with who they¡¯re familiar with?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps. That hammer was going for you.¡± Mrs. Momin kept her eyes on the barbarian. ¡°Lady Pol, what is your companion¡¯s armament?¡±

    ¡°Normal crossbow bolts and a number of Wind Qe infused ones.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Mrs. Momin raised an eyebrow. ¡°Extravagant.¡±

    Lady Pol shrugged. ¡°Not compared to one of Tuqu¡¯s sacred treasures. Excuse me. Qemilo!¡± Once again the barbarian was pushed back. Lady Pol gestured at Huan. ¡°What about him?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s an okay swordsman,¡± answered Magdala.

    ¡°And he wields one of Tuqu¡¯s sacred treasures,¡± said Mrs. Momin, ¡°badly.¡±

    Magdala sighed. ¡°I wish Mei were here.¡±

    ¡°As do I,¡± said Mrs. Momin.

    ¡°Well, she¡¯s not,¡± said Lady Pol. ¡°Magdala, what do you understand about their underlying thaumaturgical principles?¡±

    Magdala grimaced. Why was she asking about that now? The barbarian and the mantis were on their way. ¡°No, um¡­¡± Wait, she could answer the question. ¡°Time and¡­space? The otter can connect spaces, and the barbarian can summon the hammer from anywhere. The armor could speed itself up so the mantis can stop time for others.¡±

    ¡°And?¡± Mrs. Momin was growing agitated. ¡°How does that help us?¡±

    ¡°It suggests a course of action,¡± said Lady Pol. ¡°Mrs. Momin, I¡¯ll need you to take on the mantis. Break its hold on Odette and the boy.¡±

    Mrs. Momin¡¯s frown was clear even through her mask. ¡°I can¡¯t do that alone.¡±

    ¡°Young Gallus will help you.¡±

    Magdala¡¯s mouth fell open. ¡°What?¡±

    Lady Pol cracked her knuckles. ¡°I¡¯ll take on the barbarian. Then together when they¡¯re down, we¡¯ll take on this tree before that idiot does something stupid. Go!¡± She spoke a single syllable and rocketed over to the barbarian.

    Magdala stared. ¡°So cool.¡±

    ¡°Hey!¡± Mrs. Momin snapped her fingers in front of Magdala¡¯s face. ¡°Gawk later. Focus. Do you have any idea how to take on that mantis?¡±

    Which had almost reached Odette and Huan.

    ¡°I think we do exactly what we did before.¡± Magdala still needed a weapon. ¡°I distract it. You hit it. Hard.¡± In desperation, she put her hands in her pockets and found something. It would have to do. ¡°Any magic that maintains an effect over time like that requires concentration. Don¡¯t hold back.¡±

    Mrs. Momin narrowed her eyes. ¡°That is not a-¡°

    ¡°Go!¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡±

    Again Magdala ran at the mantis, which saw her and turned to meet her, its forelegs already spread wide. Before entering its range, Magdala skidded to a stop, pulled out the block of lead, and shouted, ¡°Qeplosion!¡±

    Despite that being the dumbest thing she¡¯d ever said, the mantis flinched and bring up both of its forelegs up to block a blast that never came. Then with a whoosh, Mrs. Momin was there, delivering a double kick to the mantis¡¯s side, no its blocking foreleg? The mantis rebuffed the spy¡¯s attack and slapped her to the ground. With a hiss, it raised a foreleg to strike.

    No, they would not, could not, fail. Rushing forward, Magdala jumped onto the mantis¡¯s back and brained it with her lead block. The air crackled, the mantis bucked Magdala off, and she and Momin backed off.

    ¡°Did it work?¡± Magdala looked to Odette and Huan. Both were still stuck. ¡°Oh, come on!¡± Magdala marched over to Huan and slapped him. ¡°By the cup, snap out of it!¡±

    He fell to the ground. ¡°Wh-what just happened?¡±

    It worked. ¡°You were frozen in time,¡± answered Magdala.

    ¡°What did you say?¡± Odette shook her head. ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but the mantis stopped time for you and Huan.¡± Magdala cupped her hands around her mouth. ¡°Lady Pol, it worked!¡±

    The noble dodged a punch and then slid under the barbarian. ¡°Qemiear!¡± As her spell sent the barbarian up into the boughs of the tree, Lady Pol flew back and caught Odette in a hug. ¡°You¡¯re all right!¡±

    Odette smiled through a wince. ¡°Are you jealous that I¡¯m that much younger than you now?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Lady Pol glared up at her, ¡°I¡¯m jealous that you got to take a break. You¡¯ll have to make it up to me.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Odette watched her breath hang in the air. ¡°Huh, when did it get so cold?¡±

    ¡°Oh, no.¡± Magdala looked up at the tree, whose leaves were beginning to whiten with frost. ¡°It¡¯s the barbarian.¡±

    Lady Pol¡¯s lips pursed. ¡°I suspect that the hammer is about to come-¡± She coughed.

    Odette looked her over. ¡°How much magic have you cast?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Lady Pol took a deep breath. ¡°I can take him.¡±

    The barbarian dropped out of the tree, holding a long white rod aloft.

    Magdala grimaced. ¡°Where¡¯s the rest of his¡­oh¡­¡±

    The head of the hammer emerged from the boughs of the tree, a two dozen wir long and dozen wir wide block of ice covered in writhing archaic symbols. As the barbarian dropped, the mantis righted itself and trained its bulbous eyes on the party.

    ¡°That¡¯s too big to kick,¡± said Momin.

    ¡°We should run,¡± said Huan.

    ¡°Where to?¡± Odette reloaded her crossbow with a glowing bolt. ¡°They¡¯ll just chase us.¡±

    Magdala flicked her eyes from the hammer to the mantis and back. No, they couldn¡¯t run, and they couldn¡¯t block that giant hammer, but they couldn¡¯t let the mantis and the barbarian work together. Their backs were against the wall. But she wasn¡¯t out of ideas. First they had to-

    ¡°Dodge!¡±

    They scattered out from under the hammer, which slammed and burst into the ground sending leaves, frost, and ice shards in every direction. Using her cloak to shield herself from the onslaught, Magdala tried to discern the next step of the plan, starting with the question: why hadn¡¯t the mantis¡¯s attack stopped time for all of them? The answer came to her when she thought back to the mantis¡¯s opening attack. Odette and Huan had been in front blocking the mantis¡¯s view of everyone else. ¡°We need a smokescreen.¡±

    ¡°What did you say?¡± Lady Pol was shivering.

    ¡°How would smoke help?¡± asked Huan.

    Magdala glanced at their opponents. The barbarian¡¯s hammer had shrunk back down to normal size as its owner slid back to protect the mantis. They had to hurry. ¡°The mantis has to see us to stop t-time for us.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± Lady Pol pointed to the ground. ¡°Odette, if you please.¡±

    Odette gave her a look. ¡°Are you sure? Okay.¡± She fired a glowing arrow into the ground. A gust of wind hit a moment after, throwing leaves, dirt, and frost into the air. ¡°And that was my last windbolt.¡±

    Huan stared. ¡°And we used it on- ow ow ow!¡±

    Mrs. Momin pulled Huan away by his ear. ¡°We¡¯re going.¡± They entered the smokescreen.

    Lady Pol staggered.

    Odette rushed to her. ¡°Lu, are you okay?¡±

    Lady Pol nodded. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Gallus? Gallus?¡± Her call got Magdala to come voer. ¡°I only have one good strike left in me. Wind won¡¯t cut it, so I¡¯ll have to do¡­ well, you should know.¡±

    Magdala¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°I¡¯ve read the reports but-¡±

    ¡°Shh, no time to get into the details. Give me an opening.¡± Lady Pol grinned. ¡°Surely Sage Iona¡¯s daughter can do that.¡±

    Magdala went rigid. ¡°I¡¯m not Qe, I¡¯m just nQe and¡­¡±

    ¡°Does it matter? Go!¡± Lady Pol pushed Magdala into the smokescreen.

    Inside, the sounds of Mrs. Momin¡¯s and Huan¡¯s battle were muffled growls and grunts and yelps and was cold like walking through late winter mist. As she¡¯d requested, Magdala couldn¡¯t see a thing, and if she went the wrong way, her best case scenario was that she ended up far away from the battle and unable to help. So how was she going to make an opening? Her foot knocked against a tree root. Right, they were fighting under a tree. All she had to do was follow it to the tree trunk. She got on all fours and crawled, picking her way over ice chunks and roots as she went.

    ¡°Look out!¡±

    The ground shook.

    ¡°Get back here!¡±

    The ground shook again. That fight must be epic, one that poets dream of writing about although honestly all of this was pretty poem worthy. All of it except Magdala¡¯s part in it. Up until now, she¡¯d been running around, not thinking, not planning, not even trying to grasp the situation. Well, she¡¯d earn that poem. What did she have? One empty vial, a stopper, the bar of lead, her hair clip, and her cloak. What did she need?

    Her hand found the trunk of the tree. Stilling her breath, Magdala listened for any sign of the mantis, straining her ears to filter out the signs of battle. Then after too long, she heard it, a soft whisper of metal on metal.

    It was near.

    Lady Pol needed two things for her signature move: time and a clear line of sight. Unfortunately braining the mantis would only create the former and not the latter. To create both she¡¯d have to¡­ Make a bomb. She knew just the thing. Quickly she grabbed a chunk of ice off the ground, shoved it into her vial along with a handful of dirt, then broke off a piece of her aluminum hair clip and dropped it all into the vial too. Then she stoppered the assortment, focused on her target effect, and said, ¡°nQerm.¡±

    Now for the hard part. ¡°Hey!¡± Once again, Magdala stepped out in front of the mantis. ¡°Did you know I could do this?¡± Screwing her eyes shut, she threw the bomb into its face. ¡°Everyone, close your eyes!¡±

    The vial smashed, and a blast blew dust and mist into Magdala¡¯s face as the back of her eyelids lit up. Magdala was a natural at basic explosions, which created force, but shat she needed was to create a bright light. That¡¯s why she¡¯d included a piece of her hair clip.

    As the mantis screamed, it couldn¡¯t close its eyes, Magdala opened hers. The explosion had cleared away the smokescreen, Huan and Mrs. Momin were holding off the barbarian, and there was nothing left between Lady Pol and the mantis.

    ¡°Get down, Gallus!¡± shouted Odette.

    Lady Pol raised her voice. ¡°EM!¡±

    The air around the wind mage and its counterpart behind the mantis twisted into themselves and created two tiny storms, that, as Magdala dropped to the ground, unleashed a bolt of lightning arced between them and caught the mantis in the middle. Electricity shook the insect, which convulsed and flailed. When the spell was completed, both its caster and its target collapsed to the ground.

    ¡°Blaadu!¡± The barbarian tossed Mrs. Momin into the air, backhanded Huan and then charged Magdala, his hammer doubling in size.

    With Lady Pol down, Odette tending to her, Momin up in the air, and Huan out of position, it was up to Magdala and her little block of lead to defend her. She raised it like a shield.

 Rimwepo, Fire Burst

    Standing at attention outside an ornate room tiled with intricate repeating patterns, Mei glanced at the other guard. She was clutching her spear so tightly, her hands shook with the effort. She was afraid too although Mei was more concerned with where she was than with what was happening outside. Nothing here felt quite real, a feeling that was bolstered by the thick bearded deep bronze face she¡¯d caught a glance of in a mirror.

    ¡°You must go.¡± The reedy voice came out of the room Mei was guarding. It sounded like High Tuquese, which didn¡¯t match where they stood. She doubted even the farthest edges of the Empire looked like this place.

    ¡°No,¡± the other person replied in a clipped, cultured, and familiar tones, ¡°you must come with us, my husband!¡±

    During the course of this argument, Mei had learned that the speakers were the emperor and his consort, that their empire was under attack, and that the consort desperately wanted the emperor to run away.

    ¡°We¡¯re losing.¡± The emperor sounded tired. ¡°I have to go out there and make sure that our retreat doesn¡¯t turn into a rout.¡±

    ¡°But they¡¯ll kill you?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the only way to keep you and Pari safe.¡± The emperor lowered his voice. ¡°Call for Nullo. Have them protect you in Vuse. I must go.¡± As his consort broke down into sobs, the emperor stepped out into the hall. A head shorter than Mei, he was dressed in red and blue robes and wore a crown bearing an encircled red eye on his head.

    He turned to Mei. ¡°Your lives for theirs.¡± There were bags under his wide brown eyes and resignation.

    Mei and the other guard¡¯s left fists came up in an unfamiliar salute. ¡°Yes, my liege.¡±

    As Mei tried to figure out how she¡¯d know that salute, the emperor turned and marched down the hall, sweeping up warriors and couriers in his wake.

    The other guard sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    She led Mei into the room where the empress knelt in front of a small tree, her hands clasped in front of her. As Mei watched, the tree rustled as if blown by the wind and shone like a golden sunrise.

    ***

    Mei¡¯s eyes snapped open and she sat up. ¡°Where am I?¡±

    Lord Kalan pulled back from her, confusion and relief fighting for space on his face. Mei frowned. Why hadn¡¯t he understood her? Oh, she¡¯d spoken Tuquese not Souran. She opened her mouth to repeat the question, but Lord Kalan¡¯s hand covered her mouth before she could. He shook his head and then gestured down and started to draw pictures in the dirt. No, not pictures. Words.

    Mei peered at them. They were just like the scribbles in Dwayne¡¯s notes, but that meant they were just as intelligible. She shook her head. Lord Kalan goggled at her and then traced out a Tuquese character, one that Mei vaguely recognized from road signs back home but had never needed to heed. Once again, she shook her head. Staggered, the noble mage sat back and stared at Mei, who turned her attention to their surroundings.

    Lord Kalan had dragged her into cover behind a low ridge that had ripped itself up out of the garden floor and was the reason why they were no longer caught in the golden light, which filled the rest of the garden and cut them off from the tunnel they¡¯d come in by. Unfortunately he¡¯d only been able to save Mei. Dwayne lay in a nightmare plagued sleep between them and the entrance along with the child who lay just a half wir away near trees that formed the edge of the garden. Mei peered closer at the child. They wore a blue tunic too short for them, its collar barely covering a tattoo. An eye in a circle, just like on the emperor¡¯s crown.

    Hadn¡¯t Lord Kalan mentioned something about Yaniti royalty?

    That was a question for later. Whatever Lord Kalan¡¯s plan was, it had to include rescuing his apprentice, and the child¡¯s could help with that. First, she had to deal with the golden light. She had plenty of powder but only three bullets. Without Maggie to make more, she¡¯d have to make her shots count. Mei loaded her rifle and then wiped away Lord Kalan¡¯s scribblings and replaced them with a simple map that showed the ridge, themselves, Dwayne, the child, and the lady in the chair. When she¡¯d made sure that Lord Kalan understood with some quick gesticulations, she drew two more mounds, one for Dwayne and another for the child, both positioned to put them in shade. Frowning, Lord Kalan pointed at the second mound and shook his head. Mei scowled and jabbed her finger at the map, but the noble mage pointed to his throat then to the lady¡¯s image in the dirt and then to Dwayne¡¯s. He probably wanted Dwayne to attack the lady in the chair. Mei rolled her eyes, hefted her rifle and slid to the left side of the ridge, the side closest to the child, ignoring Lord Kalan¡¯s attempts to stop her. The map was missing one thing and Mei need to actually see it to gauge where it was. Hopefully the golden light didn¡¯t work instantly.

    Mei peeked around the ridge and got a brief glimpse of the pond, the lady¡¯s high arched eyebrows, the golden set into her chair, - a distant pillar of light that cut through an endless expanse of night, twisting and turning as it spat out shimmering dots of - before Lord Kalan pulled her back into the ridge¡¯s shadow. He looked her over, his face pale with fear.

    Mei waved him away and readied her rifle. Assuming the strange alien imagery was more of the light¡¯s trickery, then she knew where everything was. She fixed it all in her mind. The lady was about three wirs away on the other side of the pond, and she was about half a wir tall in her chair. The star was right above her head. The lady seemed content to hold them back here and wait for her allies to deal with them. She didn¡¯t think they could do anything. She was wrong.

    Mei closed her eyes, stood up, aimed, and fired.

    The light flickered.

    The lady screamed. ¡°NULLO, UIT!¡±

    ¡°Qesueut!¡±

    Mei was pulled back down to the ground, which quaked underneath her. When she opened her eyes, she saw that Lord Kalan hadn¡¯t made two separate ridges but had instead pushed up the ridge they¡¯d been hiding behind and created a shadow that covered both Dwayne and the child. As one, both Mei and Lord Kalan dashed forward and grabbed one person each: she got the child, he got Dwayne. They managed to drag both to the ridge before the golden light flickered back on, brighter than before.

    ¡°Pari, pulgisht tghum!

    The golden light rose, shrinking the ridge¡¯s shadow and forcing Mei and Lord Kalan to press their backs up against it. They¡¯d succeeded, but had lost ground.

    The child stirred in Mei¡¯s arms. ¡°Chei-¡±

    ¡°Shh.¡± Mei put a finger to the child¡¯s lips and shook her head.

    The child nodded and then watched as Lord Kalan awakened his apprentice, covering the boy¡¯s mouth when he tried to speak. Dwayne calmed down and soon he and his master were scribbling in the dirt. Mei left them to it, focusing on checking the child for wounds, ignoring the child¡¯s wide brown eyes and high arched eyebrows. They was fine, just a little scrapped and bruised.

    ¡°Pari?¡± The lady¡¯s voice was choked.

    The child Pari got to their feet. Lord Kalan moved to grab them, but Mei fended him off, allowing Pari to place a foot into the golden light and face their mother.

    ¡°I¡¯m here, mother. I¡¯m okay,¡± they said.

    Mei stared. What came out of Pari¡¯s mouth was lightly accented High Tuquese although their lips didn¡¯t make the right shapes. It was just like in the dream.

    Pari turned to Mei and placed a hand over the tattoo. ¡°I¡¯m Pari. You¡¯re Mei, right? You hunted the big furry thing with a skull for a head with¡­¡± She gestured at Mei¡¯s rifle. ¡°That.¡±

    Mei frowned. Big furry thing¡­ ¡°The grimbear?¡±

    Pari nodded. ¡°The grimbear.¡± They tilted their head. ¡°You were so sad when you had to kill it. Why?¡±

    ¡°She speaks¡­¡± Lord Kalan stared. ¡°She speaks Souran.¡±

    Dwayne raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

    Mei answered the question, carefully speaking Souran so that the others could understand. ¡°I did not want to kill it, just see it.¡±

    ¡°Pari, oma rei!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Momma!¡± Pari glanced at Dwayne and grinned. ¡°You fought Blaadu. You shot fire from your hands!¡±

    Lord Kalan¡¯s astonishment moved to his apprentice. ¡°You did? Excellent.¡±

    Dwayne barely noticed. ¡°You¡¯ve seen our memories.¡±

    ¡°Pari.¡± The empress¡¯s voice brooked no refusal. ¡°Oma. Rei.¡±

    Pari shook her head. ¡°They¡¯re not bad. They¡¯re just lost.¡± They reached out to Mei. ¡°You have to stand in Nullo¡¯s light to understand her.¡±

    Mei shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t want to dream.¡±

    Pari flinched. ¡°Nullo didn¡¯t see me before.¡± They shook their head. ¡°He won¡¯t do that now.¡±

    Mei glanced at Dwayne, who winced. ¡°This is beyond me.¡±

    She glanced at Pari, whose shoulders were beginning to hunch and sighed. ¡°Okay.¡± Mei took Pari¡¯s hand and stood up into the golden light and in full view of the lady in the chair. She waited for the dreams, the memories, to catch her, but she felt nothing. The lady in the chair was the woman who¡¯d been praying in front of the little tree. She was the Empress.

    Back in the shadow of the ridge, a whispered discussion was had.

    ¡°She looks fine.¡±

    ¡°No, you¡¯ll stay here.¡±

    ¡°Master, it¡¯ll be fine.¡± Dwayne stood up and faced the empress.

    ¡°Pari, get away from them.¡± The empress glared at them. ¡°They hurt Blaadu and Porthop. Their compatriots are fighting them even now.¡±

    Pari gestured to Mei. ¡°Porthop said she-¡±

    ¡°You know what I¡¯ve told you about shapeshifters, alchemists, and,¡± she sneered at Dwayne, ¡±fire eaters. They are monsters, monster who took your father away from us. Move away, my child.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Pari stepped in front of Mei and Dwayne. ¡°Porthop said that they were nice until I told them to attack Blaadu thinks that-¡±

    ¡°Pari,¡± the empress rose from her chair, ¡°I¡¯m your mother and you will listen to me. Move. Away.¡±

    ¡°Father said I should go outside when the fight is over.¡± Pari glanced at Mei. ¡°And I think it¡¯s over. They don¡¯t have memories of us. They¡¯ve not been fighting, not like we were.¡±

    ¡°Your father died to protect you, to protect everything you are.¡±

    ¡°Momma, I-¡±

    ¡°Enough.¡± The empress sat back down. ¡°Nullo, make her remember.¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Pari shoved Dwayne and Mei back into the shadow of the ridge but was caught as the golden light turned white. They fell to the ground and into the world of memory.

    ¡°That did not go well.¡± Lord Kalan inched deeper into the shadow. ¡°Did you learn anything?¡±

    Dwayne glanced at Mei. ¡°That light¡­¡±

    Mei nodded. ¡°Nullo.¡±

    ¡°That light is like the armor or the otter, a creature like them.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the tree too.¡±

    ¡°How do you mean?¡±

    Mei couldn¡¯t explain it, but she¡¯d seen the empress with a much smaller version of the tree, and she could feel the garden curl towards them as if it were a hand closing. She reloaded her rifle. ¡°I just do.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    ¡°Kui aman, okau,¡± said the lady. ¡°Kui aman ye veight!¡±

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    ¡°We definitely got Yaniti vowels wrong.¡± Lord Kalan cracked his knuckles. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of this.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± said Dwayne. ¡°Did you said that magic wasn¡¯t enough?¡±

    Mei couldn¡¯t watch Pari shiver in that cold white light anymore. ¡°We have to break Nullo.¡± She closed her eyes, stood up,  fired and once again the light flickered behind her eyelids, but it flicked back on just as fast. Mei dropped back down behind the ridge. One shot left. She started to reload.

    ¡°Wait,¡± Dwayne placed his hand on hers, ¡°we need a plan.¡±

    The empress called out and the trees at the edges of the guarding responded, their roots surging towards the ridge.

    Mei shook Dwayne off. ¡°We shoot it. We have to hurry.¡±

    The roots were scraping away at the ridge, removing their cover.

    ¡°Cups, that¡¯s bad.¡± Lord Kalan started to rise to feet. ¡°I¡¯ll give you an opening. Just-¡±

    ¡°No!¡± Dwayne shoved his master back down. ¡°We have to do this together. Mei¡¯s shots aren¡¯t doing enough damage and you will just end up trapped in a dream.¡± He pulled out his vial of ambersoul and dragonscale. ¡°We need to change it up.¡±

    ***

    Honestly, neither Huan or the beast cared about Magdala, who was arrogant, bossy, and complained a lot, but when the warrior broke away from their duel to go for the witch, it wounded their pride. After all, who had stolen the armor¡¯s sword and dodged every attack the warrior had dished out, save one? All Magdala had done was throw a shiny firework. To right this wrong, Huan decided to let the beast. Get him.

    With a roar, Tiger raced forward and leapt onto the warrior¡¯s back causing him to miss Magdala, but before Tiger could follow up, the warrior reached back, grabbed Tiger by the back of his neck, and flung him to the ground. Head spinning, Tiger swiped to force his opponent back then rolled to his feet and placed himself between the warrior and Magdala.

    The thief winced. You can¡¯t keep taking hits like that.

    Rabbit called out. ¡°You have to keep control, boy.¡±

    The warrior beckoned Tiger with a hand.

    Bastard! Tiger charged. When the warrior swung wide to slam Tiger¡¯s, he ducked under the blow and thrust his sword at the warrior¡¯s side, but his opponent spun away, raised his hammer and tried to bring it down on Tiger¡¯s side. It was a slow clumsy attempt and Tiger easily sidestepped it then countered with a high slash at the neck, but the warrior leaned out of range and wound up for another wide slow swing.

    As Tiger dodged yet again, the thief stirred. This didn¡¯t feel right.

    Unlike the armor, the warrior¡¯s face was visible, and it had a distracted look, like its owner¡¯s attention was actually elsewhere. That dismissal infuriated Tiger. Throwing away all thought, he began to rain attack after attack on his opponent, and time and time again, each one was dodged, parried, or blocked and the warrior¡¯s face never showed an inkling of interest.

    The thief tried to get Tiger¡¯s attention. This has to be a trap.

    But Tiger could only see continued insult. Screaming, it leapt into the air with its sword raised high, and the warrior punched him in the stomach. Gasping, Tiger fell to all fours as the warrior slammed his hammer into his true target Rabbit, who¡¯d tried to use the openings that Tiger had made. In moments the tables had turned: Rabbit lay groaning in a patch of golden light, Tiger was fading fast, and the warrior had walked away, his trap sprung.

    The beast slunk back and Huan crawled to Rabbit. ¡°Momin.¡± He turned her over.

    When he turned her over, she winced and wheezed. ¡°That thing is too smart.¡±

    ¡°It wanted you the whole time.¡± Huan glanced at the warrior, who¡¯d started to search the battlefield. ¡°Why you?¡±

    Momin slid off her mask and coughed. ¡°We don¡¯t have time. You must get Laohu to- Move!¡± She pushed Huan out of the light as it turned harsh and white. Her eyes widened despite its brilliance and she gazed upward in wonder.

    ¡°Momin? What are you doing?¡± Huan looked to Odette. ¡°Help!¡±

    But the archer had her own troubles. Lady Pol, her eyes gazing upward, said nothing as her companion shook her.  ¡°Luisa! Luisa, what are you¡­¡± Odette looked up and was lost.

    Chills traveling down his spine, Huan got to his feet and edged away from the bright patches of light. Whatever this enchantment was, it had taken all three of the adults, leaving himself and the witch to fight the warrior. Huan faced his opponent, who was frowning at the top of tree.

    So this was a surprise to him too. Huan had two choices: fight and die here or run and die later. Maybe Momin wouldn¡¯t have presented him with a third option. He¡¯d never know now.

    With a shrug, the warrior resumed his search for Magdala, not even throwing a glare back at Huan and it was final dismissal that tipped the balance. Huan would fight. In the back of his mind, the beast limped forward and chuffed.

    Yeah, one more time.

    ***

    When Dwayne finished detailing his plan, Mei shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t make the bullet hit harder. Maggie¡¯s powder is already the best.¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s lips pressed together. He¡¯d have to come up with something else.

    ¡°Ah,¡± Lord Kalan wagged his finger, ¡°but we don¡¯t really require stronger powder. What we require is heat and,¡± Lord Kalan put a hand on Dwayne¡¯s shoulder, ¡°you¡¯ll provide it.¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s heart sank. ¡°Can¡¯t you modify the powder? I could focus on hardening her weapon.¡±

    ¡°Rifle,¡± corrected Mei. ¡°In Souran, it¡¯s rifle.¡±

    ¡°Impossible.¡± Dwayne¡¯s master slapped his hand against the ridge. ¡°Qesueut!¡± It reformed, but the roots resumed their work. ¡°Even if I could do nQe magic like my niece, I have to maintain this barrier. Its far simpler for you to do it. You¡¯ve created a fireball. You can do this.¡±

    Mei shot a glance at Dwayne¡¯s hands. ¡°Are you going to set my rifle on fire?¡±

    ¡°No, but I-¡±

    ¡°Then there¡¯s no problem.¡± Lord Kalan pressed his hands against the ridge. ¡°You¡¯d best get started. Qesueut! I only have a few of these in me.¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s hands fell to his side. ¡°But I can¡¯t!¡± Performing something so precise required practice and he couldn¡¯t mess up here.

    On the other side of the ridge, the lady in the chair called out, ¡°Nullo, imo uve com.¡± The tree roots redoubled their efforts.

    ¡°Qesueut! Listen, Dwayne.¡± Lord Kalan¡¯s face was covered in sweat. ¡°Despite my neglect and incompetence, you are becoming a fine mage. You can do this.¡±

    ¡°Veitch, cuim oup!¡± The trees leaned down and brought their branches to bear.

    ¡°Cups. Qesueut!¡±

    It was now or never. Clutching the ambersoul vial, Dwayne turned to Mei and hovered a hand over her rifle. ¡°May I?¡±

    Mei¡¯s grip on her rifle tightened, but she nodded.

    Dwayne touched the long end of her weapon. ¡°Qeuiyit¡± The rifle gleamed. ¡°Now, where should I make a fire?¡±

    Stone-faced, the hunter opened up the top of her weapon, where a little pan sat. ¡°Here.¡± She closed it up and placed his hand over it. ¡°Don¡¯t make it in the barrel. Don¡¯t burn me. I will shoot on three. Understand?¡±

    If only nervousness or fear or regret fueled this spell, but Dwayne had to summon rage. ¡°Understood.¡±

    ¡°One.¡± Mei closed her eyes.

    Oh, rage was so distant now after making up with Lord Kalan, finding a new Ri spell and finally, finally casting a Qe spell.

    ¡°Two.¡± Mei¡¯s breath slowed.

    Then Dwayne¡¯s eyes slid to the small form clad in blue, twitching on the grass in the harsh pale light. Turns out he didn¡¯t to be angry at himself. What parent put their child through that?

    ¡°Three.¡± Mei stood up and Dwayne shouted ¡°Ri¡¯mwe¡¯po!¡± as she pulled the trigger. The resulting bang knocked them both down and the white light winked out and a hollow tearing sounded out. The garden¡¯s spring air chilled as a dry wind blew through. They could still see. The white light had been replaced by a softer light. His ears still ringing from the rifleshot, Dwayne peeked over the ridge and gasped. There was a tear in the air above the lady¡¯s chair and beyond it stretched the open desert and right at the horizon stood the ruins of Yumma. They¡¯d made it out.

    ¡°Finally,¡± Lord Kalan clapped Dwayne on the back, ¡°take that exit. I¡¯ll go and retrieve the others.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s Pari?¡± asked Mei. ¡°Where¡¯s the empress?¡±

    Dwayne looked around, but Pari and her mother had disappeared. ¡°I¡­ maybe they were memories too.¡±

    ¡°No, they were real.¡± Mei tried to get past Lord Kalan. ¡°We have to get them.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not risking you two any further.¡±

    ¡°Master,¡± Dwayne stood up. ¡°What about Magdala and the others? We have to¡­¡± He reeled and sank to his knees.

    Lord Kalan, still holding Mei by the arm, looked Dwayne over. ¡°Thaumaturgical shock. It looks like neither of you are fit to fight. Let¡¯s get you out of here. Qesueut!¡±

    As the ground beneath them rose into the air, Lord Kalan released Mei and jumped off. She tried to join him, but the platform bucked and forced her back on.

    ¡°I¡¯ll need you to trust me for just a little bit longer, Mei,¡± Lord Kalan said. ¡°I¡¯ll get your brother and everyone else out  safe, I promise.¡± Then he ran out the back of the garden. It was the most heroic Dwayne had ever seen his master be.

    Still, Mei tried to go after him, but Dwayne caught her arm. ¡°Wait, Mei.¡±

    ¡°I have to go. He needs me. And Pari-¡±

    ¡°Please, just trust Lord Kalan. Huan isn¡¯t alone. He has Magdala and Lady Pol and Odette. They¡¯ll get out.¡±

    The platform of earth dumped them onto the desert sand where they could gaze back through the rent in the air into the wilting garden.

    Mei¡¯s hands curled into fists. ¡°They can¡¯t stay with her.¡±

    It took Dwayne a moment to figure out who she meant. ¡°We did our part for Pari.¡± He wasn¡¯t sure that either the child or their mother were real, but Mei didn¡¯t need to hear that. ¡°They saw our memories. They know that war ended.¡±

    Mei sniffed. ¡°Do you think we¡¯ll meet again?¡±

    Dwayne swallowed a wince and instead shoved warmth into his voice. ¡°Yes.¡±

    Mei sniffed again. ¡°I don¡¯t have any more bullets. I help pull them through.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Dwayne lay down and let the world spin. ¡°That sounds good.¡±

    ***

    Before the comforting golden light had turned pale and icy, Magdala had been hiding in a knothole big enough to hold two of her because seeing the barbarian¡¯s hammer nearly smash her to pieces had shattered any courage she had left. All she wanted to do was to go home and finally write that letter to her mother. Yes, part of her was appalled that she was cowering so. She¡¯d faced down bandits and dragons and even the barbarian¡¯s otter form and proved that she could stand her ground, but she didn¡¯t want to die, especially in a spatial bubble underneath a desert ruin. Why hadn¡¯t she been scared all those other times?

    Now with the pale light had sucked all color out of the air, leaving everything in shades of light and dark like winter had fallen early. Why the light change? They hadn¡¯t done anything to the tree. Magdala¡¯s breath caught. No, no one down here had done anything to the tree. Mei and Dwayne and her lord uncle must have done something and there was nothing that would stop the three of them. All she had to do was make sure that everyone down here lived long enough to make it out.

    She realized why she hadn¡¯t been scared those other times, with the otter, with the dragon, with the bandits. She hadn¡¯t been alone.

    Her fear vanquished, Magdala made her way out of the knothole and back over to the others, sticking to the shadows as much as she could. It was bad. Lady Pol, her companion, and Mrs. Momin were all staring up at the light, their faces wet with tears and slack with awe, and the barbarian paced the shadows. The light wasn¡¯t stopping time, Magdala saw Lady Pol blink, so she should be able to just move them, but why hadn¡¯t the barbarian just killed them?

    The answer to that question darted between the spots of light then pounced, but the barbarian blocked the sword strike then tried to push a masked Huan into the light, but the boy somersaulted away. As Huan attacked again, it became clear that, for all his size and the clumsiness of his weapon, the barbarian was too skilled for Huan. The only reason why Huan¡¯s hit-and-run tactics worked at all was because the barbarian was warily searching the shadows almost like he was¡­

    He was searching for her. It made sense. To him, she was the girl who¡¯d broken the lake and blinded the mantis, both actions that had ended fights, and he¡¯d always targeted her first. She¡¯d be flattered if that weren¡¯t so terrifying. To stave off panic, she focused on her goal: taking the barbarian n¨¦e otter down. Could she free the adults? Would that worth it? Mrs. Momin looked hurt, Lady Pol¡¯s magic was spent, and Odette had said that she was out of those wind Qe crossbow bolts. She¡¯d fired her last one at the ground. Could Magdala use that? All she had to do was get it, throw it at the barbarian and Huan could finish it off.

    Now where was that bolt? Magdala stayed low and crawled over to the chamber wall, her eyes scanning the ground. She finally found the bolt halfway between its owner and the giant tree. Or, in other words, right in the middle of Huan¡¯s fight with the barbarian. Great.

    Okay, new plan. Maybe she could create another bomb? No, the barbarian had seen it once and she was out of vials. Could she grab Odette¡¯s crossbow? No, she¡¯d never trained with a crossbow. There were lines her father would not cross. What if she tossed the lead block into the barbarian¡¯s face and¡­ yeah that was just desperation talking. No way she¡¯d get close enough to do any damage before the barbarian saw her and turned her to paste. But the lead block could do something else.

    Pulling the lead block out of her cloak, Magdala stood up slowly, keeping her whole body in the shadows. Then, when the barbarian¡¯s back was to her, she hurled the heavy away from her as hard as she could. It thumped onto the ground far closer than she like, but the barbarian¡¯s response was perfect. He turned and rushed in the direction of the block with a snarling Huan in hot pursuit. With both distractions in play, Magdala ran to the crossbow bolt, tugged it out of the ground and threw it at the barbarian, but with no wind, the bolt tumbled through the air and landed harmlessly in a patch of white light. Magdala gaped at it. What happened?

    Her antics drew the attention of barbarian, who whirled around with an angry chitter and tried to close on her, but Huan slashed at that barbarian¡¯s side and forced him to defend. That wasn¡¯t going to last so Magdala ran to the patch of light and stopped. Was touching the light dangerous or did she have to look up at it?

    Huan yowled. The barbarian¡¯s hammer had hit him in the shoulder. The thief was still on his feet, but the barbarian¡¯s full attention was on him now and now he was in full defense mode.

    Unfortunately time wasn¡¯t going to provide an answer. Magdala had to take the chance. She knelt and snatched the arrow out of the light, feeling a strange knowing that passed when her hand left the light. What was- No time. Magdala looked over the bolt and winced.

    The bolt¡¯s magic was clearly spent, the symbols carved into its shaft dark. Could she distract the barbarian by trying to stab him with it or by yelling the words carved on it at him? Magdala¡¯s eyes widened. There were words in Old Iani carved along the bolt¡¯s shaft. That language was Early Yaniti¡¯s predecessor so she couldn¡¯t make out all of it, but she could piece together at least two words. Contain. Charge. What had Lady Pol said? ¡°Wind Qe infused arrows?¡± It probably wasn¡¯t coincidence that the companion of one of the greatest wind Qe mages alive carried something like this. Magdala wasn¡¯t a Qe mage of any sort, but she had an idea.

    Holding the bolt in both hands, Magdala focused on the barbarian¡¯s hammer. It was just frozen water at the end of the day. Her earlier bomb had proved that. ¡°nQerm!¡±

    Hearing her invocation, the barbarian kicked Huan back and charged her, his head of his hammer doubling then tripling then quadrupling in size. He raised it high and brought it down on Magdala, but she thrust the bolt up into the air. The hammer hit the tip of the bolt and-

    Whoosh!

    Cold mist filled her vision as the hammer¡¯s head sublimated into water vapor. Once again, she couldn¡¯t see anything, but there was a snarl, a thunk, a wail, and all went dark.

    ¡°Qemilo.¡± Soft wind blew the cold mist away, revealing a darkened room, and Magdala¡¯s lord uncle. ¡°Good, you¡¯re alive. I believe Mei will murder me if you¡¯d died.¡±

    ¡°Lord uncle? You did it!¡± Magdala ran over to him.

    ¡°Well, Mei and Dwayne did. I only helped. Where¡¯s everyone else?¡±

    ¡°Here.¡± Odette carried Lady Pol limp over to them.

    Lord Kalan stared. ¡°What happened to her?¡±

    Odette glared at him. ¡°When she wakes up, you will thank her profusely for saving your niece.¡±

    ¡°Well I-¡±

    ¡°Bart!¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay. Where¡¯s Mei¡¯s brother and the other one?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± Huan Mrs. Momin over to them. ¡°She¡¯s unconscious. What are we going to do about that?¡±

    Magdala looked down and quailed. The barbarian barely less than a wir from her. He was grievously wounded with deep cuts leaking pale fluid. His chest moved. He was alive.

    ¡°Oh, uh¡­ maybe we should take him too?¡± said Magdala. ¡°We could do experiments on him.¡± She glanced over at the tree, where the mantis¡¯s body lay. Was that a twitch she saw?

    Huan raised his sword. ¡°We should kill him.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± The child appeared between them, arms wide. ¡°No.¡±

    Huan growled. ¡°What are you?¡±

    The child caught sight of the sword in Huan¡¯s hand and pointed. ¡°Shmahar Blaadu la guv.¡±

    ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t understand.¡± Huan sneered. ¡°Move.¡±

    The child spat a phrase so fast, Magdala couldn¡¯t parse it. Two tears appeared in the air, one beneath the child and the barbarian, and another beneath the mantis. All three dropped into them and were gone. Magdala only remembered the child¡¯s parting glare.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s that then.¡± Lord Kalan let out a breath. ¡°We¡¯re going. Qesueut!¡±

    As a platform of earth lifted the party upwards, Magdala sat down and started to compose her letter to her mother.

 Interlogue

    A day and a bath later, Lian Momin paused over her report to the emperor and leaned back in her litter, wincing at the pain in her ribs. What should she write?

    In the eleven years Lian had served as the Imperial eyes and ears in the Souran Queendom, she¡¯d never found it necessary to be entirely truthful in her reports. Her predecessor had warned her that while emperors claimed they wanted to know everything that happened beyond their borders, but they only really wanted to hear validations of their impressions. That was lesson her predecessor¡¯s own predecessor had learned the hard way when he¡¯d told the sitting emperor that the Souran monopoly in the Ilyon Sea couldn¡¯t be broken and gotten executed for his trouble. Besides, it was in Lian¡¯s best interests to keep the fact that her cover was blown secret as long as she could.

    Still, she had to write something. Maybe she could mention the new ¡°infused¡± magic goods coming out of Vanuria, get Boar something to do.

    Something rustled in the desert bush. Grimacing, Lian put down her pen. ¡°Stop.¡± When her litter came to a halt, she dropped to the ground. ¡°Stay here. Eyes forward.¡±

    Her litter bearers obeyed and kept their eyes on the southeast horizon. Good. Lian didn¡¯t want to have to replace them. Leaving them behind, she walked straight west, following her ears to a bare rock formation a dozen wirs from the litter. Slipping on Rabbit, she stepped up to the formation¡¯s shadow. ¡°Such sloppiness is an insult.¡±

    The shadow sighed. ¡°I was hoping that you hadn¡¯t come yourself.¡± Her fellow spy and competitor was wrapped from head to toe in bandages, which were designed to conceal the shape and sex of their wearer, and their voice held a pitch that was slightly too high for your average man, slightly too low for your average woman.

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    Lian had her guesses as to why this spy was dressed so, but they weren¡¯t relevant. ¡°Why is the Circle taking an interest here?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have the authorization to respond to that question.¡±

    A pity. She¡¯d have to reveal her hand. ¡°Then I¡¯ll trade. One question for one question.¡±

    The other spy stiffened. ¡°You¡¯re willing to go so far?¡±

    Lian raised an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯re not?¡±

    ¡°I am.¡± The other spy weighed their question. ¡°My question is this: where is Lord Kalan¡¯s party going?¡±

    Lian let only an instant of surprise pass before answering, ¡°To Walton.¡± Soura¡¯s Royal Sorcerer had said that he needed his apprentice and his niece to help him with something there although she thought it was more likely that he was trying to find something safe for them to do after this fiasco. His niece was writing to her mother after all.

    Lian¡¯s musings didn¡¯t keep her from noticing how the other spy stiffened and, oh how she desperately wanted to ask why they had, but such a question would give away too much information. She went with a safer yet more urgent question. ¡°Are you following the Li siblings?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± The other spy¡¯s response was quick, definitive, dismissive. The Circle had no interest in the Li siblings. Their mistake. While her brother wasn¡¯t worth the clothes on his back, the hunter was something special.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave you to it.¡± Lian turned east, and by the time she¡¯d taken off her mask and reached her litter, she couldn¡¯t hear anything from the rock formation behind her.

    She stepped up to the front-left litter bearer. ¡°Go to Bradford and tell my agent there that ¡®After settling some accounts in Adua, I¡¯ll be checking up on our operations there.¡¯¡± That code phrase would command her agents to start investigating Circle activities in Bradford. She wished she¡¯d developed assets in Walton, but the capital and Adhua demanded too much attention of her attention. Walton was on the Vanurian border though. Perhaps Boar would hear something.

    As her man ran north and east, Lian climbed up into her litter and settled in, allowing herself a small smile. Looks like she had something to report after all.

 Foujietha, Spirit Shift

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 Xa-She-Bei-Bian, Rattlesnake Tail

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 Qeierut, Smash

    The next day Magdala woke up and discovered that she didn''t have any new bruises from sleeping on the ground in a tent. Her old ones were still there, but they hadn''t kept her up all night so that was a win. After taking a long hot bath, she walked downstairs to the dining room where she ate a breakfast consisting of a fried egg placed on a bed of fruits and greens, all products of the local market. While she ate, Galkin informed her that her lord uncle and his apprentice had woken up hours earlier and disappeared into the study. He hadn''t mentioned Mei, who, Magdala guessed, chose to eat down at the garrison with her brother, and so she ate alone, uninterrupted by Mei''s dressing of her latest kill, Dwayne''s constant questions on magic or her lord uncle''s unhelpful lectures. She even missed Huan''s snide comments but only for a moment.

    When she was done with breakfast, Magdala returned to her room where a house maid was ready with a set of brushes and a standing mirror, but Magdala took one look at the maid''s hair, which was done up in two side buns, and sent her away. After half an hour of painful plaiting, the best she could say was that her hair was under control. Good thing her mother wasn''t around to see it.

    She judged the effect in the mirror. "Practice makes perfect." Deciding to be satisfied, Magdala opened the closet and found that it had been filled with select outfits during her absence. She vaguely recalled her friend Francesca stating that green was her color, but she wanted her lord uncle to take her seriously, and so she pulled down a dark blue dress with long puffy sleeves and put it on. It was both freeing and alarming to be out of pants. Her legs could really breathe now, but the thought of fleeing dragons or giant otters in it made her want to pull back on her traveling clothes. She stepped past the mirror, keeping her eyes from her reflection, and sat down at the desk, which now sported ink, pens and paper. Galkin was anticipating her needs.

    She picked up the pen. "''Make a study plan,'' he says.",

    Spell preparation had been the last thing she''d studied at the academy. It comprised of invoking a spell then holding it in one''s mind before casting it, which allowed one to combine multiple spells and create more complex effects. Using this technique, Lady Pol had rubbed air together and created lightning, and Magdala''s mother had created life-like statues out of water. If Magdala wanted to receive her aluminum ring from the Magisterium, she needed to learn the technique, and so she pulled On the Pre-preparation of Magic, 2nd Ed off the bookshelf and opened it to the first chapter.

    ¡°Start with a clear mind. A clear mind can hold more in it than one focused on frivolities.

    ¡°Now, start invoking your spells, leaving the endings off of each of them so that you do not cast them. As you invoke each spell, its idea will fill the clear space in your mind. You will feel a heavy sensation, which will make you want to tighten your hold on the spell. Resist this. The harder you try to hold on to the spell the less mental space you will have for more.

    ¡°When you have finished invoking, their weight will pull at the back of your mind, ready to be cast. With practice you will be able to hold spells for hours, but it is preferable to prepare and cast spells throughout the day.

    ¡°When you are ready to cast, simply invoke an ending syllable, and let the spells flow out. Be aware that if you lose concentration during casting, the spell will snap in the middle and fail, and, depending on the complexity of the spell, result in catastrophe.¡±

    Magdala snorted. ¡°Comforting.¡± The last time she''d attempted this technique she had tried to combine a basic transformation spell with a new fusion spell and had knocked out her entire class, which had resulted in her suspension from the academy and her exile to Soura''s frontier. Or, she smiled, to put it another way, failing to grasp this technique had led her to Dwayne and Mei.

    Regardless, she wrote ¡°Spell Preparation¡± at the top of her study plan and continued going through the books on the shelf. In addition to that technique, she had to review and master more alchemical formulas, preferably ones that didn''t result in explosions. As for the non-magical school topics, she was behind on history, foggy on math, and her etiquette was nonexistent after weeks of traveling with her lord uncle, who did not understand the purpose of a simple fork. The only subject she wasn''t behind in was Yani language study since she''d been reading a text she''d found in the ruins at Yumma to Mei every night for the past week. She sagged in her seat. That had been fun. Was she going to have to leave that all behind?

    Forcing herself to sit up straight, Magdala looked down at the full sheet of paper. With all of those subjects, it was going to take weeks to review everything. Probably longer since her lord uncle couldn''t teach a rock to fall. So she''d have to do it alone without her teachers, her lord uncle, or her old study group. Francesca had probably-

    Someone knocked on the door.

    Magdala''s eyebrows lifted. ¡°Come in."

    Dwayne stepped into her room. "Good morning."

    Magdala scrambled to her feet. "Good morning." She smoothed her dress and took the opportunity to look him over. For the first time since she''d met him, Dwayne wasn''t wearing armor or traveling clothes, just a white open necked tunic, pale brown leggings and his trusty brown leather boots. Her eyes met his and held. This was the first time they''d been alone together since the tavern in Anders.

    Dwayne looked away first, stammering, "You look nice."

    Magdala''s face grew hot, and she looked away. "Yes, well, we''re back in civilization so I can finally look respectable." She coughed. ¡°What do you want?¡±

    Dwayne rubbed the back of his head. ¡°I was wondering if you could help me with something. Lord Gallus is your father, correct?¡±

    Magdala gave him a look. ¡°Yes, he is. Is that what you came here to ask?¡±

    Dwayne smiled. Or maybe he winced. ¡°He¡¯s coming here. He¡¯s currently inspecting the wall and that means he¡¯s coming here.¡±

    Magdala''s head swam, and she sat to catch the room. ¡°O-oh. He¡¯ll report back to my mother. I have to get all of this done. If I don''t, I''ll be stuck out here.¡± She waved at the piece of paper on her desk.

    "Is that the study plan Lord Kalan told you to make?" Bringing the scent of smoked wood with him, Dwayne strode up to the desk, but instead of the study plan, he picked up the spell preparation textbook. "I found an older edition of this in the study. I tried to understand it, but it''s almost nonsense."

    Magdala gave a weak smile. ¡°It is an intermediate technique, and you''ve been studying under my lord uncle."

    Dwayne''s eyes met hers again. ¡°Can you teach me?¡±

    Her smile disappeared, and a glare replaced it. ¡°My father is coming to judge me on my progress as a mage and you want me to tutor you?¡±

    Dwayne looked down, his left arm crossing in front of him. ¡°Right.¡± He laid the book back on the table, picked up Magdala''s study plan, and frowned. "What is this?"

    "It''s a study plan."

    "No, this is a list."

    "Every plan is a list when you get down to it."

    "There''s no order to any of this, no flow. You¡¯ll just burn yourself out trying to study all of this.¡±

    ¡°What do you know? You¡¯re just a-¡± Magdala bit down on the next word, but the damage was done.

    Dwayne dropped her study plan on the desk and stepped back.

    Magdala''s stomach tried to turn inside out. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for... I just... I thought I had more time.¡±

    Dwayne took a deep shuddering breath and nodded. ¡°So did I. I have a party to arrange. Excuse me.¡± He swept out of the room.

    Massaging her stomach, Magdala turned back to her review. First, she opened a book, and stared at the words contained within. After rereading the first paragraph five times and absorbing nothing, she closed the book, placed it on her desk, and, after find her cloak. fled the room.

    ***

    ¡°Again!¡±

    Mei looked up from cleaning her rifle.

    Saundra, the last member of the squad Marcus had put together, was training another soldier, a boy who was barely younger than herself. Nodding, the boy raised his wooden sword, wiped sweat off his face, and took up the same stance Mei had tried with Nathan, one foot forward, the other back, sword slanted upwards. Then he was in motion, letting the tip of his sword drop as he took two steps forward and thrust as if driving his wooden sword through a stone block. He grinned, but then his legs gave out, and he slumped to the ground.

    Saundra knelt over him. "Good job. You finally figured out how to put power behind it."

    The boy''s grin widened. "Thanks, Swordbreaker."

    "Don''t call me that." Saundra pretended to punch the boy in the face and they both laughed.

    Saundra stood. "Take a shower and get some breakfast."

    While the boy pulled himself to his feet and headed for the mess hall, Saundra tossed her wooden training sword back into the box, and then plopped down next to Mei. ¡°New recruits. They don''t have muscles in the right places whether they''re farmhands or blacksmith''s kids.¡± Her eyes looked over the pieces of Mei''s weapon. "What''s all this?"

    Mei picked up the trigger and peered at it. It didn''t have any rust, and it was only a little worn. She oiled it, put it down, and then picked up the barrel. ¡°Rifled hand cannon."

    Saundra looked askance at Mei. ¡°Rifled? What''s that?¡±

    Mei held the barrel up so that Saundra could see into it. "The grooves make the bullet spin. The spin makes the bullet fly far and straight.¡±

    Saundra shook her head. ¡°That sounds like a bunch of hooha. What does spinning have to do with distance?¡±

    Mei shrugged, picked up a long wiry brush, and slid it into the barrel, continuing with her task. She¡¯d almost finished when Saundra elbowed her in the side.

    ¡°By the cup, do you see that girl?¡±

    Mei followed Saundra''s outstretched finger. Clean faced, relaxed, and with her wild red hair tamed into a single plait, Maggie strode onto the training grounds, her eyes taking in everything. When Mei waved, Maggie grinned and headed straight towards them.

    Saundra''s jaw dropped. ¡°You know her?¡± She slapped her forehead. ¡°Right, you came into Walton with her.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s my friend,¡± said Mei.

    When Maggie reached them, Mei pulled the brush out of her rifle barrel and got to her feet. Saundra stood to attention.

    Maggie looked between them, grinning. ¡°Good morning, Mei. What are you doing with Corporal Taylor?¡±

    Mei held up the rifle barrel. ¡°Cleaning,¡±

    Saundra''s eyes focused on a point just above Maggie''s head. ¡°Training, milady. I, uh, just got done. Let me wash up."

    Maggie gave the corporal a sidelong smile. ¡°You¡¯re fine as you are. I''m just taking a break.¡±

    Saundra''s mouth twitched. ¡°From what, milady?¡±

    ¡°Everything.¡± Maggie looked between them. ¡°So, you two know each other?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve both been assigned to Sir Marcus Pollum¡¯s unit as of this morning, milady,¡± answered Saundra.

    ¡°Oh? That makes you practically a squire.¡± Maggie looked Saundra up and down. ¡°I wonder what makes you so special?¡±

    Saundra¡¯s tanned face turned pink.

    Mei answered the question. ¡°She knows how to fight.¡± She sat down, reassembled her rifle, and slipped it back into its leather case. She looked up and saw that Maggie was waiting for her. ¡°What?¡±

    Maggie bit her lip. ¡°Can I talk to you real quick? Sorry, Corporal, it¡¯s something personal.¡±

    Saundra shrugged. ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll just be doing, uh, exercises right over there.¡± She stepped into the ring and began a training regime, a flurry of punches and kicks.

    Maggie watched each move, fascinated. Mei poked her in the side.

    ¡°Oww!¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡± asked Mei.

    Maggie''s eyes didn''t leave Saundra. ¡°I¡¯m worried. My father is coming here, and he¡¯ll want to know if I¡¯m ready to go back to the Magisterium academy.¡±

    ¡°Do you want to go back?¡± Mei wondered what an "academy" was, but she guessed she''d find out for herself.

    Maggie''s eyes twinkled. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s wonderful there. There¡¯s so much to learn and the coursework is really engaging and my best friend is there. I think you two would get along splendidly.¡±

    New word: "coursework". Mei tapped her fingers on her rifle case. ¡°Why are you worried?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s you and Dwayne I guess...¡±

    Mei frowned. "Dwayne and I are making you worried?"

    Maggie finally tore her eyes off Saundra and faced Mei. ¡°I just- Dwayne said I¡¯m not going to be able to complete my study plan, and I need to complete it, and it¡¯s not like he¡¯s had a normal education. What does he know about studying? He''s my crazy lord uncle''s apprentice!¡±

    ¡°He does know a lot about magic. He reads a lot."

    Saundra was now moving at a frenetic pace.

    Maggie sighed. ¡°He does, but I need to do this on my own.¡± Her eyes drifted back to Saundra''s routine. ¡°My mother would expect nothing less.¡± She frowned. ¡°By the cup, what is she doing? Stop! Stop!¡±

    Saundra stopped her routine, sweat pouring down her face and arms. ¡°What, milady?¡±

    ¡°Are you actually shadow fighting or just waving that thing around?¡± Maggie asked. ¡°You''re not practicing, you''re showing off, and you won¡¯t learn anything showing off. Where¡¯s your sparring partner?¡±

    Saundra shrugged. ¡°Right now, there¡¯s no one around good enough." She raised an eyebrow. "Unless you¡¯ve got your father¡¯s moves, milady.¡±

    ¡°Ha, no, I have a better opponent in mind. Mei?¡±

    Mei shook her head. ¡°Rifle isn¡¯t for practice.¡±

    ¡°Just spar her with a sword.¡±

    Mei glanced at the box that still stood at the edge of the circle. Her interrupted match with Nathan was still fresh in her mind, but she steadied her hands, stood up, and pulled out a wooden sword. Stepping into the ring, she took a stance.

    ¡°No, that won¡¯t work.¡± Maggie took the sword from Mei and threw it back into the box. ¡°With your height, you¡¯ll need something smaller. My father says a weapon that isn¡¯t matched to you is worse than useless.¡± She rummaged through the box and pulled out a small wooden axe. ¡°This is better. It''s one handed so you can wield it and your rifle at the same time.¡± She handed it to Mei.

    Saundra scoffed. ¡°No one trains with those, milady. They¡¯re just for weight training.¡±

    ¡°Well, then you should be able to take her down.¡± Maggie''s grin was devious. ¡°I¡¯ll referee.¡±

    After Maggie left the ring, Mei swung the axe. It felt just right. Unlike the sword, it felt like she was swinging an extension of her arm instead of a tree trunk.

    At the other end of the ring, Saundra took on the same stance both Mei and the other soldier had taken, one foot forward, one foot back, sword pointed at the sky. ¡°Shall we?¡±

    Mei nodded.

    ¡°Let¡¯s keep it honorable,¡± said Maggie. ¡°No blows to the neck or head, but if you have an opening take it. Ring outs count.¡±

    Saundra''s eyes stayed on Mei. ¡°Milady, I¡¯m surprised you know so much about fighting.¡±

    When Mei shifted weight, Saundra shifted with her, and a tingle went up Mei''s spine. Where masked Huan was all fury and reckless abandon, Saundra knew her battlefield and kept her eyes on the goal.

    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Start!¡±

    Saundra advanced, maintaining her balance with each step. Mei leaned right, but Saundra ignored her feint and circled left. Mei tried again, this time leaning left, but Saundra kept advancing, pushing Mei back with each step. Suddenly, the ring was suffocating, its edges closing in, and because of Saundra¡¯s long arms and long sword, Mei couldn¡¯t see any way to escape to the center of the ring.

    ¡°Aren''t you going to strike?¡± asked Saundra. ¡°I won¡¯t make you look bad.¡±

    When the soldier stepped forward, Mei backed away, still searching for a way to attack. Saundra was reading how Mei distributed her weight, taking advantage of every opening, and kept advancing like death. This was no hunt. It was a fight. Mei''s soul buzzed with excitement.

    ¡°This is fun," she said.

    Throwing away every plan, Mei charged. When Saundra''s sword came down, Mei blocked, the impact nearly knocking her off her feet and out of the ring. Taking advantage of her greater height and weight, Saundra tried to push Mei out of the ring, sneaking a glance at Maggie. Now Mei understood what was happening. For Saundra, this was a performance, and, while she wanted to win, she also didn¡¯t want to hurt Maggie¡¯s friend, and a ring out would achieve a bloodless victory. However, Mei wasn''t going to let Saundra have her way. She twisted and pushed Saundra back just enough for her to break free. Saundra moved to block Mei from making for the center of the ring, but instead Mei charged, and kicked the soldier in the gut. After staggering back, Saundra brought her sword back down on Mei, who was forced to block. Again finding herself carrying her opponent''s full weight, Mei slid under Saundra and threw the soldier over her shoulder. By the time Saundra got back to her feet, they''d switched positions. Mei was now in the center, and Saundra was on the edge. They were both winded.

    Magdala clapped. ¡°Amazing!¡±

    Saundra wiped sweat from her forehead. ¡°You¡¯re stronger than you look. Where¡¯d you learn to fight like that?¡±

    Mei cocked her head in confusion. ¡°I-"

    Ringing bells cut her off.

    ***

    Huan entered Walcrest''s central courtyard at a run, vaulted over a table set up in the shadow of the Southern Line, and rolled beneath it. Sitting at the table on a bench, Dwayne continued his experiments, their haunting smell of magic wafting down to Huan. What is he working on now?

    Dwayne''s head appeared below the table. "What are you doing?"

    "Shh!"

    They both listened to the sounds of the yard, hammers banging, workers shouting, oxen grunting. When nothing else happened, Dwayne raised an eyebrow in question.

    Huan shrugged. "I''m escaping forced labor." When Dwayne''s lips pursed, Huan coughed. "It was punishment for something I did last night. Allegedly." He checked that his sword was still at his hip, which he''d had to steal back from the armory.

    "I heard." Dwayne''s face disappeared back above the table. "It sounds like you brought a Vanurian seeing skull onto the base. Sir Marcus told Lord Kalan about it this morning before breakfast."

    Huan''s stomach grumbled. He''d skipped breakfast to avoid punishment. "Is one small mistake worth cleaning the entire commissary all by myself?"

    "You were also out past curfew."

    "Two little mistakes. I can''t deal with this. This is suffocating." Huan rolled out from underneath the table and joined Dwayne on his bench, putting his hand on the Wesen mage''s shoulder. "You have got to get me out of this contract. I''m sure that Lord Kalan will listen to you."

    Dwayne shook Huan''s hand off his shoulder and kept working. "How did you get that impression?" He dropped a golden feather into a vial filled with a clear blue liquid. "There we go." He carefully placed the vial next to three others like it.

    Huan made a show of inspecting the vials, his eyebrows up, his eyes focused. "He listens when you tell him to wake up in the morning."

    "No, he responds to my threats to report him to his sister." Dwayne wiped his hands on a rag.

    "Same thing."

    Dwayne snorted. "And it only works when he''s groggy."

    "Then tell him to let me and Mei go when he''s just about to wake up."

    "If he did that, you would be arrested, put in chains, and repatriated to Tuqu." Dwayne pulled a notebook and pen towards him and took notes. "If I recall correctly, you don''t want to go back there."

    "We could go to Vanuria and-"

    Dwayne''s hand tightened around the pen, but he put it down before he broke it. He turned to Huan. "I will not help you ''escape'' to Vanuria. If you want to enter a place so vile that-"

    "People like Odette can do well and prosper?"

    Dwayne''s empty hand tightened into a fist. "You''d be helping slavers and liars."

    Huan''s hands became fists too. "All countries have those. I''ve seen the markets. I''ve heard the stories. The Ri needs goods that only Souran merchants can sell, but they don''t have anything but other Wesen to sell so they do. Meanwhile Soura doesn''t need slaves, but it does need that." He pointed to the clear liquid in the vials. "So they trade slaves for that and sell any extra to Tuqu who makes goods that both the Ri and the Soura need. No matter where we go, no matter what we do, we''ll be supporting that trade." Huan pulled out his passport and dropped the metal plate on the table. "This is just another set of chains."

    Dwayne''s jaw worked for a moment, but he said nothing. Instead, he pushed the notebook to the far side of the table, picked up the vial with the golden feather, and pointed a finger at the notebook. "Qemimaem!"

    The vial flashed blue and gold, and the notebook fluttered into Dwayne''s hand on a gust of wind.

    "I''m not going to help you." Dwayne put the notebook back on the table. "If you want to leave, tell Lord Kalan yourself."

    Huan glared. "Fine, I will. It''s not like-"

    Something barreled into both of them, knocking both boys out of their seats. Huan was up first, his hand already on his mask. The thing that had knocked them down was clambering up the manor''s walls, its gray fingers deftly finding nooks and cracks to hoist itself up.

    "Ri''mwe''ut!"

    Dwayne''s fireball missed, and the thing smashed a second floor window and slipped into the manor.

    Dwayne got to his feet, another spell on his lips, but it was too late. "Damn it." He turned to Huan. "You chase it, and I''ll go raise the alarm."

    Huan put a hand on his chest. "What''s in it for me?"

    Dwayne''s fists tightened, and then he took a deep breath. "I''ll help you with the contract."

    Huan smirked. "That''s the least you can-"

    "Go!"

    Huan rolled his eyes. "Fine."

    While the Wesen mage hurried away, Huan slipped on Tiger''s mask. His first sniff was filled with the scents of scratchy grass, sweet flowers, and Dwayne''s smoky magic. His second sniff pushed past all that to sulfur, dirt and- Emperor''s tits, pickles?

    Target acquired, Huan dashed to the wall, ran up it, and caught the second floor windowsill. With barely a grunt, he pulled himself up and climbed through the smashed window. Again, he sniffed. The smell of pickles led to the right. Grinning, Huan followed the thing, sprinting down the halls and passing door after kicked open door. The thing was searching for something. No, someone. Huan spared a glance into a couple of the rooms, which were all untouched. The thing wasn''t spending any time looking for something that could be hidden in a drawer or stored in a wardrobe, but the search still slowed it down, and so Huan caught up to it when it reached the foyer. "Hey!"

    The thing about faced and snarled.

    Huan froze. The thing''s yellow teeth, gray skin, and pale eyes glaring madly from under stringy black hair combined with the smell of dirt and magic told him he was not looking at a natural creature.

    Not alive.

    Before Tiger''s instincts could pull Huan back from the thing, her hand blurred, and a black handled and wickedly edged knife flew at Huan''s throat. He bent to the left and the knife zipped by him. Straightening up, Huan put his hand on his sword, but she''d already escaped, running along the bannisters straight towards an ornate set of golden doors.

    "Huan!"

    Huan looked down.

    Dwayne had run into the foyer to the accompaniment of bells.

    Huan pointed. "It''s over there!"

    "Ri''mwe''ut!"

    The thing flipped over Dwayne''s fireball, threw one knife each at Huan and Dwayne, and landed in front of the golden doors. It kicked them open and entered the room. Huan, who had dodged the knife, drew his sword and raced into the room, where the thing was stalking Lord Kalan.

    "Who are you?" The noble mage peered at the thing''s visage and paled. "No, get back!" He slammed his hand on the stone desk. "Qeit!"

    The desk split, and six stone blocks hurled themselves at the thing, which ducked, weaved, and closed with Lord Kalan. Huan, on the other hand, dove for cover, allowing the blocks to fly past him and onwards to the stairs behind him. His mouth went dry. Dwayne had been coming up those stairs. Concerned, Huan turned to see what had happened to the Wesen apprentice and found Dwayne still charging up the staircase. Letting out a soft laugh, Huan got to his feet and turned back to the battle behind the golden doors.

    Lord Kalan was not winning. His face was ruddy and awash with sweat, and when he tried to use magic, it had a weak effect on the books and furniture in the room. Already, the thing''s knife blades had laid open his arms and chest.

    I can''t afford that. With a roar, Huan closed the distance and slashed at the creature, drawing blood, but the thing jumped back and threw a knife, and when Huan bent left to dodge, the thing grabbed him by the collar and threw him over her shoulder into the bookshelves. While Huan sprawled under a deluge of books, the thing turned back to Lord Kalan, another knife already in its hand.

    Rubbing his head, Huan pulled himself to his feet. How many knives does it have? He''d only counted four knives in the thing''s belt, three black handled ones and one red handled one. It had thrown four already, and there wasn''t any space for more.

    "Ri''mwe''ut!"

    Dwayne''s fireball hit the thing in the back, and it dove to the ground, wailing and rolling. Huan leapt at it, but its rolling had put out the fire, and it double kicked him in the chest, knocking him into one of the sofas. After somersaulting to its feet, it dashed for the door.

    "Ri''mwe''ut!"

    The creature slid underneath Dwayne''s final fireball and disappeared down the stairs.

    With a barely swallowed snarl, Huan extricated himself from the sofa. "What the hell was that?"

    "That was a creature of Fo." Lord Kalan leaned against the wall, pale and breathing hard. "This is much worse than I..." He collapsed.

    "Sir!" Dwayne ran to Lord Kalan.

    "What happened?" Sir Marcus and another soldier stomped into the room with Magdala, Mei, and a servant Huan didn''t recognize close behind. The knight went to his friend. "Bart, talk to me."

    Huan sheathed his sword and put his hands in his pockets. His legs went weak for a moment, and he patted his pockets to make sure. Ignoring Mei''s questioning gaze, he exited the room and retraced his steps through the estate, stalking through the halls, climbing down the wall, and returning to Dwayne''s work table in the yard. He searched the tabletop and the ground beneath it. Nothing.

    "Damn it."

    His passport was gone.

    ***

    Her head swimming, Magdala sank down to her knees and reached out to her lord uncle, whose breathing was becoming more labored by the second.

    "What. Happened?" asked Sir Marcus.

    Magdala looked up.

    Sir Marcus had lifted Dwayne up by his collar with one arm.

    Dwayne tried to break free. "He was attacked!"

    Galkin grabbed Sir Marcus''s arm. "Put him down, Sir Pollum."

    The knight heard Galkin''s emphasis on his title and let Dwayne drop to the floor. Stepping back from the Wesen mage, he took several deep breaths then glared at the steward. "How did that thing get past security?"

    Magdala pressed her fingers against her lord uncle''s wrist and found a fading pulse. "No, you can''t die. I- Mother will kill you if you die."

    Galkin knelt next to her and examined Lord Kalan''s wounds. "I recognize this." Worry creased his face. "It''s nish root poisoning. Look here." He pointed to the edges of Lord Kalan''s knife wounds, which had turned a deep bruised purple.

    Magdala chilled. "What is that?"

    "The poison killing the blood, my lady, and it will kill the man if we do not stop it."

    Magdala shook her head. "That... I..."

    "Lady Gallus."

    "He can''t die!"

    Galkin grabbed Magdala''s elbow. "Lady Gallus, listen. You need to synthesize a solution. I will get the necessary ingredients. Young Master Dwayne?"

    Magdala glanced at the Wesen mage, who was staring at Lord Kalan, possibly not breathing. "Dwayne?"

    Dwayne sucked in a breath. "Yes? How can I help?"

    "Keep Lord Kalan warm, my lord." Galkin released Magdala and stood up. "Get a fire going."

    The Wesen mage nodded, knelt next to Lord Kalan, and held his hand out over him.

    Magdala''s mouth fell open. Was he really going to do that now?

    The steward frowned. "Master Dwayne, what are you-?"

    "Ri''a''tha." A warm orange flame appeared over Lord Kalan''s chest, its light illuminating Galkin''s shock.

    "You''re a Ri mage." Galkin''s voice shook. "A male Ri mage."

    Magdala nudged the steward. "You were getting something?"

    The steward shook himself, nodded, and stood up. "Watch his breathing, my lady." He ran out of the study.

    Watching her lord uncle''s breathing get more and more labored failed to keep Magdala''s mind from racing. If her lord uncle died now, there''d be no one to take up his position here at Walcrest, and, since Dwayne hadn''t been confirmed as his apprentice, he''d be deported, and Mei and her brother would be too since their passports would be revoked, and Magdala would never get to read to Mei, or feel Dwayne''s warm magic ever again. The flame flickered. Magdala looked up. Even in the warm light, Dwayne''s expression looked grave and resigned. Magdala wanted to say something, anything, to comfort him, but no words came out.

    The study doors slammed open. "What is going on?" A woman clad in gleaming Souran steel, instead of the reds and browns of the Southern Line Garrison, marched into the room. When both Sir Marcus and Corporal Taylor saluted, Magdala peered closely at the wall and pyramid insignia that was embroidered onto the woman''s sleeve. This was the commander of the Southern Line Garrison.

    Sir Marcus answered the question. "Ma''am, there''s been an attack."

    The commander scowled. "And you''re letting a foreigner do who knows what to him?" She marched forward and grabbed Dwayne''s shoulder. "Get away from him, boy!"

    She pulled, but Dwayne didn''t budge, his eyes focused on the orange flame. Magdala bit her lip.

    The commander pulled harder. "Didn''t you hear me? Stop that infernal magic this instant!"

    Magdala''s breath caught when Dwayne''s flame flickered and dimmed, but it did not go out.

    Sir Marcus stepped forward. "Ma''am he''s-"

    "Sir Marcus, this does not require your input. Corporal, remove this slave from the room."

    Grimacing, Taylor approached Dwayne, but Magdala stood up to block her.

    "You will do no such thing, Corporal," she said. "This is Lord Bartholomew Kalan''s apprentice, Dwayne."

    The commander scoffed. "That is not possible. He''s Wesen."

    Sir Marcus saluted. "He is Lord Kalan''s apprentice, ma''am. What''s more he saved the life of my squ- young Rutters. He''s one of the good ones, ma''am."

    His show of deference worked, and the commander released Dwayne, her wrath refocusing on Magdala.

    "Who are you?" she asked.

    Behind her, Huan slipped back into the room.

    Magdala put her hands on her hips just like she''d seen her mother do. "I am Lady Magdala Gallus, daughter of the Water Sage Iona Gallus and Lord Gerald Gallus. I vouch for him. Who are you?"

    The commander''s eyes widened, and she stood up straight. "Baron Charlotte Harvey, commander of the Southern LIne Garrison and a colonel in the Queen''s Army."

    Magdala looked Baron Harvey over. The title meant the commander had land somewhere, and the family name Harvey sounded northern. Baron, no, Colonel Harvey would have had to impress Magdala''s father and his staff to get this post, but since Magdala had never heard of the Harveys before, the colonel wasn''t from a magical family. Nevertheless, Magdala curtsied. "Apologies, Colonel."

    As the commander''s jaw fell open, Galkin rushed back into the study with a bunch of plants and tools in his arm. "Out of the way, my lady." He pushed Colonel Harvey aside and knelt next to Lord Kalan. He put a bowl, pestle and his ingredients down on the floor and directed Magdala to sit next to him. She complied.

    Galkin pointed to a pile of flowers with blue tipped yellow petals. "This is heatherwort-" He pointed to another pile of bright pink petals. "-livid daisy petal-" He gestured to a faint green powder. "-and ilue. I will need you to fuse these together with a Qe spell."

    Magdala shrank away from the ingredients. "I don''t... I can''t..." He was asking her to do the spell she''d failed at, the spell that had gotten her exiled to the frontier.

    "My lady, Lord Kalan will die if you don''t do this." He pushed the bowl and pestle closer to Magdala and then turned to Dwayne, whose eyes kept sliding to the door. "After the mixture is completely fused, it will need to be heated. Master Dwayne, please take care of that. You two can do this."

    Magdala and Dwayne looked at each other. The Wesen mage looked nauseous, but he nodded.

    Steeling herself, Magdala pushed herself back to the bowl and pestle. "Okay."

    Taking a deep breath, she pushed the question as to how a mere steward knew so much about Qe magic aside, dropped the ingredients into the bowl, and began to mash them together using the pestle. While she worked, she whispered Nqeoum, her alchemical identification spell, over and over again. She winced. She was mixing the ingredients together but not fusing them, all while her lord uncle''s shuddering breaths slowed. They had to hurry. Could she use Nqerm to force the ingredients together? No, that spell would transmute the ingredients into something else entirely. She had to use the last spell she''d casted at the academy, but if she failed this time, she''d lose her lord uncle and everything his presence held together.

    As quiet as a whisper, Mei knelt next to Magdala and watched, her presence arming Magdala''s fingers and silencing her doubts. Back in Yumma, she and Mei had fought for their lives, and the hunter had never once doubted Magdala. Closing her eyes, Magdala held the exact proportions of the ingredients in her mind and then said a single word. "Nqesiumut." The ingredients shivered and swirled in the bowl, but the proportions started to slip out of Magdala''s grasp. Despite it all, she was going to fail.

    Galkin''s voice cut through her haze. "Master Dwayne, heat."

    "Ri¡¯u¡¯po."

    The bowl warmed, and the proportions reemerged and solidified. A slow double beat thrummed up from the bowl, up through the pestle into Magdala''s fingers and synchronized with her own heartbeat. Opening her eyes, she saw that Dwayne''s flame had turned a merry if strange jade color. She and Dwayne both smiled as the flame danced in front of them. Then the mixture was done, and Magdala had to release the spell. When she did, both she and Dwayne slumped, breathing hard.

    "Very good, Lady Magdala, Master Dwayne." Galkin took the bowl out of Magdala''s limp hand and applied the soft paste to Lord Kalan''s wounds by the light of Dwayne''s now orange flame. "Very good."

    Magdala and Dwayne sat up. "What was that?" they asked Galkin.

    The steward kept applying the paste. "You''ve made an ointment to counteract the poison. He will still need to go to the infirmary to rest, but his life is safe. Bravo."

    Colonel Harvey''s voice was low and heavy with relief. "Good. Corporal, go get some staff from the infirmary. Don''t forget to bring a stretcher." When Taylor had disappeared down the staircase, the garrison commander turned back to Magdala and Sir Marcus. "If it wasn''t him," said the colonel, gesturing to Dwayne, "then what happened here?"

    Huan detached himself from the wall and stepped forward. "Some sort of dead thing attacked him. It got away."

    Dwayne stood up with Sir Marcus''s help and steadied himself against a sofa. Magdala pulled her cloak around her and shivered. The magic spell had taken more out of them than they expected.

    Dwayne cleared his throat. "Lord Kalan mentioned a Fo creature."

    Colonel Harvey''s eyes tightened. "Vanurian sorcery. That foul stuff should be burned from this world."

    "I do not disagree."

    "Hmph." The garrison commander turned to Sir Marcus. "Lock down the city and expel the Vanurians to the other side of the Southern Line."

    Magdala grabbed Mei''s arm. The hunter frowned but didn''t remove her hand.

    Colonel Harvey didn''t notice. "After that, perform a door to door search. That''ll find the culprit."

    Sir Marcus''s eyes widened. "We don''t have the numbers to do that, ma''am."

    "Fine. Then call for reinforcements from the outposts."

    "Ma''am, that will take time, and-"

    "If Lord Gallus arrives and we''ve done nothing to find his brother-in-law''s attacker, I will lose this post. He was already concerned about the attack two weeks ago, and if the Guardian of the Wall died under my watch too... I''m not taking any chances."

    Recalling something she''d heard long ago, Magdala got to her feet, waving off Mei''s attempt to help. "''An enemy deep behind unfriendly lines will be cautious, and haste will not catch a cautious enemy." She rubbed her arms to get feeling back into them.

    Colonel Harvey''s face turned red. "Excuse me?"

    "That was a quote from my father." An idea was forming in Magdala''s mind. Yes, Colonel Harvey''s plan might find the culprit, but it would definitely drive away the trade and trust that Walton relied on. If they drove the Vanurians out of town, they might never come back. "We should try and catch the culprit without raising an alarm. If someone gathers more information about this attack, they could use it to catch the culprit."

    Dwayne frowned. "The culprit will attack again. Possibly soon."

    Colonel Harvey nodded but did not acknowledge Dwayne. "It''s better to take quick, decisive action."

    Magdala shook her head. "If this was the prelude to a major attack on the Southern Line, then reinforcements would only weaken our defenses elsewhere. We need to know more."

    "This is stupid." Huan threw his hands up and walked to the door. "I''ll find them myself." He left.

    Sir Marcus cursed under his breath. "I''ll get him." He followed the thief out the door.

    Mei left too. Magdala understood that. Huan was her brother.

    And Lord Kalan was her uncle. "I''ll find the assassin," said Magdala.

    Colonel Harvey''s eyes goggled. "Excuse me?"

    Magdala nodded to the steward. "Galkin, please give me a list of where someone could get the ingredients for nish root poison, and I''ll look around town and see if we can track down the culprit. I''m a Magistrium trained nQe mage; I know more about the ingredients than any of your soldiers."

    Colonel Harvey raised an eyebrow. "You plan to do this alone?"

    "Who else can?"

    "The Tuquese girl for one. I don''t trust her brother even half as far as I can throw him, but she seems more than capable."

    "I don''t need-"

    "And Corporal Taylor will serve as your bodyguard."

    "What?"

    "You are Lord and Lady Gallus''s daughter. I am not letting you get hurt." The colonel stood to attention. "Lady Gallus, you will take the Tuquese girl and search for the assassin. Report to Sir Marcus with anything you find. You have three days. Understood?"

    Magdala opened her mouth, fully intending to protest, but instead said, "Yes, ma''am."

    The garrison commander nodded then swept out of the study. As medical staff started to bundle Lord Kalan up for transport to the infirmary, Magdala turned to Dwayne. "I can''t believe I just volunteered to do that. I hope this turns out better than- Dwayne?"

    The Wesen mage looked green.

    "Dwayne, are you okay?"

    Galkin patted Dwayne on the back. "Lord Gallus is arriving here in three days, my lady. I expect that Lord Kalan will not have fully recovered by then so..."

    Magdala gasped. "Someone will have to receive them. Dwayne, I can do-"

    "No, find the assassin." Dwayne still looked sick, but his voice was steady. "I''ll prepare to receive one of the most powerful men in Soura. It''s my duty after all."

 Riweitpo, Spark

    "There you go, milady." The maid, whose name Magdala hadn''t bothered to remember, stepped back from her handiwork.

    Blinking away an imaginary argument between her mother, her father, and her lord uncle, Magdala scowled at her reflection in the mirror, which had a bun of hair floating above each of its ears. She looked like a sheep.

    Behind her the maid held in a smile. "Do you like it, milady?"

    Magdala kept her eyes on her reflection, keeping its expression blank. "Leave."

    "Pardon?"

    Magdala gritted her teeth. "Leave. Now."

    After the maid bowed her apologies and fled the room, Magdala considered undoing the maid''s work. If she started from scratch, she''d waste five minutes trying to wrangle her hair into an acceptable style. Her mother would have scolded the maid and gotten her hair done just right, would have told Mei about Colonel Harvey''s orders at breakfast, and would be looking at her own reflection knowing that she could do this. She would not be afraid that she''d overcommitted. Had Magdala made a mistake?

    Someone knocked on her door. After one last despairing glance at the mirror, Magdala walked to the door and opened it.

    Taylor aborted a salute. "G-good morning, milady. How was breakfast?" She checked the inside of Magdala¡¯s room.

    Magdala gave her a flat smile. "Well, I ate it. I think." She put on her cloak over a dark blue blouse and black skirt, which Magdala hoped would travel better than the long dress from yesterday. She picked through the pockets in her cloak, checking that she had her notebooks, pencils, vials and other tools. Her trembling hands did not assist in this task. "How was your breakfast?"

    "No complaints, milady."

    Magdala clasped her hands together to stop them trembling. "Let''s get on with it then. We''ll start with my lord uncle''s study first."

    Taylor nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll take point."

    While following the corporal, Magdala watched her check every corner, pause in front of every window, and glare at every servant they came upon. When they reached the study, Taylor''s arm came up to bar Magdala from entering.

    "Just a moment, milady." Keeping her hand on her sword, Taylor advanced into the study.

    Magdala shook her head. ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Kneeling, Taylor peeked under the sofa. ¡°I''m just making sure it¡¯s clear, milady.¡±

    "Right..." Magdala stepped into the study.

    "Milady!"

    Magdala waved off Taylor''s concerns and scanned the study, which had been left untouched as per her orders last night. The bookshelves to her left were a mess. Two of the shelves had been cracked, and their books were strewn all over the floor, a sight that made Magdala''s heart ache. She moved on to the sofas, which were untouched for the most part and still sported the red spots of her lord uncle''s blood. Gulping back bile, Magdala focused on the dust free rectangle where her lord uncle''s desk had stood. Its remains, which had been resting in the foyer, had been taken away last night on Galkin''s orders. Tentatively, Magdala approached the spot where Lord Kalan, Guardian of the Wall, had lain dying and stared. Huan''s report, brief though it was, had made it clear that Lord Kalan had only thrown the marble desk, but not the sofas or the books. Was her lord uncle only capable of big flashy magic now?

    She looked up. The obsidian door, the one that Dwayne and her lord uncle had arrived in by two days ago, sat there like it was watching her every move. It was telling that her lord uncle had stayed between his assailant and the door, and so last night Magdala had asked Dwayne what was behind it, but, with a grimace and a apology, he¡¯d refused to answer. This close she could see the letters and symbols etched into the door''s surface, which were only visible when she moved her head to catch the light. Somehow the symbols led her eyes downward to where a complex circular pattern had been cut into the stone floor.

    She knelt to inspect it. "What''s this?"

    Taylor rushed to her side. "Milady, are you-? Oh." She relaxed a fraction. "That''s just magic, right?"

    "Maybe." Magdala reached out to touch the circle but pulled her hand back. "I''ve never heard of any magic that can be carved or even written down..." But Dwayne owned the magic book Na''cch and presumably it had words in it, though even Dwayne couldn''t get it open. "I''ll make a note of it." She pulled her notebook out of her cloak and wrote a brief description of the circle in it. Standing up, she turned to the rest of the study, the evidence in front of her and Dwayne and Huan''s reports coming together in her mind. "This was a targeted attack. The attacker made a beeline for this room. It obviously knew where to find my lord uncle."

    The corporal frowned. "I heard it searched a bunch of rooms first."

    Magdala walked over to the bookshelf. "It was being thorough. It wasn''t tracking my lord uncle; it just knew where he''d most likely be."

    The corporal''s jaw set. "So... we have a spy." Her eyes dropped to her boots. "But I don''t think those things could do something like this, milady. If they were smart enough to read a map or listen to instructions, I wouldn''t be standing here."

    "That would have been a shame." Magdala wrote her theory down, missing how pink Taylor''s face got. Magdala sighed. "So yet again I''m investigating magic that I''ve never seen before. Just like in Yumma." She inspected the cracks in the shelf and found dried blood, now brown. Probably Huan''s. "The creature threw Huan here from there." She pointed to a spot between the sofas. "And he said he drew blood." She went still. "Dried blood is brown."

    Taylor gave a slow nod. "Yes, milady."

    Magdala rushed to the sofa and its red spots and dipped the tip of her pencil into one. The red stuff clung to it. "This isn''t blood." She let a drop fall from her pencil onto her fingertip.

    Taylor''s eyes widened. "What are you doing?"

    "Shush." Magdala closed her eyes. "Nqeoum." Alchemical formulas rushed into Magdala''s mind. The substance was iron, something unidentifiable, and... Her eyes flew open. "Ambersoul?"

    "That blue Vanurian stuff?" asked Taylor.

    "Yes, the sap they harvest." Magdala pulled a vial and spoon out of her cloak and scrapped as much of the substance as she could off the sofa and into the vial, which she stuffed into her cloak. "That creature was full of the stuff."

    The corporal made a face. "That was in its blood?"

    Magdala reviewed how the components were arranged. The overall structure was familiar. "No, it wasn¡¯t in its blood. It was its blood. Interesting.¡± She stood up and walked to the remains of the study''s door. "Dwayne said the creature was as tall as him." Magdala glanced at Taylor. "So about as tall as you."

    Taylor shuddered. ¡°That¡¯s terrifying. I wouldn¡¯t want to fight me. Not a soulless me.¡±

    Magdala giggled. ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone would want to fight you. Well, except maybe Huan but he¡¯s an idiot.¡± Her eyes took in the damage to the door. ¡°This was a work of art. A Golden Age masterpiece.¡±

    Taylor joined her. ¡°It was a strong kick.¡± She bit her lip. ¡°I think maybe I could manage it with a run up, but...¡±

    Magdala tapped the wood with her foot, making a solid thump. ¡°No average soldier could kick this door down like this. Both Huan and Dwayne described the creature as lean, not muscular. Maybe there''s something in that ichor...¡± Ice poured into Magdala''s stomach. ¡°We¡¯re dealing with a creature that knows the layout of this estate, has a kick like a horse, and uses ambersoul for blood.¡±

    Taylor''s hand tightened on her sword. ¡°Oh, is that all, milady?¡±

    ¡°Worse, it was made, and it didn¡¯t send itself to attack my lord uncle. Someone commanded it to.¡±

    Taylor''s face went pale. ¡°Ah." Her hand went to her mouth and she doubled over.

    Magdala stepped away. "Wha-What are you doing?¡°

    Taylor shook her head. ¡°Sorry, I-¡± She vomited.

    ***

    "Good morning!" A hand dragged Huan out of his dreams of freedom and into hot dry wakefulness.

    Snarling, he lashed out with a kick, earning himself a hard cuff to the neck.

    "Now, none of that." Sir Marcus was grinning over him. "We''ll make a halfway decent soldier out of you if it kills me. Get dressed and report to the training yard." He set Huan on his feet, patted him on the back, and left.

    Groaning, Huan hunted for his clothes, but all he could find was a faded red tunic, a pair of brown trousers, and a mud and rust colored Southern Line breastplate. With the exception of his blue scarf, which was folded next to those abominations, his own clothes were gone. Again, his sword was nowhere to be found. Cursing, Huan donned the horrid costume while ignoring how the back of his head throbbed and his eyelids drooped. He''d spent all night trying to track down the gray-skinned assassin, but the trail had gone cold just outside the estate grounds. He''d only learned one thing: the creature had escaped into Walton and not the garrison.

    Still adjusting the straps on his breastplate, Huan stepped out of the barracks and into the training yard. He squinted in the morning sun, a blight upon the world, and saw that Sir Marcus and Nathan were waiting for him in the center of the yard, both looking far too awake for this hour. Morning people were the worst. They were eager, opportunistic, and had expectations that, like them, one should go above and beyond what was necessary.

    Nathan crossed his arms as Huan approached. "Took you long enough."

    Huan glared at him. "Someone took my clothes. And my sword. Give them back."

    Sir Marcus shook his head. "As per regulations, your sword has been checked into the garrison armory, and your clothes were... disposed of." He looked Huan over. "Besides, this suits you."

    Huan managed to keep his lips from curling. While Nathan and Huan were in awful red and brown, Sir Marcus was dressed in a crisp gray tunic with the left sleeve pinned back and black trousers with an embroidered yellow flower sigil on the left breast. Among the red and brown uniformed ranks, Sir Marcus stood out.

    Huan seethed. Not fair.

    Sir Marcus placed a hand on Huan''s shoulder. "Remember to refer to your commanders as ''sir''. I know that Bart does not care about formality, but we have high expectations in Her Majesty''s Army. Understand?"

    Huan willed his eyes not to roll. "Yes... sir."

    Sir Marcus smiled and took his hand away. "Excellent. I have an assignment for the two of you."

    Nathan looked around, frowning. "What about Corporal Taylor and his sister?"

    "They have both been assigned to Lady Gallus as her personal guard."

    Nathan''s eyes narrowed for just an instant. "Oh."

    Huan sneered. "I''ve seen Corporal Taylor. I''d take one of her over a dozen of you."

    In one step, Nathan got in Huan''s face. "A dozen of you would be much worse."

    Huan''s nostrils flared. "You little-"

    "Enough!" Sir Marcus pulled Huan away from Nathan.

    Upon seeing Sir Marcus''s arm, the former squire winced, but the knight didn''t notice. "You will work together," he said. "Understood?"

    Nathan looked away, his jaw jutting forward. "Yes, sir."

    Huan shook Sir Marcus off of him. "What''s this assignment?"

    Sir Marcus raised an eyebrow.

    Again, Huan did not roll his eyes. "Sir."

    Sir Marcus nodded in approval. "In light of last night''s attack, we''re increasing our guard and preparing for further attacks. To help, you two are going to pick up crucial supplies." He pulled a sheet of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Nathan.

    After reading it, Nathan scowled. "Sir, a page could do this."

    Sir Marcus smiled. "It''ll be a good opportunity for Huan to familiarize himself with the town. Show him all the good spots. It''ll be a bonding experience."

    Huan took the sheet from Nathan and read it. "Check on the city watch''s readiness? Escort the latest armor order back to the garrison? These will take all day!" Huan caught Sir Marcus''s expression. "I mean.... sir."

    "Those are your orders," said the knight. "Follow them."

    Nathan stood to attention and saluted. "Yes, sir!"

    Much more reluctantly, Huan followed suit, his salute a mere shadow of Nathan''s. "Yes, sir."

    Sir Marcus grinned. "Good. Report to me before dinner. Oh and Huan?" He leaned in, his voice low. "If you put that mask on in town, you''ll be hanged. That thing is a weapon, one you do not have control over. Take heed."

    Huan''s nostrils flared, and in the back of his mind, golden eyes opened and waited for permission, but He shook himself and said, "Yes, sir." The eyes closed.

    The knight patted Huan on the back and walked away.

    "Let''s go," Huan said to Nathan. He started walking towards Walton.

    "Let''s go, sir," corrected Nathan. "I''m a lieutenant."

    "Good for you." Huan didn''t stop, leading the way to the drawbridge where a small figure watched the townspeople queuing up to enter the garrison. Huan growled, walked up to her, and tapped her on the shoulder. "Mei, what are you doing here?"

    His sister adjusted her rifle case and turned around, her hands in her pockets. She looked more rested than he''d ever seen her before.

    "Aren''t you assigned to Magdala?" he asked.

    Mei went still, taking in the trousers, the tunic, and the breastplate. When she reached his face, she smiled. "Huan?"

    This damn armor. Huan gave a big theatrical bow. "Yes, it''s your big brother."

    Mei tapped the breastplate. "Where are your clothes?"

    "They took them."

    "And burned them hopefully." Nathan shoved his way forward. "Mei, you are away from your post."

    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Mei''s forehead scrunched up in confusion, so Huan patted her on the head. "He means you''re supposed to be guarding Magdala."

    Mei''s frown deepened. "She did not tell me."

    Huan rolled his eyes. "Just like her."

    "I''m sure she has her reasons," said Nathan. "Ones you wouldn''t understand."

    Huan shrugged. "Whatever. We have errands to run." And I have a passport to find.

    Mei tilted her head. "Where are you going?"

    Huan sighed. "Marcus-"

    "Sir Marcus," corrected Nathan.

    "Wants us to do a bunch of random pointless crap down in the town." Huan waited for Nathan to correct him.

    "We''d better start now." Nathan took the list from Huan. "Let''s go."

    I''ll ditch him as soon as we''re in town. "Don''t give me orders." Huan followed Nathan onto the drawbridge. By the time Huan realized that Mei was following them, they had already entered the town. "What are you doing?"

    "Going with you."

    Huan''s answering smile was stiff. "Why not? The more the merrier."

    ***

    After breakfast, Dwayne hurried to the garrison infirmary with Galkin.

    "Sir, there''s a lot we have to discuss." The steward easily kept up with Dwayne''s long strides.

    Dwayne didn''t answer, his mind cycling through the same three thoughts. The first was "Oh gods." The second was "What am I supposed to do now?" And the last was "I hope he''s awake." With those on repeat, there wasn''t any attention left for Galkin.

    They reached the base of the stairs where one of the guards whispered to her partner, "What''s up with him?"

    Galkin approached with a bow. "He''s checking up on Lord Kalan."

    The guard nodded. "Ah... That makes sense. I thought he needed the privy."

    Her partner nudged her. "Shush."

    The guards'' lack of hostility or confusion was novel enough to break Dwayne''s cycle of panic. He could get used to people treating him with respect; it was being an actual member of the Souran aristocracy that terrified him. When he''d woke up this morning, he''d considered running away, maybe even making his way all the way back to Wesen. It was a good plan except that he had no idea how to do any of that, would be letting Lord Kalan down, and would never see Magdala or the others ever again. He''d be lost and alone. He preferred to just be the former. He and Galkin kept walking.

    After coming down the stairs from the estate, they approached the garrison''s southern entrance where two more guards rose to attention.

    The guard on the right asked, "Headed into town?" with a flicker of a frown passing on his face.

    Dwayne let it go. "No, I''m here for Lord Kalan. Where''s the infirmary?"

    The other guard''s eyes flickered from behind Dwayne and back to his face. "It''s on the west side. It''s a big white building with a cup on it. You won''t miss it." His eyes widened. "Sir."

    Dwayne resisted the urge to look behind him to see what Galkin was doing. "Thank you." He walked into the garrison. After a few steps, he stopped, looked up at the sun, and then back at the wall.

    Standing with his hands behind his back, Galkin followed his gaze. "Do you need help, my lord?"

    Dwayne faced away from the wall and wriggled his left hand. "No, I got it." He turned west.

    The corners of Galkin''s mouth quirked up as he moved to follow. "After all that traveling, I would think that you would know your cardinal directions, my lord."

    Dwayne shrugged. "You''ve never traveled with Mei. Just tell her which way to go, and she''ll take you in that direction. I haven''t had to think about it for weeks."

    "Oh. How is she at night?"

    Dwayne blinked. "What?"

    Galkin laughed. "Keep your mind clean, my lord. I meant, can she use the cosmos as a compass?"

    Dwayne let out a breath. "Poetic. And yes, I think. I''ve never seen her get lost."

    "What about young Lady Gallus?"

    Dwayne gave a noncommittal shrug, one designed to convey that he''d not been paying attention to how avidly Magdala had been reading the maps or that he hadn''t deliberately asked Magdala for directions as an excuse for conversation.

    "Ah." The steward''s tone indicated that he didn''t buy it.

    After a few more minutes of walking, they reached a white stone block of a building, which had the Cup of Cueller, the main symbol of Soura''s religion, painted in bronze over the door. Recognizing the cup made up the full extent of Dwayne''s knowledge about the religion as he had never been baptized into it and Lord Kalan was hardly devout. He walked up to the door and put his hand on the handle.

    A familiar voice boomed out. "Dwayne!" Sir Marcus jogged up to them. "Good morning, Dwayne, Galkin."

    The steward bowed. "Good morning, sir."

    Sir Marcus drew close to Dwayne, his voice dropping to a whisper. "He''s not there. It''s too dangerous."

    Dwayne looked around. "Where is he?"

    "First," Sir Marcus pulled Dwayne away from Galkin, "how much do you trust him?"

    Dwayne glanced at Galkin who was impeccably dressed in a long dark blue suit and whose hair had been perfectly sculpted around his face, making Dwayne look shabby in comparison. At that moment, Galkin stood relaxed with a patient "ready to serve" expression. Honestly, he was too perfect at his job, and Dwayne hadn''t forgotten the steward''s knowledge of Qe magic, but his actions yesterday made Dwayne''s answer obvious. "He helped save Lord Kalan. I trust him."

    Sir Marcus let out a breath. "You hear things, particularly this close to the border."

    Dwayne''s eyebrows shot up. "Things like?"

    "Like people who can use magic to change their face."

    Dwayne reviewed all he knew of Qe and Ri magic. "Ridiculous. There''s no magic that can do that..." But that creature last night had been unnaturally thin. He''d seen creatures like that before and had no idea if it worked on living humans. "I think."

    Sir Marcus nodded. "If you trust him, I trust him. Galkin, with us."

    The steward gave a deep bow. "As you wish, sir."

    Sir Marcus led the two of them past the infirmary and deeper into the western end of the garrison. Here the smithies, kitchens, and workshops clanged with activity while on the southern end of the courtyard, soldiers drilled with spears to the tune of officers shouting.

    Dwayne whistled. "It''s much busier now than it was yesterday."

    Sir Marcus''s expression clouded. "Enemy attacks will do that. I''ll take another dragon over whatever that thing was any day. Here we are."

    They stepped up to a nondescript door with a sign that said, "Auxiliary Administrative Offices." Dwayne raised an eyebrow.

    Sir Marcus chuckled. "Whenever the top brass come by, like Lady Magdala''s father, they always bring a huge entourage of staff and that staff always needs an office. Go on in."

    Still skeptical, Dwayne opened the door, stepped in, and found a hospital room complete with a nurse who was currently arranging Lord Kalan''s sheets. On the other side of the bed, a doctor held the noble mage''s limp wrist and counted slowly.

    Sir Marcus cleared his throat. "How''s it look, doctor?"

    "His pulse is slowly growing stronger." The doctor laid Sir Kalan''s hand across his chest. "I expect him to wake up within the week. Nish root poisoning is nothing to be sniffed at."

    His own heart beating fast, Dwayne walked up to Lord Kalan''s bed. It wasn''t right. The bed sheets didn''t have a speck of ink on them, Dwayne wasn''t ankle deep in clothes and paper, and Lord Kalan''s chin was clean shaven. Dwayne wanted to grab him by the collar and scream that the man had put him in an impossible position, that he''d chosen the wrong person in front of that cart so long ago.

    "Dwayne?" Sir Marcus put his hand on Dwayne''s shoulder. "Are you okay?"

    Dwayne wiped his nose. "Yeah, I''m fine. I''m just... Let me know when he wakes up." He turned and fled.

    ***

    Sitting in the garrison infirmary, Magdala watched a doctor look down Taylor''s throat.

    "Looks fine to me, Corporal." The doctor sat back down in his chair.

    Magdala let out a breath. "Good."

    Taylor''s eyes fell to her boots.

    The doctor picked up a stack of paper. "Just have a glass of water and take it easy for a bit." Something on the page caught his eye. "You were... on the other side of the gate during the attack, right? Who''d you see afterwards?"

    Taylor''s eyes didn''t leave her boots. "Doctor Kilsen, sir."

    The doctor nodded and stood up. "I''ll check her notes to see if there''s anything we should be worried about." He frowned. "Come to think of it, I haven''t seen her all day..."

    When the door closed behind the doctor, Magdala watched Taylor''s face turn bright red, and her heart clenched. What would her mother do in this situation? She''d tell Taylor to either step up or get out, and then complete the rest of the investigation by herself. It would be for the best. Magdala opened her mouth.

    "I''m sorry, milady."

    Magdala''s mouth hung open. "For what?"

    "I... I thought I could handle this." Taylor''s grip on the exam table tightened. "But I can''t. I''ll ask Colonel Harvey to take me off this assignment."

    Magdala nodded and got to her feet. "It''s fine. Just feel better, ok?" She walked to the door. This was how it had to be. She could take on all the risks.

    Taylor wiped her face and looked up. "Where are you going?"

    "To find a laboratory." Magdala opened the door. "I need to run some tests on the red ambersoul solution that we found." She waited for Taylor''s response, but the corporal''s eyes had returned to her boots. So Magdala left.

    The Southern Line Garrison''s infirmary, unlike elsewhere in the fortress, was quiet. On standing orders from Magdala''s father Lord Gallus, the doctors and nurses had kept the infirmary at maximum readiness and didn''t need to rush to prepare for a major action, and so there were no crowds to impede Magdala on her quest to find a laboratory. After half an hour of peering into rooms and muttering apologies, she found one tucked away in the eastern corner of the building. Striding in, she interrupted a nurse who looked up from a set of vials filled with boiling water.

    Magdala flashed her ring. "Carry on. I''ll be done soon."

    Upon seeing her father''s emblem, a rearing mustang on a field of grain, the nurse hurriedly returned to his work.

    Ignoring him, Magdala pulled a flask off a shelf, filled it with water, and then placed it on top of a stove.

    What should she do now that Taylor had quit? She should keep investigating of course, but should she tell Colonel Harvey about it? Would she just end up with a new bodyguard, one that would get in Magdala''s way and not like as much? Maybe she shouldn''t mention it to the garrison commander at all.

    After lighting the stove with a piece of flint she''d found under the counter, Magdala pulled the vial of red liquid out of her cloak and tipped its contents into the flask. Nqeoum was good at identifying anything she''d encountered before, but for everything else, she needed to break them down. Maybe her lord uncle would know something about this. She''d ask him. After he woke up of course.

    She frowned. "Have you seen my lord, I mean, Lord Kalan today?" she asked the nurse.

    The nurse shook his head.

    Magdala''s stomach flipped. "Oh, okay."

    Pushing the question out of her mind, Magdala turned back to her task and gathered a condenser and other necessary tools. Her lord uncle was probably at Walcrest, bedridden and useless. And alive.

    Magdala stirred the red liquid solution over heat, turning the water dark crimson. Surprised, she peered closely at the liquid. However this stuff was made, it was highly concentrated. The red color was probably the iron she''d detected, and maybe it was there to make the creature look more life like. If it was, it hadn''t worked. Huan had described the creature''s skin as grey, the color of corpses.

    When the mixture started boiling, Magdala placed the condenser over it and watched lilac blue drops form, leaving a crimson residue in the flask. When no more blue drops appeared, Magdala removed the condenser, took the flask off the stove with a pair of tongs, and placed it on the counter to cool. She sniffed the steam still rising out of the flask. The residue was as sweet and cloying as a flowery perfume. "Interesting."

    Maybe the red stuff was an attempt to mask the smell of decay, a kind of intravenous perfume. After all, Huan had reported a strong smell of pickles. Magdala pondered this, trying to make it all fit.

    The nurse craned his neck to see. "What are you working on, ma''am?"

    Magdala didn''t bother to turn to him. "A personal project."

    "Ah. Well, good luck." He left, clean vials in hand.

    Not caring, Magdala took notes on the dry red residue, scraped some of it into a vial, and poured the distilled blue ambersoul out of the condenser and into a different vial. After stoppering both and tucking them away into her cloak, she put all the remaining glassware into the sink.

    "Milady."

    Magdala jumped. Turning, she saw that Taylor now stood in the doorway, looking much better.

    Magdala let herself breathe and turned back to the sink. "You''re up." She found a bucket of water and poured it into the sink. "Are you feeling better?"

    Taylor joined her. "Yes, milady." Her nose wrinkled. "What were you doing?"

    Magdala picked up a scrubber and started to clean out the condenser. "Trying to figure out what that red substance was."

    Nose still wrinkled, Taylor picked up the flask, found another scrubber, and began to clean it, her muscles flexing to remove the red residue. "Did you figure it out?"

    Magdala grimaced. "Why do you want to know? I''ll do this alone."

    "You could, milady," said Taylor, "but I need to see this through for them who were lost at the gate."

    Magdala kept scrubbing the condenser. "This case isn''t about you. The fate of Walton, maybe even the whole of Soura, rests on this investigation. I have to do this."

    "Me too, milady." Taylor grunted as she scrubbed. "I was just nervous about my assignment, about facing an evil creature like that again, about working with you. But this needs to be done."

    Magdala rinsed out the condenser in the bucket. "Fine." She began to put the used glassware away.

    "We should get Mei too." Taylor dunked the flask in the bucket. "The way she fights... With her, we''d be unstoppable."

    As she took the clean flask from Taylor, a smile crept onto Magdala''s face, then faded. Mei had almost died back in the desert fighting Magdala''s battles, and the hunter had more important things on her plate. "No, I think we-"

    "With respect, milady, you should take help as you find it." Taylor crossed her arms.

    Magdala shook her head. "There''s more to it. And we don''t have the time."

    "Sir Marcus said she was a hunter, and we''re hunting the bastard who attacked us."

    "But-"

    "How good is she at hunting?"

    "The best."

    "Then it''s settled."

    Magdala gave up. "Fine. After we find Mei, let''s go find the bastard who attacked my uncle."

    ***

    Mei stepped off the drawbridge that connected the fortress to Walton and stopped breathing. When she''d first arrived, the town had been winding down, leaving a mob of darkened buildings looming in the night, but now the town showed its true spirit. In front of her, the square, bare and dusty at night, crawled with people from shoppers browsing stalls to children chasing each other across the cobblestones. Around it, houses winked with morning light, their roofs in good repair, a stark contrast to Anders where a roof in good repair was as rare as a grimbear in a church.

    "Mei?" Huan''s concerned face filled her vision. "Are you okay?"

    Mei finally drew in a breath and nodded. "Yes."

    She followed her brother and Nathan into the square, drawing the stares of more than a few townspeople. Mei''s rifle pulled up eyebrows even in its leather case while Mei''s person drew edged scowls and glares. For his part, Huan, whose uniform drew confusion, relished the attention, his sullen slouch disappearing into a strut. Mei smiled, glad to see her brother, not the beast.

    Nathan was oblivious. "We should be training, not running errands. If those things break through, I want to be prepared."

    "The one I fought wasn''t so tough." Huan stopped and sniffed the air. "Gave her a run for her money." He resumed walking, but the strut was gone. Now he stalked.

    Mei tensed. That was the beast.

    Nathan rolled his eyes. "Right, that''s why you''re running errands. It''s your reward."

    Huan''s growl made Nathan flinch, and with two long steps, Mei was beside Huan, her hand on her knife. After a moment, the growl disappeared, and Huan patted Mei''s hand. "I''m fine."

    Mei dropped back but didn''t take her eyes off her brother.

    Coughing, Nathan pulled the list out of his pocket and read it. "We should go to the weapon smith guild first and tell them that we need a rush job on the armor orders."

    Huan scoffed. "Definitely needed two people to do that." He waved at a merchant, who scowled, but backed away when he saw Mei''s knife.

    "Then," said Nathan, "we have to round up the soldiers currently on leave in the city."

    "Awesome," said Huan. "We get to ruin other people''s fun too."

    "Finally, we''ll talk to the guards stationed in the Jungle and see if they''ve seen anything unusual."

    Huan stopped and stared. "There are guards stationed on the other side of the wall?"

    Nathan laughed. "Yes, but I mean where the Vanurians live, on the northeastern end of town."

    Huan scowled, blinked, and then grinned. "Right, right." He clapped Nathan on the shoulder.

    The Souran boy backed away. "What was that for?"

    The grin didn''t waver. "Let''s divide and conquer. You head to the Jungle, and Mei and I will do the rest."

    Mei''s grip on her knife loosened. This was one of her brother''s favorite tricks, convincing the other person that Huan didn''t know he was offering a bad deal. It was a dare to call him out.

    Nathan didn''t hesitate. "No, nuh uh. I''ll go to the guild and you can head to the Jungle." He considered Mei. "I suppose Mei can-"

    "We''ve never been here before." Huan swept his hands wide. "How are we supposed to find a bunch of soldiers spread out all over the city?"

    Interested, Mei leaned in. "I''ll go with Huan."

    Huan patted her on the head then smiled at Nathan. "She''s not under orders, right? So it doesn''t matter what she does. How about we do that guild thing together afterwards?"

    Nathan threw his hands up. "Fine. I''ll give you directions to the guild. Meet me there in three hours."

    "Yeah, sure." Huan put away his smile, its purpose done. His eyes drifted to the crowd, and he sniffed the air and let out a low soft growl.

    Mei''s hand tightened on her knife, and she searched the crowd for the reason her brother was on edge. In the short time it had taken them to cross the square, the crowd had swelled. Close by, a red-faced man in a blue suit haggled with a woman in a white apron over the price of vegetables. To their left, two girls chased each other, laughing as they darting through the adults, and, on the other side of the square a carriage pulled by proud horses rounded the corner. Just beyond all that, a small figure darted into an alley with a flash of red.

    Huan stepped towards that alley.

    "Remember, three hours from now," said Nathan.

    His voice brought Mei back to the moment. She''d forgotten he was there.

    Huan waved Nathan away. "Yeah, yeah, I remember. See you there."

    When Nathan was out of earshot, Huan took Mei by the shoulder and leaned in close. "Okay, it looks like we can slack off for a few hours." His eyes kept sliding to the alley, and he kept sniffing.

    Mei searched his eyes. "What is it?"

    Huan shook his head. "Nothing, I''m just thinking of a way to get us out of this contract. To get us free of them."

    Mei''s stomach fluttered. "Get us free? Why?"

    Huan patted her on the head. "You''ll see. It''ll be better. This contract is like that damn wall over there." He pointed to the Southern Line, which loomed over them, replacing the sky. "It''s in our way, but we''ll break through it together." He pulled away from her.

    Mei felt rooted to the spot, but she had to say something. "Huan."

    He was already five paces away. "Look, just get to the guild or whatever. I''ll be right behind you."

    "I don''t understand."

    Huan''s eyes flashed gold. "I''m your older brother and I-" He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, his eyes were their usual dark brown. "Just... just do this for me. It''ll be all right. I promise."

    The fluttering in Mei''s stomach wasn''t gone, and she still felt like she was pinned in place, but she nodded.

    Huan grinned. "Thanks, you''re the best. Go get something sharp from the guild." Sniffing, he turned in the direction of the red flash and ran.

    Now, Mei was alone with her brother''s last grin hanging like a noose in the air. That grin wasn''t of gratitude, but of relief. Mei finally managed to take a step, to take up the pursuit, to find out what Huan was up to, but she wanted to trust that he knew what he was doing.

    A hand clapped her on the back. "Mei, I''m glad we caught up to you. Whoa!"

    Mei''s hand had flown to her knife causing Saundra to step back with her hands up.

    Mei released the knife and returned to a neutral stance, hands at her side, feet slightly apart. "What is it?"

    Maggie stepped out from behind Saundra and sighed. "Sir Pollum said he''d sent Nathan and your brother to run errands."

    Saundra nodded at the fortress. "The guard said you decided to tag along."

    Maggie looked around. "Where are they? Are they both slacking off?"

    "No." Mei''s lie tasted sour. "They''re working."

    Maggie nodded. "Good. Sir Marcus is making the useless useful."

    Saundra leaned in. "Want to help us catch the creature that attacked Lord Kalan?" She waggled her eyebrows.

    Mei covered her laugh with her hand.

    "Good, I made you laugh. So, will you?"

    If Mei caught up to the assassin before her brother, maybe Tiger would back off, and maybe she''d get her brother back. She nodded.

    "Great!" Saundra clapped Mei on the back, nearly knocking her over. "Show her that stuff you found, milady."

    Maggie looked sick. "Are you sure?" she asked Mei.

    "Yes," said Mei.

    Maggie shook her head. "Fine." She pulled out a vial of red liquid out of her cloak and opened it, and a rich sweet scent filled Mei''s nose. "Do you recognize this scent?"

    Mei was reminded of honey and fruit, but shook her head. "What is it?"

    "Vanurian," answered Maggie.

    "We''re looking for where it came from," said Saundra.

    If they were hunting the creature, Mei would need something sharp. "First, the weapon smith guild," she replied.

 Fouiaccuyitem, body shamble

    Standing in an actual armory filled with swords, hammers, and dozens of other weapons, Magdala knew she was in heaven. She picked up a stout wooden shaft with a spiked iron ball and chain hanging off it and gave it a swing, compelling the iron ball to arc down, around, and up back towards her face.

    Taylor caught it right before it hit. "Every time I see someone use a flail they end up with a broken nose. Every time. I thought you knew weapons, milady."

    Ears reddening, Magdala set the flail back on the rack. "Well, it''s probably effective once you get a hit in. If you don''t..."

    "Broken nose for sure. What do you think, Mei?" Taylor looked around. "Mei?"

    Magdala and Taylor looked at each other then split up to search the armory. While checking each aisle, Magdala walked past shelves full of spears and pikes, noting the plain and competent construction of each weapon. These wouldn''t win any beauty contests, but they wouldn''t break either. She''d resolved to spend the rest of her life here when she found Mei at the back of the shop, surrounded by soot-streaked weapon smiths who were all marveling at the rifle. Mei''s gaze looked cloudy as if she couldn''t focus on what was happening. Pursing her lips, Magdala rushed forward.

    "See how the trigger mechanism strikes the flint and sets off the powder in the pan?" A stout, blonde-haired smith peered at Mei''s rifle with her magnifying glass. "Clever stuff."

    A burly smith sized Mei up. "She''s from Tuqu, right? They came up with the crossbow trigger after all."

    A third smith shook his head, rubbing his soot gray beard. "Naw, it was them Wesen chaps. Can we keep this for study?" He reached for Mei''s rifle.

    The hunter recoiled, clutching her rifle to her chest.

    The old man''s hand didn''t stop. "Ah come on-"

    "Enough." Magdala knocked the hand away and stood beside her friend.

    The old man sneered. "Who''re you?"

    When Magdala flashed her ring, all but one of the smiths stepped back.

    The old man bowed. "Ah, so sorry, milady."

    "You lot get back to work," said the blonde smith, the only one who hadn''t stepped back. "Enough gaping. We''ve got orders to fill." After the other smiths disappeared into the forge, she addressed Magdala. "I heard you went up to Walcrest with your uncle. What are you doing down here with us common folk?"

    Magdala raised an eyebrow. "You are?"

    "Allison Langseth, Guildmaster, milady." Langseth drew close, her lips curled. "Is it nice up there, right up next to the wall? I''ve never been."

    Magdala raised her chin. "It''s nice enough."

    "There you are!" Taylor emerged from the shelves, patted Mei on the shoulder, and then looked between Langseth and Magdala. "What''s going on?"

    Langseth grinned. "Oh ho ho, Swordbreaker returns!" She pulled Taylor into a bear hug.

    When both Magdala and Mei gave her quizzical looks, Taylor blushed. "It''s just a nickname."

    Langseth released the corporal. "You were supposed to stop by for that refitting. What have you been up to instead?"

    Taylor pointed a thumb at Magdala. "Helping milady with her mission and... recovering. From the incident."

    Langseth''s grin faded and she nodded. "Yeah, that was rough stuff. I''m glad you came out of it with all your bits. What are you doing with a noble and a foreigner?"

    Taylor glanced at Magdala, who sighed. "We''re looking for something." She patted her pockets. "Where is that vial?"

    Mei stepped forward and said quietly, "I need an axe."

    Vial forgotten, Magdala grabbed both of the hunter''s hands and grinned. "By the cups, yes! That is far more important. Considering how you fought yesterday-"

    "Right? She''s a born axe fighter." Taylor ruffled Mei''s hair.

    "Well you came to the right place." Langseth grinned at Magdala who felt her face heat up. "Well well well, Lord Gallus''s daughter is a weapons enthusiast. Like father, like daughter, eh?" She clapped Magdala on the back. "I like this one. Bring her around again, Saundra."

    Taylor grinned.

    "In that case," Langseth gave Mei a conspiratorial wink. "Taylor, show this young lady where we keep our finest wares. You''ve been here so many time, Swordbreaker, you should know where we keep the axes."

    Taylor nodded, and she led a bemused Mei into the shelves.

    Langseth turned to Magdala. "Saundra isn''t easy to impress. If you want something special made just for your friend-"

    "What did you have in mind?" Magdala leaned in.

    Langseth winked. "I''ll show you."

    She led Magdala to the front of the shop, giving Magdala time to find the vial that she''d been looking for before and pull it out of her cloak.

    Glancing at the stock on the shelves, Magdala frowned. "Mei is a hunter... Most of the stuff you make here is for soldiers, right?"

    Langseth stepped behind the front counter. "They are our primary customers, and, because of your father and his fancy swordplay, the soldiers here don''t go much for axes. Hammers sure, because not everyone''s got the skill to handle a blade, but not axes."

    Magdala tilted her head. "Hammers?"

    Langseth''s eyebrows came together. "Those things them Vanurian sorcerors make? The best way to stop them is to smash in their heads. You can try to cut them off, but if you don''t swing right, your sword''ll get stuck in their necks and then they''ll be all over you like rust on iron. I fixed up the armor of the soldiers who survived that last attack, and I saw the teeth marks. Whatever those things are, they ain''t right."

    Magdala shivered but focused on the main question. "Mei needs a good axe, one she can use out in the forest, maybe even throw in a pinch. Do you have anything like that?"

    Langseth sat down behind her counter. "What we have in stock will serve but..." She pulled a huge book out from under the counter, flipped through it, and showed Magdala a page. "Is this more what you had in mind?"

    Perfect. It was made of a single piece of worked steel with a curved handle and some beveling to reduce weight and it was perfect. Although the design on the page was too long for Mei, Magdala could already see it in her friend''s hands, and since the axe head couldn''t break off, the weapon would last for a long time. If it was as balanced as it looked...

    Magdala shook herself and looked up from the page.

    Langseth''s grin widened. "The last order of these I made was a matched pair for a wedding. For you, I''m thinking a trio."

    Magdala frowned. "A trio?"

    "One for your friend of course. That light in your eyes tells me it''s perfect for her. And then one for you and one for Swordbreaker. A friendly trio of axes." Langseth winked.

    Magdala blushed. "Would... would they take long to make?"

    Langseth chuckled. "I have some advantages in that department." She pulled a glittering ring on a chain out from underneath her shirt collar. A single tall mount was etched on it, Cueller mountain.

    Watching the ring twist on its chain, Magdala knew that it was made of an incredibly light metal that only Qe magic was able to extract from its ore. "You''re a Qe mage. I''m nQe. I haven''t graduated yet though."

    Langseth''s eyebrows shot up. "Really? nQe? With your lineage? Wow."

    Magdala hid her dismay with a cough. "So how long?"

    "About a week if I have the time," answered Langseth, "longer if I don''t. I expect we''ll be getting a lot of orders soon. For some reason, Ole Harvey is biding her time for now, but she doesn''t like sitting around waiting. She''ll make her move soon."

    "I agree." Magdala shut the book.

    Mei, a small axe with a varnished wooden handle in her hands, walked up to the counter with Taylor in tow. After glancing at the book, she placed the axe on the counter. "This one."

    Magdala inspected the weapon, which was fine. It wasn''t beautiful, but the forge on the metal was good, and the tempered iron oak handle wasn''t going to break anytime soon, and so, it was fine. Magdala tried to push the perfection of the other weapon out of her mind.

    "How much?" Mei asked Langseth.

    "5 counts." Langseth whisked the book back under the counter.

    Taylor reached for her belt. "I''ll pay."

    Magdala stopped her. "No, I will." She took out her purse and counted out coins. "I have more money, and anyway this is my lord uncle''s responsibility." He''d be paying for that perfect axe too. She put the money on the counter.

    Taylor''s face fell. "Oh, right."

    Langseth slid the coins into her palm. "Since I anticipate further orders, I have something extra for you." After rummaging for a couple moments underneath the counter, she dropped three bronze medallions in front of them, each etched with an image of Cueller''s Cup.

    Taylor''s eyes lit up. "I thought you sold all of these!"

    Langseth leaned onto the counter. "These are the last ones. You want them?"

    "Yes! How much?"

    "6 earls each."

    Taylor paid immediately and then handed one each to Magdala and Mei. "These are from when Langseth became Guildmaster."

    Magdala rubbed the metal, and warmth flowed into her fingers. She nearly dropped it. "You made these with magic."

    Langseth winked. "It''s part of my guarantee." She gave a sly smile. "As for that other thing, you interested?"

    "Yes, I am," said Magdala.

    Taylor nudged Magdala with her elbow and Magdala felt her enthusiasm drain away. "Right, I have a question about something else." She produced the vial of diluted red ichor and uncorked it. allowing a sweet cloying scent to fill the air.

    Gagging, the smith covered her nose. "Put that away." After Magdala had recorked the vial, she answered Magdala''s unasked question. "That''s Vanurian for sure. I visited a count back when I was an apprentice and the place was full of the stuff. I don''t know how they make it and I don''t want to know. You''ll have to go to the Jungle to find out."

    Magdala raised an eyebrow. "The Jungle? You mean the other side of the Southern Line?"

    Mei shook her head. "There''s one in the city." She tucked the axe into her belt. "I can take you there."

    Taylor squirmed. "Ah, it''s... not the best place for someone like you, milady."

    Before Magdala could respond, Langseth asked, "Why do you even have that stuff?"

    Magdala gave a quick curtsy. "I can''t tell you, but thank you very much. I''ll stop by later."

    "You''d better bring that one next time," said Langseth, pointing to Taylor. "We have some weapons we''d like her to try out."

    ***

    Burdensome contracts, idiotic squires, and inquisitive sisters forgotten, Huan chased the red flash and pickled scent of his prey down the alley but soon was forced to slow to sidling speed as the alley narrowed. Still, he thanked his luck. The alleys here were much cleaner than the ones in Anders, so he only smelled wood and rotten fruit instead of refuse and sewage. Pushing into an intersection, Huan finally caught sight of the target as it rounded the corner. He hesitated. It was the little girl from the shop, not the grey skinned assassin.

    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    How did she hide her scent before?

    Catch her!

    Picking up speed, Huan followed her around the corner. Ahead of him, the little girl vaulted over a pile of empty crates, slid past a collapsed drunk, and then turned north at the next intersection. Growling, Huan crashed through the crates, tripped over the drunk, took the left, and met a beam of wood headed the opposite direction. The blow knocked Huan onto his ass, and pain addled his vision for a moment. Dropping the wood, the little girl kicked Huan in the chest once for good measure then booked it down the alley. Rubbing his forehead, Huan pulled himself to his feet and gave chase, following the scent of pickles over more crates and around more corners until he was out of the alley and in Walton''s late morning crowd. The girl was gone, the funk and stench of civilization covering her scent as effectively as a blanket over a candle. Shoving his way into the crowd, Huan kept sniffing and searching. His hand inched to the mask hidden underneath his scarf. He jerked it away.

    I can find her.

    "No!" Huan''s refusal only drew the occasional startled glance. Once they saw his armor, most of Walton''s market crowd continued on, unperturbed, though some were alarmed at the idea of a Tuquese being in charge of their safety. Only two pairs of eyes narrowed in suspicion, those belonging to a pair of city guards leaning against the wall of a house.

    Tiger''s recommendation was succinct. Kill them.

    Huan''s jaw clenched. In the middle of the street in the middle of the day? We''ll be swinging from a noose by tomorrow''s end.

    We can kill them and move on. Let''s just grab what we want.

    "No!"

    The city guards stood up straight and approached.

    "Are you okay?" asked one, her right hand clasping her sword hilt.

    Huan tried a smile.

    She recoiled.

    Huan kept himself from wincing. "No, I''m good. I''m just running an errand and I, uh, had a bad breakfast."

    They didn''t believe him, but he wasn''t really their problem yet.

    Still, their hands didn''t move from their weapons. "Do you need help getting back to the garrison?"

    Just rip out their throats and move on.

    "No, no, I''m good." Huan sniffed. A southerly wind had blown in. "Just gotta walk-" The smell of pickles cut through to man and beast. They were on the trail again. "Excuse me." Huan pushed away the city guards and ducked into another alley. His quarry was still heading northeast.

    Towards the Jungle. How apt. Huh?

    The smell had changed from the familiar tang of pickles to the rich flowery scent of ambersoul, the same stuff Dwayne used to make his strange spell vials.

    Maybe this was how she''d hid her scent before, but this time she was in a hurry. Licking his lips, Huan followed this new smell through a half dozen alleys and right into a slum. Apparently, the town of Walton had three distinct sections: the posh wood and stone houses near the garrison occupied by pale Sourans like Magdala and Lord Kalan, the brightly colored tents set up around the town where the darker sort of Sourans lived, and, finally, in between the tents and the houses a bunch of wind beaten grey wooden buildings, the Jungle.

    Huan slowed. Here everyone stared at him, wondering why a Souran soldier had charged into their midst. Stouter, shorter, and darker than any Souran Huan had met so far, the residents of the Jungle were dressed in colorful billowy sleeveless tunics that showed off shoulders, calves, and arms in ways that would make a Tuquese courtier blush. For a moment, he thought that they were all women, but then he saw a long, wavy haired man who was stripped to the waist, drawing water from a well while another person watched, their fingers playing with their short hair. Both froze when they saw him, the man shrinking back, his partner stepping in front of him.

    A tingle ran up Huan''s spine. They didn''t see a Tuquese boy. They saw a Souran soldier.

    Why were they so scared?

    A person walked up to him, adjusting a light green, blue, and purple tunic that looked as if it could have been freshly pulled from the sea. Huan took in the beardless face and the folds of cloth covering the chest and gave up trying to guess their gender.

    "Do you need help, soldier?" they asked.

    Huan''s eyebrows shot up, but he wrangled them back into place. He recognized the lilting, almost musical accent. These people were Vanurian.

    Huan raised his chin and deepened his voice. "No, you can go about your business." Hopefully they would leave him alone if they thought he wasn''t there for them.

    The Vanurian''s eyes widened for just a moment, but they nodded and stepped back. "Yes, yes, of course."

    Slowly, the others returned to their work.

    Huan''s nose still had the little girl''s strange scent, and so, with a swagger proclaiming that he owned the place, he followed it. After an hour of walking, the scent led him to a weathered house that could have doubled as an abandoned pile of wood. After looking around to see if anyone was looking, he dropped the act and oriented himself using the Southern Line. Currently, he was on the far northeastern edge of Walton, almost in the scrublands. More importantly, he was nowhere near the shop, which had been near the main road. Tapping his foot, Huan considered the building, which wasn''t perfect, but was exactly the kind of shambles he''d choose to do clandestine business in. After all, the rest of Walton had guard patrols, and scared foreigners don''t report anything. After one last check to see if the coast was clear, he snuck up to the house, pressed his ear against the door, slowed his breathing, and listened. Nothing. He sniffed then coughed as ambersoul and pickles punched through his senses. There was too much here for just the girl and Lord Kalan''s attacker, but he was definitely on the right track.

    Allowing himself a small smile, Huan slid around to the back of the house, not bothering with the locked front door. When he reached a window set low in the back of the house, he reached for his sword and cursed. It was still locked up in the garrison armory.

    I''m going to steal it back the first chance I get.

    It''s a good blade. Slices well.

    Ignoring Tiger and the unease growing in the pit of his stomach, Huan sidled up to the window and peeked in. The inside was dark with the light streaming from the window illuminating the wood floor. In the shadows beyond that bright bent rectangle, nothing moved. The unease sped up Huan''s already pounding heart, but he''d already come this far, and so he opened the window and slipped in. He landed, and the floor creaked as loud as a shout. Freezing in place, Huan waited for discovery. When nothing happened, he sniffed. There''s no smell of life here.

    That thing did not smell like life.

    Gulping, Huan took two deep breaths to slow his heart, eased the window closed, and padded deeper into the room, placing each of his steps on the quietest parts of the old floorboards. His eyes adjusted to the gloom.

    If the house was a shambles on the outside, it was a dump on the inside, and it reminded Huan of Lord Kalan''s tent before Dwayne''s regular cleaning sessions. The house''s floor plan was simple: a single room with a stove tucked into a corner, the remains of a bed tucked into another, a desk standing next to the door, a chair standing next to that, and three boxes of varying sizes near the far wall. Everything was buried in something, the stove under a pile of pots and glassware, the desk under a heap of books and pens, and the floor under tall stacks of discarded paper. Huan picked up a single sheet off a stack that came up to his chest and squinted to read it, but the characters, which were like Souran but had a more angular look to them, were completely indecipherable to him. Returning the sheet to its stack, Huan searched for his passport, but instead of his target, he found a map that depicted the jungle on the other side of the Southern Line and that was covered in red X''s and unintelligible notes. Huan tsked, pocketed it, and then moved on to the boxes.

    Two of them were rectangular with scratches and cracks like they''d been dropped from a great height and then dragged a long ways. The largest box was chained shut, but the medium sized one was open and full of old straw and some puffy stuff that looked like clouds brought down to earth. The third and smallest box had Tuquese characters painted on it.

    Huan frowned. Fireworks?

    Deciding not to puzzle that out, he left the boxes behind and approached the desk. Searching its drawers, he found a floor plan of Walcrest, again covered in unintelligible notes. This he recognized. This was a break-and-enter plan.

    A key turned in the front door''s lock and Huan froze. A shoulder thumped against the door, but the door resisted.

    Lucky!

    Huan scrambled away from the desk and dove behind one of the paper stacks, covering his mouth.

    Behind him, the door burst open, and, after some grunting and another heavy thump, the door scraped closed. Someone sighed. Keeping his hand clamped over his mouth, Huan peeked out to see Lord Kalan''s adversary.

    Now sitting in the chair at the desk was a dark, wavy haired Vanurian, who was dressed in a rich tunic dyed with every shade of red, which looked out of place in the shabby surroundings. Their gender was a mystery, but regardless they didn''t look strong enough to carry any of the boxes in by themselves. After relaxing in the chair for a bit, the Vanurian got to their feet, strode to the largest box and placed their hand on it. "Fo, Liraya."

    The first syllable was familiar. Dwayne had said something about Fo magic.

    Maybe the second word was their name? Sounds female.

    The box popped open, revealing Lord Kalan''s assassin. Huan swallowed a gasp. She was dead.

    In repose, the assassin looked like a thin woman with straggly black hair and pale grey skin. She was dressed in a thin ashy version of the brightly colored tunics that living Vanurians wore, and her chest didn''t move an inch, her closed eyelids didn''t move with unknown dreams, and her hands hung limply at her sides.

    The longer he looked, the more a scream tried to claw its way out of Huan''s mouth. I gotta get away.

    Unaware of Huan''s rising horror, Liraya pulled a small metal case out of her tunic, opened it, and plucked out a needle and thread. Humming to herself, she started to sew up the cuts Huan''s sword had inflicted on the assassin.

    "HahahahaHAA!"

    While Huan had a heart attack behind the paper stacks, the Vanurian abandoned her work, went to the desk, and pulled out a skull covered in arcane symbols out of the left drawer.

    The skull spoke. "Liraya, imphum."

    Despite his horror, Huan managed a smile. He''d been right. While Liraya gave her report to the skull in trilling lilting gibberish, Huan slid back to the window, his eyes darting between the Vanurian and the corpse, waiting to see if either would move. Reaching the window, he eased it open and turned to leave.

    From outside the house, the little girl stared back at him through the window, her painted blue eyes widening. Before Huan could do anything, she screamed.

    ***

    Magdala glared at the afternoon son, wishing that she had the confidence to wear the light tunics the Vanurians wore. She also envied their dusky skin; the day she showed that much skin was the day she found out how pretty she looked in red hair and skin.

    When she caught Taylor gawking at a particularly comely resident, Magdala raised an eyebrow. "Enjoying yourself?"

    The corporal flushed. "Just... making sure they don''t have any weapons, milady."

    "Right."

    Mei pointed to a flower stall, her eyes sparkling. "Let''s go there!"

    Taylor shook her head. "Another one?"

    Already, the hunter had dragged Taylor and Magdala into three shops in the Jungle. Even now Magdala was enjoying Mei''s latest find, a curved fruit covered in chocolati sauce, which was an evil brew that Magdala couldn''t get enough of. Taylor carried the other results of Mei''s curiosity, a woven hand basket with a dozen brightly patterned scarves stuffed into it. Still, seeing Mei''s unrestrained smile made Magdala smile too. She''d seemed down back in the town square.

    Magdala and Taylor followed Mei to the flower stall, which was full of strange and wonderful blossoms of every shade and shape. Magdala guessed that they were probably from the other side of the Southern LIne.

    Ignoring the bemused shopkeeper, Mei knelt to shove her face into a breathtaking bouquet of sunset orange and twilight blue flowers.

    Magdala grabbed Mei''s arm. "What are you doing?"

    Mei came up for air, her nose covered in pollen. "Smelling the flowers."

    Taylor cocked an eyebrow. "You sure you don''t want to eat them instead?"

    "They smell too good to eat." Mei dove back in.

    Was Mei falling in love with Vanuria? Magdala patted her friend''s back and turned to the shopkeeper. "Do you know this scent?" She pulled the vial out of her cloak and opened it, and the sweet smell overpowered the dozens of blossoms around them.

    The shopkeeper jerked back. "That''s not possible."

    Magdala and Taylor looked at each other. That was the strongest reaction so far. The other shopkeepers had just shaken their heads and politely asked them to take their crazy Tuquese friend and leave.

    Magdala leaned in. "What is it?"

    The shopkeeper covered their mouth with their hand. "It''s... I won''t say. Go now. Leave."

    "Is it a flower?" Mei stood up and wiped pollen from her nose. "You know what it is. The others didn''t."

    Realization shook Magdala. The other shopkeepers had been a fruit seller (where they''d gotten the tasty sauce-covered fruit), a weaver (where the scarves had come from), and a basket maker. Magdala had assumed that Mei had been shopping for souvenirs, but she''d been actually searching for the scent. Magdala''s lips pursed. Sure, the fruit and basket sellers were obvious as their wares were particularly fragrant, but what about the weaver? Scarves weren''t particularly fragrant, but... one had to dye them, dyes were frequently made from plants and animals, and there had been pots of the stuff lying in the back of that shop.

    Turning to the flowers, Magdala recalled which elements comprised the red ichor. Yes, there was iron, but also the common elements of life, carbon, water, etc. She had guessed it was some sort of animal oil based on its usage, but with that scent, a flower made much more sense. Kneeling, she joined Mei in inspecting the plants, placing her hand on each blossum and muttering Nqeoum under her breath.

    "Wh-what are you doing?" asked the shopkeeper.

    Taylor stepped forward, her voice sharp. "She''s under orders from Colonel Harvey of the Southern Line Garrison."

    The shopkeeper quailed. "I haven''t done anything. I just sell flowers. Good flowers."

    Magdala peered at a crimson flower that formed the centerpiece of a fetching bouquet. Taking a flaky petal between her fingers, she whispered "Nqeoum" then sifted through the formula. She smiled. "This is the closest." She pulled the flower out of its bouquet and showed it to the shopkeeper.

    On seeing it, blood rushed out of the shopkeeper''s sun touched face. "No, no. Just please go. I won''t say anything."

    Taylor pulled out the bouquet that Mei had practically dived into. "I''d like to buy this for my mother with a little card to show how much I love her. What would be a good message to write on the card?"

    The shopkeeper blinked. "I don''t understand."

    Taylor leaned in. "This is a beautiful bouquet." Her words tickled the shopkeeper''s ear. "We''re here to protect beauty like this."

    The shopkeeper nodded. "Yes, yes, I understand."

    Magdala straightened up, suddenly realizing she''d been leaning in to hear what Taylor was saying.

    The corporal smiled and stepped back. "Good, I''ll recommend this place to my regiment. Soldiers get all soft when it comes to their mothers. So, what''s a good message to mine?"

    The shopkeeper pulled pencil and paper out of her pocket and started to write. "My mother always wants to hear that her son is well. I assume yours is no different?"

    Magdala frowned. "What''s happ-"

    Mei''s elbow cut her off.

    Taylor chuckled. "If she ever heard I''d gotten hurt, she''d fight old Gallus himself to take me home."

    "Then she is a good mother." The shopkeeper held out the piece of paper to Taylor.

    The corporal took the paper and the shopkeeper''s hand, enveloping both with her own rough scarred hands. "Thank you."

    Blushing, the shopkeeper pulled free and waved them away.

    When Taylor picked up the bouquet and walked away, Magdala dropped a count on the stall and chased after her with Mei in tow.

    "What just happened?" she asked Taylor.

    Taylor waved the piece of paper the shopkeeper had given her and smiled.

    Mei nodded. "She used words with two meanings."

    Magdala raised an eyebrow. "What?"

    Taylor grinned. "I did. You learn stuff like this when you''re trying to sneak stuff by the quartermaster, milady."

    "Oh, really?"

    Taylor handed over the piece of paper. "You''ll see. Read it."

    Magdala looked at it and her mouth fell open. It wasn''t a message to Taylor''s mother. It was a map. "You''ve got to be kidding me. We literally walked into that place when we arrived."

    Taylor glanced at the piece of paper. "Are you sure? It''s not the best map."

    Mei took a look. "There''s only one Vanurian shop there. The rest are houses."

    Magdala looked at the map again and made a decision. "Let''s call it a day." She stowed the map in her cloak.

    Taylor tilted her head. "What about the deadline, milady? We-"

    "We have two more days." Magdala led the group back towards Walcrest. "That''s plenty of time."

    Mei gave her a look.

    "What?" Magdala asked.

    "Even the strongest star wolf travels in a pack," said Mei.

    Magdala''s chest tightened, but she ignored it. "Okay... We''ll follow up on this tomorrow."

    Taylor bowed. "As you say, milady. I''ll escort you back to Walcrest."

    Magdala let out a quiet breath and focused on what she was going to do next. After dinner, she''d sneak out and catch her lord uncle''s assailant in the act. That way neither Mei nor Taylor would get hurt.

 Xa-rui-shei-oshi, Panthers Pelt

    Huan screamed, and when the little monster reached for his throat, he stumbled backwards from the window, his voice sputtering into hoarse gasps. Still screeching, the monster climbed in through the window, her makeup flaking off of her pale grey skin and fluttering down to the floor.

    Huan stopped screaming but kept his mouth open. How had I thought she was human?

    Tiger had a sage response. A predator who hides with their prey will soon be very full.

    Liraya''s voice cut through the screams. "Zeya, Fo tespearta."

    Retching and coughing, the wraith like assassin rose out of the box, opened its eyes, and charged. Huan tried to roll out of the way, but a cold hand grabbed his collar, threw him against the wall, and pinned him there. Leaning in close, the assassin snarled, her breath filling Huan''s nose with the smell of flowers, pickles, and magic.

    Huan turned his face away, the nausea and pain almost too much for him.

    "Zeya, Fo daryl le vielta."

    The wraith peeled Huan off the wall and forced him to face the Vanurian. When Huan tried to break free, the wraith squeezed, and he cried out from the pain.

    Liraya scrutinized Huan, shook her head, and spoke to the little monster. "Melany, Fo deya te kreeta i empeka."

    Melany stopped screaming, closed the window, then knelt to collect the papers scattered across the floor.

    Even through the pain, Huan noticed that Liraya''s lyrical spells sounded different from both Dwayne''s punctuated castings and Magdala''s muddled invocations. They all sounded like sentences, just ones that all started with the syllable Fo.

    "So," Liraya switched to Souran, "who are you?" She took in the armor. "Did you steal that?"

    Huan pushed away the pain and tried a rakish grin. "No, they gave it to me."

    "Hah! Someone must have pulled some strings." In one movement, she''d stepped in close and grabbed his chin. Turning his head from side to side, she said, "You''re full blooded Tuquese if I''ve ever seen one, possibly even from decent stock." She released his chin and examined his eyes. "Not from the north or west of the Empire, I''d bet." She scoffed and stepped back. "Common. Just common. You''d make a good laborer back home, but that''s not worth keeping you around. Zeya, Fo mehtahyo."

    Zeya''s hand closed around Huan''s neck and tightened.

    Huan flailed. "No, no, no! I''ve got something you''d be interested in."

    The Vanurian raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Zeya, Fo tedenar."

    Zeya released Huan''s throat.

    Liraya inspected her nails, which were painted a deep red. "In case you were wondering, money will not pay the price of your life."

    "Look under my scarf," said Huan.

    Liraya''s eyes dropped to his neck. "Zeya, Fo konziguelo."

    When the wraith slid its hand under Huan''s scarf and touched Tiger''s mask, sparks flew, and suddenly Huan was flying through the air, the wraith''s screams following him.

    As he hit the far wall and slid to the ground, Liraya ran to her creation. "Zeya!"

    The wraith was lying on the ground, twitching.

    Huan coughed and got to his feet. Unexpected, but I''ll take it. He slipped Tiger''s mask on and allowed himself a growl. "Get out of the way, witch."

    ***

    As the sunset''s gold faded from the world, Magdala reached the place where Walton ended and the merchants'' myriad tents began. The smoke and scent of hundreds of cooking fires and ovens filled the air, preparing to fuel the lifeblood of Soura. Magdala''s stomach growled. After skipping dinner, sneaking past Taylor, and using magic to create the concussive potions clinking in her cloak, she was starving. She should have grabbed a snack before she left, although considering how long it had taken to change out of that blue dress and into her traveling clothes, maybe it was for the best.

    But had it been a good idea to leave Taylor and Mei behind? Certainly the corporal could have carried many more of the concussive vials than Magdala, and the hunter could pass for a shadow. On the other hand, Mei''s skills shouldn''t be used on human beings, and Taylor was still recovering from that attack. It was better if they stayed out of this. Magdala could handle this alone. She would walk in, concussives in hand, and demand that the culprit turn themselves in. The law was on her side after all.

    Pulling her cloak around herself, Magdala stopped in the long shadow of the shop, a gray wooden building with dark lampless windows that stared blankly into the burgeoning twilight. She shuddered. This place reminded her of the blank eyed statues that still stood watch underneath Yumma, but she pulled her shoulders back, marched up the steps, and knocked on the doors anyway.

    There was no answer.

    Magdala snorted. Had she expected someone to answer, even at this time of night? Sneaking up to the shop''s window, she squinted to see through the gloom and into the shop''s interior. The shelves were still full of books and knick knacks, a sign that the place hadn''t been abandoned yet. She could go home now; the shop''s owner was clearly out or asleep, but what if the culprit was still here, planning their next sinister move? Any hesitation here would put her lord uncle and all of Soura at risk. Magdala knocked on the door again, hard enough to wake the dead.

    Again, silence.

    Magdala sagged. "Well, that''s tha-"

    An agonized moan sent ice down Magdala''s spine, and her hand was on the doorknob before she knew it, but she stopped herself from opening the door. Sure, maybe someone was trapped in there, but didn''t Fo magic require living bodies? Although if she broke in and nothing was wrong, she''d only endure embarrassment and have to pay some sort of fine, right? That was nothing next to saving a life. She jiggled the doorknob. It was locked. She took two steps back from the door, pulled a concussive out of her cloak, and weighed it in her hand. She could go back, find Mei and Taylor ,and then assault this place with them, but that would put those two in danger. Besides, she didn''t need their help. After backing up three more steps, Magdala threw the vial at the door and dove to the ground. When the blast''s noise had died away, she stood up and charged past the smashed doors and into the gloom of the shop.

    ***

    Liraya examined Zeya, who was still sparking and twitching on the floor. She whistled. "I did not know about that. The essentially similar natures of the underlying magic must repel each other." She stood and turned to Huan with a smile.

    Huan''s eyes narrowed. She was speaking in Souran, not in her native Vanurian, and so this had to be some sort of play. Wincing from the fresh bruises on his back and sides, he got to his feet and took a stance, right foot forward, both fists up.

    Liraya watched him for a moment. "I think you''re here alone. If you were really with the Beast Guard, you''d have back-up, and you wouldn''t be pretending to be a Souran soldier. Though, honestly, I don''t know how you managed that."

    Huan took in the room. "They needed the men." The little monster was still in front of the window, but the door was clear.

    Liraya smirked. "And they got a boy."

    Huan focused on her, his fingers flexing into claws.

    Her smirk didn''t go away. "So, who are you?"

    Behind Liraya, Zeya rose, her pale eyes locked onto Huan. He put weight on his left foot to move towards the door, and she put weight on her right, anticipating him.

    Huan shifted back to neutral. "I''m no one," he said, a growl in his voice. "I''m just passing through. Now get out of my way."

    Rip her throat out!

    Liraya crossed her arms. "Some time ago, I read a report about an attempted theft in the Tuqu Empire. There wasn''t much; the Jade Lotus is very good at keeping the empire''s secrets, but here''s a boy wearing the White Tiger mask, whose owner I know died over a year ago, and, since the Black Tiger now stands at the Emperor''s right hand, I ask again, who are you?"

    Huan''s heart swelled with pride, but a shiver ran down his back. He''d singlehandedly shaken the Tuqu Empire, but there was another Tiger out there, and its wearer had every reason to kill him. "I stole it. I slipped in right under their noses and stole it."

    Liraya placed her hands behind her back. "Impressive. And now, you''re here in my hideout. Are you looking for something?" She smiled. "Oh right, Zeya did bring something back yesterday. An unexpected surprise she slipped right out of some fool''s pocket." She held her hand up, and Zeya placed a metal plate into it.

    Liraya looked at it. "Endorsed by the prodigal mage himself." She showed it to Huan.

    It was his passport, his right of free passage in Soura. Huan stepped forward. "Give that back!"

    Zeya stepped in front of her mistress, her knives at the ready.

    Liraya tapped the plate against her palm. "I am surprised you came here and not my shop. I left a few prizes for people who figured it out, but you made it here." She slapped the plate against her palm. "I commend your resourcefulness."

    With a roar, Huan charged.

    Liraya''s lips curled. "Zeya, Fo etake."

    ***

    Magdala''s heroic charge into the shop went unanswered.

    Sweat breaking out on her brow, Magdala scoured the shop for any sign that she hadn''t just heard the wind, that she wasn''t trespassing without any cause. After seeing and hearing nothing, Magdala put her hand to her heart and breathed slow. This was the location the flower stall owner had given Taylor, and now that she''d already broken down the door, she might as well look around. If only she''d brought a lamp... She felt around the shelves in the dark, finding books, strangely cool to the touch figurines, and absolutely nothing alarming. Moving to the walls, her fingers probed the shadows and found teeth.

    "Aaah!" When Magdala snatched her hand away, her fingers hit tinkling glass. Was that a lamp? She felt around again, more cautiously this time, and found a glass jar affixed to a metal holding set into the wall. Standing on tip toe, she got her fingers into the jar and touched the liquid inside. "Nqeoum." As expected, it was animal fat and firewater, the usual lamp oil mixture. She pulled the lamp off its fixture and focused on the oil''s surface. "Nqerm."

    The oil sparked and filled the shop with a pale yellow light, banishing the gloom. Letting out a shuddering sigh, Magdala raised the lamp to see what she''d touched earlier. It was a skull that sat atop a full sized and fully assembled skeleton, one of three standing against the shop''s wall. Nauseated and fascinated, Magdala brought the lamp closer to the skeleton and placed her finger on a rib. "Nqeoum." Calcium, phosphorus, carbon-

    Magdala recoiled and wiped her hand on her leggings. Sure, the whole thing was held up with rods and wires, but each and every single bone was realb and it was all for sale. Dead bodies should not be treated like this.

    Magdala frowned. Why was she appalled at this, but not at the fact that Dwayne, a living human being, had been sold at auction? Disquieted, Magdala turned away from the skeletons and back to the shelves, which were jam packed with books and figurines. Most of the books were in Vanurian, though a few were in Yaniti. After a few moments, Magdala found what she was looking for, the Book of Phons in Souran. Cracking it open, she balanced the book in one hand and held her lamp high in the other. "''The Age of Gods and Heretics ended with the First Wish''," she read. "Our-"

    "Mmmuah..."

    Upstairs.

    Magdala dropped the book, fumbled for a concussive, and looked up.

    The groan sounded again. Mmmuah..."

    Gulping, Magdala inched her way to the back of the shop where a flight of stairs ran along the back wall and up to the second floor. Clutching her concussive, Magdala climbed the staircase, listening hard for any cries for help. As she ascended, the flickering pale lamp light revealed bare roof beams and nothing else. She reached the top and pushed her lamp out into the darkness. Its light revealed human shapes rocking from side to side in the center of the room, quietly moaning.

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    Despite the way her chest tightened, Magdala cleared her throat. "Excuse me?"

    As one, they faced her, their pale eyes wide open. "Mmmmuahraaah!"

    They surged forward, some on all fours, some in a strange hopping leap, all with their mouths open and screaming. Magdala screamed back and threw her concussive into their midst. When it exploded, its blast threw her back into the wall and sent a half dozen of the things tumbling over the stair railing and down to the first floor. Her head and ears ringing, Magdala got to her feet, looked up, and whimpered. Her concussive had blown away limbs, but all of the fiends were recovering, their eyes still locked on her. Her breath catching in her throat, she looked downstairs. The six that had fallen down there had twisted limps, but they were getting to their feet too.

    They were coming for her, she''d cut herself off from escape, and worse, she was alone.

    ***

    Neither Tiger nor Huan had forgotten what the wraith Zeya could do. In addition to dodging fireballs and running on top of railings, she threw knives as accurately as Mei could shoot. Once again, Huan counted her knives, one red handled one and three black ones. Without a sword, all he and Tiger could do was dodge all four knives, get close, and take her down. Tiger picked up speed, leaving Huan behind. Before he reached her, Zeya threw two knives at Huan''s torso and one at his head. Gritting his teeth, Tiger twisted through the first two, ducked under the third, and dashed for Liraya, forcing Zeya to move to protect her master. Now too close for knives, Tiger pulled back his fist and aimed a punch at Zeya''s face.

    His fist smacked into her cold palm. What?

    Using his fist, Zeya flung Tiger back into the far wall where he flickered away and Huan slid to the floor. Gasping and aching, he tried to get his bearings, but Zeya threw three more knives at his head. Yelping in surprise, Huan dove out of the way of two, but the third cut his cheek, and blood streamed down his face. Ignoring the pain, Huan got behind the largest box where he tore off a piece of his sleeve and pressed it to his cheek.

    Liraya called out. "Melany, Fo, ea citez muvere."

    Huan peeked out from behind the box and saw two things before three knives forced him back into cover. One, Zeya was closing the distance, her somehow inexhaustible supply of knives ready to cut Huan down. Two, Melany and the Vanurian were packing up the desk and the papers into crates.

    Huan went cold. They''re getting away! Unfortunately, he couldn''t focus on that fact because underneath the sounds of packing, Zeya''s steps counted down to Huan''s end. The knives! Huan searched for the knives that Zeya had thrown at him, but he found only deep scores in the wood where they''d sunk in. How the- Magic. Always fucking magic.

    Before this fight, Huan had thought that throwing a knife at your enemy was a last resort action, since, if you missed, the enemy got a shiny new knife, but if knives could just come flying back to you... Every plan Huan could think of now ended with him dying under a hailstorm of blades. Damn, I wish Dwayne were here. Or that red haired witch. Or even... Mei.

    A rumbling growl heralded power flowing back into Tiger''s mask. We don''t need them.

    Taking control from Huan, Tiger dove out of cover, rolled to a standing position, and sprinted to the window, all while ignoring how Zeya''s knives cut, stabbed, and tore. When he was just a few paces from his goal, Zeya vaulted over Melany and reached the window first, knives glittering in her fist.

    We''re trapped!

    Ignoring Huan, Tiger covered his neck and chest with his arms and kept sprinting. With a flick of her wrists, Zeya threw three knives in a wide pattern. One missed, one sank into Huan''s shoulder, and the third ripped open his side, but Tiger pushed through the pain and tackled Zeya, and the two of them crashed through the window and into the night. After they landed, Zeya kicked Huan off of her, and Tiger turned the impact into a roll, getting clear. Snarling, he stood up and faced the monster.

    No, we''re running. Huan tried to take control of his body back.

    The beast snapped at him. We can take her!

    Three knives glinted in Zeya''s hands.

    We''re fucking running!

    Coward!

    Zeya''s hands came up, her eyes selecting her targets.

    Liraya called out. "Zeya, Fo menire!"

    Zeya froze, and Huan wrested control from Tiger and fled, dripping blood onto the road as he ran.

    The Vanurian''s voice followed him. "Zeya, Fo, venari i non kuruesu."

    ***

    Magdala threw another concussive and ducked for cover. After the blast shook the house''s second story and rained splinters and dust down on her, there was silence, but when Magdala peeked out from the stairs, she groaned. Again, the blast had barely battered the fiends, and none of them were down for the count. A frustrated wail from downstairs sent shivers up her spine. There, six fiends were tangled up in each other, but, even as they wrestled to get free, they kept their eyes on Magdala. Clutching her last concussive, Magdala curled up on the stairs. Should she throw it downstairs? The blast might destroy the stairs and trap her, but if she wasted another concussive on the upstairs group, she would only gain a little more time.

    Downstairs, something ripped. Magdala looked down and her mouth fell open in a wordless scream. Two fiends had torn off their arms and legs and freed the entire group from the tangle. They were disoriented now, but it wouldn''t last, and soon Magdala would have to deal with both groups at the same time. The concussive wasn''t going to work. What had Dwayne done to drive off her lord uncle''s attacker? Her eyes slid down to the lamp''s flickering flame. Well, it would at least be something different. Standing up, she tossed the lamp at the upstairs group, and it landed right in the middle of them and burst, spilling flaming liquid on several of the fiends and setting them alight. Screeching, they scattered, the burning ones spreading the flame around the room.

    That left the six downstairs fiends. Pushing past her terror, Magdala took inventory: one cloak, one concussive, her magic, one notebook, four pens, and a number of ingredients for potions. No time though. The first two fiends were climbing the stairs on all fours. Didn''t Taylor mention that these things were dumb? Magdala unclasped her cloak, emptied its pockets on the stairs, and threw it on top of the fiends. The heavy cloth caught the first two fiends, and they flailed and fell down the stairs, catching their fellows on the way down. When the ball of fiends and cloak hit the landing, Magdala sagged to the floor and watched them struggle to get free. Coughing from the smoke, she gathered her things. Now that she had some time, she could use the concussive to-

    A crack snapped Magdala''s line of thought. Her heart still in her throat, she peeked upstairs and groaned. The unlit fiends had somehow corralled their flaming brethren into the center of the room and created a moaning wailing bonfire that was setting the floor and ceiling on fire. Magdala didn''t have long if she didn''t want this to be her grave.

    But maybe she should just let it happen. What was she thinking, trying to do something like her mother? Why did- Magdala cut off the last question and focused on what she had again. One concussive, her magic, one notebook... She smiled. That was enough. She tore a page out of her notebook, uncorked the concussive, and hunted around for a piece of wood, but when her cloak ripped open downstairs and six fiends spilled out, her heart sank again. She was out of time. Recorking the concussive, she paused before throwing it. Again, she had two choices: throw the concussive downstairs and possibly trap herself or throw it upstairs and buy only a little time. It was the same choice as before but with the addition of a burning building. If she''d just had more time...

    "Cups." She made her choice and raised the concussive.

    "Maggie!" A shot rang out and, downstairs, a fiend''s head exploded.

    ***

    Staggering down yet another alley, Huan pressed his tunic against his side to staunch the flow of blood. In his head, Tiger''s urgings to turn and fight were distant, muffled, and easy to ignore. He sniffed the air but couldn''t detect Zeya''s distinct bouquet of magic and pickles. He strained his ears but couldn''t hear Zeya''s soft footsteps stalking him. He checked every corner, but couldn''t see her shadow lurking, waiting to ambush him. Still, he knew Zeya was following him.

    After stumbling out onto Walton''s empty main street, he squinted at the massive dark shape looming over the town, judging his poor decisions. He blinked. It was the Southern Line, and in that direction was the garrison and safety. Gritting his teeth, he shuffled towards it, each step painful and slow. When he''d first arrived in Walton, he hadn''t noticed that the main road was on an incline, and he couldn''t help but notice it now as each step sapped his strength and dribbled it out onto the cobblestones. He passed a couple of city guards, knowing that they couldn''t help. If he couldn''t take down Zeya, some yokels from the middle of nowhere couldn''t either. His foot caught on a cobblestone, and he face-planted into the road. Moaning, he curled into a ball and waited for three knife blades to sink into his back.

    But there was nothing. The city guards were standing over him now, concern and alarm turning their voices sharp. They tried to turn him over, but he waved them away and got back to his feet on his own. Breathing heavily, he searched the alleys, the street, even the windows for a single sign of the wraith. Nothing. He''d resumed his slow march to the garrison when the hairs on his arm raised. Something pattered above him, and he looked up at the rooftops. There, Zeya crouched, her pale eyes watching him struggle. When their eyes met, the monster grinned, her blackened teeth just hints in an empty maw. Huan fell to his knees, all feeling gone from his limbs.

    Fight!

    Huan tore off Tiger''s mask and looked into its eyes for the first time since he''d stolen it. He needed weapons. That first time, he''d grown claws.

    Perfect weapons.

    A lump formed in Huan''s throat. I''ll lose myself.

    There''s only you, no one else.

    Shaking and shivering, Huan got to his feet and put Tiger''s mask back on. Zeya threw a knife. Huan blocked with his arm, letting the blade sink into his flesh.

    It''ll just be a moment.

    He pulled the knife out of his arm and gripped it tight.

    Surrender.

    A whistle keened into the night.

    "Confirmed! Soldier under attack!"

    "Crossbows up! Aim! Fire!"

    Zeya deflected six crossbow bolts with her knives then dropped out of sight behind the house. With the danger gone, Huan''s legs gave out, his eyes closed, and he fell. Arms caught him, and hands pulled Tiger''s mask off his face. Huan pulled open his eyes. It was Sir Marcus.

    "Are you all right?" asked the knight.

    Huan tried to get free, but his limbs wouldn''t listen to him. "Wha- how?"

    Sir Marcus''s eyebrows drew together. "Nathan told me that you''d planned to meet him at the armory. When you didn''t show, I guessed you''d done something stupid. Was I right?"

    Huan gave him a lopsided grin. "I found her." His fingers went numb, and Zeya''s knife clattered to the ground.

    Sir Marcus''s eyes fixated on the blade. "That was the same cups-forsaken thing that attacked Bart, wasn''t it?" He pulled Huan over to a cart and deposited him into it. "Get him back to the barracks," he said to the driver.

    When a sweet smoky smell wafted by, Huan asked, "Is something on fire?"

    ***

    At Mei''s shout, two of the remaining downstairs fiends turned towards the front door. An axe thunked into one of their heads.

    Magdala''s tension dissipated. "Mei?"

    Saundra ran into view, pinned two fiends to the wall with her sword and then ducked. Again, a shot rang out, and this time both of the fiends'' heads evaporated into clouds of gore.

    Wrenching her sword free from the inanimate corpses, Saundra dispatched the remaining two fiends with two quick sword slashes and looked up. "Are you all right, milady?"

    "Yes!" Magdala grabbed her stuff, ran down the stairs, and cannoned into Saundra. "I thought I was going to die." She hugged the corporal.

    "M-milady, I-"

    "Maggie."

    Magdala released Saundra and wrapped her arms around Mei. "Why are you two here?"

    "Mei wondered where you were, milady," answered Saundra. "She didn''t see you at dinner."

    Mei let Magdala hug her for another moment, and then pushed her back and met her eyes. "I thought you''d be better than my brother."

    Magdala''s heart fell. Even though her friend''s expression was the same as always, she could hear the disappointment. Between that and the concern on Saundra''s face, Magdala almost regretted not bringing them along. She drew herself up and wiped her nose. "It was a trap anyway. The real culprit is long gone."

    Saundra shook her head. "You shouldn''t have come here by yourself, milady."

    Magdala waved off her concern. "I just didn''t want to see you two get hurt."

    Mei shouldered her rifle and walked past Magdala. "We fight better together." She tugged her new axe out of the wall. "We should be like star wolves."

    Magdala frowned. "I don''t-"

    The ceiling collapsed, spilling charred fiends onto the bookshelves. After getting to their feet, the fiends reacquired their targets. The fall and debris had smothered their flames, and now they were between Magdala''s party and the exit, but despite that and the building''s burning roof, Magdala was strangely calm, her heart beat quickening from excitement. She looked at her last concussive. She had a plan. "Cover me!"

    "With pleasure, milady." Saundra raised her sword and stepped between Magdala and the fiends.

    Behind them, Mei climbed halfway up the stairs, pulled out her rifle, took aim, and fired. "Three shots left." She reloaded.

    Magdala counted the remaining fiends. Twenty-two left. "More than enough." She knelt to work. The primary problem with her concussives was that they directed too much energy into pure force, which only knocked the fiends around. Grabbing two chunks of wooden railing that had fallen from upstairs, Magdala closed her eyes. "Nqeoum". Just normal wood. Opening her eyes, Magdala called out to Mei. "Mei, your axe." The weapon thunked into the floor right next to Magdala. "Thanks!"

    She uncorked a concussive, adjusted its composition with magic, and stoppered its vial with a piece of paper torn out of her notebook. Then she took Mei''s axe, carved grooves into the pieces of railing wood, and sealed the vial inside the wood with the piece of paper sticking out. Pressing the wood together, she conjured an image and said, "Nqesiumut." With a shudder, the two wood chunks fused together.

    "Milady, are you ready yet?" Saundra cut off a fiend''s arm.

    Mei''s shot took down a fiend. "Last bullet!"

    Magdala nodded. "I''m almost done!" She closed her eyes, shutting out the fiends, the sweltering heat, and her friends. "Nqe."

    The spell''s weight drew a gasp from her. It had been a long time since she''d bothered to prep a spell, and it felt like a bag of rocks sitting on her head.

    "ou."

    More rocks in the bag, but she wasn''t done yet. Without opening her eyes, she picked up her handiwork, took a deep breath and said, "Qe."

    The rocks morphed into a single boulder. Bowing under the pressure, Magdala strained to hold the spell. Qe spells were difficult for her at the best of times and invoking them as a prepped spell under pressure was almost impossible, but there was no other way. She needed a lot of pressure all at once, and Nqe spells couldn''t provide that. Ignoring the taste of copper in her mouth, she touched one side of the block of wood.

    "uive."

    Two boulders.

    A headache was edging in now. She touched the opposite side of the wood block.

    "uive."

    Three boulders.

    Magdala''s hands began to tremble, and the headache was a now full blown migraine. Still, she pushed on through, repeating the syllable four more times.

    "Milady!"

    While a storm of a migraine rioted in her brain, Magdala put the block of wood down on the ground, her shaking hands nearly knocked it over. "Qem." The boulders dropped, and the spell locked into place. With a shudder, the block of wood changed colors, becoming charcoal black. It still had the piece of notepaper sticking out of it.

    Shivering, Magdala picked up the bomb and stood up. "Mei."

    The hunter appeared at her side.

    "Take this." Magdala dropped the bomb into Mei''s hand. "Get... Saundra." Magdala swallowed. Her mouth was so dry.

    "Saundra!" called Mei.

    The corporal shoved back a couple of fiends and sprinted to them. "What is it? Are you okay, milady?" She reached for Magdala but was shaken off.

    Black spots floated in Magdala''s vision. "We can''t let those things out into the town." She blinked to clear her vision. "Mei, on my signal, light that, and throw it into them. When that happens, Saundra, get us out of here. Ready?"

    "Milady, you should-"

    "That was an order, Corporal." Magdala''s voice quavered. "Ready?"

    Unhappily, Saundra nodded.

    After shouldering her rifle and retrieving her axe, Mei lit the black block with the closest bit of flame. In front of them, the fiends were gathering, readying their next attack. It was now or never.

    "Now!" shouted Magdala.

    Mei threw the bomb, Saundra scooped up Magdala, and together they dashed for the door.

    Magdala tried to twist free Saundra''s hold. "No, I''ll slow you down!"

    The corporal held Magdala tighter. "Mei, take point!"

    Mei overtook them, decapitated a fiend with her axe, kicked another aside, then resumed running to the exit. After shoulder checking a fiend, Saundra followed Mei''s lead and gained speed, clearing the building in a blur. When she and Magdala were clear, Mei closed the door behind them, trapping the fiends inside.

    When they got a couple of wir away from the building, Magdala rolled out of Saundra''s arms, shouted, "Get down!", and pulled her friends down to the ground. A blast of flame roared out over their heads, singeing Magdala''s hair.

    After the crunch and crumble of the collapsing building ceased, Magdala sat up. "Great, there goes all the evidence."

 Qegerenutem, sinkhole

    Yonder''s book, On the Pre-paration of Magick, stated the following line of reasoning: spells were ideas, the human mind could hold multiple ideas at once, and so therefore, the mind could hold multiple spells at once. One need only to focus.

    Holding on to that reasoning, Dwayne closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and said,"Ri."

    As magic awakened to his call, Dwayne banished the image of his mentor lying poisoned on the floor of his own study and concentrated on his first idea: anger. "mwe."

    Now live, the spell thrashed and writhed, trying to twist free of Dwayne''s control, but he wrestled it still and taut. After wiping sweat from his brow, he focused on the next idea happiness and summoned up the day he''d picked up Na''cch off the ground, and it sang to him.

    "a-"

    But the man who''d given Dwayne that book was comatose in a spare adminstrative office, he might never wake up, and Dwayne would be left a lord, and-

    The spell slipped out of Dwayne''s control, and the unrestrained magic blasted him out of his chair and onto the stone floor.

    He lay there a moment, pain rippling up and down his side, eyes full of bright spots. Then he sat up, his nose wrinkling. The failed spell had left a smoky tang in the air, one that he''d now always associate with failure. After rescuing Yonder''s book from the edge of the lake, he righted his chair, sat back down at the table, and laid the book down next to a new burn scar in the wood, which marked his fifth attempt. Dwayne sat back, closed his eyes, and waited. One heartbeat. Two heartbeats. A migraine, a stampede of pain, rampaged through his brain, making him gasp, but he held on with teeth clenched. Yonder had warned that failing at pre-prep magic too many times was dangerous for one''s physical and mental health. She recommended students stop after three failures in one day, and, now that his brain felt like it was being beaten to mush, Dwayne was forced to concur.

    When the migraine had finally faded, he turned his attention to the other two books on the table, both of which had escaped his failure: the Ri tome Na''cch, and The Responsibilities of a Noble Mage by Eritrea Armsford. The former was unopenable and only occasionally deigned to teach Dwayne one spell at a time, and as usual, it was silent. Dwayne turned to the latter book, which he had opened when Lord Kalan had given it to him, but two pages in, and he knew it described a future he did not want. Instead of facing that future, he focused on the library, wishing he could explore beyond its first few rows of shelves, but every time he tried, something gently pushed him back towards the table, like a parent pushing a child back to safety. As for the books that Dwayne could reach, they all had unintelligible titles in what looked like Yaniti, an ancient form of the trade language sailors and traders used. He only knew a little, mostly picked up from Magdala''s reading time with Mei, and considering its current form and the people who spoke it, he had no plans to ever study it more thoroughly.

    His stomach growled. He''d lost track of time down here without the sun''s passage to tell time, and it had been a long time since breakfast, a long time since... Sighing, Dwayne grabbed Na''cch, strapped it onto his back and used the lift to return to the study.

    Galkin was waiting for him. "My lord, you are needed."

    Dwayne gave the steward a look. "What time is it?"

    "Two hours past noon," answered the steward, admonishment and disapproval clear in his tone. "You have responsibilities to this estate, my lord."

    Dwayne flinched. "No, I-" He caught himself. "What are you talking about?"

    "Since Lord Gallus is on his way here, we must prepare to receive him, his retinue, and any guests that may be traveling with him."

    Dwayne stepped around the steward. "Can''t you arrange all of that? I''ll just do what you say."

    Galkin shook his head. "My lord, I am merely a steward, and my job is simply to take care of the estate, not run it."

    "Regardless, you know it far better than I do," said Dwayne, "and I''m sure you already know how to set up parties designed to impress the brother-in-law of the currently comatose estate holder." He shrugged. "It''ll be easy for you, right? Get to it."

    Galkin''s face went blank.

    "I can stand around looking stern," Dwayne offered, "if that would help."

    "It would not, my lord."

    Dwayne slumped. "Why not?"

    "My lord." Galkin''s hand came up to his forehead, then it dropped as he took a deep breath. "My lord, you are Lord Bartholomew Kalan''s heir."

    Dwayne stepped back. "No, I''m not. He was just being silly."

    Galkin''s jaw clenched. "The night he first arrived here at Walcrest, Lord Kalan gathered all of the staff together and informed us of that very fact. Afterwards, he handed me three letters to be sent by post to Lord Gallus, the Magisterium, and the Queen. On his orders, I sealed each letter with his ring, marking them as official correspondence, and each stated the following, ''I name the boy Dwayne, currently my ward, as my apprentice and as my heir to both my estate and my position as Guardian of Walcrest.''"

    Dwayne''s jaw dropped. "That''s... That''s..."

    Galkin stepped closer, his eyes meeting Dwayne''s. "My lord, with all of that entrusted to you, are you still going to run away?"

    Dwayne collapsed into a sofa, his mind reeling. Then he jumped to his feet and searched the sofa, certain he''d sat in Lord Kalan''s blood. Finding nothing, he relaxed and sat back down. Everything from the sofas to the carpets had been scrubbed clean or replaced.

    Galkin noted Dwayne''s reaction. "After young Lady Gallus was finished with her investigation this morning, I had the staff do their job. Keeping this estate clean is our responsibility."

    Getting the hint, Dwayne turned to the steward, who was dressed in a dark green suit and pale green leggings with a collar pressed flat enough to cut. For his part, Dwayne was wearing a tunic that hadn''t been washed in days, breeches that showed more than a little wear and tear, and boots, though comfortable, that definitely clashed with the rich decor of the estate he was now heir to. He didn''t look like a lord. He didn''t feel like a lord. But if he didn''t become a lord, he''d have to run away and hide out in the wilderness, and leave behind his studies on magic, his teacher, and Magdala and Huan and Mei. That was too much to lose.

    He stood up. "In the introduction of The Responsibilities of a Noble Mage, Armsford states, ''A noble mage should be fastidious about her looks in order to look her best at all times.'' While I get the book from downstairs, draw me up a bath and get me some new clothes. I... I don''t want this place, I don''t want to be a noble, but I do want to be a mage, so I''ll make sure that when Lord Kalan wakes up and when Lord Gallus arrives, neither of them will be embarrassed by the state of this, uh, estate."

    A soft tone rang behind Dwayne, and he turned to the library''s door, listening for whispers. "What was that?" He turned to Galkin. "Did you hear that?"

    Taking his eyes off Na''cch, the steward bowed. "Just a sign of good times I''m sure, my lord. It will be done."

    ***

    Stepping out of the baths clean, refreshed, and smelling of flowers, Dwayne dropped a slightly damp The Responsibilities of a Noble Mage on a nightstand, turned to his bed and, sighed. He''d expected that Galkin would provide clothes that were rich, colorful, and uncomfortably tight, something he''d hate but would have to wear as part of this ridiculous burden, but what was laid out instead was the same outfit he''d been wearing for months now scrubbed to an inch of its life.

    "Unfortunately, we do not have more suitable attire available for your use, my lord." Galkin looked pained. "I would lend you something, but as you''re more broad in the shoulder and somewhat heftier to boot, you wouldn''t fit. I have sent out for a tailor."

    Dwayne winced but pulled on the familiar clothes with a strangely light heart.

    Galkin turned away politely. "Up until now, I and the staff have been focused on cleaning the rooms in order to bring the estate up to Lady Gallus''s standards."

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Dwayne pulled up his breeches. "Judging by how both Lord Kalan and Magdala shudder when I mention her, I''m guessing those standards are quite high."

    Galkin nodded. "Quite so. The staff has made significant progress, but I believe that it will be another two or three days before that task is complete, and so there are few hands to help with the stables and the kitchens, which are likely in an... insufficient state."

    "The walls are too." Dwayne walked to the mirror and inspected his hair, a fingertip deep mat of tiny black curls. Normally, he''d shaved it before it got to this point, but he hadn''t had the time in weeks. Not since fighting that dragon. "We''re going to need more security."

    Galkin tilted his head. "The garrison is nearby, my lord."

    "And that thing slipped right past it." Dwayne turned to the steward. "If Lord Kalan, the Guardian of the Southern Line, is a catch, then Lord Gallus, the commander of Soura''s entire army, will be a steal. I don''t want Mag- I mean, we should do our due diligence."

    Taking no notice of Dwayne''s slip, Galkin nodded, his expression grave. "That is an excellent point, my lord. I will add it to the list."

    Dwayne grabbed three vials off his desk and slipped them into his pocket. "Let''s start on the inside and move outwards. First, the kitchens."

    ***

    Walcrest''s kitchens were on the ground floor in the center of the manor, and since he''d had regular meals everyday since he''d arrived, Dwayne expected them to be in good order. "I did like the breakfast they served this morning,"

    Galkin kept his eyes ahead as he walked. "It was adequate."

    Dwayne''s head jerked back. "Adequate?"

    The corners of Galkin''s lips turned down. "As the head of one of the wealthiest families in Soura, Lord Gallus will be accustomed to much richer fare."

    Dwayne stopped, his skin prickling as if he''d just entered a snow bank. So Magdala''s family was powerful and rich.

    Galkin stopped in front of the kitchen door. "My lord."

    Dwayne gave him a weak smile. "He''s a soldier too. I''m sure if we have enough beer, it''ll be fine..."

    A frown passed over Galkin''s face. "Perhaps, my lord." He opened the door to the kitchens.

    Dwayne blinked. The kitchens were huge, more than large enough to house a battalion of cooks at the same time. Each of the fifteen cooking stations had a clean gray stone counter, a collection of pots and pans, and a dizzying array of unfamiliar cooking utensils hanging from racks. With a stove at each station, the kitchen could prepare enough meals to feed the entire town of Walton. That wasn''t the shocking thing though.

    Dwayne looked around. "Where is everyone?"

    "Oh, is someone there?" A short round woman stood up, her white capped head just barely visible above the counters. After placing a half peeled tuber on the counter next to a wooden bowl filled with skins, she smiled at Galkin then gasped at Dwayne. "By the cup! Galkin, is this the young apprentice that Lord Bart brought back from his travels?" She tried to fix her greying hair, but strands kept escaping her hat.

    Galkin gave a brief bow. "Yes. This is Dwayne."

    The woman trotted up to them and curtsied. "Miss Naomi Doyle at your service, milord."

    Dwayne groaned. He''d hoped only Galkin would insist on the formalities. "You don''t have to call me-"

    "The young master wonders where everyone else is," said Galkin.

    Miss Doyle shrugged. "Ain''t no one here but me and the new scullery maid. She comes in after to help me clean up. It''s a shame too. I could do some wonders with a staff. And food. And some idea of what everyone would like to eat."

    Back in the bath, Dwayne had only reached chapter three in Armsford''s book. If the text had any guidance on how to run a party with only two people on the cooking staff, he hadn''t gotten there yet. He went for the obvious solution. "We hire more people."

    Miss Doyle grimaced. "But there''s hardly anyone in town worth bringing here. Galkin here tried, the dear boy, but most of them in town could barely wash a dish, let alone make a meal for nobility such as yourself. What''s this for by the way? More people coming?" Her hands twisted her apron.

    Dwayne felt the same knot of apprehension. "Lord Gallus is coming to the estate."

    Miss Doyle perked up. "The red-haired general himself? I would like to catch a glimpse of him if you know what I mean." She fluttered her eyebrows.

    Dwayne flushed.

    Galkin gave a soft cough. "That''s the state of that, my lord."

    Dwayne cleared his throat. "What about the cleaning staff? Are any of them of use?"

    Miss Doyle and Galkin shared a look.

    "What?" asked Dwayne.

    The steward answered. "As I stated before, we are still cleaning the rest of the estate. Aside from the study, and the three rooms we''ve selected for your, Lord Kalan, and young Lady Gallus''s use, the rest of the estate is ah..."

    "It''s frightful." Doyle patted Galkin on the arm. "Though it does look a lot better now."

    An ache like a nail being hammered into his skull edged into Dwayne''s brain. "How many people are we expecting? I''m guessing Lord Gallus and a few of his people, right?"

    Galkin''s eyes slid away. "That group includes his most loyal lieutenants and their aides, some of whom have family in town and will want to bring them along. In addition, Colonel Harvey will want to bring her lieutenants and their families, and for the sake of propriety, you''ll also need to invite the Mayor of Walton too as well as select nobility from the area."

    "That may not be so-"

    "I wasn''t finished, my lord. We also need to invite the local clergy, and if there are any prominent merchants in the area, we''ll need to invite them to."

    The nail went all the way in. Dwayne closed his eyes and massaged his temples.

    "Are you all right, milord?" asked Doyle.

    Dwayne nodded and opened his eyes. "I''m going to need to think about this." Hopefully, the answer was somewhere in Armsford''s book. "Let''s see the stables first."

    Galkin bowed. "As you wish, my lord."

    "Good luck." Miss Doyle returned to her tubers.

    ***

    A few minutes later, mage and steward stood staring at the stables, Dwayne holding his nose while Galkin bore the stink of neglected hay, rotting wood, and long dried horse feces with wide eyes and a clenched jaw. Walcrest''s stables were tucked behind the eastern wing, and since he''d been staying in the western wing, Dwayne had had no idea they were this bad.

    Judging by the fury building on the steward''s face, Galkin also had been unaware of the state of the stables. He stomped forward. "This is unacceptable. Where is the stable master?"

    "You didn''t know they were like this?" asked Dwayne.

    Galkin''s face settled into a scowl. "I was assured that the stables were ready to receive their master. If Lord Kalan and yourself had arrived on horses, there would have been hell to pay."

    Dwayne shrugged. "Ah, maybe-"

    "Oi, who are you lot?" A one legged man with one crutch hobbled past them and stood between them and the stables, wielding his crutch like a club. "I''ll not abide a savage and a heathen gawking at the estate. Get out before I knock you out!"

    Galkin stepped forward, his scowl now replaced with a placid expression. "I am Rodion Galkin, steward of this estate." His voice was low, and he enunciated each word carefully. "This is the heir to Walcrest, Dwayne."

    The man raised an eyebrow and looked Dwayne up and down, a ghost of a sneer on his face.

    Dwayne''s fists tightened. "I see you need a demonstration."

    The man''s eyes widened. "No, I don''t need nothing demon like, that''s for sure."

    Dwayne knocked away the crutch, pushed past the man, and approached the closest stable. There, he pulled out one of the three vials he''d prepared yesterday. Of course, he could just burn the place down, but he wanted to impress the man, not scare him. Armsford wrote that awe, not fear, was the best emotion to invoke, and besides, he needed the stables intact.

    The vial he''d selected was the result of Mei''s hunts, Magdala''s knowledge, and his own experiments. Mei had found a snake that pulled its prey into its mouth with magic, Magdala had created an ambersoul suspension, and Dwayne had figured out the right balance of ambersoul to snake tissue. This would work. He held the vial in his fist and imagined a wind blowing towards him. "Qemimaem."

    A blast of wind blew out of the stable, throwing its contents into Dwayne''s face. When the spell was finished, the stable was clean, but the yard and the mage were not. Dwayne felt light headed. He''d failed.

    "Oh, wow." The one legged man worked his way over to Dwayne, his mouth opened wide. He performed a hasty bow. "Lord mage. I assumed-"

    Galkin joined them. "This is Lord Kalan''s apprentice. What did you expect?"

    Dwayne glanced at the steward, who was definitely hiding a smile, but at least his anger was gone. Breathing through his nose, Dwayne said, "Now that that''s clear. Who are you?"

    The man stood up straight, his hands trembling. "Lucas Forster, milord. My family has run this stable for generations."

    Dwayne''s heart fell. He''d scared Forster into believing that his livelihood would be taken away from him. Dwayne was not going to enjoy being a lord, and if things kept going like this, he was going to end up exhausted. Still, he pressed on. The Responsibilities of a Noble Mage mentioned three steps to take in scenarios like this. "So, it''s your responsibility to keep these facilities ready at all times, yes?"

    Forster nodded.

    Galkin coughed.

    Forster got the hint. "Yes, milord!"

    Step one, remind them what their role was. Now, step two. After slipping the vial back into his pocket, Dwayne faced the stable master. "Mr. Forster. Lord Gallus, the commander of the Southern Line Garrison, is coming here to Walcrest. I''m told that he''s a great horseman. Of course, we could rely on the garrison to house his horses but..."

    Forster''s lips curled. "Those children hardly know which end of the horse leads the beast." His eyes slid to Galkin. "Milord."

    Good, he understood what was at stake, though Dwayne could do without the surliness. Now, the last step.

    He gestured to the stables. "Quite, but I don''t think these are up to snuff. What do you suggest we do?"

    Forster froze, his eyes darting around, searching for a trick. Galkin frowned, but Dwayne just waited. There was only one person here who knew what the stables needed.

    Forster did not disappoint. He started to count on his fingers. "I need two carpenters, five boys for mucking this out out, 400 douns of hay, and as much of the best oats you can get." His eyes turned inwards. "Lord Gallus probably wants his horses to be ready at a moment''s notice, and that''s the least we''ll need to keep them that way."

    "And that''ll be a enough?" asked Galkin.

    Forster sneered. "Yes, that should do it."

    Dwayne patted the stable master on the shoulder. "I''ll hold you to that. Prove that your family deserves its place here at Walcrest, and you''ll have what you need shortly. Come, Galkin." Dwayne turned on his heel and walked away, aware that hay and other less bearable things were dripping off him as he walked.

    The steward hurried after him. "That was impressive, my lord. Though your magical demonstration was... messy."

    Dwayne grimaced. "I didn''t think that part through."

    "Clearly, my lord."

    "Where am I going to get all these people? What happened to everyone?"

    "Lord Kalan was gone for a long time, and people don''t like to be idle. So they moved on."

    Dwayne nodded. "Then we''ll need to get them back or replace them. First, let''s check on the wall though. I think-"

    Bells filled the air.

    Galkin caught Dwayne''s sleeve, keeping him from running off.

    "I have to go!" said Dwayne.

    "It''s not Lord Kalan," said the steward. "Listen."

    The bells that had sounded for Lord Kalan''s attack had been higher pitched and more urgent.

    "There''s been an attack on the town," Galkin said.

    "Then we should go anyway." Dwayne pulled his sleeve free. "I''m going to help." It was his responsibilty after all.

 Riujienpaa, Burn

    When Colonel Harvey''s office door shut behind her, Magdala''s stomach clenched. The garrison commander''s expression was that of a woman who''d heard pleasurable news, but Magdala had seen a similar look on her own mother''s face and knew it heralded a 3 hour lecture. The fact that Mei, Saundra, and Sir Marcus were here to witness didn''t make her feel any better.

    Steepling her fingers in front of her, Colonel Harvey sat back in her seat. "Lady Gallus, brief me on the state of your investigation."

    As Magdala described the events of the past few hours, starting with her discovery in the infirmary and finishing with the battle in the shop, the colonel''s calm countenance gave way to smoldering anger.

    When Magdala finished talking, Colonel Harvey closed her eyes and took a deep shuddering breath. "Who do you think you are?"

    Magdala''s jaw dropped. "Pardon?"

    "You heard me. Who do you think you are?" Colonel Harvey smiled. "First, allow me to commend your ability to cast difficult magic in a critical situation. Because of that, Mei''s markmanship, and Corporal Taylor''s heroics, the three of you escaped a situation that, frankly, I would have had trouble with." She clapped. "I''m impressed. Good job." Her hands went still. "But I must return to my question. Lady Gallus, who do you think you are? You entered a hostile location alone, taking neither the enthusiastic bodyguard I''d assigned you nor the exceptional hunter that you''ve been traveling with. Instead, you tricked them both and left them behind."

    Magdala''s cheeks burned. "I believed I could handle it."

    The colonel rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Between you and that idiot Huan-"

    "What happened?" Mei''s posture was stiff, and her lip was trembling.

    Colonel Harvey glanced at Mei. "Your brother tracked down the enemy alone and got himself gutted for his trouble." She sighed. "Foolish boy."

    "Where is he?"

    The colonel''s face softened. "He''s being taken care of. Sir Marcus will take you to him."

    After Mei let Sir Marcus lead her out of the office, the colonel''s ire refocused on a quailing Magdala. "Why did you think that you could handle it alone? Put aside the fact that, by your own admission, it was Corporal Taylor''s familiarity of the city and Mei''s ingenuity that got you to the scene in the first place, and remind me why you thought you could take down a creature that nearly killed your lord uncle all by yourself."

    "I was just trying to keep Corporal Taylor and Mei safe."

    "What?" Saundra''s eyes widened when she realized she''d spoken out of turn, but Colonel Harvey nodded, and so she pressed on. "Milady, it''s my job to protect you. If me and Mei hadn''t caught up to you, those things would have ripped you apart, and we''d have to search the whole city just to maybe find pieces of you."

    Magdala''s lips pursed. "I would have found some way out."

    Saundra''s face reddened. "Oh, so we''re holding you back?"

    "No, but-"

    "Enough."

    At Colonel Harvey''s command, both girls sank into sullen silence.

    Colonel Harvey''s fingers came together. "You''re smart and more than capable of making good, sound decisions, and so one last time now: who do you think you are?"

    Magdala tried to grab for her cloak, but it was ash and cinders now. "I''m my mother''s daughter. She could have handled that whole situation alone."

    "I wonder about that." The colonel tapped a short sheaf of papers lying on her desk. "This is Lady Pol''s account of what happened at Yumma. Despite her well known dislike of your lord uncle, she credits you and him for getting her out of that place alive. That''s a powerful mage, possibly the next Wind Sage, admitting that she needed help. Do you think she could have handled that situation alone? Could your lord uncle have?"

    Had Mei, Huan, and Dwayne''s efforts been left out of Lady Pol''s account? Magdala pushed the question aside and came up with a response to Colonel Harvey''s last question. "My lord uncle can''t walk down the street without help, ma''am."

    Colonel Harvey spread her hands wide. "And yet he''s one of the most powerful mages in Soura. Consider that perhaps your mother, as powerful as she is, is still only human. Perhaps, she needs help sometimes too."

    Magdala very much doubted this, but before she could say so, the door burst open, and Galkin and a Wesen boy charged into the room. The latter was covered in what Magdala seriously hoped was just dirt, though he filled the room with the stink of horse manure and rotted hay. The Wesen boy approached, but Saundra jumped between them, hand on her sword.

    The boy smiled at Magdala. "You''re alive! They said that monsters attacked you."

    Saundra''s hand tightened on her sword hilt. "Who are you? How''d you get in here?"

    The steward sighed. "My lord, I did suggest a bath and a change of clothes first. Even soldiers prefer to be clean."

    The boy looked down and groaned. "It''s just... I wanted to be sure you were okay."

    "Dwayne?" Magdala looked him over. "What happened to you? Were you attacked?" She sniffed. "By a load of horse dung?"

    "No, I was showing off. Are you hurt? What happened?"

    Saundra pushed Dwayne back with one hand. "Sir, I''m going to have to ask you to-"

    Colonel Harvey yawned. "This morning I received a ridiculous letter from Lord Gallus stating that that boy you''re pushing, Corporal, is Lord Kalan''s apprentice and the heir to Walcrest, and so I assume he''s here because of the alarm bells, not to assault our noses."

    Dwayne faced Colonel Harvey. "Baron, I''m going to need details of what happened."

    The colonel inspected her fingernails. "Lady Gallus here can fill you in as well as that fool Huan. He should be with your master."

    Dwayne''s jaw clenched. "Galkin, can you get Huan''s statement?"

    "Immediately, my lord."

    When the door had closed behind the steward, Colonel Harvey asked Dwayne, "Are you sure that you can trust him? I don''t like the look of him."

    Dwayne gave her a flat look. "That is between Lord Kalan, myself, and him."

    Colonel Harvey raised an eyebrow. "Someone is growing a bit big for his breeches. If the lynchpin of the Southern Line died, it would be a blow to this kingdom. It''s bad enough he leaves his post for months chasing rumors and stealing slaves."

    Magdala scoffed. "My lord uncle paid for Dwayne fair and square."

    The colonel laughed. "Right. Is there anything else, Master Dwayne?"

    Dwayne stood still, his rage balling his hands into fists.

    Colonel Harvey shook her head. "Just like the rest of your race. No self control."

    Dwayne''s fists tightened then loosened. "I would like to remind you that Lord Gallus is coming to this garrison for an inspection."

    "I do not require a reminder."

    Dwayne smiled. "Good. Then we can discuss arrangements for his reception tomorrow morning."

    Colonel Harvey frowned. "And why should I bother?"

    Magdala put her hands on her hips. "Because you want to impress my father. We all do."

    The colonel''s jaw worked. "Fine. Come early. I have a lot of work and very little time."

    "I appreciate it." Dwayne turned on his heel and left the room.

    Colonel Harvey waved Saundra and Magdala away. "You''re dismissed."

    After Magdala and Saundra fled into the darkened corridor, the corporal dried her hands on her trousers. "That was scary."

    Magdala looked around, but Dwayne was nowhere to be found. She leaned against the wall. "What am I going to do now?"

    "Go to bed?" Saundra asked. "Or you could hang out at the barracks."

    "No, I meant... how am I going to continue the investigation?"

    Saundra stared at Magdala. "You want to keep going?"

    "There were dozens of those things," said Magdala. "We can''t stop. Where was she even getting all of those corpses from? Aren''t corpses cremated to prevent this exact thing from happening?"

    "Yeah, there are fire pits just outside of Walton, but-"

    "Then unless they''re getting corpses from deep within Soura or tossing them over the wall from Vanuria, there''s no way there''d be that many corpses available to revive. Tomorrow, I''m going to those pits. Let''s see if that yields another lead."

    Saundra nodded. "I''m coming with you."

    "I don''t need your help."

    Saundra crossed her arms. "I''m not letting you out of my sight, milady. Where you go, I go."

    ***

    A plain gray stone ceiling and bandages that were so tight that he could hardly breathe greeted Huan when he woke up. He sat up, retched, and curled up as a wave of pain broke against his skull. When it passed, he lay back in the bed, his sweat soaking his sheets. He frowned. Tiger?

    Sitting up again, Huan snatched at his neck and found that Tiger''s mask was still there. Slumping back, he closed his eyes and found the beast resting deep in a dark corner of his mind.

    When Huan''s attention brushed against it, Tiger growled. Wounded. Weak.

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Huan retched again and endured another wave of pain. Zeya''s knives had probably been poisoned or something. He''d catch up to her after- Where am I?

    He managed to sit up without retching. The room he was in was small, with two lit lamps, no windows, two wooden chairs, a nightstand, and another bed that was... occupied? Huan peered at his roommate and then let out a bark of laughter. It was his sponsor, Lord Kalan, now looking a little better than he had two nights ago. So this is where he''s been.

    The door opened. "Good, you''re awake." Sir Marcus strode into the room.

    Huan opened his mouth to say something witty, but then his sister walked in, her clothes covered in soot and ash. She stepped past Sir Marcus, pulled up one of the chairs, and perched in its seat like a bird on a branch.

    Huan gripped his sheets, and Tiger stirred. "What happened?"

    Mei smelled of death, fire, and magic.

    His sister''s eyes drooped. "We tried to track down the thing that attacked him." She pointed to Lord Kalan. "We found moving dead instead."

    What? Huan''s grip on his sheets tightened. "Why are you helping these people?"

    "These people, eh?" Sir Marcus sat down in the other chair.

    Huan glared at the knight. "Yeah, ''these people''. Your problems are not our problems. She should be free and hunting, not getting into fights with moving dead."

    Sir Marcus''s anger curled his fists and clenched his jaw, but he forced it away, his eyebrows drawing together. "How are you feeling?"

    Huan looked down. "Sore and hurt." What''s his angle?

    The knight chuckled. "Understandable. So, what did you learn?"

    "There''s a woman, a mage, behind all of this, and she lives on the edge of town. If you hurry, you should be able to catch her before-"

    "That wasn''t what I meant." Sir Marcus leaned forward. "I meant ''Did you learn anything that you could improve on?'' What would you do differently the next time you''re in that situation?"

    Huan''s head came up, and he met the knight''s eyes with his own. "Bring my sword."

    "Do you need a sword?" asked Sir Marcus. "You have that." He pointed to Tiger''s mask.

    Tiger''s growl rumbled in Huan''s throat, but Mei was watching Huan like a hawk. Even shaking from exhaustion, she wasn''t going to let the beast have his way.

    Sir Marcus sat back in his chair. "By the way, we had to say that your mask was a religious artifact so they wouldn''t cut it off of you. I didn''t want you to bite them. That mask has a mind of its own... So, anything else?"

    Huan rolled his eyes, a motion that made his head throb. "With the benefit of hindsight, I''d definitely double check for people sneaking up on me."

    The knight searched Huan''s face. "That''s it?"

    "That''s it." Huan crossed his arms. "Did I pass?"

    Sir Marcus''s eyes narrowed. "No, you did not. After all, you missed your biggest mistake: you didn''t ask for help."

    Huan scowled and flopped back onto the bed. "I handled it."

    "Why didn''t you tell me?" The quaver in Mei''s voice stabbed into Huan''s heart. "I could have helped."

    Huan sat up again, tried to meet his sister''s eyes, and couldn''t. "It''s... I''ll tell you about it later. It''s just I saw an opportunity and I took it."

    "And since you didn''t tell anyone else about this ''opportunity''," said Sir Marcus, "the culprit got away, leaving you holding your guts in the street. Was that fair to Barty? To your sister? To yourself?"

    Huan jutted out his jaw. "What does fair have to do with it? I can do what I want with my life."

    Sir Marcus''s eyes hardened. "In that case, Barty should withdraw his sponsorship, and I''ll arrest you for traveling within Soura''s borders without permission. Mei here would either have to let you rot in jail, try to find you a new sponsor, or break you out. You said she should be free. Would she if you lost your sponsorship?"

    Huan smirked. "That''s nothing. I''ve been to jail. I can handle it."

    "And if she fails, you''ll be back in Tuqu. I''ve never seen anything like that mask before, but something that makes people fight like beasts sounds like their kind of magic, and I''m betting they''ll want it back. Am I wrong?"

    Blood drained from Huan''s face, and he looked away.

    "Right." Sir Marcus turned to Mei. "Are you going to stay?"

    Mei mumbled something.

    "Good." Sir Marcus stood up and patted Mei on the back. "Make sure you get some sleep. We have a lot of work to do tomorrow."

    He left Huan with his little sister and a comatose man.

    After sneaking a glance at the noble mage to make sure he was asleep, Huan whispered, "I think we can escape to Vanuria."

    "Why?"

    Huan''s head jerked back. "Y-You don''t want to live under their thumb forever, do you? Emperor''s tits, Sir Marcus just threatened us!"

    Mei hugged her legs to her chest. "I don''t want to leave."

    "It''ll be better across the border. There''ll be lots of new animals to hunt, and we''ll be able to do whatever we want."

    "How do you know that?"

    Huan gave Mei a look. "It has to be better than here."

    Mei shook her head. "Dwayne doesn''t think so. He hates Vanuria."

    Huan''s stomach clenched. "Are you going to trust him over me?"

    "No, but-"

    "Then it''s settled."

    His sister went still, her body fading into the shadows cast by the lamps. When she spoke, her voice was barely louder than the flickering flames. "Why did you hunt alone?"

    Huan threw his hands up. "You''re not going to scold me too, are you? I saw an opportunity and I took it."

    Mei unfolded from the chair, stood up, and looked Huan in the eye. "You could have died. You didn''t tell anyone. Not Dwayne. Not Marcus. Not me."

    Huan winced. "It''s- It''s just that it''s my problem not yours. That thing, that wraith, stole my passport. I have to get it back."

    Mei rubbed her forehead. "Dwayne can get you another one."

    Huan grit his teeth. "I''m not asking him for help. I can''t show him weakness." Not again.

    "I don''t understand."

    "You nev-!" Huan stopped himself and took a deep breath. "Give me some time, and just go along with whatever they want for now. I''ll get us out of this. Don''t worry."

    "Okay," Mei said. Then she left.

    After the door had closed behind her, Huan glanced at the nightstand. A fresh change of clothes had been set there along with Liraya''s map and a unfamiliar knife. Picking the knife up by its black handle, he studied it, weighing its heft, and feeling its serrated edge with his fingers. Then his arm twinged, and he remembered where the knife had come from. Zeya.

    Why didn''t it disappear like the others? Is there a limit to her power?

    That didn''t sound right, but if it meant Zeya had one less knife when they fought next, he wasn''t going to complain. Ignoring the swimming room and the shooting pain, Huan slid out of bed, dressed in the plain tunic and trousers, and stumbled to the door. I''m going to chase down that witch and get her to tell me more about Vanuria.

    He opened the door, and the posh steward of Walcrest strode in.

    The steward blinked. "Ah, you were leaving?"

    Huan turned his grimace into a smile. "I was headed to the bathroom."

    The steward''s eyes flickered up and down. "Then I''ll help you. Those wounds look particularly grievous."

    "Thanks." Damn it.

    After the steward had put Huan''s right arm around his shoulders, Huan looked up and jolted back. His sister was standing guard outside of the room, her eyebrow raised, an axe ready.

    Where''d she get that? Huan gave her a half-shrug. "Gotta use the bathroom."

    Galkin started down the corridor, practically dragging Huan with him. "Young Master Dwayne wants a report of what happened tonight."

    Between the steward and Mei, Huan couldn''t find a way to escape and track down Liraya. He covered his sigh with a smirk. "Well, I am a great tracker, and so first I found the trail of the wraith that attacked us..."

    ***

    A half hour later, Mei watched her older brother pretend to sleep. Huan had already tried to trick her once by snoring so loudly it should have roused Lord Kalan from his coma, but it hadn''t been his best effort, and since Mei had spent her whole life sleeping within earshot of him, she hadn''t been fooled. Now, Huan''s breathing slowed, and he became dormant, but his hands were pressing down on the sheets, ready to push him upright as soon as Mei left. This was the beast''s attempt. It thought it could just lie still, and she''d go away, but Mei tapped the head of her axe with her finger, the soft sound making Huan twitch.

    When she did it again, he groaned. "Stop that."

    Mei laid the axe across her lap and waited. This late at night the kitchens and the workshops that filled the air with activity during the day were silent, and so her brother''s steady breathing was audible. It softened for a moment then grew steady. Huan''s hands even relaxed, but his shoulders stayed tense. He was trying to hear when she left. Mei allowed herself a small smile and tapped her axe head again.

    Huan opened his eyes. "You''re not going to leave, are you?"

    Mei shook her head.

    He scowled. "Fine! I''ll go to sleep."

    He closed his eyes. After many minutes, his breathing slowed, his hands went limp, and his shoulders dropped. When he started to snore softly, Mei let out a breath and stood up. He didn''t move. She raised her axe, and he kept snoring, no anger from the insult, no fear from the threat interrupting his rest. Satisfied, Mei slipped out of the room and eased the door closed behind her.

    "Good call." Rodion Galkin was leaning against the wall across from the door. "He seems like the sort to sneak out of bed and do something foolish."

    Mei went rigid. She hadn''t sensed him at all. Where Tiger would have reduced his presence or her brother would have relied on distraction, the steward had somehow faded into the background. It was unsettling.

    She took her hand from her axe, which she''d grabbed without noticing. "Why are you here?"

    Rodion pushed away from the wall, meeting Mei''s eyes with his own. "I found some aspects of your brother''s story confusing. I have some experience with those creatures, and the idea that a lone human could stand against them for any length of time, particularly weaponless, is hard to believe."

    With a noncommittal grunt, Mei walked away.

    The steward followed. "Since you''ve fought these creatures yourself, you understand, right? Taking them on alone would be a difficult, if not impossible, task."

    Mei walked faster.

    The steward increased his pace. "Miss Ma, I-"

    "Why are you following me?" Mei stopped and turn to face the steward, who stopped two steps away from her and bowed.

    "It is my job to keep track of all of Walcrest''s guests," he said. "Although you''re staying here in the garrison, you are still under Lord Kalan''s protection, and so it is my responsibility to make sure you''re taken care of. That includes your safety."

    "We can handle ourselves."

    Rodion''s eyes flicked to Mei''s rifle. "I can see that."

    Mei stepped back from him. "Then go away."

    "I was just wondering if your brother missed anything."

    Mei''s hand dropped to her axe. "You-"

    "Mei? Galkin?" Dwayne emerged from the other end of the corridor, freshly bathed and in new clothes. "What''s going on?" He stepped back from Mei''s glare.

    "Master Dwayne." Rodion bowed. "I was just on my way back to deliver my report."

    The Wesen mage nodded slowly. "Ah, okay." He turned to Mei. "Have you seen Magdala? I wanted to tell her something crucial about Fo magic. It''s important."

    Mei''s eyes didn''t leave the steward as she answered, "I do not know where she is."

    "Oh, okay." Dwayne was still inching back from Mei.

    Sighing, She removed her hand from her axe. She had to stop acting like a cornered beast, lashing out instead of thinking. "Sorry."

    Dwayne relaxed a fraction. "It''s been a long day for all of us, and I''m sorry I haven''t been more help with that. I know you two can handle it. How is Huan?"

    "Hurt. Sleeping."

    "I hope he gets better." Dwayne rubbed his temples. "There''s still so much to do up at the estate before Lord Gallus''s arrival. Hopefully, we can get the stables cleaned out by tomorrow."

    "Mister Forster has been helpful?" asked Galkin.

    Mei''s eyes slid to door of Huan''s room. It stayed closed.

    "Considering that he''s just one man. We still need, what was it, five people to muck out the stables."

    Galkin bowed. "As you wish, my lord."

    Dwayne nodded and said, "Mei, please join us for breakfast tomorrow."

    Mei refocused on the Wesen mage and nodded. "I''ll try."

    Dwayne smiled. "Magdala would like that. See you then." He and Galkin disappeared down the corridor, leaving Mei alone.

    She stepped towards Huan''s door, but then turned to the barracks instead. Passing the courtyard, she caught sight of two soldiers in fitted leather armor who were receiving a scroll. After a quick salute, they spoke a word, and wind gathered at their feet and lifted them into the night sky. Her mouth open, Mei watched them rise higher and higher into the air, then jet east along the Southern Line. Magdala had told her about fighting off flying bandits with Dwayne, but even after Yumma that had sounded ridiculous to Mei. Now Mei wondered, what would it be like to fly?

    "There you are!" Maggie and Saundra ran up to her.

    Mei pointed to the shadows against the moon. "Can you fly like that?" she asked Maggie.

    Maggie looked up and squinted. "Oh, windsong flyers." She shook her head. "I wish. They carry messages and the like, and they get to see so many things."

    "Those two are the only ones we''ve got," said Saundra. "Ole Harvey''s really taking this seriously." She turned to Mei, grinning. "Milady had an idea."

    "I can go by myself," whined Maggie.

    Mei turned to her friends. "What idea?"

    "She''s going to check out the cremation pits," said Saundra.

    Mei raised an eyebrow. "Is that dangerous?"

    "I''m right. Here." Maggie composed herself. "It''s safe. It''s just where they burn dead bodies."

    Tapping her axe with a finger, Mei considered this. "There is also the place my brother found."

    "What place?"

    Mei told Maggie and Saundra Huan''s report, leaving out any details about Tiger''s mask.

    Like Galkin, Saundra was skeptical. "Your brother lost to just one of those things before, and then he was able to get away from two of them and their master? I don''t believe it."

    Maggie rubbed her chin. "He has... ways. I could go check out-"

    "No."

    Saundra and Mei''s united refusal caught Maggie off guard.

    She tried a smile to placate them. "There''s no way that the enemy stayed there after Huan escaped. That location is compromised. It''ll be perfectly safe."

    Saundra shook her head. "More likely it''ll be full of booby traps like the shop. No, milady."

    "I''ll go," said Mei.

    Saundra winced. "That''s not better. I''m sure you can take down a lot of those things-" Her eyes slid to Mei''s rifle. "-but please, take someone with you."

    "Okay."

    Saundra''s mouth fell open. "Really? You don''t mind?"

    "No." Mei cocked her head to one side. "Why would I?"

    "So you''ll be going with Mei?" Maggie asked Saundra.

    "No, I''ll ask Sir Pollum to send someone else." Saundra stood straighter. "I''m a corporal after all. I can requisition resources. Assuming that''s what that means."

    "Dwayne was looking for you," said Mei to Maggie. "He invited me to breakfast."

    Maggie''s lips pursed. "He should be far too busy to-"

    "I''ll be there."

    Maggie flushed. "I was going to go to the cremation pits first thing in the morning though."

    Saundra grinned. "Breakfast is more important, milady."

 Fo-yun-on-heng, Wide Blue Eyes

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ***

    </a>

    ***

    </a>

 Xa-zin-yu-ra-ba, Rhino Horn

    Magdala picked up a charred tooth and held it up.

    Saundra peered at it. "That''s pig." She marked a tally in Magdala''s notebook.

    Sighing, Magdala stood up and stretched. "How many is that?"

    Saundra counted the tallies. "Between the teeth, the fingers, and the hip bones... there''s forty people unaccounted for."

    "And these are just Warren''s pits. If we consider how many there are in Walton, there could be many more of those things marching through the streets." She gulped. "Whoever''s doing this, they''ve been here for weeks, maybe even months."

    "But the attack was just a couple of weeks ago!" said Saundra.

    Magdala''s hand came to her mouth. "When did you hear that my lord uncle was coming back?"

    The corporal tilted her head in thought. "I''m not sure when word came in, but we got orders to prepare maybe two weeks ago?"

    Magdala''s eyes hardened. "Then the enemy has been here this whole time, getting ready for him to return."

    Saundra looked down at the tallies. "That''s so... There was no guarantee that he''d evr come back. Ole Harvey was shocked when he did."

    "But as soon as the enemy knew he would, they attacked the gate and got those creatures over the Southern Line." Magdala frowned. "I don''t understand how though."

    Grimacing, Saundra stood up and brushed ash off her pants. "Maybe the little one got through our checks, but there''s no way the wraith did. Maybe it just climbed over the wall?"

    "That''s impossi- What''s that?"

    A red flare rose above the garrison, trailing sparks behind it.

    "Pretty," said Saundra.

    The flare burst, coloring the town crimson.

    Magdala raised an eyebrow. "A firework? That''s rare..." She met Saundra''s eyes. "Huan mentioned finding fireworks."

    "What for?" asked Saundra. "That high up, it''s not going to do any damage to the garrison. I mean, it''s above the wall."

    Magdala glanced at the already fading firework and then squinted. Something dark and round was flying high over the Southern Line. "What''s that?"

    As the thing dropped into Walton, another black dot appeared. And then another. And another.

    Magdala''s stomach clenched. She''d read about this in history class. "We''re under attack."

    "What?"

    Magdala began to run towards the garrison. "They''re catapulting those things from the Vanurian side."

    Catching up to Magdala easily, Saundra asked, "Are you sure? The bells should be-"

    A chorus of bells cut her off, and without another word, the two of them picked up speed, passing a confused Warren on their way out of the cemetery and into the town.

    Saundra pointed. "One''s dropping nearby."

    They ran another two blocks, pushing through a scared crowd fleeing the danger, but when they reached the object''s landing point, they skidded to a halt. Walton''s guards were already fighting the fiends, five against three.

    Saundra drew her sword and advanced, but Magdala grabbed her shoulder. "No, this doesn''t make sense. With the Southern Line unbreached, this attack is a waste of resources."

    Saundra freed herself. "What are you talking about? We have to help!"

    "If this is the same enemy that booby trapped her shop and has spent weeks, maybe even months, building up a store of those fiends, why is she tossing them over from Vanuria?"

    Saundra shook her head. "Why is not important. We need to help those people now." She dashed to the fight and decapitated one of the fiends with a quick slash.

    Magdala stepped forward, her hands already reaching for modified versions of the firebomb she''d used at the shop, but she stopped. If this attack wasn''t pointless, if the enemy wasn''t just desperate, what were they really after? "My lord uncle." If she was right, this was a diversion, an attempt to draw out the Southern Line Garrison and empty its defenses. Magdala didn''t know where her lord uncle was, but he definitely wasn''t in Walcrest and keeping him in town would make him that much harder to defend. That left the garrison.

    She looked up and ducked as another ball smashed through the roof of a house, scattering its occupants. Already, Saundra was leading a rescue, commanding the town guard to cover her while she engaged the new wave of fiends. Magdala could save those people, but if the enemy got to her lord uncle, then all of Soura was at risk.

    Saundra turned to her. "Come on!"

    Magdala shook her head. "I''m going to the garrison!" She ignored Saundra''s reply and ran.

    ***

    Die! Tiger roared and tried to throw off Zeya, but the wraith pulled back Huan''s arm and twisted.

    Gritting his teeth, Huan wrested control back from the beast and managed a reply to Liraya''s question. "I don''t know."

    Liraya''s grin disappeared. "Wrong answer. Zeya, haaler."

    Zeya pulled Huan''s arms so hard, his shoulders felt like they would tear off, but he bit back his screams. If any of the Sourans heard this exchange, he''d lose his chance to get his passport back.

    "Zeya, tedemer."

    The pain stopped. After waiting a moment for Huan to recover, Liraya asked again, "Where is Lord Kalan?"

    Huffing from the pain, Huan twisted his neck to look Liraya right in the eyes. "Fuck you."

    Liraya sighed and signaled Zeya, who resumed. While Huan stifled his screams, Liraya spoke to Melany, who had taken up position at the entrance to the alley. "Koumuh ce be?"

    "Ya mehyuhlia te yos legonaros in ya portos," answered Melany.

    "Kien ce hella eto, decera ya yomorodo quez." Liraya signaled Zeya to stop pulling Huan''s arms off. "Okay, I''m going to allow you a bit of leverage. After you found my safe house, some bitch trashed one of my Cazza stores. Though that puts me on my back foot, I will complete my mission. So your options are to comply or to keep quiet. One means freedom, the other death. Guess which one."

    Huan''s shoulders were on fire, and he was pretty sure his wounds from last night had reopened. It would be so easy to just comply. "I''m going to need something. Something... you took from me."

    Liraya raised an eyebrow and pulled Huan''s passport out of her pocket. "Are you talking about this?"

    Huan smiled. "Yes, that. For that, I''ll consider telling you where Lord Kalan is."

    Liraya stood up, walked over to Huan, and then knelt down to peer into his eyes. "So, you''re admitting you know where he is."

    Huan grinned. "You don''t know that. I could be bluffing."

    "Hmm... I doubt that." Liraya stood up and dropped the passport next to Huan''s face. "Have it."

    Huan stared at the sheet of metal. "I... I didn''t..."

    Liraya sat back down on the crate. "I don''t need it, and it''s useless to me anyway."

    She doesn''t care. Then I can up the price.

    Liraya raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to tell me where Lord Kalan is? If not, then-"

    "I want one more thing." Huan looked up at Liraya. "I want a passport just like this one, but for Vanuria."

    Liraya''s jaw dropped.

    ***

    Winded from running across most of Walton to reach the garrison, Magdala grabbed a garrison captain and asked, "Where''s Colonel Harvey?"

    The captain pulled his arms out of Magdala''s grip with a scowl. "She''s in her office. Who are you?"

    But Magdala was already dashing away, and soon, she was opening the door to Colonel Harvey''s office. "Colonel, you have to-"

    Two pikes cut her words off, and, beyond them, two aides, barely older than Magdala, scowled at her.

    Colonel Harvey looked up from a map of Walton that had been laid across her table. "Lady Gallus. Are you here to report the enemies raining down upon us? If so, I''m well aware."

    Magdala looked at the map, which was covered in red and green markers. Considering their positions, she guessed that the red markers were Souran troops and that the green were fiends. There was little red in the garrison. "You''re sending out all of your squads."

    Harvey gestured to the two guards, who lowered their pikes and allowed Magdala to enter. "We''re protecting Walton. We''re getting to the landing points as-"

    "Call them back! This is all a diversion to get you to empty the garrison."

    One aide scoffed. "To what end? It would take a mage of Lord Kalan''s caliber to crack the Gate and take advantage of this attack."

    Magdala kept her eyes on the colonel. "The enemy wants to kill my lord uncle. He''s somewhere in the garrison right? Even with all their preparations, there''s no way-"

    "What preparations?" Colonel Harvey''s eyes narrowed.

    "The enemy has been here for weeks, stealing corpses and turning them into fiends."

    "What are fiends?" asked the aide.

    Magdala thrust her hand towards Walton. "Those monsters that are attacking the town right now! If you deploy the entire garrison, you''ll leave my lord uncle exposed."

    Colonel Harvey''s jaw clenched. "If we do nothing, people will die."

    "But-"

    "Lady Gallus, you are not an actual member of Her Majesty''s Army." The colonel let her shoulders drop. "Your attempt to find the enemy is much appreciated, and what you''re reporting is disturbing, but the fact is that Walton is under attack, and innocents are getting hurt. Do you have anything, magical or otherwise, that will get us out of this situation?"

    Magdala balled her fists. "I''m right. That last attack was a feint, and this one is too."

    The aide crossed her arms. "We don''t have time for this, ma''am."

    "No, we don''t." Colonel Harvey nodded to the guards. "Escort her out."

    With that, Magdala was deposited outside of Colonel Harvey''s office. As the door shut behind her, a blue firework went up into the air.

    "Oh no." Magdala turned to the infirmary and ran. She needed more weapons.

    ***

    Back in Walton, Mei dodged under grasping hands, tripped up their owner, and beheaded it with her axe. Ignoring the cheers around her, Mei pressed forward, determined to get to her brother, but another fiend lurched at her.

    "Mei!"

    After punching the fiend in the mouth, Mei turned around as Saundra joined her, flicking bright red ichor off her sword. "Have you seen Lady Gallus?"

    Mei looked away. "No."

    Snarling and wailing, four fiends charged around a corner, and the two girls went into action, Saundra taking point, Mei drawing her rifle. To give Mei time to load, Saundra closed with the lead creature and kicked it into its fellows, knocking all four of them back. After the corporal stepped aside, Mei''s shot took out the most able bodied one, and then together, axe and sword drawn, they took the fiends apart. When they were done, they continued onward.

    Saundra kept pace with Mei. "Where are you going?"

    Mei''s grip tightened on her axe. "To find my brother."

    It took them ten minutes to reach the fortress''s entrance, where one soldier was yelling orders at several assembled squads. "Squads Marlon and Pohl, assist Graham squad in the east sector! Squad Yimmer, head to the northern sector and relieve Squad Euler."

    "Sir, yes, sir!"

    As the squads rushed out into the night''s chaos, the yeller caught sight of Saundra and gave her a grateful nod. "Corporal, glad to see you. Find a few spare soldiers and fill a squad."

    Saundra saluted but shook her head. "Sorry, Sergeant, I have my orders. Have you seen Lady Gallus?"

    The sergeant frowned. "She ran through here a while ago." He glanced up. "By the cups, another one!"

    A rocket screamed up into the sky and burst, lighting up the night sky periwinkle blue.

    The sergeant''s face was thunder. "We can''t find whoever''s launching them. Ole Harvey''s probably going spare."

    Mei shook her head and moved to push past the sergeant, but Saundra grabbed her shoulder. "Sarge, do you know where a soldier named Huan is? He''s Tuquese like Mei here, and he should be in the infirmary."

    The sergeant shrugged.

    Mei pushed Saundra''s hand off her shoulder. "I know where he is." She pushed past the sergeant.

    "Oi, no civilians."

    Saundra saluted, and said, "She''s with me. You can confirm with Sir Marcus," and they were out of sight before the sergeant could respond.

    They sprinted past the central building, through the work yard, and to the quiet corner of the fortress, and when Mei reached the room where her brother and Lord Kalan should be, she opened the door and ran inside. "Huan, we have to..." He wasn''t there.

    Saundra ran in and halted, her eyes wide. "What''s Lord Kalan doing here?"

    Still in bed, Lord Kalan shrugged. "I have no idea. Marcus said it was for my protection."

    "Where''s Huan?" Mei asked him.

    "He said he was stepping out to go to the bathroom." The noble mage frowned. "I would have expected him to have returned by now. It has been some time."

    "That idiot''s probably run away," said Saundra.

    Mei scowled. Huan was probably going after the enemy mage again. Hoping to catch up to him, she turned back to the courtyard, but the whole fortress rocked, and a plume of dust that reached a dozen wirs into the air burst up over the fortress''s southern quarter.

    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    Saundra got to her feet first. "Cups, what was that?"

    Feeling her stomach drop, Mei unshouldered her rifle, reloaded it, and ran towards the plume with Saundra close on her heels. When they reached the west side of the staircase that led up to Walcrest, they joined the soldiers surrounding the plume of dust.

    Saundra drew her sword. "More of those things?"

    Something rose up in the dust and smoke, its form barely visible.

    Taking aim at the hulking figure, Mei said. "No. Too big."

    The thing faced them, roared, and charged.

    ***

    Huan adjusted under Zeya''s elbow for comfort. "Just promise me total freedom in Vanuria, and I''ll tell you where Lord Kalan is."

    Liraya''s hand came to her forehead. "I do not understand. There''s no way I can guarantee-"

    The ground quaked beneath them, drawing away everyone''s attention. Everyone that is, except Tiger who, taking advantage of Zeya''s slackened grip, roared to the surface and threw the wraith off. As she rolled away, Zeya threw three knives, but Tiger dodged two and caught one, throwing it as hard as he could away from them. He smirked when only two of the knives reappeared into Zeya''s hands. Then he advanced on Liraya.

    Emperor''s tits, I didn''t put the mask on! After tearing control back from Tiger, he covered his alarm with a cough and snatched up his passport. He glanced at Liraya. "I could walk away." He took one step back towards the entrance to the alley.

    Liraya got to her feet. "You could." She undid the straps of her breastplate and let it drop to the ground. "But you want something from me. I can offer you money if you want, maybe even some land but-"

    "I want to be able to go wherever I want in Vanuria without some chaperone or some lord telling me what to do. If you can''t guarantee that..." Huan took another step back.

    Liraya raised an eyebrow. "There''s no such thing. In Vanuria or anywhere else."

    Huan shrugged. "Fine." He took another step back. "I''ll just leave. Good luck finding Lord Kalan without me. They''ve got him stashed somewhere real safe."

    Liraya threw her hands up. "Fine, fine, I may be able to get you a title. It won''t give you all that you want, but you''ll have rights and privileges."

    Huan took three steps forward, a smile on his face. "I''m listening."

    ***

    "By the cups, what is that?"

    "Arrows don''t hurt it!"

    "Back up! Back up! Back up!"

    Her hands full of new concussives and firebombs, Magdala ran out of the infirmary and through a group of soldiers hastily retreating from a plume of dust. After rounding the corner, she skidded to a stop. A giant, twice and a half as tall as Magdala with grey skin and bulging muscles, was rifling through the remains of a building, tossing aside massive stone blocks like they were pebbles. Shaking herself, Magdala placed all but one each of the concussives and firebombs on the ground, took aim, and threw a firebomb at the giant''s back, which erupted in flame. Behind her, soldiers cheered. Magdala smiled. Then the giant flipped onto its back and rolled around in the dirt, extinguishing the flame. The cheering stopped, and not breathing, Magdala watched the giant get back to its feet and search for the one who had set it on fire. Its eyes focused on a hapless soldier, who fired a crossbow bolt that went wide. The giant advanced on the poor soldier, raising its gigantic fist. It was going to crush her, all because of something Magdala had done, because she''d failed.

    At least, she could draw it away. Magdala threw a concussive into the giant''s face, the blast knocking it back. "Get away from it!"

    As one, the soldiers retreated, a kindly soul rescuing the unlucky soldier. Magdala picked up three concussives. If the giant was blind now, they had a chance, right? But the torn flesh around the creature''s eyes and nose rippled and reformed back into a coherent face, and, as soon as its sight returned, the giant focused on Magdala and jumped. Magdala ducked behind the corner before the giant came crashing down on the rest of her handiwork, setting off a explosion of flame and force that shook the air. Magdala peeked behind the corner, but the giant''s wounds were already disappearing. Falling to the ground, she backed away from the giant. This was the end. There was nothing she could do.

    A shot rang out.

    The giant fell to its knees, its forehead gushing with red ichor.

    "Milady!"

    "Maggie!"

    With Mei on her heels, Saundra ran up to Magdala and looked her over. "Are you all right, milady?"

    Her eyes itching from tears, Magdala nodded. "I''m fine."

    After reloading her rifle, Mei aimed at the giant, who was already getting to its feet, its wounds disappearing under knitting flesh. She scowled. "It can heal."

    "I know." Magdala wiped away her tears. "You two should-"

    "No," said Mei and Saundra.

    "We protect each other," said Mei. "Like we did in Yumma."

    "What she said," said Saundra. "I think."

    Magdala''s tears returned. "I just want to keep you safe."

    "Milady, I-"

    Mei cut off Saundra with a raised fist. "Maggie, we want to keep you safe too."

    Saundra nodded.

    Magdala started to protest, but a thought came to mind. With Saundra''s sword, Mei''s rifle, and her plans, wouldn''t it be easier to keep them both safe? She blushed. It was so obvious. "Okay. I''m sorry for being stupid and trying to do this all alone. Help me take that thing down?"

    Saundra grinned. "Yes, milady. Mei?"

    The hunter fired, but the giant ducked and smashed its way into a building.

    Saundra''s eyes widened. "Oh no. That''s where-"

    "Qeuiut!"

    Detritus slammed into the giant, knocking it out of the building and back into the yard, and while the giant lay prone, Magdala''s uncle, Lord Bartholomew Kalan, stepped out into the night. Magdala smiled, but her relief was cut short when the giant got to its feet and roared.

    Lord Kalan opened his mouth and then collapsed.

    "Saundra, get my lord uncle!" shouted Magdala. "Mei, shoot it again!"

    The hunter fired, but the giant guarded its facewith its arms. Still, that gave Saundra time to rush to Lord Kalan''s side, and Magdala time to dash into full view of the monster, readying her a concussive.

    She kept her eyes on the giant, which was still guarding its face. "Ready, Mei?"

    "Yes!"

    Magdala threw a concussive into the gap between the giant''s arms where it burst, forcing them apart. Taking the opening, Mei landed a shot between the giant''s eyes, and, as it stumbled backwards with a roar, Mei and Magdala ran to join Saundra and Lord Kalan.

    Saundra pointed at the giant. "We''re going to need a plan."

    Already, the giant''s wounds were disappearing, but an idea was sparking in Magdala''s mind. She twirled her last concussive. "We need more fire."

    ***

    "I''m listening," said Huan. "What could I do with a title?"

    "Although you''d have some responsibility to your subjects," said Liraya, watching Huan make a face, "you wouldn''t have to do much."

    Huan straightened up. "Lord Huan. I like sound of that. What''s Vanuria like?"

    Liraya''s eyebrows drew together.

    Huan crossed his arms. "Yes, we''re doing this now. If I''m going to betray my sponsor and his kingdom, I should know what I''m getting into, right?"

    Liraya''s eyes narrowed, but she answered the question, "Vanuria is a beautiful place. From the lush jungles to the rich highlands, the counties have no equal. After all, our people are friendly, our food irresistible, and our laws are lax."

    Tiger snorted, but Huan leaned in. "Do they deal with the Tuqu Empire at all?"

    Liraya smiled. "No, we don''t. How could we? Distance does not make friends."

    Huan started to grin, but then he remembered something. "What about the whole slavery business? I know someone who''s been... hurt."

    Liraya dismissed Huan''s concern with a wave of her hand. "We''ve been working for years to improve their living conditions. After all, we Vanurians believe in liberty above all else."

    Huan nodded. "Good, then in that case, I accept your offer."

    Liraya stepped closer. "So, where is Lord Kalan?"

    Huan groaned. "Wait, one more thing. Can you get my little sister a title too?"

    Liraya blinked. "Your little-"

    Another roar cut through the cacophony of bells, perking up the ears of both Liraya and Zeya.

    A predatory grin appeared on Liraya''s face. "Gleseeas a la Phons. Zeya, mehtahyo."

    The wraith nodded and raised her knives.

    Huan''s eyes widened. "What are you- shit!" He ducked under Zeya''s knife then dove out of the alley. Pulling on Tiger''s Mask, he fled into the work yard and found his sister, Magdala, Lord Kalan, and a Souran soldier facing off against a massive monster.

    Mei saw him first. "Huan!"

    "What the hell is that?" Huan covered his ears as the monster roared again.

    Magdala turned to Huan, then pointed behind him. "By the cup, what is that?"

    Huan followed her finger then ducked under a thrown knife. Cursing, he faced Zeya who, after waiting for her knife to blink back into her hand, took up a stance.

    I still don''t have my sword.

    Lord Kalan coughed. "Where were you? You said you were just going to the bathroom."

    Magdala backed away from the monster. "Not the time, lord uncle. Everyone, close your eyes!" She threw a glass vial at the feet of the monster, and an explosion threw dust and dirt into the air.

    "Let''s go!"

    As hands grabbed Huan and pulled him away, he watched Zeya''s glare disappear behind dust.

    ***

    After the rest of her party had retreated into the infirmary, Magdala shut the door behind them then took stock. While Saundra and Mei were armed, Huan and Lord Kalan were not, the Tiger mask notwithstanding. Worse, her lord uncle''s face was sweaty and grey, he was coughing constantly, and he couldn''t stay on his feet. It was probably the aftereffects of nish root poisoning, and it made him absolutely useless. With only one concussive and zero firebombs, how was she going to fight off the giant, the wraith, and their master?

    Huan scowled. "I need my sword. I''m going to the armory." He started to walk away, but Mei caught his sleeve and shook her head.

    A crash shook the building.

    Backing away from the door, Saundra said, "We need to move deeper in, but stay clear of the patients."

    Magdala turned to her lord uncle. "Was the wraith with the blades-"

    "Zeya," said Huan.

    "Was that the- Sorry, what?"

    Magdala, Mei, and Saundra turned to Huan, who rolled his eyes.

    "Zeya," he repeated. "I don''t know about that big one, but the one with the knives is called Zeya. The little one from the shop is Melany."

    "How do you know that?" asked Magdala. The room shook again, and she winced. The giant was tearing through the garrison, searching for Lord Kalan.

    Huan pulled his arm free of Mei''s grip, saying "I don''t have time for this," but Magdala blocked him from leaving.

    "Oh, we don''t, do we? What were you doing with the enemy?" she asked.

    "Her name is Liraya."

    "Oh, nice, you got her name. Did you learn anything useful?"

    Huan scoffed. "What have you found out?"

    Magdala put a hand on her hip. "Liraya plans to flood Walton with those fiends. I don''t know how many she has, but she''s definitely gathered almost a hundred of them."

    Saundra raised a hand. "Fiends?"

    "That''s what I''ve been calling them," said Magdala. "Why? What have you been calling them?"

    "Things."

    The whole infirmary shook, and the corridor filled with dust. The walls would not hold.

    "We need to do something about that," said Magdala.

    Huan shook his head. "You do whatever. I''m going to go get my sword."

    He tried to push Magdala aside, but she didn''t budge.

    "We need fire to fight the giant. Blades won''t be enough," she said.

    Huan stepped around her. "Can''t help with that." Before he left, he placed a hand on Mei''s shoulder. "Come with me."

    Mei shook her head.

    His eye twitching, Huan said, "Fine, suit yourself," and ran down the corridor.

    Magdala glared at his back. "Are you sure he''s your brother?"

    "We need to protect the infirmary, milady." Saundra adjusted a moaning Lord Kalan on her shoulder. "There''s still wounded soldiers here."

    Magdala pursed her lips and nodded. "We''re going back outside. I just... right." She walked down the corridor.

    "Where are you going?" asked Saundra.

    "We can''t just walk out there." Magdala found a closet, opened it, and pulled out a pile of linen. "I have an idea. Let''s switch things up."

    ***

    "What on Markosia is happening?"

    A garrison soldier looked Dwayne over and sneered. "Go back to the estate. I''m sure your- what?"

    His partner whispered something into his ear, and confusion, disbelief, disgust, and finally feigned acceptance crossed the soldier''s face.

    It was a sequence depressingly familiar to Dwayne. "Yes, I am Lord Kalan''s apprentice. What is going on here?"

    The soldier stiffened. "We''re under attack, milord. Creatures are raining down from the sky, and something big landed in the garrison, and we attacked it but nothing worked, sir, nothing, so we retreated, and it''s been wrecking buildings over on the western end."

    Chills traveled down Dwayne''s spine. "The western end?"

    "Yes, that''s- where are you going?"

    Dwayne kept running. "I''m going to help!" He charged down the steps to the garrison and up to a crater where a Fo creature, grey skinned, dead eyed, and snarling, leapt out at him. "Ri''mwe''ut!"

    After the fireball took the creature''s head clean off, Dwayne paused just long enough to inspect the remains. "A Hound."

    He''d seen them before, back on the island plantation so long ago. He hadn''t known what they were back then, but he could tell Magdala and the others now. Hurrying on, he finally reached the place where Lord Kalan and Huan had been billeted and found the building in ruins. Covering his mouth, Dwayne picked through the rubble, his eyes searching for pools of blood or piles of smashed limbs, but he found only crumpled beds and smashed chairs. Dwayne''s master and the thief were nowhere to be found. Before Dwayne could be relieved, something growled behind him. He whirled around, the fireball spell already on his lips.

    A masked Huan threw up one hand. "Whoa! Easy there." His other hand held his sword.

    Keeping his distance from Huan, who was more intense somehow, Dwayne asked, "What happened?"

    Huan jabbed a thumb at the courtyard. "The Vanurian witch attacked with a giant. What are you doing here? Did Magdala send for you?"

    Dwayne took a half step back. "No."

    Huan''s eyes were darting back and forth, his sword still drawn.

    Dwayne couldn''t keep his eyes off the blade. "Where is Magdala? Where''s Lord Kalan?"

    A roar cut through the night, and Huan turned so quickly that Dwayne almost hit him with a spell. The thief was lucky that Dwayne hadn''t figured out spell preparation yet.

    When they could hear nothing but the bells, Huan sheathed his blade. "I left them in the infirmary."

    Dwayne breathed a sigh of relief and started to go. "Good, I''ll- What?"

    Huan had grabbed Dwayne''s arm. "Wait! Wait, I just, I need a favor. I''ll owe you."

    Dwayne pulled his arm free. "I need to help Magdala and Lord Kalan."

    Huan nodded furiously. "This will help them too. My sister''s with them so... There''s four of them: the witch, the little monster from the shop, the one that attacked the estate, and a giant one. I need you to take down that last one. I''ll take down the others."

    Dwayne raised an eyebrow "''Take down''?"

    Huan gave a half smile. "Yeah, using that mumbo-jumbo you have. Just like in Yumma. Magdala said we need fire and I have you."

    ***

    "Go!"

    Saundra kicked open the door to the infirmary and hauled Magdala across the courtyard to the eastern side of the garrison. Underneath her makeshift shroud, Magdala gripped her vials close. She''d only had time to make two sedative bombs to add to the one concussive she''d been carrying. The sedatives wouldn''t work against the giant, but maybe they would against the enemy mage.

    The giant''s roar shook the shroud.

    "Here they come, milady," said Saundra.

    "Good."

    "Milady!"

    Something ripped through the shroud and bounced off Magdala''s armor. She tripped and, flailing, pulled Saundra down with her. Looking up, the corporal shoved Magdala out of the way, then a foot slammed down right where they''d been.

    "Get back, milady." Drawing her sword, Saundra shoved it into the giant''s stomach as far as it would go. Roaring, the giant backhanded Saundra, sending her flying.

    Magdala got to her feet, pulled out her concussive, and waved her hands at the giant. "Here!"

    When the giant charged her, Magdala threw her last concussive into its face, and the blast knocked them both backwards. Her ears ringing, Magdala got to her feet again. Suddenly, Saundra was in front of her, blocking the wraith''s knives with her body.

    "Saundra!"

    The knives had sunk into the corporal''s shoulder and forearm, and they winked away as the corporal straightened up, a heavy sheen of sweat on her brow. She grinned. "I think we got their attention, milady."

    Magdala grinned back. "Yes, we did."

    While Magdala readied a sedative bomb, the Fo mage Liraya glowered at them. "Zeya, imkootra el keiza e newcco ares. Amiam, cuil."

    As the wraith turned and ran back to the infirmary, the giant, with Saundra''s sword still in its side, squared off against Saundra and Magdala. With that, the first part of Magdala''s plan was complete: distract the giant, which gave Mei the chance to flee with Lord Kalan to the eastern side of the garrison where reinforcements lay. Unfortunately, that left Magdala and Saundra to fight the giant without Mei''s rifle.

    Still ignoring the sword in its side, the giant charged.

    Liraya''s eyes widened. "Amiam, agatho!"

    "Ri''mwe''ut!"

    The giant hit the ground, and a blast of orange flame passed over it, and with a snarl, Huan sunk his blade into the giant''s neck.

    Liraya raised her hands. "No! Fosiumutum!"

    The giant''s neck wounds flared with a green light, and they healed so fast that Huan''s blade was pushed out. Flipping onto its back, the giant headbutted Huan, flung away his stunned body, and got to its feet. It was now facing Dwayne and showing its back to Saundra and Magdala.

    Its mistake.

    Saundra closed with the giant, pulled her sword out of its side, and slashed its neck, and when the giant tried to backhand her again, she planted her feet and cut the arm off. Wincing from the giant''s roars of agony, Magdala slid around them and threw her sedative bomb at the Fo mage just as Dwayne unleashed a fireball, but Zeya''s knives smashed the vial and detonated the spell.

    Still, Liraya and her minions were outnumbered, and her chances were dwindling. After glaring at Magdala, the enemy mage shouted, "Melany, yomorodo treo!"

    A firework rocketed into the sky, trailing green sparks, and Magdala tried to think of something, anything to stop it, but only Mei could-

    A shot rang out, and the rocket burst just over the garrison. Everyone, mage, thief, and corpse, ducked as the night flooded with verdant fire. Running for cover, Magdala joined Dwayne in the remains of a nearby building.

    "Mei?" he mouthed.

    Magdala nodded and smiled. Mei''s shot had foiled whatever plan the Fo mage had had for that firework, and now it was time for Soura''s counterattack.

    She pulled Dwayne close, his smoky scent filling her nose. "We''re going to capture her and end this right here, right now."

    Dwayne''s eyebrows came together. "Where''s Lord Kalan?"

    "Mei has him."

    Tension drained out of the Wesen mage''s face. "Good. What did you have in mind?"

    Magdala peeked out from behind cover. "We just need Saundra and Huan to- What''s he doing?"

    Dwayne looked and cursed. "Tiger."

    ***

    Before the green firework had gone off, Huan had been lying stunned on the ground from the headbutt. Blinking stars out of his eyes, he sat up, grabbed his sword, and got to his feet, but then the firework went off and Tiger went wild.

    End this!

    Go back. I''ve got this-

    End this!

    Huan took in the state of the fight. The giant was blind and down an arm, but it wasn''t done. With Dwayne and the others in cover, this was Huan''s chance to shine, and so, he stopped holding back Tiger.

    The beast roared to the surface.

    Tiger counted. Three mages, three humans, two not-alives. The big not-alive was the best target, hurt and blind. Licking his lips, Tiger went low and dashed forward, slapping away knives with his sword.

    "Huan, stop!"

    The big not-alive''s eyes finally focused on Tiger, and he punched the ground, throwing up a cloud of dirt and dust, but the impromptu smokescreen didn''t block Tiger''s nose. He sniffed, found the biggest source of magic, and slashed it open. Gurgling, the giant fell out of the dust cloud, red ichor draining from its neck. Tiger pursued, his eyes only for the big not-alive''s neck.

    "Huan, look out!"

    A huge hand closed around Tiger''s waist and threw him, but Tiger twisted in the air, landed on his feet, and charged the big not-alive again, which somehow had its other arm back. Annoying.

    The death mage was screaming something. She was next, but the big not-alive had to be destroyed first. Tiger tightened his grip on his sword, dove under a punch, and received a kick to his chest that knocked him away. Gasping for air, Tiger stood up, endured a punch from the smaller not-alive, and tried to slash her, but she parried his sword with her knife, and then elbowed him in his bandaged wound. As the pain dropped Tiger to his knees, his foe raised her knife for the finishing blow.

    "Ri''mwe''ut!"

    A fireball hit the smaller not-alive in the stomach and it spun away. While it rolled around on the ground wailing, someone pulled Tiger to his feet.

    "Huan, are you okay?"

    Tiger snarled, pushed the hands away, and focused on his prey. The two not-alives were now in formation with the smaller one watching Tiger, and the bigger one fending off the red-haired mage and the tall soldier. If Tiger took down the smaller not-alive, then he could kill the death mage cowering behind the bigger one. He stepped forward.

    "Huan!"

    A shot rang out, and the death mage fell to the ground, her hands clutching her shoulder. Chuffing, Tiger pushed forward, but a foot tripped him up, and the tiny not-alive pulled a ball out of her cloak and threw it to the ground where it burst, filling the air with acrid, stinging smoke. His nose shutting down from the pain, Tiger fled, coughing and spitting. When the pain had faded, he tried to find his prey, but a soft click behind him raised the hairs on his arm. Mei.

    "Huan." Mei''s voice cut through the battle haze.

    Tiger resisted the command in Mei''s voice and searched for clues. In front of him was a trail of footsteps, and he could still hear the big not-alive''s heavy stomping. They weren''t moving fast. He could still catch up, still take them down.

    "Huan, come back."

    He could-

    What? What happened? Huan came to, sank to his knees, and gritted his teeth against the pain in his side.

    Mei walked into view, her rifle still aimed at him. "Huan?"

    Huan nodded. "I''m here." He looked into his sister''s eyes. "I''m here, Mei."

    Mei never bothered to hide her emotions. Most of the time she was only barely interested in what was going on, and so, she just observed everything with a still face. When she was interested, her expressions were less pronounced than everyone else''s, but Huan was her brother, and he could read them, and now, he was scared. Normally when Tiger stirred, Mei wore an expression of concern, but this time, as she looked down the the long barrel of her rifle, Huan saw fear.

    It took a long time for her rifle barrel to drop. "It''s him," said Mei. "Do it."

    Glass broke and a strange blue smoke filled Huan''s nose, its scent dragging him down into the dark.

    The last thing he heard was Mei''s voice. "He''s too dangerous now."

 Qebuderevem, crumble in my hand

    "That idiot!" Magdala sat down on the ground, and let the excitement drain from her limbs. They had been so close to capturing Liraya, saving her lord uncle, and protecting all of Soura, but Huan''s stupid rush had gotten in Dwayne¡¯s way and stolen the time Magdala needed to isolate the enemy and force her to submit. He really was a thief.

    She surveyed the damage.

    The giant''s attack had left the western side of the garrison a pile of rubble and debris, and while the infirmary still stood, it now sported a massive hole in its side. Through it, Magdala could see nurses, doctors, and medics working to save the soldiers that had been hurt during the attack. It would take a long time for the garrison and its soldiers to recover. Next time, Liraya would have a softer target. Two nurses passed Magdala, carrying Lord Kalan into the infirmary through the hole. Her lord uncle''s face was covered with sweat, but he was still conscious, and maybe tomorrow he''d feel up to fixing up the garrison.

    When Dwayne and Saundra sat down on either side of Magdala, their presence unraveled a knot in her stomach, and even though the corporal''s armor was dented, Dwayne''s hands shook, and all three of them had cuts and bruises, Magdala smiled. If only Mei were here, but although she was apparently uninjured, the hunter had followed her brother into the infirmary, looking like she¡¯d been punched in the gut. Magdala wasn''t sure what that was about, but she hoped her friend was okay.

    Dwayne sighed. "I thought he had more control over it."

    The memory of Huan''s attack stirred up hot rage In Magdala''s belly. "That reprobate doesn''t know what control is. He''s lucky that you were there to support him. He''d be minced meat otherwise."

    Saundra patted Magdala on the back, causing her to wince. "What does it matter? We won! Did you see that move I did? Slipping under his arm and cutting it off?"

    Dwayne frowned. "There''s no way that Fo mage is going to give up. If we¡¯d been a little slower-¡±

    ¡°If we?" Saundra glared at him. "We got here on time. What were you doing up there in your comfy study?¡±

    Dwayne met Saundra''s glare with a cool look. ¡°Research and preparing for a party.¡±

    ¡°A party?¡±

    While the two of them bickered, Magdala closed her eyes and tried to distill objective facts from emotional memory. It was hard with the town bells still ringing and the distant sounds of battle, but she managed to tune all that out. Would the Fo mage return to finish what she started tonight? No. Dwayne''s attack had surprised her and Mei''s had shocked her. Having faced a rare Ri mage and a powerful weapon with unknown range and accuracy, Liraya would have to modify her plans considerably, which would take time. If she did, there was still Dwayne and Mei''s combination attack, which would end even Liraya¡¯s hardier creations. Unless, of course, some idiot with a dumb mask and a dumber plan interfered.

    Magdala''s rage, hot and viscous, returned. "He just needed to work with us instead of in spite of us.¡±

    Saundra cut off her retort to Dwayne and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anyone fight like that. Nathan told me stories of what happened when you all fought that dragon, but I just thought he was telling tall tales. Huan just seems so... so...¡±

    ¡°Sloppy?¡± suggested Magdala.

    Saundra snorted. ¡°Yes, sloppy, milady.¡±

    Dwayne rolled his eyes. ¡°Oh good, more people throwing around titles."

    Saundra''s glare returned. ¡°I¡¯m showing respect. Why don¡¯t you?¡±

    Dwayne looked Magdala in the eye. ¡°Do you want me to?¡±

    Now caught in the argument, Magdala imagined Dwayne saying ¡°milady¡± with Galkin¡¯s deference. It was sad, somehow. She didn''t know why. ¡°No, I mean- you''re my lord uncle¡¯s apprentice and heir. We¡¯re the same rank so it just wouldn¡¯t be right.¡±

    Dwayne blinked. ¡°Oh, right, I, uh, read something about that. I¡¯m supposed to use your title, right? Lady Magdala Gallus.¡±

    Magdala grinned. ¡°What, Lord Dwayne Kalan?¡±

    Dwayne laughed. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s never going to sound weird."

    Crossing her arms, Saundra said, ¡°I¡¯m not going to call you milord."

    Dwayne''s smile widened. ¡°I¡¯ll never ask you to.¡±

    Saundra looked away and coughed. ¡°So long as we¡¯re clear.¡±

    After standing up, Magdala tried to clean off her blue dress, but between the blood stains, the holes in the skirt, and the caked dirt, it was completely ruined. She gave up. ¡°I suppose I should go back to wearing armor. And I need a new cloak.¡±

    Dwayne got to his feet, his eyebrows rising. ¡°What happened to your old one?¡±

    Magdala sighed. ¡°Burned in a fire.¡± Her mother had given her that cloak.

    Saundra was already on her feet. ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to ask, milady. What was that mask Mei¡¯s brother was wearing? That some sort of Tuqu thing?¡±

    Magdala and Dwayne looked at each other.

    Saundra''s eyes narrowed. "What?"

    Magdala shrugged. "I have no idea. He had it when my lord uncle hired him."

    Dwayne rubbed his chin. "My best guess is that it''s a delayed spell with a mental trigger. It would require a thaumaturigical source of some sort though...¡±

    Saundra said, "Show off."

    "That''s just a description of what we''ve seen so far." Magdala stepped closer to Dwayne. "Yes, Xa magic is tied with organic traits. Yes, there''s probably some significance that the mask looks like a tiger''s face, but there has to be more to it. Have you ever heard of a spell that can be delayed and reactivated over and over again? It¡¯s more like a magical animal like a dragon or a shaderat than an inanimate object."

    Dwayne''s eyes rose to the night sky. "What if it''s like the spell preparation technique?" His eyes dropped to meet Magdala''s. "They must teach it in Tuqu too."

    "No, it''s a Souran technique, and only Sourans know it."

    Dwayne grinned. "Just give me another day, and I''ll have cracked it."

    "You''ve been learning the spell preparation technique? When?"

    Dwayne shrugged. "Earlier today."

    "That''s amazing! How does it work with Ri magic?"

    "Not well. I-"

    "Milady." Saundra put her hand on Magdala''s shoulder. "We need to figure out what we''re going to do next."

    Magdala groaned. "If only Huan had just worked with us! If we have to try again with him, he''ll lower our chances for success."

    "Working together." Saundra smiled. "What a novel concept, milady."

    Magdala elbowed the corporal, who oofed theatrically. "I''m working on it. As for what we''re going to do next, I need to make more bullets and powder for Mei."

    "She was awesome," said Saundra. "When she shot that firework out of the sky-"

    "It was amazing, yes." Magdala frowned. "but she didn''t take down the enemy mage. She... Dwayne, do you think she can shoot to kill? If she had to?"

    Dwayne closed his eyes. "Yeah, I think so, but I think she''d rather not. If I had asked her to kill the mage back in Yumma, I think she would have refused."

    Magdala pursed her lips. "Those things do look like people. Would that-"

    "Those things are not people," said Saundra. "I looked that big one straight in the eye and saw an animal, a thing ready to tear me apart. A person cares. They don''t."

    Magdala glanced at the infirmary. "Okay, then I''ll figure out something for Mei. As for Huan... Dwayne, can you keep him out of the way?"

    Dwayne shook his head. "There''s too much to do up at the estate. The stables have been cleaned out for the most part, and we''ve got the kitchens stocked, but the rest of the estate needs so much work. If I''m lucky, Lord Kalan will help but-"

    "He won''t. Somehow he''ll find something else to do." Magdala sighed. "There''s also the repercussions of this attack. The local mayor is probably going to have a field day, whoever he is."

    "Oh, you don''t want to know him," said Saundra. "I''ve been on guard duty when he comes by to talk to Colonel Harvey, and he''s just the worst. He hasn''t been by the estate?"

    Magdala looked at Dwayne, who shrugged.

    "Well," said Magdala. "Let''s hope he''s a reasonable man."

    Dwayne counted on his fingers. "Him, the merchants, Baron Harvey, and whoever''s in charge of the church. What are you going to do now, Magdala?"

    Magdala pointed at Walcrest. "Research. I need more information about Fo magic."

    Dwayne grinned. "I can help you with that."

    ***

    Mei followed Huan''s stretcher into a lamp lit room where a doctor peeked at Huan''s wounds, cursing under her breath. "What happened this time?" she asked.

    Mei let her chin drop to her chest. "We knocked him out."

    "I''m sorry, you did what? Why?"

    Mei knew why but had no way to describe the stomach dropping dread she''d felt when Huan had surrendered to Tiger. After all, the doctor hadn''t listened to Dwayne and Maggie''s account of how Huan had fought in Yumma, hadn''t heard Huan''s many excuses as to why he''d put the mask back on, hadn''t watched gold leak into his eyes at the very hint of danger. She couldn''t express how it just felt normal, expected even, to see Huan''s eyes alight with glee and triumph as he charged at his opponent. She''d seen that expression many times just after Huan''s scams had come to fruition, and so all she could say to the doctor now was, "We had to."

    The doctor rubbed her temples. "Right." She gestured to the nurses. "Remove his shirt. Let''s see what else they thought they had to do to him. I''ll need more light."

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    A nurse nodded, grabbed a step stool, and reached for a lantern hanging from the ceiling. She twisted a knob, and white light blinded Mei, who shrank away.

    "Are you okay?" asked the nurse.

    Mei waved away her concern and forced her eyes open.

    "Oh cups, that''s bad." The other nurse had cut off Huan''s tunic, revealing a mess of leaking blood-soaked bandages. The only thing that was clean was the Tiger Mask, which stared at Mei, daring her to rip it off her brother''s chest.

    Before Mei could do anything, the doctor stepped between Mei and Huan. "Boy nearly gets himself gutted and then charges right at an abomination. He''s got bruises, cuts, and his stitches are definitely torn open.¡± She opened Huan''s eyelids and peered into his eyes. "Looks like the iris is responsive. No damage there." She placed a couple of fingers on his wrist and counted under her breath. "Pulse is strong, if a little slow."

    A nurse brandished a clean knife. "Remove the bandages, ma''am?"

    "Yes, please do."

    When Huan''s bandages fell away, Mei''s knees went weak, and she had to lean against the wall. How had her brother even moved with those wounds?

    The doctor cursed. "Honestly, I shouldn''t have bothered to stitch him up yesterday. Do the usual, please.¡±

    While the two nurses got to work, the doctor peered into Huan¡¯s nose and mouth. ¡°Blue flecks in the nose. Bluecap mushroom poisoning. Not a bad way to sedate someone, though the dosage was probably arbitrary. He''ll be fine. Miss, do you want us to wake him up?"

    Mei stared at the mess Huan had made of his own body. If he''d just asked, she would have been able to help, and he wouldn''t have gotten hurt so much.

    "Miss?"

    Mei''s eyes shifted to the pristine Tiger Mask. As the nurses worked, it remained affixed to Huan''s chest, which was strange. She peered closer. The edges of the mask had blurred into her brother¡¯s skin, and the little chest hairs nearest the mask were white not black. Her stomach flipped. The mask was becoming part of Huan.

    "Miss?"

    Mei''s vision filled with white cloth, and she looked up at the doctor.

    The doctor looked her over, the white of her coat nearly blinding Mei again. "Are you injured anywhere?"

    Mei shook her head.

    "Are you sure?"

    Mei nodded.

    The doctor relented and stepped back. "Okay, then, did you hear my question?"

    Mei''s eyes returned to her brother. "Do I want you to wake him up?"

    ¡°Do you?¡±

    Right now, Huan looked the most relaxed he''d been since before their parents'' execution. She wished he could stay like that, but he wouldn''t want to lay around and do nothing. While Tiger''s behavior and Huan¡¯s lies both worried her, she knew he would do the right thing in the end. ¡°Wake him up.¡±

    The doctor nodded. "Okay then." She turned to the nurses. "Get me a draft of umma oil and some water."

    Mei slipped out of the room and into the now open air corridor. The alarm bells had finally quieted, allowing her to hear her own thoughts. One thought in particular chilled her. She could leave Huan, go hunt in Anders''s forests, explore sand blasted Yumma, and keep her parents¡¯ legacy safe without having to worry about keeping their son safe too. There were things she liked about her life now, Maggie''s sincerity, Saundra''s fun, and Dwayne''s delicious breakfasts. ButShe stayed for her brother.

    ¡°How is he?¡± Sir Marcus peeked into the room.

    Mei crossed her arms. ¡°He will live."

    Sir Marcus let out a breath. "Good, good.¡± He turned to Mei, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. "I was wondering if... if you could join me on a mission. I think that it will help him, keep him safe.¡±

    Mei faced Sir Marcus. ¡°What kind of mission?¡±

    ¡°The monster killing kind.¡±

    ***

    With Magdala now in the infirmary, Dwayne was forced to wait outside with the soldier, and after a minute or so of silence, he put out his hand. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve met. Miss...¡±

    The soldier glared at him and pointedly saluted. "Corporal, sir, Corporal Taylor.¡±

    Dwayne didn''t drop his hand. "Nice to meet you." She wasn''t flinching from him, curling her lips, or narrowing her eyes, so she wasn''t afraid of, disgusted by, or resentful of him. In a novel departure from the norm, Corporal Taylor had an issue with Dwayne himself, not his Wesen heritage. That meant he still had a chance.

    When the soldier finally took his hand, clamping it in an iron grip, Dwayne accepted the challenge with a stiff smile. ¡°Corporal Taylor. I''ll remember that."

    Taylor released his hand. "You''d better."

    "I need a new cloak." Magdala joined them with her notebook, which she''d left in one of the infirmary''s labs. ¡°I don¡¯t understand how either of you manage without sufficient storage.¡±

    Corporal Taylor tapped her scabbard. ¡°I usually just have weapons.¡±

    Dwayne patted Na''cch, which was strapped to his back. "And this is usually enough," he said, earning himself another glare from Corporal Taylor. Hopefully, he''d figure out why soon enough.

    Oblivious, Magdala sat down and opened her notebook, which had several pages torn out of it. ¡°Okay, I''m ready," she said as Corporal Taylor sat down next to her. "Dwayne?¡±

    Dwayne started to pace. ¡°Right, Fo magic. I''ve experienced it directly. It''s capable of manipulating emotions and healing wounds and... it''s how they keep slaves working in the plantations. First, they suppress any feelings of fatigue or pain, then force you to work for hours. The next day they heal any injuries you may have suffered and do it all over again.¡±

    Magdala circled healing in her notebook. "So the fact that Mei shot her in the shoulder..."

    Dwayne nodded. "She''ll be back. I''ve seen them heal worse wounds, wounds that should have been fatal."

    "So there''s another mage?"

    Dwayne stopped pacing. "No."

    Magdala looked up. "You said that... They can heal themselves?"

    Dwayne frowned. "Yes, they can. Does that matter?"

    Magdala stared at her notes. "So, she''s doing this all alone." She tapped the page with her pencil. "You haven''t mentioned them using their power on animals... or corpses."

    Dwayne resumed pacing. "As far as I''ve seen and as far as I''ve read, Fo magic only works on humans."

    Corporal Taylor hugged herself. ¡°Those things aren¡¯t human.¡±

    ¡°They were though.¡± Dwayne met Magdala''s eyes. ¡°I read the accounts from when the Southern Line was being built."

    "The Vanurian counts tried to prevent it," said Magdala. "They sent hordes of people to attack the construction crews. That''s why Qe mages were involved in the defense."

    Dwayne shook his head. "Not people, corpses. The accounts reported three main kinds of flesh automatons. The ones running around, the ones that witch threw over the wall? Those are Hounds. They act the most like animals with just one focus, one desire.¡±

    Magdala tapped her pencil on her chin. ¡°Like... attacking whoever enters a certain place?¡±

    Dwayne paced back and forth for a bit then shook his head. ¡°More like ¡®attack whatever you see¡¯. Hounds are incapable of following complex orders but can be directed at a thing.¡±

    Corporal Taylor scoffed. ¡°That doesn''t sound like any of the ones we just fought. All three of them were more than capable of following complex orders.¡±

    Dwayne noted her hostility again. "There are two other kinds, Puppets and Revenants. Puppets, unlike Hounds, can follow complex orders but lack volition."

    Corporal Taylor raised an eyebrow. "Volition? What''s that?"

    Dwayne''s pacing stopped, and he tried to explain. ¡°Volition is, uh, well it¡¯s the ability to decide to do things. Like when you''re hungry, you go and get something to eat.¡±

    Corporal Taylor''s eyes widened. ¡°Those things eat?¡±

    Dwayne''s mouth fell open. "No, they don''t need to eat."

    "Then why are we talking about them eating?"

    Magdala circled "lack volition" in her notebook then turned to Corporal Taylor. ¡°Imagine a soldier who has to be told to eat, to sleep, to go to the bathroom, everything. A Hound will do what it feels like, but a Puppet will only do what it¡¯s told. I¡¯m guessing that controlling Hounds requires some ability to manipulate how they feel on a moment to moment basis, and since feelings are imprecise...¡±

    Realization dawned on the corporal¡¯s face. ¡°They work on cravings."

    Dwayne grinned. ¡°Exactly."

    Corporal Taylor glared at him again then turned pensive. ¡°So the giant, the wraith, and that little one could follow orders but didn''t need detailed instructions for anything. What does that make them?¡±

    ¡°Revenants, right?" Magdala looked up at Dwayne from her notes. "I¡¯m guessing if you combine the ability to follow orders like a Puppet with the volition of a Hound, you get a Revenant."

    Dwayne nodded. "Yes, you get something that''s a little closer to human.¡±

    Magdala connected "Revenant" to both "Puppet" and "Hound", then frowned. ¡°You said that Fo mages use human corpses, and, sure, a monster would use a child''s corpse, and the wraith looks like a normal human, but that giant? No real human is shaped like that.¡±

    Dwayne said, ¡°I have some guesses about that-¡±

    ¡°Lady Gallus, Corporal Taylor, I am glad you are safe." Colonel Harvey strode up to them with her aides in tow.

    Magdala and the corporal both stood up, the former giving a brief curtsy, the latter standing to attention.

    Dwayne stood to the side, noticing that the colonel had left him out. He cleared his throat. "You''re looking well, Baron." He bowed.

    Harvey''s eyes narrowed, but she returned the bow. "As are you, Master Dwayne."

    Sure, it had been like pulling teeth to get the colonel to lend him a few soldiers to help out around Walcrest, and now with this attack, it was going to be impossible to get any more help from the garrison, but Dwayne had to try anyway. ¡°Baron, we should discuss what we¡¯re going to do when Lord Gallus and his retinue arrive. I''ve received a list of attendees, and in addition to his staff, there¡¯s a high ranking mage among-¡±

    ¡°My preparations are simple, Master Dwayne. I¡¯m sure even you can figure out the rest. Besides, I¡¯m told that Lord Kalan is shaky but awake.¡± She smirked. "Maybe, he''ll be of some help."

    Dwayne hid his clenched fist behind his back and smiled. ¡°Good."

    ¡°Unfortunately, that¡¯s the only bit of good news.¡± Harvey turned to Magdala. ¡°I lost a half dozen soldiers tonight, there were more than twenty civilian casualties, and the garrison itself is in serious need of repair.¡± She picked up a piece of the infirmary. "Time''s up, Lady Gallus. I will be petitioning your father to allow me to gather a force, enter Vanuria, and put an end to this threat."

    Magdala shook her head furiously. ¡°That''s reckless. Without some indication that this is a military operation and not the actions of a sole agent, it would be-¡±

    ¡°In the meantime, I intend to reduce the danger to wall, town, and queen,¡± continued Harvey. ¡°In two days time, every Vanurian in Walton will either be on the other side of the Southern Line or dead.¡±

    ***

    As Colonel Harvey¡¯s pronouncement hung in the still, dusty air, Magdala''s grip tightened on her notebook. Everything she''d just learned, everything she''d experienced over the past two days, all of it spoke to Liraya''s intelligence, cunning, and determination. With just her own magic and a few cheap fireworks, the enemy mage had wrecked chaos in Walton, distracted the entire Southern Line Garrison, and nearly kidnapped Lord Kalan. In that moment, Magdala coveted that freedom, the ability to do as she wished.

    She cleared her throat. ¡°I, I mean we, almost had her tonight. With more time, we could-"

    "With more time, the enemy could rally her allies and bring this garrison to its knees." Colonel Harvey sighed. "When a barrel of sage apples goes bad, what do you do? Toss out the whole barrel."

    Magdala shook her head. "Walton needs the Vanurians to thrive. Out here in the middle of nowhere, what else has this town got?¡±

    Colonel Harvey squared her stance. ¡°It has us. This garrison has stood here for a hundred years, and it will stand for a hundred years more." She put a gauntleted hand on Magdala''s shoulder, her expression softening. "Your investigation was well intentioned and well led, but it¡¯s time you went back to your studies.¡±

    Magdala pulled away from her. ¡°How are you planning to eject the Vanurians?¡±

    The colonel¡¯s eyes narrowed, and one of her aides sniffed and said, ¡°Go to the Jungle, gather up every man, woman, and child dressed in those ridiculous scarves they wear, and march them right through the gate."

    Magdala glared at the aide, who was the same one who''d challenged Magdala in Colonel Harvey''s office. ¡°And if they resist?¡±

    The aide looked down her nose at Magdala. ¡°We''ll use force.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that sounds sensible.¡± Dwayne''s words were slow, deliberate. ¡°They¡¯re just heretics after all.¡±

    The aide smiled. ¡°Yes, exactly."

    Dwayne swept his hands wide, encompassing all of the destruction. ¡°Then let¡¯s condemn them all. They''re nothing like you Sourans after all. They don¡¯t take people from their homes and transport them across a dark and terrifying sea to work in plantations and mines for masters who care nothing for their well being. Nothing like you Sourans.¡±

    Magdala''s jaw dropped, and the aide¡¯s face turned red. ¡°See here-¡±

    ¡°Enough.¡± Colonel Harvey stepped between Dwayne and her aide. ¡°Master Dwayne, remember your place.¡±

    When the Ri mage stepped back with his fists clenched at his side, Magdala stepped in. ¡°How are you going to guarantee that they get into Vanuria safely?¡± she asked Colonel Harvey.

    Colonel Harvey waved her hand dismissively. ¡°We¡¯re not.¡±

    ¡°Two days is a short amount of time to prepare. What provisions are you giving them?¡±

    ¡°None.¡±

    ¡°Have you informed my father about-¡±

    ¡°I am the ranking commander in the field, Lady Gallus." Colonel Harvey stepped up to Magdala. "I am doing this to keep Soura safe, and those are Vanurians out there, not our people. Need I say more?¡±

    Magdala didn''t retreat. "Only that I can continue my investigation to catch the real culprit.¡±

    Colonel Harvey''s jaw flexed, but then she let out a breath. ¡°You may do so, but without garrison resources or aid. Corporal Taylor?¡±

    Saundra¡¯s salute only came a moment too slow. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am!¡±

    ¡°Join Marlon squad. Report to the sergeant.¡±

    ¡°No!¡± said Magdala.

    Colonel Harvey¡¯s face flushed. ¡°Excuse me?¡±

    Magdala opened her mouth, but she couldn''t find a single argument that would keep Saundra assigned to her. Defeated, she closed her mouth.

    Colonel Harvey nodded. ¡°Good, you know where you stand.¡± She glanced at Dwayne and then lowered her voice. ¡°I assume you two have business up in Walcrest now that your lord uncle is awake. I suggest you attend to it.¡± The colonel turned away and with a sweep of her cloak, left, her aides in tow.

    Magdala didn''t move, her mind belatedly offering possible responses. Maybe she should have invoked her father again? No, Colonel Harvey hadn¡¯t liked her appeal to a higher authority before and wouldn''t like it now. What if she pointed out that only Saundra had experience fighting off Liraya¡¯s creations? No, that was untrue. After tonight, every soldier and town guard had experience fighting the fiends. Maybe if she just admitted that she liked having Saundra around?

    ¡°Well, this is it, milady.¡± Saundra smiled weakly.

    Magdala looked up into the corporal¡¯s brown eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I just... I..."

    Saundra patted Magdala on the back. ¡°It was fun."

    Magdala took Saundra''s hand. ¡°It was epic. Better than the time I fought a dragon.¡±

    Saundra grinned, her eyes bright. ¡°That¡¯s a story to tell then.¡± She saluted. ¡°I¡¯ll be seeing you, milady.¡±

    Magdala released Saundra''s hand. ¡°Be seeing you, corporal.¡±

    The corporal turned and marched away.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± asked Dwayne.

    Wiping tears from her eyes, Magdala turned to him, ready to lie, to say that she was fine, but she knew that he knew, so she said, ¡°No.¡±

    Dwayne gave her a half-smile. ¡°With any luck, you''ll see her again. What are you going to do now? Go back to studying?¡±

    Magdala shook her head. ¡°No, I¡¯m going to find that witch.¡±

 Rianuhotha, spread flame

    When Huan opened his eyes and once again found himself in an unfamiliar bed, his hand jumped to his throat and found Tiger''s mask. Relaxing, he patted himself down. New, thicker, tighter bandages covered his torso, making it hard to breathe, and when he sat up, his head lit up with pain.

    ¡°I heard what happened.¡±

    Huan looked up. Sitting in a beaten wooden chair, Nathan sliced off pieces of a strange red fruit and inserted them into his mouth.

    ¡°Sure-" Huan coughed. His throat was as dry as sand. "Sure, you did.¡±

    The squire sliced off another piece of fruit. ¡°Mei had you put to sleep. You gave into that mask, didn''t you?¡±

    Huan crossed his arms. ¡°Shut up.¡±

    ¡°Sir Pollum says you should stay in bed." Nathan ate the piece of fruit. "By the way, I heard the doctor used words like ¡®disemboweled'' and ¡®mangled¡¯, and that she wanted to keep you under for your own good.¡± He cut into the fruit again.

    Huan glared at Nathan. ¡°That would have been a mistake."

    Nathan cut off another piece of fruit, put it into his mouth, and chewed. Then, after too long, he swallowed. ¡°Sure, it would have been. At any rate, I have orders for you from Baron Harvey: ¡®Stay in bed.¡¯ She plans to deport every single Vanurian in Walton, and she doesn''t want you to run in and mess things up like you did for Magdala. I''ve seen Corporal Taylor angry before; I''ve never seen her furious.¡±

    Huan tried to intensify his glare, but Nathan just smirked. ¡°You know, I was thinking about something. We''re not too different.¡±

    Huan''s glare failed to immolate Nathan where he sat.

    ¡°When I came here," continued Nathan, "I thought I knew what I was doing. Swordsmanship is a requirement for nobility, and every boy from Her Majesty''s son to a knight¡¯s issue is taught how to wield a blade, and of course, I''d fought a dragon.¡±

    Huan rolled his eyes. ¡°If you could call what you did ''fighting''."

    Nathan inspected the remains of his fruit. ¡°But then I came here and learned that soldiering, real soldiering, is nothing like they teach you in guarded keeps and secluded castles.¡± He put the fruit down in his lap, his eyes looking off into memory. ¡°When I got here, they put us in groups of ten and made us run two thousand wirs. I ran the whole length of course, but seven of us didn¡¯t make it, and so they made us run it again the next day, saying, ¡®Either all of you make it or none of you do.¡¯ So we failed again and again, and one day, while I was waiting for the rest of my squad with two others, I saw another squad arriving. Just four of them had made it to the end. I laughed and jeered at them, told them they were a bunch of losers and, right then, two more of them came around the corner. It was Taylor, and she was carrying one of her squadmates. After she got her mate to the finish line, she patted them on the back and said, ¡®The rest are close. Anyone want to help me get them?¡¯

    "The three of us in my squad laughed at her. We thought that they were soft, weak, useless, but while we were laughing, Taylor gave us that stupidly brilliant smile of hers and said, ''I just want us all to make it.¡¯ Then she jogged back and grabbed the rest of her squad. They passed.¡±

    Huan laid back in bed. ¡°Your point? They were weak; they couldn¡¯t make it to the end. They shouldn''t have passed.¡±

    Nathan''s eyes met Huan''s. ¡°I thought about that. I thought about what they¡¯d told us and why Saundra and her squad had passed, but I didn''t get it, so I told Sir Pollum that Taylor had cheated, and he said, ¡®If your squad can¡¯t trust you not to leave the weakest behind, why shouldn¡¯t they leave you when you¡¯re weak?¡¯" Nathan looked away. ¡°I saw your sister last night and... Cups, I don¡¯t like either of you. I think that you both are pretentious fakes and that you¡¯re wasting Lord Kalan¡¯s time and money, but Mei knows when she needs help. Do you?¡±

    Huan''s face went hot. ¡°I am not weak! I don¡¯t need anyone¡¯s help. If she and the others hadn¡¯t gotten in my way, I¡¯d have had my hands around that witch¡¯s throat.¡±

    Nathan popped the last of the fruit into his mouth, swallowed, and sighed. ¡°Sir Pollum wanted me to tell you that story. He thought you''d learn from it." He stood up, licking his fingers. ¡°I¡¯m going back to work. You do what you want. After all, it¡¯ll be your guts in the dirt, not mine.¡± He exited the room.

    It took a long time for Huan''s rage to fade, and when the red had finally drained from his vision, he looked around. Unlike before, this time he was in a proper infirmary room, complete with a window and whitewashed walls. There was a change of clothes though, green and white civilian ones.

    Maybe they¡¯ve kicked me out of the garrison.

    The thought made Huan smile. He slipped out of bed, gritting his teeth as new stitches dug into his side, warning him to just stay in bed. Part of him wanted to heed that warning, and another part was alarmed that he couldn¡¯t remember anything after submitting himself to Tiger, but he ignored both parts and focused on his rage and betrayal.

    Damn Dwayne for not backing me up. Damn Magdala for sedating him. Damn Mei for-

    His sister''s eyes had been so sad, looking down the barrel of her rifle. He couldn''t remember what Tiger had done, but he could remember that. A lump formed in his throat.

    I can¡¯t let her be afraid of me.

    Next time he used the mask, he¡¯d stay in control and guide the beast. It should be easy. He held back emotions all the time.

    When he picked up the tunic, his passport clattered to the floor. He picked it up and looked at the circle and triangle engraving. He didn''t have to go after Liraya, but she still had something that he needed. Freedom.

    He got dressed.

    ***

    Magdala woke up, turned over in her bed, and stared at the ceiling. She didn''t have anything to do. For the past two days, she''d been running around trying to catch up to the enemy, and now all she had was hours and hours of studying to do. Yawning, she rolled out of bed, padded to the door, and paused. Saundra wasn''t going to be there, and Mei was probably going to be at Huan''s bedside. Their trio had been broken apart.

    Someone knocked at the door and Magdala flung it open.

    A servant shrank away from her, clutching a cream colored envelope to his chest. "Milady, a letter for you?" He held the envelope out.

    Her heart shrinking, Magdala took it and allowed the servant to flee. Closing the door, she sat down at the desk. It was probably from her mother, and it was probably going to be a lecture on responsibility or something equally galling. She flipped over the envelope, saw the green and gold wax seal, and grinned. It was from her friend Francesca who was still studying at the Magisterium Academy. Tearing the envelope open, she pulled out the letter and read it.

    Dear Magdala,

    I hope this finally reaches you. I''ve been trying for weeks to get in touch, but you''ve been all over the queendom. Did you really go to Yumma? Did you really duel a Ri mage? Did you really fight a dragon? You must tell me everything.

    Magdala devoured the letter, and when she was done, she read it again, but something was nagging at her. Fran described starting new courses in advanced magic as exciting, but Magdala couldn''t see sitting in a classroom as being exciting, not anymore. Last night, she''d helped take down a giant. Her ideas, her actions, her plans had almost caught a foreign agent. She put the letter aside. She''d answer it later. Maybe she could do something now other than sit in her room, studying. She dressed in her traveling clothes, leather chest armor, boots and all, and went downstairs to the dining hall.

    Dwayne and her lord uncle were already at breakfast, having an argument.

    "Dwayne, I am your master." Lord Kalan slammed his palms onto the table. "Do as I say!" He stood up and then, without fanfare, collapsed back into his chair as his legs gave out from under him.

    Dwayne only hesitated a little. "I am not going to go to talk to merchants and... and clerics! I''m getting this estate ready for Lord Gallus''s arrival. Isn''t that enough for you?"

    Lord Kalan wiped sweat from his brow. "You are my heir and so are expected to-"

    "I''m glad you brought that up. I agreed to be your apprentice. I never agreed to be your heir!"

    Magdala sat down, and while her breakfast of poached eggs, fluffed greens, and toast was brought to her, she waved Galkin over. "What are they arguing about?"

    The steward kept his voice low. "Lord Kalan wants Master Dwayne to take over talking to the civic, business, and religious leaders of the city."

    Magdala frowned. "By himself?"

    Galkin''s face went blank. "Yes."

    "It is a necessity for us to reach our goal," said Lord Kalan.

    Dwayne crossed his arms. "I don''t see how."

    "Because it is important that you are able to do this!" Lord Kalan got to his feet and managed to stay up right. "Do this because it is necessary for bringing the whole world to a greater understanding of magic."

    Dwayne''s eyes dropped and he glared at his plate.

    Sighing, Lord Kalan sat back down. "This is all for your own good." He picked up his fork. "Now eat. You have a long day ahead of you."

    While Lord Kalan tore into his food, Dwayne continued to stare at his meal, fury creasing his face, and for a long time, the only sounds came from Lord Kalan''s utensils knocking against his plate.

    Lord Kalan glanced up. "Did you sleep well, Magdala?"

    Keeping her eyes on Dwayne, she nodded.

    "Good." Lord Kalan smiled. "I must say that you''ve become quite the battle mage. Aside from practitioners like myself and Lady Pol, that art is now quite gone from the queendom."

    Magdala raised an eyebrow. "What about Mother?"

    Lord Kalan froze. "Your mother is... well, you know. If she found herself in combat, she''d figure it out. She''s figured out everything else."

    Would Magdala''s mother be able to take down Liraya? If those things didn''t need to breathe, just swamping them with water wouldn''t be enough.

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    "Are you not hungry, my lady?" asked Galkin.

    Magdala started and looked down at her plate, which was still untouched. "No, I''ll eat." She sliced off a piece of egg, put it in her mouth, and nearly cried. It was the best thing she''d had in ages.

    "Where''s Mei?" she asked, spearing a pile of greens.

    Dwayne finally got some food on his fork. "She came in earlier, practically inhaled a plate, and left. She said she was going with Sir Pollum somewhere."

    "Oh, I thought... Nevermind."

    "What?" Dwayne turned away from Lord Kalan.

    "I... just wanted to take down Liraya, and I need her help."

    "Out of the question." Lord Kalan sliced off a piece of toast. "Charlotte doesn''t want you wandering around poking your nose everywhere. You''re to stay here at the estate."

    Magdala''s mouth fell open. "What?"

    "Oh, I almost forgot." Lord Kalan put his fork down and looked Magdala in the eyes. "Thank you for saving my life."

    Magdala felt her ears heat up. "It... I didn''t even catch the culprit."

    Lord Kalan smiled. "Dwayne reported three Revenants last night. Holding out against that kind of power is beyond impressive. Do not sell yourself short."

    "Then-"

    "You will give me your study plan by lunchtime. After I adjust it, you''ll start your studies this afternoon. Let''s add some academic achievements to the martial ones you already have."

    Magdala shook her head. "No."

    Lord Kalan''s eyes narrowed. "You need to be prepared to return to the Academy. They aren''t going to appreciate the work you''ve been doing out here, no matter how impressive or effective. Considering the circumstances of your suspension, you need to develop more... acceptable magics."

    Magdala dropped her fork and knife on the table. "Finding the enemy is more important. Keeping this town alive is more important."

    Lord Kalan closed his eyes "You two..."

    Galkin appeared by the door, bowing. "My lord, you have a visitor."

    Lord Kalan wiped his mouth. "Who is it?"

    "Baron Phillipp Dietrich, Mayor of Walton."

    "Show him in." Lord Kalan turned to Dwayne. "It''ll be good practice."

    Before Dwayne could reply, a man in his middle thirties and dressed in blue and gray silks strode into the room. He stopped in front of Lord Kalan and bowed. "Lord Kalan. I''m glad to see you''re up and about."

    Lord Kalan leaned back in his chair. "I''m sure you are. What brings you to the summit today?"

    Mayor Dietrich kept his expression grave. "The events of last night were very troubling, and the residents of Walton have sent me a great many requests for information as to what you plan to do about our safety as the Guardian of The Wall."

    Lord Kalan snorted. "A ''great many requests'', huh? What are you expecting from me that you won''t get from the garrison?"

    The mayor pressed his lips together. "You have the Queen''s ear and thus a way to convince Lord Gallus to send more troops here immediately. It would assure the residents to know that they are protected."

    Lord Kalan laughed. "You cannot seriously believe that I could sway Gerald''s mind in any way. My brother-in-law does not lack spine; in fact, he may have a surplus of it. He''ll send only what he deems necessary, no more, no less."

    Magdala caught Dwayne''s eye. Judging from the dropped jaw and the wide eyes, this was a side of Lord Kalan that neither of them had ever seen before. The man Magdala had once mistaken for a pile of clothes was now a lord.

    "What other concerns do you have?" asked Lord Kalan.

    The mayor''s jaw flexed for a moment. "The bishop of the local diocese is agitating for the expulsion of the Vanurians to the other side of the Southern Line, and she plans to give a speech about it this afternoon on the church steps. I only heard about it because the captain of the city guard was concerned that it would stir up wild feeling in our residents. Finally, an Elder is advising the merchants to pack up and leave, and, if she has her way, Walton will be a ghost town."

    "Except for all the soldiers running around," said Lord Kalan.

    The mayor stepped forward. "The Queen charged me with keeping Walton safe. I cannot, will not, fail."

    Lord Kalan rubbed his chin. "I have some business here on the estate. My brother-in-law''s inspection has become a war council, and the estate is not ready to receive that."

    The mayor''s shoulders slumped. "Then you will do nothing?"

    "No, I will send my heir."

    Dwayne jumped to his feet. "Sir!"

    Magdala did too. "Uncle!"

    Lord Kalan raised his hand for quiet.

    Mayor Dietrich looked Magdala and Dwayne over, his eyes lingering on Magdala''s red hair. He blinked and bowed deeply. "Lady Gallus, I did not realize you were here."

    Dwayne stepped up next to Lord Kalan. "I would like to speak to you alone, sir."

    "Denied." Lord Kalan stood up, staggered for a moment, then straightened. "You are my heir. You can handle this."

    Mayor Dietrich''s eyes narrowed. "So it''s true. You''ve named an heir."

    "Yes, I have." Lord Kalan walked over to the mayor and placed a hand on the younger man''s shoulder. "Best you remember that."

    The mayor, still looking unhappy, nodded and stepped away. "Till we meet again."

    "I''ll walk you out," said Lord Kalan.

    The two men left the dining hall, talking in low voices.

    Dwayne collapsed back into his chair and put his head in his hands. "How am I supposed to do this?"

    Magdala considered why she''d been chasing Liraya. It wasn''t just because it was the most exciting thing to have ever happened in her life. It was because it was the right thing to do. What was the right thing to do now? Was it to go upstairs and study? No.

    "Not alone," she said. "I''ll help."

    Besides, it would make a better story to tell Fran.

    ***

    Huan stopped following Liraya''s fading trail and looked around. For some reason, hundreds of people were gathering in front of a many steepled structure that reached up into the sky. After noting the lack of Liraya or her parade of walking corpses, he sniffed. His nose wrinkled. The crowd was rank with fear, which fueled an anger that spilled out in mutterings and glares. The people around Huan spoke in swallowed consonants and confusing idioms and sported red, freckled faces. These were Walton''s regular residents, and Liraya would stand out here just as much as Huan did.

    Fleeing here doesn''t make any sense.

    Huan felt the lack of the garrison uniform. Without it, people focused on the shape of his eyes and the color of his hair, and they questioned why he''d deign to come here. He could slip out and go around the crowd, but it was growing larger by the second, its center drifting towards him, and anyway, Liraya''s trail led through it. As Tiger rumbled something nonsensical about fighting them all, Huan kept walking, keeping his ears open.

    "Those bitches broke into the garrison. Tried to kill Lord Barty."

    "What do we care? He''s not been in town for ages."

    "I heard he took a black one for an apprentice."

    "The boy saved him though. He''s one of the good ones, I hear."

    Huan kept moving, bowing and making sounds of apology. Then he tried to move someone aside who wouldn''t.

    The man turned around. "What do you want?" He was taller than Huan, older too with gray hair on his head and beard. His eyes took in Huan''s features and his nose wrinkled. "What''s one of you doing here?"

    Huan kept his own disgust off his face. By the man''s breath, he''d been drinking something cheap and strong, and he stood with an open stance, daring Huan to claw out his eyes, rip out his throat and leave him for-

    Tiger!

    The beast slunk back into its corner, and the red haze dropped from Huan''s eyes. The man was wearing a tunic and trousers made of hard worn cotton so he was probably a laborer, one who was now off work, angry, and drunk.

    Huan gave a deep bow. "I came to this town to make good deals. Got people who want stuff moved but can''t find anyone to move it." Huan kept his consonants clear, but let his vowels stretch out, just enough like a Souran merchant''s accent to pass muster.

    The man sneered. "What''s a money man doing out here?"

    Huan let his eyes go wide as he looked around. "Looking for answers. Money needs to go into the right pockets and right now it''s not. Honest folk like yourselves shouldn''t lose out on an honest day''s work. It''s just shameful."

    The laborer crossed his arms. "A man of the people, are you?"

    Huan allowed a wan smile. "Hardly. But my money is."

    The man barked out a laugh. "It should be. It should be."

    "I''ll be seeing you," said Huan pushing past. "Let''s get some money in your pockets."

    Huan didn''t hear the man''s reply, but many in the crowd had heard their exchange, and so they let him through. Once past the crowd, he found himself in the middle of a bunch of warehouses. Reacquiring Liraya''s scent with a sniff, he followed her trail through the buildings to a small wooden one where a broken padlock lay in the dust.

    A scream broke the silence.

    Putting his hand to Tiger''s mask, Huan wrested open the door, slipped inside, then reeled from the pungent smell of magic and death. Tiger stirred, but he pushed the beast back. He was unarmed. His sword was still in the armory where Sir Marcus had left it, and without it, and with the injuries he''d sustained last night, he didn''t stand a chance against either the wraith or the giant. Slowing his breathing, he crept around crates and approached the far end of the warehouse where grunts and clangs echoed, but when a familiar scent of oil and explosive powder tickled his nose, he stopped sneaking and stepped around the corner.

    Mei, Sir Marcus, and three garrison soldiers were locked in battle with a half dozen of the moaning not alives. As Huan watched, Mei tripped a creature with a well placed toe and let its neck fall on the edge of her new axe, which neatly removed its head. After ducking and allowing another creature''s momentum to take it over her shoulder, she dropped her axe on the thing''s neck and used her knee to slam the blade through to the floor. Around her, the Sourans struggled to fight off the creatures, each of them trying to duel the things, but Mei on the other hand...

    She baits, they bite, she kills. Tiger''s read of Mei''s fighting style helped Huan make sense of her actions. The ravenous creatures were simple and their attacks lacked guile, and so instead of dueling the creatures, Mei let them come to her.

    Still, she was in Huan''s way. He stepped forward. "What the hell are you doing here?"

    ***

    Dwayne lifted his head from his hands, his eyes shining. "You''re going to help?"

    Magdala''s chest tightened as she nodded. "It sounds like the priest is the more pressing issue. The merchant camp is too big to go anywhere fast."

    Dwayne blinked. "We''re going in order of urgency?"

    "Yes, a merchant camp of that size will take days to move, and its Elder won''t get her way quickly. The Priest on the other hand is ready to give her speech now."

    Dwayne rose to his feet. "Then we''d better get over there now."

    Magdala gestured for him to sit back down. "We need a plan first. Have you spoken with a priest of Cueller before?"

    "No."

    "Attended a service?"

    "No."

    Both of Magdala''s eyebrows rose. "Never?"

    Dwayne sat back in his chair. "Your uncle finds the hour or so it takes to attend service to be a waste of time and... Well..." He shifted in his seat. "I''ve never felt welcome in church."

    Magdala clasped her hands. "Did someone call you a demon?

    "No, why... no one called me a demon... It was... Do you remember when we met for the first time?"

    Back then, Magdala had been angry that her lord uncle had stood her up and had been unprepared to meet a Wesen so deep in Souran territory. She remembered how awkward the atmosphere had been when he''d entered the tavern. "You shouldn''t have paid so much for that crappy drink."

    Dwayne shrugged. "I didn''t want any trouble, and going into a church is a good way to invite trouble."

    "We have to talk to the priest. As my lord uncle''s representative, you have to."

    Dwayne winced. "I just want to study magic and figure out the mystery behind the Font. This is too much."

    Magdala squared her shoulders. "You can do it. You can do it better than my lord uncle."

    Dwayne gave her a wry grin. "That''s a low bar."

    Magdala grinned back. "Then it''ll be easy to clear."

    Taking a deep breath, Dwayne said, "What do I need to know? Armsford doesn''t say anything about talking to priests."

    Magdala''s head jerked back. "You''re reading The Responsibilities of a Noble Mage?"

    "Yes, I am. Why?"

    Magdala''s cheeks heated. "I just... Didn''t expect you to be reading it. Mother made us read it when we were six."

    Dwayne let out a barking laugh. "Yet again I''m learning stuff that Sourans learn as little children. One day I hope to catch up to ten year olds."

    "You''ve more than caught up in other areas." Magdala''s blush deepened, but Dwayne didn''t notice.

    "Sure, sure, maybe in magical theory," he said. "So, what do I need to know about Cueller clergy?"

    Magdala got her feelings under control with a cough. "The Church of Cueller finds mages. When a child is confirmed in the church, they''re baptized with holy water and that tells the administering priest if the child has magic or not."

    "How does that work?"

    Magdala shrugged. "Something about the water. I haven''t really thought about it."

    "Hmm..." Dwayne leaned back in his chair. "So they see themselves as monitors over mages."

    "Yes, and they don''t trust any one who doesn''t believe in the Book of Cueller. That includes the Vanurians who believe in the Book of Phons, the Tuquese who don''t seem to have any beliefs at all, and the Wesen-"

    "Who are demons made flesh," finished Dwayne, a grin ghosting on his lips. "So I shouldn''t reveal my Ri magic to them. That''s pretty par for the course so far."

    Magdala sat back in her chair. "The Church does listen to the people though. Where nobles care about land and merchants care about money, the church cares about the people, and so the people listen. We can''t let this priest rile them up. Walton may exist because of the garrison, but it''s wealthy because of the Vanurians."

    Dwayne looked down at his empty plate. "That''s a sticking point. Part of me doesn''t want to help the Vanurians."

    Magdala jumped out of her chair. "We have to in order to save the town. Not all Vanurians are... are..."

    "Slave masters?" Dwayne sighed. "I know. Odette, Lady Pol''s traveling companion, is Vanurian, and she saved my life. She left a good job as an Inspector because she saw what was happening to the slaves, and those things we fought last night were made from Vanurian corpses, not Wesen. None of them had hair like mine, noses like mine, or skin like mine. They use the bodies of their own people like it''s nothing." His eyes met Magdala''s. "Have you been to the Jungle?"

    Magdala nodded.

    "What''s it like?"

    Magdala''s eyes slid away. "It''s a shantytown. Their houses are falling apart and the roads are too. It was horrible."

    Dwayne closed his eyes. "I can still feel the chains, hear the ocean, smell the refuse. I have long nights where the fear that they''ll drag me back to that damn island holds me awake. That''s the part that won''t forgive them, any of them." He opened his eyes. "But I have to be better than the ones who enslaved me." He smiled. "I''m guessing you don''t want to talk to this priest either. You want to hunt down the enemy mage."

    Magdala felt her blush return. "She got away, and she''s hurt a lot of people."

    "If you want, I can try to do this alone-"

    "No, I help you then you help me." She stuck her hand out. "Deal?"

    Dwayne stood and took her hand, his callused fingers caressing hers. "Deal."

 Fooyipo, spirit calm

    As Huan''s normally dark brown eyes glittered gold, Mei squared her shoulders and stepped forward, her hand tightening on her axe .

    In front of her, Huan bristled. "I asked you a question, Mei."

    Marcus sheathed his sword. "Huan, what are you doing here? You''re supposed to be in bed."

    "I''m just looking for my prey." Huan''s hand rubbed his stomach. "Instead, I find opportunists trying to take her from me."

    Marcus stepped forward. "We''re not trying to take anything from you. Return to the infirmary. You''re in no shape to be-"

    "I''m fine!"

    The soldiers all flinched, their hands dropping to their weapons.

    Huan closed his eyes and breathed deep. When his eyes opened again, the gold had drained from them, and he tried a smile. "I''m more useful out here hunting for that witch than I am in bed."

    Marcus raised an eyebrow. "They had to stitch you back together."

    Huan shrugged. "Even so, I can at least be as useful as you."

    Marcus''s soldiers advanced as one, their fear replaced with rage. Mei turned to them, ready to defend her brother, but Marcus laughed, slicing through the tension.

    "Maybe." The knight walked up to Huan and put his hand on Huan''s shoulder. "This is a military operation, and you''ve made it abundantly clear that you don''t want to join us as a soldier. If you won''t return to the infirmary, at least go back to Walcrest and rest."

    A cheer shook the air. Mei only heard raw emotion, but Huan froze in place, sweat breaking out on his brow, gold leaking back into his eyes.

    She readied her axe. "Huan?"

    Blinking, her brother returned, his eyes widening. "You... you don''t hear it? That''s how they sounded when..."

    Mei''s breath caught. There was only one "when." "Huan..."

    Huan''s face tightened, and the gold in his eyes flashed. "I''m going to pursue her."

    Marcus''s hand dropped to his sword. "No, you are not."

    With a snarl, Huan charged Marcus, but Mei''s axe got between her brother and the knight, so Huan halted just in front of her and glared. He puffed himself up, but his intimidation tactic failed to move Mei, who just kept her eyes on his gold irises. For a long moment they stood there, neither backing down. Then the crowd roared again, and the gold drained from Huan''s eyes.

    "Fine," he said with a sniff. "I''m going back. Good luck finding her without me."

    When he left, a half dozen breaths were released.

    Marcus patted Mei on the back. "You should go with him."

    Mei shook her head. "No, I need to finish this." She put away her axe and searched for signs of Liraya''s passing.

    ***

    If Magdala had had any doubts as to how much money Walton made trading with Vanuria, the opulence of the bishop''s chamber would have banished them. After strong arming the priests and deacons to grant them an audience with the bishop, she and Dwayne were ushered into a room detailed with rich dark brown shade oak, gleaming gold fittings, and crimson velvet curtains. The bishop''s desk, a slab of marble placed on steel legs, looked plain from a distance but on closer inspection, was a work of art. The veins in the marble had been worked to depict scenes from the Book of Cueller, and the legs were etched with the images of saints. That said, the plainest evidence of this church''s wealth was a simple silvery cup on the desk. It was made of the same hard to extract metal as Langseth''s medallion, aluminum.

    Magdala and Dwayne sank into two leather chairs that had been placed in front of the desk.

    Dwayne gawked. "This is nice."

    Magdala snorted. "Tithes must be going well."

    "Tithes?"

    "Offerings to the church. If you want to know how well a town is doing, go to its church."

    "Such cynicism from one so young." The bishop strode by Magdala, sat behind her desk, and rested her tall triangular hat on the marble. Beaming at the two of them, she said, "Young Lady Gallus and Lord Kalan''s... apprentice. I am Bishop Hansson. I was preparing to speak to my congregation, but my doors are always welcome to promising youths such as yourselves."

    Judging from the creases in her eyes and mouth, she was probably around Lord Kalan''s age.

    Magdala managed a flat smile. "Are you going to fit that entire crowd in the nave?"

    The bishop shook her head. "It''s not a service. I plan to only have a quick word with them."

    Magdala leaned back in her chair. "About that ''quick word''. Are you really going to push for the expulsion of all of the Vanurians?"

    The bishop''s eyes flashed, though the smile stayed. "They consciously reject the Book of Cueller and its teachings, and though Walton has tolerated their heresy, they''ve repaid us by raining unholy beasts from the sky." The smile disappeared under a blaze of cold fury. "They should be sent back to the forests from which they sprung."

    Magdala leaned forward. "This is the work of just one Vanurian. There''s no evidence that-"

    The smile returned. "You are a Qe mage are you not? Qe magic is a pure and just magic, which works with the land to bring about miraculous benefit for society. For example, your lady mother has ensured the livelihoods of many by bringing life-sustaining water to the needy, your lord uncle has reshaped the land so that our people can live on it, and of course the work of the wind Qe has brought our word to foreign shores."

    "I''m sure the merchants think of that every time they set sail," said Dwayne.

    Magdala threw a glance at him, but he was sitting up in his seat, his eyes locked on the bishop, his expression earnest.

    The bishop''s smile beamed at him. "Yes, they do."

    Magdala stood up and put her hands on the desk. "If you expel the Vanurians, you will damage this city. Its whole existence rests on the trade from Vanuria."

    Hansson stood, her affected good cheer gone. "Young Lady Gallus, you are not your father. You are not your mother. You''re not even a graduate of the Magisterium, and so you have no standing here. I''ve wasted enough time." She stepped around her desk and left the room.

    Magdala''s heart sank. "She''s going go to give that speech isn''t she?"

    Dwayne jumped to his feet. "Yes, she is."

    Magdala beat him to the door and caught sight of the bishop crossing the nave to the front of the church. "Wait!"

    The bishop barely looked back. "I have a higher calling." She opened the door, and cheers crashed into Magdala''s ears. The bishop raised her hands and the noise swelled, then she lowered them, and it faded to whispers.

    "My fellow countrymen, I am sorry." The bishop''s words boomed out over the crowd, each one spoken slowly and distinctly so that they could be understood.

    "I am sorry that unholy shells smashed your homes, I am sorry that your children had to cower in fear while monsters marauded in our streets, and I am sorry that despite the efforts of our ancestors, our leaders have seen fit to allow heathens and heretics into our fair queendom.

    "I stand here humbled by your fortitude, by your strength in these trying times, and I have listened. Listened to stories of little boys and girls trembling under beds, of their fathers barring the door against the night, of their mothers charging at the enemy. You, Sourans, you are a strong people, and I am humbled to be counted among you.

    "This threat is not to be ignored. These heathens are not to be allowed here in this sacred land that our ancestors fought to save. You, strong descendents of strong people, should you stand for this?"

    "No!" The crowd''s answer shook dust from rooftops.

    "When they ask you to just give them some time, what say you?"

    "No!"

    "When the enemy stands at our gates, when they demand that we give up our lands, our families, our essence, what say you?"

    "No!" The mob roared, and the bishop basked in their fury, a smile on her face. After a long loud moment, she raised her hands and lowered them, bringing forth a fearsome silence.

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    "Then you know what to do."

    While the mob erupted, the bishop turned to Magdala and Dwayne. "By the light and cup of Cueller."

    ***

    Huan arrived at the edge of the crowd, its anger sinking into his bones and unearthing old memories he''d buried long ago. A gallows set for two. A jade masked overseer. Two faces, tear streaked and pleading.

    A hand grabbed him around the shoulders and pulled him back to the present. "Money man! You ready?"

    Huan turned, a snarl on his lips, but stopped short. It was the man who''d accosted him earlier.

    Forcing the beast back, Huan turned his snarl into a half smile. "Ready? Always."

    The man grinned. "Then it''s settled. We''re going to force those Vanurian bitches out of our town and ''escort'' them across the wall."

    "Escort?" Huan shook his head. "That sounds too polite for them."

    The others agreed.

    "Yeah, we shouldn''t make it so easy for them!"

    "We should give them a little of what they gave us."

    The man''s eyes narrowed. "We just want them to leave peace like."

    Huan put a hand on the man''s shoulder and leaned in. "But what if they refuse?"

    ***

    Horrified, Magdala watched fury transform the crowd into a mob. While muscled laborers talked in low voices with dusty farmers fresh from the market, lawyers in fine suits pantomimed striking skulls with their canes. Worse, Walton''s guards were talking to the mob, not keeping them in line.

    Was this how massacres began?

    By now, any Vanurians in the church square had fled, hopefully to warn their families about what was coming, but it wouldn''t be any use. The market square and the garrison lay between the Jungle and the gate, and rushing the market would incense the mob while rushing the garrison would incite Colonel Harvey to attack. The Vanurians'' only choice was to flee deeper into Soura, creating an invasion led by desperation and fear.

    "We have to stop them."

    Magdala stared at Dwayne. He''d said the words she was thinking.

    Dwayne''s eyes swept the square. "If they slaughter the Vanurians, then that witch will have so many more bodies to use. She''d be unstoppable."

    Magdala shivered. "She already has more than enough corpses to cause chaos. If she gets the Vanurians..." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a single vial of sedative.

    Dwayne winced. "That''s not enough for all of them."

    "If I hurry back, then I can use the garrison''s stores, maybe even get Harvey to send a squad with me to stop the mob."

    "Is there enough time? You''ll be cutting it pretty close."

    Magdala shook her head. "I don''t see any other way. Maybe if the mayor or my lord uncle were here..." She grabbed Dwayne''s shoulders. "You, you can stop this."

    "What?" Dwayne tried to pull away, but she held on. "No, I can''t. You know that!"

    The bishop, who had been talking with a deacon, glared at them. "The people will do what is right."

    "Shut up!" said Magdala.

    The bishop''s smile only inspired more fury. "Ah, the famous Gallus temper, or was it Kalan?"

    Magdala''s face grew heated, but she pushed past it and focused on Dwayne. "You can do this. You can buy me time."

    Dwayne shook his head.

    The bishop stepped closer. "They won''t listen to a foreigner."

    Magdala rounded on the bishop. "I''m trying to keep us from being buried in fiends. If the Vanurians die, Walton will fall!"

    The bishop blanched. "What are you talking about?"

    "I''ll do it." Dwayne was covered in sweat and breathing fast and shallow, but his eyes were alert and set. Leaving Magdala and the bishop behind, he stepped out in front of the crowd.

    ***

    "What do you mean, ''what if they refuse?''"

    Huan squeezed the man''s shoulder. "You heard right. What if they refuse? Should you just politely let them stay here in your queendom and endanger you and your own?"

    The man shook his head. "No, of course not."

    Huan leaned in. "So, what should we do?"

    "Make them leave," shouted a gap-toothed woman. "Pull them out of their houses and push them through the gate."

    Huan turned to her, drawing his eyebrows together. "What if they fight? What if they hurt you?"

    A man with rolled up sleeves piped up. "Hurt them back!"

    Huan met the first man''s eyes. "What if they draw a weapon? I''m sure they have weapons hidden in those houses of theirs."

    The man''s reply was succinct. "Kill them!"

    Huan released the man and spread his hands wide. "There''s your answer." They''ll get the job done, despite Mei and Sir Marcus getting in my way.

    "Let''s get them!"

    A peal of thunder forced everyone to duck.

    Huan rose first and identified the source of the explosion, a simply dressed figure with dark brown skin and tightly curled black hair. Dwayne.

    The man got to his feet. "By the cup, who is that?"

    "What''s a slave doing up there?"

    Huan gritted his teeth. Ruining everything.

    ***

    The Responsibilities of a Noble Mage had a few things to say about public speaking. One should make sure to pronounce each and every hard sound, one should use silence to project an air of confidence, and finally, one should aim to look the audience in the eyes.

    When hundreds of eyes focused on Dwayne, those tips flew out of his mind, and a headache, the after effects of the botched explosive spell he''d used get their attention, replaced them.

    Nevertheless, he cleared his throat. "Good morning, um, citizens!"

    The people nearest to Dwayne frowned.

    "What was that?"

    "Who are you?"

    "Where''s your master, boy?"

    With his heart pounding in his ears, Dwayne could barely hear these queries, and he stepped back. This had been a mistake.

    "Get away from there!"

    Fingers brushed against the back of Dwayne''s tunic, but then glass broke and something slumped to the ground.

    Magdala''s voice urged him forward. "Keep going. Oh, I''m going to be in so much trouble..."

    Dwayne wanted to look back, but the interruption had given his brain time to reengage, and Armsford''s words came back to him. He raised his voice. "I am Lord Bartholomew Kalan''s heir, Dwayne."

    "The hell you are!"

    "You a Wesen bastard is what you are!"

    Sliding his hand into his pocket, Dwayne met the eyes of the crowd. "I am a Qe mage, and so I qualify. Qemimaem."

    A gust of wind pulled the smells of the crowd, dung and sweat, perfume and fruit, into Dwayne''s nose. They were all human, not monsters. The unexpected breeze had got their attention again, and he tried not to waste it. "You are hurt. My master and I, we failed to protect you."

    "Where is your master, slave?"

    "Where is yours?" Dwayne stepped towards the crowd. "Is hate your master? Is pain? Did you come here all the way to Soura''s edge to have mere emotion rule you?"

    "They attacked us first!"

    Dwayne nodded. "You''re right, they did, but are they your masters? No. I was a slave. I know masters." Dwayne didn''t know where he was going with this, but more of the crowd was listening so he couldn''t stop. He looked into the eyes of a couple, who were holding each other close. "A slave makes no decisions. You wake when they tell you. You eat when they tell you. You fight when they tell you, and every minute they remind you that they have the power, that it''s for your own good, you can''t decide for yourself."

    His eyes met those of a woman whose bare head gleamed in the sun. "One day, you believe them, and you say ''I can''t.'' Another slave will walk up to you and say, ''Let''s run away,'' and you say ''no''. You have work to do, and if you don''t do that work, you''ll be punished. You''re just trying to survive after all.

    "But you lot are more than slaves."

    Ignoring the crowd''s waning interest, Dwayne pressed on, a fire lit in his soul. A couple of people shivered in the front row.

    "You lot are not slaves!" he shouted. "The Vanurians do not control you! Your hate, your fear do not control you! You are free!

    "I am not asking you to put aside your pain. I am asking you to think about what it can be used for."

    Dwayne nodded to the couple again. "Your houses have been damaged, and your children are scared, but I see you all have hands, feet, and will. I see carpenters and blacksmiths, farmhands and laborers, all able to restore, no remake, Walton. All you have to do is do what you can, and I... I''ll do what I can. I''m here as the representative of Walcrest, and if you have any requirements for the Guardian of the Wall, I''ll be right here."

    He stopped talking, his breath clouding up in front of him.

    A Walton resident approached, her hands gripping a wool hat. "My house was hit by one of them things that fell from the sky."

    Dwayne sat down on the church steps. "Okay, tell me more."

    Then the crowd rushed the steps, raising their hands and talking over one another.

    One hand tapped Dwayne on the shoulder.

    He glanced back. "Yes?"

    Magdala gave him a warm smile, even as she sniffled from the fading cold. "Just keep going. I''ll deal with the rest."

    Dwayne smiled back. "Good luck, and thank you." He returned to his responsibility.

    ***

    "It got real quiet over there."

    "Maybe Lady Magdala put them all to sleep. I heard one of the officers say she was kicked out of the Magisterium for that."

    "Ooo, scary."

    "Quiet, you two," said Marcus. "Mei needs to concentrate."

    Mei didn''t mind the conversation though. When it was quiet, her mind drifted to two things: Huan''s eyes glowing gold and the blood spurting from the enemy mage''s wounds. The former meant her brother was losing himself to the mask, and the latter made her want to bury her mother''s work and never touch it again. Swallowing a lump in her throat, Mei refocused on the signs before her. The Vanurian mage''s trail from the fortress''s western wall to where Mei was standing had been so clear, even Marcus and his soldiers had been able to follow it. The giant and the wraith had knocked over rubbish bins, scraped walls, and left clear footprints in the dirt during their flight, but now, even after searching the whole building, they only found a single scrap of red cloth at the northern end.

    Marcus sighed. "I''m guessing she went south?"

    Mei rubbed the soft fabric between her fingers. This whole time, the Vanurian mage had misled, distracted, and tricked them. This was far too straightforward for her.

    "No." Mei walked south, opened a splintery door, and stepped out into the Southern Line''s cool shadow. The giant couldn''t be hidden in the town so maybe... she looked up.

    From a distance, the Southern Line looked massive, a hulking block of red stone that dwarfed everything around it, but seeing it up close almost crushed Mei. Still, she approached the structure and pressed her hands into a wall of thick, damp moss that sloped up and over her head. This place hadn''t seen the sun in eons, and the moss grew like it was in the deepest undergrowth of a forest, and where stone could hide secrets, it would tell. Turning away from the wall, Mei followed it east until she came upon a pile of bloodied clothes on the ground, which she pushed aside with her foot. A deep, massive pair of mossy footprints greeted her. The giant.

    Marcus joined her. "Just two? How?"

    Mei looked up.

    Marcus did too. "No. That''s not possible. You can''t climb the Southern Line. There aren''t any handholds!"

    "But if she did, she could see everything," said Mei.

    "Yes, she''d be able to see all of Walton, but how would she get up there? And how would she get down?"

    "The giant made it."

    "But it''s not alive. Maybe the magic that holds it together makes it as hard as stone?"

    "When I shot it, it bled."

    So had the mage, so much that the clothes were stiff with it.

    Mei forced her hands still. "Nathan said that Vanurian mages can heal any wound."

    Marcus sighed. "That would explain why we haven''t seen much blood."

    "Then," Mei pointed up, "they could survive a fall from up there."

    "Too risky. She''d have to fly."

    "I have seen mages fly."

    "Vanurian mages cannot. If they could, well... we''d have bigger problems."

    Mei considered this. It felt right that Liraya would escape to the top of the Southern LIne, but Marcus had a point. She had no idea how Liraya would get up there. She was missing something. "Those fiends were to slow us down?"

    Marcus grimaced. "I have no idea. I''ve been ambushed before, but this is..." He let out a breath.

    "Magdala said that the mage has been here a long time. This is familiar ground to her."

    "I''m sorry?"

    "Traps are made for specific prey. We got caught, but we got out so what was she hunting for?"

    "A bruising," answered a soldier.

    The other soldier rolled her eyes. "That was forced. Maybe she didn''t think we''d send a full squad after her?"

    Marcus tapped his foot. "But if she''s been here for so long, then she knows we don''t go on patrol with less than four people. We don''t head out alone."

    The bottom of Mei''s stomach dropped out. "Huan."

    Marcus''s eyes widened. "We need to find him, and make sure he doesn''t get caught in these traps. Squad, back to the garrison!" He and the soldiers quick-marched away, but Mei was slow to follow. They were still missing something.

 Xa-ching-ya-che-un, Frogs tongue

    After dropping a full stein of piss yellow beer in front of Huan, the bartender walked away without a word, his shoulders high and his eyes narrowed. Like his patrons, the bartender didn''t approve of Huan''s presence in his bar, but Huan just rolled up his sleeves and let the room see that he was ready for a fight. That would work until the alcohol did its work, and Huan planned to be gone before then. Without further pause, He downed the beer in one gulp. That turned out to be a good decision since if he''d sipped the beer, he would have spat it out, the bartender would have thrown him out, and Tiger would have ripped out the man''s throat.

    Disaster averted, he placed a count on the bar. "Three more."

    The bartender glanced at the coin. "That''s only enough for two," he said, reaching for the money. A soft growl stopped him.

    Painting on a stiff smile, Huan shoved Tiger back into his corner and said, "Three. I know your prices, and I ain''t haggling."

    The bartender raised his chin. "Three and then you''re gone, foreigner." He refilled Huan''s stein, plonked down two more, and walked to the other end of the bar to other, better patrons.

    Huan drank his second beer slowly, dragging out the miserable experience long enough to resemble the predicament he was in. Since arriving in Walton, he''d had his passport stolen, nearly been gutted by the thing that had taken it, and then had the passport returned to him while the opportunity of a lifetime vanished into smoke. He glared into the bottom of the stein.

    If only Mei hadn''t been there. A future as Lord Kalan''s babysitter was galling, and his sister had... No, not now. He downed the second beer and started on the third.

    If he didn''t need Lord Kalan''s sponsorship, he could have just traveled around Soura, doing what he pleased, where he pleased. Instead of going to that damned dead city in the middle of nowhere, he would have stayed in Anders for a time, made a little money, and then moved on to Soura''s capital city with its rich merchants and dumb nobles to make even more money. The ShengXiao guard wouldn''t have caught up to him, and he wouldn''t have a sword hanging over him, waiting to drop. He''d be free.

    By now, Huan''s tongue was numb to the flavor of the beer making it easy for him to finish it in one swig.

    What about Mei? Of course, his sister would be better off too. She''d still be hunting outside of Anders and hanging out with the rough and tumble folk who made a living that way. They''d be better friends than Magdala and Dwayne, who would never understand Huan or Mei. Huan pulled the fourth beer towards him, chuckling. Yes, she''d betrayed him, but she was his sister, and he wouldn''t leave family behind.

    Still, it wasn''t my fault that Liraya got away.

    With one shot, Mei had forced the witch to retreat before Liraya had over-committed to the fight. As long as Huan and Tiger had been fighting the giant, Liraya had a choice of either retreating and letting all her work go to waste or committing and possibly getting it all. But Mei''s rifle changed all that.

    Huan downed his last beer. What now?

    He could return to the garrison and receive his punishment for disobeying orders, or he could find Liraya and force her to give him that damn title. With that in hand, he could saunter over to the other side of the Southern Line and live like a king. The choice was obvious. Pushing away the empty steins, Huan slid off his stool and left the bar.

    ***

    "I heard you were there for that kerfuffle this morning."

    Magdala swallowed a squeak and turned to the speaker who pushed thin gray hair out of her eyes.

    Nifa Giordano was the local merchant Elder, and she''d been a sailor in her youth, making runs all around the Ilyon sea. She now bore the wrinkles of sun and salt.

    Magdala nodded. "It was handled."

    "I heard." Giordano pulled a cerulean shawl tighter around her shoulders. "A Wesen boy calmed the crowd with nothing but words. I''m glad it was resolved so quickly." She did not smile though.

    Below them, Warren lit the pit''s pyre with a torch, and Magdala watched the flames eat at the bodies. "He is my lord uncle''s apprentice after all," she said.

    Giordano tsked. "I''ve lived here for thirty years, and I''ve never gotten the impression that your lord uncle knew what he was doing. There was that shameful business with that Wesen woman a decade back, and now, he''s taken on a Wesen apprentice and named him heir." She glanced around. "Where is this Dwayne?"

    Magdala smiled. "When I left him, he was making a list of what Walton''s residents needed."

    Giordano raised an eyebrow. "Is he going to follow up?"

    "I think he will."

    Dwayne hadn''t looked comfortable sitting on the church steps, but he''d been patient and open while Magdala had found all the complaints and requests frustrating. When she''d nearly decked a man for his stupidity, Dwayne had gently requested that she step away. She could still feel the warmth of his hand on hers.

    "He''d better." Giordano waved over a young man who placed a chair behind her and withdrew. He had Giordano''s eyes.

    Magdala nodded at him. "Your grandson?"

    The elder sat. "My grandnephew. My sister, bless her, thought he''d make a good assistant for me. It was supposed to be a learning experience. Well, I''m sure being able to take care of the elderly will pay off in the end."

    Magdala hid a smile and faced Giordano. "I''m sure it will." She bowed. "Thank you again for meeting with me."

    Giordano watched Warren rake hot coals over corpses below in the pit. "I heard about that business in the garrison. When you deal with Vanurians on a regular basis, you hear about monsters like that, and if you''re unlucky, you''ll see them too."

    Magdala raised her chin. "We pushed her back."

    Giordano raised an eyebrow. "But?"

    Magdala winced. "She''ll be back. She''s out there, waiting for a chance to get her prize."

    "And that''s why we have to leave. Last night we lost a thousand dukes worth of goods. That''s three caravans worth of profit gone. The mayor wants me and mine to stay, but... my grandson is down there." Giordano pointed at the pit.

    Magdala covered her mouth with her hands. "I... I''m so sorry."

    "I am too." Giordano deflated in her chair. "I''m sorry that his family lost so much money, that this town will die when we leave, and that I can''t take his body back home to Adhua because we don''t know if he''ll stay dead."

    Magdala tensed. "So, you''re definitely leaving."

    Giordano''s eyes met Magdala''s. "We are not a charity."

    "But we''re so close to catching her."

    Giordano shook her head. "You just said that she''ll attack again. What guarantees can you give that me and mine will not be attacked in the next struggle or worse, that a riot will not break out in the city?"

    "I can''t give any."

    "Then-"

    "I can''t give any," said Magdala, standing up straight, "but Walton needs to stand as a chance for us to reach out to Vanuria."

    "Pretty words."

    "If we can keep this city going we can-"

    "We merchants have traded with the Vanurians for centuries." Giordano drew herself up in her chair. "They are a divided, proud people with incomprehensible ways and a heretical church. Saving Walton will not change that or change anyone''s minds. Is that all you offer, Lady Gallus?"

    Magdala''s remaining arguments withered under Giordano''s gaze. What would her mother do? She would be able to handle this. She would have convinced a grieving grandmother to put aside her loss and save Walton. She could have done this alone, but Magdala didn''t have to. "Dwayne is my lord uncle''s heir," she said.

    Giordano dismissed this with a wave of her hand. "Only as long as the crown allows it." She tilted her head. "He''s not Lord Bart''s love child, is he?"

    Magdala''s mouth fell open. "No!"

    Giordano smiled. "That''s something then."

    Blushing, Magdala pressed on. "Once Dwayne is confirmed as heir, we can help you with trade in the city."

    Giordano raised an eyebrow. "Caught the bug from your lord uncle, have you?"

    Magdala feared her blush would become permanent. "I don''t... what are you..."

    Giordano''s eyes turned to the horizon. "Having the ear of both the Guardian of Walcrest and Gallus''s heir would be quite the thing to have in one''s back pocket. Does the boy have a title?"

    "No. He was-"

    "A slave. Yes, I know." Giordano tapped her fingers on her lap. "I was told a brisk wind blew through the square when Dwayne spoke. No, not just a wind. A chill, like something had swallowed the heat. I''ve seen Wesen mages, and they''re not all fire mages. Some deal with the cold, you know."

    Sweat broke out on Magdala''s palm. She tried a shrug. "What does that have to do with anything?"

    "Is Dwayne a Ri mage? If he is, then the Ri will want him no matter how low born he is."

    So that was why Lord Kalan had ordered Dwayne to never use Ri magic in public; he didn''t want to lose his apprentice.

    Magdala coughed. "He''s not. He''s a Qe mage. Maybe he had a Souran mother some time back?"

    Giordano let Magdala''s question hang in the air. "Stranger things have happened." She got to her feet. "So a titleless mage is in line to get an estate. Interesting. Now you''ve given me a price, Young Lady Gallus, but what do you want?"

    "I want you to shelter the Vanurians."

    Giordano''s eyes widened. "Oh, why?

    "I want Walton to thrive, and in order to achieve that, the Vanurians have to feel safe here."

    "You''re betting that my people will be able to hold their tempers?"

    "I''m betting that your people know that not just any Vanurian could execute last night''s attack. I''m asking you to help me keep this city alive."

    Giordano looked down into the pit. "All for the future backing of two children. That''s not particularly tempting."

    Magdala''s heart fell.

    "But I''ll take it."

    "Y-You will?"

    "I''ll remember what you said tonight." Giordano waved her grandnephew over. "I will not stand in Baron Harvey''s way of course, but Walton''s Vanurians will be protected for tonight at least. You have my word."

    Magdala curtsied. "Thank you!"

    The old merchant let her chair get taken away. "Good luck with Harvey."

    Magdala frowned. "The riots have been quelled, and you''re willing to help the Vanurians. She''ll listen to reason."

    "So young to be dealing with politics." Giordano chuckled. "As I said, good luck. I''ll be expecting my price soon enough."

    ***

    Huan staggered down the street, warmth bubbling into his limbs. He caught himself on a handy wall, sniffed the air, and wrinkled his nose. Human sweat, refuse, and, simmering underneath both, sour fear all assaulted his nose. Huan scowled. He''d had those people in front of the church ready to do his bidding, but Dwayne''s speech had cut the mob''s anger off at the knees. By the time the Wesen was done, even the huge laborer had been nodding along, his suspicion of foreigners subsumed with empathy, and so shame and hope had overwhelmed fear and anger. It wouldn''t last though. When hope was dashed and shame faded, the mob''s anger would return.

    Pushing away from the wall, Huan continued down the street, cursing the fact that there were only humans here, not moving corpses and baneful witches. Grunting, he kicked the street and bit back a yowl. He''d stubbed his toe.

    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    His nostrils flared. They got in my way. If Sir Marcus and Mei hadn''t interfered, Huan would have found Liraya and wrested that title from her by now. Why am I even here?

    Weeks ago, it had made sense to follow Lord Kalan and his merry band of mages into Soura where Huan had thought the ShengXiao guard couldn''t follow, but they''d had found him anyway, and worse, even after hunting dragons, dueling magically animated suits of armor, and fighting undead thugs, he still had to follow the law. Sure, he had a new sword to show for it, but that wasn''t enough.

    How did you even get here? The lack of hostility in Tiger''s question stopped Huan cold. For once, the beast was genuinely curious.

    Huan closed his eyes. I had to run away because of you.

    But you were free in Anders. Why are you here?

    Because of... Huan''s skin prickled. Mei.

    If it weren''t for his sister, he would have just brushed Sir Marcus off. Hell, the knight wouldn''t have even made it that far without his sister''s tracking skills. Back in Yumma, Mei had let him fall alone into that hole and left him with a moody Wesen and a crazy Vanurian, and in Anders, it was Mei who''d insisted that they go with Lord Kalan on his quest for idiotic magical mumbo jumbo.

    Tiger''s voice rumbled. She doesn''t want to be free. She doesn''t want you to be free.

    My own sister... Huan pushed the thought away and sniffed the air again, prompting the beast to sift through the jumble of scents. When the wind picked up, the scents of rotted flesh, fresh turned earth, and the sweet tang of magic wafted by. Huan smiled and turned towards its source.

    A hand landed on his shoulder. "What are you doing out here?"

    With a snarl, Huan whirled around and lashed out with his foot, but his assailant snatched his foot out of the air and pushed him to the ground. Swallowing a yelp, Huan flipped back ontoto his feet and dropped into a stance, but his assailant hit Huan with two right jabs, then pulled the dazed thief into an arm lock.

    Huan elbowed his assailant in the stomach and hit armor. "Ow!"

    "Huan." Sir Marcus''s voice was slow, patient. "I was asking politely. Do you want me to be rougher with you?"

    Huan tried to pull Sir Marcus''s arm away, but the knight''s grip only tightened.

    "Well? Will you behave?"

    Huan stopped struggling and nodded.

    "Good." Sir Marcus released Huan, who gasped and coughed.

    How had he done that with just one arm? "I''m not going back to the barracks," Huan said.

    Sir Marcus furrowed his eyebrows. "Why not?"

    "You can''t- what?"

    "Why not?"

    Huan stepped back. "I... I don''t belong there. I''m a thief and a scoundrel and a cheat. This mask you see? I stole it."

    Sir Marcus shook his head. "That doesn''t matter here. Those crimes are against Tuqu."

    Huan''s eyes caught on Sir Marcus''s emblem. "I won''t swear allegiance to your queen."

    Sir Marcus kept his hand open and by his side. "You aren''t sworn to defend the queen or Soura. You''re sworn to defend Lord Kalan."

    Huan scoffed. "To what end?"

    "Irrelevant. He''s your sponsor."

    "So just because of that, I can''t do what I want?"

    Sir Marcus''s brow furrowed again. "What do you want to do?"

    Huan spread his hands wide. "I want to be free. I want to do whatever I want!"

    Sir Marcus sighed. "Are you in bondage to Lord Kalan?"

    "What?"

    "Are you his slave?"

    "No, but..."

    "So you can leave whenever you want, yes?"

    "I can, but I''d get deported."

    Sir Marcus''s brown eyes bored into Huan. "So you don''t want to suffer the consequences for anything, is that right?"

    Huan''s cheeks burned. "No, I... I..."

    Sir Marcus took a deep breath then pointed at a nearby tavern, a quieter one than the one Huan had left. "I need a drink and you need a story."

    ***

    Magdala strolled through the Southern Line garrison''s front gate, knowing that, between Elder Giordano''s assurances and Dwayne''s becalming speech, they''d prevented the worst case scenario where Liraya''s fiend horde overran Walton, the garrison, and Walcrest. All Magdala had to do now was convince Colonel Harvey to postpone the Vanurians'' deportation and gave her time to corner and catch the enemy mage.

    Pausing, Magdala glanced up at the back gate and the stairs beyond it, which led to Walcrest and her neglected study list. She should be reviewing, not creating concussives, escaping burning buildings, or fighting reanimated giants, but she had no regrets. From the moment she and Dwayne had saved her lord uncle''s life, this had all felt right. Last night, she''d spent hours in bed trying to anticipate Liraya and figure out how to best leverage her friends'' skills when they finally caught up to her. The biggest surprise was that Magdala wasn''t frustrated like she''d been in Yumma. That was probably because, while Liraya was using magic Magdala hadn''t seen before, the witch was still human and not a bundle of arcane and ancient magic. Besides, she could always study later. Her lord uncle was even conscious now, so she could get his opinion on her study list. Though that actually meant she''d get Dwayne''s opinion as her lord uncle never bothered with mundane tasks. She smiled. She''d like that.

    She continued onwards, reached Colonel Harvey''s office, and entered, saying, "Colonel, I spoke to Giordano, and I have assurances that..."

    Two people sat in front of the colonel''s desk.

    The one on her left, Mayor Dietrich, gave a relieved smile. "You spoke to Elder Giordano. Did she say she''d help?"

    On her right, Bishop Hansson scoffed. "You''ve been busy. First, you have your companion coopt my speech in front of my own church, and now you''re negotiating with merchants. You do get around."

    The mayor looked between them. "Her companion? Who are you talking about?"

    "That Wesen boy that follows her around. He gave a speech to-"

    "He did what?" The mayor jumped to his feet. "That is not his place. I don''t care what Lord Kalan says. That boy''s place is not at Walcrest."

    Magdala advanced on him. "Dwayne protected this town."

    Hansson snorted. "Convenient justification for knocking me out. After all, it was for my own protection."

    Magdala glared at her. "Thousands would have died if you''d had your way. Vanurians and Sourans!"

    The bishop placed her hands together. "Where those who drink from the true Cup stand, so does justice."

    Colonel Harvey''s words cut off Magdala''s reply. "Enough. Dietrich, sit down. Lady Gallus, why are you here?"

    "I... I''ve spoken with Elder Giordano." Magdala summarized her conversation with the merchant elder.

    When she finished, Hansson crossed her arms. "Of course she would say that."

    Dietrich released a slow breath. "It''s good that she now sees sense, but the bishop has convinced me. We cannot allow Vanurians to stay in Walton. It is too dangerous."

    Magdala''s eyes narrowed. "You were against deporting them this morning."

    The mayor sniffed. "Lord Kalan''s... apprentice just tried to coopt a peaceful gathering of Sourans, and your hunter friend has reported that she not only failed to find the enemy but that dozens of those things have been stashed around my town. By the cup, I am not a military man, but we are in an untenable position."

    Hansson''s eyes glittered. "This is justice. After all, without the presence and support of her heretic brethren, there would have been no way for that witch to find such deep purchase here. I recall a proverb: remove the rot to save the orchard."

    Despite the heat coursing through her, Magdala schooled her features still and faced her last hope. "Colonel, you can''t do this. We know that the enemy has been stealing corpses from the fire pits for months, and since Vanurians aren''t allowed anywhere near those pits, there''s no way that they could have helped her."

    Colonel Harvey clasped her hands together and placed them on her desk. "We need to take control of this situation, and while I thank you and Miss Mei for finding significant weaknesses in our defense, this is a job for adults and professionals, not children and students."

    Her heart shrinking, Magdala looked between stern Harvey, embarrassed Dietrich, and snide Hansson. Because of them, Walton would burn, and her lord uncle would fall into the hands of the enemy. "When do you plan to deport the Vanurians?"

    The colonel''s hands unknotted themselves. "Tomorrow. The mayor has been cooperating with my aides to get things set up."

    "Do you want me to do anything?"

    "Stay in Walcrest."

    "Sorry?"

    Colonel Harvey stood up, her hands shushing the bishop and the mayor. "You are daughter of the Water Sage and the Lord Commander and the niece of the Guardian of the Wall''s. You are a valuable target and a weakness that the enemy can exploit. What would I say to Lord Kalan, to your parents, if you got captured?"

    Magdala crossed the room and slammed her hands onto the colonel''s desk. "I have more experience fighting these things than your soldiers!"

    Colonel Harvey''s eyes narrowed. "Not all of them."

    The mayor stood up and tried to pull Magdala back from Harvey''s desk. "Please, see reason. I hear that your studies have been aborted, and someone with your lineage should be focused on her future, not this."

    Magdala shrugged him off. "I''ll talk to my lord uncle."

    "He agrees with us." Colonel Harvey jutted her chin out. "Now, go back to Walcrest and leave it to the adults."

    ***

    When a metal cup full of water was placed in front of Huan, he glared at the non-alcoholic drink. "What''s this?"

    "Drink it, and with any luck, you''ll have a clear head tomorrow." Nodding at the bartender, Sir Marcus took the stool next to Huan. "We have a big day tomorrow. We''re deporting all of the Vanurians in Walton."

    Huan eyed the knight''s drink. "I don''t see what that has to do with me."

    Sir Marcus picked up his beer. "You''re attracted to crowds. I bet after we sent you away you ended up in front of the church, didn''t you?"

    Ignoring the knot forming in his belly, Huan picked up his cup, drank deep, and swallowed. "Of course not. I just left. Got to stay out of trouble after all."

    Sir Marcus took a swig of beer. "Good. Good."

    Guilt pricked Huan''s heart. I can''t believe he... What does he want? "You wanted to tell me something? A story?" Huan''s face was starting to swell, so he placed the cool cup against his cheek. He''d have a bruise by morning.

    The knight peered into his beer, searching for something. "Hopefully, this will help you on your way. I can see that you''re holding onto something hard, trying to wrestle it down without really understanding what it is, and when you''re working that hard, anything anybody says just sounds like bullshit, like they''re insulting all the work you''ve done, but... you need to hear this. Even if you won''t listen, you need to hear this so that maybe you''ll understand before it''s too late."

    Huan squirmed. "Just get on with it."

    Sir Marcus''s eyes lifted from his beer and met Huan''s. "Barty ever tell you how he and I met?"

    Huan rolled his eyes. "Lord Kalan doesn''t talk to the help. He barely talks to his niece."

    A wry smile etched itself onto Sir Marcus''s face. "Ah, yes, he was born with a blindspot for anyone and anything non-magical, but for a while there, he was capable of seeing past it in short spurts. He just needed an interesting problem to solve.

    "When we first met, oh, decades back, he was already heir apparent to Walcrest and the Guardian of the Wall. Up in the capital or out in Anders, those titles don''t mean anything since, to most Sourans, the Southern Line is just like a mountain range, something that''s been there since the beginning of time. But, for them who know what lies beyond it, it''s a thin piece of paper holding back a storm.

    "Back then, since I didn''t know what lay south, I didn''t think much of Barty. He was just the younger son of a baron, barely nobility. I was raised to be a knight and had only really met other knights, all big strong fighters who could take a punch and laugh it off, and Barty was never, you know, well built. The Kalans have never put out warriors before. When you go to the capital, you''ll meet the rest of them and see for yourself. They''re all either too short, too stout, or too thin to make good fighters." Sir Marcus chuckled.

    "Anyway, Queen Sophia, the previous queen, dispatched the two of us east to find out what had happened to a certain crown princess''s consort, Tor Jensen. The man was a mage with more family prestige than magical ability, but he liked to roam the countryside in his spare time, trying to solve the problems of the commonfolk. He was supposed to have reported back by windsong but-"

    Huan leaned in. "Windsong?" He''d scammed Souran nobles but hadn''t bothered to learn how they interacted with their monarch. In Tuqu, the aristocracy spent all of their time in the capital, hanging on the Emperor''s every word. The idea of any of them going out among the populace was unthinkable.

    Confusion wrinkled Sir Marcus''s forehead for a moment. "Right, nowadays Barty''s not keen on staying in touch. Windsong is a message carried by flying Qe mages. Qe mages aren''t as common as pigeons nor as strong as horses, but if you want to ensure the message gets where it''s going and, even better, for it to remain private, there''s no better way." He frowned. "I think Harvey''s sent both of the garrison''s off to Lord Gallus."

    He blinked. "Where was I? Right. Tor Jensen. The man hadn''t sent word in days, so the royal family was getting more and more antsy and sent Barty and I out to Cairnborne, where he''d last been seen. When we got there, we found Jensen''s retinue absolutely despondent. They hadn''t heard from him either, and they were terrified the crown princess would punish them for dereliction of duty. I wasn''t worried though. A weak mage is still a mage.

    "With that in mind, I thought it was a simple search and rescue or if Jensen was dead, a simple search and retrieve, and so I proceeded to go around the village, asking what Jensen had been doing. Barty though had different ideas. While I consulted the head of the village, Barty disappeared into their tiny library and fell asleep on top of a book. While I interviewed the farmers that Jensen had tried to help, Barty wandered around the village muttering nonsense to himself. Finally, while I was organizing the villagers and the consort''s retinue into a search party, Barty took a nap."

    "What an asshole," said Huan. Those actions fit with his impression of the noble mage.

    Sir Marcus smiled. "I would have agreed." His eyebrows furrowed. "From what Barty says, you''ve only met two Qe mages so far, Lady Pol and himself, correct?"

    Huan smirked. "What? Miss Prissy Pants and Dwayne don''t count?"

    "Young Magdala hasn''t graduated yet, and Dwayne isn''t..." Sir Marcus shook his head. "I''m not comfortable with thinking of him as a Qe mage."

    "What? He too dark for you?"

    Sir Marcus''s eyes dropped to his beer. "Do they have stories about Wesen mages in Tuqu? Qe mages can move earth, sky, and sea, but Ri mages can summon powers that no one should be able to wield, powers that can reduce a body to ash in an instant. The only Wesen mage I''ve met before Dwayne, the same woman who gave Lord Kalan that book that Dwayne carries, she split a ship in two." He finished his beer. "I''ll need more."

    While Sir Marcus waved the bartender over, Huan tried to imagine Dwayne wielding that kind of power and failed. Yes, the Wesen mage had stopped dragon flame and sure, that thing he''d done in Yumma to save himself and Mei had been impressive, but none of that sounded half as impressive as what Lord Kalan had done to subdue the dragon.

    Sir Marcus paid the bartender and sipped his fresh brew. "Ah, that''s the stuff. So, if you''d seen any real Qe mages other than Barty and Lady Pol, you''d know that most of them are lazy, pretentious, and obnoxious. There are a few like Lady Pol who do meaningful research and others that try to do what Jensen did, but for the most part, they just sit in the Magisterium doing nothing, and so when I saw a minor noble and a mage lazying about being useless, I got angry. After I sent out the search parties, I called Barty out and told him what I thought of his ''work''." Sir Marcus leaned in, his eyes sparkling. "Do you know what he said?"

    "What?"

    "''My job starts now.''"

    Huan''s head jerked back. "What the-"

    "Right? I nearly punched him in the face." Sir Marcus laughed. "Instead, I left him in town and coordinated the search. For hours, we found nothing, but then I started to notice that a few of the search teams were out of position and were checking out random rock piles here and there without regards to my orders. When I grabbed one and asked them what they were doing, guess who had given them new orders."

    "Lord Kalan," answered Huan.

    "The very same. When I heard that, I tracked him down, punched him right in the mouth, and demanded to know what by the cup he was doing. The man got back up, brushed himself off, and answered, ''I''m eliminating all possibilities. We only have one left.'' Then he told me to follow him, leading me and a half dozen villagers to a pile of rocks that my searchers had walked right on by. He patted the ground, told all of us to stand back and be ready, and before any of us could ask for clarification, he cast a spell, and the rocks wrenched themselves out of the ground and rose into the air. I thought he was just showing off, but right under those rocks, bruised, tired, and dusty, was Tor Jensen.

    "After we bundled the man onto a carriage and sent him home, I asked Barty how he knew where to look. He explained that while I''d been talking to people, he''d been researching the geological history of the area."

    Huan ran his hands through his hair. "The what history?"

    "How the rocks and soil have changed over the years. When a mage actually bothers to do anything, they record their findings and store them in the local library. Barty found out that Cairnborne had a history of sinkholes, and he''d heard about an underground river Jensen had gone to investigate from one of the farmers I''d interviewed, and so he decided to follow up by ordering a few of my search teams to trace the course of that river. When I asked him ''what did he need me for if he''d figured it out all on his own?'', he answered, ''I''m not good with people, but I know how to do research. You don''t know research, but you can organize a search party in less than a day.''"

    Huan sipped his water and gave Sir Marcus the side eye. "And your point?"

    Sir Marcus faced Huan. "We can''t do it alone, and sometimes you need to ask for help."

    Huan snorted. "Lord Kalan asked you for help and you lost an arm. Was that worth it?"

    Sir Marcus looked at his one remaining hand. "Would I prefer to still have both arms? Yes, but we would have lost more if I hadn''t been there. I can''t claim to understand what Barty and Dwayne are working on, but I know it''s going to change the world, hopefully for the better."

    A growl rumbled out of Huan''s throat. "I don''t see how that helps you. You''re not a mage."

    Sir Marcus pushed his stein away, stood up, and stretched. "I just wanted you to hear what I had to say. With any luck, you''ll listen later." He left the tavern.

    The bartender shuffled forward. "Do you want anything?"

    Huan glanced at the half-empty glass of water. The strong don''t need help. "No, I''m fine."

 Qekutunutem, Rock Slide

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 Riikioora, Gather Heat

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 Fopecikuiut, Pursue

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 yRikephyseeoora, Night Spreading

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 Xa-Nu-Bian-Kon, Dogs Tail

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 Interlogue

    Inspector Clara lay back in the cart as it traveled along the bumpy dirt road that wound through the jungle. Now well away from Walton and well south of the Southern Line, she considered how things stood between the Souran queendom and the Vanurian counties. The Fo''Ri Liraya''s attack had scared the Sourans badly, and Countess Almeida was going to have to work very hard to restore relations. Luckily, Lord Kalan''s best decision, to make a secret Ri mage his heir, had paid off immediately. Still, the question of whether or not Dwayne''s sheltering of Walton''s Vanurians would make up for the damage of Liraya''s attempt to kidnap the Guardian of the Wall remained to be seen.

    "I''m glad we left when we did," said the guard driving the cart in Vanurian, his slow drawl marking him as a native of a southwestern county. "Those guards were just hunting for a reason to string us up."

    The other guard shrugged, her eyes searching the undergrowth and trees. Bandits rarely ranged this far north, but when they did, they were desperate. "It would have been nice to see if the Souran fighters were all they''re cracked up to be." Her accent was clipped. She probably hailed from Luema, where the Abandoned Throne sat.

    Clara glanced at the remains of Liraya''s Vengehna. "The city guard aren''t much, but those garrison troops are trained like the old Praetorian guards."

    "Hah! I bet they act like it too, looking down on us from that stupid wall of theirs."

    "At least they aren''t the Ri," said the driver. "They believe in borders. Whoa!"

    There were two thumps, and the cart rumbled to a stop.

    Clara sat up. "What''s wrong?" She got to the front of the cart where the two guards were slumped in their seats. Sighing, she climbed out of the cart and faced the culprit, a thin figure in a pale pink robe that had the rising sun embroidered on the front.

    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    Someone popped into being behind Clara and leaned in close. "They''ll take it from here, Inspector."

    Clara peered at her nails. "Do not hurt my guards."

    The robed one in front of her nodded and raised a hand, and a half dozen people, barefoot and in pale blue smocks, burst from the jungle and swarmed the cart. Clara stayed still, keeping her eyes on the road ahead and not turning around to look at the person standing behind her. After Liraya and her Vengehna were bundled up and taken into the jungle, a smocked one slid behind Clara and whispered something.

    The one behind Clara asked, voice grating, "Where are the knives?"

    Clara didn''t move. "They were stolen, most likely by a boy named Huan Li."

    "You let this happen?"

    "His absence would have disrupted my mission." Clara clasped her hands behind her back. "His sister wields an unusual weapon with unusual skill, he travels with the young lady who brought down Liraya, and most importantly, he is close to the lost Ri slave. If he were to disappear, they would search for him."

    "Those knives are ours."

    "And we will have them back. We can track them after all."

    The tarp, folded, landed on the ground in front of Clara, and a set of fine clothing was dropped on top of it. The robed one bowed and climbed onto the cart, setting it down the road with three of the smocked. The rest melted back into the jungle.

    The one behind waited for the cart to disappear around a bend in the road. "Why were those on the cart?"

    Clara picked up the suit of clothes. "Are you going to send another after the lost Ri slave? Rodion has been asked by Lord Bartholemew Kalan to travel with him and his apprentice to Bradford in order to serve as his steward there."

    "Rodion can disappear. There are others in Bradford."

    "Yes, but Rodion has his trust. They do not, and while Lord Kalan is a foolish man, his sister, his niece, and his apprentice are not."

    The one behind considered. "Rodion will reappear. He will travel with the lost Ri slave. He will report to the full moon in Bradford."

    Clara bowed, picked up the tarp, and stepped into the undergrowth. There she was left on the tarp with her black jacket, brass badge, and violet eyes, and Rodion with his brown eyes, tied back hair, and blue suit came to be.

    He stepped out onto the road. "I don''t need your help getting back into Soura." He adjusted his cravat. "Say that Dana is committed." He walked back up the road.

    Behind him, there was nothing.

 yRiait, A Little Chill

    Dwayne shivered in his white shirt and short breeches as he stared out his bedroom window. Even through Bradford¡¯s characteristic autumn drizzle, he could see across the street to another great old noble house, its flickering lamps silhouetting the forms of its servants while they bustled about helping the house¡¯s children prepare for their governesses¡¯ attention and the house¡¯s adults prepare for their upcoming day.

    That noise and life was absent from Sanford, the Kalan family house; only Dwayne and his steward Rodion lived within its walls. Everyone else had made other accommodations. Magdala was now rooming with an old friend of hers in the Magisterium dormitories, which meant that Dwayne now only met her under the watchful eye of her parents. Mei Dwayne did see everyday, but she and Huan lived downriver in an old rickety warehouse in the Bilges. When Dwayne had offered them rooms at Sanford, Huan had said, ¡°I¡¯ll guard this place. I won¡¯t live in it.¡±

    Rubbing his eyes, Dwayne tore himself away from the window and turned back to the cramped room where he practiced, studied, and, on occasion, slept. It had taken a full day¡¯s work on his and Rodion¡¯s part to reveal a four-poster bed, an ancient dark-wood desk, and a dusty carpet covered in pest leavings. Even after repairing and replacing what they could, the room¡¯s dark blues and darker blacks forced Dwayne to augment the oil lanterns with his own magical flame just to be able to see all the corners. It was like this in every room in the house, which made it hard to begrudge Huan his sentiment. It didn¡¯t really let Huan off the hook for constantly being tardy for guard duty though.

    With a sigh, Dwayne went to the bed, where a thick weathered book and two small wooden crates lay on the comforter. The book, Na¡¯cch, was a tome of unknown authorship and origin and Dwayne¡¯s primary source of new Ri spells. It still pained him to leave it behind in his room, even though he knew the risks of casting Ri magic in public. Na¡¯cch was the reason why Lord Kalan had taken Dwayne on as his apprentice; by extension, it was the reason why Dwayne was in Bradford and not on a Vanurian plantation. Unfortunately, because it was pretty strong evidence that Dwayne was a Ri mage and because Bradford played host to a diplomatic mission from the Ri Kingdom who would ¡°repatriate¡± him given the chance, the book stayed here at Sanford. The risk outweighed Dwayne¡¯s comfort.

    As for the crates, they¡¯d arrived three days ago from Walcrest and represented the only communication Dwayne had received from Lord Kalan in weeks. Normally, Dwayne would have investigated why his master had gone silent for so long, but between Earth Qe classes, Sanford¡¯s renovation, his work at the Indigo Tower, and the development of new spell vials, he hadn¡¯t had the time. Honestly, he was surprised that they¡¯d maintained long-distance correspondence for any length of time, let alone for a whole month as - without Dwayne there - Lord Kalan had a tendency of getting lost in his theoretical musings. Still, Dwayne¡¯s last letter from his master had mentioned these crates over two weeks ago.

    Maybe he should be concerned. Later though.

    Dwayne opened the crates and pulled out their contents, laying them out on the bed. Lord Kalan had sent him two velvet three-piece suits. One was dark blue with black buttons and was embroidered with silver rivers, evoking the Brad River whose banks the Kalans had once owned. The other was pale pink and was embroidered with dancing, leaping blue fish. Doubtless another river reference. In addition to the suits, Lord Kalan had sent cravats, cuffs, and long stockings, all in white. Dwayne fingered one of the cravats, which was made of dense, high quality fabric. All of this was the kind of thing that Dwayne would have stared at in the tailor¡¯s shop, but would have prevented Lord Kalan from buying if he¡¯d been in the vicinity. If this was Lord Kalan¡¯s attempt to pressure Dwayne into acting like an heir¡­ No, that sort of subtlety wasn¡¯t Lord Kalan¡¯s strength. Dwayne¡¯s fist clenched around the cravat. This was an apology for something, and, after he finished his latest batch of spell vials, Dwayne planned to write a letter to Lord Kalan to find out what for.

    ¡°Looks like Mr. Ma is late again.¡± Rodion, impeccably dressed in tailored green, stepped into the room. ¡°Good, you finally opened those.¡±

    Dwayne unclenched his fist, letting the cravat fall to the bed. ¡°I¡­ was¡­ trying to figure out what I was going to wear to the Autumn Session.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Rodion raised an eyebrow. ¡°Skipping ahead a bit, aren¡¯t we, my lord? What about tonight?¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s cheeks burned as he looked away. ¡°Tonight is¡­¡±

    ¡°Important.¡± The steward stepped over to Dwayne¡¯s bed and inspected the suits. ¡°These are well made.¡± He reached out and picked up the blue suit¡¯s vest. ¡°Lady Gallus expects you to comport yourself as a noble.¡± He stepped behind Dwayne and held out the vest. ¡°Let¡¯s get this on you.¡±

    ¡°I can do this myself,¡± said Dwayne, allowing Rodion to put the vest on him. ¡°I¡¯ve managed up until now.¡±

    Rodion buttoned up the vest. ¡°Of course.¡± Finished with the vest, he plucked a cravat from the bed. ¡°Chin up, my lord.¡± He wrapped it around Dwayne¡¯s neck. ¡°Young Lady Gallus will be there?¡±

    ¡°Yes, she-¡± Dwayne shut down his smile. He¡¯d sounded too eager. ¡°I mean I¡¯m sure that her lady mother informed her of the consequences of skipping out on the dinner.¡± He raised his chin even higher to make it easier for Rodion to tie the cravat. ¡°I heard a representative from the Royal Secretary¡¯s Office and the Dean of a Magisterium College will be there.¡±

    Rodion adjusted the cravat. ¡°Did she tell you that, my lord?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°She didn¡¯t?¡± Rodion picked up the suit¡¯s breeches. ¡°Then how did you hear about it?¡± He held them open. ¡°In you go, my lord.¡±

    Hiding a grimace, Dwayne stepped into the breeches. ¡°My classmates were whispering about it. Apparently, none of the other deans were invited, just a few working mages.¡± He let Rodion pulled the breeches up to his hip. ¡°Oof, these are snug. Of course, an invitation was made to Her Highness the Secretary, but she¡¯s sending a representative instead, which is a snub to Lady Gallus.¡± He sighed. ¡°I didn¡¯t get anything more. They went quiet once they noticed I was listening.¡±

    His steward fastened the breeches. ¡°Their loss, my lord.¡±

    Dwayne groaned. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m going to need a moratorium on the ¡®my lord¡¯s¡¯ for the day.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve barely started the day.¡± Rodion stepped back and inspected the suit¡¯s fit. ¡°Looks good. You need to get used to this term of address, my lord.¡±

    ¡°Just for an hour then.¡± Dwayne bent his knees. The breeches were snug, but they didn¡¯t hamper his movement. ¡°I understand my noble responsibility, and I know what society expects of me, but¡­ well¡­¡± He gestured to the room. ¡°We¡¯re the only people here. Please, just for an hour. I need to feel like me.¡±

    Rodion bowed his head. ¡°An hour then.¡± He picked up the suit¡¯s jacket from the bed and held it up. ¡°In you go.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Dwayne twisted in, his right arm first and then his left.

    ¡°Really, you don¡¯t need to thank me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m me. I thank people.¡±

    Rodion didn¡¯t reply as he fussed with how the jacket hung on Dwayne¡¯s shoulders, his face perfectly impassive.

    That was strange for Rodion. He had a quick tongue. ¡°Are you okay?¡± asked Dwayne.

    The steward¡¯s face twitched. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine.¡± He patted the edge of the bed. ¡°Let¡¯s get those stockings on you, my¡­ sorry.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Dwayne sat down as Rodion selected a pair of stockings. ¡°I wish I could talk to Magdala about these things.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Rodion¡¯s eyes twinkled as he knelt. ¡°You wish to talk gossip with her?¡±

    Blood rushed to Dwayne¡¯s face. ¡°No, I-I want to talk about the new materials that are coming in, and their use for... you know.¡±

    ¡°Yes, the materials for the spell vials,¡± Rodion slid the first stocking onto Dwayne¡¯s leg, ¡°which are for that joint project you two have been working on together. Alone. Closely.¡±

    ¡°Not alone.¡± Dwayne looked away. ¡°One of her parents is always there. Both families are honor bound to provide chaperones after all.¡±

    ¡°Both families, huh?¡±

    Dwayne sighed. Lord Kalan should be here, not shopping for new carts, dried food, or warm weather gear, all things that Dwayne had signed off on before receiving the crates. If there was some logical reason for these strange purchases, Dwayne had no idea what it was.

    Another thing to ask Lord Kalan about.

    ¡°Other leg.¡± Rodion slid the second stocking onto Dwayne¡¯s leg. ¡°I too have learned a little about tonight¡¯s dinner guests. The servants at the Gallus estate mentioned that Young Lady Gallus¡¯s aunts and grandmother will be in attendance. From what I hear, the elder Lady Gallus spends most of her days up north. She doesn¡¯t much like the city.¡± He produced a pair of shiny black, low-heeled shoes and placed them in front of Dwayne.

    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    ¡°I¡¯m shocked. There¡¯s so much to like about Bradford.¡± Dwayne slid his feet into the shoes. ¡°The crush of people at the Exchange, the squalor of the Plague District, and how snobbish everyone in the Noble District is, it¡¯s all so attractive.¡± He hated the shoes, but they looked nice on his feet. ¡°That does explain why the other deans weren¡¯t invited though. This sounds more like a family meeting.¡± Probably about him.

    ¡°We¡¯re done.¡± Rodion stood up. ¡°Shall I arrange for a carriage?¡±

    ¡°Yes, please.¡± Dwayne stood up, teetered. ¡°Alternatively, I could take all this off and walk to work in my usual.¡±

    ¡°As the Head Clerk of the Indigo Tower,¡± said Rodion, putting his hands on his hip, ¡°this is your usual.¡±

    Dwayne winced as he carefully stepped across the room. ¡°Can I switch with Mei? She gets to wear boots.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s the Tower¡¯s Head Guard, and guards are expected to stub their toes now and then.¡±

    ¡°Head Guard.¡± Dwayne smirked. ¡°We have these lofty job titles, but the Tower¡¯s entire staff consists of just me and Mei.¡± `He made it to his desk. Hopefully, he got used to walking in these shoes by the time he got to class. ¡°I wish I could pay her more. The Bilges is too¡­ far away.¡±

    ¡°She and her brother made their choice.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, they did.¡± Dwayne collected a leather bracer, a set of glass cuboids, and a battered copy of Marshall¡¯s Thaumaturgical Theory from his desk. ¡°You¡¯ll finish transferring the library from the study down to the basement?¡± As far as they could tell, the lower you went in Sanford the drier it was, which made the study in the attic the worst place to put books.

    ¡°Of course. I¡¯ve also prepared the usual lunches for you and Mei.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Dwayne sighed. Enough stalling. ¡°I¡¯ll be downstairs. When Huan deigns to show up for work, tell him I¡¯m tired of his constant tardiness.¡±

    ***

    Hundreds of wir downriver in the Bilges, Bradford¡¯s poor riverfront district, Mei woke up on a pillow of paper and ink. Pushing her homework away, she rolled over and looked up at the bent wooden slats underneath Huan¡¯s bunk. So he had finally come home, after Mei had fallen asleep on her writing practice and after their neighbors had drunk themselves into a stupor. Of late, Huan seemed unable to go to bed until early morning.

    Mei sat up, placed her bare feet on the floor, winced at how cold it was. She got to her feet anyway and went through a series of stretches and exercises to wake herself up, taking care not to hit her hands or head on anything in the room. When her blood was finally pumping, she pulled herself up to the top bunk where her brother lay bundled in blankets.

    She squeezed his shoulder. ¡°Huan.¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Get up,¡± Mei said in Tuquese.

    Huan pulled the blankets tighter around him. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°We have work.¡±

    With a grunt, Huan rolled away.

    Knowing that they had to hurry, Mei punched him in the shoulder.

    ¡°Ow, no!¡± Huan¡¯s head emerged from the blankets to glare at her. ¡°I worked all night. I need sleep.¡±

    Mei glanced at the floor next to their bunk and frowned. Her brother¡¯s preferred outfit - shabby trousers, loose tunic, scuffed boots, and blue scarf - lay there in a pile while the black and blue uniform that he wore as a Sanford guard lay discarded in a corner. Even the sword he¡¯d brought back from Yumma and his new wooden box looked more used. ¡°What work?¡±

    ¡°Just work.¡± Huan¡¯s head disappeared back under the blankets. ¡°Important work.¡±

    Pursing her lips, Mei dropped back down to the floor, took three steps, and reached the door to the hallway where her own uniform hung. Kicking her brother¡¯s clothes into his corner, she started to dress, noting once again that there was barely enough room for even that. She missed sleeping outside under the wide sky to the tune of Maggie¡¯s snores and waking up to Dwayne¡¯s hot, if basic, breakfast. This small gray room, where the floor was too cold, where even she could touch both walls, was a step down from that. But Huan had insisted they get their own place.

    Letting it go once again, Mei took down a pair of steel gray breeches and put them on over the loose shorts she wore to bed. After a quick lacing and tightening, she pulled down a long-sleeved gray and indigo doublet and went through the process of putting it on, keeping her mind off her old tunic that she¡¯d left in a trunk in Sanford and how simple it used to be.

    When she¡¯d agreed to be Head Guard for the Indigo Tower, she, Maggie, and Dwayne had had to search it for something suitable for her to wear, but the only thing they¡¯d found was a breastplate that a striped gorilla couldn¡¯t lift and a helmet that touched her shoulders. After she¡¯d tried them on anyway and they¡¯d all had a good laugh, both Dwayne and Maggie had gone to see if they could find something else. They¡¯d returned with this outfit and a dagger with a red horse head craved into the pommel. More precisely, Dwayne had brought the outfit and Maggie had brought the dagger, saying ¡°You have to have something to let people know you¡¯re a guard¡± with a glare at Dwayne tossed in. `Mei suspected that Dwayne, ever practical, had shot down Maggie¡¯s request to get Mei plate armor or chain-mail or something, and they¡¯d settled on the dagger as a compromise. Frankly, Mei was glad that Dwayne had stood his ground. She loved Maggie, but all armor looked heavy and annoying, and the dagger was far more useful to her.

    With the doublet finally on, Mei strapped on the dagger, which was a good weight and easy to sharpen. She appreciated that in a blade, but it wasn¡¯t her real weapon. That lay in a long thin leather case that was nearly as long as Mei was tall. She pulled it out from behind her bunk and opened it up to inspect her parents¡¯ last gift to her: a rifled cannon.

    Satisfied that all was in order, Mei closed the case, slung its strap over her shoulder, and once more, she climbed up to the top bunk. ¡°Huan. Get up.¡±

    Another growled ¡°no¡±, and Huan dug deeper into his blankets.

    ¡°Huan.¡± Mei sighed. He left her no choice. She drew her dagger.

    The slither of unsheathing metal jerked Huan out of bed and onto the floor, where he freed himself from his blanket cocoon and dove for his sword. He¡¯d half drawn it before he saw that it was only Mei.

    Huan sheathed his sword. ¡°Stop that.¡±

    Mei pointed the tip of her dagger at his uniform on the floor. ¡°Get dressed.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m serious.¡± Huan drew himself to his full height, a couple of thumbs taller than Mei. ¡°Stop pulling that blade on me.¡± He was trying to intimidate her, but the effect was ruined by how his eyes caught on her dagger.

    ¡°We have to go,¡± Mei said.

    ¡°Little sister,¡± Huan growled, ¡°I told you to stop drawing your¡­¡± He sucked in a breath and closed his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± He opened his eyes and painted a smile onto his face. ¡°It¡¯s fine. You did say you¡¯d do this if I was going to be late.¡± His smile grew teeth. ¡°I¡¯ll try to wake up earlier so please consider keeping your dagger sheathed. Now, look away. I¡¯m getting dressed.¡±

    As Huan put on his Sanford uniform, Mei slid her dagger back into its sheath. It was getting worse. While her brother said he was just experiencing the residual effects of wearing the Tiger Mask for so long, he was lashing out more and more often. Before the mask, Huan could have slept through anything, but now the whisper of a blade was enough to wake him. Mei glanced at her brother¡¯s neck, which still had a pale stripe where the mask¡¯s bottom strap had been. The mask was gone, Tiger was gone, and Huan, while still a thief and a rogue and a confidence trickster, was still her only family and he wouldn¡¯t lie to her.

    ¡°How do I look?¡± Huan turned to her and spread his arms wide. ¡°Like a guard to the rich and powerful?¡±

    Mei looked him over. Her brother¡¯s double-breasted midnight blue jacket was wrinkled, his sword belt was askew, his white stockings were covered in mud-spots, and the faded blue scarf around his neck looked out of place. ¡°You¡¯re fine.¡±

    Huan¡¯s arms dropped. ¡°You think I should get it cleaned.¡±

    She¡¯d never been able to hide things from him. ¡°I think-¡±

    ¡°Why are you taking this so seriously?¡± Huan¡¯s expression was dark. ¡°It¡¯s just a job.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s our responsibility.¡±

    ¡°Responsibility?¡± Huan¡¯s lips curled. ¡°After all that crap that went down in that jungle, they should be responsible for us. I- You, you almost died!¡±

    The sight of a giant fist, the creak of a crossbow crank, and the smell of burnt forest tore through Mei. She tried to hold in a shudder.

    Huan saw through her. ¡°We¡¯re responsible for ourselves and for each other, little sister. No one else.¡±

    ¡°They can help.¡± Mei took slow deep breaths, got her fear under control. ¡°She is still out there.¡±

    ¡°Who? Momin?¡± Huan let out a bark of laughter. ¡°She hasn¡¯t bothered us in weeks. Last night, I heard that she was down in Adhua doing-¡±

    ¡°Last night?¡± Mei¡¯s stomach clenched. ¡°Last night, while you were working?¡± Dwayne¡¯s steward didn¡¯t talk about things like that, not with Huan.

    ¡°I stopped by a tavern for a drink afterwards.¡± Huan shrugged as his eyes slid away from hers. ¡°Apparently, she¡¯s got the market cornered on some kind of green dye, and, after a little beer and some smoke, people¡¯ll blabber about it all night. Come on.¡± He grabbed his cloak off the floor and pushed past Mei. ¡°I assume you don¡¯t want me to be late.¡±

    That explanation sounded plausible. People talked in taverns about almost anything, and Momin¡¯s front as a spy was as a mere merchant. It sounded plausible, so Mei accepted it and grabbed her cloak and her ring of keys and followed Huan out of the tenement and onto the streets of the Bilges.

    Keeping pace behind her brother, Mei took in the street. It was hours before the day shift went to work, and so only a few people, kids mostly, were out and about. They still stared at Mei and Huan, who stuck out because they were Tuquese and wore fine colorful clothes. Even Huan¡¯s ill-kept uniform was more fine than the gray or brown tunics, pants, and dresses the Bilge¡¯s residents usually wore.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it early for you to be heading out, boy?¡± A woman in a damp gray shawl curled her lip at Huan as she hefted a wash basin full of clothes. ¡°I saw you sneaking in near the crack of dawn like the layabout you are.¡±

    ¡°Scoundrel, ma¡¯am, not layabout, and I was attending to my own needs.¡± Huan gave her his best smile. ¡°What were you doing at the crack of dawn, Ms. Schofield?¡±

    Schofield scowled at him. ¡°Doing my tenth load of wash. Not all of us have the privilege of tending only to ¡®our own needs.¡¯¡± Her expression softened when she saw Mei. ¡°Oh, that explains it. She got you up.¡± Schofield waggled her eyebrows. ¡°Did you have to flog him?¡±

    Mei shook her head.

    ¡°Pity.¡± Schofield grinned. ¡°At least you¡¯ve got him well trained. Have a good morning and good luck dealing with that foreigner boss you have. I don¡¯t know how you do it.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s easy to work for,¡± said Mei.

    ¡°Come on.¡± Huan picked up the pace, and, after a quick bow to Schofield, Mei followed.

    They soon reached Nieder Street and, by crossing it, left the crowded gray-walled boardinghouse warehouses of the Bilges for the cargo-filled red, green, and white warehouses of the Exchange. Around them, merchants, accountants, and messengers rushed about on cart, horse, and foot to get into position before the morning market opened.

    Huan glanced back at Mei. ¡°I do know how to get to Sanford on my own.¡±

    Usually, Mei would not have crossed Nieder, but instead would have followed it north, passed through the horde of people going to market, and entered the huge doak tree forest to reach the Tower. Going through the Exchange would take longer, not just because of distance, but also because of all the people and the mammoth cow-like beasts they used to bring their goods in. It also risked arriving after Dwayne, defeating the point of being Head Guard.

    Still, it was her responsibility to make sure that Huan got to work on time. Even Dwayne, the premier practitioner of patience, was starting to get annoyed.

    Mei adjusted her rifle case. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

 Qemiear, Updraft

    When Magdala wheeled her equipment cart into the alchemy lab for her first class of the day, her twenty-nine classmates ignored her and looked away pointedly as she took the seat next to a pretty girl in a crisp white pinafore over an anemone-colored dress.

    ¡°El.¡± Magdala adjusted her own pinafore. ¡°Good morning.¡±

    El¡¯s eyes snapped to the description of the elemental separation spell in the textbook in front of her.

    Magdala leaned in. ¡°I can help you with that if you want.¡± That spell was the focus of today¡¯s lesson. ¡°The trick is to-¡±

    ¡°Only people I¡¯m dating call me El.¡± The other girl turned the page. ¡°We aren¡¯t even friends, Gallus.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Okay.¡±

    Her throat thick, Magdala turned to her cart and started to rummage through it. El - no, Eleonora - had been her last chance to get back into the nQe class¡¯s good graces, but it was clear that even past affection couldn¡¯t make up for the damage Magdala¡¯s recklessness and suspension had caused. Even though she was the daughter of the Water Sage and the Lord Commander, it didn¡¯t help.

    After checking the other drawers in her cart for supplies, she slid open the bottom one and revealed a dozen tiny glass cuboids and a pile of paper covered in earnest but meandering writing. She smiled. At least neither of them cared about her past.

    The classroom door opened, and an older woman about Magdala¡¯s height strode in, her dark high waisted dress reflecting purple and green in the bright lamps. She faced her white pinafore¡¯d students. ¡°Good morning, class.¡±

    Magdala jumped to her feet. ¡°Good morning, Dean Laurence!¡± Her response was the loudest, everyone else had merely murmured their replies, but her mother had made it clear that Magdala¡¯s full-throated participation was a requirement of her post-suspension.

    After gesturing for her students to sit, Dean Laurence pulled a black oil crayon out of her pocket and turned to the white porcelain board hanging on the wall behind her. Using the crayon, she drew a dozen circles and lines, annotating them with numbers as she went. Still expecting the tap and scrape of chalk with each stroke, Magdala found herself fascinated by each silent swoop and curl. Both the crayon and the board were new, the results of the efforts the Magisterium¡¯s nQe college and its alumni put into alchemical research. While the boards weren¡¯t easier to clean than the old slateboards, the crayons were silent and left your skirt clean. There were benefits to being an nQe mage and they almost made up for the lack of prestige.

    When she finished, Dean Laurence patted the skirt of her dress clean of nonexistent chalk dust, dropped the oil crayon on her desk, and turned to the class. ¡°Who knows what this is?¡±

    Magdala winced. She¡¯d failed to actually pay attention to what Laurence had actually written on the board. Quickly, she scanned the diagrams. There were three, each composed of circles marked one, eight, and thirteen. Which elements did those refer to again? One was hydrogen, eight was oxygen, and thirteen was¡­

    A hand shot up. ¡°Cairnite?¡± A ash brown haired boy at the front of the class stood up. ¡°It¡¯s an ore from the north west.¡±

    ¡°Correct, Colin.¡± Dean Laurence favored him with a slight smile. ¡°And what is cairnite¡¯s main use here in our queendom?¡±

    Magdala jumped to her feet. ¡°As a source of aluminum metal. Those three configurations are the primary states we find aluminum in.¡±

    ¡°Correct, Lady Gallus.¡± Dean Laurence waited for Magdala to sit back down before continuing. ¡°Aluminum is very prevalent in the soil, more so than copper, lead, or iron. Despite this, what is it mainly used for?¡±

    Chairs were pushed back.

    ¡°Wagon frames,¡± answered Magdala.

    ¡°Jewelry,¡± answered Colin.

    Magdala glared at the back of the boy¡¯s head. Colin Fletcher was a rare newcomer, and the rarer boy, to the nQe class. Born to farmers out west, he¡¯d only moved to Bradford within the past year to live with his sister, who was an alumni of the Academy.

    Magdala cleared her throat. ¡°Road merchants use aluminum in their wagons to make them light and strong.¡±

    ¡°But that¡¯s all Wesen stuff.¡± Colin turned to her. ¡°The aluminum we extract from Cairnborne is mainly used as jewelry. Maybe flatware, if you¡¯re rich.¡±

    Magdala shook her head. ¡°Jewelry and flatware barely account for a tenth of what Soura uses.¡±

    ¡°But they account for ninety percent of what we produce here in Soura. We should focus on that instead of-¡±

    ¡°Stop.¡± Dean Laurence¡¯s voice stubbed out the conversation. ¡°Sit back down, both of you.¡±

    Her face burning, Magdala complied. The rest of her classmates were doing their best to pretend she hadn¡¯t even spoken, although she could tell Colin wanted to say something more.

    ¡°While the young Lady Gallus has answered my question,¡± Dean Laurence started to pace back and forth at the head of the class, ¡°Colin¡¯s answer leads us to today¡¯s practical. While we don¡¯t know what primitive process the Ri uses to extract aluminum from its ore, we nQe have our own more elegant process, and it will be a valuable skill when you graduate. I¡¯ve assigned lab partners.¡± She quelled the resulting groans by asking, ¡°Shall I lecture you again on the value of cooperation and its gainful effects on creativity and problem-solving?¡±

    As Eleonora and the rest of the class answered in the negative, Magdala¡¯s eyes dropped to the table. She was secretly glad that they weren¡¯t choosing their own lab partners. Last time they¡¯d done that, her classmates had humiliated her by arguing over who would be forced to take her as a partner.

    Laurence picked up a sheet of paper off her desk. ¡°Houseknecht and Wilson, take table one. Ricci and Lashbrooke, table two. Bolton and¡­¡±

    Magdala kept her eyes on the board and tried to ignore the looks of dismay Eleonora and others sent her way. All she needed was a decent lab partner, and she¡¯d survive this class. Repeat that feat two more times, and she¡¯d make it to lunch where she¡¯d meet Mei, Francesca, and, if his schedule allowed it, Dwayne. Then she could recharge for the afternoon and do it all again.

    ¡°Canale and Davies, table eight.¡±

    Eleonora leapt up, grabbed her equipment cart, and fled to a table in the center of the classroom. There she and Davies settled in, muttering to each other and stealing glances at Magdala. To keep her mind off of her former girlfriend, Magdala reviewed her reading, which had described using the separation spell for the extraction of aluminum from Cairnite as ¡°an exercise in mental classification and sieving,¡± which didn¡¯t sound that hard. After all, making spell vials with Dwayne had given Magdala a lot of practice with classification. She¡¯d only blown him up once, and, honestly, that had been his fault since-

    ¡°Fletcher and Gallus. Table eleven.¡±

    Magdala stood, ready to protest, but a single look from Dean Laurence silenced her, and, since obedience was another requirement of Magdala¡¯s post-suspension, she grabbed her cart and wheeled it to the front of the class, whispers sprouting in her wake.

    ¡°Better him than me.¡±

    ¡°You think she¡¯s going to blow up the class again?¡±

    ¡°Can you believe Lucchesi still lunches with her?¡±

    ¡°Can you believe Lucchesi still rooms with her?

    Magdala sat down, her eyes itching. It was just another day. She¡¯d get through this.

    Rhythmic squeaks announced Colin¡¯s arrival to the table. As he took the stool next to hers, Magdala kept her eyes on the board, not trusting herself to be civil, not yet. Silently, they waited for Dean Laurence to finish assigning the rest of the lap partners.

    When the dean finally left to get the materials, Colin tapped Magdala on the shoulder and extended a thin pale hand when she turned to face him. ¡°Truce, Lady Gallus?¡±

    He had a gaunt pale face and thick, dark, wavy hair that made his head look twice as big. His large hair matched his oversized pinafore, which was big enough to contain two of him.

    Before her suspension, Magdala would have written him off, and part of her still wanted to. Colin was poor and untitled. His sister was a glorified stonemason, and there was only one other mage in his family, an aunt who lived on the family farm. Being nice, or even civil to him, would gain Magdala nothing. However, during her suspension Magdala had met many people like him: Mei, Saundra, Dwayne. She wouldn¡¯t write him off.

    Magdala took his hand and shook it. ¡°Truce.¡±

    ¡°Cups.¡± Colin winced at her grip. ¡°What were you doing on suspension?¡±

    Well, she¡¯d tried. ¡°I thought you were a farmer.¡±

    ¡°What, so I should have a stronger grip?¡± Colin¡¯s lips curled. ¡°Or maybe my skin should be darker?¡± Just like the rest of the class, he knew about Dwayne.

    Magdala gave him an arch look. ¡°I was just expecting more of one. Farming is hard work after all.¡±

    Colin¡¯s eyes dropped. ¡°I¡­I¡­ studied instead.¡±

    They both jumped when a fist-sized pink rock thumped onto the table.

    ¡°Your sample.¡± Dean Laurence continued on, pushing a wheelbarrow full of rocks that she dropped onto tabletops as she passed. ¡°Today, you will extract aluminum from its ore. This will require the spell¡­¡±

    ¡°nQeaukidivem,¡± answered the class, evading lecture.

    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    ¡°Correct.¡± Leaving the empty wheelbarrow at the back of the classroom, the dean returned to the front. ¡°Take care. This is an oxide so the possibility of explosive incidents is very high,¡± the eyes of the class burned Magdala¡¯s back, ¡°but we¡¯re manipulating non-living materials so the interactions should be quite manageable.¡±

    The girl sitting behind Magdala muttered, ¡°Bet Lady Gallus messes it up anyway.¡±

    Not this time. Magdala wrenched open the middle drawer of her equipment cart and grabbed fresh paper, a new pencil, and her copy of Bodin¡¯s Encyclopedia of Elemental Components. As she laid them out on the table, Colin did the same, taking out some used paper, a stub of a pencil, and an old dog-eared edition of Bodin¡¯s.

    Surely, he could afford a new pencil. No, Magdala had a practical to complete. Focus on that.

    She placed her hands on the rock and closed her eyes. ¡°nQeoum.¡±

    Alchemical formulas poured into her mind, informing her that - besides the expected oxygen, hydrogen, and aluminum - the ore also contained small amounts of iron and titanium, metals that would spark given any opportunity. She¡¯d have to account for that when she made the separation. She made a quick note.

    Colin tried to peek at what she¡¯d written. ¡°What did you see?¡±

    Magdala didn¡¯t look up. ¡°There¡¯s more than just aluminum in there.¡± She pushed the rock over to him.

    He did the same spell and nodded. ¡°Oh, okay, that makes sense. Iron and titanium aren¡¯t as common, but they ain¡¯t, aren¡¯t, rare either.¡±

    They¡¯d need to be held in place. Maybe Magdala should try a composite spell? No, nQe magic was hard enough with just one target. Doing the same spell on different targets at the same time was far too hard. However, Colin was here too. Surely, it would be easier if- ¡°We do the spell simultaneously.¡±

    Colin¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°This is the first time we¡¯ve even had a conversation, and you want to do a joint spell?¡±

    Surely, they¡¯d talked before. ¡°Just¡­ keep the iron and titanium from interacting with the aluminum.¡± Magdala would transmute the gases into water, leaving them with just the metals. Placing her hands on the rock, she closed her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll do the rest.¡±

    ¡°Wait!¡±

    ¡°nQeaukidive.¡±

    She was in. Dimly aware of Colin casting his own spell, Magdala reached for the aluminum in the rock and found far more than she¡¯d expected. Still, it was easy enough to catch every bit of it. Making spell vial suspensions almost daily had expanded her capacity by quite a bit after all. ¡°Got it. I¡¯m pulling it out.¡±

    ¡°Cups, you¡¯re going too fast!¡±

    ¡°Just keep up.¡±

    Before coming back to Bradford, Magdala and Dwayne had done joint magic together and saved her lord uncle from poisoning. Back then, their magics - her low thrumming bass and Dwayne¡¯s high clear note - had entered a thrilling harmony, which had crescendoed and took their breaths away. Ever since, she¡¯d wanted to try that again, feel what she¡¯d felt then, though not in front of her parents. It felt too intimate for that.

    But this time Colin¡¯s magic clashed with hers like two bass lines fighting for control, and worse, instead of holding the iron and titanium steady like she¡¯d told him, Colin was trying to move them out of her way, creating attractions that made it much harder for her to extract the aluminum.

    ¡°Stop that,¡± said Magdala.

    The rock sparked.

    Colin tsked. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be working with me, not-¡±

    ¡°Just do what I said and- cups!¡± `The aluminum slipped free from Magdala¡¯s control and hurtled towards the other metals. Since she hadn¡¯t converted the hydrogen and oxygen yet - those were volatile elements at the best of times - if she didn¡¯t do something, the metals would ignite them.

    Maybe they¡¯d get away with easily treatable wounds. Maybe, but what would Dean Laurence think? She was the one who¡¯d suspended Magdala in the first place, had even stood up to the Water Sage herself and opposed allowing Magdala back in. When this little bomb went off, wouldn¡¯t Laurence expel Magdala and force her to go to her mother in shame? Wouldn¡¯t her mother in turn disown Magdala and abandoned her to do minor magics in the service of lesser nobles and merchants? Wouldn¡¯t Dwayne and Mei have to take pity on her and hire her to work in the Indigo Tower as a lowly attendant? Well, that wouldn¡¯t be so bad. She¡¯d be free. Maybe she should let her reputation go up in a burst of light and heat.

    But Colin could barely afford pencils. Could he afford a physician?

    ¡°nQerm!¡± Magdala released the aluminum and slapped the oxygen and hydrogen together, making water and dousing the electrical charge building in the rapidly disintegrating ore. With a thunk, a misshapen chunk of aluminum landed onto the table, scattering beads of iron and titanium to the floor.

    Magdala pulled her hands away, the edges of a headache building behind her eyes. ¡°There.¡±

    Colin stared at his wet hands. ¡°What did you do?¡±

    ¡°Completed the practical.¡±

    ¡°Lady Gallus. Colin.¡± Dean Laurence walked over to their table and surveyed the carnage. She glanced at Magdala and Colin¡¯s wet hands. ¡°Joint magic?¡±

    Colin pointed at Magdala. ¡°She insisted.¡±

    ¡°Messy,¡± Laurence inspected the chunk of aluminum, ¡°but very effective.¡±

    Magdala felt the room spin. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, ma¡¯am?¡±

    Her teacher gestured to the rest of the class, none of whom had gotten very far in their extractions as only a few had even turned their ore silvery. The rest were trading the rock back and forth with no visible progress.

    ¡°Official Magisterium policy is that joint magic is vulgar,¡± said the dean, ¡°but for us nQe mages, its benefits outweigh the¡­ emotional downsides. Still,¡± she glanced at Magdala¡¯s hands, ¡°I suspect this attempt nearly went awry. I¡¯m glad you did not hurt yourself, Colin, or my classroom, young Lady Gallus, but next time be less high-handed.¡±

    Colin hid a smile when Dean Laurence turned to him.

    ¡°Colin, this is exactly the kind of creativity that Dean Bruce expects out of you.¡± She smiled. ¡°High marks, both of you. You may leave after you clean this mess up.¡±

    ***

    Following her brother, Mei left Nieder Street and entered the chaos of The Exchange, where vendors from around the Queendom sold their wares.

    ¡°Apples for sale! Last of the harvest! Apples for sale!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t miss out on these iron pallets. Solid, native, cheap, the best deal you¡¯ll see today!¡±

    ¡°Looking for work? Got a job for you up north! Good pay, better food, guaranteed to be not gruel at least twice a week!¡±

    Mei passed racks of salted meats, piles of bagged flour, wheels of golden cheese, barrels of red apples, and an assortment of squash so colorful, they rivaled the local trees for autumn splendor. Among these wares, battles of commerce and mettle commenced under damp umbrellas and tent roofs. To Mei¡¯s right, a young red-haired man in shiny breastplate haggled with a older man in a three-pointed oilskin hat while to her left, a woman in a faded green tunic complained to a stone-faced stall owner about the quality of his lumber. Before she was out of earshot, both deals were sealed with handshakes and coin.

    In front of her, Huan stayed quiet, pushing through the crowds with nary a glance at the sights and sounds.

    Worried, Mei caught up to him. ¡°What were you doing last night¡­¡±

    Something was wrong. Huan¡¯s eyes were wide, his right hand gripping his sword hilt in a white knuckled grip. Something was scaring him.

    Mei looked around. They¡¯d crossed out of the vendor area into The Exchange¡¯s loading zone where burly laborers in stone gray coveralls, some as dark-skinned as Dwayne, hauled crates and pushed dollies to and from the warehouses under the watchful eye of accountants, who made marks on clipboards as each crate passed.

    None of this was new to either Mei or Huan. In fact, this market was smaller than the one in their hometown. More full of skirts and fine jackets, but still smaller.

    Mei¡¯s eyes slid to the blue scarf around her brother¡¯s neck, the one that used to hide the Tiger Mask. Huan had seen bigger markets, but Tiger hadn¡¯t. Tigers weren¡¯t like white-mittened foxes; they stayed clear of crowds of people.

    Mei put the thought away. The mask was gone. Huan had said so. Besides, it had been a long time since they¡¯d been in such a large city.

    Mei asked in Tuquese, ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    Huan shuddered and then, as if he¡¯d just remembered she was there, threw a smile her way. ¡°Of course. I¡¯m fine.¡±

    She let him have that. ¡°So, what were you doing last night?¡±

    Huan shrugged. ¡°Just¡­ blowing off steam.¡±

    ¡°Out of the way!¡±

    A massive brown and white monster with two pairs of horns, one slung low along its jaw, the other cresting its head, barreled towards them. Mei leapt out of the way, but Huan stood his ground and growled defiance. The awrock - Maggie had told Mei about them when they¡¯d saw one on the Queen¡¯s Road - didn¡¯t care and stormed forward with a deep moo. Faced with a mountain of uncaring muscle and the heavily laden cart it was pulling, Huan stepped aside before he was flattened, spitting at the cart as it passed. Then he resumed his course without waiting for Mei .

    That behavior didn¡¯t support Huan¡¯s statement. ¡°You are not fine,¡± said Mei, catching up to him.

    ¡°Like you care.¡± Huan didn¡¯t look back. ¡°You¡¯re actually satisfied with being a guard. You don¡¯t have time for me.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯m here.¡±

    Huan tossed a glare back at her. ¡°Do you want to stay here?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because we¡¯re safe here.¡±

    ¡°Until we¡¯re not.¡± Huan¡¯s jaw clenched. ¡°Until she decides that we¡¯re not.¡±

    She was Momin, Soura¡¯s resident Tuquese spy, and she had declared that she wasn¡¯t interested in Huan. ¡°Maggie and Dwayne can help-¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t ask-¡± Huan¡¯s teeth snapped up the end of his comment. He sucked in a slow breath. ¡°We don¡¯t need their help, and we¡¯re not their damn guards. You¡¯re a hunter, and I¡¯m a¡­ a¡­¡±

    A thief. After their parents had died, Huan had stolen, lied, and cheated to pay for the fireworks shop that Mei barely knew how to run. She didn¡¯t know what had happened to the shop after they¡¯d left. Maybe their old landlord had rented it out or sold it or replaced it with something less stained with tragedy. Mei didn¡¯t care. She wasn¡¯t and had never been a fireworks maker, but saying that she was a hunter after the dragon and the Yumma underground and the Vanurian jungle felt strange.

    ¡°I make a bad guard.¡± Huan chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s easier for me to figure out how to get things out, not keep them in.¡±

    Mei let the sounds of commerce be his answer and kept walking.

    Now they were past the hagglers and the haulers and had entered the cobbled streets of the money counters, where crisp suits carried ledgers into houses that bore names like ¡°The Daughters of Burgess¡± and ¡°West Anders Company¡± and handed them to inked fingers who then scribbled in their ledgers. This was also the farthest any noble usually got into the Exchange, their suits and dresses of white, teal, and pink - the season¡¯s favored colors according to Fran - now dotting the thinning crowd.

    As Huan picked up speed, Mei matched his pace, finding it easy to keep up after long days trailing prey. ¡°What are you afraid of?¡± she asked, still in Tuquese.

    Huan¡¯s shoulders raised, but he didn¡¯t answer until they¡¯d finally exited The Exchange and were walking up Oben Avenue. ¡°They¡¯re changing you, you know that?¡± His voice softened. ¡°Every time Dwayne asks you for a favor, every letter that witch teaches you to write, they¡¯re changing you into someone they want you to be, and instead of being out here with me, meeting boys or girls or whatever, living your life, you¡¯re giving in to them.¡±

    Mei frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t want to ¡®meet¡¯ anyone.¡± In Tuquese, the word was a euphemism. ¡°Is that what you were doing last night? Meeting people?¡±

    Huan tilted his head. ¡°What do you mean you don¡¯t want to¡­ Ahem. Yes, I was, sometimes, but we¡¯re talking about you. It¡¯s your life, little sister. Don¡¯t waste it.¡±

    Mei blocked his path. ¡°No, I¡¯m talking about you!¡± Oben Avenue wasn¡¯t wide like Nieder Street or crowded like The Exchange so her words shook the damp off the red and gold leaves above them.

    Huan¡¯s eyes screwed shut. ¡°Keep your voice down.¡±

    ¡°Are you stealing again?¡±

    His eyes snapped open. ¡°So what if I am?¡±

    Mei¡¯s nostrils flared. ¡°Are you stealing from Dwayne? Or Maggie?¡±

    Huan shook his head. ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡±

    His eyes stayed on hers. He was telling the truth.

    Mei stepped back from Huan and got her anger back under control. ¡°Good.¡± She about-faced and continued down Oben at a quicker pace. They were fine. So long as Huan wasn¡¯t hurting her friends and the Tiger Mask was really gone and Momin was not in town, they were fine.

    Her new pace forced Huan to jog to keep up with her but got them to Sanford in the Parvenue Quarter in record time, and, without glancing at the venerable house¡¯s ivy and moss covered facade, Mei stomped up the front stairs and yanked the bell pull.

    Huan caught up to her. ¡°Listen, I¡­¡± He wiped sweat from his brow. ¡°I just want us to be free, just like before.¡±

    Mei kept her eyes on the front door, which had just been freshly painted iris blue. That had been item sixty-seven out of two hundred and twelve on Dwayne¡¯s list of renovations. He¡¯d probably done it himself. He¡¯d had trouble hiring help here in Bradford.

    ¡°Mei, look I-¡±

    ¡°Mei?¡± The door opened, revealing Dwayne in a new blue and black suit. ¡±Weren¡¯t you going to meet me at the Tower?¡±

    The door opened wider and brought Rodion into view. The steward took in Huan¡¯s panting and Mei¡¯s stiff stance. ¡°Ah, Mr. Ma, good of you to arrive on time. For once.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s move past that.¡± Dwayne smiled. ¡°Huan, we¡¯re expecting a few shipments today. Make sure they make it to the designated staging area.¡±

    ¡°Which is the west dining room and not the porch,¡± stated Rodion.

    Huan¡¯s face tightened. ¡°Understood.¡±

    ¡°Excellent.¡±

    Someone behind Mei whistled.

    Rodion bowed. ¡°My lo-, Dwayne. Your carriage is here.¡±

    ¡°Finally.¡± Dwayne stepped past Mei and then paused. ¡°Do you want to ride with me?¡±

    Usually, Mei would turn him down as she usually enjoyed her walks from the Bilges to the Indigo Tower even when the weather was gray and muddy, but right now, not only would she be late, but her questions about Huan¡¯s night activities would worry her the whole way.

    So, she accepted.

 Xa-She-Er, Snake Ears

    The Magisterium Commissary had been set up in the Salmo building two hundred and fifty years ago and displayed the architectural details typical of the Golden Age. Its columned arcades and colored triangular tiles - blue for water, yellow for wind, and white for earth - almost prevented visitors from noticing what was on the ceiling, but eventually their eyes had to follow the columns up to a majestic mural, which spanned all of the dining hall¡¯s fifty  length. This mural depicted hundreds of  mages in fluttering robes of azure, honey and ivory as they ascended the mountain that peaked at the north end of the hall. There, the three Saints of  posed around a pool of water, gracing their daughters with their beatific gaze. Standing at the south end of the hall, a visitor could imagine herself scrambling up the mountainside and joining her forebears at the peak of thaumaturgical study.

    But for Magdala, even an absence of weeks wasn¡¯t enough to restore her awe, and so her gaze remained on the mundane as she dropped a tray of food on one of the dining hall¡¯s marble tables and dumped herself into a plush chair.

    ¡°Hello, Mag darling.¡± The table¡¯s only other occupant, Francesca Lucchesi, waved off a proffered set of yellow dahlias. ¡°What¡¯s upsetting you today?¡±

    Magdala gestured to the departing dahlias, now being carried away by a dispirited tyro. ¡°Admirer or lunch date?¡±

    ¡°Admirer.¡± Francesca pulled her tan robe tighter over a pastel yellow blouse and pantaloons. Only Magdala¡¯s roommate, as full bodied as the sun, could make the wind  uniform look glamorous. ¡°Though more of my name than my person.¡±

    The admirer, who still clutched the rejected dahlias to her chest as she hurried away, wore the same blouse and pantaloons as Francesca, although hers were a dull yellow and made of cheap heavy fabric. Had she really just wanted a job on the Lucchesi decks? ¡°Somehow, I doubt that.¡±

    ¡°Oh, has your suspension forced you to develop powers of discernment? If so, congratulations.¡± Francesca sipped water from her glass. ¡°We were talking about you though. Let me guess. Someone hurt your Gallus-bred pride.¡±

    Magdala¡¯s face flushed. ¡°This is¡­¡± Francesca raised an eyebrow. ¡°¡­not not that.¡±

    Francesca laughed. ¡°I¡¯m so glad that it¡¯s Auntie Liv, not dear Mamma, who is the Wind Sage, and that Mamma also has the good sense to stay off the Privy Council. So,¡± she rested her arm on the back of her chair, ¡°what happened?¡±

    Magdala told Francesca about the  practical. ¡°And then Dean Laurence said that I was being ¡®high-handed¡¯, and Colin flounced out of class without bothering to thank me for the good grade.¡±

    ¡°Colin, Colin¡­¡± Francesca closed her eyes. ¡°Fletcher?¡± She opened her eyes. ¡°Unnotable family? Hails from the west, top of the class?¡±

    He is? ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think he had the body for flouncing. And, yes, you were being high-handed.¡±

    ¡°I was not! I just saw what needed to be done and told Colin what I needed him to do.¡±

    Francesca raised an eyebrow. ¡°Did you explain yourself beforehand?¡±

    Magdala thought back. ¡°No, I¡­ I didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Did you expound on your thinking at any time?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then you were being high-handed, possibly even imperious.¡± Francesca offered a smile. ¡°You¡¯ve been around Mei and Dwayne for too long. Mei, bless her heart, trusts you completely, and Dwayne¡­ seems to know what you¡¯re about.¡± She tapped her glass. ¡°You know if I hadn¡¯t seen him cast magic myself, I would not-¡±

    Magdala sat up. ¡°You¡¯ve seen him cast?¡±  Dwayne couldn¡¯t cast  magic without her spell shunts, but since he¡¯d started classes at the Magisterium, she hadn¡¯t had a chance to check her handiwork. ¡°What did you think?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s¡­ creative I have to say.¡± Francesca sat back in her chair. ¡°In my introductory Earth class two days ago, he completed a practical by combining two very unusual spells. Professor Corns tried to correct him, but Dwayne pointed out that he¡¯d completed the assignment precisely as described, and when Corns tried to say that Dwayne was being inefficient, he got shut down hard.¡± She giggled. ¡°I think I learned more about thaumaturgical theory in those five minutes than I¡¯ve learned since start of term.¡± Francesca took another sip of water.

    ¡°Oh.¡± Magdala sat back in her seat. ¡°Good.¡±

    Francesca raised an eyebrow. ¡°Anyway, as I was saying, he gets you, stares at things like you do, like - oh, what was it Mei said? - ¡®A fallen baby bird who blames the branch.¡¯¡±

    Magdala grimaced. Mei¡¯s metaphors were so strange. ¡°I don¡¯t stare.¡±

    ¡°Just like you weren¡¯t being high-handed?¡± Francesca shook her head. ¡°Just look at it from Colin¡¯s point of view. You¡¯ve been a good boy, you studied hard, followed every instruction precisely, and now you¡¯re top of the class. Now, the class screwup comes back from suspension and is doing amazing-¡±

    ¡°Not that amazing. The other day El-¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt. We¡¯ll discuss her at a later date. The point is that you are a much better mage now. I heard that the professors are thinking of making all the students go on adventures like you did. Field Studies they call it.¡±

    Magdala glared at her roommate. ¡°They are not.¡±

    ¡°Okay, they aren¡¯t, but they should be,¡± said Francesca. ¡°My point is that yes, you came back a better mage, a better person even, but everyone else still sees the imperious daughter of the Water Sage throwing her weight around. They¡¯ll need time to see the changes you¡¯ve made.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t¡­¡± Magdala sighed. ¡°I just saw what needed to be done and did it.¡±

    Francesca patted her hand. ¡°I know.¡± Her eyes flicked up and she grinned. ¡°Axesnapper, over here!¡±

    ¡°Mei?¡± Magdala turned around in her chair. ¡°Mei!¡±

    From the west side of the dining hall, Mei waved back then started negotiating her way towards them. Her signature rifle case was missing, replaced by the large satchel slung across her shoulders and the dagger on her hip. Where was it? Had she left it with Dwayne? Magdala hid a wince at the dagger, which looked inelegant and awkward, not like the axe that she¡¯d ordered for Mei back in Walton. They¡¯d have to wait a bit longer though. Langseth, Walton¡¯s weaponsmith in residence, had sent word that a ton of orders had come in from the Southern Line Garrison and that she¡¯d need more time. Was Baron Harvey attempting to shore up Walton¡¯s defenses after the assault three weeks ago? Was Magdala¡¯s father planning to fully man the Southern Line? As far as she knew, the Souran Army still lacked the means to stop evil Vanurian mages from flinging their vile creations over the wall, but they had captured¡­ some¡­

    Two faces hovered near Magdala¡¯s. ¡°Wah!¡±

    Both Francesca and Mei settled back into their seats, the former with a giggle, the latter with a small smile.

    Magdala¡¯s ears burned. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You were thinking boring military thoughts again,¡± replied Francesca, ¡°so I showed Mei how to have some fun.¡±

    ¡°Well then,¡± Magdala raised her chin, ¡°should I show her what to do when you¡¯ve been enraptured by a tall, statuesque lady?¡±

    Francesca sniffed. ¡°I am discreet, unlike you.¡±

    ¡°Are not.¡±

    ¡°Am so.¡±

    ¡°This is for you, Maggie.¡± Mei pulled something out of her satchel. ¡°Dwayne found it at the Tower.¡± She handed over a battered leather pouch, which was emblazoned with a badger atop a wall holding a shield, the emblem of the Queen¡¯s Army.

    Magdala took it, undid the metal clasp, and pulled out a letter. After skimming the block letters, she smiled. ¡°It¡¯s from Saundra.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Francesca picked up her glass. ¡°What¡¯s it say?¡±

    ¡°She says¡­ It¡¯s good news. She¡¯s been confirmed as one of my father¡¯s squires!¡±

    ¡°Oh, excellent.¡± Francesca glanced into her empty glass and set it back down. ¡°Is she¡­ coming to Bradford any time soon?¡±

    Magdala gave her roommate a wry look. ¡°That¡¯s what you call being discreet? Mei, is she being discreet?¡± There was no response. ¡°Mei?¡±

    The hunter looked up from clasped hands. ¡°Sorry. What did you say?¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Magdala grimaced, ¡°did you want to read the letter for practice?¡±

    ¡°Shush.¡± Francesca leaned in. ¡°Mei, is something the matter?¡±

    Mei¡¯s eyes dropped back down to her clasped hands. ¡°It¡¯s my brother.¡±

    ***

    </a>During the ride to the Scaled Tower in Dwayne¡¯s carriage that morning, Mei had stayed silent, brooding in the sadness left after her anger, but such silences discomfited Dwayne, who offered to help her with her reading assignments.

    Glad to have the chance to bury herself in the strange yet simple Souran alphabet, Mei had just finished her tenth repetition of the phrase, ¡°Edina walks to the shores of the Ilyon Sea,¡± when Dwayne asked, ¡°Have you tried to write something original yet?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Mei¡¯s eyes stayed on her pad and paper as she started her eleventh repetition. ¡°What would I write?¡±

    Dwayne chuckled. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be original if I told you. Maybe you could write something to your parents back in Tuqu? I¡¯ll try to get it to them.¡±

    Mei looked up. ¡°Even though they¡¯re dead?¡±

    Dwayne stiffened. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry. Maybe there was something that you wanted to say to them? It might help.¡±

    Cold settled into Mei¡¯s belly. ¡°Do you write to your parents?¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s past wasn¡¯t an open book, but after weeks of working together, Mei did know his parents were dead.

    ¡°Not anymore.¡± Dwayne¡¯s smile was sad. ¡°One day, I realized that they probably couldn¡¯t read. I couldn¡¯t, not back then.¡±

    ¡°So writing letters didn¡¯t help?¡±

    ¡°They did for a while.¡± Dwayne tapped her writing pad. ¡°Writing things down makes them real, allows you to see what you¡¯re thinking.¡± He leaned back. ¡°Talking about it works too. Even if they aren¡¯t listening.¡±

    Mei raised an eyebrow. ¡°Lord Kalan doesn¡¯t listen?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s trying to follow the advice of a dead woman,¡± Dwayne played with the buttons on his suit, ¡°but at least he doesn¡¯t interrupt.¡±

    Mei returned to her repetitions. ¡°Lord Kalan seems like he¡¯s fluffing himself up so that he seems okay.¡±

    Dwayne grimaced. ¡°You think so too? He¡¯s been doing a lot of that lately, ever since Sir Marcus¡¯s wake¡­¡± He sighed. ¡°He¡¯d better not push himself too far and leave me alone to deal with all this. Anyway,¡± he cleared his throat, ¡°try writing a letter or talking to someone. You¡¯re not alone.¡±

    Mei frowned. ¡°Obviously.¡±

    ***

    </a>In the present, Fran asked Mei, ¡°What do you mean ¡®he¡¯s not what he used to be?¡±

    Mei caught Maggie¡¯s eye. The mage shook her head. While they had told Fran about the dragon and Yumma¡¯s lost underground and the battle in the jungle, the two of them had decided not to tell her about the Tiger Mask. After all, Rabbit still stalked their shadows. However, while Mei had only known Fran for a couple of weeks, she already knew that Fran would get the secret out of Maggie sooner or later. The wind  mage took the ¡°friend¡± part of ¡°best friend¡± too seriously to let such things stay unspoken.

    ¡°My brother stole a Mask from the ShengXiao guard.¡±

    Maggie¡¯s hand went to her forehead.

    Fran frowned. ¡°He stole¡­ a mask? From who?¡±

    ¡°He stole a magic mask,¡± said Maggie from behind her hand, ¡°an Imperial treasure.¡±

    Fran narrowed her eyes at her roommate. ¡°You kept this secret from me.¡± When Maggie opened her mouth to protest, Fran raised a quelling hand. ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s clear that it was Mei¡¯s to keep. Now,¡± she sat back in her chair, ¡°tell me. How did he get the mask?¡±

    Mei leaned back in her chair. ¡°It is a long story.¡±

    Maggie looked around. ¡°And there are parts we shouldn¡¯t share.¡±

    ¡°That sounds very thrilling.¡± Fran snorted. ¡°Fine, if you don¡¯t want to tell me don¡¯t. Mei, you said that your brother is different now. How?¡±

    ¡°The Mask made him Tiger,¡± said Mei, ¡°and tigers prowl and hate mornings and hate staying in one place and want to be alone.¡±

    ¡°But he was like that with the mask off.¡± Maggie took a bite of an orange stick vegetable. ¡°Was he different before?¡±

    ¡°He liked people.¡±

    Maggie snorted.

    Fran leaned in. ¡°He liked people¡­ including you?¡±

    Mei nodded. ¡°Now the mask is gone, but he¡¯s worse.¡±

    ¡°What if he didn¡¯t get rid of the mask? Ow!¡± Maggie glared at Fran. ¡°Don¡¯t kick me. Honest people don¡¯t steal Imperial treasures.¡±

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    Fran put her hands together and raised her eyes to the summit of the mountain. ¡°Saints and sages, please grant my best friend some sense. Hopefully, before she gets expelled. Or exiled. Or executed.¡± Her attention returned to Mei. ¡°As for your brother, I think you just need to be patient with him.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± Maggie said. ¡°He¡¯s reached the end of Dwayne¡¯s patience, and Dwayne¡¯s had to deal with my lord uncle.¡±

    Fran offered a flat smile. ¡°Saints and sages, Magdala, your entire family tries all our patience.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to lose him.¡± Mei¡¯s eyes fell to her lap. ¡°He¡¯s been there for me since my parents died.¡±

    As a hunter, she was familiar with death, but to have it happened to her own family¡­ Her vision blurred.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I-¡± She hiccuped. ¡°Sorry. I don¡¯t-¡± The tears wouldn¡¯t stop. ¡°I don¡¯t know what-¡±

    Then she was enveloped in warmth, in scratchy pinafore, in honey scented blouse, in a moment she hadn¡¯t felt since that night in front of the gallows.

    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± said Fran.

    ¡°We¡¯re with you,¡± said Maggie.

    Their warmth stilled Mei¡¯s sobs and returned her breath to her control. Her brother hadn¡¯t tried to comfort her back then. Instead, he¡¯d lied and ran off to break into an imperial fortress.

    When the hug was over, Mei wiped her eyes. ¡°Yesterday,¡± she needed to think about something else, ¡°you asked me what I was wearing at dinner tonight?¡±

    Maggie dimmed.

    Fran brightened. ¡°Oh, you must wear something fashionable, dangerous.¡± She pulled a sketchbook from somewhere and thrust it into Mei¡¯s hands. ¡°This season, big shoulders, small waists, and wide hips are in.¡±

    Mei opened the sketchbook and drank in a dozen dresses, some frilly, some striped, one that looked like a lilac bush, and all with poofy shoulders and strange square hips.

    Fran reached over and flipped a couple of pages. ¡°We could have you complement Magdala.¡± She indicated a dress that was the color of harvest wheat and embroidered with frolicking cardinal red horses.

    Wondering whether the shoulders prevented going through doors, Mei sounded out a word Fran had penned next to the dress. ¡°¡®Pan-near¡¯. What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Pan-knee-er. Pannier.¡± Fran traced the dress¡¯s hips with a finger. ¡°This shape, it comes from a wire frame hidden under the skirt, a pannier.¡±

    Maggie groaned. ¡°I am not wearing that.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you are, Lady Magdala Gallus,¡± said Fran. ¡°Now that you¡¯ve returned to society, you¡¯ll have to look respectable. Particularly since,¡± she leaned in, ¡°I heard that a dean of college will be in attendance.¡±

    Magdala narrowed her eyes. ¡°Heard from who?¡±

    ¡°Oh, Earth  are a most gossipy lot, at least when they think Dwayne isn¡¯t listening.¡± Fran saw Mei¡¯s expression. ¡°But this style is not Mei. So, what about this?¡± She turned the page.

    The next outfit was an olive green men¡¯s suit that had been tailored to fit a women¡¯s shape. It had a jacket with great big flaps in the front that could be folded over each other and fastened. Mei traced their shape.

    ¡°Fran dear, are you pushing an agenda?¡± Maggie asked.

    Fran pushed a lock of hair out of her face. ¡°I¡¯m testing the wind, trying to find out what she likes.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t do that with me.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re Iona Gallus¡¯s daughter. You don¡¯t have a choice in the matter.¡±

    Mei winced. The outfit did look dashing, but¡­  ¡°I wear breeches every day.¡±

    ¡°And you look great,¡± said Maggie.

    ¡°But the wind blows where it will,¡± Fran¡¯s eyes twinkled, ¡°and I think I know where.¡± She turned to the very next page. ¡°What about this?¡±

    Mei¡¯s breath caught. The rich brown dress had a short high-collared forest green jacket with a lilac lining and sported a skirt that was cinched at the waist but lacked the bulky pannier. Mei smiled at the line of brass buttons stitched into the jacket¡¯s lapel.

    Maggie glared at Fran. ¡°You knew.¡±

    Fran sat back in her seat. ¡°While she wears that gaudy guard uniform well, Mei hasn¡¯t had the chance to wear a proper Souran dress.¡± She grinned. ¡°I¡¯ve already sent it to your place of residence. Via discreet courier of course.¡±

    Mei blinked tears out of her eyes. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Well, now that that¡¯s done with.¡± Maggie put her fork down. ¡°Mei, do you think I¡¯m high-handed?¡±

    Mei glanced at Maggie¡¯s hands. They seemed normal. ¡°No?¡±

    Maggie ignored Fran¡¯s snort. ¡°I mean, do I just go around assuming people will do what I say?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Mei glanced at Fran, whose shoulders were shaking. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Apparently,¡± Maggie¡¯s ears were as red as her hair, ¡°everyone thinks I¡¯m a jumped up autocrat.¡±

    ¡°Now, now.¡± Fran patted Maggie¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You know that Mei doesn¡¯t think that. She was just answering your question.¡±

    Mei rested her elbows on the table. ¡°Does ¡®autocrat¡¯ mean that when you¡¯re worried about us, you start telling us what to do? If so, Dwayne and I don¡¯t mind. I¡¯ll listen, he¡¯ll argue, and together, we¡¯ll all figure it out.¡±

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll¡­¡± Maggie¡¯s face now matched her ears. ¡°I¡¯ll try to explain myself a bit more.¡±

    ¡°Preferably beforehand,¡± said Fran.

    ¡°I said I¡¯d try.¡±

    A great clattering and murmuring spread through the dining hall as students rose to go to class.

    ¡°Great, I didn¡¯t eat anything.¡± Maggie pointed to her full plate. ¡°Mei, can you finish this?¡±

    In answer, Mei slid the plate towards herself and dug in with a set of wooden flatware from the cup at the center of the table.

    ¡°Succinct as always,¡± said Fran.

    ***

    </a>Under the dilapidated roof of the Scaled Tower¡¯s stable, Dwayne tried to enjoy his lunch of bread, cheese, and cider while watching the mostly cloudy afternoon¡¯s wayward rays of sunshine drift across the yard. Once again, he tried to see the uncut grass, weedy road, and broken down stable as an opportunity and not yet another mountain of work that Lord Kalan had dumped on him. It wasn¡¯t working. He could at least be proud of his work on the Tower itself.

    The Scaled Tower was a cylindrical building so tall that the day¡¯s cloudy weather hid its misshapen coned roof and so wide that its circumference could hold three whole cottages. It was covered in indigo tiles, each the size of Dwayne¡¯s hand and each the shape of fish-scales. When he¡¯d first arrived, the Tower had been covered in dust and dirt, forcing Dwayne to hire, at too much cost, a Water to wash it. After the torrent of water, the Tower now shone in the sun. It was lucky that the tiles themselves had needed no additional maintenance.

    After he finished lunch, Dwayne returned the flask and cloth wraps to his rucksack and then stood up and stretched. With his morning lessons done and none scheduled this afternoon, he had enough time to prepare for tomorrow¡¯s Earth  practical before going to the Gallus dinner tonight.

    He¡¯d just started to roll up his left sleeve when dead wet leaves squished behind him. Jerking his sleeve back down, he turned and made deferential sounds. ¡°I apologize. The office isn¡¯t ready¡­ Mei!¡±

    Brushing leaves and sticks off her cloak, the hunter-turned-Head-Guard stepped out of the Queen¡¯s Woods. ¡°Reporting for duty.¡±

    ¡°Had a good lunch?¡±

    ¡°A long one. Ate Maggie¡¯s share.¡± The corners of Mei¡¯s eyes were red, but they were sparkling nonetheless. ¡°Fran got me something to wear tonight.¡±

    Dwayne sighed. ¡°I¡¯m glad someone is looking forward to tonight. I¡¯m not.¡± He rolled up his left sleeve, revealing his custom leather bracer, and nodded at the woods. ¡°Any sign of visitors?¡±

    Mei shook her head. ¡°Just animal tracks.¡±

    ¡°Good. Thanks for checking.¡±

    Mei saluted acknowledgment and then took up her post in front of the Tower¡¯s steel slab of an entrance. Glad to have someone watching out, Dwayne retrieved a thin pamphlet from the stable and reviewed it.

    Dwayne groaned. Something new. Again. Grabbing a heavy drawstring purse out of his rucksack, Dwayne walked over to the road to find suitable substitutes for the stone blocks. He found two cobblestones, pried them loose, and then dropped them a few strides apart in the Tower yard. As he rummaged through the drawstring purse, he stood between the two stones and pondered the practical.

    His first idea was to use the spell preparation technique to preload two basic  spells into his mind, but he couldn¡¯t do that, not with the spell vials. He wasn¡¯t sure why. Magdala guessed that it was because he was only borrowing the  magic from the vials¡¯ contents, which felt somewhat true since, when Dwayne cast using the vials, it felt less like singing and more like playing an instrument, and no matter how well he ¡°played¡± the vials, he was never going have the same control he¡¯d have with his voice. No matter. First year Earth  students weren¡¯t expected to know the spell preparation technique anyway. Even fifth year Water or Wind students like Magdala¡¯s roommate Francesca found using the technique for Earth challenging, and it wasn¡¯t like Professor Corns expected a Wesen to be able to do it. Dwayne snorted. He¡¯d only gotten through Corns¡¯ class so far by steadfastly ignoring every comment the man made a comment about Dwayne¡¯s abilities. It had felt so good to correct him that day.

    At any rate, the solution to the practical had to lie in the proper sequencing of the proper spells. Like all magic, spells were comprised of a series of meaningful syllables in a specific order. The class had been taught the correct spells and , which would levitate and push the stones, but there lay the dragon¡¯s maw. Dwayne couldn¡¯t cast either spell because, despite the ability to ace all of the quizzes and diagram even the most complex spell sequences, he was  and his magical resonance was incompatible with , which meant he needed the spell vials he and Magdala had to cast  spells. Unfortunately, not only were the vials a declaration that he wasn¡¯t really , he had to source spells from animals, who rarely used the spells humans used. Those two facts had forced Magdala and Dwayne to get creative.

    Sitting on the ground, Dwayne pulled three finger-sized glass blocks out of the purse and slid them into the leather bracer on his arm. These blocks, spell shunts, were Magdala¡¯s masterpieces. When they touched Dwayne¡¯s skin, they could do the work of the cumbersome spell vials and transform his magical resonance into magical effect. Honestly, Dwayne was still a little in awe of Magdala¡¯s handiwork, though he didn¡¯t love the fact that the bracer was, in fact, armor. He would have been fine with a bracelet, but Magdala never missed an opportunity to play soldier dress up.

    The three shunts he¡¯d selected for tomorrow¡¯s practical were  whose source was the fangs of a Cairnborne bat, whose source was the claws of a Tuquese stone mole, and , which they¡¯d made from the spinneret of a west Vanurian spider. That last had been hard to make as the webs had been so sticky that Dwayne had had to burn them off Magdala¡¯s fingers. Rodion said he¡¯d bought them at The Exchange, though Dwayne hadn¡¯t seen wares like this the last time he¡¯d been there. Dwayne closed up the shunt purse, hoping that these three spell shunts could approximate the two spells he¡¯d been taught in class.

    He¡¯d start with  first. Standing up, Dwayne faced the cobblestone closest to the stable and recalled that the Cairnborne bat¡¯s favorite food was moths. From what he had read, the bats used this spell to pull off their prey¡¯s wings. Simple enough.

    Dwayne focused on the target. !¡±

    The cobblestone jerked left and rolled in the direction of the Tower for five  before settling. While surprised at the force, those bats must really want those wings off the moths, Dwayne wasn¡¯t surprised at the direction.  was one of the syllables that meant left in , but did it mean his literal left? Dwayne moved to pick up the cobblestone. If, like Mei had read from her first book, the little beasts used chirps instead of sight to find their prey, then they might be visualizing something completely different from what Dwayne was. Since visualization was the first step of casting a spell, it was crucial that he got into their little minds.

    Time to test something different. Dwayne returned the cobblestone to its place in the yard and then, after positioning himself between the two stones, turned around and faced the other cobblestone. With the Tower on his right, Dwayne held a vision of the cobblestone behind him in his mind¡¯s eye. !¡±

    Once again, the target cobblestone jerked towards the Tower and came to a stop in about the same place. Interesting. Even though Dwayne had changed orientation, the cobblestone had still gone left. That meant that it wasn¡¯t his own left that mattered. If that wasn¡¯t it, then what about¡­

    Once again, Dwayne reset the target cobblestone and then stood between the two again. Facing the target, he closed his eyes, and imagined what it looked like when he was facing it on the stable side and not between the two stones. ¡°!¡±

    When the clattering had stopped, he opened his eyes. The stone had gone to his left, the image¡¯s left, and away from the Tower. Dwayne grinned. This was good. After retrieving the cobblestone, he strode up to Mei, who was practicing writing on the steps of the Tower. ¡°Mei, do you have a spare pencil?¡±

    Still keeping one eye on her work and the other on the forest, Mei pulled a worn charcoal pencil out of her pocket.

    Dwayne took it. ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°You are welcome.¡± Mei kept writing.

    Using the pencil, Dwayne drew two perpendicular arrows on the cobblestone¡¯s side and dropped it back into place. As he took up position between the two cobblestones once again, Dwayne took note of the arrow¡¯s orientation on the target stone. One was pointing up, the other left. Perfect. He closed his eyes, imagined the target stone on its side with the up arrow pointed right and the left arrow up, and said, ¡°!¡± He opened his eyes. The stone was gone.

    ¡°Watch out!¡± shouted Mei.

    Heart in his throat, Dwayne looked up and saw the cobblestone reach the apogee of its ascent. The visualization had worked, and as the stone slammed down into the ground, her threw his hands up. ¡°Success!¡±

    He grinned at Mei who gave him a slow thumbs up, a welcome show of encouragement if not understanding.

    Now, he just had to do both at the same time.

    Easy enough.

    He walked over to the stable. ¡°Mei, I¡¯m going to try both of them this time. You should take shelter over here.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    As Mei packed up her writing practice and joined him in the safety of the stable, Dwayne closed his eyes. The  in  meant ¡°target I see¡±, but that obviously wasn¡¯t literal, not if he could close his eyes and move the stone. Moreover, if bats could rip off just the wings of a moth then ¡°target¡± didn¡¯t mean one entire thing, or else the bats couldn¡¯t target just their targets¡¯ wings, and if  ¡°target¡± could be a part of a thing, then it might be able to be a collection of things. Dwayne made a set of the two cobblestones, lay that set on its side in his head, then said, ¡°¡±

    Dwayne opened his eyes, looked up, and grinned. Both stones were sailing to the apogee of their ascent. He might as well see if he could stop their descent. The spider spell should do it. He stretched out his hand. !¡±

    For a moment, something tugged at his hand, then both cobblestones smashed into the ground. Wincing, Dwayne went into the yard to inspect the cobblestones. He¡¯d expected the spider spell to catch the stones in midair, but-

    ¡°Dwayne.¡± Mei was at his side, her voice soft. ¡°Windsong. Southern sky.¡±

    A mixture of emotions, equal parts dread and anticipation, washed over Dwayne as he caught sight of the human figure tracing circles in the sky. ¡°Thanks. You can go back to your post.¡± If he was lucky, it was word from Lord Kalan.

    Mei¡¯s eyes searched his face. ¡°Even walking north you¡¯ll find south.¡±

    Dwayne laughed. ¡°Is it that obvious what I¡¯m waiting for?¡±

    Mei shrugged. ¡°You don¡¯t hide it well.¡±

    ¡°Hah.¡±

    As Mei took position in front of the Tower, Dwayne rolled his shirtsleeve over his leather bracer and waved down the messenger. ¡°Hey, down here!¡±

    The messenger waved back and slowly descended into the yard on a column of wind. When she touched ground, she spoke a word and the wind stopped, letting her settle onto the ground. Shaking dew off her bright blue leather suit, the messenger said, ¡°I¡¯m looking for a Lord Bartholomew Kalan.¡± She pulled a letter out of her satchel.

    Hiding his disappointment, Dwayne reached for the letter. ¡°I can take it. Who is it from?¡±

    The messenger yanked the letter out of reach. ¡°No, this is for a lord. Who are you?¡±

    Dwayne managed to place a smile over gritted teeth. ¡°I¡¯m Lord Kalan¡¯s apprentice Dwayne, Dwayne Kalan.¡±

    The messenger rolled her eyes. ¡°Look, I don¡¯t have time for jokes, mister.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not making one. Lord Kalan isn¡¯t here. He¡¯s at Walton.¡±

    ¡°Oh, cups.¡± The messenger started to tuck the letter back into her satchel. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll take it to the local windsong office and-¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Dwayne drew himself up to his full height. ¡°You¡¯ll save us both some time and leave it here with me.¡±

    The messenger bristled. ¡°You ain¡¯t no noble, mister, and you ain¡¯t no mage app-¡±

    Dwayne pointed at the nearest cobblestone. ¡°

    A chunk of the cobblestone pushed itself out, like a slice of bread pushed out of a loaf. A surprising effect, but judging by the look on the messenger¡¯s face, it got the point across. ¡°Oh¡­You¡¯re¡­ You¡¯re that-¡±

    ¡°Yes, I am.¡± Like a noble, Dwayne transformed the insult he felt into imperiousness. ¡°The Wesen  mage.¡±

    The messenger chuckled nervously. ¡°I didn¡¯t see a ring and I thought¡­¡± She coughed. ¡°I mean, milord, here is your letter, milord.¡± She thrust it towards him with a deep bow.

    Dwayne winced as he took the letter. ¡°That¡¯s not necessary.¡±

    ¡°Of course, milord.¡± The messenger straightened up. ¡°I mean, if you say so, milord.¡±

    There was a snort from the Tower steps.

    Dwayne sighed. ¡°Here.¡± He grabbed a couple of counts out of his purse and held them out to the messenger. ¡°For your trouble.¡±

    The messenger goggled at the coins. ¡°No, milord, that¡¯s-¡±

    Dwayne jiggled them. ¡°For your trouble.¡±

    Eyes wide, the messenger took the money. ¡°Well, be cups blessed, milord.¡± She bowed, spoke a word, and rocketed into the air.

    ¡°Every time.¡± Dwayne inspected the letter¡¯s fine white envelope and the deep purple wax seal, which was embossed with the image of a stag prancing in front of a tree. He cursed. This was from Lady Pol. Dwayne opened the letter and skimmed it as he walked towards the Tower. Oh good, she was coming to Bradford, and, even better, she wanted to discuss Lord Kalan¡¯s conduct as Royal Sorcerer. That position, which Dwayne¡¯s master had held for years, was the reason why Dwayne spent his free time cataloging old correspondence and why Mei guarded the world¡¯s prettiest unoccupied Tower. The only good news in the letter was that, due to Dwayne¡¯s demonstration of the spell vials before he left Yumma, Lady Pol was now a firm believer in Resonance Theory.

    ¡°Bad news?¡± asked Mei.

    ¡°It¡¯s definitely trouble.¡± Dwayne handed her the letter. ¡°You can hang onto that for practice.¡±

    He returned to the deformed cobblestone and frowned. While the strange effect of  was puzzling, it was even more puzzling that the cobblestone had somehow moved about half a  towards the stable. He checked the other cobblestone, the one he hadn¡¯t cast on. It had moved too.

    There had been that weird tugging feeling¡­

    ¡°Mei, I¡¯m going to run a couple more tests. Then you can go off duty.¡± Hopefully, these tests would keep his mind off Lady Pol¡¯s impending arrival.

 Fooyipo, Spirit Calm

    As she joined The Exchange¡¯s exhausted day shift and passed its night shift, Mei tucked her fingers into her cloak and listened to muttered tips about upcoming workloads and warnings about which foremen were on duty. Both shifts were no longer surprised to see her and her guard uniform, although she still caught the occasional raised eyebrow. After entering the boardinghouse, Mei exited the stream of people and entered the common room, where the heat of the ovens could return feeling to her limbs.

    ¡°Oh, Mei!¡± Ms. Schofield waved to her from next to a huge bubbling pot, which held dinner for the day shift and breakfast for the night. ¡°You have a package.¡±`

    Frowning, Mei went over to her. ¡°What kind of package?¡± She sniffed. They were having sausages and cabbage today.

    ¡°A posh one in a patterned crate.¡± Schofield flashed her eyebrows. ¡°From that boss of yours?¡±

    Mei smiled and shook her head. ¡°No, not from him. From a friend. Nobody touched it?¡±

    Schofield scowled. ¡°Just that brother of yours.¡± She caught Mei rubbing her hands together. ¡°Cups, girl, you look like a fish. Here.¡± She pulled a steel mug out from under her chair and poured a generous helping of the pot¡¯s contents into it. ¡°Eat up. I¡¯ve seen starved dogs with more meat to them.¡±

    Mei accepted the stew with a bow. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Always so polite.¡± Schofield sat back. ¡°You¡¯re welcome. Go open that present.¡±

    Mei bowed again and rushed away. Holding the mug in both hands, she navigated her way up the stairs, down the corridor, and shouldered open the door to her and Huan¡¯s room.

    She looked around.

    No package.

    Her stomach fluttering, she searched everywhere, under the bunks, even behind them, but didn¡¯t find it anywhere. She did find signs that her brother had been here though: his uniform was in a pile in its usual corner, his sword lay in its sheath on his bunk, and the strange wooden box was gone. Maybe Huan had found her package, had had to leave, and had taken it with him in order to keep it safe. That sounded possible, but odd. Surely, leaving the package in the room would have been easier than carrying it around outside.

    Mei¡¯s stomach growled.

    Right. Food first. Find Fran¡¯s package later.

    After hanging up her cloak and doublet to dry, Mei sat down on the bunk and used her dagger to eat the cabbage and sausage, which reminded her of a spicy far west Tuqu delicacy her father had brought home from the market one day. No one else, not her mother, brother, or father, could finish theirs, but she¡¯d loved every bite. This version was sweet, not spicy, but the heartiness of the sausages lifted the rather bland cabbage. Mei sniffed as she ate. Part of her still felt tender, like a scab had been ripped off her emotions, but she didn¡¯t regret sharing her past with her friends. Those hugs had been as filling as these sausages.

    After emptying the mug of stew, Mei put it on the floor, pulled her writing implements out of her satchel, then arranged them on her lap. She did have her usual writing assignment from Maggie and Fran, but Dwayne¡¯s suggestion from this morning had sounded interesting: a letter to her parents.

    Her first attempt went:

    <blockquote>

    ¡°To Mother Li and Father Li, hand cannon maker and hunter of the south east area.¡±

    </blockquote>

    Mei blinked at the words then crossed them out. Aside from the fact that she didn¡¯t know the right words in Souran, ¡°area¡± was a poor substitute for what she meant; it sounded too stiff and formal. A simple greeting was better.

    <blockquote>

    Hello, Mother, Father. I am well. So is Huan.

    </blockquote>

    The door opened, and Huan strode in with two crates under his right arm.

    ¡°There you are. Here.¡± He shoved Mei¡¯s writing off her lap and placed a crate onto it. ¡°This is what you¡¯ll be wearing to dinner tonight.¡±

    Mei opened the plain wooden crate and looked inside. Her heart fell. ¡°Where did you get this?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Huan cracked open his own crate and pulled a white shirt and a berry-red suit out of it. ¡°That should catch eyes.¡± After dropping his new knives into the wooden, he stripped and put on the shirt, using the window¡¯s reflection to check how they fit. ¡°You have to stand out.¡±

    Speechless, Mei reached into the crate and pulled out petticoats, stockings, violet shoes, a corset with panniers hanging off the hips, and a violet and white striped dress with a high ruffled neckline. This was not the dress Fran had sent Mei.

    ¡°It¡¯s definitely flashy.¡± Huan sat down next to her to put on his red breeches. ¡°You like it?¡±

    Mei¡¯s voice was small. ¡°There was a package for me.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah, I saw.¡± Huan stood up to admire himself in the window. ¡°Come on, get dressed. We can¡¯t be late to-¡±

    ¡°What happened to it?¡± The stripes shook in Mei¡¯s vision. ¡°Where is it?¡±

    ¡°I traded it,¡± Huan patted the white and purple thing in her lap, ¡°for this.¡±

    ¡°You¡­ traded it.¡±

    Huan kept talking, but Mei didn¡¯t hear. Instead, she pressed her lips together to hold in the disappointment squeezing her heart. While this dress was kind of pretty - she certainly liked it better than Maggie¡¯s - it wasn¡¯t her and he didn¡¯t even-

    No, Huan had her best interests at heart. He was her brother. He was looking out for her. She had to believe that.

    ¡°Besides,¡± continued Huan, ¡°Sourans don¡¯t care about who you are, just whether or not you have money or status or beauty, and this dress will show that you have at least two of those things.¡± He patted her hand. ¡°You¡¯ll look amazing, little sister, and...¡± He reached over to his crate and pulled out a flat wooden case. ¡°This will help.¡± He laid it on her lap and opened it.

    It was a makeup palette, complete with brushes, paints, tinted powders, and colored pencils.

    ¡°Apparently,¡± said Huan, ¡° mages are actually good for something. A set like this in the Empire would be worth ten times its weight in gold. Here, it cost me barely eight knights. I chose the best colors for you.¡±

    Mei met his eyes. ¡°You traded away my gift.¡±

    ¡°For a steal.¡± Shrugging on the suit jacket, Huan stood up to check himself in the window again. ¡°Now, get dressed. We don¡¯t have much time to do makeup.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Mei closed the kit and stood up with the dress pressed to her chest. She pointed to the door. ¡°Out.¡±

    ¡°What, why? I¡¯m your brother. I¡¯ve seen-¡±

    ¡°Out.¡±

    Huan ran his hands through his hair. ¡°Look, I¡¯m your brother. There¡¯s no reason to¡­¡± He caught Mei¡¯s expression and backed away. ¡°Fine, fine. I¡¯ll be right outside.¡± After grabbing his shoes, he left.

    Mei let out a breath and then got to work. Leaving her shirt and breeches carefully folded on her pillow, she laid out the dress and its associated parts out on the rest of her bunk. She¡¯d watched Maggie do this for the welcome event they¡¯d attended when they¡¯d first arrived in Bradford and hadn¡¯t forgotten any of the details. Mei put on the shift and stockings first and then the petticoats and then covered them both with the corset. While she struggled with the panniers - she¡¯d seen Magdala put them on but hadn¡¯t asked what they were - she did manage to get them attached. Finally, she slipped on the actual dress and stepped into the violet shoes. Only then did she glance at herself in the window.

    The dress was fine, but Mei didn¡¯t look like she belonged in it. Her hair was still in its now frayed braid, and she looked tired and upset and just done. She¡¯d ¡°catch eyes¡± all right.

    There was a knock on the door.

    Mei tensed. ¡°I¡¯m not ready,¡± she said in Tuquese.

    ¡°It¡¯s me, dear,¡± called out Schofield. ¡°I just came to get my mug back.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Mei collected herself. ¡°Come in.¡±

    The door opened. Huan stuck his head in. ¡°I-¡±

    Mei shook her head. ¡°Out.¡±

    ¡°A lady has to have her privacy.¡± Schofield shoved Huan out of the way and entered the room, closing the door behind her. ¡°Cups, you look like a nob. One of the nice ones, of course.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Swallowing her embarrassment, Mei retrieved the mug from under her bunk. ¡°Here.¡±

    Ms. Schofield took it with a wink. ¡°You¡¯ll make some pretty lad or lass very happy.¡± She looked the dress up and down. ¡°I did expect something more¡­ daring though. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve seen that over at the shops in Boscage.¡±

    Mei tried a smile. ¡°My brother got this for me.¡±

    ¡°Oh, really?¡± The smile drained from Ms. Schofield¡¯s eyes. ¡°How nice of him.¡±

    Huan stuck his head in again. ¡°Are you ready now?¡±

    Mei winced. She had to be. ¡°Ready.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be going.¡± Ms. Schofield patted Mei on the hand. ¡°Try to have fun, dear.¡± Then she was gone.

    Huan replaced her. ¡°That took too long. We have to hurry.¡± He sat down next to her and took the open makeup kit. ¡°I¡¯ll have to do a simple look.¡± He pulled out a brush and ran it along one of the powders. ¡°Let¡¯s accent those eyes.¡±

    As Huan fussed over her face with brush and pencil, Mei considered other people¡¯s eyes, which she¡¯d never tried to catch before. She didn¡¯t know how. Her Tower guard uniform drew attention, as did her rifle, but no one really looked at her.  Mei had seen Huan catch people¡¯s attention of course, usually some boy with strong hands and big shoulders, but it had all seemed abstract at the time, and this dress made her feel like a flower, waiting for bees.

    ¡°Is this freedom?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a small price to pay for it.¡± Huan¡¯s pencil flicked out from the corner of her eye. ¡°And after tonight, we¡¯ll have a little breathing room.¡± He dipped a brush in lavender paint and brought it to her lips.

    Mei jerked back. ¡°What is your price?¡±

    Huan frowned. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that.¡± He brought the brush to Mei¡¯s lips and covered them in paint. ¡°There, done. Now¡­¡± He pulled her to her feet and turned her to face the window. ¡°Isn¡¯t that better?¡±

    A noblewoman with high cheekbones, cat-like eyes, and lavender lips glowered back at Mei from the window. When Mei straightened her back, the noble rose to her full posture, a commanding stance that would cow a room. The woman in the window was impressive, intimidating, and not Mei.

    The door to their room cracked open. ¡°Mr. Ma, sir?¡± A small rain-streaked face blinked at them. ¡°Your carriage is here, sir.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Huan tossed a coin to the child, who scampered away.

    ¡°One last touch.¡± Huan reached into his crate, and pulled out a deep plum velvet cloak. After sweeping it onto Mei¡¯s shoulders, he stepped back to admire the effect. ¡°Perfect. Shall we?¡± He offered her his arm. ¡°We¡¯ll do your hair on the way.¡±

    Mei pulled the cloak tight around herself. She still wasn¡¯t sure about this dress or tonight, but she wasn¡¯t going for herself or for Huan¡¯s ambitions. This was for Maggie and Dwayne.

    She nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ***

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    </a>¡°Thank you, Mr. Vogt. Welcome to Tarpan.¡± Magdala¡¯s face ached with her smile. Where were Mei and Dwayne? They should have been here by now.

    ¡°No, thank you, young Gallus.¡± The High Judiciary¡¯s representative bowed his head. ¡°In the future, I hope to have an opportunity to ask you about your experiences in Vanuria.¡±

    ¡°It was quite the show, I¡¯m told,¡± said the water  mage on Mr. Vogt¡¯s arm, whose name Magdala couldn¡¯t remember at just this moment. He was one of her mother¡¯s classmates. ¡°You and your mother¡¯s personal standings have been enhanced quite a bit because of it. Welcome back, young Gallus.¡± He raised his glass.

    Magdala curtsied. ¡°Glad to be back,¡± the man¡¯s name came back to her, ¡°Mr. Ethans. I believe they¡¯ve brought the next round of refreshments.¡± She gestured to the far end of a table that was placed along the wall across from the fireplace. ¡°I recommend the tange pastries. They come to us courtesy of the Lucchesi family.¡±

    Mr. Vogt¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Intriguing. Let¡¯s try those.¡± He nodded a farewell and led his associate over to the table.

    Magdala¡¯s smile lasted just long enough for them to reach the table before she dropped it and retreated into the shadow of the parlor¡¯s enormous fireplace. Once she was out of sight, she slumped against the wall. She hadn¡¯t missed doing all this - talking with family she hadn¡¯t seen in years, entertaining Privy Council proxies, maintaining an even, pleasant demeanor all night - but her mother expected her to rise to the occasion. To do that, Magdala needed these precious breaks out of the spotlight, or else she wouldn¡¯t last the night. As she sipped water from a hidden glass and waited for her social capacity to refill, she looked over the dinner party.

    From here, Magdala could discern the division between the people her mother had invited and the ones her father had. The former - who were comprised of mages of all classes and disciplines - were lingered near the refreshments and the dozen shelves laden with books on thaumaturgical law, history, and ethics. The latter - mostly current and former military officers - drifted to her side of the room with the warm fireplace and her father¡¯s large collection of sabers, longswords, falchions, and other bladed weapons from around Markosia.

    Tonight, as daughter of both sage and soldier, Magdala had to straddle that line and debate theoretical thaumaturgy with her mother¡¯s old classmates, comment on the martial prowess of her father¡¯s training partners, all while evading questions about her marital status. It was a dance that she knew all the steps to, but she couldn¡¯t focus, not with her mind drifting to her time training with Mei and studying with Dwayne.

    That last was especially distracting of late.

    ¡°You¡¯re doing very well.¡± Her father joined her next to the fireplace, his badge of office glinting in the flames. ¡°Yet again, I must thank Francesca for that wonderful dress.¡±

    Lord Commander Gallus was dressed in formal military wear, a pale wheat suit over cardinal trousers, and next to him, Magdala felt like a yellow and red cake.

    ¡°And I must curse her for being too busy to be here,¡± replied Magdala. Francesca¡¯s family, the Lucchesis, took the eight days of trading between the Autumn Session and the Harvest Ball very seriously. ¡°She actually enjoys this stuff. At least, Dwayne would-¡±

    ¡°You spend too much time with that boy,¡± her father said stiffly.

    ¡°I do not! Ahem. Enjoy the food.¡± Magdala waved on a curious onlooker. ¡°I do not. I¡¯m just helping him with his experiments, which will prove my lord uncle¡¯s theory and improve our family¡¯s standing.¡±

    Her father shook his head. ¡°Surely, you don¡¯t need to be present to help him. You could send those ¡®shunts¡¯ of yours via courier. I mean, after taking measurements, I don¡¯t have to visit the armorer everyday.¡±

    Magdala raised an eyebrow. ¡°Don¡¯t you do that anyway?¡±

    Her father gave her a look. ¡°Because I enjoy his company. Do you enjoy Dwayne¡¯s?¡±

    Before she could answer, an announcement cut through the reception¡®s hubbub. ¡°Dwayne Kalan, heir to the Guardian of the Wall, apprentice to the Royal Sorcerer, and Head Clerk of the Royal Sorcerer¡¯s Office!¡±

    The reception went silent, and all focus shifted to the room¡¯s entrance, where a boy with dark brown skin and a proud orb of black hair stood tall in Kalan cerulean and sable like he¡¯d been born to it. Dwayne allowed the room a moment to behold him and then bowed, bending forward with one long fingered hand resting on his stomach, a perfect show of deference that sparked dozens of whispers.

    ¡°My daughter spotted him on campus last week.¡±

    ¡°It was quite the ploy by Lord Kalan.¡±

    ¡°But is it really that surprising? Remember who he was courting five years ago.¡±

    Dwayne straightened up and searched the room. When he found Magdala, he grinned and she grinned back. She moved to meet him.

    ¡°No,¡± her father¡¯s hand closed around her elbow, ¡°not tonight.¡± He spun her around to face him. ¡°Tonight, he is simply your cousin, nothing more. Besides, someone else has decided to be his escort tonight.¡±

    Magdala snuck a look over her shoulder and winced. ¡°Gran? You set Gran on him.¡±

    Her father laughed. ¡°Like I said, she decided. She wants to know why you and your lord uncle are so fascinated by him.¡±

    Magdala¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°What are you two planning? A betrothal?¡±

    Her father¡¯s hands came up. ¡°No, nothing like that. Iona made it extremely clear that your education comes first. Although¡­¡± He gave her a conspiratorial look. ¡°There have been offers¡­¡±

    Magdala shook her head. ¡°I¡­¡± What was a good excuse? ¡°I just don¡¯t have time for courting right now.¡±

    ¡°I believe you.¡± Her father¡¯s gaze drifted into the past. ¡°Courting your mother while she was an apprentice was a trial and a half.¡±

    ¡°The only thing harder was having children.¡± Her mother joined them in her teal one piece suit, her bare shoulders covered by an azure scarf. ¡°Gerald, were you ¡®flanking¡¯ the topic?¡±

    ¡°Flanking?¡± Magdala glanced at her father. ¡°You were the advance party?¡±

    He grinned. ¡°Quite so.¡±

    ¡°Which makes me the main force, I suppose,¡± said her mother.

    ¡°Always, my love.¡±

    Her mother accepted a kiss from her father. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll ¡®charge¡¯ in. Magdala, my child, it¡¯s time you chose a college.¡±

    Magdala nearly dropped her glass. ¡°What?¡±

    ***

    </a>After his carriage came to a stop at the end of Tarpan¡¯s long winding drive, Dwayne tried to open the door, but his hands were shaking so much that he fumbled the handle. Grimacing, his eyes slid to the leather bracer poking out of the rucksack in Rodion¡¯s lap.

    His steward tucked the bracer away. ¡°You¡¯ll be fine, my lord.¡±

    Dwayne swallowed. ¡°But-¡±

    ¡°You know the risk of discovery is too great.¡±

    ¡°But what if they ask me to do  magic right then and there?¡±

    ¡°My lord.¡± Rodion placed a hand on Dwayne¡¯s shoulder. ¡°They know that you can cast  magic because you¡¯ve shown their children and their teachers, and  mages pride themselves on being the most rational mages in Markosia. What would be more rational? That you needed an external tool to produce  magic? Or that you were a  mage?¡±

    Nevermind that the latter meant a lie of omission. ¡°But¡­I¡­¡±

    ¡°Go or¡­¡± The steward leaned in. ¡°I¡¯ll use your full title, and only your full title, for a whole week.¡±

    Dwayne snorted. ¡°I¡¯ve allowed you the strangest tortures.¡±

    Rodion¡¯s lips pressed together for just a moment. ¡°Quite.¡± He pushed open the carriage door. ¡°Just remember what you read in that Armsford book and you¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Dwayne took a deep breath. ¡°Here I go.¡±

    Raising the hood of his cloak against the drizzle, Dwayne stepped out of the carriage, his shoes hitting the drive with a strange tapping sound. Unlike the road to the Tower, Tarpan¡¯s drive wasn¡¯t badly maintained dirt and cobbles but was instead a smooth pale gray material, not unlike the face of the moon. The drive curved towards Tarpan¡¯s main building, a three-story manor with pale yellow walls, windows a carriage could ride through, and dozens of columns topped with friezes of stampeding horses. It was old and full of history, a contrast to the drive that led to it, but together, they summed up the Gallus family: history, money, and a willingness to change.

    Dwayne paused before walking up the stairs. Inside that building was a mob of people waiting to scrutinize him, question him, challenge him on his parentage, his intelligence, and his ability to do magic, real magic, the kind granted by Cueller to three travelers seven hundred and thirty-two years ago. By entering that building, he¡¯d leave the quiet of his own counsel and enter the cacophonic gaze of Society, but Dwayne had committed to this course of action back at Walcrest. He wasn¡¯t going to back down now.

    With a straight back and a high head, he ascended the stairs onto Tarpan¡¯s threshold, where two soldiers stood guard in shiny breastplates and shinier helmets.

    The guards brought themselves to attention, their grips tightening on their pikes.

    The one on the left, barely hiding a sneer, asked, ¡°You are?¡±

    Slow breaths. Smile. ¡°Dwayne Kalan, heir to the Guardian of the Wall, apprentice to the Royal Sorcerer,¡± might as well get accustomed to the whole list, ¡°and Head Clerk of the Royal Sorcerer¡¯s Office.¡± If he had to do the whole list every time someone challenged him, this was going to get very tedious.

    The guard¡¯s lip curled. ¡°Yeah, ri-¡±

    ¡°Show respect, private.¡± The other guard slammed the butt of her pike into the ground. She bowed. ¡°Milord, Lord Commander Gallus is expecting you.¡±

    As her partner quickly followed suit, Dwayne relaxed. ¡°Thank you,¡± he glanced at her stripes, ¡°Corporal.¡±

    The soldier¡¯s cheeks reddened. ¡°It¡¯s just orders, milord.¡± She knocked on the door.

    Thank heavens, Magdala had drilled military ranks into him. ¡°Still, thanks.¡±

    The door opened, releasing a wave of warmth and conversation into the cool night air, and a bewigged butler in a gold and red suit appeared to wave Dwayne into the foyer.

    ¡°Milord.¡± The door closed on the night. ¡°Allow us to take your cloak.¡±

    ¡°Us?¡±

    A pair of hands swept Dwayne¡¯s cloak off his shoulders as the butler continued. ¡°Dinner shall begin momentarily, milord. Would you like to attend the reception in the parlor?¡± An outstretched hand indicated a room across the checkered floor to Dwayne¡¯s left.

    Dwayne gulped and, once again, considered backing out, but whatever was in there, it was less than Lady Iona Gallus¡¯s wrath. ¡°Yes, I would. Thank you.¡±

    When Dwayne entered the parlor, a servant took one look at him and then turned to the other guests. ¡°Dwayne Kalan, heir to the Guardian of the Wall, apprentice to the Royal Sorcerer, and Head Clerk of the Royal Sorcerer¡¯s Office!¡±

    Conversation stilled and dozens of eyes turned to focus on Dwayne. He now stood alone in front of a fantastic tableau: ruffled dresses of pink, white, and greenish-blue; high-collared suits of burnt orange and dark red; wigs rife with ecstatic piles of curls and waves. These were nobles, merchants, and, most importantly, members of Magdala¡¯s family. Faced with all that glamour, Dwayne¡¯s new suit felt threadbare, his skin dark as pitch, his carefully shaped hair outrageous. If only he¡¯d tried to fit in, worn a wig, powdered his face, bought the latest fashions, then maybe he¡¯d¡­

    No, that wouldn¡¯t hide the simple fact that he¡¯d been born Wesen. All he could do now was bow slowly and deeply, his hand tucked into his jacket just like Armsford had described.

    When he rose, conversation filled the parlor once again.

    No longer the focus of everyone¡¯s attention, Dwayne searched the reception for friends and allies. It looked like Mei and Huan hadn¡¯t arrived yet, but there was Magdala next to her father and the parlor¡¯s enormous fireplace. In her pretty yellow dress with red detailing, he could hardly believe that she was the same person who¡¯d burned a hole in a tavern table back in Anders. Back then, she¡¯d been a burden, an imposition sent from far away Bradford to study magic under her lord uncle, but, here at Tarpan, it was Dwayne that was the burden, sent from far way Walcrest to study society under the Gallus family.

    Magdala¡¯s eyes met Dwayne¡¯s and they both grinned, but, before Dwayne could join her, a hand, trembling and light, slipped itself into the crook of his elbow.

    ¡°Let¡¯s take a look at you.¡±

    He was pulled around to face an old woman in a simple red and gold dress.

    ¡°So,¡± she subjected him to inspection, ¡°you¡¯re Dwayne Kalan.¡±

    ¡°I apologize.¡± Red and gold were the Gallus family colors. Obviously, she was a family member. Dwayne bowed and rose with a pleasant expression on his face. ¡°You have me at a disadvantage, milady.¡±

    The old woman chuckled. ¡°Never admit that at one of these things or you¡¯ll be telling everyone that, young Kalan.¡± She patted his chest. ¡°You do make such an impression. I can see why Iona wanted to present you to society.¡± She caught Dwayne¡¯s expression. ¡°You don¡¯t know who I am, do you? I¡¯ll give you a hint. I put lords in diapers.¡±

    Which meant that she was either a nurse or¡­ ¡°Lady Stefanie Gallus, it is an honor to meet you.¡±

    Grandmother Gallus gave him a gap-toothed grin. ¡°Oh, well done, boy!¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s smile nearly slipped. ¡°Learning genealogy is hardly harder than learning magic.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll have to take your word for it. Let¡¯s go for a walkabout.¡± She pulled him towards the center of the parlor and away from Magdala. Which was probably the point. ¡°Now, of course I¡¯ve attended the occasional magical demonstration, but whenever dear Iona says things like ¡®shifts in perspective have a profound effect on the results¡¯ I confess I find myself reaching for the nearest pillow.¡± She nodded at Lady Gallus, who was talking to a bulky, nervous young woman in a bright orange dress. ¡°I swear it must be a purely physical thing between her and my boy.¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s smile slipped. ¡°A¡­ physical thing?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯ve been taught prudishness! That¡¯s a pity. Oh, Dru.¡± She pulled Dwayne to a stop. ¡°Meet Iona¡¯s new nephew.¡±

    An auburn-haired woman and a portly man stopped their conversation and turned to them. Dwayne bowed, recognizing Lady Drusilla Vander and her husband Marcel, Magdala¡¯s aunt and uncle.

    Lady Vander sniffed. ¡°Are you sure, Mother?¡± Her eyes flicked down. ¡°My lord brother-in-law hasn¡¯t seen fit to give him a seal ring or to attend his debut.¡±

    That again. Dwayne hid his clenched hand behind his back and forced a pleasant expression back onto his face. ¡°Good evening. Unfortunately, Lord Kalan is busy with Walton¡¯s clean up after the attack on-¡±

    ¡°Surely,¡± Lady Vander drew herself up to her full height, a head under Dwayne¡¯s own, ¡°he¡¯s taken the time to teach you some manners, young Kalan.¡±

    Grandma Gallus¡¯s hand were gripping Dwayne¡¯s elbow hard, a clear indication that he¡¯d screwed up. A quick review of Armsford revealed the error. ¡°Lady Vander, apologies.¡± He still hadn¡¯t quite figured out the timing of when he was supposed to use titles. ¡°His lessons on the subject had been quite thorough.¡± Armsford¡¯s had been at least. ¡°It¡¯s my slip up, not his.¡±

    Lady Vander lifted her nose. ¡°Why someone like you was elevated is beyond me.¡±

    Grandma Gallus gave her daughter a light slap on the arm. ¡°Don¡¯t play dumb, Dru. This boy is not just an ex-slave. He¡¯s the first Wesen to ever perform  magic, and I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve read the official report out of Gary¡¯s garrison. This boy is a Cups-poured Souran hero.¡±

    Dwayne just managed to hide his astonishment. ¡°I mainly assisted.¡±

    Lady Vander gave her mother a look. ¡°I expect that Gary and that wife of his did most of the work. Still, good job.¡± Those last words sounded begrudging. ¡°Regardless, my lord brother-in-law had better make his status clear and soon. Marcel,¡± she turned to her husband, ¡°I¡¯m thirsty.¡±

    Her husband¡¯s hands were already full with drink, but he said, ¡°Let¡¯s get you a drink then, dear,¡± and let her lead him away.

    When they were out of sight, Dwayne unclenched his fist. ¡°Thank you, Lady Gallus.¡±

    The old woman grinned. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t thank me. That was just the latest skirmish between her and I over the future of our family. She doesn¡¯t think much of mages or of foreigners.¡±

    ¡°And, as I am both, she¡¯d prefer me gone?¡±

    ¡°She fears a union between you and Magdala.¡± Grandma Gallus¡¯s settled on Dwayne. ¡°Are her fears valid?¡±

    The parlor suddenly got warmer. ¡°I¡¯m, uh, not really thinking about that. I¡¯m currently focusing on magic and stuff.¡±

    Grandma Gallus watched him for a bit longer and then grinned. ¡°I¡¯ve heard good things about your work at the Magisterium. Between that and your successful suppression of your savage and lascivious nature, you¡¯ve done more than well.¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s hand clenched. ¡°It¡¯s easy to suppress one¡¯s nature. I¡¯m Souran now, right?¡±

    Grandma Gallus laughed. ¡°Spoken like a true  mage! A ¡®shift in perspective¡¯ indeed. Well, onwards. Those merchants wolfing down those delightful pastries do business with the Gallus Western estates.¡±

    As he was steered towards another knot of people, Dwayne struggled to shove his anger back down. Savage wasn¡¯t new, but lascivious¡­ If they expected him to go around doing Markosia-knows-what to their children, that was one more reason why the other students in his classes avoided him.

    The irony was that he was already practiced in keeping such primal needs suppressed. On the plantation, one could be beaten for indulging.

    He couldn¡¯t let that break him though. By the time Grandma Gallus was done introducing him to the merchants, he¡¯d already reassembled his mask of pleasant attention. ¡°Good evening, Mr. diVida. You say you deal in grain? Tell me more, please.¡±

 Rimjaliut, Flare

    Magdala carefully put her glass down on a shelf next to the fireplace. ¡°Why college? Why now?¡±

    ¡°Because it¡¯s time you started to think about your future,¡± answered her mother. ¡°A college will grow you as a mage and will give you a chance to earn some real achievements.¡±

    ¡°But in the jungle-¡±

    Her father¡¯s harrumph cut her off. ¡°Academic achievements, not martial ones. While your lord uncle may go around using his cups-blessed skills to fight, that is not the true role of a Souran mage.¡±

    Her mother squeezed her shoulder. ¡°With the Harvest Ball approaching, you need to be on your way to getting your own apprenticeship, not helping Dwayne with his.¡±

    ¡°Do I?¡± Magdala pushed her mother¡¯s hand off her shoulder. ¡°Which college have you chosen for me? Griffon to make dyes? Coles to make lamp oil?¡± Her heart felt like it was in a vice. ¡°You know that I want to do something real, something exciting, not stay here in Bradford and make stuff for other people.¡±

    Her mother¡¯s posture stiffened, but her voice stayed calm. ¡°Sen Laurence and I both agreed that you¡¯d be a bad fit for those colleges.¡±

    ¡°Ha, I bet. Ole Laurence would prefer those colleges to keep bringing in money.¡± Her father grinned despite her mother¡¯s glare. ¡°You know that¡¯s her main leverage with the Throne and you Sages.¡±

    ¡°Regardless,¡± her mother turned back to Magdala, ¡°we have selected a college that fits your interests.¡±

    And what did she think Magdala¡¯s interests were? ¡°Which college?¡±

    An announcement precluded her mother¡¯s answer. ¡°Ms. Mei Ma the Axesnapper and her brother, Huan!¡±

    Finally.

    Magdala turned to the entrance just in time to catch a flicker of displeasure cross Huan¡¯s face. She giggled. When he¡¯d submitted his name to their registers, he hadn¡¯t even bothered to put in the name of his own sister in, and now he was being introduced as Mei¡¯s secondary. Updating the register was totally-

    What was Mei wearing? Where had that purple and white striped monstrosity come from? The hunter wore it well, but she had strong posture and that made everything look good on her.

    ¡°Magdala.¡±

    Was this Huan¡¯s fault? It had to be, right?

    ¡°Magdala Gallus.¡±

    A hand caught Magdala¡¯s chin and forced her to face her mother.

    ¡°This is more important,¡± said her mother.

    Magdala pulled herself free. ¡°Okay, fine. Which college?¡±

    ¡°Lees.¡±

    The room swam for a moment. ¡°Lees? The College of History Lees?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Her mother watched Magdala carefully. ¡°At the moment, the current dean is eager for someone to take over archiv-¡±

    ¡°Why Lees?¡±

    Magdala¡¯s interruption earned her a glare from her mother. ¡°Because your history papers have always received high marks, you¡¯ve never failed a history exam, and,¡± she lowered her voice, ¡°the position requires zero use of your magic.¡±

    Magdala¡¯s heart chilled. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ve gotten much better since then.¡±

    Her mother sighed. ¡°I know that. Your father knows that, but the last thing anyone at the Magisterium remembers is you knocking out your entire class. Luckily, Dean Quill is more than willing to overlook all of that. She¡¯s over there.¡± She pointed.

    Magdala followed her mother¡¯s finger to a frail old woman leaning heavily on a petrified wood cane. Why was she talking to Dwayne? Oh, because of Gran. Magdala winced in sympathy. She¡¯d endured many a social tour from Gran.

    Her father patted Magdala¡¯s back. ¡°I believe that Lees will leave you ample time to think about life after school.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure it will.¡± Magdala squirmed in her dress, which was chafing her. ¡°Has anyone important ever come out of Lees?¡±

    Her mother¡¯s jaw set. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Really? Who?¡±

    ¡°Roberta Bruce.¡± Her mother gestured to a tall thin woman with thick, dark brown curly hair, who was talking to another mage in brown and gold. ¡°She just started her own college, and she¡¯s a fan of your friend apparently.¡±

    Her father guffawed. ¡°I¡¯m not surprised. Axesnapper is the talk of all the barracks. Even those zealots at Sen Jerome¡¯s have been talking about her.¡±

    Unlike Quill, Bruce had just the barest hint of wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. ¡°She seems young for a dean,¡± commented Magdala.

    Her mother looked away. ¡°She graduated top of her  class, completed her apprenticeship at Lees, presented her master thesis to the Sage Council, and got a commendation from the Church, all in just ten years.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s really impressive¡­¡± Magdala glanced at her mother¡¯s rigid posture. ¡°But you don¡¯t like her.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t like her,¡± corrected her father. ¡°She started the College of Martial Magic.¡±

    ¡°What, really?¡± asked Magdala. ¡°What¡¯s the course of study? What are-¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Her parents¡¯ joint refusal brought Magdala to a halt.

    ¡°She¡¯s here,¡± her mother rubbed the bridge of her nose, ¡°because Quill her master is here and for no other reason. You need to let what happened in down that jungle go.¡±

    ¡°But martial magic is what got us out,¡± said Magdala. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we should be digging more into that area of study not less?¡±

    ¡°No, we shouldn¡¯t.¡± Her father leaned in. ¡°While we needed you and your mother to-¡±

    ¡°And Dwayne,¡± added Magdala. ¡°You always forget him.¡±

    ¡°And¡­ him.¡± Her father practically choked on the word. ¡°While we needed you, you have to understand that that means we, myself and my officers, failed you. Letting mages fight for us is barbaric. We are not the Tuqu with their shamans or the with their wizards. Souran mages are-¡±

    ¡°Calm, reasonable, and rational,¡± finished her mother, ¡°and the battlefield is no place for us.¡±

    It had been Souran mages who¡¯d calmly reasoned that Lord Kalan and Dwayne¡¯s theory was irrational just because it didn¡¯t feel right.

    Luckily, not all Souran mages had thought so. ¡°What about Lady Pol?¡± asked Magdala. ¡°She¡¯s both respectable and accomplished. I can write to her and¡­ what is it?¡±

    Her parents had shared a significant glance.

    ¡°What?¡± asked Magdala.

    ¡°That would not be a good move,¡± said her father. ¡°Ever since her mother died, Luisa has become disengaged from court affairs.¡±

    Her mother winced. ¡°She has publicly repudiated Emittance theory.¡±

    Magdala rocked in place. ¡°She did?¡± Lady Pol had been that theory¡¯s strongest proponent. ¡°When?¡±

    ¡°Last week, the Council received a paper from her that used evidence she¡¯d discovered in Yumma to support my brother¡¯s theory.¡± Her mother allowed herself a small smile. ¡°She even cited his papers.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good, right? It¡¯s the better theory, so we can-¡±

    Her mother¡¯s raised hand stopped her. ¡°Unfortunately, she failed to understand what really sways the Magisterium. Making appeals to the ancient past and citing eccentrics like my brother only allows them space to dismiss her as out of touch and outlandish. The Earth Sage even said, ¡®Modern magic has obviously evolved past such a primitive understanding of how the world works. After all, we¡¯re here and they¡¯re not.¡¯ Cups, that man¡­¡±

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    Her mother took a deep breath before continuing. ¡°At any rate, the Magisterium will not be moved by mere words, only visible evidence. That is why Dwayne is here in Bradford and not off gallivanting in the desert or doing Cueller-knows-what down in Walton, and that is why you will not be Lady Pol¡¯s apprentice.¡±

    ¡°If she had a son Magdala¡¯s age,¡± her father was rubbing his chin, ¡°I could be persuaded.¡± When his wife and daughter glared at him, his hands came up. ¡°I¡¯ve heard the stories. Two apprentices, living and working together all day long, getting to know each other; it¡¯s better than courting. I know all of your classmates found their partners that way, Iona.¡±

    ¡°Not untrue¡­¡±

    That put Magdala¡¯s lab sessions with Dwayne in a different light. ¡°Surely, not all of them, right?¡± Her face felt warmer than the fire. ¡°I mean Francesca¡¯s mother didn¡¯t meet her father that way.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m pretty certain that Ms. Lucchesi chose her partner from a¡­¡± Her father glanced at Magdala and sighed. ¡°Cups, Iona, was I this easy to read?¡±

    Her mother patted his arm. ¡°You¡¯re her father; you do have a slight advantage.¡± A servant appeared at her elbow and whispered into her ear. ¡°Yes? Excellent. Sound the dinner bell.¡±

    Good, Magdala could escape. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about this later?¡±

    Her mother¡¯s head tilted back. ¡°Later? Why do you think I invited Dean Quinn for dinner?¡±

    Magdala felt the floor fall away from her. ¡°Oh... But...¡±

    Her father patted her on the back. ¡°Just make a good impression.¡±

    ***

    </a>After Mei stepped out of their carriage and onto Tarpan¡¯s drive, Huan unfurled an umbrella and pulled her hand through the crook of his elbow. ¡°Let me do the talking, and we¡¯ll profit from tonight.¡±

    Mei¡¯s lips pressed together, but she nodded, and let her gaze drift to Maggie¡¯s big house as her brother pulled her forward. Even through Bradford¡¯s constant drizzle, Tarpan looked impressive with hedges as tall as hills and flowerbeds Mei could get lost in. In fact she had, spending hours looking at each blossom.

    Huan pulled her to a stop in front of the big wooden doors, where two guards stood at attention. ¡°Huan Ma and his sister Mei.¡± He bowed, imploring Mei to do the same with a nudge of his elbow.

    Mei didn¡¯t know why they still weren¡¯t using their real family name Li. It wasn¡¯t like the ShengXiao guard didn¡¯t already know where they were.

    The two guards glanced at each other. The left one asked, ¡°Are we supposed to know who you are?¡±

    Huan straightened up, his voice a growl. ¡°We¡¯re expected.¡±

    Mei watched her brother carefully, her fingers itching at the absence of a blade.

    The left guard scoffed. ¡°Sure you are. You can talk like a nob, dress like a nob, but you ain¡¯t a nob and that¡¯s a¡­¡± His eyes took in Mei¡¯s features. ¡°Hold up, what¡¯d say your names were?¡±

    Maybe this was catching eyes. ¡°Mei.¡± She bowed again for good measure. ¡°Mei Ma.¡±

    ¡°Mei Ma. I¡¯ve heard that before¡­¡± The guard¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Axesnapper Mei?¡±

    The nickname made her skin tingle. ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°The little Tuquese hunter who saved a whole squad down in Vanuria? That¡¯s you?¡±

    The other guard raised an eyebrow. ¡°You sure? It could be one of them fighters from the consulate.¡±

    ¡°I can check, corporal.¡± The left guard turned back to Mei. ¡°What¡¯s Saundra Taylor¡¯s rank and nickname?¡±

    The other guard narrowed her eyes. ¡°You think them consulate fighters wouldn¡¯t know that?¡±

    ¡°Why would foreign nobs know about an enlisted?¡±

    ¡°Huh. Good point.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s Swordbreaker?¡± Mei hunted for the other answer. Maggie had made a big deal about it, had even made Dwayne learn all the ranks when he¡¯d gotten it wrong once. ¡°She¡¯s a sergeant.¡±

    The left guard grinned. ¡°Oh it¡¯s her.¡± He and the corporal saluted. ¡°It¡¯s an honor to meet you, ma¡¯am.¡±

    ¡°And if you ever get tired of snobby nob food,¡± whispered the corporal, ¡°come to Sen Quincy¡¯s. You¡¯re owed a pint of beer.¡±

    ¡°Cups, corporal, she¡¯s owed a barrel.¡± The first guard opened the door. ¡°You look lovely tonight by the way, ma¡¯am. Good luck in there.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Mei bowed again and pulled Huan through the door. She glanced at his face. He was seething. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Huan bared his teeth. ¡°They knew you.¡±

    A pair of servants appeared. ¡°Your cloaks?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, take them.¡± Huan removed his cloak, snatched Mei¡¯s off her shoulders, and handed both of them over along with the umbrella. ¡°I was there too. No one seems to remember that.¡±

    ¡°Lord Gallus remembers.¡±

    ¡°Not enough to offer any kind of reward.¡± Huan shook his head. ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    He took the lead again, and as they rushed past the many, many painted portraits of Maggie¡¯s armored, pale-faced ancestors, Mei made sure to step on just the white tiles, which had heads of wheat pressed into them, instead of the red horse ones. Horses were considerate and intelligent beasts, unlike awrocks who were boulders with legs.

    ¡°Walk normal,¡± hissed Huan.

    Mei ignored him.

    He sighed. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t have even found that sorcerer in the first place if it weren¡¯t for me.¡±

    ¡°And Sir Marcus.¡±

    Huan turned pale. ¡°Right, and him.¡± He coughed. ¡°With just a little power, we won¡¯t need people like him to save us. Now,¡± they¡¯d reached the parlor, ¡°eyes up, head high.¡±

    As they entered the parlor, a voice called out, ¡°Ms. Mei Ma the Axesnapper and her brother, Huan!¡±

    Of the one hundred people in the room, only three took notice of the announcement: Maggie by the fireplace, Dwayne in the center of the room, and a tall, thin hazel-skinned woman in a severe black dress that left everything but her hands and face to the imagination.

    ¡°That witch, she changed it,¡± Huan growled. ¡°I¡¯m not just your brother.¡± He caught sight of Mei¡¯s hand going to her knifeless waist. ¡°Right, ahem. I am going to go mingle. You should too. Remember, you¡¯re here to catch eyes.¡± He released her and strode up to a flock of nobles, crafting a smile as he went.

    Mei watched him a moment. There was some of the old Huan in his movements, but they were rougher, like he was applying tips he¡¯d heard, not skills he¡¯d honed. Still, her brother was unarmed, and, between Lord Gallus and Dwayne, not to mention the Water Sage, there was more than enough force to restrain Huan if he had a fit.

    That left the question of what Mei should do with her time. At the moment, Dwayne was being led like a sheep by an old woman, Maggie was trapped in conversation with her parents, and the snack table that ran down the middle of the room looked like it needed some lightening. The decision was easy. Dwayne would find his footing soon, and the snack table wasn¡¯t going anywhere, but Maggie clearly needed a break from her parents. Mei set course for the fireplace.

    ¡°You wear that dress quite well.¡± The tall, thin woman, now bearing a slim glass of a pale yellow bubbly liquid, stepped in front of Mei. ¡°Axesnapper Mei, I presume?¡±

    Odd way to address her. Mei bowed. ¡°Yes, I am. You are?¡±

    The corners of the woman¡¯s lips quirked. ¡°Dean Roberta Bruce.¡± She returned Mei¡¯s bow. ¡°I understand that you¡¯ve been traveling with Lord Bartholomew Kalan¡¯s so-called apprentice.¡±

    ¡°Dwayne. Yes.¡± Bruce¡¯s hair reminded Mei of Dwayne¡¯s before he¡¯d shaped it. ¡°They¡¯re my employers.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I heard. I have also heard quite a lot about you. The regular soldiers love to tell the tale of how you took down that Revenant down in that cups-forsaken jungle.¡±

    Mei knew this. She had had to tell that tale a hundred times down in Walton. Keeping one eye on Maggie, she asked, ¡°Are you a soldier?¡±

    Bruce laughed. ¡°Oh, no, no, just an avid student of the martial science, but I am interested in assisting combat experts, like yourself, prevail against heathen magical practitioners. I¡¯ve started a college with that goal in mind.¡± She sipped from her glass. ¡°I believe that your friend young Gallus would be an excellent fit.¡±

    Mei was aware of colleges, she passed several on her way to the Commissary from the Tower, but Bruce made it sound like a job offer instead of a learning experience. ¡°Maggie does like fighters.¡±

    Bruce choked. ¡°You call her¡­ Ahem. Yes, her¡­ admiration makes young Gallus an excellent candidate, but really that piece of magical brilliance she used down in Vanuria makes her perfect for my college. Using her mother¡¯s water magic to create a large-scale explosion was inspired.¡± Her shoulders drooped. ¡°Unfortunately, my colleagues don¡¯t see it that way. Did you know that those recreant, provident, and, and, hoary fools wanted to expel her?¡±

    Mei snorted. ¡°They couldn¡¯t. You don¡¯t steal a lion cub when the lioness is there.¡±

    Bruce chuckled. ¡°Yes, Lady Gallus¡¯s teeth would have torn them apart. Between that, her father the Lord Commander, and the Gallus family¡¯s connections to the Lucchesis, expelling the scion of the Gallus family would have been as suicidal as entering a lion¡¯s den with awrock steaks strapped to your thighs.¡± She finished her drink. ¡°I do have an offer in mind for you specifically, Mei. Have you heard of Sen Jerome¡¯s?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Half of Mei¡¯s attention was still on Maggie whose conversation with her parents was getting intense. ¡°Who is Sen Jerome?¡±

    ¡°Two hundred and twenty-three years ago, Sen Jerome of Astbrooke served as the Queen¡¯s Lord Commander. In order to decimate a plague of rogue mages that was going on at the time,  he worked with the Church to create a religious order, an elite force trained to defeat mages.¡±

    Mei knew about Maggie and Dwayne¡¯s encounter with a rogue wind mage on the road to Ti Mei. That and her experience down in the jungle made her think that the best way to fight a mage was with a mage. ¡°By ¡®defeat¡¯, you mean kill?¡±

    ¡°Of course. These rogues have rejected the true message of Cueller and have turned her gifts on the righteous, sowing chaos and suffering in the process. They¡¯ve given up their right to live.¡± Bruce¡¯s eyes glittered. ¡°You really should stop by Sen Jerome¡¯s and share your experiences. It would be most edifying.¡±

    The whole of Mei¡¯s being recoiled from the intensity of the dean¡¯s interest. ¡°I am sorry.¡± She bowed. ¡°I cannot help you. I don¡¯t fight the same way they do.¡±

    Bruce stepped closer. ¡°Yes, I heard something about that.¡±

    Mei¡¯s heart raced. She couldn¡¯t know about Mei¡¯s rifle. ¡°You did?¡±

    ¡°Yes, the garrison down in Walton mentioned a-¡±

    ¡°There you are, Professor, no, Dean Bruce.¡± A big man in brown and gold robes joined them. ¡°I was hoping to catch you here.¡±

    ¡°Baron Thadden.¡± The dean¡¯s teeth bared in a smile. ¡°I was just speaking to the Office of the Royal Sorcerer¡¯s new Head Guard.¡±

    Mei inched away from them, her heart still racing. This wasn¡¯t good. Knowledge of her rifle shouldn¡¯t have spread as far as this person she¡¯d never met. The whole reason why her parents had died was to keep the thing a secret.

    ¡°Head Guard.¡± Thadden snorted. ¡°She¡¯s barely fashionable, dressed like that.¡± He dismissed Mei with a wave of his hand. ¡°More importantly, have you met the ¡®apprentice¡¯?¡±

    Seeing her chance, Mei bowed and fled to the snack table, where she snatched a glass of something bubbly and downed it in one go.

    ¡°Hey, hey, hey!¡± Huan appeared with a plate of pastries. ¡°This is a reception, not a tavern.¡± Balancing the plate in one hand, he took the empty glass from her. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you mingling?¡±

    Because mingling was terrifying, but Huan didn¡¯t want to hear that. ¡°I was thirsty.¡± Mei grabbed one of his pastries and stuffed it into her mouth. ¡°And hungry.¡±

    Huan grimaced at the crumbs tumbling out of her mouth. ¡°You just walked away from a Dean and a high official from the Royal Secretary¡¯s Office.¡±

    Mei swallowed the pastry. ¡°And?¡± She took another glass off the table, and gulped down its contents.

    Huan took the glass from her. ¡°Stop that. Hey!¡± He failed to stop her from grabbing another pastry. ¡°Those are exactly the kind of people whose eyes we should be catching. You definitely caught the Dean¡¯s; she went straight for you.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Mei took a smaller bite out of her pastry, feeling better and less panicky. ¡°Then I gave her eyes back. I don¡¯t want them.¡±

    ¡°That is not how this works.¡±

    Mei shrugged and took another bite of her pastry, now enjoying its sweet tangy flavor. ¡°I¡¯m not here to catch eyes. I¡¯m here for Maggie and Dwayne.¡±

    Huan¡¯s face flushed. ¡°Listen, you-¡±

    A bell ring silenced the room. ¡°My mages, lords, ladies, and guests, dinner is ready. Please proceed to the dining room.¡±

    ¡°Finally.¡± Mei stuffed the rest of her pastry into her mouth. ¡°I¡¯m still hungry.¡± She left her brother speechless by the snack table.

 Qesueneuamde, Earth Wall

    With Grandma Gallus¡¯s hand still clamped around his elbow, Dwayne followed the rest of Tarpan¡¯s dinner guests into the dining hall.

    ¡°Just when it was getting interesting.¡± She looked around. ¡°I see Iona¡¯s pulled out all the stops.¡±

    Tarpan¡¯s staff had done good work. The dining hall¡¯s long table was now covered in a blood-red cloth with fifty white padded chairs placed along its sides. Each place had aluminum cutlery, a set of glistening glass flutes, red napkins embroidered with the Gallus family seal, and white porcelain plates ringed with golden heads of wheat. At each end of the room, two fireplaces, each large enough to hold a family of four, bracketed the dozens of portraits of Magdala¡¯s ancestors, who glared down from the walls. As they walked, Dwayne and Grandma Gallus¡¯s shoes sank into the thick white carpet, and the smells of freshly baked dark breads, deep roasted meats, and exotic spices filled their noses and promised a hearty meal.

    None of this impressed Dwayne however. He¡¯d had dinner with Soura¡¯s Water Sage and her Lord Commander before.

    Grandma Gallus chuckled at his expression. ¡°Not the decor, boy, the lights.¡± She pointed at the lamps hanging between the portraits.

    Dwayne blinked. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡± The lamps were bright and hardly flickered, a sign that they weren¡¯t candles but the new gas lamps, the latest and greatest in lighting and, according to Magdala, a triumph in alchemy. ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Watching you think on your feet is a treat.¡° Grandma Gallus patted his arm. ¡°I do hope Iona hasn¡¯t separated us.¡±

    Right, the seating plan. Lady Gallus had mentioned one, but Dwayne hadn¡¯t had a chance to review it. He¡¯d been far too busy. Feeling hollow, he looked around. A servant was seating Magdala at the far end of the room. Surely, he wasn¡¯t going to be seated at this end.

    ¡°Young lord.¡± A servant intercepted them with a bow. ¡°Lady Gallus. Shall we escort you to your seats?¡± A second servant materialized as they spoke.

    Sighing, Grandma Gallus released Dwayne. ¡°Let¡¯s see where Iona thinks I¡¯ll do the least damage.¡± She took a proffered arm. ¡°Take care, young Kalan, and keep keeping those savage tendencies of yours in check.¡±

    Good riddance. Dwayne turned to the remaining servant. ¡°Where do I sit?¡±

    They gestured to the near end of the dining table. ¡°Here, milord.¡±

    Of course. Dwayne sat down and snuck a glance at the far end of the table, where Magdala was talking to her mother.

    ¡°She cannot help you tonight.¡± Lord Gallus took the seat to the right of Dwayne at the foot of the table. ¡°She has her own future to think about.¡±

    ¡°Lord Gallus.¡± Dwayne shoved a clenched fist under the table and inclined his head. ¡°Good evening.¡±

    Magdala¡¯s father harrumphed. ¡°Unfortunately, I¡¯ll have to put up with you myself.¡±

    Dwayne just nodded as he watched the rest of the guests take their seats. Because of Grandma Gallus¡¯s insistence on dragging him all around the parlor, he knew that the people seated on the other end of the table were mostly mages and the ones seated on this end were mostly family. Everyone else - Mei, Huan, the merchants - had seats near the center. ¡°Apparently, I¡¯m more noble than mage tonight.¡±

    ¡°Tonight, yes.¡± Lord Gallus rested his hands on the tablecloth in a pose of calm. ¡°Iona has been most impressed with your academic performance.¡±

    Sure she was. ¡°Magdala has helped me a lot.¡±

    Her father¡¯s pose crumbled. ¡°To the detriment of her future.¡±

    He kept mentioning that, but, as far as Dwayne knew, Magdala was doing just fine in class. Unfortunately, asking Lord Gallus for clarification would only result in stiff-jawed silence.

    ¡°Baron Thadden!¡± Lord Gallus smiled. ¡°I¡¯m glad you could join us tonight.¡±

    ¡°Well met, Lord Gallus.¡± A tall man with pale skin, graying hair, and a paunch barely hidden by gold and brown robes took the seat across from Dwayne. ¡°This party is exactly what I expected from you and yours.¡±

    ¡°It had better be. So,¡± Lord Gallus leaned in, ¡°you here for duty or pleasure?¡±

    ¡°Neither.¡± The baron¡¯s gold seal ring flashed as he waved away the idea. ¡°I volunteered.¡±

    Baron Thadden¡¯s family seal, a stone in a river, was unfamiliar. While a river was common for a noble family in this region - the Kalan family seal depicted a river delta for example - stones usually meant mining, a rare pursuit here in Eastern Soura.

    Lord Gallus leaned back in his chair. ¡°Her Highness the Royal Secretary typically sends a junior clerk, not her most senior one.¡±

    It must be nice to have more than one clerk and one guard. With an actual staff, Dwayne could have gotten so much more done at the Tower.

    ¡°As the only mage in the office, I also happen to be the liaison to the Magisterium,¡± Thadden¡¯s brown eyes alighted on Dwayne, ¡°and this is our first opportunity to meet the most famous mage apprentice in the city.¡±

    It was nice to be recognized for once. Dwayne inclined his head. ¡°As the Office of the Royal Sorcerer¡¯s Head Clerk, I look forward to working with you. Whom am I addressing?¡±

    The baron¡¯s smile stiffened. ¡°You are addressing Baron Otto Thadden, premier mage of the Royal Secretary¡¯s Office and master of fluidic magic.¡± He sniffed. ¡°You¡¯ve been trained well. Your accent is indistinguishable from that of a native.¡±

    Despite the heat rushing into his face, Dwayne kept his voice even. ¡°Thank you, Baron.¡±

    Back at the reception, Grandma Gallus had forced Dwayne to talk to a lot of people, but this man had evaded her efforts. That was suspicious.

    ¡°What do you do as your office¡¯s liaison to the Magisterium?¡± Dwayne asked. ¡°As I understand it, it¡¯s the Royal Sorcerer¡¯s Office that functions as Her Majesty¡¯s official interface between the Magisterium and herself, not the Royal Secretary¡¯s Office.¡±

    Baron Thadden leaned back. ¡°What do you know of our office, young Kalan?¡±

    ¡°That it manages the Royal household and the queendom¡¯s foreign affairs.¡±

    ¡°Which means?¡±

    Dwayne counted on his fingers. ¡°Hiring palace staff, setting the agenda at Privy Council meetings, handling communication with foreign queendoms, arranging events like the Autumn Session and the upcoming Harvest Ball.¡± He inclined his head. ¡°We at the Royal Sorcerer¡¯s office are grateful to only oversee the monies handed to the Magisterium from Her Majesty¡¯s Purse. Oh, and the licensing of mages and their work, of course.¡±

    ¡°This,¡± Baron Thadden turned to Lord Gallus, ¡°is Lord Kalan¡¯s apprentice?¡±

    Lord Gallus nodded. ¡°I understand your confusion. He¡¯s bright, focused, and detail oriented.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s remarkable. With his disadvantages, I thought he¡¯d be merely a cat¡¯s paw for your lady wife.¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s jaw set. There was only one disadvantage that the baron could be speaking of.

    ¡°My wife has herself and her abilities, both of which are more than sufficient for her to achieve her own aims.¡± Lord Gallus waved over a servant. ¡°Besides, we have more important things to discuss.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes.¡± Thadden nodded. ¡°Your heir is of age.¡±

    ¡°She is.¡± Lord Gallus turned to the servant at his side. ¡°Break open the Edmonds barrel.¡±

    The servant¡¯s eyes flickered to the other end of the table. ¡°Milord, the Edmonds is a fine ale, but possibly a bit strong.¡±

    Lord Gallus glanced at his wife and nodded. ¡°Then run it by her first. She¡¯ll understand.¡±

    ¡°Very well, milord.¡±

    As the servant walked to the other end of the table, Lord Gallus turned back to Dwayne and Thadden. ¡°First, Magdala needs an apprenticeship.¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s mouth went dry. ¡°First?¡±

    Lord Gallus¡¯s eyes locked on Dwayne¡¯s. ¡°Second, a betrothal, one that will ensure her future and the future of our family.¡± He turned to the baron. ¡°As for Dwayne here, Iona intends for him to demonstrate some new theory. What was it called?¡±

    ¡°Resonance Theory,¡± Dwayne¡¯s mouth answered as his mind processed Magdala¡¯s imminent betrothal. If she did, would they be able to work together? It was doubtful her future spouse would be comfortable with a savage and lascivious Wesen around.

    ¡°Yes, that.¡± Lord Gallus shook his head. ¡°Cups, it¡¯s a complicated thing.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not.¡± Thoughts of betrothal fell away as the desire to explain took over. ¡°All Lord Kalan and I did was change the question from ¡®Where does magic come from?¡¯ to ¡®When we do magic, what happens?¡¯¡±

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    ¡°It sounds like you¡¯re splitting hairs.¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Dwayne leaned in, ¡°but consider a battlefield full of arrows stuck in the ground, and there¡¯s a castle nearby. When you search it, you find bows and empty quivers. Where then did the arrows come from?¡±

    ¡°The castle,¡± answered Baron Thadden. ¡°Obviously.¡±

    Lord Gallus narrowed his eyes. ¡°You haven¡¯t told me anything about the arrows.¡±

    Dwayne grinned. ¡°They¡¯re stuck in the ground with their fletches pointed away from the castle.¡±

    ¡°Then¡­ someone else fired the arrows,¡± said Thadden.

    Lord Gallus shook his head. ¡°A significant headwind could have blown the arrows back.¡± He raised an eyebrow. ¡°What does this have to do with magic?¡±

    ¡°Context is important.¡± Dwayne gestured to Thadden. ¡°He and I know this simple fact: arrows are stored in quivers. Therefore if the quivers are in the castle, then the arrows had to have come from there, but as a veteran of the battlefield, you know that wind and trajectory can affect how arrows fly after they¡¯ve been shot.

    ¡°It¡¯s the same with magic. It¡¯s obvious that we mages initiate magic, we feel it, you see it, but until now, we¡¯ve been looking at the magical result and saying, ¡®This has to come from the mage.¡¯ If magic spells are arrows, then we¡¯ve never considered the role of the wind.¡±

    Baron Thadden rubbed his chin. ¡°An elegant analogy.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Dwayne gave Lord Gallus a look. ¡°Magdala helped me with it.¡±

    Lord Gallus muttered, ¡°Under supervision of course. Oh?¡± The servant had returned. ¡°What did she say?¡±

    Thadden leaned in to talk to Dwayne. ¡°Young Gallus only traveled with you and your master for the past couple of months, correct?¡±

    Dwayne nodded, not sure where this was going.

    ¡°Ah,¡± Thadden sat back, ¡°then I am impressed anew by how clear your papers are.¡±

    Dwayne blinked. ¡°What are you talking about? Lord Kalan wrote those papers.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure he wrote the initial drafts, but your master has never been known for either clear argumentation or attention to detail. Your dedication to clarity is all over his abstracts and methodology.¡±

    ¡°The papers are his.¡± Dwayne raised his chin. ¡°I work on experimentation and practice.¡±

    Thadden smiled. ¡°Then I look forward to a demonstration of your practice.¡±

    As the servant stepped away, Lord Gallus¡¯s attention returned to the table. ¡°What were we talking about?¡±

    ¡°Asking the right questions,¡± answered the baron.

    ¡°Right, mage philosophical discussion. A topic sure to enthrall and excite.¡±

    ¡°Here, here!¡± called out Grandma Gallus to general laughter.

    ¡°It should.¡± As bowls of salad were placed in front of diners, Dwayne kept his eyes on Lord Gallus and away from the other end of the table. Some things were not meant to be. ¡°After all, knowing how something works means that we can make it work better.¡±

    ***

    </a>Seated between her brother and a Souran man in a dark coat, Mei grabbed a fork, speared a bunch of lettuce, and stuffed it into her mouth.

    Huan muttered, ¡°You¡¯re using the wrong fork.¡±

    Mei chewed. The leaves were bitter, but the orange-colored sauce they were covered in was sweet and tart. Maybe it was tange, like the pastries.

    Huan nudged her. ¡°Mei!¡±

    She speared another bite. ¡°It¡¯s a fork. It works.¡±

    ¡°I doubt you¡¯ll get her to stop enjoying herself.¡± The Souran watched her eat. ¡°Though, cups, she can put that away.¡± He¡¯d been seated before Huan and Mei, and his black coat stood out among the merchants in their section of the table, who by far preferred the seasons colors.

    With a sigh, Huan picked up the fork furthest left of his plate then peered at it. ¡°Is this aluminum?¡±

    ¡°Of course it is.¡± The Souran laughed. ¡°Nothing but the best for the family that holds both a Privy Council position and a Sage seat. I must say.¡± He leaned in. ¡°Neither of you look like the typical Gallus dinner guest. Oh, thank you.¡± A servant filled his stein with a pale beer.

    As her stein was filled, Mei looked over the Souran. His coat was graced with a silver cup under a set of scales pinned to his left breast, and his face was rosy, which was a sign that he caught a bit more sun than Maggie, who could pass for a snow hare. He probably worked outside a lot. ¡°Neither do you.¡±

    He laughed again. ¡°Certainly not.¡± He took a swig of beer, reveled in it. ¡°I¡¯m here as a representative from the Chamber, by which I mean the High Judiciary. Ah,¡± he scowled at his salad, ¡°I guess I should try a bit of that.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t want it?¡± Mei asked.

    The Souran winced. ¡°No, not really. Too tart for me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take it. You can have this.¡± Mei pushed her stein of beer over to him.

    Huan nudged her again. ¡°Mei!¡±

    ¡°Salad for beer?¡± The Souran grinned. ¡°You drive a hard bargain, miss, but I accept.¡± He dumped his salad on her plate and then claimed her stein. ¡°Since we¡¯re sharing food and drink, I should probably introduce myself. Charles Vogt, Senior Scrytive for the High Judiciary. You?¡±

    Huan squeezed Mei¡¯s arm. ¡°We¡¯re the Ma siblings. I¡¯m Huan and this is my little sister Mei.¡±

    Mei was getting sick of the name Ma. They were Li.

    ¡°Ma.¡± The Souran nodded. ¡°Good solid Tuquese name. So I hear.¡±

    ¡°It is.¡± Huan released Mei. ¡°It has the double benefit of being easy for Sourans like you to say.¡±

    Chewing, Mei tried out the Souran¡¯s name in her head. Since meeting Maggie, Mei¡¯s Souran had improved immensely, but she still had trouble with some sounds. ¡°Chararez.¡± Maybe just the last name. ¡°Voeut.¡± Close. ¡°Vogt.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a bit formal for someone I¡¯ve traded beer with.¡± Vogt waggled his eyebrows. ¡°Call me Charlie.¡±

    ¡°Charlee. Charlie. Got it.¡± Mei held up a bite of salad. ¡°Thank you for the salad, Charlie.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Mei. So,¡± Charlie sat back, ¡°what brings you two to our fair city?¡±

    ¡°Work,¡± answered Huan. ¡°I¡¯m employed by Lord Kalan as a bodyguard.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Head Guard at the Scaled Tower,¡± answered Mei.

    Charlie¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Oh, wow. Between you and, well, him.¡± He gestured to Dwayne¡¯s end of the table. ¡°That¡¯s two foreigners up at the Royal Sorcerer¡¯s Office.¡± He grinned. ¡°Which makes you the famous Axesnapper.¡±

    As Huan bristled, Mei asked, ¡°Are you a soldier too?¡±

    Charlie shook his head. ¡°Served my time a while back, but I prefer chasing cutpurses here in Bradford to chasing bandits out on the frontier. Still, it¡¯s a rousing tale, what you did down in the jungle. Is there anything left out of the tall tales?¡±

    ¡°Yes, there is.¡± Huan pushed his salad away. ¡°I-¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure your contribution was essential, Mr. Ma, but I asked your sister.¡± Leaving Huan to fume, Charlie focused on Mei. ¡°I have a few friends still serving, and they say that the Water Sage and her daughter finished off the monsters themselves. How?¡±

    Mei swallowed her last bite and put down her fork. There was little she could tell. ¡°Maggie is good at explosives, and her mother is good at water. Beyond that¡­¡± She shrugged.` She honestly didn¡¯t know how Dwayne had set off the explosion or how he¡¯d shielded everyone from it, and so leaving out his part only meant pretending that she was ignorant of just that little bit more.

    ¡°It was absolute chaos,¡± said Huan. ¡°So much was going on that seeing what the mages were doing was impossible.¡±

    Charlie raised an eyebrow. ¡°I heard that you weren¡¯t anywhere near the fight, Mr. Ma. Something about raiding the enemy camp?¡± He tilted his head. ¡°Weren¡¯t you the last person to see Sir Marcus of Pollum alive?¡±

    Huan swallowed a wince. ¡°Yes, he¡­ saved my life.¡±

    Mei¡¯s stomach tensed at the haunted look on her brother¡¯s face.

    Charlie nodded. ¡°It¡¯s hard to live on when a good man dies for you.¡±

    Huan growled, and Mei snatched up the sharpest knife on the table.

    ¡°Oh, you shouldn¡¯t need that quite yet.¡± Charlie sipped his beer. ¡°Save that for the main course.¡±

    ¡°Ah ha, she¡¯s, uh, still learning local manners.¡± Huan drowned his growl in polite tones. ¡°That¡¯s for cutting meat, Mei.¡±

    Mei met his eyes, which glinted in the white light. ¡°I know.¡±

    They stayed frozen for a long moment.

    Then Huan laughed. ¡°Ha ha, she¡¯s a treat, right?¡± He was human again.

    Mei placed the knife on the table and returned to her salad.

    Charlie picked up his second stein of beer. ¡°Certainly, she knows how to handle you.¡± He took a swig. ¡°Ah, so good. Oh,¡± he wiped his mouth, ¡°maybe you two could help me with an investigation I¡¯m running. Recently, the homes of several mages around the city have been burgled, and, in each instance, only a single window pane has been broken.¡±

    ¡°Magic,¡± answered Mei around her salad.

    Charlie frowned. ¡°Surely, no spell is capable of that.¡±

    ¡°How big are the panes?¡±

    Beside Mei, Huan tensed. Strange.

    Charlie pointed to the palm of his hand. ¡°No bigger than that. These were old homes, so none of them had those new single-pane windows the Magisterium is producing nowadays.¡±

    Mei swallowed her bite. ¡°Magic.¡±

    ¡°Why do you say that?¡±

    ¡°Human skulls are too big.¡±

    Huan coughed. ¡°Maybe the thief broke the pane to unlatch the window?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Charlie reached up to the ceiling. ¡°In two of the cases, the broken panes were so high up, no human arm would have been long enough to reach through them and open the latch, and in all of the cases, an mage - there¡¯s a whole college at the Magisterium for this sort of thing - was able to confirm that the paint on the windowsill lacked any recent wear patterns or signs that it had been rained on. The windows hadn¡¯t been opened.¡± He sighed. ¡°So, magic, huh?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Mei drained a glass of water. ¡°What was stolen?¡±

    ¡°Books, we think, probably ones containing family magic secrets although some merely rare texts were taken too.¡±

    ¡°Family magic secrets?¡±

    Charlie shrugged. ¡°All the old and notable mage families have a few tricks up their sleeves, which they pass down from mother to child. You should know. The Kalans probably have dozens.¡±

    Mei¡¯s eyes flicked to Dwayne, who was talking with Maggie¡¯s father and the man in the brown and gold robes. ¡°Yes, he does.¡±

    Charlie finished off his beer. ¡°Still, magic that lets one pass through a palm-sized window pane? That¡¯s something.¡±

    ¡°How big were the books?¡± Mei¡¯s stomach grumbled, and she eyed Huan¡¯s still full salad bowl.

    ¡°No idea,¡± said Charlie. ¡°The families are too embarrassed to talk about it. However, I doubt that any of the stolen books could have fit through the broken window panes.¡±

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t it have been an inside job? Like a disgruntled servant?¡± Huan caught Mei looking at his salad and pushed it over. ¡°The broken window could have been a distraction.¡±

    ¡°A credible idea if three of the robbed families weren¡¯t too poor to have servants. You have to remember that magework is not how you get all this.¡± Charlie gestured to the room.

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t the family-¡±

    ¡°Anything else unusual?¡± asked Mei through another bite of salad. She could eat this all day. Maybe she could convince Maggie to bring some to lunch tomorrow.

    ¡°At the first theft that we know of, there was a knife mark in the wood floor. The room didn¡¯t have any rugs or carpeting so it stood out.¡±

    Mei¡¯s fork hovered over her salad. Knives. Like the ones the wraith had used to attack Lord Kalan in Walcrest. She glanced at Huan. He¡¯d said that the wraith had had some kind of magic knives, which the Vanurians had taken back to their country. It could be a coincidence. ¡°Magic.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Charlie sat back in his chair. ¡°Well, thank you for your insight, Mei. I wish the answer weren¡¯t magic, but it¡¯s a start.¡±

    Something creaked to Mei¡¯s left. She glanced at her brother, who was gripping the arms of his chair tight, which was strange because this had nothing to do with him. He wasn¡¯t a thief anymore. He¡¯d said so.

    She put down her fork. ¡°Where do you live, Charlie?¡±

    The scrytive blinked. ¡°Oh, Boscage, a little ways from the river.¡± He brightened. ¡°It¡¯s a charming place. I got it for cheap when I made Senior Scrytive.¡±

    ¡°Cheap housing in Boscage?¡± Huan chuffed. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it.¡±

    Charlie shrugged. ¡°I got lucky. I have a brother who does favors for the landlady. It¡¯s no cabin in the woods, but at least it¡¯s my own, and it¡¯s good for entertaining.¡±

    Huan smirked. ¡°Is that what they call it around here?¡±

    Mei frowned. ¡°It?¡±

    Her brother¡¯s face flushed. ¡°Having someone over for, uh, activities.¡± He looked away.

    ¡°Oh, activities.¡± Mei nodded sagely. ¡°Maggie¡¯s roommate Fran does those in their dormitory all the time.¡±

    Charlie¡¯s voice was quiet. ¡°Aren¡¯t those single sex?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°So¡­ young men are sneaking in?¡±

    ¡°No, they¡¯re all girls.¡±

    Charlie turned away and coughed. ¡°Th-that¡¯s fine. Who doesn¡¯t enjoy an activity with people of the same sex?¡±

    ¡°Maggie doesn¡¯t always like it.¡± Mei speared her last bite of salad. ¡°She has to study in the library because there¡¯s a glove on the door.¡±

    As Charlie sputtered, Mei finished her third salad. Hopefully these dinners were rare. This one had had good food, but between the awkward conversation with Bruce and her brother¡¯s strange behavior, Mei had to admit she wasn¡¯t enjoying herself much. At least Charlie was nice.

    Huan stood up and rubbed his hands on his breeches. ¡°I need to use the restroom. If you¡¯ll excuse me.¡±

    With a bow, he abandoned Mei, leaving her alone at a party she¡¯d only attended because of Maggie.

    ¡°Does he know where the restroom is?¡± asked Charlie.

    ¡°Yes. We¡¯ve been here before.¡±

    Charlie¡¯s mouth fell open. ¡°So Maggie is¡­oh, wow.¡±

    Hopefully, the soup course was worth it.

 Xa-Ga-Nah-Bor-Ri-Ba, Crows Beak

    By the time the salad had been taken away and replaced with soup, Dwayne had finished describing Resonance Theory to the two noble men. ¡°While we haven¡¯t fully explored the new spell vials¡¯ full implications for  magic, we know that we can use them to train new mages.¡±

    Magdala¡¯s father dipped a spoon into his light green colored soup. ¡°We already have a way to get more mages.¡±

    Dwayne grimaced. ¡°Yes, well, I meant more qualified mages.¡± When Magdala¡¯s father raised an eyebrow, Dwayne felt sweat break out on his face. ¡°No, I-I mean Soura¡¯s mages could reach a higher peak of proficiency.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve spoken of the benefits of your new theory.¡± Baron Thadden tapped his spoon on his bowl. ¡°Do you have real proof of its viability?¡±

    To delay answering, Dwayne took a swig of beer. The answer was clearly yes since, by casting spells every day in class, he himself had proved the theory¡¯s viability. Unfortunately, that was a secret.

    ¡°I¡¯m working on such a proof right now.¡± Cups, he¡¯d been too focused on his practicals. ¡°Currently, I¡¯m in the middle of assembling materials for a project that will enable a  mage to perform magic.¡± Using the third person there implied that he wasn¡¯t a mage. Too late to correct that. ¡°When I¡¯ve got them, I¡¯ll make the necessary preparations and then train someone in their use.¡±

    Both of the baron¡¯s eyebrows raised. ¡°You have experience with  magic? Have you been to the Ri?¡±

    Can¡¯t answer that. ¡°Lord Kalan has some experience.¡± A name broke through the cloud of memory. ¡°Chika, I believe, taught him some¡­ What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Lord Gallus stiffly placed his spoon into his bowl. ¡°Chika is a delicate subject.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s putting it lightly.¡± Baron Thadden took a swig of beer. ¡°The amount of work our office had to do to smooth relations with the Ri after that debacle was monumental. I still cannot believe that your lord brother-in-law brought an unlicensed privateer to Her Majesty¡¯s court.¡±

    ¡°My brother-in-law,¡± Lord Gallus¡¯s brows knitted together, ¡°forgot himself.¡±

    Dwayne sampled the soup as he worked through the phrase ¡°unlicensed privateer¡±. ¡°She was a pirate?¡±

    ¡°Again, even that boorish phrase is putting it lightly,¡± snapped the baron. ¡°That woman attacked Vanurian ports, Souran vessels, anyone she associated with slavers. Her ¡®righteous¡¯ efforts were a constant and unrelenting drain on trade in the Ilyon Sea.¡±

    Attacking slavers was cause for celebration in Dwayne¡¯s book. ¡°What happened to her?¡±

    ¡°Her Highness.¡± Baron Thadden sat back in his seat. ¡°Through our office, she took advantage of internal Ri politics, some nonsense about whether or not Chika was ¡®presenting¡¯ right, and brokered a deal. We captured her and deported her.¡±

    Lord Gallus¡¯s spoon lifted from his soup. ¡°Her Majesty was less than happy with the result.¡±

    The baron winced. ¡°Her Majesty has great ambitions and was trying to make a play for something that the Ri were uncomfortable giving away.¡± He gave Dwayne a thin-lipped smile. ¡°See? Even three years on, it¡¯s a subject of some debate.¡±

    ¡°But we¡¯re past it now.¡± Lord Gallus raised his stein. ¡°There¡¯s a new Wesen here, and he¡¯ll bring us into a brilliant new future.¡± His tone was not joyous.

    That word again. Dwayne stood up. ¡°Of course, we could stick to what we know, ignore what we¡¯ve discovered, and-¡±

    ¡°You forget yourself, young Kalan.¡± Lord Gallus¡¯s tone was now frigid.

    Biting down on his words, Dwayne sat back down and hid clenched fists under the red tablecloth. It was unfair. Lord Gerald Gallus, Lord Commander of Her Majesty¡¯s Army, could be a hypocrite, and Dwayne could not call him out on it. If only he could toss a fireball or two into the man¡¯s face, that would get him to take Dwayne seriously.

    ¡°Passion,¡± Baron Thadden lifted his stein, ¡°is to be shackled to purpose, young Kalan.¡± He took a sip of beer. ¡°I believe we were discussing how to prove your master¡¯s theory?¡±

    Dwayne let his anger, and his magic, fade away and focused on that question. ¡°Like I said, we¡¯ve developed a method that will enable mages to perform spells, and we¡¯re perfecting it so that mages other than myself can use it.¡±

    ¡°Good, very good.¡± The baron took another sip of beer. ¡°I do have one more question for you. Do you think a mage¡¯s abilities are intrinsic to her?¡±

    Dwayne blinked. ¡°Yes, I do.¡±

    ¡°Emittance Theory does not disagree. Yet your Resonance Theory seems to imply that a mage¡¯s magic can be externalized, even separated, from herself, but when I use magic, I feel my own power within me, feel it responding to my thoughts and projecting my will into the world.¡±

    He pointed at his soup. ¡°¡± With a gloop, the soup hopped into the air and hung there in the shape of the bowl. ¡°Cueller has blessed us with this power. It resides within us. It can¡¯t be taken away. It can¡¯t be given away. It¡¯s ours. .¡± The soup settled back into the bowl.

    Dwayne shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not saying Souran mages aren¡¯t tied to their magic. I¡¯m saying that that¡¯s not the whole picture.¡±

    ¡°Ah, but it is.¡± Thadden straightened in his seat and loomed over Dwayne, even from the other side of the table. ¡°What if the power of Cueller resides in all mages? It¡¯s common knowledge that  and  mages hold different amounts of proper and inverted magic within themselves. Why wouldn¡¯t that be true for the less advanced magics, , , even the extinct ? All mages may have some amount of all the magics, but in each a single magic must dominate.¡±

    That ran counter to Dwayne¡¯s experience, but the baron was claiming that Resonance Theory ran counter to his. Time to try logic. ¡°If that was true, then I would expect a mage to be able to do other magics, even a little bit.¡±

    Baron Thadden leaned forward. ¡°Can you say for certain that these spell vials you¡¯ve been creating don¡¯t contain magic themselves? It¡¯s more than possible that the caster is draining the vials of the necessary magic and making up for the deficit.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Dwayne turned the idea over in his head. Again, it didn¡¯t match with his own experience, but he¡¯d need to do more testing to prove it false.

    ¡°Baron,¡± Lord Gallus¡¯s knuckles were white from the effort of gripping his stein, ¡°you mentioned that within each mage, one kind of magic must dominate.¡±

    Dwayne frowned. Lord Gallus was missing the point.

    ¡°That is the clear and obvious conclusion from the evidence,¡± the baron replied. ¡°Otherwise, mages would already be flinging fireballs as we speak.¡± He chuckled. ¡°But as delightful as that image is, it can¡¯t happen. It takes a  mage to do magic.¡±

    ¡°So,¡± Lord Gallus looked Dwayne in the eye, ¡°if we allowed mages of different kinds to interbreed, what would we be risking?¡±

    Dwayne stopped breathing.

    The baron shrugged. ¡°What Emittance Theory suggests, and what Resonance Theory doesn¡¯t deny, is that when two magical essences meet, one annihilates the other.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ We can¡¯t risk that.¡± Lord Gallus looked away from Dwayne. ¡°We can¡¯t risk that future.¡±

    Enough. Dwayne¡¯s fists hit the tabletop. ¡°Are you done?¡±

    Lord Gallus scowled. ¡°Don¡¯t forget yourself.¡±

    ¡°I never forget myself!¡± Dwayne¡¯s heart pounded in his ears. ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± He shoved his chair away from the table, stood up, and stomped out of the dining hall.

    ***

    </a>As servants distributed soup to the guests, Magdala found herself trapped in a lecture by the woman sitting across from her, the dean of Lees College of History, Professor Amanda Quill.

    The dean continued, one hand on a warming stein of beer. ¡°The Second Convention - which, you¡¯ll note, happened after the official end of the Golden Era - marked a significant decline in the Magisterium¡¯s political power. The nobles of the time, already suspicious of the merchants¡¯ growing power and the Eberharts¡¯ strident rejection of patriarchal rule, assembled here in Bradford to petition the Queen Tania to-¡±

    ¡°Quill.¡± The tall thin woman to the dean¡¯s right shook her head. ¡°Please don¡¯t use euphemisms. They invaded Bradford with over ten thousand troops and demanded that the good Queen Tania choose her lay niece as her heir instead of her daughter. Ridiculous.¡±

    ¡°Ridiculous?¡± Magdala perked up. ¡°What was ridiculous?¡±

    ¡°Dean Bruce,¡± her mother placed her hands on the table, ¡°whether or not mages should be queens is not a polite topic of conversation.¡±

    ¡°It should be,¡± said the dean. ¡°Cueller has blessed us mages with the knowledge and ability to discern the very foundations of reality. I believe that firsthand experience of those foundations would enrich the Queen¡¯s lineage, not weaken it.¡± She smiled. ¡°My dear Sage, look at what you¡¯ve accomplished with the backing of a powerful noble bloodline, look at what the future head of your family accomplished down in that heretic¡¯s jungle, and tell me that Her Majesty¡¯s line the Eberharts wouldn¡¯t benefit materially and spiritually from magecraft.¡±

    Magdala coughed. ¡°I don¡¯t think I accomplished much. My contribution was minor at best.¡±

    The dean pointed at Magdala with her soup spoon. ¡°Without your initiative to take charge of the investigation, Walton would be a-¡±

    ¡°Dean Bruce,¡± Magdala¡¯s mother raised her voice just a hair, ¡°the Magisterium has not, will not, and does not encourage reckless or improper behavior in our students.¡±

    The younger woman subsided. ¡°Yes, of course. I am still proud to be sitting in the company of two nobles who¡¯ve combined their noble bloodline with their magical ability.¡±

    ¡°There are many mages who do that regularly.¡± Magdala stirred her soup. ¡°Like the Lucchesis and the windsong messengers.¡±

    ¡°Merchants and messengers.¡± Dean Bruce¡¯s nose wrinkled. ¡°Yes, mages like them are necessary for the economy, but when it comes to leadership, it¡¯s nobles like yourself and your mother who should be leading the way.¡±

    Dean Bruce¡¯s old master placed a hand on her forearm. ¡°Roberta, calm, please.¡± She smiled at Magdala¡¯s mother. ¡°She¡¯s most passionate about this, and I apologize for encouraging it by giving her free run of the Archives. I didn¡¯t expect her to read so much of it!¡± She chuckled. ¡°Why, she even found sections that I¡¯d never seen before.¡±

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    Dean Bruce patted her mentor¡¯s hand. ¡°I was just making the best use of my abilities, Master.¡±

    Which didn¡¯t include taking over Lees? Magdala cleared her throat. ¡°Dean Bruce, why did you start your own college?¡±

    Dean Bruce sat up in her chair. Even seated, she was head and shoulders above everyone else. ¡°Six hundred and fifty-seven years ago, short-sighted lay nobles blocked mages from gaining martial power. My college is dedicated to reversing that error.¡± She offered a weak smile. ¡°That said, I have to admit that none of us have experienced battle like yourself, your lady mother, your lord uncle, Lady Pol and the other surviving graduates of the shuttered Duelist¡¯s College. As a result, we are researchers, not practitioners.¡±

    ¡°You make weapons,¡± said Magdala¡¯s mother.

    ¡°Our enemies abroad have been doing so for centuries.¡± Dean Bruce pointed south. ¡°Those things you faced down in the Vanurian jungle were weapons, the products of dark heretical research. We at the Magisterium have known this for years, but instead of trying to match magic with magic, we hide behind the wall our forebears built.¡±

    ¡°That wall represents Soura¡¯s strength!¡± Magdala didn¡¯t quail under her mother¡¯s sharp look. ¡°That wall corralled the hordes, mitigated their overwhelming numerical advantage, and gave our soldiers the space to use superior skill and training to win. Mages couldn¡¯t have done that alone.¡±

    Dean Bruce clapped. ¡°Well put! As expected of the daughter of the Lord Commander.¡±

    ¡°Yes, as expected.¡± Magdala¡¯s mother dipped her spoon into her soup. ¡°Deans Bruce and Quill, you were both reported absent at Lady Pol¡¯s offering of her paper on Resonance Theory.¡±

    Dean Bruce shrugged. ¡°Yes, unfortunately I had an important time-sensitive experiment to run and couldn¡¯t get away. I haven¡¯t yet found an apprentice skilled enough to run them in my absence.¡±

    Dean Quill picked up her stein. ¡°The Autumn Session approaches and, as always, reminds both professors and students that the Harvest Ball is approaching. I¡¯ve been inundated with requests to find this, that, and the other and didn¡¯t have time to attend an irrelevant offering on a nascent theory.¡±

    The Autumn Session was Her Majesty¡¯s last chance to finalize law and pronounce judgment on pending cases, and it was the boring prelude to the Harvest Ball, which Francesca had been preparing for for months. Already, her wall in their shared room was plastered with sketches of the dresses that she wanted Magdala, Mei, and herself to wear.

    Speaking of Mei¡­

    Magdala peeked over at her friend, who was still in the horrible purple striped dress. Francesca was going to rip Huan¡¯s head off.

    Magdala¡¯s mother tapped her spoon on her soup bowl. ¡°I know you¡¯ve both read the minutes. What are your positions?¡±

    ¡°Certainly, Lady Pol¡¯s offering was passionate,¡± Dean Quill shifted in her seat, ¡°but not well grounded in recent scholarship. We must remember that our magic is based on the sea and the sky and the earth, which makes it very different from the vulgar sorceries of Wesen¡¯s flame-slingers and the Empire¡¯s animal-speech makers. Knowing that, can we really say that the old Yaniti empire¡¯s magic - with its fantastical mythical beasts - shared the same fundamental principles as our modern magic?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we can,¡± said Dean Bruce.

    Magdala¡¯s mouth fell open. ¡°We- we can?¡±

    ¡°Yes, we can.¡± Dean Bruce¡¯s hands traced her ideas. ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel true that magic, human magic, manifests fundamentally differently from person to person. Unlike you, Master, I¡¯ve been in the same room as a casting, and I¡¯ve heard the sounds and rhythms of their spells, which definitely share a grammar with magicLike us, when  mages command, nature obeys.¡±

    Which wasn¡¯t quite true. Magdala had asked Dwayne once about the difference between casting  magic and  magic, and he¡¯d said, ¡°It feels like magic pulls the world into me so that I can change it, but magic pushes me into the world, which then decides what to do with me.¡±

    Her eyes dropped to her soup. ¡°magic is emotion, not reason.¡±

    ¡°Well said.¡± Dean Bruce leaned in. ¡°That does makes it inferior to  magic, which relies on reason, the master of emotion.¡±

    Magdala leaned in. ¡°What are you-¡±

    A thump sounded from the other end of the table. ¡°Are you done?¡± Dwayne shoved himself away from the table and stormed out of the dining room.

    As the room burst into whispers, Magdala¡¯s mother put a hand to her forehead. ¡°Cups.¡±

    ¡°Well, that was not unexpected,¡± muttered Dean Quill to her apprentice.

    For her part, Dean Bruce remained silent, her eyes on the space Dwayne had occupied.

    ¡°He¡¯s under a lot of pressure.¡± Magdala¡¯s hand wrung the tablecloth. ¡°Making the Scaled Tower operational, attending classes-¡±

    ¡°My pardon, young Gallus,¡± Dean Quill barely hid a sneer, ¡°but I doubt someone of his¡­ heritage is capable of doing any of that, let alone all of that. Bruce, haven¡¯t you written papers to that effect?¡±

    Dean Bruce¡¯s smile could cut glass. ¡°That wasn¡¯t quite my conclusion, Master.¡±

    Magdala glared at the older dean. ¡°I doubt that anyone our age has ever been asked to do even half of what he¡¯s done without the backing of-¡±

    ¡°Magdala.¡± Her mother¡¯s voice cut her off.

    Magdala subsided. ¡°I apologize, Mother.¡±

    The Water Sage stood up and clapped her hands to silence the room. ¡°Everyone, I apologize for the interruption. My lord brother¡¯s apprentice is still adjusting to our customs here in Bradford. Children his age are still growing after all.¡± She laughed and the room politely laughed with her. ¡°Please enjoy the viridian squash soup. The next course will begin shortly.¡±

    Sitting back down, she turned to Magdala. ¡°I believe your father requires your presence.¡± She sounded casual, but Magdala could see the strain at the corners of her lips.

    ¡°Yes, Mother.¡± Magdala rose to her feet. ¡°Would you like me to tell him anything?¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s leaving took the main reason why anyone was here away, and so, more than likely, her mother was going to have to cut this dinner short after the next course.

    Her mother¡¯s face went still. ¡°Inform him I appreciated his choice of beer.¡±

    That was probably some spousal signal. ¡°Understood.¡± Magdala curtsied. ¡°By your leave, Mother.¡±

    ¡°It was very interesting to meet you and your friend,¡± said Dean Bruce. ¡°May Cueller¡¯s Blessing pour upon you.¡±

    What archaic phrasing. ¡°And you.¡± Magdala curtsied again and hurried away.

    The standard Gallus family protocol for a disastrous dinner was to end it quickly with sugar and alcohol and hope that the participants would be too weighed down with both to remember the bad parts. It also meant that Magdala wasn¡¯t going to be able to speak to Dean Bruce for the rest of the night, which was too bad. The dean was not only amenable to Resonance Theory, but she was more savvy than Lady Pol and was held in better regard than Magdala¡¯s lord uncle. Should Magdala petition to join the College of Martial Magic? It had to be better than Lees and the dusty Archives.`

    When she reached her father¡¯s end of the table, Magdala curtsied. ¡°Father.¡± Without waiting for his acknowledgment, she took Dwayne¡¯s still warm seat. ¡°Mother says that she appreciates your choice of beer.¡±

    ¡°Cups.¡± Her father glanced down at the other end of the table. ¡°I¡­ understand. So, did you talk with Dean Quill?¡±

    Considering the results of tonight, Magdala and Dwayne were both going to get a scolding, but Magdala was practiced in pulling attention to herself, something her little brother Hans would appreciate one day.

    With a smile dripping with sugar, she asked her father, ¡°What do you really think about the College of Martial Magic?¡±

    ***

    </a>Dwayne rushed past the stunned door guards and out onto Tarpan¡¯s strangely flat drive and then stopped and looked around. There were a dozen carriages parked along the drive, their flickering yellow lanterns betraying their presence in the misty dark, and he could not tell which one was his, which one Rodion was sitting in, which one would take Dwayne away from the house full of humiliation to the one empty of people.

    This failure gave Dwayne¡¯s reason time to catch up to him. He should go back, apologize, face the consequences, but, if he did, he¡¯d have to apologize to Lord Gallus and even weakening the Water Sage¡¯s rage wasn¡¯t worth the hit to Dwayne¡¯s pride. Besides, right now, he was hungry and tired. Tomorrow, he would eat, drink, and actually deal with the fallout. Right now, he¡¯d find his carriage.

    He approached the closest one.

    ¡°Wait, wait!¡± A young page intercepted him and folded into a deep bow. ¡°Sorry, milord, I wasn¡¯t ready.¡± He blinked up at Dwayne. ¡°Lord Dwayne?¡±

    The voice was familiar. Dwayne looked past the stuffy red and gold outfit and peered at the boy¡¯s face and blonde curls. ¡°Hans?¡±

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s me.¡± Magdala¡¯s little brother grinned. ¡°Are you going home already?¡±

    Dwayne nodded. ¡°This was¡­ tiring.¡± He frowned. ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Hans lifted his chin. ¡°Pages get to stay past their bedtime. My big sister told me that.¡±

    Dwayne chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m sure she did. Can you find my carriage?¡±

    Hans saluted. ¡°Yes, Lord Dwayne. Just a tic!¡± He scampered off into the darkness.

    Dwayne found himself chuckling again. The boy certainly took his role as page seriously.

    With nothing but the rustle of leaves to distract him, Dwayne¡¯s thoughts again returned to what he¡¯d just done, and anxiety skittered back into the pit of his stomach. He¡¯d walked out on a Gallus dinner, one designed to present him to polite society, and thereby insulted two of the most powerful people in the queendom. When the Queen heard about this, she¡¯d order Lord Kalan to strip away Dwayne¡¯s status as his heir and as Adjunct Librarian, and then Dwayne would be left out in the street, forever locked out of the halls of magic and knowledge.

    Or the  could take him.

    ¡°Ain¡¯t you dressed up like a cock¡¯s brush?¡±

    A short lean maid in a plain yellow dress and white pinafore approached Dwayne, her hair neatly hidden in a white bonnet, but he didn¡¯t notice because her skin was darker than his.

    ¡°You got a tongue?¡± The Wesen maid looked into his open mouth. ¡°These Sourans didn¡¯t slice it out and put it in that soup, did they?¡±

    ¡°I-I can speak,¡± said Dwayne. ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°Cussed lightning, they have you speaking like them!¡± The maid inspected his suit and shoes. ¡°And dressed like them. Ain¡¯t none of that velvet cheap. The Gallus¡¯s have your ¡®tract?¡±

    ¡°My ¡®tract? What¡¯s a¡­¡± Dwayne realized that the maid didn¡¯t see an nobleman¡¯s heir or a mage¡¯s apprentice standing before her. ¡°No. No, I¡¯m not- You¡­ you don¡¯t know who I am?¡±

    ¡°What? Am I supposed to?¡± She peered into his face and then shook her head. ¡°Nope. I have the faces of all the stringers and blowers with fingers and lips good enough to please people as nobbed up as the Galluses, and you, Mr. Velvet, ain¡¯t one of them.¡±

    The maid spoke in riddles. ¡°Are you talking about entertainment?¡± asked Dwayne. ¡°Like bards and traveling players?¡±

    The maid¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°Shamed light, are you from out of town? No one in the The Sore talks so pretty.¡±

    More slang. Dwayne nodded slowly. ¡°Yes, I, uh, only arrived recently. I¡¯m sorry I-¡± He coughed. Time to actually communicate. ¡°I¡¯m Dwayne Kalan.¡±

    ¡°Dwayne Kalan? No tribe or clan gave you a name like that.¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s eyes slid away from her. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know my given name.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a shame.¡± The maid held out her hand. ¡°Akunna Ibeabuchi.¡± When Dwayne shook her hand, she said, ¡°Born in Wesen, and bo-¡±

    ¡°Ah, Gretchen, there you are,¡± said Baron Thadden.

    Akunna leapt back from Dwayne. She bowed. ¡°At your service, milord.¡± The energy she¡¯d had, her curiosity, had evaporated.

    Baron Thadden smiled. ¡°Please retrieve our carriage. Where¡¯s the page on duty? Oh, young Kalan, I didn¡¯t see you there.¡±

    Doubtful. Dwayne bowed. ¡°Are you leaving early too?¡± He kept one eye on Akunna - the name ¡°Gretchen¡± didn¡¯t fit - as she set off down the drive.

    Baron Thadden lowered his voice. ¡°Just between us, I was never going to stay long past the first course. Our office has so much work to do before the Autumn Session, and Her Highness such high expectations of her staff, that senior members such as myself must work late into the night.¡± He rubbed his chin. ¡°Surely, your office has some work to do before Session?¡±

    Probably, but Dwayne would have to find it first. ¡°No, not yet. Right now, I¡¯m organizing the files, starting with the license paperwork.¡±

    The baron didn¡¯t reply for a moment. ¡°The licenses, huh? Is your master assisting you? Are you dispatching documents to him via horse or windsong?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s focusing on Walcrest at present.¡± Whenever Dwayne sent Lord Kalan work, it came back a week later with a note stating that Dwayne should take care of it on his own. Not aggravating at all. ¡°There¡¯s a lot to be done.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Thadden patted Dwayne on the back. ¡°Hopefully, he¡¯ll find the time soon.¡± He turned to face the drive. ¡°A bright boy like you will go far.¡±

    Dwayne frowned. ¡°Far?¡±

    Thadden nodded. ¡°You know our discussion back there was most bracing, a true delving into the nature of our world. You saw me tossing clubs at your theory, and you caught them with aplomb.¡±

    Dwayne looked away. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ generous of you, Baron. Lord Gallus wasn¡¯t convinced.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not surprised.¡± The baron gestured to Tarpan¡¯s grounds. ¡°We nobles prize family above all else, and everyone knows that Magdala is the Lord Commander¡¯s favorite child. No parent, not even a great man like Lord Gallus, wants to be separated from their favorites.¡± He leaned close. ¡°My advice? Forget about pleasing him and focus your efforts on mastering that savage temper of yours. Remember that a true Souran mage uses logic to make her arguments, not fickle passion. Oh, Gretchen has brought my carriage.¡±

    Two carriages, one plain, the other styled in brown and gold trimmings, rolled up to them.

    Akunna stepped out of the fancy one. ¡°Milord.¡± She bowed.

    ¡°Excellent, excellent.¡± Thadden nodded at Dwayne. ¡°With that, I take my leave, young Kalan. I shall monitor your progress closely.¡±

    After he stepped into the carriage, Akunna closed the door behind him, but, before she left, she turned to Dwayne. ¡°Are you free, you who knows not their past, knows not their name, knows not their caste? Are you free?¡± She didn¡¯t wait for Dwayne¡¯s response before she rushed to the front of the carriage and shouted for the driver to go.

    ¡°She gave you a poem.¡± Hans opened the door into Dwayne¡¯s carriage. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Dwayne stepped up to the carriage, Akunna¡¯s words bouncing around in his head. ¡°Thank you, Hans.¡± He looked inside and froze.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s Ro- my steward?¡±

    Hans turned to the front of the carriage. ¡°Driver?¡±

    ¡°Said he had something to take care of, milord,¡± answered the driver. ¡°Told me to wait for you. I hope he brings my scarf back. Me brother gave it to me.¡±

    This wasn¡¯t the first time Rodion had disappeared like this, but it was the most inconvenient timing. Feeling empty, Dwayne stepped into the carriage and allowed Hans to shut the door after him. As the carriage rumbled forward, Dwayne considered how to master his temper. The only thing he could think of was to tamp down on his emotions and become Souran.

 hFo-Chou-Ti-Tasan-Bien-Sen-Song-Si-Doufe, Black Curly Hair

    Half a district away, in the Noble District¡¯s Parvenue Quarter, Tiger tucked the oilskin bag containing the thief¡¯s gaudy red suit into a hollow in an alley wall and hid it behind a board. He ignored the thief¡¯s urging to fold the suit.

    Unexpectedly, crossing the Gallus estate had made Tiger wish he¡¯d settled for robbing it, but between the guards, the hunter, the scrytive, the Lord Commander, the Water Sage, and the fire mage, even he had to admit it was too risky. He¡¯d have to eat the lost time.

    Out of sight of the footmen, pages, and cabbies who were rushing home in the drizzle, Tiger donned tonight¡¯s costume: one black shirt, one pair of dark trousers, one pair of rubbery climbing gloves, one pair of thin soft-soled shoes, one slate gray sailor¡¯s cloak, one belt with five knives slid into it, one hip bag full of thief¡¯s tools, and one tattered blue scarf.

    He was ready.

    First, the roof. Running his hands over the wet alley wall, Tiger assessed the slickness of the bricks, the building material of choice for the less affluent nobles who couldn¡¯t afford North Souran stone. That was lucky. He could scale chipped bricks and worn mortar much faster than sheer stone. The thief¡¯s experience at Han Luo spoke to that.

    Tiger jumped, caught a brick in each hand, and pulled himself up. After securing himself with the soles of his shoes, he reached and grabbed another brick, but it slid out of his hand, forcing him to scramble to catch another. What would help are claws like a real-

    .

    Tiger¡¯s grip slipped, and he lost a  of altitude before he caught the wall and arrested his fall. He hung there and waited for the haunting image to fade as the thief whimpered at the back of his mind.

    Tiger continued his climb, reaching the roof with no other issues. Rubbing feeling back into his fingers, he took in the city of Bradford, the seat of the Souran government. From here, he could see the royal palace¡¯s brilliant white lanterns, which easily cut through the drizzle and fog. Hopefully, one day he¡¯d rob the place and make a proper name for himself, but, tonight, all his prey lived down in the wet shadows and smeared lights of the Noble District.

    Crouching, he considered the options that the thief¡¯s ingratiations at the party had provided, happy that, since he¡¯d left after the first course, none of the available prey would be home for hours. A noble dinner was a serious affair and nothing, save disaster, could stop it.

    Option One lived alone in a flat to the south on the border of the Noble District and Boscage. By the reek of magic on her hands and her gaudy orange dress, she was a working mage. Her home would be easy to break into but unlikely to yield anything valuable.

    Option Two lived to the east in a townhouse with her father and daughter and had worn the season¡¯s colors teal and white. That meant she was richer than Option One, but the presence of two other people increased the likelihood of guards.

    Option Three lived in a large apartment in the west. He¡¯d eschewed fashion but had worn expensive robes of rich brown and shimmering gold. The thief hadn¡¯t spoken to him much, but he¡¯d seemed formidable, even a challenge.

    Left to his own devices, Tiger would have chosen either Option Two or Option Three because of the challenge involved, but the gang of footpads that he worked for had something else planned tonight, and challenge meant time-consuming. He just needed to steal something magical; they didn¡¯t care what. Hopefully, there would be time after that job to take care of that scrytive the thief had run into at dinner.

    The thief¡¯s admonition slapped the thought aside.

    Tiger growled.

    The thief stood his ground.

    Tiger felt the mask start to peel from his face. .

    The thief settled down.

    Tiger snorted. Attacking the scrytive was too risky anyway, but unfortunately, as long as he was on Tiger¡¯s trail, Tiger had to avoid using the knives he¡¯d taken from Zeya, and that meant that Options Two and Three were off the table.

    His eyes slid north. There was a fourth option.

    The thief roused again.

    . Tiger let go of that idea. It was the sure bet, his trump card, but he didn¡¯t need it, not tonight.

    Option Two then.

    Turning south, Tiger dashed across the rooftop and leapt, clearing the gap between the houses, and landed on the next roof. He continued, relying on his night vision to avoid broken roof tiles and waking residents. Soon, he reached the Parvenue Quarter¡¯s southern edge where grand townhouses gave way to quaint six-story apartment buildings with brick walls, stone facades, and friezes depicting glorious battles. After running a couple more blocks, he slowed to a stop across the street from Number 248 Vents Street, a yellow brick building and Option Two¡¯s home.

    Crouching on the roof across the street, Tiger took in the details of the prey¡¯s building. It was newer than its fellows, its frieze using a more abstract modern style, the beasts and warriors more shapes than bodies. New meant that the brick and mortar was in better condition, making the walls harder to climb. Its windows were more usual, at least for Souran buildings. Apparently, Souran crafters could mass-produce cheap, clear glass, and the building of Number 248 had taken advantage and installed big tall windows. This made it harder to break in as smashing such large windows would make a lot of noise, and since there were multiple flats, he¡¯d have to do so again and again.

    In the back of Tiger¡¯s mind, the thief¡¯s eyes twinkled.

    Tiger chuffed.

    The thief rolled his eyes.

    Though that would be easier than letting the thief take control with all his strange hang ups. For example, the thief felt guilty about leaving the hunter behind at dinner, even after she¡¯d betrayed them and trapped them in this cursed country, all because she was family, and the thief claimed he couldn¡¯t abandon family. That said, there was no other way to get to the prey. Tiger relaxed his hold and stepped back.

    Huan took another look at the apartment building. Good, it didn¡¯t have a door guard on duty, which meant no one could stop him from picking the lock and just strolling on in. He climbed uncatlike down to the street, let a carriage splash past him, then ambled up to the building¡¯s front door. He tried the knob, but it wouldn¡¯t turn. He knelt to inspect the lock. He grinned.

    .

    He pulled out his lock-picks, inserted a hook into the lock, then paused. The rain patters behind him sounded wrong, muffled. Even when the beast stepped back, its sense stayed with Huan all the time. That was probably a benefit of absorbing the mask. He made a show of looking for his keys and surreptitiously searched the shadows behind him. He saw nothing, but something was there.

    The beast growled.

    Huan turned back to the door and with a quick twist of the hook, unlocked it. In moments, he was out of the rain and in a sickly green hallway with white wooden doors. Now, all he had to do was find the mark. He sniffed. New paint, dibecco smoke, carpet dust, and¡­ baking fruit? He followed that last to a door halfway down the hallway and knocked.

    A ruddy-faced man, taller than Huan but better fed and more muscular, answered the door in a pink and blue floral apron. ¡°What do you want?¡±

    Soft consonants, flat accent, blatant disregard for Bradford courtesy. Probably Western Souran.

    Huan bowed. ¡°Apologies.¡± He let his consonants soften, made his voice more nasal, more foreign. ¡°Could you please tell me which flat is Miss Nicole Fletcher¡¯s?¡±

    The baker frowned.

    He¡¯d need a reason to answer that question. Huan gave him a nervous smile. ¡°My master Lord Kalan has a job for her that cannot wait.¡± Huan had no idea what the mark did for a living, but he bet she hired herself out when possible.

    The baker¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°He couldn¡¯t wait till morning?¡±

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    ¡°You know how nobs are. Always in a hurry.¡±

    ¡°And never to go anywhere important.¡± The baker crossed his arms. ¡°How urgent?¡±

    Excellent, he knew the mark. Huan shifted uneasily. ¡°It¡¯s of a sensitive nature. He needs to move his paramour out fast before her ladyship returns.¡±

    The baker tilted his head. ¡°Paramour?¡±

    Huan shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s what milord called him.¡±

    ¡°Well, well.¡± The baker rubbed his chin. ¡°That¡¯s something to know. Maybe she¡¯ll take the chance to get ahead, and not let her brother do all the work.¡± He pointed up. ¡°Third floor, room three-oh-two. You¡¯ll have to wait. She¡¯s at some dinner party tonight.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, thank you, thank you!¡± Huan bowed repeatedly.

    ¡°Just get on with it. I¡¯m busy.¡± The baker shut the door and left Huan alone in the hallway.

    Upstairs then.

    An investigation of the far end of the hallway yielded a flight of stairs that led to the upper and lower floors. Huan went up and had just reached the second landing when the beast grabbed control.

    Ignoring the thief¡¯s protests, Tiger sniffed the air again. Outside, he hadn¡¯t heard whatever the thief had, but this, the scent of musty paper and smoke, this he noticed, and it suggested an alarming possibility. He sniffed once more and froze. The scent was gone, replaced with the acrid smell of new paint. Tiger looked down into the stairwell, but there was nothing and no one. Still concerned, he stepped back.

    Back in control, Huan cursed. Between its paranoia and the haunting visions of Marcus, he was glad the beast hadn¡¯t gone after a mark with any real security or else they¡¯d be in a dungeon by now. His left hand went to his side and found nothing. Right, he¡¯d left his sword behind. Mei wouldn¡¯t have let him bring it to dinner. Annoyed, he rushed up the stairs, barged onto the third floor, and marched up to number three-oh-two, which he broke into with barely any effort.

    Inside was a small kitchen with a tiny counter and matching stove, a sitting area with a well worn blue couch and two rickety wooden chairs, and three doors that presumably led to sleeping quarters. Or closets. That was all he got before the beast took control.

    Tiger sniffed. The smell of dirt and sand and stone reminded him of the mountains, where-

    Tiger covered his mouth, holding in the thief¡¯s sobs.

    He shoved the thief further into the back of his mind and sniffed again. This time he found what he was looking for. Magic, on the other side of one of the doors. He tried to open it. Locked.

    .

    The thief only sobbed.

    Rolling his eyes, Tiger broke the doorknob, and wrenched the door open. Behind it was a closet-sized room that was stuffed with a small bed and bookshelves. Most of the books were worthless, but the one sitting on a small shelf right above the bed was a rare second edition, and it was on the list. Lucky. Tiger grabbed it and turned to leave.

    Someone, shorter and thinner than the prey, stood in the middle of the room. ¡°You do not belong here, ,¡± she said in High Imperial Tuquese.

    ***

    </a>When Huan had snuck out of Tarpan, he¡¯d made three mistakes. First, he¡¯d worn a bright red suit that any bored person staring out of their carriage window could have seen, even through mist and foliage. Second, he¡¯d left said suit in the care of an unattended wall where any curious person could find it. Third, he¡¯d made so much noise running across the rooftops that anyone could have followed him from the street. Making all three mistakes in the presence of a face-shifting spy currently posing as the Kalan¡¯s steward? That was just bad luck.

    As Huan sniffed the air one floor up, Dana slid under the stairway and out of sight, hoping that he couldn¡¯t hear pulse pounding. As far as  knew the Tiger Mask was gone, but Huan¡¯s current behavior and his rooftop athleticism belied that idea. Dana would investigate that later. Right now,  needed something to throw Huan off the scent.

    pulled a strip of red cloth out of  pocket, put it to  nose and breathed in Huan¡¯s sweaty musky scent with only a little grimace.

    Then she held it in her mind. ¡°¡±

    The spell hit like a summer day, making  sweaty and itchy. Soon Dana¡¯s scent was no longer Rodion¡¯s wood, smoke, and ink, but Huan¡¯s dirt and musk. Now cloaked, Dana held  breath and waited. Above , Huan continued to sniff, but, while Dana¡¯s spell had been rushed, it would take a hound to find  now. The sniffing stopped. Footsteps sounded. A door open and closed. He¡¯d bought it. Dana stepped out into the open and climbed up the stairs, training and experience keeping  steps silent.

    There was still the question of why Huan had come here. It was concerning that he¡¯d resumed thieving, but it was far more concerning that he had customers. Sure, Huan could be hoarding items like a rat with string, but Dana would have noticed a stuffed mattress during  regular snoops in the Li siblings¡¯ rooms. It was more likely that he was working for a greedy merchant, a jealous noble, or¡­ Quickpaw, Tuqu¡¯s lead spy in Soura. This kind of work wasn¡¯t like Quickpaw though; she deployed assets efficiently and sending one to steal from a mere commoner was wasteful. It was probably someone else, but Dana had to confirm.

    Opening the door to the third floor,  peeked into the hallway and caught Huan as he broke into one of the apartments. As he disappeared into the room,  pulled a olive, pink, and ash gray scarf out from under  cloak and wrapped it around  face, hiding Rodion¡¯s features from view. Then, after releasing the scent spell, making scentless,  crept up the hallway.  didn¡¯t want to fight the boy who¡¯d fought a single-handedlyand survived. would lose or, worse, attract so much attention Dana¡¯s handler Ramos would send  back to The Circle.

    Quieting  breath, Dana entered the flat and locked the door behind . Inside, colorful handmade rugs and paintings of smiling sunburned people standing in fields of waise surrounded . Whoever lived here had been born a farmer and likely didn¡¯t have very many mages in their family. There was a painting sitting on the coffee table in front of the sofa. It depicted a middle-aged woman, a young lady, and a teen-aged boy holding up a letter. Dana¡¯s eyes widened. The women wore silvery rings on neck chains. They were mages.

    A quick inspection of the flat¡¯s walls yielded a framed basic earthhoist provisional license for a Nicole Fletcher, dated last year. Earthhoisting was necessary yet unglamorous work, so why was Huan here?

    Time to set up a brief confrontation. While the thief in question rummaged through a closet, Dana stepped past the sofa and took up position in the center of the flat. Which voice should  use to talk to Huan? Rodion was too uptight, Clara was too flirty, and both were too Vanurian and would stumble over the Tuquese language¡¯s lack of personal pronouns.  needed authority and connections and with a good ear and better tongue,  wouldn¡¯t need to use another spell.

    When Huan finally turned around, Dana used the diction, phrasing, and intonation of a Jade Lotus magistrate to say, ¡°You do not belong here, .¡±  meant non-mage. ¡°Explain your presence here.¡±

    Huan¡¯s right hand flew to his left side, reaching for the sword he¡¯d left behind. ¡°Who are you?¡± His left hand disappeared behind his back. ¡°Did Momin send you?¡±

    Behind the impromptu wrap covering Rodion¡¯s face, Dana¡¯s heart raced. He knew Quickpaw¡¯s real name?

    bowed. ¡°We keep an eye on someone with your gifts.¡± walked to the window and opened it, letting the night¡¯s drizzle wet  fingers. ¡°Explain your presence here. I shall not command you again, .¡±

    What was he hiding behind his back? The closet - no, bedroom,  saw the bed - behind him was full of bookshelves. One had a gap. That only deepened the mystery of Huan¡¯s purpose here. What did he want with a book?

    Dropping his right hand to his belt of knives, Huan assumed a relaxed posture and chuckled. ¡°Doesn¡¯t the right hand talk to the left?¡± His Tuquese was provincial and made a mush of the language¡¯s vowels. That was on purposewas sure. ¡°I¡¯m here on orders of course.¡± He showed  the book. ¡°This is a dangerous text, and the Empire won¡¯t allow these dirtpushers mess around with it.¡±

    ¡°And you knew that the mage living here would be out?¡± It was too dark for Dana to read the title, but now  was certain Quickpaw wasn¡¯t involved. The spymaster could care less about such small orders. ¡°Impressive.¡±

    Huan grinned. ¡°I knew her schedule.¡±

    ¡°Good work.¡± So, Nicole Fletcher was at the Gallus dinner. That had to be how Huan had known. ¡°Still, you should-¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me that!¡± Rage broke through Huan¡¯s calm facade.

    Wow, short fuse. ¡°Very well, countryman, but you must understand that dabbling in the activities of these¡­ dirtpushers is parlous.¡±  stepped away from the window and put the sofa between them. ¡°I recommend caution.¡±

    Huan shrugged. ¡°I can handle myself.¡± The facade was back, but Dana didn¡¯t miss how he was inching towards the open window. ¡°Sourans are all credulous fools. I¡¯ll have what I need soon, and then I¡¯ll be out of you and Momin¡¯s way.¡± His right hand tightened around a black-handled knife. ¡°We have a deal after all.¡±

    He had a deal with Quickpaw? What did it entail? Did Mei know? Dana stopped moving away from the window and eyed the knives on Huan¡¯s belt. They couldn¡¯t afford to let them fall into the hands of Quickpaw and her kind. Should  try to steal them back? With any luck, Huan hadn¡¯t figured out their full function yet.

    ¡°You will stand down,¡± Dana brought  up to  full height, ¡°and wait for instructions.¡±

    Huan bared his teeth. ¡°Make me.¡±

    The doorknob jiggled.

    Spy and thief froze. Nicole was back too soon. It had been barely a hour since they¡¯d left Tarpan, and Souran noble dinner parties never ended before the small hours of the morning. What had gone wrong? Was Dwayne okay? A whoosh and a pop broke Dana¡¯s line of thought.  looked for Huan, but he was gone, had used the knives to escape and left Dana alone in the mage¡¯s flat. Saving curses for later,  flung  towards the door.

    ¡°Cups, that was a disaster.¡± A gawky young woman, Nicole presumably, lumbered past Dana¡¯s hiding place against the wall just to the left of the entrance. ¡°I wonder what that Wesen boy was screaming about.¡± She blinked. ¡°Did I leave that window open?¡±

    Before the mage pushed the door shut, Dana slipped out into the hallway.

    Phons bless  trainer in the Lunar Circle, and Phons bless being born Obscura Phase. Both had saved from making any noise on that hasty exit. As  uncovered Rodion¡¯s features and restored his scent, Danareviewed Nicole¡¯s comment. Had Dwayne snapped? Dwayne, who¡¯d displayed so much cool that he¡¯d impressed Soura¡¯s Queen?  needed to get back to Sanford quick. Huan and his strange theft could wait.

 Riikdeulahikwehnpaa, Thunder

    The next day, Mei woke up and groaned at the white and purple striped mess she lay on. She¡¯d been too tired to put the awful dress away. Pushing it out of her face, Mei rolled over and checked the thin wooden slats above her.

    They were flat.

    Faeflies dancing in her belly, Mei leapt out of bed, hoisted herself up, and checked Huan¡¯s bunk. It was empty and unmade, just like he¡¯d left it the day before. Wherever he¡¯d gone after slipping away from dinner last night, he hadn¡¯t returned here.

    Her eyebrows knitted, Mei dropped back down and surveyed the rest of the room. Her brother¡¯s uniform was in its usual pile in the corner, but, while his tunic and trousers and scarf were missing, the sword he¡¯d stolen from Yumma wasn¡¯t, and his usually locked wooden box was open. Mei peeked inside and found nothing but plain wood.

    She frowned.

    She was missing something.

    Huan had been wearing his uniform before changing into the red suit for dinner, and he¡¯d been empty-handed for the carriage ride, but his usual clothes - his scarf and trousers and tunic - were gone. There was a chance he¡¯d sent them to get cleaned, but that didn¡¯t sound likely.

    Suddenly exhausted, Mei rubbed sleep out of her eyes, and her fingers came away purple. Right. The makeup. She¡¯d also forgotten to remove it before bed. While she could wait until she got to the Tower, Mei wanted it - and the night it represented - gone, and so she slipped on her boots, grabbed her towel, and left the room.

    As she padded through the dust and mud of the empty corridor, Mei passed door after snoring door. She didn¡¯t envy the night-shift workers. Yes, last night¡¯s dinner had been equal parts boring and frustrating, but at least she hadn¡¯t spent the night slinging heavy boxes around. Making sure to only step on the quiet floorboards, Mei reached a graying wooden door at the end of the hallway. Opening it, she slipped into the shared bathroom and walked up to its cracked mirror.

    Last night¡¯s glorious Lady was gone, leaving mere Mei and her smeared purple makeup, which Huan had given no instructions on how to remove. She shrugged. Hard scrubbing and persistence would work. Then she¡¯d go on with her day: meeting Maggie and Fran for lunch as usual then guarding the tower.

    Picking up a wooden bucket off a stool next to the sink, Mei pushed it under a rusty black iron pump. After wrapping the pump¡¯s handle with her towel, she pushed down on it with all her might. With a muffled shriek and a shudder, the handle came down. No water came out. This was why Mei had considered going to the Tower to clean up. Not only was the pump as loud as a dying bird, it took a lot of effort to get working.

    She pulled the handle up.

    She pushed the handle down.

    Nothing.

    Mei pinched her lips together as the frustration of the moment reminded her of the frustration she¡¯d felt last night. After trading away Fran¡¯s dress and forcing Mei to wear makeup, Huan had left her behind at dinner without even a word of warning.

    She pulled the handle up.

    She pushed the handle down.

    Nothing.

    He could have left forever.

    As soon as she thought that thought, Mei pushed it back into oblivion. Huan needed her, and the only place he could go now was Vanuria, a place he knew nothing about. He wouldn¡¯t go alone. He wouldn¡¯t.

    Mei pulled the pump handle up as far up as it would go and, with all of her weight and strength, pushed it down. Finally, a gout of clear cold water splashed into the bucket. A couple more pumps filled it, and then Mei removed the towel from the pump and dropped it in to soak.

    At least there¡¯d been more food for her, and Charlie Vogt, whose job chasing thieves across the city sounded far more tiring than being a guard, had been interesting to talk to. After pulling the bucket back to the mirror, Mei used the wet towel to wipe her face. The makeup was oily and hard to remove, but, as she¡¯d thought, hard scrubbing and persistence won in the end and soon her face was clean, raw, and hers. Last night, she¡¯d been unarmed, trapped in someone else¡¯s house, and alone at the table, all of which had outweighed the delicious food and the interesting company. Before she¡¯d left Tarpan, Mei had made it clear to Maggie that next time she wouldn¡¯t eat alone.

    After rinsing out her towel and emptying the bucket, Mei returned to the room and dressed for the day. Now was well past the morning shift change, and the tenement was quiet with only the snores of the night shift to break the silence. It would stay that way until the evening shift change. Unfortunately, Mei¡¯s day was just beginning, so she put on her uniform and strapped her dagger to her hip. Before she left, she glanced at the pile of stripes lying on her bed.

    It wasn¡¯t the dress¡¯s fault that Huan had gotten it in exchange for the dress she¡¯d actually liked. It wasn¡¯t the dress¡¯s fault that he¡¯d left her at dinner. It wasn¡¯t the dress¡¯s fault that he wasn¡¯t here to explain himself. In fact, because of the dress, Mei had become the alluring Lady for the night, and she was grateful for the experience. With a sigh, Mei packed the dress and its associated parts carefully in their crate, which she left in her corner of the room before she left.

    When she reached the street, Mei¡¯s stomach started to grumble. She picked up her pace. On the weekends, Dwayne took up cooking duties just like he had when they¡¯d been on the road, and, while he never cooked too little, he had left last night¡¯s dinner just after the salad and was probably starving. He might eat everything before Mei got to the Tower. However, there was always the chance that the mage apprentice was too tired to cook, and Rodion had cooked instead. She definitely didn¡¯t want to miss out on that. The steward always found some new interesting ingredient to spark her palate, and, with an interesting breakfast, a hunter could stand guard all day staring at trees without a thought about what her brother was doing at that moment.

    ***

    While standing in the Gallus stable-yard at The Exchange, Dwayne missed three things: his old boots, his leather chestpiece, and being unconcerned with whatever had just landed on his shoes. He was wearing the pink suit, which Rodion had assured him he looked good in, and stood out amongst the rough faced stable-hands and blacksmiths.

    One of them, a brawny groom in short sleeves despite the chill, approached. ¡°You, uh, need something?¡± She gestured to the yard.

    Dwayne shook his head. ¡°No, I¡¯m meeting Lady Gallus.¡±

    The groom¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Is¡­is she looking to replace her mare? Endeavor¡¯ll be a hard one to follow.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s about that.¡± Dwayne had woken up early this morning to find a written note summoning him to an inspection of the Gallus stable-yards, and, after some frantic research and a hasty order to have Rodion send breakfast to the Tower, he¡¯d arrived just moments ago to find that he¡¯d beaten Lady Gallus here. ¡°I have no idea why I¡¯m here. Horses are not exactly my area of expertise.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes.¡± The groom nodded sagely. ¡°Nobs have obscure perfected.¡±

    Instead of frowning, Dwayne nodded. Something was off. Oh, she didn¡¯t think he was a noble.

    ¡°So, this is Lord Kalan¡¯s famous apprentice?¡± A pale-haired man in a gray suit strode up to Dwayne and dipped into a bow. ¡°Andreas Ziegler,¡± he rose with a smirk, ¡°I¡¯m Baron Thadden¡¯s right hand at the Royal Secretary¡¯s Office.¡±

    ¡°Lord?¡± The groom¡¯s eyes dropped to Dwayne¡¯s suit and widened. ¡°Milord! I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t know.¡±

    So much for that. Dwayne bowed. ¡°No, the fault is mine. I am Dwayne Kalan, heir to Sanford.¡± Among other things.

    The groom slid back from him. ¡°No, milord, I should go.¡±

    Ziegler watched the groom flee. ¡°The Baron mentioned you when he got in last night. Said that you have some fascinating theories on magic.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m glad he mentioned me to you.¡± Dwayne erected a pleasant, if bland, facial expression onto his face. ¡°Are you a mage as well?¡±

    ¡°Oh, no,¡± Ziegler scoffed, ¡°I¡¯m just an admirer of the form. I must say the Baron¡¯s praise puts you in rare company. One of your like,¡± his eyes dropped to Dwayne¡¯s empty ring finger, ¡°should be honored.¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s mouth went dry. ¡°My like? What do you mean?¡±

    Ziegler gave him a look. ¡°Surely you know. That¡­¡± he lowered his voice, ¡°little tantrum of yours last night is exactly what people expect of your¡­ like.¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Dwayne bared his teeth, only barely making it a smile, ¡°you mean mages?¡±

    Ziegler¡¯s face went blank. ¡°No, I meant Wesen.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Dwayne¡¯s fists clenched behind his back, but his toothy smile remained. ¡°My mistake.¡±

    ¡°You must understand. Your behavior matters reflects on your master, who, after holding the Royal Sorcerer for years and doing nothing with it-¡±

    ¡°Sent me to rectify the situation.¡± Dwayne rose to his full height. ¡°I¡¯m currently auditing the Office¡¯s past work, and-¡±

    ¡°Surely,¡± Ziegler sneered, ¡°it would be far more productive to focus on the present and not the past? Like on last night¡¯s murdered mage perhaps?¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s smile died. ¡°Murder? What murder?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you didn¡¯t know?¡± Ziegler¡¯s sneer became a grin. ¡°Sloppy, very sloppy. And a failure to rise to our expectations.¡±

    ¡°Of a Wesen?¡± Horror fought with offense inside Dwayne. ¡°Of my like?¡±

    Ziegler looked hurt. ¡°No, of an heir!¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Dwayne,¡± Magdala¡¯s mother stepped between him and Ziegler, ¡°for arriving on time.¡±

    ¡°Lady Gallus.¡± Ziegler bowed deeply. ¡°My name is Andreas Ziegler, and I¡¯m here to acquire one of your fine mounts.¡±

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    ¡°Oh?¡± Lady Gallus kept her hand on Dwayne¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Are you sure? These stables produce the finest chargers and draughts in the Queendom. Are you planning to go to war or to farm?¡±

    ¡°Neither, I-¡±

    ¡°Then you¡¯ll have little use for a Gallus ¡®mount¡¯ then.¡± Lady Gallus, shorter than both Dwayne and Ziegler, now towered over both of them. ¡°I recommend that you go elsewhere for your needs, Mr. Ziegler.¡±

    Ziegler¡¯s eyes goggled. ¡°I¡¯m an employee of Her Highness¡¯s office!¡±

    ¡°Her Highness, as her mother¡¯s Royal Secretary, hardly needs to charge hordes or till fields.¡± Lady Gallus knitted her eyebrows. ¡°If I recall correctly, your Baron Thadden left early last night, saying he had a lot of work to do, and yet here you are, an employee of that same office, wasting time.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± Ziegler coughed. ¡°Another time then, Lady Gallus.¡± He bowed and fled.

    Dwayne found a smile, a real one, on his face, but when he remembered why he was here, it faded. ¡°Milady, I-¡±

    ¡°¡®Lady Aunt¡¯.¡± Lady Gallus turned to him. ¡°You are my brother¡¯s heir. That makes us family.¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Dwayne¡¯s brain reeled at the idea. ¡°Lady Aunt¡­ I...¡±

    Lady Gallus pinched the bridge of her nose. ¡°Just use ¡®Gallus¡¯.¡± She gestured to the yard. ¡°Let¡¯s do a circuit.¡±

    After a squeak of acknowledgment, Dwayne followed Magdala¡¯s mother, his aunt, around the stable-yard, past the smiths hammering iron into horseshoes, the grooms exercising nervous horses, and the stable hands sweeping dung off the cobbles. When they¡¯d finished a complete circuit, Lady Gallus whistled for two chairs and a table to be placed near the entrance and directed Dwayne to sit. She then placed herself on the edge of her chair, her back as rigid as a cliff.

    When Dwayne had settled in, Lady Gallus put her clasped hands on the table. ¡°Dwayne.¡±

    Dwayne huddled in his seat and braced for a storm.

    ¡°I apologize.¡±

    ***

    Exiting the Bilges, Mei turned north on Nieder and weaved through the river of carts, carriages, and merchants rushing south to The Exchange, getting a prinwir before she ran into a crowd of gawking Sourans. She slowed. There couldn¡¯t be a street performance, not here on Nieder street, and she couldn¡¯t hear any music anyhow, so it was curious that a crowd had formed.

    It didn¡¯t matter. She was already late. She started to push through the crowd.

    ¡°Clearly murdered.¡±

    Mei stopped, the cool autumn air now cold.

    ¡°How awful!¡± exclaimed someone.

    Huan hadn¡¯t returned last night, but he was safe, right?

    ¡°Too bad, he¡¯s so pretty.¡±

    Not how she¡¯d describe her brother. Maybe it wasn¡¯t him.

    ¡°Looks like he was stabbed.¡±

    Mei pushed past the crowd, a few polite nudges and a flourish of her dagger getting her through, and reached the place where two silver-buttoned, black suited people in wide brimmed hats loomed over a body in a sky blue leather uniform. It wasn¡¯t Huan. It was a windsong messenger lying flat on the cobbles, his clouded hazel eyes open to the gray sky, his short curly black hair matted with blood, an empty brown canvas bag with a yellow crested quail in flight stenciled on its side resting next to him.

    Mei let out a breath of relief even as her eyes took in more details. The windsong was a boy barely older than her brother, the fuzz on his face was still downy, but that was where the similarities stopped. The windsong¡¯s brown skin, darker than Francesca¡¯s dusky and lighter than Dwayne¡¯s deep brown, and a couple handspans of height over Huan made Mei guess that the messenger likely had southern, maybe even Vanurian, blood.

    ¡°Mei?¡±

    A familiar voice pulled her attention up and away from the body to the cheery smile of Charlie Vogt, scrytive and dinner conversationalist.

    He tipped his hat. ¡°I have to say, I was not expecting to run into you so soon.¡±

    Mei pointed north. ¡°I was heading to work.¡±

    ¡°Work?¡± Charlie¡¯s eyes flicked in the direction she pointed. He slapped his knee. ¡°Right, the Tower. I bet your boss is working you hard, what with the Season¡¯s Session tomorrow and the Ball coming soon after. This time is always rough for we who answer to the Privy Councilors. They want everything squared away and neat before having to stand before Her Majesty.¡±

    From what Mei could see, Dwayne, who¡¯d die happy if he got the Tower halfway to neat from ¡°a blind squirrel¡¯s nest¡±, didn¡¯t need her help beyond watching the door. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Vogt, are you just going to stand around and chat with civs, or are you going to help?¡± The other black suit scowled at Mei. ¡°If she¡¯s not a witness, we don¡¯t have time for her.¡±

    ¡°No, she¡¯s not a witness, but¡­¡± Charlie¡¯s grin widened. ¡°Maybe she can consult.¡±

    The other scrytive frowned. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    Mei¡¯s question exactly.

    Charlie gestured to the body. ¡°You think you can help us out?¡±

    Mei crossed her arms. ¡°Help how?¡±

    ¡°Those insights that you gave me last night helped us eliminate several suspects.¡± Charlie glanced at the other scrytive. ¡°Remember? I told you about the young woman with a mind like a knife? This is her. She saved us weeks of work without even seeing the evidence for herself.¡± He turned back to Mei. ¡°So, can you help?¡±

    Mei¡¯s eyes dropped down to the body. On the one hand, her experience was with dead animals, not humans.

    Charlie patted her on the shoulder. ¡°If you don¡¯t feel up to it, this isn¡¯t an order. We should be able to handle it ourselves.¡±

    The other scrytive snorted. ¡°We¡¯d better be.¡±

    On the other hand, this promised to be far more interesting than watching Maggie and Dwayne perform veiled and subconscious courtship. ¡°I¡¯ll help.¡± She knelt next to the body.

    ¡°Sorry, who are you again?¡± The other scrytive turned to Charlie. ¡°Who is she?¡±

    ¡°I just said she¡¯s Mei. We met last night.¡±

    Mei peered closely at the back of the body¡¯s head, which was bloody but not as much as she would expect from a head injury. She pulled up the shoulder and examined the back. Most of the blood had come from a small round wound that had pierced the back and come out right under the left ribs. There was no tearing at the entrance or the exit, just a hole. Mei moved on to the body¡¯s boots. She glanced at the direction the heels pointed. East, where the oldest warehouses were.

    ¡°Did you move the body?¡± Mei asked. The few times she had walked by those warehouses, they¡¯d been dark and empty.

    The other scrytive scoffed. ¡°Of course, we didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Wagner,¡± said Charlie. ¡°She doesn¡¯t know about scrytive training.¡±

    ¡°And yet you have her consulting.¡±

    ¡°Mei.¡± Charlie knelt next to her. ¡°We were thinking that this was a mugging gone wrong. Windsong messengers are fast and secure, good couriers for valuables.¡± He glanced at the body. ¡°Usually.¡±`

    Mei inspected the bottoms of the boots. They were covered in dried mud of different colors - red, brown and white - and each had bits of sand, dirt, and grass in them. The grass looked familiar, but first she had to reply to Charlie. ¡°Maybe.¡±

    ¡°Helpful.¡± Wagner sniffed. ¡°Look, it¡¯s a simple grab and stab. His purse is gone, so they probably took the money and ran.¡±

    Charlie looked up at her. ¡°What about his messages?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe spy work?¡± Wagner shrugged. ¡°Maybe someone really wanted to know next week¡¯s sales and hired someone who got a little bit too excited. I mean, look at him. He had to have been hired down in Adhua.¡±

    Charlie shook his head. ¡°Just because he¡¯s swarthy and got those Southern cheekbones doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯s from there.¡±

    Right, that¡¯s where she¡¯d seen the grass. Mei stood up, brushing wet off her breeches. ¡°He¡¯s been to the southern border near the Wall.¡±

    Wagner raised both eyebrows. ¡°Oh?¡±

    Charlie frowned. ¡°Why there specifically?¡±

    Mei pointed at the windsong¡¯s boots. ¡°Walton grass in the mud.¡±

    Wagner snorted. ¡°You recognized the grass? How?¡±

    Mei frowned. ¡°The shape. How else?¡±

    Charlie cut Wagner off. ¡°Any hints as to how he died?¡±

    Mei pointed at the wound. ¡°He was stabbed with something sharp and pointy.¡±

    Wagner rolled her eyes. ¡°Yes, we can see that, thanks.¡±

    ¡°Mei,¡± Charlie¡¯s hands came together, ¡°is there anything more you can tell us? Something specific?¡±

    Sharp and pointy were specific, but maybe not in Souran.

    Mei drew her dagger. ¡°Not like this. More like a heron¡¯s beak.¡± Both scrytives looked even more confused. ¡°Or like a, a¡­¡± A thing that lacked sides but still stabbed. ¡°A nail. A long nail.¡±

    ¡°A nail.¡± Charlie¡¯s eyes dropped to the wound. ¡°That¡¯s a bit big for a nail.¡±

    Wagner whistled. ¡°Wait, do you mean it didn¡¯t have edges? Like a, a, stiletto?¡±

    Charlie¡¯s confusion disappeared. ¡°Oof, that¡¯s a bad way to go.¡±

    ¡°There are good ways to go?¡± asked Mei. Not a single death she¡¯d seen had looked ¡°good.¡±

    Charlie rubbed the back of his head. ¡°I hope dying while holding the hand of the one you love wouldn¡¯t be bad.¡±

    For the dying, maybe.

    ¡°Got anyone in mind?¡± Wagner nudged him. ¡°A certain fresh-faced lord perhaps.¡±

    ¡°No, he wouldn¡¯t.¡± Charlie blushed. ¡°No. Ahem. Anything else, Mei?¡±

    ¡°He died here.¡± Mei pointed to the clean cobbles around body and the pool of blood. ¡°No drops or smears. The blood is all from his back.¡± She looked up and pointed. ¡°He fell from up there. He smashed his head when he landed.¡±

    ¡°Even so.¡± Charlie pointed at the head wound. ¡°The head wound would have just disoriented him, and the gut wound would have only slowed him down. He could have called for help.¡±

    ¡°No help. Not here.¡± Mei pointed at the old warehouses. ¡°No one lives here. No one works here.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t he crawl for help then?¡± asked Wagner. ¡°He didn¡¯t even try.¡±

    Mei looked over the body. Wagner was right. The pool of blood wasn¡¯t even disturbed. ¡°He was tired.¡±

    ¡°Pardon?¡±

    ¡°He was tired. He couldn¡¯t crawl.¡± Mei put her hands in her pockets. ¡°When star wolves hunt big strong prey, they chase it and harry it and keep it from resting until it¡¯s too tired to move. Then they strike. If a hunter is fast and has the numbers, they can do that with birds too.¡±

    Charlie shook his head. ¡°If the poor boy was already tired from flying all the way here from the Wall, then¡­¡±

    ¡°He was an easy catch.¡± Wagner sighed. ¡°Good work, Mei.¡±

    ¡°See?¡± Charlie nudged her with his elbow. ¡°Told you she¡¯d be helpful.¡±

    Wagner threw her hands up. ¡°I freely acknowledge that you were right. You¡¯re the one who has to do the paperwork to include her in the investigation however. By the way, Mei, I¡¯m Zelda Wagner, Scrytive Second Class. You¡¯re definitely worth listening to Charlie brag about you all morning.¡±

    ¡°Definitely,¡± said Charlie. ¡°Between those thefts and this murder, you¡¯ve saved us tons of work. You should come on down to the Chamber of the Judiciary and join us.¡±

    Hiding a smile, Mei shook her head. ¡°Thank you, but Lord Kalan is my boss.¡±

    And she had other responsibilities.

    Charlie patted her on the back. ¡°The minute you change your mind let me know. We¡¯ll have you in a black suit and silver buttons within the hour.¡±

    Zelda snorted. ¡°As if we could slam through a request that fast. So,¡± she rubbed her hands together, ¡°you¡¯ll take this and I¡¯ll keep working on the thefts?¡±

    Charlie sighed. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll take the murder and its associated mountain of paperwork, but you owe me a slice of your wife¡¯s split pie.¡±

    ¡°You got it.¡±

    ¡°And Mei,¡± Charlie bowed. ¡°Thanks again for your help.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± Mei bowed. ¡°I have to go.¡±

    ¡°Good luck.¡±

    Mei continued north on Nieder.

    ***

    ¡°I apologize.¡±

    In the seat across from the Water Sage, Dwayne froze. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I apologize,¡± repeated Lady Gallus. ¡°Gary and I leaned on you too much last night.¡± Her eyes drifted down. ¡°It was your introduction to Souran society, and we failed to give you proper support.¡±

    ¡°Support?¡± Dwayne winced at how his voice squeaked. ¡°Ahem. No, I shouldn¡¯t have lost my temper. I should have anticipated some¡­ difficulty regarding my background.¡±

    ¡°Your background¡­¡± Lady Gallus¡¯s gaze drifted to the yard, where grooms continued to train the horses. ¡°While your behavior was childish and puerile-¡±

    ¡°I know it was!¡± Dwayne placed a hand on his chest. ¡°I promise I¡¯ll be more logical and less emotional in the future.¡±

    Lady Gallus¡¯s attention snapped back to Dwayne, who quailed. ¡°What do you mean ¡®less emotional¡¯?¡±

    Dwayne blinked. ¡°That¡¯s what¡¯s expected of Qe mages, that they¡¯re logical, rational, objective and not prone to tantrums.¡±

    Lady Gallus leaned forward. ¡°Who told you that?¡±

    ¡°Baron Thadden.¡± Dwayne rubbed the back of his neck. ¡°He told me that I have potential, but I should learn to be more like a true Qe mage.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not possible. You¡¯re-¡±

    ¡°I know!¡± Dwayne swallowed his frustration. ¡°I know, but Kalan¡¯s heir has to be Souran, has to be Qe.¡±

    ¡°Oh, cups.¡± Lady Gallus shook her head. ¡°We¡¯re drifting away from what I wanted to talk to you about. I had a word with Gary about his conversation with you last night.¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s hands gripped his breeches. ¡°The one about the future.¡± Or more precisely, Magdala¡¯s future.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Lady Gallus took a deep breath. ¡°He was out of line. Bringing up private family business is inappropriate in any public setting, but doing it when it was your night was beyond unacceptable.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s okay.¡± Dwayne forced a laugh. ¡°Courting is the last thing on my mind. Where would I even find the time? Between renovating Sanford, organizing the Tower, studying magic, completing Resonance Theory, and training¡­ other stuff, I¡¯m far too busy to court.¡±

    ¡°Yes, there¡¯s a lot on your plate.¡± Lady Gallus looked Dwayne in the eye. ¡°That¡¯s why we think that our expectations for you were too high.¡±

    Dwayne slumped his seat. ¡°You¡¯re giving up on me.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Lady Gallus grabbed his arm. ¡°No, we just need to lighten your load and let you ease into your role gently.¡±

    Dwayne pulled his arm away. ¡°I can handle the load. It¡¯ll be easier if I convince people I¡¯m Souran.¡±

    ¡°How are you going to do that?¡±

    Good question. ¡°I won¡¯t behave like a, a Wesen.¡± He just had to act opposite to what Na¡¯cch taught and suppress his feelings. ¡°A Qe mage doesn¡¯t use emotion to power magic, so I just won¡¯t let myself feel, and I won¡¯t do¡­ the other thing.¡±

    Lady Gallus tilted her head. ¡°Okay, if you think that will help. You know yourself best. Meanwhile,¡± she rose to her feet, ¡°expect Gary¡¯s own apology when he comes to chaperone you and Magdala later today. Until then.¡± She curtsied and left.

    Dwayne stayed seated, ignoring the curious glances of the grooms and smiths as he gathered his thoughts. Letting go of emotions and Ri magic was the only way. Besides, if he didn¡¯t train Ri, then he¡¯d have more time to concentrate on his myriad other tasks.

    And to prove he was as Souran as the rest of them.

 nQekuilubcirut, Make Slippery

    For the past half hour, Dana - in the body of Rodion Galkin - had sat in front of the Indigo Tower and stared at the graceless heavy circle of steel that covered the entrance to the elegant structure. Between stewardship and spywork,  had had no time to research why the Tower¡¯s builders had chosen to cut into it and install the artless slab of steel instead of building in a door in the first place, but the effect was rather like nailing a pot lid onto a statue of a beautiful school of fish.

    All this rumination was possible because Mei was currently late. Dana wasn¡¯t surprised at this. After her brother, her friend, and her employer had abandoned her at dinner, it would be hard for Mei to go on boring guard duty. Besides, with Dwayne having gone to the stables, Mei had time to take her time. As for her brother¡­

    Tapping Rodion¡¯s fingers against the breakfast basket had brought from Sanford, Dana didn¡¯t envy Mei¡¯s blood relationships. If the trade off for being raised by the Church of Phons and its Lunar Circle was an absence of siblings who hired themselves out to scum, then  was grateful for the loss. just had to find out who Huan was working for before Mei did.

    That was a straightforward task compared to  standing orders regarding Dwayne.

    orders from the Circle were as follows: encourage the Wesen boy¡¯s magical development, aid him in his research into the nature of magic, and, if the Ri¡¯s - collectors - ever got wind of his true abilities, bring him in before they did. That last order had been underlined and repeated so many times that it was clear that only Dwayne¡¯s ability to perform  magic had kept the Circle from ordering Dana to bring him in already. Although, because a male  outside of the Ri Kingdom was beyond rare, and one that  didn¡¯t know about more so, Dana doubted that the hold would last much longer. As such, Dwayne had to keep making progress on his  magic and allow Dana to make the argument that he¡¯d develop best outside of the Church¡¯s care. Hopefully, Lady Gallus would allay Dwayne¡¯s fears and get him back on track. She¡¯d better; it was her drowned brain of a husband¡¯s fault that he¡¯d come back from dinner declaring that he was giving up his  studies.

    The drive¡¯s gravel crunched as Mei made her way up the Tower¡¯s drive.

    Dana settled into Rodion¡¯s persona. ¡°Good morning,¡±  fought the urge to use Mei¡¯s true family name, ¡°Miss Ma.¡± The hunter looked a little worn despite clearly having slept in. ¡°How are you?¡±

    ¡°Good morning. I¡¯m fine.¡± Mei looked around and frowned. ¡°Where is he?¡±

    ¡°My lord was summoned by Lady Gallus this morning.¡± Dana lifted the basket. ¡°I¡¯ve brought breakfast in his stead.¡±

    ¡°Good!¡± Mei bounced over to Rodion. ¡°What did you bring?¡±

    ¡°Wraps with sausage, onion, eggs, and a local cheese inside.¡± As  opened the basket, Dana hid a smile at Mei¡¯s starved expression. ¡°I made five.¡± Enough for Dwayne to have one. If he hurried. ¡°It¡¯s rare for you to be late.¡±

    Mei grabbed a wrap, ripped open the paper packaging, and took a bite. She moaned. ¡°Where did you find these herbs?¡± She chewed a bit. ¡°Khill and¡­ deysil?¡±

    Dana touched Rodion¡¯s throat. ¡°That¡¯s amazing.¡± Since they¡¯d arrived in Bradford, had been testing Mei¡¯s sense of taste as a demonstration of Rodion¡¯s urbane origins. ¡°Got it in one.¡±

    ¡°They are distinctive flavors.¡± After another bite of her wrap, Mei took a ring of keys off her belt, and used a large iron key to unlock the Tower¡¯s awful door. Then she stuffed the wrap into her mouth and grabbed one of the door¡¯s spokes.

    ¡°Help me?¡± she asked, her words muffled.

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± Dana put down the breakfast basket, grabbed a spoke, and pushed down with all  strength. It took so much effort that  was no longer surprised that Dwayne¡¯s arm strength had peaked recently. ¡°You were later than I thought you¡¯d be.¡±

    Mei kept pushing up. ¡°Ugh, I woke up late.¡± With a groan, the mechanism finally turned, and Mei and Dana spun it on its axis. ¡°And there was a dead body.¡±

    As the mechanism thumped to a stop, Dana let Rodion¡¯s mouth fall open. ¡°That¡¯s alarming.¡±

    Mei pulled open the door. ¡°It happens.¡± She sat down and took the wrap out of her mouth.

    Dana sank down next to her. ¡°But here at the heart of the queendom?¡± The Circle wouldn¡¯t risk it, would they? With all the Vanurians in the Plague District and Sen Jerome¡¯s ready to spring into action at the slightest sign of unrest, it was too risky for such an open move. ¡°Were they a noble? A merchant?¡±

    Mei swallowed a bite of wrap. ¡°Not a noble.¡± She took another bite, chewed, swallowed. ¡°No ring. He was a windsong messenger, probably from the South.¡±

    Thank Phons. The Circle generally avoided murdering couriers. ¡°Thank Cueller.¡±

    Mei swallowed the last of her wrap. ¡°Sure.¡± She grabbed another.

    Dana wanted to know more, but not only did Mei obviously know little and care less about the subject, Rodion¡¯s interest could only extend as far as Dwayne¡¯s safety. Still, Rodion and Mei were coworkers. Some curiosity was to be expected. ¡°Sounds like you got a good look.¡±

    Mei paused mid-bite. ¡°I met a scrytive at dinner last night. He asked me to take a look.¡±

    Dana pushed Rodion¡¯s eyebrows up. ¡°Was that hard for you?¡±

    Mei¡¯s eyes slid away. ¡°I¡¯ve seen dead people before.¡±

    Oh, there was a story there and Dana wanted it, but Rodion was a good steward and good stewards respected privacy. ¡°I¡¯m glad you were there to help. Who do you think-¡±

    Mei¡¯s head came up. ¡°Dwayne¡¯s here.¡± The rattle of Dwayne¡¯s carriage coming up the drive grew louder.

    Drowned saints. Dana stood up, basket in hand, and waited for Dwayne to alight.

    bowed. ¡°My lord.¡± Dwayne¡¯s face twitched like a rabbit¡¯s nose. ¡°How was your meeting with Lady Gallus?¡±

    As he paid the driver, Dwayne tried to hide a grimace. ¡°She apologized.¡±

    What? ¡°My lord?¡±

    Dwayne slumped. ¡°She said that she¡¯d expected too much from me and that I needed help.¡±

    That was true, but Dwayne looked as if he¡¯d been chastised. ¡°You¡¯ll do better next time.¡±

    ¡°Maybe.¡± Dwayne rubbed the back of his neck. ¡°So¡­ someone got murdered last night?¡±

    Dana managed to keep Rodion¡¯s face blank, but it was a close run thing. How did he know about that?

    ¡°Yes,¡± Mei reached into the basket and grabbed her third wrap, ¡°a windsong.¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°How did you know?¡±

    ¡°I saw the body.¡±

    ¡°Surely,¡± Rodion handed Dwayne a wrap, ¡°it¡¯s of no consequence to you, my lord. Investigating such things is not the Royal Sorcerer¡¯s purview.¡± It had better not be.

    ¡°Apparently, if a mage gets murdered, it is.¡± Dwayne scowled. ¡°An Andreas Ziegler made that clear to me.¡±

    Dana would find Andreas Ziegler and show them the back of Rodion¡¯s hand.

    Dwayne frowned. ¡°Mei, you saw the murder?¡±

    ¡°I saw the body. A scrytive asked me to look at it.¡±

    Dana went still. Surely, these two weren¡¯t considering what thought they were?

    ¡°A scrytive...¡± Dwayne¡¯s eyes turned inward. ¡°That¡¯s one of the Chambers¡¯s investigators.¡± He blinked. ¡°You know one?¡±

    ¡°Met him at dinner last night.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Good.¡± Dwayne let out a breath. ¡°Good.¡± He tore open the paper around his wrap. ¡°So we can say that the Royal Sorcerer¡¯s Office is already involved.¡±

    It took effort for Dana to get Rodion¡¯s expression back under control. The Royal Sorcerer¡¯s Office, which consisted of two people, wasn¡¯t equipped to get involved.

    ¡°We just need to¡­¡± Dwayne glanced at Mei. ¡°Do you want to look into this, Mei? You don¡¯t have to.¡±

    ¡°Depends.¡± Mei took the last wrap. ¡°Would I have to keep the same guard hours?¡±

    Curse the diligence of these two.

    Dana had Rodion cough. ¡°Being Head Guard is an important role.¡± Knowing Mei, she¡¯d find the murderer within the day, and Dwayne¡¯s already sky high profile would skyrocket, making him a target of both the Ri and Sen Jerome¡¯s, and the Circle would have to order Dana to pull him out. ¡°Would continuing that duty not be paramount?¡±

    Dwayne shrugged. ¡°Probably, but this tower has sat unguarded for years, and no one has bothered to rob it in all that time.¡± He took a bite of his wrap. ¡°Our dear Axesnapper is far more valuable out there helping, and, as a bonus,¡± he waggled his eyebrows at Mei, ¡°you¡¯ll get lots of writing practice in by doing the paperwork.¡±

    ¡°Paperwork.¡± Mei finished her last wrap. ¡°Charlie mentioned that. Is it hard?¡±

    Dwayne laughed. ¡°No, just tedious.¡±

    For Phon¡¯s sake. ¡°Will you order Mr. Ma to take her place?¡±

    Dwayne winced. ¡°Huan is¡­¡± His eyes flicked to Mei. ¡°Best where he is right now.¡±

    Huan was a thief, stealing magical tomes for Phons-knows-what purpose, and leaving him to guard Sanford was the very definition of putting a sparrow in charge of grain, but Dwayne didn¡¯t know that, Rodion shouldn¡¯t know that, and so Dana would have to keep quiet about it. ¡°If you say so.¡±

    Dwayne blinked at Rodion¡¯s tone, and Dana could feel Mei¡¯s eyes on  neck. Oh Phons.  frustration had come out there.

    Dwayne stepped close. ¡°Rodion, are you-¡±

    ¡°Maggie¡¯s here,¡± said Mei.

    ¡°Oh, uh, what?¡±

    Taking advantage of Dwayne¡¯s floundering, Rodion turned the Wesen mage towards the road. ¡°You¡¯d best look presentable, my lord.¡±

    Dwayne stared at the horse thundering up the drive, its rider¡¯s hair bouncing free. ¡°Wait, she¡¯s early! Her father isn¡¯t here yet.¡±

    What did Lord Gallus have to do with- right, the tiresome chaperone routine. ¡°I believe that my lord and young Gallus will work more efficiently this way. Maybe you¡¯ll have time to share your progress on magic with her.¡±

    Dwayne turned to Rodion. ¡°Rodion, I told you. I¡¯m not doing  magic.¡±

    Dana managed to dial down Rodion¡¯s response to a stiff, ¡°I assumed you¡¯d slept on it.¡±

    Dwayne shook his head.  ¡°My  studies are getting in the way of taking my role as Head Clerk seriously. I need to be Souran to be in Souran society.¡± He nodded, as if that statement made any sense.

    Dana cataloged Dwayne¡¯s features: tall, lean, male, thick lips, wide nose, dark brown skin, and tightly, tightly, curled black hair. As Wesen as he could be. A distraction was needed to keep the hysteria in. ¡°Understood. My lord.¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s face twitched. ¡°I wish you wouldn¡¯t call me that.¡±

    Dana would stop when it stopped being such a good distraction from  true emotional state. ¡°You wanted to be more Souran, my lord.¡± There had to be something  could do. Since no one else from the Circle monitored Dwayne as closely as Dana did,  could cover up his lack of  study for a while, but it would be best if Dwayne kept making progress. How to make that happen?

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°Ah, right.¡± Dwayne sighed. ¡°Carry on then.¡±

    As Magdala dropped down from her horse, Mei finished her last wrap. ¡°Morning, Maggie.¡±

    ¡°Morning, Mei, Rodion, and¡­¡± Magdala¡¯s cheeks flushed. ¡°Dwayne.¡± She pushed a strand of hair out of her face. ¡°Has my father arrived yet?¡±

    ¡°No, not yet.¡± Dwayne clasped his hands behind his back. ¡°You¡¯re, uh, a little early.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡­ well, Fran woke me up and I thought, ¡®why not just go now?¡¯ and so, well, here I am.¡±

    Part of that was a lie. Dana had never seen Magdala do anything early.

    Dwayne raised an eyebrow. ¡°Fran woke you up early? Why?¡±

    As Magdala¡¯s ears turned red, Dana spotted  opportunity. ¡°My lord.¡±  put a hand on Dwayne¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll prepare things in the lab while you two talk.¡±

    Two things were necessary for  magic: the spell and the emotion. If Dwayne wasn¡¯t practicing the former, then Dana would make sure that he experienced a wide range of the latter.

    Which gave  an idea.

    Dwayne backed away. ¡°No, that¡¯s fine, I can-¡±

    ¡°My lord, a moment.¡± Dana plucked Dwayne¡¯s half-eaten wrap from his fingers.

    ¡°Hey, I wasn¡¯t done!¡±

    After dropping the wrap in Mei¡¯s empty hands, Dana pulled Rodion¡¯s master aside. ¡°My lord, if you¡¯re going to be Souran you must practice courting.¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°What? No, that¡¯s the last thing on my mind. I don¡¯t have the time.¡±

    ¡°Make time, my lord.¡± Dana patted Dwayne¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Ask Magdala to practice with you. All she can say is no.¡±

    And if she said yes, Dana bet that practice would turn into reality.

    ¡°I guess it couldn¡¯t hurt.¡± Dwayne¡¯s eyes slid over to Magdala, who was chatting with Mei. ¡°She knows more about it than I do.¡±

    ¡°Exactly.¡± Dana put a smile on Rodion¡¯s face. ¡°Just think of it as a proposal.¡±  left Dwayne mulling it over and returned to Magdala and Mei. ¡°My lady, I¡¯ll go set things up for you and Dwayne in the lab.¡±

    Then Dana bowed and entered the Tower, hoping that Dwayne didn¡¯t think about the other meaning of the word ¡°proposal.¡±

    ***

    </a>As she waited for Rodion to finish his work downstairs, Magdala leaned against the reception desk that sat shrouded in the Tower¡¯s foyer. The desk was circular and wrapped around the winding iron staircase that led down to the laboratory and up to the library. To her right and left loomed the dusty portraits of Soura¡¯s past Royal Sorcerers, which hung on the tall doak wood partitions that marked the path from the front door to the reception desk. Her lord uncle¡¯s portrait, although the newest, was the roughest one. The artist had made his face too fat, his eyes too blue , and his hair too brown, although the carelessness of the brush-strokes did fit the man who¡¯d failed to show up to work for months.

    Clutching her satchel, Magdala peeked past the partitions to the rest of the room, where tables and shelves were arranged around the staircase like spokes in a wheel. She tried to imagine this place when it had been fully staffed with dozens of mages and clerks. It must have been amazing to see all those people working in concert for the betterment of the Queen. Now, it was a graveyard dressed in white shroud.

    ¡°You do that every time.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just taking it all in.¡± Magdala turned to Dwayne and leaned against the reception desk, hoping the casual move would hide how her heart had skipped a little at his voice. ¡°You and my lord uncle have a lot of work to do to get this place back into shape.¡±

    ¡°Yes, we do.¡± As he did every time he looked at it, Dwayne wrinkled his nose at his master¡¯s portrait. ¡°And when he finally arrives, we¡¯ll start in earnest. First thing we¡¯ll do is hire more guards and clerks so that Mei and I actually have people to be Heads of.¡±

    The Wesen mage looked comfortable in that pink suit of his, even while standing in the dust and shadows of his predecessors. Magdala had talked with Francesca about who they¡¯d each take to the Harvest Ball, and Dwayne would look good dancing with¡­

    No. Focus.

    Magdala forced her gaze back to the portraits. ¡°Yes, he¡¯d better hurry up with whatever he¡¯s doing down in Walton.¡± She brushed an errant strand of hair out of her face. ¡°Once he¡¯s here, we¡¯ll have more time together.¡±

    Dwayne blinked. ¡°We will?¡±

    ¡°Of course. He¡¯d be our chaperone; he doesn¡¯t have anything else to do.¡± She gestured to the tables. ¡°We could even get first and second years to work on that interminable list of plant and animal parts you made. Then we could actually work on something interesting for once.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Dwayne¡¯s eyes were on hers. ¡°Like what?¡±

    Magdala¡¯s heartbeat filled her ears. ¡°L-like how the ancients used magic, and, and about the future.¡±

    ¡°The future.¡± Dwayne¡¯s eyes tightened. ¡°Our future?¡±

    Oh, cups, how¡¯d he get to that? ¡°No, I mean the future of magic, and how we can apply these techniques to military practice or construction or agriculture, and we could figure out  joint magic.¡± Magdala stopped. Cups, what was she saying? ¡°You, know if¡­ if you want to.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Dwayne¡¯s voice softened. ¡°We could do that.¡±

    ¡°My lord.¡± With a metallic tap, tap, tap, Rodion emerged from the lower level. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you should consider hiring some staff to clean that place regularly.¡± He patted dust off his trousers. ¡°It was filthy down there.¡±

    Dwayne sucked in a breath. ¡°Did you move anything?¡±

    ¡°No, I did not touch your precious experiment space.¡± Rodion adjusted his collar. ¡°I must be off. Sanford¡¯s own mess needs attending to. My lord, my lady.¡± He bowed and left.

    Dwayne shot a glance at the closing door. ¡°Did he seem¡­ amused to you?¡±

    Magdala tilted her head. ¡°No, just professional, like always.¡±

    ¡°Yes, like always.¡± Dwayne turned back to her. ¡°Do you want to wait until your lord father arrives?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because¡­¡± Dwayne¡¯s hands clutched and unclutched. ¡°Propriety?¡±

    ¡°Cups, no.¡± Magdala laughed. ¡°Father¡¯ll only get in the way.¡±

    This way it would be just like it was before, without her mother asking annoying questions and without her father glowering at Dwayne.

    ¡°In that case,¡± the corners of Dwayne¡¯s lips twitched, ¡°let¡¯s get started.¡±

    ¡°Lead the way.¡± Magdala followed Dwayne downstairs, blinking at the darkness in the stairwell. ¡°I thought Rodion said he¡¯d prepared the room. Oof!¡± She bumped into Dwayne¡¯s back.

    ¡°Sorry.¡± Dwayne took her hand in his. ¡°Looks like ¡®prepare¡¯ means something different today. I¡¯ll lead you down.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not far, I- nevermind.¡± Magdala let him lead her down the stairs, relishing the warmth of his hand. ¡°Um, why aren¡¯t you casting ?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not using magic at the moment.¡± Dwayne kept going down the stairs.

    When it was clear that he wasn¡¯t going to explain himself, Magdala asked, ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Here we are.¡± Dwayne guided her to the foot of the stairs and released her hand, leaving her alone in the dark. ¡°Give me a moment.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my question.¡±

    ¡°It was distracting me from my other studies.¡± Things shifted in the darkness. ¡°I need to focus on  magic.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re not mutually exclusive you know.¡± Magdala heard more things shift. ¡°Are you looking for something?¡±

    ¡°The candles.¡± Something fell over. ¡°Found one. Ah¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have any matches. Or flint.¡±

    ¡°Dwayne, you¡¯re a fire mage.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s better if I don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Correction, it¡¯s silly if you don¡¯t.¡± Magdala took a breath. ¡°Come here.¡± She started to rummage around in her satchel.

    ¡°What? Why?¡±

    ¡°Because I¡¯m not a fire mage and I have matches.¡± She found one and lit it.

    Dwayne¡¯s face, his eyes, his lips, were suddenly less than a handspan away, and they were alone in the dark, and no one would know if she just leaned forward and-

    ¡°Here,¡± he said.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°The candle.¡± Dwayne held up a broken one.

    ¡°Ah, right.¡± She put the match to the wick.

    Dwayne chuckled.

    Magdala glared at him. ¡°This is your fault.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s just funny.¡± He was smiling wide. ¡°A fire mage getting his candle lit by an alchemist.¡±

    Magdala felt a wave of heat. It had to be the candle. ¡°Well, if it¡¯s too embarrassing for you.¡±

    ¡°Not if it¡¯s you doing the lighting.¡± Dwayne pulled away from her and used the lit candle to light others. ¡°Oh, I, uh, have a proposal for you.¡±

    Magdala caught the table. ¡°What?¡± Proposal? Now?

    ¡°Magdala Stefanie Gallus.¡± Magdala¡¯s father stomped down the stairs with his satchel over his shoulder. ¡°What are you two doing down here in the dark?¡±

    Magdala straightened up. ¡°Nothing, Father. Just lighting candles.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Lord Gallus¡¯s voice was flat. ¡°Well, get to it. I don¡¯t have all day.¡± He snatched a lit candle off the table and marched over to a sunken pedestal next to the only chair in the room. ¡°I have paperwork to complete.¡±

    Sighing, Magdala moved to light the remaining candles. ¡°What¡¯s next on your list?¡±

    She¡¯d ask about Dwayne¡¯s proposal later.

    ¡°. Rodion found a rodent that uses it to twist juice out of ghalinanas.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ inventive.¡±

    ¡°Right?¡±

    ***

    </a>Under the watchful eye of Lord Gallus, Dwayne and Magdala made significant progress and created two new spell shunts in record time. Now, Dwayne watched as Magdala carefully placed a thin glass cap on top of the third shunt, which was filled to the brim with a suspension of wolf¡¯s tooth and azade.

    When she was done, Magdala pressed a finger on top, said ¡°,¡± and the two pieces of glass snapped together, completing the shunt.

    ¡°Wow.¡± Dwayne reached up and stretched. ¡°Three shunts in one hour. We¡¯re getting faster.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, we are.¡± Magdala pushed the shunt away and leaned on the table. ¡°You mentioned a proposal earlier.¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s stomach clenched. ¡°Right.¡± It was just practice. ¡°My proposal was¡­¡± Just practice. ¡°I-¡±

    ¡°Time¡¯s up,¡± announced Lord Gallus.

    Magdala glared at her father as he stuffed his papers into his satchel. ¡°We were talking.¡±

    ¡°Which means that you¡¯re done for the day.¡± Lord Gallus marched up to their table and peered at their latest work. ¡°Those are tiny.¡±

    ¡°Magic isn¡¯t like swordplay or horses, Father.¡± Magdala pulled at her cuffs. ¡°Bigger doesn¡¯t mean better.¡±

    Thank heavens, a change of subject.

    Dwayne tapped the new shunt. ¡°Still, I¡¯ve noticed some resistance using these that I didn¡¯t with the vials.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Magdala pulled closer, her wood and flower perfume filling Dwayne¡¯s nose. ¡°Do you think I¡¯d notice if we made some for me?¡± She frowned. ¡°Wait, are you¡­¡±

    Dwayne didn¡¯t let her finish. ¡°We should be creating shunts for you soon.¡± He reached for a crate of odds and ends that sat on the table. ¡°I think I have something that we can use to-¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Lord Gallus stepped between Dwayne and his daughter. ¡°I said ¡®Time¡¯s up¡¯. Autumn Session is in two days, and I don¡¯t have any more time to chaperone you two. Besides,¡± he sniffed, ¡°you two should be studying, not playing around.¡±

    Magdala got to her feet. ¡°We¡¯re researching, not playing.¡±

    Her father put his hands on his hips. ¡°Are you sure about that?¡±

    ¡°I understand that your time is valuable,¡± said Dwayne, standing up. ¡°We¡¯ll continue later, Magdala.¡±

    For a moment, her fury turned on him. Then she winced. ¡°Fine. Later. We¡¯ll talk about that... what you were talking about.¡± She turned on her heel, stomped to the stairs, then looked back. ¡°Are you two coming?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I-

    ¡°Mag, go on up for me.¡± Lord Gallus¡¯s hand landed on Dwayne¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I have to have a talk with your lab partner.¡±

    Magdala narrowed her eyes. ¡°What about?¡±

    Her father gave her a half-smile. ¡°Your mother has had a word with me about last night.¡±

    ¡°Good, you deserved it.¡± Magdala curtsied. ¡°Until later, Dwayne.¡± She disappeared up the stairs.

    When his daughter was out of sight, Lord Gallus released Dwayne¡¯s shoulder and stepped back. ¡°So.¡± He took a deep breath. ¡°Has Iona spoken with you?¡±

    Dwayne tried to keep tension out of his voice. ¡°Yes, she has.¡±

    ¡°Last night, I¡­¡± Lord Gallus looked gut-punched. ¡°I acted badly and set a bad example, not just for you, but for my own children. I saw her and you together and then we were talking about how mages with the same master stick together and¡­¡± He coughed. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m sorry.¡± He came to attention. ¡°Do you accept my apology?¡±

    That was exactly as awkward as Dwayne thought it would be. ¡°Yes, I do.¡± As the man relaxed, Dwayne¡¯s gaze drifted away. ¡°You were right though. About thinking about the future.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t quite.¡± Lord Gallus took Magdala¡¯s seat. ¡°You¡¯re still young and you shouldn¡¯t rush these things and, as Iona pointed out to me, you have a lot on your plate. Just take your time and it¡¯ll all sort itself out.¡±

    ¡°Will it?¡± Dwayne¡¯s eyes met Lord Gallus¡¯s. ¡°Will it really just ¡®sort itself out¡¯? Down in Walcrest, I learned what it meant to be a noble¡¯s heir, and it¡¯s my duty to represent the Kalan family in society, and last night, I failed by being emotional and foolish.¡± He met Lord Gallus¡¯s eyes. ¡°A Souran mage is neither.¡±

    ¡°Last night, we both did damage to our families¡¯ reputations.¡± Lord Gallus chuckled. ¡°And I¡¯ve done far worse than you in my day. This is hardly a strategic failure, merely a tactical setback.¡±

    ¡°Maybe not, but I¡¯ve heard enough of your daughter¡¯s lectures on military history to know that if you have enough tactical setbacks, that is a strategic failure. I know how to prevent them.¡± Dwayne straightened up. ¡°I¡¯ve sworn off  magic.¡±

    He¡¯d even put  down in Sanford¡¯s basement to hide away the temptation.

    ¡°Sworn off? That¡¯s dedication.¡± Lord Gallus grinned. ¡°I like it. It¡¯s like the personal oaths the old knights used to take.¡±

    Dwayne blinked. ¡°You approve?¡±

    ¡°A good oath reminds you of your commitment to what needs to be done, but,¡± Lord Gallus leaned in, ¡°you¡¯ll also have to show others how seriously you¡¯re taking this. Let¡¯s start with your clothes.¡± He gestured at the pink suit. ¡°What you wore last night was better because it showed pride in your family. Do you have another like it?¡±

    ¡°No, I, uh,¡± Dwayne felt as if the wall he¡¯d been pushing against had evaporated, ¡°I just have the one.¡±

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll have another sent your way. Now, let¡¯s get a look at you.¡± Lord Gallus stood up, grabbed Dwayne¡¯s shoulders and began to turn him around. ¡°Not much meat on you overall, but you have the arms of a spearman. Does your steward have your measurements?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Dwayne stepped back from Lord Gallus. ¡°Wait, are you ordering me a suit?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°For the Autumn Session?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°The one in two days?¡±

    ¡°I have an excellent tailor.¡± Lord Gallus clapped Dwayne on the shoulder. ¡°With a personal oath and new clothes and a good wig, you¡¯ll be well on your way to being a true and honorable Souran. Oh, you¡¯ll also need to think of some great feat to do.¡±

    ¡°Pardon?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll think of something. You¡¯re smart.¡± Lord Gallus shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s impressive. You¡¯re already rallying your strength and preparing a new assault. I wish you deep draughts of Cueller¡¯s blessing. Now,¡± he stood up, ¡°I must get to my meeting before Koenig convinces the others to allow Sen Jerome¡¯s to handle Session security.¡± He strode over to the staircase. ¡°Remember to be at the Privy Chamber early on the day of. You don¡¯t want to give Her Highness any reason to gripe about you.¡± He left.

    Disquieted, Dwayne turned back to the table. Lord Gallus thought his plan would work. He thought Dwayne could do it. Sure, the wig and suit sounded horrid, but if it would get people on Dwayne¡¯s side, it would be more than worth it.

    That only left his great feat. He still had to prove that Emittance Theory was wrong, and the best way to do that was to create  spell vials so that  mages could feel the difference. That would do.

    He pulled the crate of odds and ends towards him and pulled out a shimmering red feather, which had been collected from the wildfire-starting Huo-niao bird. He hadn¡¯t asked how Huan had gotten this for him, not for so cheap at least.

    A short loud buzz echoed in the room.

    Dropping the feather on the table, Dwayne looked for the source of the sound. The room, which had been used mainly as storage before he had arrived, currently contained two wooden tables, two matching stools, the padded chair Lord Gallus had sat in, and the limestone pedestal he¡¯d used as a desk. It was dark even with the five candles Dwayne and Magdala had lit, which he hadn¡¯t noticed because he¡¯d been so focused on her. Still, even without the dozen mage flames he usually cast, Dwayne felt like something in the room had changed.

    Maybe the pedestal had moved.

    Maybe.

    When the buzz didn¡¯t return, Dwayne rubbed his eyes and held in a yawn. He probably spent too much time down here, and he should go and practice with the new shunts. That would do him some good. Besides, Magdala would want to know how well they worked before next time.

    She¡¯ll probably want to talk about Dwayne¡¯s proposal.

    He winced. At least that would be after the Autumn Session. He had time to practice asking her to practice courtship.

    After dropping the feather back into the box, Dwayne said, ¡°.¡±

    The candles stayed lit.

    Right, they weren¡¯t magical.

    He could probably use  to- No, no magic. He¡¯d snuff out the candles by hand. And he¡¯d ask Mei to go get some matches.

 Xa-Manya-Huia-Nohtu, Robins Song

    At lunch in the Magisterium Commissary, Mei told Fran what she¡¯d worn to last night¡¯s dinner.

    Fran took it well. ¡°That knave!¡±

    Mei shrugged. ¡°It is not an issue.¡±

    ¡°Not an issue?¡± Fran got to her feet. ¡°Not an issue! I spent hours searching for the perfect pattern, the perfect dressmaker, and the perfect fabric, and, after I¡¯ve done all that and had the perfect dress made for you, that reprobate pawns it off like it was a cheap knockoff for frontier farmers.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget,¡± Maggie leaned back in her chair, ¡°that he did that without Mei¡¯s permission.¡± She frowned at Mei. ¡°Is that normal?¡±

    ¡°He looks out for me.¡± Mei¡¯s hands curled under the table. ¡°It is not an issue.¡±

    Fran sat back down and leaned over. ¡°Mei. Darling.¡± She took Mei¡¯s hand. ¡°It is an issue, a big one. Your brother has no right to just trample over you like that. Do you still want the dress?¡±

    Mei, not trusting herself to speak, nodded.

    Fran patted her hand. ¡°Then we¡¯ll find it and you¡¯ll wear it for the Autumn Session.¡±

    Maggie crossed her arms. ¡°And if Huan pawns it again?¡±

    ¡°What was it you used to say? ¡®Good timing presents good opportunities?¡¯¡± Fran smiled a wolf¡¯s grin. ¡°He won¡¯t have the chance.¡± She clapped her hands. ¡°Now that that¡¯s settled, let¡¯s talk Session. I heard that Her Majesty plans to make a big announcement.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s always planning something.¡± Maggie¡¯s concern still leaked out in nonchalant glances at Mei. ¡°Remember last year? When she announced that that big tax reform was coming this year?¡±

    ¡°She announced it?¡± asked Mei, glad they¡¯d moved on from her brother. ¡°Why did she announce it?¡±

    ¡°Because we merchants require some warning before the Throne roots around in our coffers,¡± replied Fran.

    ¡°And we nobles like to think our opinions have been considered,¡± said Maggie.

    Fran snorted. ¡°As if you lot care. None of you had to suddenly complete a full audit in just three months. After weeks of soliciting our captains for their books, my mother threatened to move our business to Vanuria. Aunt Livia just barely talked her out of it.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Maggie rested her chin on her hands. ¡°Didn¡¯t your family gain like eight percent profit in the end?¡±

    ¡°Seven and three eighths percent after expenses and time lost,¡± corrected Fran, ¡°but only because we Lucchesis keep excellent books. The Giordanos barely came out even, and the diVidas had to reorganize to make up for their losses.¡± She sighed. ¡°At least the Queen got what she wanted: complete knowledge of every merchant guild¡¯s finances.¡±

    ¡°What do you think she¡¯ll announce, Mei?¡± asked Maggie.

    Mei poked at her meal, still feeling full from breakfast. Maybe she shouldn¡¯t have eaten so many of those delicious wraps.

    ¡°Mei?¡±

    Mei blinked and looked up at her friends, who were both waiting for an answer. When she managed to summon up the question in her memory, only one thing came to mind. ¡°The murder?¡±

    Maggie¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Murder? What murder?¡±

    ¡°A windsong was killed last night. I examined his body.¡± Mei walked her friends through the case, up to and including Dwayne¡¯s interest in it. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to Charlie about it when I get the chance.¡±

    ¡°Charlie?¡± asked Maggie.

    ¡°The scrytive.¡±

    Fran¡¯s hand kneaded her chest. ¡°Who¡¯d kill a windsong messenger?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t it used to happen all the time down in Adhua?¡± Maggie speared a vegetable with her fork. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s mercantile espionage?¡±

    Fran froze. ¡°If it is, then Her Majesty and the Magisterium must put a stop to it. With recent developments in the Ilyon Sea, we merchants need all the mages we can get.¡± She shuddered. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s connected to all those recent burglaries.¡±

    Maggie tilted her head to the side. ¡°Burglaries?¡±

    Mei answered before Fran could. ¡°Someone is using magic to steal magic stuff.¡±

    ¡°What stuff?¡± asked Fran.

    ¡°What kind of magic?¡± asked Maggie.

    Mei shrugged. ¡°Family birthright stuff and the kind of magic that lets someone go through a hole this size.¡± She pointed at her palm.

    Maggie glanced at Fran. ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡±

    ¡°And a very convoluted way to get at family secrets.¡± Fran picked up her glass of water. ¡°Although it would be worth it to learn something on par with Lady Pol¡¯s lightning.¡±

    ¡°The magic to shrink oneself is more valuable than even that, at least if it¡¯s  magic¡­¡± Maggie¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Oh, it has to be Vanurian.¡±

    Mei leaned in. ¡°Why do you say that?¡±

    ¡°Because whenever we hear of an impossible magic, it¡¯s usually Vanurian.¡± Fran took another sip. ¡°My sister, she commands one of our ships, recently heard a rumor that a Vanurian count had suborned a powerful foreign mage and forced her to work dark magic. Total nonsense of course, but we mages do love intrigue.¡±

    Mei and Maggie gave each other a look. Considering what had happened down in Walton, that didn¡¯t sound like nonsense.

    ¡°You¡¯re doing it again,¡± said Fran.

    Mei frowned. ¡°Doing what?¡±

    ¡°That ¡®We¡¯ve seen things¡¯ look.¡± Fran sighed. ¡°Just because you two have gone on exciting adventures together doesn¡¯t mean you can leave me out of the conversation. It¡¯s rude.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Maggie raised an eyebrow. ¡°Would you have joined us on said adventures?¡±

    ¡°No, of course not,¡± Fran admitted, ¡°but it¡¯s still galling when you two do that.¡± She smiled at Mei. ¡°I apologize. I¡¯m still getting used to being one of Maggie¡¯s friends, instead of her only friend.¡±

    ¡°I have other friends,¡± huffed Maggie.

    ¡°Who aside from Mei, Dwayne and myself?¡±

    ¡°Saundra.¡±

    Fran flushed. ¡°And her, of course, but no one else, just ex-lovers who refuse to speak to you ever again.¡± Leaving Maggie flustered, Fran turned to Mei. ¡°Back to the Autumn Session. Mei, what are your plans for it?¡±

    ¡°Escorting Dwayne to the Privy Council,¡± answered Mei. He¡¯d told her about it last week.

    ¡°And afterward?¡±

    Mei thought about it. ¡°Probably hanging out alone.¡± Since Huan hated official functions.

    Maggie¡¯s eyes flashed. ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± She turned to her roommate. ¡°Fran, do you have an escort for the Autumn Session?¡±

    ¡°As it happens, I don¡¯t, Mag.¡± Fran grinned. ¡°Mei, darling.¡± She fluttered her eyelashes. ¡°Will you escort me to the Autumn Session?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Mei shot up in her seat. Fran was into girls, but Mei had assumed she was exempt. ¡°I¡­uh¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, sorry, sorry, sorry.¡± Fran guided Mei back into her seat. ¡°I just want you to hang out with me. Nothing more and nothing to it.¡±

    Mei watched Fran. ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Really.¡±

    Maggie leaned in. ¡°We know where the good food is going to be.¡±

    Mei smiled. ¡°What about you?¡±

    Magdala winced. ¡°Before the actual Session, I¡¯ll have to do some mingling, but you and Fran will be sitting with me afterwards.¡±

    Mei drew her eyebrows together. ¡°Do you have to?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll stop by and give her as much support as we can stand.¡± Fran winked at Mei. ¡°I can¡¯t promise we won¡¯t have our own ¡®We¡¯ve seen things¡¯ looks by the time we do though. Oh, we should practice!¡± She turned away. ¡°How¡¯s¡­this?¡± She turned back to Mei and Maggie, one eyebrow raised. ¡°Wasn¡¯t that¡­ amazing?¡±

    Mei giggled. ¡°We don¡¯t do that.¡±

    ¡°Obviously not. We have to have our own unique look or else it wouldn¡¯t be fair. Now you.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Mei turned away, feeling silly and loving it. She turned back, raised her chin, and smirked. ¡°That was amazing, right?¡±

    Fran giggled. ¡°Perfect.¡±

    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Maggie struggled to keep a straight face. ¡°You¡¯re spending too much time around her. Keep it up, and you¡¯ll be fighting off lovers with a stick.¡±

    Hopefully not. Mei shook her head. ¡°Then I won¡¯t do it with anyone other than you two. And maybe Dwayne.¡±

    Maggie¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°W-why Dwayne?¡±

    Mei frowned. ¡°Because he needs to laugh too.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t bother explaining.¡± Fran hid a smile in her glass. ¡°Mag should figure out her own ¡®special look¡¯ for him.¡±

    ¡°They don¡¯t have one already?¡± Mei asked. ¡°She¡¯s known him longer.¡±

    Maggie¡¯s face was bright red. ¡°You two are incorrigible.¡±

    Fran thumped the table. ¡°How dare you impugn Mei? She¡¯s pure and honest.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I am.¡± Mei kept her expression still. ¡°After all, I do not know why Maggie can¡¯t keep her eyes off Dwayne when he takes off his shirt.¡±

    Maggie mock-glared at her. ¡°You said you wouldn¡¯t tell.¡±

    Mei grinned back. ¡°I said I wouldn¡¯t tell him.¡±

    ¡°See,¡± Fran was giggling, ¡°she¡¯s honest.¡±

    As the three of them giggled, Mei caught sight of a black and blue uniform skulking in the eastern arcade. She jumped to her feet. ¡°I should be getting back to my post.¡±

    ¡°What, really?¡± asked Maggie. ¡°We still need to figure out how to get your dress back.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll use the most flexible material known to humankind.¡± Fran rubbed her fingers together. ¡°Money. Will we see you tomorrow, Mei?¡±

    ¡°Maybe.¡± Mei smiled. ¡°But I will see you in two days.¡±

    With a bow, she excused herself, and left Fran to gently scold Maggie about her treatment of Colin. She crossed the tiled floor and rounded a pillar in whose shadow Huan lurked.

    Seeing her, he flashed a smile. ¡°You looked like you were having fun in there.¡±

    Mei¡¯s jaw stiffened. ¡°What are you doing here? Why aren¡¯t you at Sanford?¡±

    ¡°I needed to talk to you.¡± He gestured down the corridor. ¡°Walk with me?¡±

    Sanford was a long way to come from just to talk. ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Excellent.¡± Huan started down the corridor.

    Mei followed. ¡°What did you want to talk about?¡±

    ¡°You know I¡¯ve never been here? Rodion and Dwayne haven¡¯t let me out of their sight in days.¡±

    ¡°Sanford needs a lot of work.¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. I think it¡¯s because they don¡¯t trust me.¡± Huan¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°I know that steward doesn¡¯t. He only let me come here because I said I was meeting you for lunch. You¡¯ll say that you did, right?¡± He gave Mei his widest smile. ¡°You¡¯ll back me up?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± Mei¡¯s chest felt tight. ¡°Is that all?¡±

    ¡°No, I need you to do something for me.¡± Huan led her out of the Commissary and into a wooded square, where students rushed to class under branches weighted with rain and dew. Once they were alone, he turned to her. ¡°Meet me at the Slipped Finger tonight. It¡¯s a tavern in the Bilges.¡±

    Mei resisted the urge to step back from him. ¡°Are we celebrating something?¡±

    Huan paused. ¡°Yeah, sure. The area is a little rough and tumble, so you do that thing you do when you wake me up in the morning. It¡¯ll keep people from bothering us.¡±

    Mei glanced at Huan¡¯s uniform. ¡°Is that why you were gone this morning?¡±

    ¡°Always with the¡­¡± Huan swallowed a snarl and grinned. ¡°I just went to Sanford early to make time for this. Trust me.¡±

    Even though Rodion hadn¡¯t mentioned Huan coming to the estate and, when she¡¯d left, his uniform had still been on the floor, Mei said, ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a life saver, little sister.¡± Huan bowed. ¡°See you tonight.¡±

    After a jaunty salute, he turned and jogged away.

    When he¡¯d disappeared around the corner, Mei sighed. If she was going to the tavern, she¡¯d have to make up her study time elsewhere. It was a pain, but her brother needed her. Maybe Dwayne would let her study on duty.

    An apology for last night would have been nice though.

    ***

    </a>When he searched the Tower¡¯s second floor for any texts detailing Emittance Theory, Dwayne found nothing but mere speculation. While the nature of magic was a topic the Golden Age mages had been fond of, they hadn¡¯t actually created any coherent theories on how magic worked. From what Dwayne could tell, the term ¡°Emittance Theory¡± had been specifically coined to rebut Resonance theory, a reality that begged the question: who¡¯d coined the term?

    Abandoning the search, Dwayne turned to Lord Kalan¡¯s old correspondence, he¡¯d brought copies from Walton, for any hints. He¡¯d expected the term¡¯s first use to be either Lady Pol or Professor Corns, they had both defended Emittance Theory in public and in private, but the first real use of the phrase ¡°Emittance Theory¡± that he could find lay in an eight year old water-damaged letter from a ¡°C. Rionnutte¡±.

    He didn¡¯t know who Rionnutte was, but eight years ago rang a bell. Once, Magdala had mentioned that Lord Kalan had arrived at a Consortium eight years ago on the arm of a Wesen mage. That could have been the same woman Thadden had mentioned at dinner, and the  mage who¡¯d given Lord Kalan , Chika. The first letter-

    A reverberating bong filled Dwayne¡¯s ears, shattering his chain of thought. ¡°Argh!¡±

    Dwayne covered his ears and had just risen from his desk when the wave of heat hit. He collapsed back onto the desk, and for an eternity, sound and heat hammered him.

    Then as suddenly as it came, it was gone.

    Dwayne hauled himself upright. ¡°What was-¡±

    Again, the sonic and heat assaults slammed into him, but he endured it this time and stayed on his feet. If this was an attack, he hadn¡¯t seen anything like it, hadn¡¯t even heard stories about it, and, if it was an attack, what, or who, was the target?

    When the latest assault ceased, Dwayne dove for the staircase and had made it halfway down to the first floor before another hit. Sweaty and deaf, he pushed through it, reached the first floor, and stumbled through the foyer and out of the Tower.

    When he collapsed on the ground next to her, Mei looked up from her studies. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t hear that?¡±

    Dwayne tensed, ready for another assault, but the air felt cool and the forest was rustling softly in the wind. He frowned.

    Mei looked around. ¡°Hear what?¡±

    Dwayne got to his feet. ¡°You didn¡¯t hear ringing?¡±

    She shook her head.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ strange.¡± He looked back at the foyer, where the white shrouds fluttered in the breeze the open door let in. ¡°Let me check something.¡±

    He walked up to the door, took a deep breath, and then stepped back into the Tower. Again, sound and heat hit him like a punch in the gut.

    Bracing himself against the door, he shouted back at Mei, ¡°You can¡¯t hear or feel that?¡±

    Mei put down her writing pad and stepped into the foyer, just as another assault hit. She frowned and said something.

    ¡°What?¡± shouted Dwayne.

    ¡°I hear something!¡± Mei shouted back, ironically just as the assault stopped. She put her hands up to her ears. ¡°It¡¯s gone now. But it was faint.¡±

    Dwayne opened his mouth to correct her, but then recalled that she never used hyperbole, not with him, and so he nodded instead. ¡°Lead the way, please.¡±

    ¡°Wait.¡±

    Mei turned this way and that and then towards the staircase. Without a word, she walked towards it. Dwayne followed her, gritting his teeth through the periodic assaults. It was clear that they were having no effect on Mei, who hadn¡¯t sweat a drop. That felt unfair, but at least she could track the noise where Dwayne couldn¡¯t. They made their way downstairs, and it immediately became clear what was causing the assaults.

    At the back of the room, the sunken pedestal had risen to a standing height, lifting up a book of crawling green and shimmering purple light that was rippling into being. The book pulsed, letting out a bone-shaking bong sound, a fresh wave of summer heat, and a single softly spoken command: ¡°Come.¡±

    This had to stop, and so, hoping that this wasn¡¯t a massive mistake, Dwayne ran past a dumbfounded Mei, charged the pedestal, and did the first thing he thought of. He slapped his hand onto the book, and it snapped into being with a blast of frosty air.

    ¡°This Tome,¡± a dry, fluttering voice whispered in Dwayne¡¯s ear, ¡°this Terminal to The Queen¡¯s Own Collection of Magical Tomes and Scrolls, acknowledges you as Most Senior Adjunct Librarian and releases its License Key to you.¡±

    The book, its cover now merely purple and green leather, shook, and a dark quick silver substance oozed out of it and hardened into a metal plate covered in glistening foreign script, arcane symbols, and intriguing pictographs. Dwayne peeled the plate free. It was warm, like a mug that had been placed close to an open flame. He peered closely at the script and symbols, which faded in and out of the metal as if they were flakes of kota leaves in hot water. This was amazing magic, on par with the wonders of Yumma.

    Before he could marvel further, the Tome flopped open.

    ¡°It¡¯s blank.¡± Ignoring Dwayne¡¯s startlement, Mei flipped through the Tome¡¯s pages. ¡°Nothing is written here.¡±

    Dwayne slid the Key into his pocket. ¡°Strange.¡± He flipped through the book¡¯s soft white pages himself. ¡°That was a lot of fanfare for- whoa!¡± Spiky script scrawled itself across the pages. ¡°It¡¯s Souran.¡±

    Mei raised an eyebrow. ¡°What is?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t see anything?¡± Dwayne asked.

    Mei shook her head.

    ¡°Huh.¡± Mei had been nearly insensate to the earlier assaults too. ¡°Maybe you have to be a mage. Or a Librarian.¡± He ran his fingers over the words. ¡°It says it¡¯s an access point? For the Library. This is¡­ This is an index. It has entries for history, magical artifacts, even spells that past Royal Sorcerers have created!¡± He turned more pages and found more index. ¡°How do I access something specific, like past experiments?¡±

    The pages cleared, and new words scrawled themselves on the page.

    Dwayne¡¯s heart pounded. ¡°Oh, damn.¡±

    ¡°I should go back outside.¡± Mei had already made her way to the staircase. ¡°Let me know if you need anything.¡±

    ¡°Oh, sure.¡± Dwayne smiled at her. ¡°Thanks for your help.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡±

    As Mei ascended the staircase, Dwayne turned back to the book. ¡°Past experiments.¡±

    The pages cleared and a new index with titles and dates appeared. Dwayne reviewed it. Most of the experiments had tested ideas currently listed as fact in Magisterium textbooks, but a few had been labeled ¡°Forbidden Crafts.¡± With a word, Dwayne accessed their abstracts and found mostly normal, albeit modified for wider area of effect, offensive  spells. Interesting to someone like Magdala, but not worth the trouble the Tome had put Dwayne through.

    He was about to close the book and return upstairs when one title caught his eye: ¡°Seizure of Thaumaturgical Essence in Azade.¡± He summoned the full details. Apparently forty years ago, Henrietta Nithercott, the Royal Sorcerer at the time, had tried to ¡°catch¡± magic in solid azade spheres using a simple methodology: she¡¯d cast a spell at a sphere to charge it and then have a lay person use the charged sphere to cast the original spell. The dozens of result tables made it clear that for five minutes anyone, lay or mage, could use a charged sphere to cast a spell, although after that time, the spheres would lose both their charge and their ability to be charged, a fact that had disappointed Nithercott.

    But Dwayne was ecstatic. This process produced a result similar to Huan¡¯s old mask, which had held magic for an extended period of time, and it was very similar to how he and Magdala created spell shunts and vials. There definitely was something to the spheres¡¯ inability to hold, and hold repeatedly, magical charge, but it was clear that Nithercott had been relying on a variation of Emittance Theory and had ignored the fact that lay people could cast magic with this technique.

    This called for more experimentation.

    ¡°How do I put in experiments?¡±

    The Tome¡¯s pages cleared, and a step by step list appeared. Dwayne grinned. All he had to do was summon an empty page and write on it. First though, he needed more azade.

    Leaving the Tome open, Dwayne rushed out of the lab and up to Mei, who¡¯d resumed her studies. ¡°Mei, I need you to get something for me.¡±

    The hunter¡¯s eyes stayed on her notebook, her pencil unmoving.

    ¡°Mei?¡± Dwayne crouched. ¡°Is something wrong?¡±

    Mei blinked and then shook her head. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine.¡± She looked him over. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Dwayne sat down next to her. ¡°Is this about the murder investigation?¡±

    Mei tensed then nodded. ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t know where to start.¡±

    Ah, it wasn¡¯t about the investigation, but she obviously didn¡¯t want to talk about whatever she¡¯d been really thinking about. ¡°It¡¯s like a hunt, right? But you¡¯re finding the hunter instead of the prey.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Mei blinked. ¡°Like tracking down a grimbear after it¡¯s eaten.¡±

    If she said so. ¡°Right like that. Where would you start?¡±

    ¡°Spoor. Footprints.¡± Mei bit her lip, ¡°but I don¡¯t know the area.¡± Her eyes lit up. ¡°I should explore. Can I?¡±

    Hoping that would stave off her dark mood, Dwayne nodded. ¡°Yeah, go ahead. You can explore tomorrow too if you need to. Before you go though, can you please go back to Sanford and pick up some azade for me? You can ask Rodion where it is.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Mei got to her feet, paused. ¡°You don¡¯t need me to guard you tonight?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m good.¡± Dwayne stood up. ¡°Just remember to write a report on what you find. I¡¯ll probably need it for the paperwork I¡¯ll have to file, and, ah,¡± he gave her a sheepish smile, ¡°I haven¡¯t exactly taken the chance to explore the city either.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll remember. It will be good practice.¡± Mei began to jog down the drive. ¡°I¡¯ll bring you the azade too.¡±

    ¡°Thanks again.¡±

    As Mei disappeared down the drive, Dwayne returned downstairs, his mind already designing an experiment to test one of the findings in the old experiment. What happened if he switched the magical components in the spell vials? It was a fascinating question, so much so that the small question of why the License Key had been granted to Dwayne now, and not weeks ago when he¡¯d first arrived, slipped from his mind.

 Fouberdovulnire, Perforate

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll take this to him,¡± Rodion raised the small box of azade, ¡°and if you see him, tell your brother that he has more work to do.¡±

    ¡°I will, and thank you.¡±

    Mei bowed, left Sanford, and headed south on Oben Avenue. When she reached the Exchange¡¯s northeast corner on Sylvan Street, she stopped to consider her two options to get to the Bilges: the fast route or the interesting route. The fast route would take her southeast through the Exchange, and she¡¯d reached the tavern that was probably filled with drunk people, weak beer and thin sausages. Or she could go straight south and investigate the intriguing mix of scents and smells drifting out of Boscage. While her brother would probably prefer she arrive early, Mei had a mission from Dwayne to explore Bradford. Getting something to eat other than terrible sausages would be a bonus.

    Turning south, Mei joined a flock of laughing, shouting carousers in colorful suits, fancy dresses, and full length cloaks. While they were all dressed in unfashionable reds, blues, and greens, all in cuts that Fran had declared last year¡¯spass¨¦, the commoners had the more compelling cloak clasps: the silver birds, gold flowers, and bronze bees were very eye-catching. Apparently, being unfashionable and untitled freed commoners from the requirement to display their family crests and allowed them to decorate with abandon. Maybe Mei could get one made for her.

    ¡°Flatbread, get your flatbread here!¡±

    Mei and the carousers had reached an intersection where a half dozen food stalls competed for attention and coin.

    ¡°Best fried fish you¡¯ll get your hands on ever!¡±

    ¡°Exotic, exquisite, excellent! That¡¯s what you¡¯ll be squealing when you¡¯ve tried¡­ this!¡± A stall owner hefted a large metal lid, revealing a laden metal pan of rice, beans, and awrock liver.

    Mei¡¯s mouth watered as she recognized one of the scents she¡¯d smelled all the way from the Parvenue District. She quickly bought a bowl, thanked the stall owner, and walked on, using a roughly carved wooden spoon to ladle food out of the bowl and into her mouth. When the combination of spices and fat hit her tongue, she moaned. It was better than it smelled and was almost as good at the wrap Rodion had prepared for breakfast.

    Still eating, Mei continued south, and soon she reached the brightly lit Brad riverfront. Around her, the food stalls became trendy restaurants with tables and chairs arranged to take in the view of the boats drifting up and down the river. At a glance, the restaurants looked stuffy, but Mei let her nose catalog the best one before she walked on. Good food was good food after all.

    ¡°Oh honey, look at that!¡± A woman pointed at a two-tiered boat, the , which was pushing its way up the river as its dozen passengers toasted with sparkling wine.

    Her partner frowned. ¡°How is it going against the current?¡±

    That was a good question. Mei peered at the boat. It didn¡¯t have any oars or sails or polemen, and yet, it went against the river¡¯s flow. It wasn¡¯t until she remembered which country she was in and searched the back end of the boat that she found the reason it could move upriver: a water Qe mage with brown curly hair. Fran had called mages like that one waterimpelers and had loudly disapproved, saying that pushing pleasure boats around was pointless work that kept mages from doing real labor on the farms or on the sea. At the time, Maggie had muttered agreement, but Mei had thought it sounded fun. Watching this one concentrate so hard, her eyes closed, her hand trailing in the water, made that whimsical thought sound naive.

    Finished with her meal, Mei tossed her trash into a nearby bin and left the couple to their gawking. She¡¯d enjoyed this little jaunt, but duty called. Turning east, Mei entered the ever busy Exchange and made her way to Bradsbridge, dodging laborers, overseers, drovers, awful awrocks, and accountants with clipboards as she went. Almost dizzy with the effort, Mei took a break next to the wide stone bridge and watched carts and carriages stream across it.

    Before crossing Bradsbridge two weeks ago, Mei, Dwayne, Rodion and her brother had passed by the Plague District, a dark section of Bradford that lay outside the city¡¯s walls on the other side of the river. Later at dinner, Maggie had told them that a hundred years ago a Souran Queen had sent non-Sourans there in order to stave off a deadly plague, and they hadn¡¯t left since. The district was neglected, lacking paved streets or street lights of any kind, which Maggie had spun as a bad thing, even though such things were rare outside of cities like Bradford. Mei wanted to go there, to follow the Vanurians and Wesen workers as they trudged back across the bridge, and to compare the district to the slums in Waltons, but she¡¯d promised Huan she¡¯d meet him. Even the prospect of chocolati ghalianas from the South couldn¡¯t sway her.

    The South. When Charlie had said, ¡°Southern cheekbones,¡± Mei had assumed that he¡¯d meant Southern like Fran who was from Adhua, but he could have meant Southern like Odette, like Vanuria. That thought was almost enough to convince Mei to go to the Plague District now, but again her conscience implored her to keep her appointment with her brother. Maybe she¡¯d have time to investigate tomorrow.

    Turning east, Mei got through the Exchange and back into the Bilges, but she had to ask around before she could reach The Slipped Finger, a leaning ramshackle building tucked into a dark alley on the far eastern end of the quarter. Pushing her way through the swinging doors, Mei¡¯s nose wrinkled from the sour smell of beer and sweat. Trying to ignore how her boots made sucking sounds on the wood floor, she made her way around and through impromptu choirs, knife-edged arguments, and card games with rules she could only guess at. She kept her hand on her dagger, a clear sign of hostility that forestalled at least one attempt to accost her.

    ¡°Oi, Mei!¡± Her brother, back in his favored blue tunic and gray pants, emerged from a table at the back of the room. ¡°Over here!¡±

    Mei slipped through the crowd and reached the table, which was also occupied by a large man with bare arms, closely cropped blond hair, and icy blue eyes.

    The stranger scoffed. ¡°This your sister?¡±

    ¡°The one and only.¡± Huan gestured for Mei to sit. ¡°Kay, this is my little sister Mei.¡± He put his arm over Kay¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Mei, meet Kay.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s still in uniform.¡± Kay crossed his arms and made his muscles ripple under his clean skin. ¡°Hardly discreet.¡±

    Instead of sitting, Mei looked over Kay¡¯s clean white tunic, perfectly black trousers, and the silver cup pendent hanging from his neck. He didn¡¯t slouch and had noticed, and approved of, the dagger on her hip.

    As one last test, Mei shifted onto her back foot, and watch Kay¡¯s crossed arms flex. ¡°Are you a soldier?¡±

    Kay¡¯s rigid posture somehow stiffened. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°There are only three kinds of people here,¡± Mei nodded at the rest of the room, ¡°soldiers, sellswords, and criminals. Criminals,¡± she didn¡¯t look at her own brother, ¡°don¡¯t take baths, sellswords like me don¡¯t have the time to do arm exercises, and,¡± Mei leaned forward, a motion that broke Kay¡¯s stoic stance, ¡°You have training.¡±

    Kay¡¯s eyes flashed. ¡°You little-¡±

    ¡°Kay, let it go.¡± Huan whispered his words into the man¡¯s ear. ¡°She¡¯s matching your hostility.¡± He smiled at Mei. ¡°Which is rude, and ironic considering that she was late to this meeting. Mei, be nice.¡± He pointed. ¡°Sit.¡±

    Huan¡¯s arm was still around Kay¡¯s shoulders, and, despite Mei¡¯s provocations, the big man hadn¡¯t gone for a weapon.

    ¡°Fine.¡± Mei sat down and placed both of her hands on the table. ¡°What is this about?¡±

    Kay matched her, placing both hands on the table. ¡°We have a job for you.¡±

    Huan¡¯s head jerked back. ¡°What?¡±

    Mei said nothing.

    Kay scowled. ¡°Our employer thinks you¡¯d be perfect for it.¡±

    Huan¡¯s fingers curled. ¡°I came through for you last night, and you¡¯re already thinking of replacing me?¡±

    The muscles on Kay¡¯s neck tensed. ¡°This was not my idea.¡±

    ¡°What kind of job?¡± Mei would ask her brother about last night later.

    Kay shook his head. ¡°No details. Not till you take it.¡± He crossed his arms. ¡°Pay is good. Four earls.¡±

    ¡°Four earls?¡± Huan asked. ¡°That¡¯s twice what you paid me.¡±

    Mei¡¯s eyes flicked to her brother. Two earls was also lot of money and doubling implied that Mei¡¯s skills would be invaluable to Kay¡¯s employer.

    ¡°I am not my brother, and I don¡¯t do jobs I know nothing about.¡± Mei switched to Tuquese. ¡°Brother, what is this?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t embarrass me, Mei,¡± answered Huan in the same language, ¡°not after arriving late. Just-¡±

    Kay¡¯s hand cut between them. ¡°Speak Souran. What did you just say?¡±

    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    ¡°That I already have a job.¡± Mei leaned back in her chair. ¡°So does he.¡±

    ¡°Protecting towers in the backwoods?¡± Kay sneered. ¡°They call you Axesnapper. Was it for irony?¡±

    ¡°Soldiers,¡± Mei let the word hang in the air, ¡°call me Axesnapper.¡±

    Kay¡¯s fist hit the table. ¡°I am not a-¡±

    ¡°Oi, no.¡± Huan pulled Kay back into his seat. ¡°Just¡­ cool it for now. Mei.¡± Her brother gave her his most winning, most desperate smile. ¡°We¡¯re not paid enough to turn down good money.¡±

    Mei glanced at Kay and doubted that his employer could pay her enough to endure threats. ¡°No.¡±

    Her brother growled. ¡°Mei¡­¡±

    ¡°Excellent.¡±

    Mei and her brother stared as Kay got to his feet. ¡°May Cueller¡¯s Blessing pour upon you.¡± He put his hands together and left.

    Before Mei could follow, Huan grabbed her arm. ¡°What was that?¡±

    Mei twisted free. ¡°I don¡¯t need the money.¡±

    ¡°Everyone needs money. It¡¯s like air or love.¡±

    Mei switched to Tuquese. ¡°What did you do for them?¡±

    Huan¡¯s eyes slid away from her. ¡°A few courier jobs.¡± His Tuquese was rougher than Mei remembered, like it wasn¡¯t his first tongue anymore. ¡°Nothing big.¡±

    ¡°You can tell me.¡± Mei took her brother¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯m family.¡±

    ¡°Not here.¡± Huan¡¯s eyes flicked to the rest of the room. ¡°Later.¡± He squeezed her hand and pulled away. ¡°Just trust me on this.¡±

    He wasn¡¯t just asking her to trust him regarding Kay; he was also asking her to trust him and not ask about the late nights and sketchy acquaintances.

    Mei searched his face. ¡°Do you want me to take that job?¡±

    Huan¡¯s expression went blank as he considered her question. ¡°No, I don¡¯t. You wouldn¡¯t be a good fit.¡±

    Mei let out a huge breath. ¡°Okay.¡± She brightened. ¡°By the way, Dwayne told me to explore the city tomorrow. Want to join me?¡±

    Huan¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m investigating a murder.¡±

    Huan went still. ¡°The windsong murder?¡±

    Mei straightened up. ¡°You heard about it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I saw it¡­ this morning. On my way to Sanford.¡±

    Nieder Street wasn¡¯t on the way to Sanford, and Rodion hadn¡¯t acted like he¡¯d seen Huan today. ¡°On your way out?¡±

    ¡°It was really early.¡± Huan leaned forward. ¡°Why are you looking into a murder?¡±

    ¡°Remember that scrytive from last night? He asked me for help.¡±

    ¡°Interesting.¡± Huan tapped his fingers on the table. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll help you out.¡±

    Mei smiled. ¡°Good! I¡¯ll ask Charlie about the paperwork.¡±

    ¡°Paperwork?¡± Huan shifted in his seat. ¡°What paperwork?¡±

    ¡°To include you on the investigation. Charlie said it was required.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Huan¡¯s expression became grave. ¡°I can¡¯t do that.¡±

    ¡°Why not? It¡¯s not hard. I think.¡±

    He gave her a lopsided grin. ¡°I¡¯d rather help in a more¡­ unofficial capacity.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think Charlie would like that.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± Huan shook his head. ¡°Then I¡¯m out. Just let me know if you want to chat about the case or something.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± It would have been nice to have Huan¡¯s help. Unlike her, he already knew how to read and write. ¡°I¡¯ll do that.¡±

    Huan offered her a tight smile. ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t be more help. Have you eaten anything?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m full.¡± Mei wanted to ask about last night and about those courier jobs he¡¯d been doing, but she could see that her brother was already beginning to shut down. ¡°Rodion says he has work for you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll stop by later.¡± Huan¡¯s expression was already  away. ¡°Anything else?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Mei hid her disappointment. ¡°I¡¯ll go home now.¡±

    ***

    </a>¡°Done.¡±

    Dwayne put his pen down and reviewed the result table he¡¯d inscribed into the Terminal Tome. He¡¯d spent the past few hours removing magical components from twenty spell vials, moving them to different vials, and then trying out their spells. The results were clear: moving the components broke the spell and restoring the components to their original vials fixed them, although with notably lessened effect. He wasn¡¯t sure about that though as casting so many  spells had tired him out. Still, it was something to be noted. Pulling out his journal, Dwayne started to outline another experiment, one that focused on just two of the vials.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s pen froze, ink dripping onto the page. That high, prim drawl should be at Yumma commanding diggers in the desert, not haranguing him here in his lab.

    ¡°Lady Pol,¡± Dwayne put the pen aside and grabbed an ink blotter to save the paper, ¡°you¡¯re here.¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t expect me.¡± The Lady Luisa Pol certainly looked like she¡¯d just come from the desert with her frazzled white-blond hair, dusty blouse, and worn trousers. The only clean thing she wore was a deep purple cloak clasped with a stag prancing around a tree. ¡°Your esteemed master didn¡¯t bother to inform you I was coming?¡±

    Dwayne grimaced. ¡°Lord Kalan has been quite busy lately.¡±

    ¡°Right. And you¡¯re here doing what?¡± Lady Pol stepped up to the pedestal. ¡°Playing with the Terminal Tome?¡±

    Dwayne stiffened. ¡°Y-you know about it?¡±

    Lady Pol smirked. ¡°Any mage worth their aluminum knows about it. It¡¯s the Royal Sorcerer¡¯s prerogative,¡± her eyes flicked over the open page, ¡°which apparently means I can¡¯t read it.¡± Her eyes flicked to Dwayne. ¡°What are you doing with it?¡±

    Dwayne gestured at the pile of vials and magical components. ¡°I was recording the results of my latest experiment.¡±

    Her eyes snapped to the vials. ¡°You¡¯ve disassembled your external resonators.¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s head jerked back. ¡°That term¡­ you¡¯ve been reading our work.¡±

    ¡°Resonator¡± was the word he and Lord Kalan used to refer to the role that spell vials and shunts performed when Dwayne casted  spells.

    ¡°Only the ones you wrote.¡± Lady Pol picked up a spell vial. ¡°You¡¯ve been switching the components. What are you-¡± She coughed. ¡°No, that is not what I came here to talk about.¡± She put the spell vial down and turned to Dwayne. ¡°I know what happened.¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s stomach turned. Somehow, she already knew about the dinner. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡­I have no excuse for my behavior last night.¡±

    ¡°Last night?¡± Lady Pol shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m talking about this morning. A wind  died on your watch, and you haven¡¯t even put out a public statement.¡±

    ¡°A public statement?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is the expected thing to do, so why are you down here in the dark running pointless experiments?¡±

    ¡°Pointless?¡± Dwayne¡¯s hands tightened into fists. ¡°This experiment is the start of a proof for Resonance Theory.¡±

    ¡°Why is that import-¡±

    ¡°Because on top of attending classes at the Academy, renovating Sanford, and getting this whole Tower operational, I have to find a way to keep this position.¡± Wrath¡¯s flame licked at Dwayne¡¯s fists, begging to be released, but that would make this worse. Dwayne unclenched his fists and forced a smile. ¡°This experiment isn¡¯t pointless, and we¡¯re not doing nothing about the murder. Mei is already working with the scrytives on it.¡± He sighed. ¡°I didn¡¯t think of a public statement. I don¡¯t even think we have the means to put one out right now. You¡¯ve seen the state of the Tower.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Lady Pol looked away. ¡°This is your best.¡±

    ¡°And it¡¯s not enough.¡±

    She crossed her arms. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you just announce your secret then?¡±

    Dwayne eyed Lady Pol. ¡°Why?¡± Telling everyone he was  would only make it worse.

    ¡°You know why. It¡¯s the right move.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not.¡± Sourans barely accepted him now. If they knew he was ¡°Besides, I¡¯m under orders from the Queen to keep it quiet.¡±

    ¡°Her Majesty is playing a strange game.¡± Lady Pol closed her eyes. ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning to take on the throne, but this secrecy is ridiculous. If no one will announce it publicly, I will.¡±

    The floor dropped from under Dwayne. ¡°Where?¡± He had to prepare, either to defend himself or to flee. ¡°When?¡±

    ¡°The Palace.¡± Lady Pol¡¯s eyes opened. ¡°The Autumn Session. Her Highness has already approved my appeal.¡±

    Dwayne stepped towards her. ¡°Please, don¡¯t do this.¡±

    ¡°This charade has gone on for too long.¡± Lady Pol pushed him away. ¡°You all had your chance.¡± She headed for the stairs.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Dwayne followed her. ¡°Wait, we should talk about this.¡±

    ¡°We just did, and you¡¯d rather maintain this, this farce than tell the truth.¡± Lady Pol crossed the foyer. ¡°You and your master made your bed. Now lie in it.¡± Leaving Dwayne on the Tower¡¯s threshold, she strode up to the mud splattered carriage that sat on the dewy road.

    ¡°Milady.¡± A man in a black suit bowed and opened the carriage door. ¡°On to the inn?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Lady Pol tried to enter the carriage.

    ¡°Wait a second.¡± A black gloved hand pushed Lady Pol back onto the driveway. ¡°I need to stretch my legs.¡± A woman in a floor length black and purple dress stepped out of the carriage. ¡°I can¡¯t believe we¡¯re leaving after you rushed us out all the way here.¡±

    ¡°There wasn¡¯t anything else to discuss,¡± said Lady Pol.

    ¡°If you say so.¡± Odette Montes, Lady Pol¡¯s Vanurian traveling companion, noticed Dwayne and waved. ¡°Hello! How have you been?¡±

    Dwayne managed a wave back, even as muted fear and anger washed over him. Odette had been a ship¡¯s inspector on a Vanurian slave ship and had been responsible for making sure that the human merchandise was in acceptable condition when it arrived in port, but after Lady Pol had confronted her with the reality of her position, she¡¯d given up that life. Before this moment, Dwayne had thought that he¡¯d dealt with all that hurt. Apparently, he hadn¡¯t.

    He cleared his throat. ¡°Busy mostly. You?¡±

    ¡°For some reason,¡± Odette tossed a glare at Lady Pol, ¡°we¡¯ve been touring the queendom. First Anders, then Walton, then here.¡±

    Dwayne blinked. While Anders was on the way from Yumma, the location of Lady Pol¡¯s dig, Walton was way out of the way.

    Lady Pol glared at her companion. ¡°You know why.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes, the queendom is at stake, etc, etc. Still, even Myers here has a limit to how long he can be on the road,¡± Odette leaned in close to Lady Pol, ¡°my love.¡±

    Lady Pol stiffened. ¡°Ode-, I mean Montes, what, what are you-?¡±

    ¡°Just making it clear who you can trust.¡± Odette kissed Lady Pol on the lips.

    Dwayne¡¯s jaw dropped. With that one action, Odette had revealed that she and Lady Pol were in a romantic relationship. That wasn¡¯t scandalous because Odette was a woman, although most noble families frowned on that, but because she was a commoner, a Vanurian, and a presumed heretic.

    When the kiss was over, Lady Pol faced Dwayne with her hands on her hips. ¡°Well?¡±

    She seemed to expect something. ¡°Well, what?¡± asked Dwayne.

    ¡°What do you say?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­ congratulations?¡± Dwayne shrugged. ¡°Odette¡¯s story of why she quit being a ship¡¯s inspector makes a little more sense? She said you stirred her conscience.¡±

    As Lady Pol blushed, Odette laughed. ¡°A clear conscience makes it easier to know what the heart wants, young Kalan.¡±

    Lady Pol squared her shoulders. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to condemn us?¡±

    Dwayne blinked. ¡°Why would I do that? It¡¯s hardly any of my business, and I¡¯d rather not be a hypocrite.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Odette grinned. ¡°Have a forbidden love of your own?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that.¡± Dwayne¡¯s face heated. ¡°I just don¡¯t want to be the bad guy.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t stop me.¡± Lady Pol raised her chin. ¡°I¡¯m still going through with the announcement.¡±

    ¡°He knows that, Luisa.¡± Odette pulled Lady Pol back towards the carriage. ¡°We¡¯ll be off now. Good luck dealing with your master¡¯s mistake!¡± With that, she pulled Lady Pol into the carriage and they were well away before Dwayne could think to ask what Odette meant.

    Dwayne leaned against the metal door. His assumption, that Lady Pol wanted to reveal him as , couldn¡¯t really be seen as Lord Kalan¡¯s mistake. If there was anything that was a mistake, it was Lord Kalan making Dwayne his apprentice, but that was hardly a secret. That incongruity was almost as strange as Odette¡¯s declaration that they¡¯d been to Walton, and yet a windsong-borne rant from Lord Kalan hadn¡¯t beat them here because, although windsong was the most expensive way to send letters, and he¡¯d already sent a letter two weeks ago, all Lord Kalan cared about was speed.

    Regardless, there wasn¡¯t much Dwayne could do now. If Lady Pol really was about to reveal him as a  mage, he had to prepare for that possibility. The Autumn Session was in two days. He¡¯d better do as much as possible to complete his experiments and get the Tower ready so that whoever followed after him would be set up to push magic forward. Maybe that would be Magdala. She already knew Lord Kalan¡¯s work backwards and forwards and could run the experiments in her sleep. She¡¯d have to start with the Huo-niao feather though, which required Dwayne to discover its spell. He¡¯d do that now.

    Muttering to himself, Dwayne went back into the Tower, barely remembering to close the door after himself.

    * * *

 Riegebeamuveemozi, Jolt

    As they traveled by carriage to the Autumn Session, Mei waited for Dwayne to ask his next question. Her report about her exploration of Bradford had had only a single sentence: ¡°I saw every part.¡± This interrogation was her chance to prove it.

    Lord Kalan¡¯s apprentice raised an eyebrow. ¡°Which quarter lies to the west of the Exchange?¡±

    ¡°Boscage.¡± Mei hadn¡¯t seen Huan at all yesterday and had barely caught him on his way out the door today.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Sen Wallace Cathedral?¡±

    Mei thought back. A grand word like ¡°Cathedral¡± had to mean a grand building, and there were only three buildings like that: the Palace, the Magisterium¡¯s Latia Arena, and a very pointy building that had swarmed with priests and parishioners. ¡°In the Clerical Quarter.¡±

    Dwayne stared. ¡°You learned all this in one day? How?¡±

    Mei shrugged. ¡°I asked questions. Next.¡±

    ¡°I need to learn to just ask questions. Let¡¯s see¡­¡± Dwayne tapped his fingers on his satchel. ¡°Who lives in the Plague District?¡±

    ¡°Not Sourans. Just Vanurians,¡± Mei glanced at Dwayne, ¡°and Wesen.¡±

    Dwayne barely hid a wince. ¡°Wesen.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Mei turned back to the window. ¡°They cross the bridge on foot for work.¡± She hadn¡¯t actually gone into the Plague District; it had looked far too much like the Vanurian slum in Walton, too much like a trap laid by Liraya and her corpse soldiers.

    ¡°I see.¡± Dwayne¡¯s voice barely quavered. ¡°I wondered why I hadn¡¯t seen any others in the city.¡±

    As the sights of the Parvenue Quarter¡¯s multi-storied houses, colorful guards, and chatting servants went by the carriage window, Mei let the clop of hooves on cobbles and the shouts of drivers fill the silence between her and Dwayne.

    Then he coughed. ¡°Your new outfit.¡± He could never let silences lie. ¡°It¡¯s nice.¡±

    Mei¡¯s cheeks warmed. Early this morning, a windsong had tapped on her bedroom window. When she¡¯d opened it, the still floating mage had shoved a paper box into her hands and then flown back up into the slowly brightening sky. Inside the box was a dress that, when Mei put it on, she loved. Everything about it, from the skirt that stopped halfway up her calves to the dagger sheath on the jacket¡¯s right sleeve fit her perfectly, like the sleek plumage of a falcon. Happily, she¡¯d shown it off to Huan, but he¡¯d muttered something about work and left without warning, forcing her to ask Schofield to help her with makeup.

    Mei fingered the jacket¡¯s sleeve. ¡°It¡¯s from Fran.¡±

    ¡°I figured.¡± Dwayne smiled. ¡°Magdala would have gotten you something in steel.¡±

    Mei giggled. ¡°Yes, she prefers armor to dresses.¡± She pulled her knees together. ¡°Is¡­Is this okay? For a guard?¡±

    Dwayne pointed to her dagger. ¡°That looks martial enough.¡± He scratched at his forehead. ¡°No, I¡¯m more afraid that I don¡¯t look Souran enough.¡±

    Today, Dwayne wore milk-white breeches, a tight dark blue jacket with gold trim, and a new, and apparently itchy, curled blond wig that put Mei in mind of a puppy slipping into wolf¡¯s fur. The suit looked Souran; the Dwayne fidgeting in it did not.

    ¡°We¡¯re here, milord!¡± called out the carriage driver.

    ¡°Already?¡± squeaked Dwayne.

    ¡°Come on.¡± Mei opened the door and stepped out of the carriage.

    Dwayne blew out a breath. ¡°Okay, I can do this.¡± He shouldered his satchel and dropped down onto the Palace drive.

    As he started forward, Mei took up position two steps behind and a step to the right, letting her eyes scan ahead for threats. The hired carriage had dropped them off onto a drawbridge that ran up to the Palace, a heavy stone castle made of towers and buttresses, which sat on Bradford¡¯s only hill. As they proceeded, Mei and Dwayne walked between columns of Palace guards in lilac and gray, their pikes shining in the morning light.

    Dwayne whistled. ¡°I forgot how impressive this place is up close.¡±

    Mei shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s just a big fort.¡± And it wasn¡¯t half as large as Han Luo Fortress.

    Dwayne snorted. ¡°Tell Magdala that.¡±

    Mei shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t want another lecture.¡±

    Dwayne laughed. ¡°She spent half the day talking our ear off about this place. She should be a history lecturer.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, she should.¡± Mei didn¡¯t let her attention drift from the other guests, most of whom were local merchants and nobles, who all stared as Dwayne strode past them. ¡°And you could be a magic lecturer after talking our ear off about the Tower.¡±

    ¡°Ooo, ouch.¡± Dwayne¡¯s voice faltered. ¡°Unfortunately, I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll allow that. Not until I¡¯m actually an authority on something.¡±

    Mei¡¯s hand strayed to her dagger. More and more of the stares were shocked and angry. ¡°Aren¡¯t you an authority on the Resonant Theory?¡± She missed both her rifle and her brother. Without them, Mei wasn¡¯t enough of a threat to keep Dwayne safe.

    ¡°Resonance Theory,¡± corrected Dwayne, ¡°and not yet. I made a lot of progress yesterday, but I probably won¡¯t have time to complete it before...¡± He glanced back at her then lowered his voice to a whisper. ¡°Act relaxed. They won¡¯t attack me. Not here, not now.¡±

    Mei didn¡¯t take her hand away from her dagger. ¡°I¡¯m to keep you safe.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but we don¡¯t want to give them any excuse to react... foolishly.¡± Dwayne kept his nervousness hidden under a carefully calm tone. ¡°We have to look like we belong here.¡±

    Like they were among allies, not potential threats. Mei let her hand drop from her dagger. ¡°Understood.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Dwayne gave her a grateful smile and they continued on.

    When they¡¯d finally crossed the drawbridge and reached the Palace gates, a gray-wigged servant in cream makeup glanced at Dwayne. ¡°Is your master already inside?¡±

    Mei noted the lack of honorifics and braced herself as Dwayne¡¯s cultivated calm evaporated.

    ¡°Did you mean who am I apprenticed to?¡± he asked through clenched teeth. ¡°Because that¡¯s Lord Kalan.¡±

    ¡°No, I meant-¡± The servant finally looked Dwayne in the face and paled. ¡°Oh, young Lord Kalan and, and, his bodyguard. Milord, y-you¡¯re expected in the Privy Council Chamber.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Dwayne placed clenched fists behind his back. ¡°Where is that?¡±

    Behind Mei and Dwayne¡¯s back, whispers and mutters began to simmer.

    ¡°That¡¯s Lord Kalan¡¯s apprentice?¡±

    ¡°Oof, that wig was a choice.¡±

    ¡°I knew he wasn¡¯t fit for society.¡±

    Mei turned around, her hand on her dagger and doused the louder whispers with a focused glare.

    Behind her, the servant sniffed. ¡°I don¡¯t have the time to guide you to the chamber, milord.¡±

    ¡°I am not asking for a guide.¡± Dwayne¡¯s enunciation got more precise the madder he got. ¡°I am asking for directions.¡±

    Annoyance at the delay was overcoming Mei¡¯s glare, and the crowd was throwing dark looks at Dwayne¡¯s back. Mei couldn¡¯t present a threat, but she could shift one foot back and let her left hand hang free, ready to snatch the dagger out of its sheath.

    The servant¡¯s voice squeaked. ¡°Milord, I-¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take him.¡± A large, callused hand landed on Mei¡¯s shoulder. Lord Gallus. ¡°At ease, Axesnapper.¡±

    Mei waited for the crowd¡¯s annoyance and disapproval to shift to awe and reverence before relaxing enough to let Lord Gallus pull her and Dwayne through the Palace gates and into the cavernous entrance hall.

    When they were out of sight of the gates, Lord Gallus released them. ¡°Cups, were you two trying to make a scene? Dwayne, I thought you were trying to fit in?¡±

    ¡°But he¡­he¡­¡± Dwayne looked down, anger and shame dancing across his face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d better be.¡± Lord Gallus glared at Mei. ¡°Both of you.¡±

    Mei didn¡¯t respond; she was examining the massive stained glass windows that overlooked the entrance hall. Besides, she had nothing to apologize for. She¡¯d been doing her job.

    Dwayne stepped between Lord Gallus and Mei. ¡°I am only sorry for causing a scene, not for standing up for myself.¡±

    Lord Gallus huffed. ¡°There¡¯s a time and a place for that. Let¡¯s get to that meeting. We¡¯re already late.¡± He marched off.

    ¡°See you later, Mei.¡± Dwayne hurried to catch up to Lord Gallus. ¡°Say hi to Magdala for me.¡±

    Mei waved farewell and then turned to her first order of business: finding Fran. The entrance hall was half full of little knots of people, a couple of whom she recognized from the ill-fated dinner at Tarpan. There was no corresponding flash of recognition; no one recognized her as the Lady in Purple. Mei was grateful for that as she pushed through the crowd to search for her friend.

    In truth, it had taken Mei only half the day to explore the city to her satisfaction. By yesterday afternoon, she¡¯d gotten a good sense of the place and had decided to try and track down her brother, but all she¡¯d done was chase his shadow. She¡¯d just missed him at Sanford where he¡¯d actually done some work for once, she¡¯d only found a empty mug at the Slipped Finger where he chatted up some of the men, and she¡¯d found fresh footprints next to a strange hole in an out of the way alley in the Parvenue district. That strange set of events pointed to one of two things: either Huan was courting someone, or he was planning a score as big as the one he¡¯d pulled at Han Luo Fortress. She really hoped it was the former.

    She¡¯d deal with that later. Right now, she had to find Fran.

    As autumn¡¯s clouds darkened the stained glass windows, Mei felt the crowd behind her break, like a stream did around a new rock, so she stopped, listened, watched. To her right, a mage used magic to scoop up punch from a bowl in an attempt to show off. To her left, a noble showed off her ring to a smattering of applause. And behind her, the crowd continued to flow around the obstruction. Keeping her eyes forward, Mei took two steps towards the mage and made a show of watching the magic. Behind her, the obstruction moved with her. To be honest, whoever was shadowing her was very good. Conversations didn¡¯t break, no apologies had been said, no sign that an interloper had joined them, just the sound of a single common voice and that subtle, constant break in the flow of the crowd. Mei couldn¡¯t match that subtlety; if she did, they¡¯d have time to slip away. So instead, she rushed right, broke through the noble¡¯s ring of sycophants, and circled around, catching her quarry flat-footed.

    Mei¡¯s shadow was dressed in a pale pink dress with a high collar, her hair was dark brown and her skin was bronze, and when she turned to face Mei, her blue eyes widened in surprise.

    ¡°Very impressive.¡± Lian Momin snapped open a fan painted with a rabbit leaping over a clover and covered her mouth. ¡°I thought I had the advantage of you there.¡±

    It took all of Mei¡¯s self-control and Dwayne¡¯s warning to keep her from drawing her dagger. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a merchant.¡± Momin gestured to the crowd. ¡°I¡¯m here to make last minute trade deals before the markets close.¡± She fluttered her fan. ¡°As for you, I heard about what you did down in Walton, Axesnapper. Taking down a high-level corpse construct is quite the accomplishment.¡±

    Mei searched the older woman¡¯s face. ¡°What are you planning?¡±

    ¡°To make stupendous profit.¡± Momin smiled, let the fan drop, and switched to Tuquese. ¡°I might as well tell you.¡± Her tone was light, but her eyes were serious. ¡°Black Tiger is on her way.¡±

    Mei frowned. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°You know what. Just tell your older brother.¡± Momin switched back to Souran, her fan flicking up to cover her lips. ¡°I must be off. Far too much money to be made.¡± She dipped into a graceful bow and then melted into the crowd.

    Mei stayed rooted to the spot and fought an overwhelming desire to wail. Momin, the spy who knew about Mei and Huan and the rifle and the White Tiger mask, was in Bradford. She and Huan had to run right now. Maggie would understand, could tell Fran and Dwayne the details. Sure, Maggie would want to fight, but eventually she¡¯d come around.

    ¡°Mei?¡±

    Black Tiger. The color implied that they wore a different mask than Huan¡¯s old mask. It also implied death.

    ¡°Mei, are you okay?¡±

    Mei finally looked up at the speaker. ¡°Charlie?¡±

    The scrytive looked her over. ¡°You look spooked. Did something happen?¡± He lowered his voice. ¡°Was it your brother?¡±

    Yes. No. ¡°I am fine,¡± Mei said aloud. ¡°D-did you want something? Paperwork?¡±

    Charlie shook his head. ¡°No, I just wanted to thank you.¡± He smiled. ¡°After talking with you, we checked the roofs in the area and found the victim¡¯s footprints. While our fair city¡¯s autumn rain had destroyed the rest of the trail, between that and the grass you found in the messenger¡¯s boots, we know he was headed to someplace in the Parvenue District. It¡¯s a start, a better one than we had.¡± Charlie¡¯s eyebrows drew together. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Mei forced herself to meet his eyes. ¡°And you¡¯re welcome. Glad to help.¡±

    ¡°Are you here alone?¡±

    ¡°No, I have friends.¡±

    ¡°Good. The Session is the boring event of the season.¡± Charlie leaned in. ¡°Save the tears and excitement for the Harvest Ball.¡±

    Mei found herself smiling. ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡±

    ¡°Good girl.¡± Charlie¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Oh, have you given any thought to my offer?¡±

    It took Mei a moment to remember what he meant. ¡°Yes. Dwayne approved it.¡±

    Charlie grinned. ¡°Excellent. Come by the office later and I¡¯ll get you signed up. And, uh, bring your brother if you can.¡±

    Mei frowned. ¡°Why?¡±

    Charlie shrugged. ¡°We just want to ask him a few questions. He was spotted in the area before the murder.¡±

    Mei went still. Huan had left dinner early. He could have been there. ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡± Charlie looked behind Mei. ¡°I think you¡¯re about to be rescued. Until next time.¡±

    ¡°Mei, there you are!¡± Fran slipped her arm into the crook of Mei¡¯s elbow. ¡°What are you doing over here by yourself?¡±

    Mei was about to point to Charlie, but he had already disappeared into the crowd. Instead, she sighed. ¡°Just talking to people.¡±

    ¡°Well, we can do that later. Let¡¯s get some food in you. You look like you¡¯re about to faint.¡±

    As Fran guided her to the buffet table, Mei considered the problems laid at her feet: Momin was in Bradford, Black Tiger was coming, and the scrytives wanted to talk to Huan. The easiest solution to the first two problems was to run, but that would only make the third problem worse as running would not only look make Huan more suspicious, it would also reflect badly on Dwayne and Maggie. She¡¯d have to think of something else.

    ***

    </a>As he followed Lord Gallus through the Palace¡¯s stone corridors, Dwayne clenched his satchel tight, which kept his hands from picking at his tight breeches. Apparently, the measurements Rodion had given Lord Gallus¡¯s tailor had been too exact, and the man had decided that Dwayne didn¡¯t need a full range of movement. Just sitting risked ripping the clothes.

    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    ¡°Why were you late?¡± Lord Gallus didn¡¯t bother to look back as he spoke. ¡°What were you doing?¡±

    ¡°I apologize.¡± Dwayne felt a headache coming on, one that the wig aggravated. ¡°I didn¡¯t account for traffic.¡±

    ¡°Next time, do so.¡±

    Like the entrance hall, its corridors were high arched affairs and was lined with paned glass windows and decorated with banners and guards festooned with the royal cup and flowers. Magdala had told them which flowers they were.

    ¡°Lilacs.¡± Dwayne¡¯s comment made Lord Gallus glare back at him. ¡°Why lilacs, milord?¡±

    Lord Gallus kept walking. ¡°My daughter must have told you.¡±

    ¡°She was working backwards from the last time this place was under siege.¡± The corners of Dwayne¡¯s mouth quirked. ¡°We ran out of time.¡±

    Lord Gallus sighed. ¡°If you must know, the heroes who rescued the First Sages, and led the queendom to victory over the Yaniti invaders, wore them as an emblem. It was their Queen¡¯s favorite flower.¡± He gestured at the cup stitched into the nearest banner. ¡°Are you going to ask me about that too?¡±

    ¡°No, I know.¡± The Cup of Cueller was a religious symbol, and it was everywhere in the queendom.

    ¡°Good. We¡¯re here.¡±

    They¡¯d reached a small unassuming door set in the inner wall of the palace.

    Lord Gallus nodded at the two guards who flanked the door. ¡°Remember,¡± he rapped his knuckles on the door, ¡°you¡¯re here to represent the Royal Sorcerer¡¯s Office in Bart¡¯s absence. Nothing else.¡±

    Dwayne straightened up. ¡°I know.¡±

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Lord Gallus pushed open the door.

    The room beyond had a semi circular table in its center around which five tall wooden chairs, and five stools behind them, had been placed. Due to the lit fireplace and the dozen tapestries that depicted myths and famous battles covering the walls, the room was warm enough to make Dwayne¡¯s skin break out into sweat, which made his tight clothes and itchy wig even more uncomfortable. Whoever had decorated the room had eschewed the royal gray and purple and gone with wine-red and black for the floor tiles and tapestries, colors that put Dwayne in mind of a maw opening to swallow him. He entered anyway and took the only unoccupied stool.

    After Lord Gallus took his seat, four of the five chairs became occupied. To Dwayne¡¯s left sat a stout mustachioed man in sapphire robes, who watched Lord Gallus mutter greetings to the young woman in the fine gray dress who sat between them. Across from Dwayne, and to Lord Gallus¡¯s left, sat an old woman in pristine white robes and a wide brimmed white hat. They were the Privy Council, and their clerks sat on the stools behind. Only Dwayne sat alone.

    ¡°Finally, we can start.¡± The young woman in the gray dress banged her gavel on the table. ¡°I, Anne Eberhart, Her Majesty¡¯s Royal Secretary, call this meeting of the Privy Council to order.¡± Anne Eberhart, more properly Princess Anne, was the Queen¡¯s heir presumptive, and from what Dwayne could see, saw it as her highest duty to serve as her own mother¡¯s personal secretary.

    ¡°Inexcusable.¡± The lady in the wide brimmed hat tossed a glare at Dwayne. ¡°I do hope, young Kalan, that your tardiness this morning was a result of applied diligence and not mere laziness.¡±

    Dwayne bowed his head in High Judge Ursula Koenig¡¯s direction. ¡°I apologize, Judge.¡± Koenig was the penultimate word on judicial matters. Only the queen herself could overrule her. ¡°It won¡¯t happen again.¡±

    Koenig sniffed. ¡°See that it doesn¡¯t.¡±

    As Dwayne pulled out his notebook, the stout man, Carlos Giordano, gestured for attention. ¡°Let¡¯s not bother with our usual interrogation of the new clerks. We¡¯re here for the Autumn Session.¡± Giordano served as the Queen¡¯s Exchequer and controlled the queendom¡¯s purse. Dwayne had met his aunt in Walton and hoped that Giordano shared her pragmatism. ¡°What¡¯s the first item on our docket?¡±

    Dwayne reached into his satchel for a pencil, his hand brushing against the License Key, which he¡¯d brought with him out of paranoia. After all, the whole of the Tower guard was here at the Palace.

    ¡°The first item is¡­¡± The princess reached back and accepted a sheet of paper from her clerk, a short-haired woman in a teal suit. ¡°The Harvest Ball, of course. Master Giordano, how are finances looking?¡±

    ¡°Overflowing like the Brad river in spring, Your Highness.¡± Giordano leaned back in his seat. ¡°There was some concern that the food shipments would be late, there¡¯s been trouble on the Ilyon recently, but your clerk Dame Sercombe found a couple of western purveyors to fill the gap.¡±

    The princess cocked an eyebrow. ¡°No objections from your colleagues in Adhua?¡±

    ¡°Some objections, but the new Palace-backed insurance managed to cover forty-five percent of their losses, so their hearts weren¡¯t in it. They have ships. They have sailors. They¡¯ll manage.¡±

    Dwayne wrote down ¡°insurance?¡± in his journal and circled it.

    ¡°Good.¡± The princess turned to her left. ¡°Lord Gallus, what is the state of Palace security?¡±

    After a quick glance at his aide, a bored-looking soldier in full uniform, Lord Gallus leaned forward. ¡°Your Highness, I¡¯ve rotated a few Southern Line units, the same ones who endured last month¡¯s heinous attack, up here, and their officers are getting the Royal Guard and Sen Quincy¡¯s garrison up to speed. Beyond that, the plan is the same as last year¡¯s: the Royal Guard secures the Palace, my men secure the city, and Sen Jerome¡¯s does whatever they feel like.¡±

    Dwayne wrote all this down, silently thanking Mei. Yesterday, she¡¯d gone to Sen Quincy¡¯s, being Axesnapper had its benefits, and had found out that the fort contained Bradford¡¯s regular army garrison. While there, she¡¯d also learned about Sen Jerome¡¯s, which was the home of a militant religious order who specialized in anti-mage warfare. The regular soldiers had warned her away.

    Judge Koenig looked Lord Gallus in the eye. ¡°Sen Jerome¡¯s will do their part. Unlike some,¡± her eyes flicked to Dwayne again, ¡°they¡¯re reliable. I¡¯m far more concerned about our current lack of a true expert in magic.¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s eyes dropped to his notebook, his hand tightening around his pencil. She was right. Lord Kalan should be here, sitting in that empty chair in front of him, not down in Walton doing whatever he was doing.

    ¡°We¡¯ll come to that, Judge.¡± The princess checked her list. ¡°Second on our agenda is today¡¯s Session. Has anything come up that Her Majesty should be concerned about?¡±

    ¡°Aside from the murder two nights ago, Your Highness?¡± Judge Koenig reached back and accepted a file folder from her aide, whose face Dwayne still couldn¡¯t see because of her ridiculous hat. ¡°There¡¯s been a rash of thefts over the past two weeks. My scrytives have made progress on finding the culprits, but we must consider the possibility of foreign agents.¡± This time Dwayne felt her glare. ¡°All evidence points to non-Souran magic being involved.¡±

    Dwayne scrawled the words into his notebook, the implied accusation pounding in his ears. The thefts were unusual, but nothing about them implied that  magic was involved.

    ¡°Young Kalan.¡±

    Dwayne looked up at the princess. ¡°Y-Yes, Your Highness?¡±

    The princess¡¯s gray eyes searched his. ¡°Do you have anything to report regarding this?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± Dwayne stood up and bowed. ¡°My office¡¯s Head Guard is already assisting the scrytives in their murder investigation.¡±

    The princess placed her clasped hands on the table. ¡°Your¡­ Head Guard?¡±

    ¡°Mei, Your Highness. She¡¯s an accomplished hunter and possessed of incredible insight. She¡¯ll find the culprit.¡±

    Giordano signaled his clerk, a middle-aged woman in gold pantaloons, who slid forward to whisper something to him.

    ¡°What about the thefts?¡± Princess Anne sat up in her chair. ¡°Who¡¯s investigating those? You?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯ve been too busy getting the office up and running.¡± The princess¡¯s reaction told Dwayne that this was not a sufficient answer, that every magic-related crime was the purview of the Royal Sorcerer¡¯s office. ¡°When Lord Kalan arrives, I will have time to investigate the matter.¡±

    ¡°When?¡± The princess smiled. ¡°Not if?¡±

    Dwayne blinked. ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡±

    Lord Gallus thumped the table. ¡°If Lord Kalan does not come himself, then I will have the Southern Line garrison drag him in.¡±

    The Exchequer and his clerk continued their conversation.

    ¡°That does beg a question though, Young Kalan.¡± The princess smoothed the front of her dress. ¡°What is your master doing down in Walton? That attack, while horrendous, was weeks ago. Surely, he should be here in the Capitol doing his job?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± Dwayne¡¯s eyes dropped down to his hands. ¡°In his absence, I will do my best.¡±

    ¡°Will you now?¡±

    ¡°Excuse me, Your Highness,¡± said Giordano as his clerk returned to her stool, ¡°I have a question for young Kalan here.¡± The Exchequer turned to Dwayne. ¡°This Mei you mentioned, is she Axesnapper?¡±

    Dwayne hid a frown. ¡°Yes, sir?¡±

    ¡°Good, excellent.¡± Giordano grinned. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re not finally wasting her talent on mere guard duty.¡±

    Lord Gallus grunted. ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as ¡®mere¡¯ guard duty.¡±

    Giordano raised his hands. ¡°Oh, we are blessed that there exist men like you who are able to stare at the same patch of ground for days on end, but those who aren¡¯t called to that duty should be free to do other things.¡±

    There was an insult in that compliment, and Dwayne watched Lord Gallus figure it out in real time, his initial disinterest finally contorting into stern affront.

    ¡°Master Giordano,¡± Princess Anne sat back in her chair, ¡°is this ¡®Axesnapper¡¯ business relevant?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is, Your Highness,¡± answered Lord Gallus before Giordano could reply. ¡°Mei earned that title down in Walton through her valor and cunning. It was she who tracked down the witch, she who led a squad and brought down a giant.¡±

    ¡°That,¡± Princess Anne glanced at her clerk, who nodded, ¡°is impressive.¡±

    ¡°Your Highness, it is regrettable that Lord Kalan could not make it here today,¡± Giordano bowed his head, ¡°but he has not only sent Axesnapper, he¡¯s sent his apprentice, a boy who has already earned a royal commendation for his work rallying the citizens of Walton in their time of need.¡±

    ¡°Royal commendation¡± sounded way more impressive than ¡°royal pat on the head¡±, which had been Dwayne¡¯s impression.

    Princess Anne coughed. ¡°Her Majesty has her own mind. Let us move on. You may sit, young Kalan.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± As autumn¡¯s clouds darkened the windows, Dwayne plopped back down onto his stool, his heart still buzzing in his chest.

    Giordano¡¯s clerk leaned in close. ¡°You did good.¡± She patted him on the knee then returned her attention to the meeting as it moved on to the next item on the agenda.

    It was clear to Dwayne that the Queen¡¯s Privy Council was split on how it felt about both Dwayne and Lord Kalan. While Lord Gallus was a reliable, if begrudging, ally, the princess was waiting for him to screw up, Judge Koenig thought he already had, and Giordano was much more interested in keeping the peace than in taking a position. It did not bode well that half of the Queen¡¯s personal advisers were against them. When this was over, Dwayne would have to find a way to get Lord Kalan here in Bradford.

    Or else.

    ***

    </a>Magdala gazed at the leftmost stained glass window in the Palace entrance hall¡¯s west wall. Her favorite since she was a little girl, the window depicted Soura¡¯s first Queen Rhea charging down at her enemies, the lilacs on her surcote rippling in the wind. Backing her up were the First Sages who tossed slabs of stone, blasts of wind, and torrents of water at the enemy lines surging up from the bottom of the window. When she was little, Magdala had imagined that she¡¯d grow up to fight behind her Queen, for the queendom, for the people, but that dream had died the day her mother had informed her that the age of heroes was over. Instead, Magdala now stood beside the venerable and formidable Water Sage as a veritable column of people made their appeals.

    As autumn¡¯s clouds darkened the stained glass windows, Magdala forced herself to pay attention to the latest applicant, a wind Qe dancer.

    ¡°That was a sublime performance, Delma,¡± said her mother.

    Delma was sylphlike and slim, the very picture of airy grace. ¡°Why thank you, Sage.¡± She curtsied, still barefoot after her performance. ¡°Your appreciation is most treasured.¡±

    Rolling her eyes, Magdala let her attention drift to the crowd, her eyes searching for Francesca¡¯s signature yellow, the only thing that Magdala knew for sure about her friend¡¯s outfit. When she caught sight of it, she waved.

    Francesca waved back and made her way over. ¡°I think it¡¯s busier this year.¡± She wore a bare-shouldered dress covered in a beehive pattern with fat cheery insects darting from cell to cell. It was quite daring considering the season. ¡°I almost didn¡¯t need this.¡± She indicated the shimmering emerald shawl she¡¯d wrapped around her shoulders. ¡°At least we match.¡± Francesca indicated Magdala¡¯s own dress, a floor length emerald outfit that cut a much slimmer profile than the dress Magdala had worn to the dinner.

    Magdala leaned in. ¡°So Mei got the dress?¡±

    ¡°If she didn¡¯t, I¡¯m having her brother dragged to the nearest yardarm and hanged. By the way,¡± Francesca¡¯s eyes flickered over to Magdala¡¯s mother. ¡°What was the price?¡±

    ¡°Of having the gall to see Dwayne without a chaperone?¡± Magdala winced. ¡°She¡¯s sending Willswisp out to our summer home.¡±

    Francesca gasped. ¡°She isn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°She is. Now to get anywhere I¡¯ll have to ask someone or hail a carriage or, or, walk.¡± All of which were out of the question practically speaking. Magdala had to split her time between the Magisterium and Tarpan, neither of which were close to the Tower. ¡°They¡¯re going to send round a carriage. I¡¯ll have no freedom.¡±

    ¡°Darling,¡± Francesca patted her on the arm, ¡°those of us that don¡¯t have personal horses still get into all sorts of trouble.¡± She looked around. ¡°Where¡¯s Mei?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen her yet.¡± Magdala searched the crowd. ¡°Oh, there she is. Who is she¡­¡± The hunter was talking to a woman in a fetching pink dress, a woman that Magdala recognized. Her eyes widened. ¡°Why is she here?¡±

    Francesca frowned. ¡°Why is who here?¡±

    ¡°Excuse me.¡± Magdala pulled away from Francesca.

    ¡°Magdala!¡± Her mother caught her by the elbow and pulled her back. ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Mei. She¡¯s with-¡± Magdala bit off her next words. ¡°She¡¯s alone.¡±

    Her mother glanced at the crowd. ¡°She¡¯s not alone she¡¯s with Mrs. Momin.¡±

    ¡°Mrs. Momin?¡± Francesca got on tiptoe to see. ¡°Of the Rabbit¡¯s Foot Company?¡±

    Magdala tried to hide her shock, though there was no way her friend missed the way she¡¯d stiffened. She¡¯d forgotten about Momin¡¯s cover story.

    Magdala¡¯s mother nodded. ¡°The same. Maybe she wants to hire Mei.¡±

    ¡°She runs one of only two companies allowed to sell directly to Tuqu.¡± Francesca nudged Magdala in support. ¡°It makes sense.¡±

    Magdala watched Mei and Momin talk. Should she break Momin¡¯s cover? Would that bring too much trouble down on Mei, her brother, or even the queendom? Mei didn¡¯t look at ease though.

    Magdala tried to pull free of her mother¡¯s grip. ¡°Mei needs my help.¡±

    Her mother¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°She seems fine. What is this about, really?¡±

    Telling her mother about Momin the spy was too dangerous, but lying to her, trying to deceive a woman who¡¯d become Water Sage through strength of will, was beyond Magdala¡¯s capability.

    ¡°Lady Gallus, if I may speak.¡± Francesca dropped into a quick curtsy. ¡°I think that your daughter is anxious that we¡¯ve left Mei to fend for herself at her first Autumn Session, and we both want her to have the best possible experience. To that end, may I go and collect her?¡±

    Francesca¡¯s assault of manners had the desired effect. Magdala¡¯s mother nodded. ¡°Yes, of course you may.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± After another quick curtsy, Francesca rushed off into the crowd.

    Magdala glared at her mother. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have been gone long.¡±

    ¡°You would have been gone longer than you ought to.¡± Her mother steered Magdala back into position. ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but you¡¯ve been¡­ obstinate of late.¡±

    Magdala¡¯s ears burned. ¡°I have not.¡±

    ¡°You have.¡± Her mother sighed. ¡°I thought you would be happy to be back here among civilized society instead of out there in the wilderness.¡±

    Magdala¡¯s mouth fell open. Was she not happy to be sleeping on beds instead of the hard ground, riding carriages instead of walking everywhere? Yes, there had been a certain level of freedom from the expectations of society, but that freedom had come with a lack of comforts.

    Further introspection on Magdala¡¯s part was interrupted by the arrival of a brown-skinned man festooned in green, blue, and purple scarves. ¡°Have I the pleasure of meeting the famous Water Sage of Soura and her talented daughter?¡± His belly and soft hands said  bureaucrat. His scarves and impossibly white blond hair said Vanurian.

    ¡°Don Ramos.¡± er mother led Magdala in a coordinated dual curtsy. ¡°I heard you¡¯d returned from your travels. How is your Countess doing?¡±

    Magdala¡¯s eyebrows lifted. Don Cal¨ªmaco Delgado Ramos was the de facto leader of the Vanurian diplomatic mission to Soura. Somehow, he¡¯d earned his title, instead of inheriting it like a proper noble.

    ¡°As always, she does her best to read the waves of change. I was told,¡± Ramos¡¯s eyes alighted on Magdala, ¡°that three weeks ago, the two of you made a particularly big one.¡±

    Magdala raised her chin. ¡°Surely, the unprovoked attack on our southern garrison was the bigger wave?¡± She hid a wince. Her mother had pinched her. ¡°Our participation in the response was surely just a ripple.¡±

    ¡°A ripple!¡± Ramos laughed. ¡°Such understatement. You Sourans do love your rhetoric.¡± He wiped tears from his eyes. ¡°A ripple, hah! I do have a question about it though. Speaking as a true student of magic, what are your thoughts on Vanurian magic now that you¡¯ve seen it up close? See anything notable?¡±

    The dead walking. Green fire healing. A giant firing a ballista. All of which Magdala would have mentioned if her mother hadn¡¯t pinched her again. ¡°No, nothing, Don,¡± she heard herself say. ¡°In all the chaos, it was all I could do just to focus on escaping. Observing thaumaturgical phenomena, notable or not, was the furthest from my mind.¡±

    Ramos¡¯s eyes glittered. ¡°Was it now? Perhaps-¡±

    ¡°Don Ramos, was it?¡± Dean Bruce swept into view. ¡°I expect that you have more interesting things to talk about with our Water Sage.¡± Her umber-colored dress and high white collar emphasized her dusky, apparently Northerner, skin. ¡°Since that¡¯s obviously the case, my dear Sage, may I borrow your daughter for just a moment?¡±

    Magdala watched her mother make her social calculations and guessed at what could tip the scales. On the one hand, allowing Don Ramos to continue his interrogation of Magdala risked revealing Dwayne¡¯s part in that final attack, a part that had to be kept secret on Her Majesty¡¯s orders. On the other, Dean Bruce and her college represented a repudiation of mage non-involvement in military and political matters, a status quo that Magdala¡¯s mother was deeply invested in. Worse, she had to choose one or the other because it would be far too rude to just end the conversation and walk away.

    Choice made, her mother smiled. ¡°Of course, you may, Dean.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Sage.¡± Dean Bruce bowed. ¡°Magdala, with me?¡±

    ¡°With you.¡± Magdala followed the dean out of the conversation and to another corner of the entrance hall.

    ¡°So,¡± the dean kept her tone casual, ¡°you¡¯ve now attracted heretical attention. They¡¯ll want to know what you know.¡±

    ¡°Which is funny because I know nothing.¡± Magdala did a quick scan of the crowd and breathed out a sigh of relief. Francesca had collected Mei and was bringing her back to Magdala¡¯s mother. ¡°I know absolutely nothing about Vanurian magic. I¡¯ve heard the stories of course: body modification, emotional manipulation, mind control, etc.¡± Their disturbing ability to raise the dead had somehow never made the stories. ¡°It¡¯s all so ridiculous.¡± So ridiculous that for a week after getting back from the jungle, she¡¯d awake in the middle of the night in a cold sweat.

    Dean Bruce¡¯s nose wrinkled. ¡°Their heretical, perverted sorcery is tailored to doing terrible and sinful things to the human body. Did you know they send out their priests to find children blessed with magic and take them to their temples to cut into them?¡±

    Magdala¡¯s eyes bulged. ¡°What? Why?¡±

    Dean Bruce shook her head. ¡°Because it¡¯s required to produce mages like them. Because their heretical beliefs demand it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s barbaric!¡±

    ¡°Yes, it is.¡± Dean Bruce put a hand on Magdala¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Which is why my college is dedicated to advancing the cause of true magic and keeping it pure from foreign elements.¡±

    Magdala blinked. ¡°That sounds¡­ abstract.¡±

    Dean Bruce flashed a smile. ¡°Well, we do have more concrete goals as well, such as discovering practical applications of magic. Speaking of, I read all of the reports from Walton. Did you really use improvised firebombs to fight off a horde of Puppets?¡±

    Magdala perked up. ¡°Yes, I did. Because Mei and Sergeant Taylor were able to buy me some time, I was able to use the spare materials around me and  to create them.¡±

    Dean Bruce¡¯s eyes glittered. ¡°It was very effective.¡±

    Magdala managed a smile, despite the way her stomach churned. ¡°Yes, it was.¡± So effective the house had been blown to bits.

    The dean smiled. ¡°I could use a student with your rare field experience, and, I¡¯ll be honest, it¡¯ll be nice to have more  mages about.¡± She cleared her throat. ¡°That was a formal invitation to my college by the way.¡±

    Dean Bruce wanted Magdala in the College of Martial Magic? There was, of course, a political angle - having the daughter of the Water Sage in your college was a significant win - but Dean Bruce had praised Magdala for her skills and had not tried to pressure her mother into forcing Magdala to join. While the dean¡¯s ideas of magical purity were strange, her college had to be better than an dusty old archive with dusty old books.

    Magdala would have to be a fool to turn this down. She nodded.

    Dean Bruce grinned. ¡°Excellent.¡± Horns filled the air with brass and pomp, and the great doors of the Throne Room opened. ¡°Looks like we¡¯re out of time. I¡¯ll see you in the lab.¡± She bowed.

    Magdala curtsied back. ¡°Yes, Dean.¡±

    As the crowd began to pile into the Throne Room, Magdala went back to her mother and her friends, her mind buzzing with thoughts of the future. She had to tell Mei. She had to tell Dwayne. She had to tell-

    ¡°There you are.¡± Her mother pulled her close. ¡°Let¡¯s get you three to your seats before it gets too crowded.¡±

    Magdala had to tell her. ¡°Mother, I¡¯m joining Dean Bruce¡¯s College.¡±

    Her mother¡¯s eyes widened, then narrowed. ¡°She invited you.¡±

    ¡°She did and I accepted.¡±

    Her mother¡¯s lips pursed. ¡°I believe that the Archives are a better fit for someone with your abilities.¡±

    ¡°And I fail to see how a predilection for explosions will help in the stacks.¡± Magdala pulled away from her mother. ¡°It was my abilities that got me out of that house, and my abilities that got us out of that jungle. Why are you so against this?¡±

    Her mother¡¯s fury, the fury of a noble and the Water Sage, gathered itself like a storm on her face, and Magdala braced for the lightning strike.

    It never came.

    ¡°Cups, I can¡¯t keep fighting you.¡± Her mother sagged. ¡°I¡¯m going to go join the Sages. You get to your seats.¡±

    Magdala¡¯s mouth fell open. ¡°What?¡±

    Her mother shook her head. ¡°Do what you want, Magdala, but remember this: you are not just risking your own future here.¡± She turned away from Magdala and walked away.

    Magdala stared at her mother¡¯s retreating back. Apparently, she¡¯d won?

    ¡°We have to get to our seats.¡± Francesca grabbed Magdala¡¯s hand.

    ¡°O-okay.¡± Magdala let her friend pull her away, her shock failing to fade. Why had her mother given up so fast?

 Qekutunutem, Rock Slide

    The princess put down her list. ¡°Last item on the agenda.¡±

    Pinching his arm to rouse himself, Dwayne sat up on his stool. After the excitement of the new clerk interrogation, the meeting had settled into mind-numbing matters like where to quarter the border guard, which merchants will supply Bradford for the winter, and who among should be sent out to the Coi Islands. Dutifully, Dwayne had filled his notebook with the details, an effort that had taken little conscious thought, a skill he¡¯d picked up while transcribing Lord Kalan¡¯s ramblings.

    The princess glanced back at her clerk. ¡°Dame Sercombe, if you please.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Your Highness.¡± The princess¡¯s clerk went around the table, placing a sheet of paper in front of each chair.

    ¡°Her Majesty has decided to adjust today¡¯s Order of Appeal.¡± The princess tapped her copy. ¡°We¡¯ll start with the Commoner¡¯s Appeal.¡±

    When Sercombe reached Lord Kalan¡¯s seat, she hesitated, and then glanced at the princess, who shook her head. Surprisingly, Sercombe shook her head back and presented the sheet to Dwayne. He tensed. He did not want to draw further disdain from the princess, but the Royal Sorcerer¡¯s Office couldn¡¯t afford ignorance and so he accepted the piece of paper with a muttered ¡°Thank you.¡±

    As Sercombe returned to her seat, Dwayne scanned the document. It was a program that laid out the four different Appeals - Commoner¡¯s, Mage¡¯s, Noble¡¯s, and Merchant¡¯s - and the people making them. Two names, the only ones under the Mage¡¯s Appeal, jumped out at him: Baron Otto Thadden and Lady Luisa Pol.

    Right, she¡¯d said that her appeal had been approved.

    The princess cleared her throat. ¡°Does Her Majesty¡¯s Councilors have any objections to these changes?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d wondered why Her Majesty had ordered the Chamber to vet this¡­ person.¡± Judge Koenig gave the princess a wry look. ¡°Obviously, I can¡¯t object to my own office¡¯s work.¡±

    There was only one name listed under Commoner¡¯s Appeal, Olga Carmicheal, and unlike the others, a description of the appeal had been provided. Carmicheal was appealing a judgment that her lord had made regarding her taking a single day off work. Dwayne frowned. Such a judgment sounded well beneath the Queen¡¯s notice.

    ¡°Her lord permitted this?¡± Lord Gallus¡¯s voice had sounded even, but his nostrils were flared and color was coming into his cheeks as if this minor thing was making him very angry.

    ¡°Her Majesty noted his objections.¡± The princess didn¡¯t turn to Lord Gallus, kept her eyes forward. ¡°She believes that this is necessary.¡±

    ¡°Necessary?¡± Lord Gallus¡¯s fist clenched. ¡°Necessary?¡±

    ¡°Fascinating.¡± Giordano leaned back in his chair, the list still in his hand. ¡°I expected that an Adhua or Walton resident would be selected for the honor.¡±

    The princess¡¯s lips tightened. ¡°Those residents have the privilege of the Merchant¡¯s Appeal through their guilds and guildmasters.¡±

    ¡°So guilds and firms can represent their members at court, but lords can¡¯t represent their tenants?¡± Lord Gallus thumped the table. ¡°It¡¯s a noble¡¯s duty to represent their tenant¡¯s needs to our monarch. Is this vulgar Vanuria where the whole population can rudely show up on their liege¡¯s doorstep and make a cacophonic clamor?¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s eyes widened. Of course, if the tenants went straight to the Queen, they¡¯d be going over their lords¡¯ heads. That was why Lord Gallus was angry.

    The princess finally faced Magdala¡¯s father. ¡°Is that an official objection, Lord Gallus?¡±

    The lord looked to the other chairs for support, but Judge Koenig¡¯s eyes were closed as if she were napping, Giordano¡¯s were still looking on the list, and, of course, Lord Kalan was still absent.

    With a deep breath, Lord Gallus sat back in his seat. ¡°No, it is not. I simply would like my, er, concerns to be on the record.¡±

    ¡°Done.¡± The princess¡¯s expression cleared. She smiled. ¡°With that, we¡¯re finished. Councilors, you have ten minutes to get ready for the procession.¡± She got to her feet, waited for everyone else to stand, and then raised her hand as if she were holding a chalice aloft. ¡°By Cueller¡¯s Blessing.¡±

    As one, councilors and clerks mirrored her salute. ¡°By Cueller¡¯s Blessing.¡±

    ¡°Meeting adjourned.¡±

    With that, the councilors began to drift towards the back door. After he slid his notes into his bag, Dwayne moved to follow.

    Sercombe stepped in front of him. ¡°Sorry, Kalan, that¡¯s for councilors only.¡± She lowered her voice. ¡°Besides, you do not want to get near Anne at the moment. Trust me. Let me introduce you to the other clerks.¡± She waved. ¡°Docherty, you¡¯re not getting out of this.¡±

    A short stout person in black robes and a white skullcap turned away from the door and glared at Sercombe. ¡°What¡¯s the point of this?¡± Docherty had been the clerk that Dwayne couldn¡¯t see because of Judge Koenig¡¯s hat.

    ¡°Solidarity.¡± The princess¡¯s clerk pointed to herself. ¡°I¡¯m Dame Tate Sercombe. That¡¯s Ms. Elena Monti.¡± She pointed to the older woman in gold pantaloons, who curtsied. ¡°She¡¯s been here the longest of us and that¡¯s,¡± Tate gestured to Lord Gallus¡¯s clerk, ¡°That¡¯s Lieutenant Mia Hill-¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve met.¡± Hill raised her chin. ¡°Down at Walton.¡±

    Dwayne forced a smile onto his face as he tried to recall all of the soldiers he¡¯d met at Walton. Officer, dark brown hair, gray eyes. Nothing. That diving falcon insignia on Hill¡¯s uniform however...

    ¡°You¡¯re a windsong.¡± He still didn¡¯t remember her, but Magdala had gone over the different windsong orders with him and Mei. ¡°Peregrine Cast, right?¡±

    ¡°Oh, good job.¡± Hill rolled her eyes. ¡°Now get us more licenses and I¡¯ll actually be impressed.¡±

    ¡°Hill.¡± Sercombe put a hand on the soldier¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You know he can¡¯t, not without the Royal Sorcerer.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, sure, whatever,¡± Hill grimaced as Sercombe¡¯s grip tightened, ¡°Sir.¡±

    Sercombe released Hill and gestured to the last clerk. ¡°And finally, Father Lloyd Docherty.¡±

    ¡°Father?¡± Dwayne asked.

    Sercombe waggled her eyebrows. ¡°Youngest ordained priest in a generation.¡±

    ¡°It is not a praiseworthy feat.¡± Father Docherty¡¯s hand went to his forehead. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we go now? The Session procession is always late, but not this late.¡±

    Sercombe nodded. ¡°Yes, yes, we should go, but first, excuse me.¡± She adjusted Dwayne¡¯s wig. ¡°Better. Did you get all the meeting notes?¡±

    Dwayne patted his bag. ¡°Yeah, I think so.¡±

    ¡°Excellent, we¡¯ll compare later. Hill and Docherty don¡¯t bother, and Ms. Monti¡¯s script is, um, well¡­¡±

    ¡°My own,¡± called out Monti from outside the room. ¡°Are you two coming or not?¡±

    ¡°Coming.¡± Sercombe placed a hand on Dwayne¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ll follow them to the entrance hall?¡±

    Dwayne nodded, not sure if she thought he was that incompetent.

    ¡°Splendid.¡± She started walking backwards to the back door. ¡°I have a quick errand to run so I can¡¯t walk you back. I¡¯ll see you there.¡± Then she was gone.

    Dismissing the natural question ¡°If that door wasn¡¯t for clerks, why could Sercombe go that way?¡± with a shrug, Dwayne left the way he came, trailing the other clerks as they made their way back to the entrance hall. Then a thought stopped him. Right now was his best chance to escape before Lady Pol made his secret known to the world. With any luck, like the Commoner¡¯s Appeal running long, he¡¯d be well on his way out of the city before anyone noticed. Maybe he¡¯d even have time to collect his notes from the Tower.

    Dwayne started walking again, slowing down to let the other clerks move on ahead. There were other considerations of course, Rodion and Sanford, Mei and Huan, the Tower, but they were all, by employment or appointment, really Lord Kalan¡¯s responsibility, not his. However, the Vanurians now taking refuge at Walcrest were Dwayne¡¯s responsibility. He¡¯d better stop by and make sure they got out all right. Maybe he could ask Magdala to-

    Dwayne stopped. Magdala was here, attending the Autumn Session. If he left now, he wouldn¡¯t have the chance to ask her for help, present his proposal to her, or even say good-bye. No, she probably wouldn¡¯t care about that, not now that she was back home. Maybe he¡¯d send her a thank you note. After all, he couldn¡¯t have gotten this far without her.

    Satisfied, he resumed walking.

    Soon he reached the entrance hall, where a few stragglers were making their way into the Throne Room. To his left were the Autumn Session, Magdala, and the responsibilities he¡¯d fought for. To his right was Bradford, the open road, and freedom.

    From behind him, a deep melodic voice asked, ¡°Are you Dwayne Kalan-?¡±

    The accent shattered Dwayne¡¯s thought process. Feeling discombobulated, he answered, ¡°Y-yes, I am.¡± He turned to the speaker with a hastily constructed smile on his face. ¡°Sorry, I¡­I¡­¡±

    He¡¯d heard the accent but hadn¡¯t actually listened to it, not enough to recognize it, and so he hadn¡¯t expected to see a dark brown woman wearing thick white fur, patterned gold, and spiced perfume as easily as a farmer would wear a shawl. Flanked by two tall bald guards in silver armor, red wrap skirts, and long spears, the woman stepped closer, slowly, regally, her posture holding up a black storm cloud of hair. From head to toe, it was clear she had wealth far beyond that of any Souran noble or merchant as her hair alone could ransom baronies.

    This was a Wesen noble.

    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    When she reached him, the woman placed her hands together. ¡°The Sun beats well on you, Kalan-. I am Ifunanya Eminike-, Vice-Consul of the Ri¡¯s Mission to Soura.¡±

    These words, full of grand gravity, shook Dwayne free of his stupor. ¡°I¡¯m Dwayne Kalan, heir to Sanford, mage¡¯s apprentice.¡± He¡¯d forgotten the full list right at this moment. He¡¯d never been this close to someone from the Ri, the mage¡¯s kingdom on the east coast of Wesen. If she knew that Dwayne was , she¡¯d order those guards to grab him and take him away.

    ¡°So I hear.¡± The Vice-Consul¡¯s dark eyes inspected Dwayne. ¡°I also hear you¡¯re Dragon Fighter, Ruin Delver, Mob Queller. My brothers and sons send me query after query from the Capitol. They¡¯re asking, ¡®What is she like, this Wesen who bears a Souran title, who earns such epithets?¡¯ and I reply, ¡®He is a  mage.¡¯¡±

    Dwayne frowned. ¡°They can¡¯t come and see that for themselves?¡±

    The Vice-Consul raised her chin. ¡°No Ri prince leaves the Ri. No Ri prince is allowed outside the Ri, which makes you, Dwayne Kalan- a puzzle. In your face, I see a Seuda nose, a pair of G¡¯nj eyes, the cheekbones of a prince, and not one hint of a wan-faced mother.¡±

    Feeling dizzy, Dwayne pulled back from her. ¡°It was a long time ago. You can¡¯t tell now.¡±

    ¡°Maybe so, maybe so.¡± The Vice-Consul stroked her furs. ¡°But I have seen what you claim to be. One has even started her own college.¡± She clicked her tongue. ¡°A pity. You both are wasted here. If it weren¡¯t for the treaties, I¡¯d order Ife and Oluwabusayo here to take you both home.¡±

    ¡°Take us home?¡± Dwayne¡¯s hands formed into fists. ¡°You mean kidnap us?¡±

    ¡°It is where you belong.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t belong there.¡± Dwayne advanced on the Vice-Consul. ¡°Where I belong was ripped away from me by slavers.¡±

    The Vice-Consul bowed her head. ¡°I had heard that you were a slave.¡±

    Dwayne asked through gritted teeth, ¡°And where was the Ri when I was taken?¡±

    The Vice-Consul¡¯s hand came up, forestalling her guards¡¯ spears. ¡°Such passion. A pity you are not . Still, our offer stands.¡± Her eyes met his. ¡°Just know that if you are a prince, my brother, then your place is in the Ri¡± She put her hands together. ¡°May your coming suns be bright, Kalan-.¡± Then she turned on her heel and led her guards out of the palace.

    It took Dwayne several breaths to take control of his anger, a feat made much more difficult by the realization that Sercombe had completed her errand and was in the entrance hall,  watching him with several other Sourans. If he left now, they¡¯d know, and worse, he¡¯d look like he was going after her.

    Damn.

    Damn and damned.

    He couldn¡¯t run, not now.

    ***

    </a>Mei felt very small sitting in the six-sided high arched space walled with stained glass that was the Throne Room. Two thirds of it was filled with radiating rows of pews, all occupied by the richest and finest of Bradford¡¯s residents. As for the remaining third, half lay between the center of the room and the doors to the entrance and was filled with the more common sort of Sourans, while the other half lay opposite it and was occupied only by three simple wooden chairs. All, pews, chairs, standers, faced the center where a massive silver and wood throne sat on a raised dais. Lit by a wheel of colored light streaming in from the biggest and highest of the stained glass windows, the monstrous seat looked twice as tall as Mei and was covered with silver cups that overflowed with lilacs. Mei couldn¡¯t keep her eyes off it, and she heard sniffles from the standing section.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Dwayne?¡± asked Maggie on Mei¡¯s left.

    Mei blinked and looked around. ¡°He isn¡¯t here?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Maggie turned in her seat to check the giant doors. ¡°The meeting has to be over by now. I saw my father¡¯s clerk take her seat. Where is he?¡±

    ¡°Not your problem.¡± Fran reached across Mei and made Maggie face forward. ¡°Your mother will drown us if you keep acting like that.¡±

    Unconcerned about the Water Sage¡¯s wrath, Mei turned in her seat and scanned the crowd.

    Fran groaned. ¡°No, not you too.¡±

    ¡°I can swim.¡± Ignoring the annoyed looks from the people sitting behind them, Mei searched the stragglers. No bad wigs. No black Tiger Masks. No Huan. She hadn¡¯t actually expected her brother to come, but sometimes he surprised her. ¡°I don¡¯t see him.¡±

    ¡°Maybe he got lost,¡± said Fran.

    ¡°Oh cups, I hope not,¡± said Maggie.

    A tall brown-haired Souran in a teal suit strode into the room with an older woman in gold on her arm. Both of them seemed familiar. Maybe Mei had seen them the last time she¡¯d been called to the Palace.

    Huan would remember.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad your lady mother has to sit with the other Sages,¡± said Fran. Mei had missed what Maggie had said to prompt this response. ¡°I do not want to be near you two when you¡¯re fighting.¡±

    Maggie sniffed. ¡°We¡¯re not fighting. I¡¯m joining the College of Martial Magic and that¡¯s that.¡±

    Mei checked the standing crowd, hoping that Huan had slipped in somehow. She had to tell him about Black Tiger. The last time Mei and Huan had faced off against a real ShengXiao guard, Huan had nearly died.

    ¡°I doubt she¡¯s actually given up,¡± said Fran. ¡°You and your mother are cut from the same very stubborn cloth.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not¡­¡± Maggie¡¯s voice cracked. ¡°Well, she said I could do what I want.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like her at all.¡±

    Mei slid down into her seat.

    ¡°Any luck?¡± Maggie asked.

    Mei shook her head. Ever since she¡¯d talked to Charlie, she¡¯d been wondering how she could help Huan get out of this predicament. Yes, they could fight, but she doubted they could take two of ShengXiao guards at the same time. The better option was to clear Huan¡¯s name with the scrytives and then just go. Somewhere. Anywhere.

    ¡°Mei?¡± Fran squeezed Mei¡¯s hand. ¡°Are you all right?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Maggie looked around. ¡°Is she bothering you again?¡±

    Fran raised an eyebrow. ¡°Is who bothering her?¡±

    Mei answered Maggie¡¯s question. ¡°No.¡± She hadn¡¯t seen Momin in the standing audience or in the pews, but the spy was sneakier than a shade rat. One last time, Mei peeked back and spotted a dry and frazzled blond wig striding through the door. ¡°Oh, there¡¯s Dwayne.¡±

    ¡°Finally!¡± Maggie waved away Fran¡¯s concern. ¡°We should invite him over.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Fran pulled down Maggie¡¯s hand, ¡°it¡¯s too late.¡±

    The doors behind the throne opened, and, as one, those who had seats, stood.

    Maggie pulled Mei up. ¡°You have to stand up.¡±

    ¡°Why-¡±

    Bright horns snatched the words from Mei¡¯s mouth, and the following chorus of triumphant pipes made further speech impossible. The horns Mei had expected, she¡¯d spotted the liveried guards who held them, but the pipes somehow lived in the very air, a sonorous omnipresence with no true source. Still, she persisted and finally found the source: dozens of little metal pipes embedded in the Throne Room¡¯s walls and pillars. The chorus was everywhere because the very room was the instrument.

    As the harmonies soared, six people proceeded into the room: Lord Gallus bearing a silver sheathed sword, a merchant holding aloft a thick gold bound tome, a priest carrying a bronze goblet large enough to slake any thirst, the princess carrying a scroll under her left arm, and a thin man in blue bearing the hand of Soura¡¯s monarch Queen Sophia the Fourth.

    A head taller than the man at her side, Queen Sophia had light brown hair and sun-touched skin. She wore a dress covered in lilacs, an ash gray cloak embroidered with cups, and a delicate silver crown made of waves and mountains. Her slow deliberate steps took her past the seats of her councilors, past her daughter¡¯s place at the right of the throne, her consort¡¯s place at the left, and carried her to the front edge of the dais, where she stopped and gazed upon her subjects. For a moment, Mei could swear that the Queen looked straight at her.

    Queen Sophia inclined her head. ¡°Autumn Session starts.¡± Then in one smooth motion, she pivoted, walked over to the throne, and took her seat.

    As one, those who had seats, sat.

    Clearing her throat, Princess Anne stepped forward and unrolled her scroll. ¡°On this the twentieth day of Camcli, we shall start with the Commoner¡¯s Appeal. Olga Carmicheal of Dorneslinde, please step forward.¡±

    As a woman in a plain white dress stiffly marched up to the throne, Maggie poked Fran. ¡°I didn¡¯t think they¡¯d go through with this,¡± she whispered.

    Fran shrugged. ¡°Her Majesty has notions.¡±

    As Olga spoke to the Queen, Mei listened to the whispers blossoming around her. Some expressed confusion, others resignation, a few anger, and she didn¡¯t understand why. The Emperor of Tuqu had commoners come to the palace all the time. At least, Mei had heard that. She¡¯d never met anyone who¡¯d met the Emperor.

    ¡°And that¡¯s the right of it, Your Majesty.¡± Olga cast her eyes down to the floor, her hands wringing her skirt, her appeal finished.

    Queen Sophia leaned forward. ¡°Your landlord¡¯s judgment claiming needless rest; you Olga requite eightfold lost labor. Today¡¯s appeal: your girl¡¯s fever ran hot; with no doctor there, you stayed home to care.¡±

    Olga hid a frown at the Queen¡¯s phrasing and bowed. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±

    ¡°This judgment overturned your monarch can, but must ponder this¡± ¡®What is true labor?¡¯¡± The queen paused and let the question linger in the air. ¡°Labor is fieldwork. Labor is housekeep. Labor is the harvest. And,¡± Queen Sophia smiled, ¡°it is love. Hear this: a mother¡¯s work must labor be. No requite requir¡¯d.¡±

    Olga, tears in her eyes, bowed once more. ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty, thank you.¡±

    As Olga retreated from the dais, Queen Sophia raised her voice. ¡°The Throne commands it.¡±

    Princess Anne called out, ¡°Our Queen speaks, we hear!¡±

    ¡°Our Queen speaks, we hear!¡± shouted Soura.

    As dust drifted down from the ceiling, Mei wondered at the unity shown by all here. Even Maggie had raised her voice.

    ¡°We¡¯ll continue with the Mage¡¯s Appeal.¡± Princess Anne didn¡¯t check her scroll this time. ¡°Baron Otto Thadden of Kolz.¡±

    As a large older man approached the throne, his blue and white robes fluttering behind him, Mei recognized him. The night of the dinner he¡¯d inadvertently rescued her from Roberta Bruce.

    Thadden dropped to one knee. ¡°Your Majesty, this humble servant requests that you consider appointing a new Royal Sorcerer. The man who currently holds the position, Lord Bartholomew Kalan, is honorable and has a great many accomplishments, but-¡±

    ¡°Your Majesty!¡± From the back of the room, a purple and white shape flew over the audience and alighted on the dais next to Thadden, resolving into a blond woman in a high collared white blouse and purple cloak. Mei recognized her too. Lady Luisa Pol, the mage who was digging up Yumma.

    Princess Anne glared at the wind mage. ¡°Lady Pol. You were after Baron Thadden.¡±

    Maggie glanced at Mei. ¡°Did you know she was in Bradford?¡±

    Mei shook her head, keeping her eye on Pol¡¯s back.

    Pol dropped to one knee. ¡°My words are relevant to the Baron¡¯s appeal.¡± She looked past the princess and locked eyes with Queen Sophia. ¡°Lord Bartholomew Kalan has abandoned the position of Royal Sorcerer.¡±

    A stone landed in the pit of Mei¡¯s stomach.

    Maggie¡¯s chin dropped to her chest. ¡°That idiot.¡±

    ¡°Is this some sort of plan?¡± Fran asked.

    Mei¡¯s eyes slid to the back of the room, to Lord Kalan¡¯s apprentice. ¡°No.¡± Dwayne looked as if he¡¯d been shot. ¡°It is not.¡±

    Thadden glared at the wind mage. ¡°Lady Pol, I have not finished my appeal.¡±

    Pol pulled a letter out of her cloak. ¡°This is a letter detailing his chosen course of action.¡± With a syllable, she sent the letter fluttering over into Princess Anne¡¯s hands. ¡°From now on, he plans to focus solely on his research.¡±

    Princess Anne read the letter, her eyes going wide. She turned to Queen Sophia. ¡°Mo-Your Majesty. It¡¯s true.¡±

    The whispers in the audience spread rumors like pollen.

    ¡°First, he makes a Wesen his heir and then he runs off?¡±

    ¡°I told you. He¡¯s infatuated with them.¡±

    ¡°Is that boy our next Royal Sorcerer?¡±

    Mei curled up in her seat. Her brother was right to skip this.

    ¡°My subjects.¡± As her words silenced the crowd, Queen Sophia rose. Her right hand reached out. ¡°Be calm, my subjects. You have so many, many questions, but there is just one to answer here and now. Do we accept Lord Kalan¡¯s retirement?¡± She looked into the eyes of her subjects. ¡°Yes, we do.¡± She sat back down.

    For a long moment, Princess Anne floundered, but she shook herself and rallied. ¡°Candidates for the position of Her Majesty¡¯s Sorcerer will be found. By the end of the Harvest Ball in two weeks¡¯ time, we will announce the top contenders for the position.¡±

    Queen Sophia¡¯s voice was grave. ¡°The Throne commands it.¡±

    ¡°Our Queen speaks, we hear!¡±

    As both Thadden and Pol withdrew and the Autumn Session continued, Mei cursed how little warning she, Maggie, and Dwayne had gotten from Lord Kalan. It was especially surprising that Lord Kalan, who usually ran even small decisions by his apprentice, had left said apprentice out of his decision. Before this moment, Mei would have sworn that Dwayne knew everything about his master¡¯s affairs. It didn¡¯t make sense.

    Mei blinked.

    It didn¡¯t make sense. There was no way that Lord Kalan, who¡¯d endured dragons and ridicule and scorn for Dwayne, wouldn¡¯t have told his apprentice about this. Still, Lord Kalan was fickle, and he was prone to last minute decision-making, which often required his message to be sent by the fastest possible method: windsong. A related fact: three nights ago, a windsong messenger - one heading northeast towards the Parvenue District, where Sanford was - had been found murdered, his messages stolen.

    It could be coincidence. ¡°Fran, do nobles become windsong?¡±

    ¡°No, not usually.¡± Fran tilted her head. ¡°Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°Do merchants?¡±

    ¡°No. They¡¯re too valuable as sailors.¡±

    Only nobles and very rich merchants lived in the Parvenue District, and the only non-Souran looking people that Mei had seen there were herself, her brother, and Dwayne. The messenger had looked Vanurian. Chances are that he didn¡¯t live in the Parvenue district, which meant that he had to have been delivering a message, one that could have been for Dwayne.

    ¡°Mei?¡± Fran nudged her. ¡°Mei, are you all right?¡±

    ¡°I am fine.¡± Mei clasped her hands together.

    ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    Mei managed a nod as she remembered something that made her stomach twist. There were only five people in Bradford who knew Lord Kalan well enough to guess how he¡¯d send messages: Dwayne, Rodion, Maggie, Mei.

    And Huan.

 Qekedellail, Quell the Earth

    After the conclusion of the Mage¡¯s Appeal, Dwayne spent the rest of the Autumn Session wrestling with a single thought: Lord Kalan had abandoned him. While his master¡¯s shortcomings - laziness, shamelessness, an allergy to task management, and a fondness for dull exposition that made him incapable of writing a coherent paper - had been obvious the moment  had fallen into Dwayne¡¯s hands, the thought that Lord Kalan would just put him aside had never occurred to Dwayne. They were a team. They were the two mages who were going to unite all of magic. There was no way either of them could do it alone.

    It wasn¡¯t until most of the way through the long Merchant¡¯s Appeal did a question break Dwayne¡¯s thought spiral. If Lord Kalan had been preparing to do this the whole time, why had he gone out of his way to make Dwayne his Adjunct Librarian? And why had he bothered to send Dwayne and Rodion to Sanford? Even a warning sent a mere day ago would have given Dwayne time to prepare, maybe even get a few crucial things signed and leave the Tower partway operational.

    As the last merchant stepped down, the Queen rose and walked to the front of the dais. ¡°The Autumn Session has come to an end.¡±

    ¡°Our Queen speaks, we hear!¡±

    The Queen turned on her heel and led the procession back the way they¡¯d come. When the doors closed behind them, the crowd stirred as if waking from a long trance and started to trickle out of the room. Dwayne didn¡¯t move, forced the crowd to walk around him as shock twisted into guilt. Three hours ago, when he¡¯d been planning his escape, he hadn¡¯t even considered what it would do to Lord Kalan, and yet here he was, stunned that Lord Kalan had done the same. He supposed he should be relieved that Lady Pol hadn¡¯t revealed that he was , but now he was set adrift. After all if Lord Kalan was no longer the Royal Sorcerer, then Dwayne was no longer Head Clerk. He was still heir to Sanford, but now Lord Gallus, glad to have the chance to pull his eldest child away from her lord uncle¡¯s influence, would keep Magdala from offering any support. While he still had the resources to continue to employ Rodion, Huan, and Mei, he had nothing for them to do. He could make them find Lord Kalan and drag him back here, but the thought of forcing anyone, Lord Kalan or anyone else, to do something against their will made Dwayne sick. He had to get out of here, find Mei, discuss next steps.

    ¡°Dwayne Kalan,¡± a hand took his elbow, ¡°Her Majesty summons you.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Dwayne¡¯s struggles knocked his wig to the floor. ¡°No! I, I, can just leave. She doesn¡¯t need to-¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Kalan.¡± Dame Sercombe held onto Dwayne as she retrieved his wig from the floor. ¡°You¡¯re fine. Her Majesty knows this isn¡¯t your fault. She has a task for you.¡±

    Dwayne blinked. ¡°What task?¡±

    ¡°Not here,¡± Sercombe answered through a stiff smile as she guided him through the Entrance Hall. ¡°You¡¯ve been summoned to the Small Audience Chamber.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Dwayne forced himself to relax. That room wasn¡¯t for official pronouncements, like summary executions. ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Good. Here.¡± Sercombe handed Dwayne¡¯s wig to him. ¡°Make yourself presentable. Let¡¯s go.¡± She released Dwayne and marched through the Entrance Hall. When Dwayne had fixed his wig and caught up to her, she hissed. ¡°Did you know?¡±

    Dwayne shook his head as they took a left out of the Entrance Hall. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°If he¡¯d told you earlier, you would have informed the Crown? The Privy Council?¡±

    Dwayne scowled. ¡°Yes, I would have. I¡¯m new at this, not stupid.¡± Not telling the Queen or any of her personal advisers about something like this sounded like suicide.

    Dame Sercombe¡¯s lips tightened for a moment. ¡°For your sake, I hope your master has good reasons for all this.¡±

    Dwayne didn¡¯t reply. He didn¡¯t want to lie.

    After making their way down the corridor, they reached a wooden door with a large cup cut into its center and dozens of lilacs carved into its sides. Seeing them approach, a servant slipped into the room.

    Sercombe halted in front of the door. ¡°The last time you were here, Her Majesty told you that she expected great things from you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Dwayne had forgotten that Sercombe had been there when he, Mei, and Magdala had received their royal commendations. ¡°Is she angry?¡±

    ¡°Her Majesty isn¡¯t prone to public displays of anger.¡± Sercombe sighed. ¡°Her Highness is still working on that.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± It didn¡¯t help that the princess hadn¡¯t liked Dwayne in the first place.

    The door opened. ¡°Ma¡¯am, young master,¡± said the servant. ¡°You may enter.¡±

    Sercombe thanked the servant and then gestured to the open door. ¡°In you go.¡±

    Thus Dwayne entered Her Majesty¡¯s Small Audience Chamber for the second time. In size and shape, the room was the twin of the Privy Council Chamber but was instead decorated in gray and purple, instead of red and black. It also lacked that room¡¯s chairs, stools, and large circular table, replacing them with a trio of couches and a low slung table laden with glasses of water and tiny sandwiches. Behind these, the mantelpiece, which doubled as a bar, was lined with half a dozen varicolored liquors and bottles, and in the far right corner sat a pale wood desk, the only concession to the fact that work was actually performed her.

    The Queen lay on the centermost and largest couch with her crown resting on a pillow next to her. Her daughter glowered at Dwayne from the fireplace while the Royal Consort Tor Jensen loitered next to the door to the courtyard, his gray suit blending in with the wall. As Sercombe went to her princess, Dwayne took note of the remaining two people in the room, the servant who¡¯d opened the door and a scarred royal guard with one hand on a curved sword.

    As the door clicked close behind him, Dwayne waited for the Queen, who was pressing a glass of ice to her forehead, to address him. Behind her, Princess Anne and Sercombe whispered to each other as Jensen and the guard watched Dwayne with carefully blank faces. This was worse than being late to the Privy Council meeting. Dwayne¡¯s only possible ally here was Jensen, who¡¯d once been rescued by Lord Kalan decades ago, but the last time Dwayne had been in this room the man had stayed silent. With Princess Anne clearly against him, Dwayne would have to rely entirely on the Queen¡¯s grace. He would try to offer excuses, to explain, anything, but that would only annoy the Queen. At least, he¡¯d completed his experiments to prove Resonance Theory. If he was sent away, maybe he could continue his work elsewhere. Maybe someplace in Tuqu. Mei and Huan could guide him to a good place.

    Before Dwayne could continue to entertain a life on the other end of the continent, Queen Sophia said, as she put down her glass, ¡°I assume you didn¡¯t know.¡±

    Dwayne swallowed. ¡°No, Your Majesty. I haven¡¯t heard from Lord Kalan in weeks.¡±

    Princess Anne started forward. ¡°That¡¯s a likely-¡±

    The Queen raised her hand, cutting her daughter off. ¡°Before making you his apprentice, Lord Kalan had never been good at regular reports.¡± She placed her crown on her head. ¡°Has he made you Adjunct Librarian yet?¡±

    He shouldn¡¯t be surprised that she knew about that. ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± The Queen let out a breath. ¡°He wasn¡¯t completely incompetent.¡±

    ¡°Adjunct Librarian?¡± Princess Anne grabbed the back of her mother¡¯s couch. ¡°Does that mean this boy is now the Royal Sorcerer?¡±

    ¡°No, of course not,¡± The Queen assumed a regal pose, ¡°but it does mean that he must choose the next one.¡±

    ¡°Mother, he¡¯s a foreigner who barely knows enough real magic to fill a pamphlet.¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s jaw clenched. His ¡°real¡± magic would burn that disdain off her face.

    ¡°Anne.¡± Tor Jensen detached from the wall. ¡°Our ancestors put this process in place to safeguard us from ignorance and haste. A current Librarian and the Queen must select the new Royal Sorcerer, the head of the Hidden Library, together.¡± His brown eyes met Dwayne¡¯s. ¡°You¡¯ve received the License Key?¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s answer, ¡°Yes, Your Royal Consortness,¡± came automatically as his mind raced to consider the implications. If the License Key was a part of the Hidden Library, then Lord Kalan would have had to have done something back at Walcrest. That action implied planning, and planning implied an opportunity to send a message to Dwayne well before Lady Pol¡¯s arrival. So what had happened?

    It took him a moment to note the tightening of the princess¡¯s lips and the amused look on her father¡¯s face. He¡¯d done something wrong.

    The servant leaned in. ¡°The proper address is ¡®Your Royal Highness.¡¯¡±

    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Dwayne grimaced. ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll try to remember that.¡±

    ¡°Young Dwayne Kalan.¡± The Queen rose to her feet. ¡°As our Hidden Library¡¯s only Adjunct Librarian and the Scaled Tower¡¯s only clerk, you are charged with finding Lord Kalan¡¯s replacement. Here are my requirements: they must be a mage in good standing; they must have more than fifteen years experience as a licensed mage; if they lack a title, they must have a Sage¡¯s recommendation; finally,¡± her eyes glinted, ¡°they must be Souran. You have until the end of the Harvest Ball to present your candidate.¡±

    ¡°Wait.¡± Dwayne backed away. ¡°I have to do this alone?¡±

    ¡°Sophia,¡± Jensen said, ¡°maybe we could lend the boy some staff?¡±

    ¡°Or just do it ourselves.¡± Princess Anne crossed her arms. ¡°Just order him to hand over the License Key to someone who meets your requirements.¡±

    ¡°No, we must not.¡± The Queen looked back at her family. ¡°We must not squander the one good decision that Lord Kalan made in making Dwayne his apprentice and his heir. Young Kalan¡¯s  heritage presents our queendom with a unique opportunity to access magic long denied to us. And, as a significant bonus,¡± she turned back to Dwayne, ¡°he¡¯s been proving the Magisterium¡¯s hidebound theories to be unfounded.¡± Her voice became regal again. ¡°Dwayne Kalan, heir to Walcrest, heir to Sanford, Head Clerk of the Scaled Tower, and Adjunct Librarian of the Hidden Library, you are thus charged. The Throne commands it.¡±

    ¡°Our Queen speaks, we hear,¡± said Dwayne along with everyone else in the room.

    Then he fled.

    ***

    </a>As Mei followed Maggie and Fran out of the Palace, she kept her eyes straight ahead and failed to respond to Fran¡¯s attempts to make conversation. Maggie was also silent, apparently lost in her own thoughts. This continued until they reached the valet line, and Fran proclaimed, ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡±

    She stomped out in front of them, her hands on her hips. ¡°We have to talk.¡±

    Maggie winced. ¡°Fran¡­¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to hear it.¡± Fran took her friends by the shoulders. ¡°Magdala, I know you just love to disappear into your own thoughts, and Mei, I know that you¡¯re a master stoic, but I refuse to allow either of you to steam in your own misery.¡± She smirked. ¡°It¡¯s terrible for the complexion.¡±

    Mei frowned. ¡°Complexion?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡± Maggie smiled weakly. ¡°I really thought he¡¯d changed, you know? That my screwup lord uncle had finally stepped up to his responsibilities as a mage and as a noble.¡± She sniffed. ¡°Before my mother made me go to him, before actually meeting him, this wouldn¡¯t have been surprising, but now¡­¡±

    ¡°It galls you.¡± Fran patted Maggie¡¯s shoulder. ¡°His bad choices don¡¯t reflect back on you. You know that.¡±

    ¡°I do.¡± Maggie sniffed as they moved forward in the line. ¡°It¡¯s just hard to accept.¡±

    Mei¡¯s jaw clenched. The idea that your relatives¡¯ bad choices don¡¯t reflect back on you may apply to the children of merchants and nobles, but it didn¡¯t apply to her. It was her parents¡¯ bad choices that had made her and Huan outcasts, and Huan¡¯s that had made them flee their country, and now it was Lord Kalan¡¯s that had put her, Huan, and Dwayne at risk.

    ¡°Well, going to class tomorrow will be a nightmare.¡± Maggie forced a chuckle. ¡°How easily has my lord uncle made the Galluses the laughingstock of the queendom.¡±

    ¡°Anyone who laughs at Lady Iona Gallus or Lord Gerald Gallus laughs alone.¡± Fran¡¯s dark eyes glinted. ¡°And anyone who laughs at you, either of you, answers to me.¡±

    Mei felt goosebumps at hearing those serious and sincere words, which promised that Fran would absolutely destroy anyone who mocked her friends.

    Maggie¡¯s eyes glistened. ¡°You don¡¯t have to defend me.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s in our friend contract. I defend you. You defend me.¡± Fran pulled them forward in the line. ¡°Within reason of course, if they make fun of your snoring, I¡¯ll join in.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Maggie raised her chin. ¡°Well, if they make fun of your frankly ridiculous number of ¡®girl of the day¡¯ sketches, I¡¯ll join in.¡±

    ¡°Humph.¡± Fran crossed her arms and turned around. ¡°I don¡¯t do that anymore.¡±

    Maggie leaned in. ¡°You still have them though.¡±

    ¡°Because they¡¯re my best work!¡±

    Despite her gnawing concerns, Mei smiled at her friends¡¯ obvious good regard for each other.

    ¡°Finally, a smile.¡± Fran put an arm around Mei¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Your turn, Mei. What wouldn¡¯t you defend dear Magdala from?¡±

    Mei thought about it a moment. She grinned. ¡°The horrors of walking.¡±

    ¡°Oh, no.¡± Maggie¡¯s hand came to her forehead. ¡°Don¡¯t start.¡±

    Fran¡¯s eyes glittered. ¡°Oh, please do.¡±

    Mei said, ¡°We were going to Yumma-¡±

    ¡°It was really really hot, okay?¡± Maggie glared at Mei. ¡°I¡¯m not a cups-blessed gamul like you or Dwayne, somehow able to live on next to no water in the desert.¡±

    Mei raised an eyebrow. ¡°Dwayne offered you his water.¡±

    ¡°And, let me guess,¡± said Fran, ¡°her pride didn¡¯t let her take it? Or¡­¡± She waggled her eyebrows. ¡°Did she just stare at him?¡±

    Mei stared. ¡°How¡¯d you know?¡±

    ¡°Nevermind how she knows.¡± Maggie¡¯s ears now matched her hair. ¡°It¡¯s Fran¡¯s turn, Mei. What wouldn¡¯t you defend Fran from?¡±

    ¡°Houses, ladies?¡±

    They¡¯d reached the head of the line where a valet stood ready to assist.

    ¡°Oh, look, time to go.¡± After a quick hug, Fran stepped away from her friends. ¡°We¡¯ll talk more later.¡± She turned to the valet. ¡°Lucchesi. The Seaborne Apartments.¡±

    ¡°Very good, ma¡¯am.¡± The valet gestured to another servant, who flew off.

    Mei followed their flight with her eyes. ¡°They have mages as servants here?¡±

    Maggie glared at Fran. ¡°You¡¯re not getting away from this.¡±

    Fran smiled. ¡°An engaging conversationalist always has an exit plan. And,¡± she said to Mei, ¡°Her Highness has just started recruiting wind into the service of the Royal Secretary¡¯s Office.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Maggie asked. ¡°How are they getting licensed with my lord uncle gone?¡±

    Fran shrugged. ¡°Does it matter? And here¡¯s my carriage.¡± She caught the look on Maggie¡¯s face. ¡°It is not my fault you don¡¯t know how to control the flow of conversation.¡±

    After four horses pulled a gold and green carriage up to them, its door opened to reveal an older version of Fran, her dark hair just a few shades lighter, already waving. ¡°Franny!¡±

    ¡°I told her to stop calling me that,¡± muttered Fran.

    Maggie grinned. ¡°Oh, another thing to add to the list.¡±

    Fran narrowed her eyes. ¡°Well played, my dear roommate, well played. Coming, Auntie!¡± She started to walk to the carriage. ¡°Next lunch, we¡¯re going to Boscage.¡±

    Mei perked up. ¡°I know a good place.¡±

    Fran beamed. ¡°Splendid. See you there.¡± She stepped up into the carriage and was away.

    Maggie sighed. ¡°I did not miss her ribbing.¡±

    ¡°Ribbing?¡± Mei frowned. ¡°And what is ¡®complexion¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Ribbing means joking and complexion¡¯s how your skin looks.¡± Maggie addressed the valet, ¡°Gallus. Magisterium Dorms.¡±

    ¡°Ah,¡± Mei nodded, ¡°steaming in misery would make your skin go bad.¡±

    ¡°It would probably turn it gray,¡± Maggie grinned, ¡°like those fiends we fought.¡±

    ¡°Your father would have to order Saundra to cut our heads off.¡±

    ¡°Dwayne would insist on incinerating our corpses personally.¡±

    ¡°Then everyone would be sad, and Dwayne would be in trouble. More trouble.¡±

    Maggie smiled. ¡°Then no more misery steam, deal?¡± She extended a hand.

    Mei shook it. ¡°Deal.¡±

    ¡°There you are.¡± Lady Gallus marched up to her daughter. ¡°We are going home now.¡±

    ¡°Mother, I have school tomorrow, so I should¡­¡± She looked around. ¡°Wait, is Father not in an emergency meeting?¡±

    Lady Gallus shook her head. ¡°The Council wasn¡¯t called. Hill mentioned that Dwayne was called into Her Majesty¡¯s presence. Now, we should be on our way. Your father will follow.¡± She reached for Maggie¡¯s hand.

    Maggie pulled away. ¡°I should stay and help Dwayne.¡±

    ¡°Dwayne is on his own.¡± Lady Gallus sighed. ¡°That loyalty of yours is admirable, but you can¡¯t do anything for him, not today. Since you¡¯ve chosen a college, you should focus on that.¡±

    Maggie¡¯s mouth fell open. ¡°You¡¯re really not fighting me on that.¡±

    ¡°I gave you my advice.¡± Lady Gallus tried to square her shoulders. ¡°Whether or not you listen is up to you. I-¡± She cleared her throat. ¡°Right now, we¡¯re going home. The rest of the family needs to know about this.¡±

    Magdala gave her a small nod. ¡°I still need to be in the dorm tonight.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll drop you off later.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Maggie turned to Mei. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll see you tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Maggie smiled sadly and then followed her mother to a red and white carriage. Soon they were gone.

    The valet turned to Mei. ¡°House, ma¡¯am?¡±

    ¡°Not yet.¡± She couldn¡¯t leave without Dwayne. ¡°I¡¯m waiting for someone.¡±

    ¡°Very well.¡± The valet turned to the next person in line. ¡°House, milord?¡±

    While Mei waited, the cool morning gave way to a warmer noon, and the wind whistling through the trees brought the scent of past and coming rain, both allowing Mei to recenter herself and finally think about what her next steps should be.

    By the time Dwayne finally emerged from the Palace, she¡¯d made a decision. She caught Dwayne before he walked out onto the Royal Drive.

    ¡°What are- oh, Mei.¡± Dwayne frowned. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you gone home?¡±

    The valet stepped forward. ¡°House, milord?¡±

    ¡°Kalan. Sanford.¡± Dwayne pulled Mei aside. ¡°Is everything okay?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Mei glanced at the wig in Dwayne¡¯s hands. It looked far worse for wear. ¡°Are you?¡±

    ¡°Ha ha, no.¡± Dwayne groaned. ¡°Apparently, I have to find Lord Kalan¡¯s replacement by the end of the Harvest Ball.¡±

    ¡°That sounds hard.¡±

    ¡°It is a bit.¡±

    The valet waved to them. ¡°Your carriage is here, milord.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Dwayne sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s just get out of here.¡±

    Following him into the carriage, Mei took a seat next to Rodion and Dwayne sat across from them.

    ¡°I heard.¡± Rodion tapped the roof of the carriage, causing it to lurch forward. ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°I,¡± Dwayne closed his eyes, ¡°I have to find Soura¡¯s next Royal Sorcerer.¡±

    Rodion¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°What?¡±

    Mei leaned against the window. ¡°I have to find out who murdered that windsong.¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s eyes snapped open. ¡°What? Why?¡±

    ¡°Because you know everything about Lord Kalan and what he does.¡± Mei turned to Dwayne. ¡°What would he do if he made a sudden decision like that? How would he tell you?¡±

    Dwayne rubbed his chin. ¡°He¡¯d write up a quick message and then waste money on a windsong courier to get it to me.¡±

    Rodion shook his head. ¡°My lord is known to procrastinate.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but what does that have¡­¡± Dwayne stared at Mei. ¡°The windsong messenger. You think he was murdered in order to intercept Lord Kalan¡¯s message.¡±

    Mei nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°But why you?¡±

    ¡°Because,¡± Mei hugged herself, ¡°not many people know about Lord Kalan.¡±

    ¡°Okay...¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t do it. You wouldn¡¯t do it and neither would Rodion or Maggie. That leaves one person.¡±

    ¡°Huan?¡± Dwayne¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You think Huan-¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯t.¡± Mei pushed her brother¡¯s discarded uniform out of her mind. ¡°And I can prove it. I have to.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Dwayne took a deep breath. ¡°Okay. So you¡¯ll investigate that while I find the next Royal Sorcerer.¡± He quickly explained the Queen¡¯s requirements. ¡°Unfortunately, No one immediately comes to mind.¡±

    At least two did for Mei. ¡°What about Lady Pol?¡±

    Dwayne made a face. ¡°She¡¯s¡­ not the best choice. Not after today.¡±

    Rodion¡¯s fingers danced on his knees. ¡°The deans of the Magisterium colleges already have Sage sanction, my lord.¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t know any of them.¡±

    Mei did, but she doubted that Dwayne and Dean Bruce would get along. ¡°And Lady Gallus?¡±

    Dwayne shook his head. ¡°If she wanted to be Royal Sorcerer, she¡¯d be Royal Sorcerer.¡± He blinked. ¡°Oh, I know. Baron Thadden.¡±

    Rodion grimaced. ¡°Didn¡¯t he goad you at dinner, my lord?¡±

    ¡°Yes, he did, but he also talked to me afterwards and helped me put things in perspective. He meets all of the requirements. Let¡¯s start with him.¡±

    Rodion winced. ¡°My lord, let me investigate other candidates.¡±

    Dwayne sat back. ¡°No, there¡¯s no time. We only have until the Harvest Ball.¡±

    Mei watched Rodion force himself to sit back in his seat, which was odd. ¡°What if Thadden doesn¡¯t want it?¡± she asked.

    Dwayne slumped. ¡°In that case¡­ yeah, we should have other options ready. Fine, Rodion, do your investigation. Meanwhile, I¡¯ll reach out to Thadden.¡±

 Xa-Xuyan-Song-Doufe, Sloths Fur

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 Xa-Huia-Wuang-Bian, Redbirds Tail

    As Bradford¡¯s afternoon rain tried to wash away the day, Dwayne returned to Sanford with the finally completed Huo-Niao spell vial. When the door opened to let him in, he asked. ¡°Is she here yet?¡±

    ¡°No, not yet.¡±

    ¡°Good, I still need to¡­¡± Dwayne turned to stare at the person who¡¯d opened the door for him. ¡°Huan?¡±

    Mei¡¯s brother grinned. ¡°Hello.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re on duty.¡±

    ¡°I am. It¡¯s what you pay me for, milord.¡±

    ¡°But you never come back from lunch!¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Huan gave a shrug. ¡°That steward of yours made it clear that if you met with this Fletcher person and got murdered, I¡¯d be lying in the pool of my own blood by the end of the week.¡±

    ¡°I also threatened to dock his pay.¡± Rodion appeared and took Dwayne¡¯s cloak. ¡°I¡¯m sure that wasn¡¯t a deciding factor. I¡¯ve prepared the sitting room for our guest.¡±

    Huan looked miffed, but Dwayne didn¡¯t have time to figure out why Sanford¡¯s house guard and its steward were at each other¡¯s throats. ¡°Thank you, Huan. Rodion, can you get a stand for this?¡± He held up the spell vial.

    Having the Resonance Theory project off his hands was already yielding results. He¡¯d have to thank Magdala.

    ¡°Right away, my lord.¡±

    As Rodion went to fulfill the request, Dwayne made his way to the sitting room, which got a substantial amount of light, unlike Ziegler¡¯s ¡°Sun Room.¡± It was too bad that said light was Bradford gray and was slurped up by Sanford¡¯s black and blue curtains and rugs.

    When Rodion brought him a small wooden stand, Dwayne thanked him, placed it onto the black marble table and placed the new spell vial into it. His stomach growled. He¡¯d skipped lunch to rummage around the Tower¡¯s archives for any details on the Huo-Niao bird that would hint at the spell it was using. In the office on the third floor, he finally found a set of old notes that detailed the calls and grunts of various magical animals, including the Huo-Niao bird. It had been signed ¡°C. Rionnutte.¡± If things went well today, Dwayne wouldn¡¯t have to break his oath to test the spell.

    ¡°Welcome to Sanford, Miss Fletcher,¡± said Rodion from the foyer. ¡°Please allow me to take your coat.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Miss Fletcher¡¯s alto accent was filled with a north-west Souran¡¯s soft vowels and hard consonants. ¡°This is a mi- very nice place, you¡¯ve got.¡±

    When she and Rodion entered the sitting room, Dwayne stepped forward and bowed. ¡°Miss Fletcher, thank you for coming on such short notice. I know you only have an hour off work.¡±

    ¡°Oh, uh.¡± The burly young woman in the heavy overalls and an orange scarf dipped into an awkward curtsy. ¡°You¡¯re welcome, milord.¡±

    Resigning himself to the title, Dwayne gestured to a sofa. ¡°Please, sit. Is there anything you¡¯d like to drink?¡±

    ¡°What like beer?¡± Miss Fletcher¡¯s face flushed. ¡°No, you¡¯ll have something fancy like tea. I can drink tea.¡±

    ¡°We have beer.¡± Dwayne turned to Rodion. ¡°We have a few kinds in the cellar, right?¡±

    ¡°I shall bring up a selection.¡± Rodion bowed out of the room.

    ¡°Uh, tea would have been fine.¡± Miss Fletcher suddenly dropped onto the sofa.

    ¡°To be honest, I rarely drink anything other than water if I can help it.¡± Dwayne took the seat next to the fireplace. ¡°But beer is more relaxing, I think.¡±

    ¡°It sure is.¡± Miss Fletcher eyes dropped to her lap, where her hands were doing their best to fold the air. ¡°If I may be so bold, milord, how did you hear about my place being robbed? I told the scrytives a few days ago and they never got back to me.¡±

    That wasn¡¯t surprising. Everything about her, from her accent to her orange scarf, screamed commoner, and what was stolen from commoners stayed stolen. ¡°My¡­ friend young Gallus mentioned it. She¡¯s in the same class as Colin?¡± That orange scarf. ¡°Were you were at the Gallus dinner?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I was, milord.¡± Miss Fletcher¡¯s demeanor darkened. ¡°That was the night I was robbed.¡±

    ¡°Are you usually home that time of night?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I, I mean, yes, I am. I have the morning and afternoon shifts and usually I¡¯m home asleep right after dark. Lady Gallus¡¯s dinner took practically all my strength to attend.¡± She wilted. ¡°I did enjoy it though, up until the end.¡±

    Dwayne cleared his throat. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sorry about that. Did anyone else know where you were going to be?¡±

    Miss Fletcher¡¯s chin sank into her collar. ¡°I told everyone. Going to a Sage Dinner is a big deal.¡±

    ¡°Were you invited specifically?¡±

    ¡°My company sent me as a reward for my hard work, milord.¡±

    Pile that on top of Dwayne¡¯s other sins from that night. ¡°Again, I¡¯m really sorry about that.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s no biggie. Dinners like that are hard for them not born to it.¡±

    Dwayne had hadn¡¯t time to process this show of empathy before Rodion returned with two tankards of beer, one of which he placed one in Miss Fletcher¡¯s hands. ¡°Here you are, miss. I believe you¡¯ll recognize the vintage.¡±

    She sniffed the beer. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s.¡± She sniffed it again. ¡°That¡¯s Cairnborne Red! Where did you get it?¡±

    ¡°We are mere wirs from the greatest market in Soura.¡± Rodion handed the second tankard to Dwayne. ¡°It was but the work of a morning.¡±

    That was Impressive. Dwayne had only known Miss Fletcher was arriving today. He sipped his beer and tasted, unsurprisingly, beer. At least, their guest liked it. ¡°Miss Fletcher, do you know what was stolen from your flat?¡±

    Miss Fletcher gulped. ¡°Yes, they took a book on magic, part of me and Colin¡¯s inheritance. Witch-Auntie handed it down it to me before she retired, milord.¡±

    Cups, that title was starting to grate. ¡°What was the title of the book?¡±

    ¡°Milord,¡± Miss Fletcher¡¯s eyes met Dwayne¡¯s, ¡°that¡¯s not a question you ask a mage about their inheritance.¡±

    Good to know. ¡°To track it down, I need to know the name of the book.¡±

    Miss Fletcher placed her tankard down on the table. ¡°That book is, was, our entire magical inheritance, milord. It was the reason my little brother got into college.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    There wasn¡¯t much else to say. Secrets like Miss Fletcher¡¯s stolen book, like Lady Pol¡¯s wind-based lightning spells, were how mages maintained an edge here in Soura. It was too bad that they got in the way of making actual progress. And yes, the irony was more than palpable.

    He caught Miss Fletcher eyeing the Huo-Niao spell vial. He didn¡¯t have to keep that a secret at least. ¡°It¡¯s a new way to cast spells.¡±

    Her expression became blank. ¡°It is?¡±

    ¡°It is.¡± Dwayne took the spell vial out of the rack and handed it to her. ¡°I made it last night.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­¡± Miss Fletcher examined the feather floating in the vial. ¡°Is it for lay people to cast spells?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Dwayne grinned. ¡°It¡¯s for Qe mages to cast Ri magic.¡±

    ¡°Milord,¡± Miss Fletcher¡¯s eyes had narrowed, ¡°I maybe from the country, but I am not a fool.¡±

    ¡°I know you¡¯re not. That¡¯s why you¡¯re going to cast it. Rodion, close those curtains over there.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Miss Fletcher shook. ¡°I can¡¯t cast fire magic.¡±

    ¡°Have you heard of Resonance Theory?¡± Dwayne closed the curtains behind her.

    ¡°It was mentioned at that dinner.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re about to prove it.¡±

    Rodion closed the last curtains and the sitting room became as dark as night.

    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°Huuu, that¡¯s dark,¡± said Miss Fletcher.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Dwayne sat next to her on the couch. ¡°I can open the curtains again if it¡¯s a problem.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not worried about the dark. I just don¡¯t see how I¡¯ll cast fire magic.¡±

    ¡°You can do it.¡± It was good it was so dark. She couldn¡¯t see how hard Dwayne had to clasp his hands to keep them from trembling. ¡°I¡¯ll talk you through it. Have you acted before?¡±

    Miss Fletcher giggled nervously. ¡°Just in one or two plays, milord. I¡¯m not very good.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got more experience than me. I¡¯m going to help you cast the spell. Ri doesn¡¯t work like Qe magic. It¡¯s based on emotion, not visualization.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t read that anywhere.¡±

    ¡°Well, uh, I¡¯ve had reason to find some texts on the subject.¡± Better move on quick. ¡°Imagine that it¡¯s evening, and you are standing in the middle of a forest. Autumn is almost over and the nights are starting to fill with winter¡¯s chill. All you have for warmth is a small pile of wood. You tried to light the wood earlier, but it had been raining and the wood is too now damp for your flint to light it. How do you feel?¡±

    ¡°Cold. Hungry. Angry, no, no, frustrated.¡±

    ¡°Hungry?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten all day, not if I¡¯m just lighting this fire now. If I were full, I wouldn¡¯t be cold.¡±

    Good, she was taking this seriously. ¡°Hold on to that, the cold, the hunger, the frustration, and repeat after me.¡± Dwayne blanked his mind, centered himself in dark, warm sitting room, before saying, ¡°Ri''et''te.¡±

    ¡°Ri''et''te.¡± A spark of flame scratched the air and lit up Miss Fletcher¡¯s face. ¡°It worked. Ri''et''te!¡± Another spark lit up her now delighted face. ¡°I cast a Ri spell!¡±

    ¡°Congratulations.¡± Dwayne lay back on the sofa. ¡°You¡¯re the first Qe mage to cast a Ri spell. Rodion, the curtains please.¡±

    Before the curtains were opened, Miss Fletcher scooted closer to Dwayne. ¡°How does it work? What¡¯s that in the liquid? Am I commanding it to cast for me?¡±

    Dwayne tactfully scooted back from her. ¡°So, you¡¯ve read Hobstock.¡±

    Her eyes widened. ¡°You think he¡¯s wrong.¡±

    ¡°You know he¡¯s wrong.¡± Dwayne smiled. ¡°If he weren¡¯t, then the spell wouldn¡¯t have worked. Would you like me to send you the relevant papers?¡±

    ¡°Yes, please.¡± After a moment, Miss Fletcher offered the spell vial back to Dwayne.

    He shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s yours.¡±

    Her mouth fell open. ¡°Really? No, really?¡±

    ¡°Yes, really.¡± Dwayne had only used one feather for that vial and so he could always make more.

    Miss Fletcher put the vial in her lap. ¡°What do you want in exchange, milord?¡±

    Dwayne blinked. ¡°Pardon?¡±

    ¡°I have to give you something for this.¡±

    ¡°No, you don¡¯t.¡±

    Miss Fletcher¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Yes, I do. This is a magic trade between two heads of family. Unless this is some sort of proposal-¡±

    ¡°It is definitely not that.¡±

    ¡°Then you will have to ask for something. Otherwise, I¡¯m leaving this here.¡±

    Somehow, the thought of Miss Fletcher just leaving something that she obviously loved was pure anathema to Dwayne. ¡°Then what about the name of the book was stolen?¡±

    Miss Fletcher crossed her arms. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±

    ¡°And maybe a short paragraph on what it felt like to cast a Ri spell?¡±

    ¡°You know, I¡¯ll come up with something for you, milord.¡± Miss Fletcher sighed. ¡°Pennoyer¡¯s Index of Alchemical Reactions.¡±

    Dwayne blinked. ¡°That¡¯s not a standard Academy text.¡±

    ¡°The second edition ain¡¯t. Both Witch-Auntie and brother say that it has reactions that aren¡¯t listed in later editions.¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t read it?¡±

    ¡°All those diagrams and equations make my head hurt. I¡¯ll stick to lifting rocks. Colin¡¯s basically memorized the thing.¡±

    Obscure spells were more than enough reason to rob mage houses, particularly the ones with few guards. Although if that was a driving reason, then why hadn¡¯t Sanford been robbed?

    ¡°If you get a chance, can you ask your brother to send me a list?¡±

    ¡°Of course, milord.¡±

    And that was his limit. ¡°Please call me Dwayne. Call it part of our trade.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t, but you can call me Nicole.¡± She raised the spell vial. ¡°I can¡¯t let you undersell this.¡±

    ¡°But-¡±

    ¡°Tell you what, mi- Dwayne. Anytime you want someone to demonstrate this in public, I¡¯m your gal.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you busy?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my business.¡±

    Dwayne could tell he wasn¡¯t going to win. ¡°Will that make us even?¡±

    ¡°It should.¡± She stood up. ¡°Now, I¡¯ve got to get to work.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already called a carriage, Miss Fletcher.¡± Rodion bowed. ¡°It¡¯s waiting for you outside.¡±

    Nicole blanched. ¡°I can¡¯t afford no carriage! Are ya¡¯ll trying to endebt me to you?¡±

    Dwayne shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s just a courtesy, Miss- Nicole.¡±

    ¡°Among nobility, it is rude to have the guests pay for their carriage,¡± stated Rodion.

    This lie was enough to mollify Nicole. ¡°Well, all right then. I¡¯ll still have to figure out something for those papers you¡¯re sending me though.¡±

    ¡°Wait, you don¡¯t have to-¡±

    But she was gone.

    ¡°Cups,¡± said Dwayne.

    ¡°Indeed, my lord.¡±

    ***

    ¡°And you didn¡¯t ask Dwayne do this because?¡±

    Magdala winced. Why couldn¡¯t Francesca just ignore the holes in her story? ¡°He¡¯s too busy.¡± And too Ri.

    ¡°Right.¡± Francesca adjusted her grip on her pack. ¡°That¡¯s why you didn¡¯t ask.¡±

    ¡°Mei corroborates this. She said he had a meeting today, didn¡¯t she?¡±

    ¡°Mmhm. What about Colin? Does he know you¡¯re bringing me in?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t have time to tell him.¡± Magdala shouldered the College doors open. ¡°You only just agreed this morning. Besides, I¡¯m project leader, and it¡¯s my job to make sure we have enough re- people.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Francesca followed Magdala in. ¡°Well, so long as it¡¯s clear that I¡¯m only helping out until I hear back from the Exchequer¡¯s Office...¡± She stopped and stared at the array of experiments in progress. ¡°Whoa, you were not exaggerating.¡±

    Magdala grinned. ¡°No hyperbole here. Come on. Our table is in the back.¡±

    They made their way to the work table, where Colin was waiting for them. ¡°You¡¯re late.¡± He frowned at Francesca. ¡°Who¡¯s this?¡±

    ¡°Francesca Lucchesi.¡± Magdala¡¯s roommate dropped her pack on the table. ¡°Colin Fletcher, right? It¡¯s a pleasure to finally meet you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re,¡± Colin¡¯s wide eyes turned to Magdala, ¡°you¡¯re friends with a Lucchesi?¡±

    ¡°Ever since we were very, very small.¡± Francesca settled onto a stool. ¡°As for you, I¡¯ve heard you¡¯re quite the sensation.¡±

    Colin¡¯s face flushed. ¡°No, I¡­ Well¡­ It¡¯s just ¡®cause I¡¯m a boy.¡±

    ¡°And you¡¯re the first in your class to get into college. My mother says never miss a chance to talk yourself up. So,¡± Francesca leaned against the table, ¡°Any thoughts on today¡¯s methodology, Mr. Fletcher?¡±

    Magdala frowned. ¡°Why are you asking him?¡±

    Her roommate fluttered her eyelashes. ¡°Because I want to know to know if he knows.¡±

    Colin forced a laugh. ¡°I don¡¯t know. She hasn¡¯t told me about any methodology.¡±

    ¡°She hasn¡¯t, has she?¡±

    Magdala cleared her throat. ¡°I¡¯m going to do so now. The goal of this experiment is to attempt to anchor the Qe root in azade. In order to achieve that, we¡¯ll have to do three things simultaneously: cast Qe, liquefy a quantity of azade, but force it to keep its shape.¡±

    Colin crossed his arms. ¡°You really think that will work?¡±

    ¡°Would I bring in Francesca if I didn¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°Maybe.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡­¡± The glint in Francesca¡¯s eye made Magdala change tack. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t. This will be a modification of a process that Sorcerer Nithercott used to force a spell into solid azade. She abandoned it because it not only worked exactly once after disintegrating the azade.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of a process like that,¡± said Colin. ¡°Where did you find it?¡±

    ¡°Dwayne found it in the Terminal Tome.¡±

    Colin sniffed. ¡°And you¡¯re sure he described the process correctly?¡±

    Magdala narrowed her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m only asking because my sister Nicky made me read all the current theories on how Qe magic makes, and what you describe runs counter to every single one of them.¡±

    Heat rose in Magdala¡¯s chest. ¡°That¡¯s because those theories are wrong.¡±

    ¡°And even if this process works, why do you think your modifications would raise the durability and efficacy of the result?¡±

    ¡°Because I just know, okay?¡±

    Francesca clapped once. ¡°Enough of that. We¡¯re here to see if this will work, not argue. As for whether or not we¡¯ll have enough azade,¡± she emptied her pack on the table, ¡°do you think these will be enough?¡±

    Colin stared at the ten five-doun azade spheres that had rolled out onto the table. ¡°How?¡±

    Francesca frowned. ¡°You did hear my introduction, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but-¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with.¡± Magdala ignored the warning glare from Francesca and shoved an azade sphere into Colin¡¯s hands. ¡°This is how we¡¯ll proceed. Colin will make the azade hold its shape, Francesca will cast Qe at it, and I¡¯ll liquefy it.¡±

    Colin¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°You expect us to do a three person joint casting? With no practice?¡±

    ¡°Yes. We¡¯ve done it before.¡±

    ¡°We did a two person casting before, and it only barely worked.¡±

    Now was not the time to get into another argument. ¡°You have the methodology. Let¡¯s get started. Ready, Francesca?¡±

    Her roommate sighed and aimed one palm at the azade in Colin¡¯s hands. ¡°Ready.¡±

    Magdala gave Colin a look. ¡°Ready, Mr. Fletcher?¡±

    He rolled his eyes. ¡°Ready.¡±

    ¡°Okay. On the count of three. One, two, three! nQerikwem!¡±

    ¡°nQeanum!¡±

    ¡°Qe-¡±

    Magdala¡¯s magic reached deep into the azade started to break the bonds holding it solid, but as that happened, Colin¡¯s magic surged in from the outside and reforged those same bonds. Grunting, Magdala poured more effort into her casting and forced out Colin¡¯s casting right as Francesca¡¯s hit. With an unpleasant throb, the azade twisted in an all too familiar way.

    ¡°Oh no,¡± said Magdala.

    ¡°-micie!¡± As her spell blasted the azade sphere out of Colin¡¯s hands and up into the air, Francesca grabbed Magdala and pulled her to the floor. ¡°Colin, get down!¡±

    The nQe mage joined Magdala and Francesca under the table just as the azade burst and rained glittering blue dust down on them. As Magdala watched her failure settled everywhere, on the tables, on the experiments, on the other researchers, she knew that Dean Bruce was going to cancel the project, kick her out of college, and make her slink back to her mother and beg to be allowed to join Lees. This was her punishment for thinking that she was made for anything but destruction.

    Resigned to her doom, Magdala climbed out from under the table and braced herself.

    The other researchers cheered.

    Magdala stared. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡±

    ¡°Spectacular failures get a big cheer.¡± Colin picked himself up and dusted himself off. ¡°It¡¯s College tradition. More importantly, what happened?¡±

    All around them, the other researchers were already getting back to work, some after blowing blue dust of their work.

    ¡°Magdala?¡±

    Beyond the glass wall, Dean Bruce kept reading her scroll. Had she even noticed?

    ¡°Mag?¡±

    Was Magdala really not going to be punished for this?

    ¡°Magdala Gallus.¡± Francesca made Magdala face her. ¡°Are you okay? What happened?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Magdala brushed dust off her clothes. ¡°Someone pushed in too deep.¡±

    Colin snorted. ¡°You pushed out too far. Were you trying to liquefy the whole thing?¡±

    Magdala glared at him. ¡°I told you to hold the shape, not keep it solid.¡±

    ¡°Hardly specific.¡±

    ¡°Yes, it was!¡±

    ¡°Mag,¡± Francesca put a hand on Magdala¡¯s shoulder, ¡°I don¡¯t think that you thought it through.¡±

    Magdala¡¯s glare turned icy as it veered onto her roommate. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be on my side.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not about sides; it¡¯s about what you actually said.¡±

    ¡°What I said was to hold the shape.¡± Magdala shook her head. ¡°If that¡¯s not clear enough for you, then maybe you¡¯re both too stupid to understand what I meant.¡±

    Francesca said nothing for a long moment. ¡°Right. I¡¯m leaving.¡±

    Ice slid down Magdala¡¯s back. ¡°Wait, Francesca.¡± She grabbed her roommate¡¯s arm. ¡°Wait.¡±

    ¡°No, I can¡¯t. Not now.¡± Francesca twisted free and walked away.

    ¡°Well, this has been a waste of time.¡± Colin started to pack his things. ¡°I knew it wouldn¡¯t work.¡±

    Magdala glared at him. ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°My sister happens to need me so I¡¯m going to do that.¡± He paused in his packing. ¡°Unless you think we can do this without Miss Lucchesi?¡±

    Magdala said nothing, which was answer enough.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think so.¡±

    As Magdala watched him leave, a horrifying question merged from the pit of her stomach. Had she really just insulted her oldest and best friend? Why had she done that? How could she fix it?

    What would she write in her progress report to the dean?

 Hfo-chou-tsan-tsang-bien-sen-song-si-mui, Rodions hands

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 Rimweikijiemuntha, Incandescent Screen

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 Qeakunutbuke, Ripple the Waters

    Early next morning, Magdala entered in the results of her latest failure into the project¡¯s notes:

    <blockquote>

    Trial #17

    Action: A nQeanum casting was prepared at the smallest possible attenuation along with a nQerikwem casting at one standard level of attenuation. Both castings were released in quick succession and followed by an incomplete Qe casting.

    Result: The thin skin created by nQeanum failed, releasing the liquefied azade. Qe resonance was not established. Remains disposed of using standard protocol.

    </blockquote>

    In other words, Magdala¡¯s efforts had turned the azade into a sticky mash. At least she¡¯d reformed most of the skull sized azade spheres into much smaller palm-sized ones, which had made clean up take only a quarter of an hour after each failure instead of a full hour. That said it was clear that she was doing something wrong.

    She glanced at the empty seats across the table from her.

    Magdala¡¯s attempts to get Francesca to come back had been just as successful as her attempts to set the Qe into the azade by herself. She¡¯d tried logic, emotional appeal, and even the promise of glory, but her roommate refused to return and had even taken to waking up early just to avoid Magdala at breakfast. As for the third member of the team, Magdala had glimpsed Colin once or twice before he disappeared into the college¡¯s basement library.

    Hoping to move past these thoughts, Magdala grabbed another small azade sphere and placed it on a stand in the center of the table, but before she could start attempt number eighteen, doubt snuck in a few questions. Why couldn¡¯t her roommate see things her way? Was this the end of their friendship? Was joint magic the only way?

    Desperately, Magdala seized on that last question, which had other implications beyond the personal. Thaumaturgically speaking, joint magic could be introducing some kind of magical interference that was getting in the way of Qe setting into the azade and since spell preparation could also result in some overlap of spells, it could also be creating this hypothetical interference. Dwayne¡¯s notes didn¡¯t mention such a thing, and neither had her lord uncle in his many lectures on the subject, but they had been relying on a sound metaphor this whole time and that had always been a concern for musicians. Perhaps reducing the number of spells cast would get rid of the interference? She should drop nQeanum, it was definitely her weaker spell, and find a mechanical way to replace it, something like¡­

    It didn¡¯t take her long to jury-rig a solution from a large beaker and filtered water. After filling the beaker with the water, she dropped the azade in, waited for it to sink to the bottom and then turned the water into ice with a quick casting of nQeanum. Then she flipped the beaker over, hit it on its bottom to pop out the cylinder of ice, and then used a few delicate castings of nQerikwem to revealed a dot of azade.

    Now for the moment of truth. ¡°nQerikwe.¡±

    Immediately, the spell settled onto her temples as two half doun weights. She was used to it now, ever since she¡¯d forced herself to use spell preparation to create Dwayne¡¯s spell shunts, but she was still glad she didn¡¯t have to prepare the second spell. How adults managed five or more spells she¡¯d never know.

    Gently, she placed the tip of her finger on the azade. ¡°em. Qe.¡±

    Her prepared spell worked perfectly, but Qe casting rebelled immediately, which was different. In the previous trials, the Qe casting had screamed for direction and then just died, but this time, it twisted free of her control and ripped through the liquid azade, causing it to boil and melt the ice, and that wasn¡¯t right, it couldn¡¯t be right, and so she bit off the casting.

    When the smoke and mist cleared, there was a dark orange stone sitting on top of the table, the wreckage of the ice melting around it. Magdala picked it up out of the puddle of water and stared at it. It was as if the azade¡¯s natural deep ocean blue color had been burned away.

    ¡°That is a fascinating result.¡±

    Magdala almost dropped the thing. ¡°Dean Bruce!¡±

    ¡°At ease, young Gallus.¡± The dean plucked the what-was-once azade out of Magdala¡¯s hand. ¡°This almost looks like¡­ nQeuom.¡± She grinned. ¡°I knew it. It¡¯s tytumber.¡±

    ¡°Tytumber?¡±

    ¡°A somewhat rare substance mostly found in azade mines.¡± Dean Bruce held it up and watched the gray morning light curl around the little bubbles. ¡°The Vanurians claim that it¡¯s completely useless and don¡¯t bother to sell it, but I heard that the Empire has found certain¡­ applications for it.¡± Her eyes dropped to Magdala. ¡°Speaking of mines, how is young Kalan?¡±

    Magdala blinked at the sudden shift. ¡°He¡¯s fine? I haven¡¯t spoken to him since¡­¡± Cups, had it really been almost a week? ¡°Well, for some time.¡±

    ¡°Then you haven¡¯t had a chance to wield those new flame spell apparatuses he made?¡±

    Magdala had heard that Dwayne¡¯s new fire spell vials were a hit among the minor mage families, which she really was happy about, even though it was Colin¡¯s sister who was getting all the praise for helping him out.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°They appear to use an azade solution as a medium.¡± Dean Bruce rolled the tytumber between her fingers. ¡°And there are reports that he¡¯s taking credit for creating the solution himself.¡±

    Magdala scoffed. ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous.¡±

    The dean¡¯s eyebrows lifted. ¡°That Dwayne created them?¡±

    ¡°That Dwayne would ever take credit for something he didn¡¯t do.¡±

    ¡°But could he do it?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Magdala didn¡¯t need Dwayne covering her mouth to know they¡¯d stumbled into dangerous ground. ¡°My lord uncle mostly focused on his Qe education.¡±

    ¡°That makes more sense. Lord Kalan was never known to be proficient at nQe magic.¡± Dean Bruce glanced at the empty seats at the table. ¡°I notice that Mr. Fletcher and Miss Lucchesi are not here.¡±

    Oh good. Technically less dangerous ground. ¡°We¡¯re, ah, working the problem from different angles. Because our first attempt went so badly.¡±

    Dean Bruce¡¯s eyes flicked to the project log. ¡°I see. Well, I should tell you that I expect your team to produce a demonstrable result for this year¡¯s Mage¡¯s Offering.¡±

    The dean¡¯s words hit Magdala like an avalanche. ¡°You expect us to offer our results at the Harvest Ball?¡±

    ¡°Will that be a problem?¡±

    The Harvest Ball was in just three days, Magdala¡¯s team had scattered to the wind, and the only time they¡¯d even gotten close had literally blown up in their faces, but despite all that a shocked Magdala heard herself said, ¡°No, it won¡¯t, Dean.¡±

    ¡°Excellent.¡± The dean indicated the tytumber. ¡°May I?

    ¡°Of course,¡± said Magdala¡¯s treacherous mouth. ¡°I can always make more.¡±

    As soon as the dean was gone, Magdala¡¯s brain finally had time to survey the damage. There were only two real plans at this point and one of them undermined the very reason why she was doing this at all. The other one required her to do something drastic, something that part of her had thought was necessary from the very start, but that the rest of her had thought was unfair.

    Apologize.

    ***

    Even while living at Sanford, Mei had had no reason to visit the servant dormitories, so she was shocked to find that it was barely more luxurious than her room in the Bilges. In the corner farthest from the door, amongst a crowding of bunks and wardrobes, Rodion slept on a bunk next to the luggage Mei had last seen on the awful awrock cart that had brought them to Bradford. The steward had made no effort to add any personal touches to the space just like he was on the run from something.

    After sending off the angry mage, Mei had dragged a distraught Rodion here to sleep, but that wasn¡¯t enough to assuage the guilt she felt from abandoning him and Dwayne when they¡¯d truly needed her.

    ¡°Dwayne¡­¡± The steward¡¯s eyes snapped open. ¡°Where¡¯s Dwayne?¡±

    Mei shook her head. ¡°He¡¯s not here.¡±

    Rodion sat up. ¡°I have to find him.¡±

    ¡°We will.¡± Mei pushed him back down. ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you last night?¡±

    Mei shook her head.

    ¡°Oh. Um.¡± Rodion closed his eyes. ¡°After you left, I went to the kitchen to make dinner.¡± He told Mei everything up until the point when he¡¯d been knocked out. ¡°When I came to, he was gone, and¡­ You were there and¡­ I was so stupid. I shouldn¡¯t have let Huan guard the door alone.¡±

    Mei frowned. ¡°He didn¡¯t tell you?¡±

    ¡°Tell me what?¡±

    Mei¡¯s features tightened. Her brother¡¯s irresponsibility was becoming outrageous. ¡°He had a date. I was on guard duty.¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯t tell me.¡± Rodion¡¯s eyes went cold. ¡°What did you see?¡±

    ¡°I was attacked too.¡± Talking fast, Mei relayed her version of events. ¡°When I got back here, I got you to bed and¡­ I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t stay.¡±

    Rodion didn¡¯t say anything for a long moment. ¡°So they¡¯re the book thieves and they¡¯re the ones who¡¯d killed that windsong. And now they¡¯ve turned to kidnapping.¡±

    Mei shook her head. ¡°No, they haven¡¯t. Dwayne is a noble and a mage and Maggie and her family would drown the city find him.¡±

    ¡°Ha, that¡¯s true. And the Throne would get involved.¡± He let out a huge breath. ¡°I think you¡¯re right. They wouldn¡¯t have killed him, not on purpose. Has your brother come back from his ¡®date¡¯?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Mei was on her feet. ¡°I will go find tracks.¡±

    Before Rodion could stop her, she was already making her way downstairs. The steward¡¯s sarcasm had dredged up all the small coincidences she¡¯d been willfully ignoring: Huan insisting they switch shifts the night that Blue Mask and his gang attacked, Blue Mask speaking perfect commoner¡¯s Tuquese, Gray Mask¡¯s build being exactly like a certain not-a-soldier, and while there was solid tying them together, it was hard to deny so many.

    It was almost a relief that Black Tiger and her archer had attacked. After all, the Empire was a simple threat; Either Mei and her brother would fend them off or they would be dragged back to Tuqu. Terrifying, but easy to understand.

    Back to work.

    Dwayne¡¯s trail started in the dining room, raced down to the the cellar, stepped out of a pile of wrecked beer barrels, passed over the remains of the outer cellar door, and entered the sideyard where Mei found a battlefield made of boot prints, dried blood, a torn black sleeve, a body-sized indent, a still muddy empty grave, odd scorch marks in the grass, and even odder drag marks that led out of Sanford and into the street.

    Rodion emerged from the cellar in a clean suit and neat ponytail, which made him look fresher if not more awake. ¡°Do you know what happened?¡±

    Mei didn¡¯t know for sure, but she did know that Dwayne had fended off both the wind mage and the stiletto fighter alone.

    She indicated the drag marks. ¡°He chased them.¡± She pointed at the blood. ¡°Someone was hurt bad. They didn¡¯t get far.¡±

    ¡°That is a lot of blood.¡± Rodion knelt down, picked up a blade of grass that was covered in dried blood, and tasted it.

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    ¡°What are you doing?¡± asked Mei.

    The steward paled. ¡°I, uh.¡± He spat out the grass. ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten yet, and¡­ Ahem. Anyway, let¡¯s assume that this is my lord¡¯s blood. Can you follow it?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Not at all wondering whether or not one could taste the differences in human blood, Mei followed the blood and drag marks across the street to an alley where there was a dried pool of smeared blood on the pavement and no body.

    Rodion¡¯s voice shook. ¡°Where is he?¡±

    Mei glanced up the alley. ¡°Someone took him, but not the thieves.¡±

    Up until now, the drag marks had only been accompanied by the blood, but the blood had been replaced with shoeprints.

    ¡°We have to find him.¡± Rodion dug through a pile of trash. ¡°He has to be here.¡±

    ¡°He is not here.¡± Mei knelt to inspect the smeared blood. ¡°Someone dragged him into the street.¡±

    ¡°Maybe someone took pity on him?¡± Rodion started to pace back and forth. ¡°If he¡¯d lost this much blood, he¡¯d need immediate treatment, but he¡¯s young, he¡¯s healthy, he¡¯s got decent odds of surviving.¡±

    Mei eyed the steward. That was an assessment she could make from dozens of hunts, but the steward should only know things like how long it took to heat up tea.

    She gestured at the cobbled street. ¡°There¡¯s no trail now.¡±

    Rodion didn¡¯t hear her. ¡°If Dwayne had been taken to any doctor here in the Parvenue Quarter, we would know by now because they would have insisted on sending us the bill. Hold this.¡± He handed his suit jacket to Mei. ¡°Thanks.¡±

    Mei frowned as the steward rolled up his shirtsleeves. ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to find my lord by asking the one group of people who are everywhere at all hours.¡± He stepped out onto the street and flagged down a carriage.

    The carriage¡¯s driver leaned down to peer at the steward through her one good eye. ¡°What, you want a ride?¡±

    ¡°Oh, no, I¡¯m just chasing down this noble who didn¡¯t see fit to pay me.¡± Rodion¡¯s voice was higher pitched, his manner easy. ¡°I just want the coin owed me.¡±

    ¡°You want coin, but is it worth mine to stay here and chat?¡±

    A coin appeared as if by magic in Rodion¡¯s fingers. ¡°Is it?¡±

    The driver took the coin. ¡°I¡¯ll chat to a baron. What¡¯s your nob done?¡±

    ¡°Ran out on me after I provided such good service. Anything big happen around here last night, something that might have covered his escape?¡±

    The driver thought about it. ¡°Some idiot mage dropped a sleep bomb in the middle of the street. Half a dozen people just keeled over. It was a right mess.¡±

    Later Mei would wince at the memory of how much damage her fumbled sleep bomb had done, but at the moment she was transfixed by the image of the normally stiff and somber Rodion acting like a hurt lover.

    Rodion put on a sad face. ¡°No, that sounds like change-mage work. Is there anything else?¡±

    ¡°Nothing I know of. I¡¯m not normally¡­ Hold up, Jan might know. Hey, Jan!¡±

    Jan, another driver, halted his carriage. ¡°What is it, Soph?¡±

    ¡°You hang with the night drivers, yeah? They mention anything unusual happen last night? Besides that sleep bomb.¡±

    Jan snorted. ¡°I¡¯m not paid to hang about and chat.¡±

    ¡°Will this do?¡± Rodion flicked a coin in Jan¡¯s direction.

    Jan caught it and bit it. ¡°Oh, it will. I got this, Soph.¡± As Soph left, the new driver leaned down to speak to Rodion. ¡°Black Ed said he was going by here when some windsong came tearing out of that place there with some bloke over her shoulder, and a bleeding hellion tearing after her.¡±

    Whatever a ¡°hellion¡± was, a bleeding one had to have been Dwayne.

    Rodion leaned against Jan¡¯s carriage. ¡°Black Ed say what happened to the hellion?¡±

    ¡°Nope, I didn¡¯t let ¡®em, I have needs you know, but,¡± Jan lowered his voice, ¡°I¡¯ll take ya right to him for the right price.¡±

    Rodion gestured for Mei to join him. ¡°Another baron?¡±

    Jan scoffed. ¡°Better make it two. Black Ed is just what us day drivers call him. The name he likes me to call out is Idris.¡±

    ¡°I see. Thanks.¡± Rodion took his jacket from Mei. ¡°Get in the carriage.¡±

    Mei did so. ¡°Where are we going?¡±

    ¡°Idris is not a Souran name. It¡¯s a Wesen one.¡±

    Mei¡¯s spine tingled. ¡°We¡¯re going to the Plague District?¡±

    ***

    Dwayne awoke to attempted poetry.

    ¡°Asaph¡¯s sect, no respect, dug up a spring filled with, with. No, that don¡¯t sound right.¡±

    Breathing in, Dwayne filled his nose with a spicy scent that brought him back to a village by the sea, where a father¡¯s kisses and a mother¡¯s laughter lay just out of reach. He opened his eyes. He wasn¡¯t home. He was under a wood slat ceiling sealed with pitch in a hammock that hung low with his weight.

    ¡°Asaph¡¯s sect, no respect, dug up a, a, pool. Unearthed a pool? Ooo, that¡¯s better.¡±

    Opening his eyes had summoned a monster of a headache, but Dwayne sat up anyway, shrugged off the scratchy wool blanket, and realized that he was naked. ¡°Ri-¡±

    He clapped his hand over his mouth before the spell could escape.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡± Akunna slid her notebook onto a shelf and pulled her chair up next to him. ¡°How do you feel?¡±

    She didn¡¯t seem bothered, but Dwayne covered himself anyway as he did a frantic inventory. His shoes and his bracer lay, his clothes were nowhere to be found, and the vicious cut on his chest had been bandaged and treated with some sort of sticky jelly. All of that would have been reassuring if he couldn¡¯t literally feel his tongue trying to form Ri spells with every breath.

    Akunna was starting to look concerned.

    ¡°Ri¡­Ri¡­¡± The spell was not going to let him start any other way. ¡°Respectable.¡±

    ¡°Respectable?¡± Akunna glanced at the naked and bandaged boy in her hammock. ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Ri-really.¡±

    There had to be an explanation for why his magic was acting up, like something he ate or a head injury. Cups, if it was a head injury, then he might stay like this forever.

    ¡°Stop your fretting and lie back down.¡± Akunna pushed him down onto the bed. ¡°I¡¯ll go get the healer.¡±

    As soon as her door closed behind her, Dwayne tried to get out of the hammock, but that only added aching legs to his litany of pain. In fact, the only things that weren¡¯t sore were his arms, which were not enough to get him out of the hammock before Akunna returned with a pale elder in green scarves.

    ¡°Back in you go.¡± Akunna shoved him back in and covered him with the blanket. ¡°He keeps acting like he has somewhere to be.¡±

    ¡°No signs of paralysis at least.¡± As the elder drew close, a persistent keening came with him. It made Dwayne¡¯s headache worse. ¡°And there¡¯s no sign of shock, at least not physically.¡±

    Those clicked ¡®c¡¯s accent, those scarves, the deep knowledge of the human body.

    Akunna grabbed him before he could escape. ¡°Don¡¯t move, you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to let them touch me!¡± Dwayne froze. His compulsion to cast was gone.

    ¡°Oh, now you can talk.¡±

    The Vanurian healer sighed. ¡°So you were a slave.¡±

    ¡°I was.¡± Dwayne¡¯s headache still raged, but at least he could talk like a normal person again. ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m here because I made mistakes. Allow me to leave it at that.¡± The healer turned to Akunna. ¡°Has he cast any spells yet?¡±

    Akunna scowled. ¡°No, there¡¯s no way he¡¯s a mage, not if he¡¯s escaped¡­ there.¡±

    Perhaps Akunna hadn¡¯t been listening back in Thadden¡¯s office. ¡°I was freed.¡± Dwayne sat up, groaned. ¡°Thank you for your help. I¡¯ll just get dressed and be on my way.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s far too dangerous.¡± The healer opened their bag. ¡°Akunna, hold him down.¡±

    Dwayne tried to resist, but she was too strong. ¡°What are you doing? What¡¯s too dangerous?¡±

    ¡°How hard was it for him to speak before?¡± asked the healer as they rummaged around in their bag.

    ¡°Hard.¡± Akunna caught Dwayne¡¯s wrists and held them still. ¡°He kept alliterating.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re lucky I¡¯m just enough of a poet to know what that is.¡± The healer clicked something in their bag. ¡°What¡¯s your name, mage?¡±

    Dwayne wanted to shout for them to let him go, but when he opened his mouth, his lips, his tongue, his jaw, all prepared to cast. Whatever the healer had done, it had banished the keening and locked up Dwayne¡¯s throat with spells. It had also done nothing for his headache.

    ¡°Intriguing.¡± The healer peered closely at Dwayne. ¡°He has both the characteristic cephalalgia of thaumaturgical shock and the distinctive aphasia of thaumaturgical deprivation.¡±

    ¡°Meaning?¡± asked Akunna.

    ¡°He¡¯s somehow cast too much magic and not cast enough.¡±

    Dwayne had felt the effects of thaumaturgical shock before, but thaumaturgical deprivation was a new one.

    ¡°Ain¡¯t that a paradox?¡± asked Akunna.

    ¡°Quite.¡± The healer inspected Dwayne¡¯s eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve calmed down, so I assume you understand your situation. Is it okay if feel your throat? I¡¯ll be checking for lesions and tumors and the like.¡±

    Dwayne still didn¡¯t want the healer to touch him, but the fact that they¡¯d asked first went a long way to making it easier to nod yes.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± The healer pressed their cool fingers into his neck. ¡°I know how important it is to get consent. I¡¯m sorry for forcing things earlier, but we really couldn¡¯t have a Ri mage randomly setting off fire spells everywhere.¡±

    ¡°I buy that he¡¯s a mage, but he ain¡¯t no fire mage.¡± Akunna caught the quizzical look on Dwayne¡¯s face. ¡°I wasn¡¯t paying attention to that meeting you two had, but I would have heard about a male Ri mage running free in Bradford.¡±

    As he silently endured the healer¡¯s examination, Dwayne cursed his ignorance. If he¡¯d known that not casting Ri risked revealing he was Ri, he wouldn¡¯t have bothered with the oath. That said, there was something in the healer¡¯s bag that had been suppressing his symptoms. Perhaps if he had that, maybe he could keep to his oath.

    ¡°I suppose anything is possible.¡± The healer¡¯s hands dropped away. ¡°Good, no lesions or bumps. We don¡¯t have to treat a third condition on top of the two you already have. That would have been too much. Akunna, a moment of your time?¡±

    As the two of them stepped outside, Dwayne¡¯s eyes dropped to the healer¡¯s bag, which was made of worn dark gray fabric and held closed with tarnished silver clasps. It was an old Vanurian surgeon¡¯s bag, just like the one he remembered from the island plantation, and if it weren¡¯t for the fact that Akunna clearly trusted this healer, he would have searched it for whatever it was that had allowed him to speak before. As it was, he didn¡¯t want to give Akunna a reason not to trust him.

    ¡°I don¡¯t see why that would work.¡± Akunna¡¯s voice penetrated her door. ¡°He¡¯s seen how Thadden treats me.¡±

    The healer¡¯s reply was muffled.

    ¡°Whatever. Let¡¯s get this over with.¡±

    When she and the healer reentered the room, Akunna caught the question on Dwayne¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯m supposed to talk to you while they prepare your treatment.¡±

    Dwayne blinked.

    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t know why either.¡±

    ¡°Akunna.¡± The healer was rummaging around in their bag again. ¡°Take this seriously, please. Dwayne, may I proceed?¡±

    Dwayne nodded, although he wasn¡¯t sure was he was agreeing to.

    ¡°So,¡± Akunna sat back down, ¡°how long have you been in Bradford?¡±

    Dwayne raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°I told you that I don¡¯t pay attention to Thadden when he blabbers. So, how long?¡±

    Dwayne held up four fingers.

    ¡°Four months? Four weeks. Wow, you¡¯ve made quite a splash in barely a month.¡±

    Dwayne shrugged then focused as hard as he could on his next words. ¡°Why¡­ here?¡±

    ¡°Why did I bring you here? I live here.¡±

    Dwayne raised his eyebrows.

    ¡°You really don¡¯t know.¡± Akunna sighed. ¡°You think that I¡¯m a regular servant, right? That I should either be living in Thadden¡¯s house or be paid enough to live in Boscage, right?¡±

    Dwayne nodded. Prestige and convenience demanded either one or the other.

    ¡°I live where all Wesen live around here.¡±

    Feeling a knot in his stomach, Dwayne constructed his next words as if building a tent in a windstorm. ¡°Where¡­here?¡±

    ¡°You never told him where he was?¡± asked the healer.

    ¡°Cussed lightning, he kept trying to get away and fretting and keening, so I went and got you.¡± Akunna turned back to Dwayne. ¡°You¡¯re in the Plague District. This is where all us Wesen-¡±

    ¡°And Vanurians,¡± added the healer.

    ¡°Stay. We¡¯re don¡¯t stay in Bradford proper. We¡¯re not allowed to.¡±

    ¡°Ri-diculous.¡± Of course, Dwayne had noted that no Wesen or Vanurians lived in the city, but that was so blatant. ¡°Ri-sible.¡±

    ¡°There you go alliterating again.¡± Akunna gestured to the room. ¡°And that¡¯s just how the world works. How come you don¡¯t know this? You were a slave, you have to know this.¡±

    It was getting harder to keep the spells in. ¡°R-What?¡±

    ¡°You have to know that the only way a Wesen comes to Soura is as cargo.¡±

    ¡°Ri-ally?¡± Akunna had been cargo. Akunna was a slave. ¡°R¡­Thadden¡­¡±

    The healer looked up. ¡°Now.¡±

    Akunna pinned Dwayne down allowing the healer to clasp something silver and dark orange around his neck.

    ¡°Blessed is the water which flows from the mountain,¡± said the healer in somber Vanurian. ¡°Blessed is Phons, for all our gifts flow from it.¡±

    Dwayne had not consented to this. He tried to pull off the mysterious collar, but with Akunna holding his arms down, the loud keening in his ears, and how much strength it took to keep the spells from tearing free from his throat, he had nothing left to resist. All he knew was that if he cast now, it would be the end of Dwayne Kalan, Head Clerk of the Scaled Tower, Heir to Sanford. If he cast now, whoever was left would have to flee and never see Rodion, Mei, or Magdala ever again. If he cast now, someone would die.

    One problem at a time. He could cast a spell that wouldn¡¯t hurt Akunna and the healer, but doing so the only way he knew how would burden them with a secret they did not want to know. That meant he had to cast silently, which should be impossible except that knowing the words had never been enough. Dwayne had said Qe spells perfectly, but before the spell vials, they had never worked. If that was true, maybe the sound wasn¡¯t the important part. Maybe if he just let his tongue waggle and kept his jaw shut that would be enough.

    Ri¡¯a¡¯tha.

    Nothing happened. Or rather no magic happened. His headache got worse.

    ¡°Are his eyes supposed to look like that?¡±

    ¡°He may have repressed his magic for so long it¡¯s taking a long time to come out.¡±

    ¡°That sounds buxing stupid.¡±

    Dwayne tried again, this time loosening his jaw and keeping his lips sealed.

    Ri¡¯a¡¯tha.

    Even more headache, enough that he wished he could scream.

    ¡°He isn¡¯t saying anything.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not good. He should be gibbering spells by now.¡±

    When Dwayne was done with this, he¡¯d figure out what was so special about this stupid collar around his neck before taking it apart and consigning it to the depths. Oh, right. He was frustrated and angry, which wasn¡¯t the emotion that the happy warm Ri¡¯a¡¯tha required.

    ¡°Phons, this is taking a long time.¡±

    ¡°Should we be worried?

    Through the pain and the keening, Dwayne searched for a memory to power Ri¡¯a¡¯tha. He couldn¡¯t use what he remembered of the village he lost, and he couldn¡¯t use the first time he¡¯d cast magic because how Lord Kalan had abandoned him. He had to have something recent that would work.

    ¡°I may have to sedate him.¡±

    There was one happy memory, when his world had opened up, when he¡¯d actually felt supported. It was just a few days ago when Magdala had offered to take some of his burden.

    Ri¡¯a¡¯tha.

    The keening stopped. His headache dissipated. Dwayne fell back onto the bed. ¡°I¡¯m fine now. I¡¯m fine.¡±

    Unaware of the surprisingly small ball of flame floating over their head, the healer stared. ¡°You are not.¡± They checked the collar. ¡°You are. How?¡±

    Ri¡¯t. ¡°I guess it just passed.¡± Dwayne tried to rip off the collar. ¡°Get this off me.¡±

    ¡°Not until I¡¯m certain that you won¡¯t explode.¡±

    Akunna jumped back. ¡°Explode?¡±

    ¡°My lord would never explode.¡± Rodion stepped into the room. ¡°He¡¯s got friends for that.¡±

    ¡°Rodion,¡± Dwayne felt tears well in his eyes, ¡°you found me.¡±

    ¡°And you are?¡± asked Akunna.

    ¡°Rodion Galkin, his steward.¡± Rodion¡¯s bow wasn¡¯t quite as crisp as it usually was. ¡°And you are Akunna Ibeabuchi, called Gretchen, who is indentured to Baron Otto Thadden.¡±

    ¡°His steward.¡± Akunna curled her nose. ¡°That makes sense. You¡¯ve got that overprotective air about you.¡±

    ¡°Does your baron know about this situation?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t tell ¡®my baron¡¯ about anything unless he asks me direct.¡±

    ¡°How did you find me?¡± Dwayne sat up gingerly. Only his headache was gone. His muscles still ached. ¡°This is the Plague District.¡±

    His answer poked her head into the room. ¡°You¡¯re okay,¡± said Mei.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± asked Akunna.

    ¡°Mei, meet Akunna,¡± said Dwayne. ¡°She works with me at the Tower.¡±

    ¡°Scarring Sun,¡± muttered Akunna. ¡°Of course, he works with a Tuquese.¡±

    Rodion turned to the healer. ¡°And you are?¡±

    ¡°Leaving. I¡¯ll just take this,¡± the healer removed the collar from Dwayne¡¯s neck, ¡°and be on my way.¡±

    Rodion blocked their exit. ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°Let them go.¡± Dwayne wrapped the blanket around his waist and got to his very shaky feet. ¡°They were just helping me. Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Just don¡¯t let it happen again,¡± said the healer as they left.

    Rodion asked, ¡°What happened to your clothes, my lord?¡±

    ¡°They got muddy and bloody.¡± Akunna dropped a pile of clean clothes into Dwayne¡¯s arms. ¡°You¡¯ll have to wear my spare clothes.¡±

    Dwayne looked at them. ¡°But these are-¡±

    ¡°Go before I charge you rent.¡±

 Xa-chou-ti-tsang-chin-ciada, Lions Beard

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 Rikephannyaikwehnpaa, Dawning Light

    ¡°Note to self: Sen Jerome monks are easier to get past than Gray Tower clerks.¡±

    Hiding a smile, Mei led Charlie past desks covered in used cups, plates, and eating utensils, the remains of the reception Dwayne had attended.

    Since it was clear that neither Kay nor Delma were on the first floor, Mei left Charlie next to the stairs and as she closed her eyes and listened. Unlike the Tower and unlike Sanford, she didn¡¯t know this place, had no idea where any magical artifacts or books would be hidden. Hopefully the thieves were making enough noise for them to follow.

    Close by and too loud, she heard hard, slightly wheezing breaths of Charlie, who she should give tips on how to be silent when she had the chance. As she filtered that out, and the beats of her own heart, the distant accompaniment of the fun time Maggie and Dwayne and Fran were having became clearer and clearer. Filtering that out left only the patter of rain beating softly against stone, the sound of Bradford as far was Mei was concerned. It was strangely loud though, like a door was open or a¡­ window.

    Mei opened her eyes and went over to the open window on the northern end of the room.

    Charlie had to rush to keep up. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°It is raining and this is open.¡± Mei inspected the window¡¯s frame. No damage, no sign that it had been broken or forced open. ¡°Someone came in through here.¡±

    Charlie inspected the other windows. ¡°These are latched from the inside. Someone would have had to let him in.¡±

    Nodding, Mei went on tip toe to poke her head out of the window. Several wir below her and starting at the walls of Palace, the North Gardens terraced down the hill up to the outer walls that separated the Palace from Bradford. Considering how difficult it would be to climb the sheer stone of the outer walls, cross the gardens, and then climb the sheer stone walls of the tower, Mei couldn¡¯t see it was worth it, not when Delma or Kay could just walk on in.

    And yet, right below the windowsill were two holes in the wall where climbing nails had been hammered in. Only two though. Weird.

    Charlie saw Mei frown. ¡°What is it?¡±

    Mei indicated the holes. ¡°How did those happen?¡±

    Charlie peeked at them. ¡°Magic?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s too far, climbing nails don¡¯t throw far, and the stone is too hard.¡± Mei¡¯s eyes slid back over to the detritus of the reception. ¡°It would make more sense if they came from inside¡­¡±

    He had been at the reception with Dwayne and-

    No. Focus. ¡°Look for damp spots on the floor.¡±

    ¡°Here.¡± Charlie pointed out a few places on the rug and carpet, where the barest hints of wet footprints could be found. ¡°Looks like they went downstairs.¡±

    ¡°Then so do we.¡±

    With Charlie right behind her, Mei went over to the staircase and cautiously descended, passing the floor with the provisional license records and going through a door labeled Archives. The corridor beyond was uncarpeted and partially lit by a weak bluish light emanating from an opened door at the far end, which also allowed muffled voices to drift towards them. They¡¯d found their thieves.

    Carefully, Mei reached down and removed her shoes, and, when Charlie had done the same, she crept down the corridor, the voices becoming clearer and clearer as she approached.

    ¡°Cups, Sky,¡± said a rough, deep voice, ¡°could you take any longer?¡±

    Kay.

    ¡°If you think we should hurry,¡± replied a voice in a pancake flat accent, ¡°you could come over here and help.¡± Blue Mask. ¡°Otherwise, it¡¯s almost like you know there¡¯s no way anyone is coming down here.¡±

    ¡°She would,¡± drawled a third voice. ¡°She recognized me from how I landed.¡± That was Delma, and she sounded further away than Kay and Blue Mask. ¡°I mean, sure, no one can addillaggio like I can, but who notices that?¡±

    ¡°Less talk,¡± said Kay. ¡°More search.¡±

    By now, Mei and Charlie had reached the door. Gesturing for Charlie to put his shoes back on, Mei put her own on while trying to figure out how to get past Kay, who was probably watching the door, but without any mirrors she could use to peek, she didn¡¯t know where he was. The only help she found was the door sign, which had the difficult-to-parse phrase ¡°Her Majesty¡¯s Thaumaturgical Collection¡± etched into metal that gleamed in the strange blue light.

    Luckily, she hadn¡¯t heard a fourth person, which meant that the thieves only had the advantages of a stiletto, wind magic, magical throwing knives and one-man advantage over Charlie and Mei and her one dagger. She should get help, but doing so would give the thieves time to finish their hunt and escape and then Mei would have lost her best chance yet of proving her brother¡¯s innocence.

    However, that wasn¡¯t only her decision, so she looked at Charlie and nodded at the door. In response, he shook his head and pointed back the way they came. Just to make a point, Mei drew her dagger and-

    ¡°What was that?¡± asked Blue Mask.

    ¡°What was what?¡± replied Kay.

    Mei tensed. No one could have heard the soft slither of her dagger draw unless they had something like the Tiger¡­ No, there had to be another explanation. Maybe some paper had dropped in the room.

    ¡°I thought I heard something,¡± said Blue Mask.

    ¡°No time for distractions,¡± growled Kay. ¡°Keep searching. Gold and I only have a few more minutes before my brothers and sisters start to wonder what we¡¯re up to.¡±

    The reminder that the monks had let Kay and Delma down here put a knife into Charlie¡¯s resolve to wait for help, and so when Mei pointed at the door, he sighed and nodded. A few gestures later, and a simple plan emerged: Mei would go in first and try to take down Kay while Charlie would keep Blue Mask and Delma busy. With Kay would be down, the odds would be even and maybe the other two would back down.

    Charlie raised his hand. Mei nodded. Charlie¡¯s hand dropped, and Mei, her grip tight on her dagger, rushed into the room.

    Right into Kay¡¯s fist.

    ***

    ¡°You missed the Offering.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Dwayne stopped contemplating the rivulets of water coming down off the pavilion roof and turned to Magdala. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Yes, you¡­¡± Magdala looked away, muttered something under her breath and then faced him again. ¡°What I meant to say was ¡®Are you okay?¡¯¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± When she didn¡¯t look convinced, Dwayne tried again with less of a shake in his voice. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°Right. You¡¯re staying out here,¡± Magdala gestured to the pavilion, ¡°in the rain, because you¡¯re fine.¡±

    She wasn¡¯t going to let this go. ¡°This is really your night,¡± said Dwayne. ¡°Your Offering was amazing, you look amazing, I¡¯m sure people are lining up to dance with you¡­¡± At this point, Dwayne¡¯s brain heard what his mouth had said and forced it shut.

    ¡°Cups.¡± Magdala sat down next to Dwayne, her ears bright pink. ¡°I¡¯ll, uh, assume you meant that, and ask you this: shouldn¡¯t you be in there too? What can I do to make that happen?¡¯¡±

    Dwayne laughed bitterly. ¡°Undo the past so that I don¡¯t have to tell the Queen that the man I¡¯ve chosen to be the next Royal Sorcerer can¡¯t be the next Royal Sorcerer?¡±

    He tried to stand up, to leave and bear his pain in peace, but Magdala caught his hand before he could rise. ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Nothing.¡± Dwayne tried to pull his hand free. ¡°You should go back to the Ball.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡± Magdala didn¡¯t let go. ¡°With you. Just tell me what¡¯s wrong.¡±

    She wasn¡¯t going to let him go, and her hand warmed into his, Dwayne found that he didn¡¯t want her to.

    ¡°Okay.¡± He sat back down. ¡°Okay.¡±

    At first telling her about Thadden¡¯s requirements, the etiquette classes, the investigations, the snubs, the lies made Dwayne feel worse, but after a while, the pain of telling someone burned away the pain of having had to bear it all in the first place.

    ¡°He can¡¯t do that!¡± Magdala¡¯s outrage helped too. ¡°Without you, we¡¯d still be scrambling around in the dark.¡±

    Dwayne hid his smile in a shrug. ¡°Having a Head Clerk who can actually do Qe magic would make his job easier.¡±

    ¡°Having you makes everything easier.¡± Magdala¡¯s face flushed. ¡°I mean you make everything easier. Even casting.¡±

    ¡°Still, he¡¯s my only option.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll find another,¡± she started to dig around in her bodice, ¡°But let¡¯s address your Qe problem first.¡±

    ¡°Um,¡± Dwayne forced his eyes from where they¡¯d followed her hand, ¡°what are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Here.¡± Magdala took his left hand and placed a small blue ball into it. ¡°We made this one after I talked with you the other day. I¡¯m, uh, ¡®offering¡¯ it to you.¡±

    ¡°This is...¡± The Qe magic core still held Magdala¡¯s warmth, and it pulsed in time with his racing heartbeat, kind of like the License Key he had in his pocket. He should thank her, but all he could think of was leaning in and¡­ He coughed and slid back from her. ¡°Thank you.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Magdala blinked as if waking up. ¡°Y-you¡¯re welcome. Maybe you should try it out?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Dwayne jumped to his feet and then grimaced. ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Magdala stood up and stared at him. ¡°Well, you just¡­¡± A brief debate played on her face. ¡°I¡¯ll show you.¡±

    After taking position behind him, she leaned in close enough for her breath to tickle the back of his neck. ¡°First, hold out your hand out like this.¡± Her chest pressed against his back as she lifted his right hand into position. ¡°Then hold it out like this.¡± Her other hand slid across his back before guiding the hand that held the core into place right above his belly. ¡°There. Now,¡± she stepped back, ¡°focus on the core and cast.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± If Dwayne broke his stance, would she show him how all over again, maybe leave more than the memory of her holding him? It took effort to dismiss the question. ¡°Let¡¯s see if this works.¡±

    There was only one good proof: a spell from the standard canon. He selecting one of the stones lining the path from the ballroom to the pavilion and called out, ¡°Qeierut!¡±

    The stone flashed with one of the strange symbols from the Slips Test, eagerly snapped up his magic, and the target stone¡­ cracked.

    Magdala¡¯s face fell. ¡°Oh.¡±

    Dwayne grinned. ¡°It worked.¡± He pointed at another stone. ¡°Qeierut!¡±

    Magdala stared at the second stone, which now had a crack the size of a finger tip in it, then turned to Dwayne. ¡°It worked.¡± She grabbed him in a hug. ¡°Cups, it worked!¡±

    Despite his aching head, casting twice with the core had been as bad as casting ten times with the spell shunts, Dwayne hugged her back. ¡°We did it.¡±

    ¡°We did!¡± Magdala let him go and went to kneel over the stricken stone. ¡°Is the limited effect because of the core?¡±

    ¡°Possibly.¡± Dwayne knelt down next to her. ¡°But more importantly, you think we can make a Ri core for you?¡±

    Magdala¡¯s eyes sparkled. ¡°Yes, I think we can.¡±

    ¡°Then maybe we should-¡± Inside, a new waltz started up, its fast tempo reminding Dwayne what he should be doing. ¡°Dance.¡±

    Magdala¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°A-are you sure?¡±

    Right, he should do this properly. Dwayne stood up and bowed. ¡°Good evening, Lady Magdala Gallus.¡± He had just the right address for her. ¡°May walls and mountains fall before you as they do before the waters.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not correct.¡± Magdala stood up. ¡°It¡¯s ¡®May the rains continue to bless you and your line as it plumbs the depths.¡¯¡±

    ¡°I know that.¡± Grinning, Dwayne looked up from his bow. ¡°But you¡¯re not just the Water Sage¡¯s daughter.¡±

    ¡°You¡­¡± Magdala turned away from him. ¡°That¡¯s not fair.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s not?¡±

    ¡°You made one up so now I have to too.¡± After a moment¡¯s thought, she turned to face him. ¡°Lord Dwayne Kalan.¡± She curtsied. ¡°May the, uh, fire beneath continue to well within you and bring you to the peaks of prosperity.¡± She winced. ¡°Not the best.¡±

    Stolen novel; please report.

    ¡°I like it.¡± Cups, she was beautiful. ¡°And no one can say its wrong.¡± Dwayne held out his hand. ¡°May I have this dance?¡±

    ¡°Young Magdala Stefanie Gallus,¡± Lady Vander burst out into the garden, ¡°what are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Lady Aunt,¡± Magdala planted herself between Vander and Dwayne, ¡°I¡¯m having a private conversation with my cousin.¡±

    ¡°Oh, we will talk about him later.¡± Lady Vander grabbed her niece¡¯s arm and tried to pull her away. ¡°Your parents want a word with you.¡±

    ¡°Good, I want a word with them right after I say this.¡± Magdala freed herself and then offered a curtsy to Dwayne. ¡°You may.¡±

    ¡°He may what?¡± asked Lady Vander.

    ¡°You¡¯ll find out soon.¡± Ignoring her aunt¡¯s protests, Magdala took her arm and pulled her away. ¡°We mustn¡¯t keep my parents waiting.¡±

    After waiting a polite few moments, Dwayne rejoined Souran society, his every effort set against whooping in joy. Even the carefully blank looks of Baron Thadden and his cronies couldn¡¯t stamp out his mood.

    ¡°So,¡± Lucchesi sidled up to Dwayne, ¡°what were you two up to in the garden?¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s face heated. ¡°Nothing. We just talked. She gave me this.¡± He showed her the core.

    Lucchesi peered at it. ¡°Huh, she gave you that one.¡±

    Dwayne raised an eyebrow. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with this one?¡±

    ¡°It has a flaw in it. Look.¡± Lucchesi pointed at the center of the core, where a tiny curl in the azade had formed. ¡°We think it¡¯s because she was casting Qe for it. Some issue with the resulting resonance or some such nonsense.¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s hand closed around it. ¡°It still works.¡±

    ¡°Well, of course it works or else she wouldn¡¯t have given it to you.¡± Lucchesi¡¯s eyes drifted over to where Magdala and her aunt had joined Lord and Lady Gallus. Lady Vander was already mid scold. ¡°Oh, looks like it¡¯s started.¡±

    Dwayne heart tightened. ¡°Is she in trouble?¡±

    ¡°Probably.¡± Lucchesi turned to him and held out her hand. ¡°We should dance.¡±

    ¡°Pardon?¡±

    ¡°She asked you to dance, right? I have to make sure that you¡¯re available until she gets her family squared away.¡± Lucchesi lowered her voice. ¡°I¡¯ve already had to trade a dance with the Andresen¡¯s family¡¯s firstborn and promise to tutor the Earth Sage¡¯s granddaughter to get them to run interference. Otherwise, they¡¯d want a dance.¡±

    Surprise at Torben and Chloe was subsumed by shock at Magdala. ¡°She was going to ask me?¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Lucchesi laughed, ¡°so you asked her? Well, we definitely need to dance now. I have to hear all about it.¡±

    ***

    While Kay¡¯s punch sent Mei spinning to the ground, it did give her the momentum to roll out of the way of his stomping foot and then get back to her own feet with her dagger ready. Unaware of her failure, however, Charlie charged into the room, tripped on Kay¡¯s outstretched foot, and landed flat on his face.

    ¡°Mei Ma,¡± Kay glanced at Charlie through a pale full-faced mask, ¡°and some sort of degenerate?¡±

    ¡°Senior Scrytive Degenerate to you, young man,¡± said Charlie, managing to get back on his feet. ¡°And you are under arrest.¡±

    As Kay¡¯s jaw dropped at this absurd announcement, Mei spared some attention for the rest of the room, which was roughly half the size of the one that held the Provisional License Registry. The area beyond the tables lit by Kay¡¯s blue lantern was packed with more bookshelves than she¡¯d ever seen in one place. Among these bobbed two pale blue lights, one to the far left, the other close and on the right, which were probably bug lamps like Dwayne had used back at the Tower.

    Delma called out from the far left. ¡°What was that?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. Don¡¯t stop.¡± Kay raised his fists, his eyes tightening behind his mask. ¡°I¡¯ll handle this.¡±

    Hoping to finish this before Delma or Blue Mask could rush in and help, Mei darted in. She expected Charlie to attack at the same time, but his attack came so late that Kay was able to fend Mei off with a sweep of his fist before sinking an elbow into scrytive¡¯s belly, knocking him back to the ground. After slapping away Mei¡¯s follow up, a quick stab at Kay¡¯s shoulder, Kay was once again between them and his accomplices.

    Coughing, Charlie got back on his feet. ¡°Let¡¯s try that again.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± His attacks were only getting in Mei¡¯s way. ¡°Go get help.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t take them on alone.¡±

    Mei resumed her stance. ¡°I keep them here. Go get help.¡± While capturing them was clearly too ambitious, denying them time to find whatever they were looking for wasn¡¯t.

    Kay rushed forward. ¡°I won¡¯t let you.¡±

    He aimed two jabs at Mei¡¯s jaw. She ducked under both then rolled behind him. He spun, his elbow aimed at her face, but she pushed it up and away then kicked the back of his knee, making him half kneel and allowing her to get an arm around his neck.

    ¡°Go!¡± she shouted.

    Charlie ran for the door.

    ¡°No!¡±

    Kay flung Mei off him, and then chased after Charlie. When he reached the scrytive, Kay caught Charlie by the throat and threw him back into the room. Sidestepping Charlie¡¯s flailing body, Mei closed with the monk, but before she could attack, he kicked her into a table, which bruised her hip and knocking the breath out of her. She only managed to suck in one breath before Kay¡¯s hand closed around her wrist and slammed the hand that held the dagger against the table¡¯s edge. Despite the pain, Mei held on, got her feet under her, and drove her forehead into Kay¡¯s face. The attack made Kay reel back, but he still had the presence of mind to grab Charlie before he reached the door, and toss him back Mei¡¯s way. This time instead of dodging, Mei caught her friend, which prevented him from knocking his head against a table.

    As Mei helped him to his feet, Charlie asked, through strained breaths, ¡°How is he so fast?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s a soldier,¡± answered Mei.

    ¡°Hey!¡± Kay pointed at her. ¡°I am not a soldier.¡±

    But he was now between them and the door. That was a problem not helped by how little Charlie knew about fighting. While the obvious thing would be for her and the scrytive to attack at the same time, Charlie¡¯s timing was his own and his choice to grapple Kay instead of hitting him with a chair or table wasn¡¯t helping.

    ¡°Mei, what do we do?¡± asked Charlie.

    That said, His odd timing was throwing Kay off too. Charlie had almost made it to the door that time. ¡°One more time. Together. Go!¡±

    Mei charged at Kay, who raised his arms into a wide defensive stance designed to handle the both of them at once, but, despite Mei¡¯s clear go ahead signal, and exactly as she expected, Charlie¡¯s reaction was three steps behind hers, leaving Kay just confused enough for Mei to dive under his guard and driving the heel of her hand up into his chin. As the monk staggered back, Mei kept up the pressure with a slash at Kay¡¯s chest, ripping open his white surcote as Charlie rushed past them. When Kay turned to grab the scrytive, Mei took the opportunity to pin his foot to the floor with her dagger.

    ¡°Argh!¡±

    With the monk unable to give chase, Charlie made it out the door and into the corridor before - thunk - a red-handled knife sank into the wall beside him and - pop - Blue Mask shoulder-tackled Charlie back into the room.

    ¡°Sky, I¡¯ll handle the degenerate!¡± Kay pulled Mei¡¯s dagger out of his foot. ¡°Get her!¡±

    After a quick punch to stun Charlie, Blue Mask leapt to his feet and charged Mei. Snatching her dagger out of Kay¡¯s hand, Mei tried to slash at his feet again but was forced to fend off the flurry of knives Blue Mask sent her way, giving Kay time to limp over to Charlie and haul him to his feet.

    The monk wrapped an arm around Charlie¡¯s neck. ¡°I¡¯ve got him.¡±

    ¡°Then kill him!¡± shouted Blue Mask.

    ¡°No!¡± Mei tried again to get to Charlie, but again Blue Mask¡¯s knives forced her back. ¡°Don¡¯t kill him.¡±

    ¡°Sky, I can¡¯t kill a scrytive.¡± Kay¡¯s voice went soft. ¡°Just like you can¡¯t kill her.¡±

    Blue Mask¡¯s growl sent chills up Mei¡¯s spine. ¡°Then knock him out and help me. Or do you want to find out what Granite will do if we get caught?¡±

    ¡°Oh, we¡¯re already caught.¡± In the crook of Kay¡¯s elbow, Charlie¡¯s face started to look splotchy in the blue light. ¡°Unlike you, they had to pass a bunch of guards on their way in. Just deal with her so Gold can find what we came for.¡±

    ¡°Hold on, Charlie!¡± Mei slashed at Blue Mask, who danced back. ¡°Just hold on!¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡± Blue Mask¡¯s cold eyes settled on Mei. ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    ***

    ¡°I still can¡¯t believe that you don¡¯t see a problem with ducking into the garden with that, that, that boy!¡± Lady Vander¡¯s lecture had a tendency to return to that point. ¡°Have you read the pamphlets I sent you?¡±

    Oh, that was new. ¡°What pamphlets?¡± asked Magdala.

    ¡°These pamphlets.¡± Her lady aunt pulled one out, and Magdala got a quick glimpse of the words ¡°Restoring Glory¡± before Gran snatched it away.

    ¡°Now, Dru,¡± Gran took her daughter¡¯s arm, ¡°I believe it¡¯s time for you to eat. You¡¯re eating for two after all.¡±

    ¡°Lady Aunt, you¡¯re pregnant?¡± asked Magdala, glad the lecture was over. ¡°Congratulations.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, but we must-¡±

    ¡°Go.¡± Gran winked at Magdala. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll have more to say later.¡±

    As Gran pulled her lady aunt away, Magdala turned to her parents. ¡°How long have you known?¡±

    Surprisingly, her father answered instead of her mother. ¡°She just informed us. Looks like Hans will have a baby cousin to look out for.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯s looking forward to it.¡± Magdala turned to her mother. ¡°And I¡¯m sure Mother is looking forward to being an aunt.¡±

    Her mother response was a half-hearted ¡°Yes, of course.¡±

    ¡°Sure you are.¡± Magdala glanced at the dance floor and then ground her teeth. Dwayne was on the dance floor with Francesca, moving in place and in time with the music. Luckily, Francesca had no interest in boys, even ones like Dwayne.

    Magdala turned back to her mother. ¡°Why am I here? You obviously want me here or else you¡¯d have stopped Aunt Dru¡¯s rant.¡±

    Despite the fact that Magdala¡¯s question had been directed at her mother, it was her father who replied. ¡°We¡¯re worried about how dancing with him will look now that he¡¯s family, and we think it¡¯s best if you expanded your horizons and sough other opportunities who would expand the family¡¯s prospects.¡±

    ¡°Expand the family¡¯s prospects?¡± Magdala tried to immolate her father with a glare. ¡°You are Lord Commander, and she¡¯s Water Sage. Short of somehow becoming Her Highness¡¯s consort, what prospects are left for our family? I¡¯m only asking because I thought I had until I completed my studies before you tried to marry me off.¡±

    Her father winced. ¡°Yes, but considering¡­ recent events we feel that preemptive action would set things up for that eventuality.¡±

    ¡°Preemptive action.¡± Magdala scoffed. ¡°You know what? I¡¯ll preempt your preemption and choose Dwayne.¡±

    Her father¡¯s face reddened. ¡°You can¡¯t court Dwayne. There are other families, both lay and mage, who would be much more advantageous for-¡±

    ¡°¡®Do what you want,¡¯¡± quoted Magdala. ¡°That¡¯s what Mother said to me when I said I was joining Bruce College. This counts, right?¡±

    Lord Gallus stared at his wife. ¡°You said that?¡±

    ¡°I did.¡± Her mother¡¯s words sounded like they came from very far off. ¡°And you¡¯ve done more than I could have imagined.¡±

    Why wasn¡¯t her mother angry? Magdala tried to provoke. ¡°Maybe I¡¯m finally stepping out of your shadow.

    That brought her mother into the moment. ¡°Are you? Or are you just stepping into his shadow? You shouldn¡¯t let contrariness and infatuation lead you away astray.¡±

    ¡°Why not? It¡¯s what you did.¡±

    Her mother¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°It is not what-¡± She turned away. ¡°Go.¡±

    Magdala blinked. ¡°No, we should talk about this.¡±

    Her father put his arm around his wife¡¯s shoulders. ¡°No, you should go.¡±

    ¡°Why are you pulling back?¡±

    ¡°The next dance will start soon.¡± Her father was already leading her mother away. ¡°You chose this course. Commit to it.¡±

    As her parents disappeared into the crowd, Francesca brought Dwayne over. ¡°Are you done?¡±

    No. ¡°Yes.¡± Magdala she turned to Dwayne. ¡°Ready to dance?¡±

    The Ri mage searched her face. ¡°Are you?¡±

    ¡°Yes, she is.¡± Francesca kissed Magdala on the cheek. ¡°It¡¯ll be okay,¡± she whispered.

    ¡°Thanks.¡± Magdala nodded to Dwayne. ¡°She¡¯s right. Let¡¯s dance. Oh, before we do¡­ nQerm.¡± Blue flooded her dress, overwhelming the green and leaving black finned silver fishes in place of the golden axes.

    Dwayne¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°The Kalan family colors.¡±

    And a declaration of intent. Magdala offered him her hand. ¡°Ready?¡±

    He took it. ¡°Ready.¡±

    They walked on to the dance floor and assumed the stance, his left hand holding her right hand aloft, her left hand resting on his shoulder, his right hand resting against her shoulder blade. It was both less and more intimate than the excited hug they¡¯d shared earlier, less because there was still space between their bodies, more because his eyes would not leave hers.

    Dwayne leaned in. ¡°Want to try something a little more interesting?¡±

    Her answer came immediately. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Then, follow my lead.¡±

    Magdala smiled. ¡°Okay.¡±

    The music started and Dwayne¡¯s first step turned the world and left Magdala¡¯s concerns behind.

    ***

    As she dodged and parried Blue Mask¡¯s knives, Mei tried to think of a way out of her predicament, but with Charlie losing the fight to remain conscious, she would soon have to face two opponents alone. The only good thing was that Blue Mask was a far less fearsome opponent than Kay as long as she ignored how easy it was to find her brother in his every grunt, growl, and slash.

    Hoping to end this quickly, Mei kicked a chair at Blue Mask then used it as cover to get close and slash at his stomach. After parrying her attack with a black handled knife, Blue Mask tried to slash her with it, but she¡¯d already disengaged, forcing him to throw it instead. Mei knocked away the knife and then waited for Blue Mask to advance.

    But he didn¡¯t. Of course, he didn¡¯t have to because, just like back on the roof, Blue Mask could play for time, and without her rifle, Mei didn¡¯t have a definitive strike. Worse, she was breathing hard, sweating harder, and, despite her best efforts, growing desperate and frustrated. During a hunt, these were signs that she should quit, but she had to keep going. Blue Mask and Kay had created a snare made of time and Charlie¡¯s fading consciousness, where each failed attack, each failed attempt to escape, Mei¡¯s options grew fewer and fewer.

    However, Kay¡¯s foot was hurt, and Delma was still searching so maybe there was a way for Mei to get time back on her side again. She just had to change targets.

    Mei darted into the shelves.

    ¡°Damn it, Mei!¡±

    When a black-handled knife thunked into a book right by her head, Mei didn¡¯t stop, running deeper into the shelves and towards Delma¡¯s bobbing blue light. She¡¯d have to be careful; the cut the wind dancer had inflicted on Dwayne would end this fight for good. On the other hand, even mages couldn¡¯t read and defend themselves at the same time.

    ¡°Get back here, Mei!¡±

    That sounded like- No, focus. Mei rounded a corner and charged up the aisle at Delma, who frowned before saying, ¡°You!¡±

    ¡°Me.¡± Not wanting to throw her dagger, Mei grabbed a book off a shelf and threw it instead. Thunk. A red handled knife sank into the floor in front of Delma. Pop. Blue Mask burst into view. Bam. Mei¡¯s book hit him instead of Delma, making him fall backwards. As the wind mage opened her mouth, Mei dove for cover.

    ¡°Qezisarmisuotlo!¡±

    Delma¡¯s spell cut up wood, leather and paper, which rained on Mei as she ducked into the next aisle. Crawling, Mei made her way up the aisle. She just had to get behind them.

    ¡°Why is she here?¡± asked Delma.

    ¡°I have it handled,¡± said Blue Mask. ¡°Did you find it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not here.¡±

    ¡°Then keep looking.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not here!¡±

    Reaching the end of the aisle, Mei pulled another book off the shelf and prepared herself to round the corner. Turns out reading wasn¡¯t the only thing she could use books for.

    ¡°It has to be here,¡± said Blue Mask.

    ¡°Sky, this is an organized collection. If it were here, it would be right here.¡±

    Delma was calling off the search. Not good. Mei had to move now, but all she had were her dagger, books, and surprise while they had Charlie, lights, manpower, and magic.

    Mei removed her jacket. She had to even those scales.

    ***

    Dwayne¡¯s first step into Magdala tested her faith in him, and while she did flinch and her eyes widened with fear, she immediately leaned back and added her momentum to his, and suddenly it was as easy as walking. While Magdala lacked her roommate¡¯s studied poise or Odette¡¯s libertine grace, her hands, eyes, hips were far easier for Dwayne to read, just he was an open book to her. That meant that when they passed close to a couple, one of whom dressed in a blue dress the color of the sea, and Magdala¡¯s hand tightened on his, Dwayne knew to spin them away, and when he tensed as they approached Thadden¡¯s table, she knew to widen her step and rush them past the baron¡¯s scowl. They even ended up orbiting Francesca and her partner for a happy moment before resuming their course around the room.

    When the music slowed, they slowed with it, their steps still in time, their course becoming a slow drift. As the lack of speed drew them closer and closer, Magdala¡¯s hand made circles on his back, Dwayne¡¯s eyes dropped to her lips, and their breaths synced up.

    When the music stopped, it took a long time for them to follow, but when they did, Dwayne gazed down at Magdala, a ridiculous grin on his face. Then she reached up and kissed him. If Dwayne had anticipated that, planned for it, then he¡¯d have worried that his inexperience would ruin it, but he hadn¡¯t even begun to consider her kissing him a possibility, and so nothing, not the worry or the panic or a crowd full of Sourans, stopped him from kissing her back.

    ¡°Are they kissing?¡±

    Suddenly, Dwayne realized that he, a Wesen boy, was kissing the daughter of the Water Sage and the Lord Commander right after her first dance of the Harvest Ball in front of merchants, nobles, and royalty and that all his efforts to have his participation in this event pass unmemorably from people¡¯s were now so much vapor in the wind.

    He pulled back. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I-¡±

    ¡°Dwayne.¡± Magdala didn¡¯t let him go. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I want this.¡±

    But the part of Dwayne that could rejoice at those words was already drowning under the stares, scowls, and glares of Soura¡¯s society. ¡°I have to go.¡±

    He fled the dance floor, mutters and whispers lashing at him as he passed.

    ¡°I wonder what he has over her.¡±

    ¡°That whole family has strange taste. Remember Lord Kalan?¡±

    ¡°Think of how their children would look!¡±

    When he made it out of the ballroom, Dwayne fell back against the wall and finally panic gave way to the implications of what had just happened. Magdala had kissed him. He¡¯d kissed her back. And then he¡¯d run away. Cups, if she thought that that was him rejecting her, then why would she ever talk to him again?

    ¡°Young Kalan?¡± Flanked by two Royal Guards, the Head Clerk of the Royal Secretary¡¯s Office did not look happy.

    Dwayne blinked. ¡°Dame Sercombe? What is it?¡±

    ¡°Her Majesty summons you to the Throne Room.¡±

    That was an entirely different reason to flee the scene, but at least Dwayne had had time to prepare for this. Rodion and Magdala had seen to that.

    ¡°Understood.¡± Dwayne made sure his suit was straight. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    He¡¯d have to deal with one crisis at a time.

 nQeanum, Solidify

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 Interlogue

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 Xa-chia-pehrux-bey, Tortoise Shell Part 1

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 Xa-chia-pehrux-bey, Tortoise Shell Part 2

    Just south of the Plague District lay a plot of land where Vanurians lay their loved ones to rest. Unlike Souran graveyards with their stones, markers, and placards, there were no signs indicated that there were bodies buried here, only grasses, shrubs, trees whose drooping branches brushed the tops of the slightest bumps in the ground. When spring came, the tree would blossom with thousands of white flowers, which would then fall and create the true mark of a Vanurian burial ground, but since winter was approaching, the living Vanurians made up for the missing flowers and wore the brightest cleanest whites they could find.

    A praiser of the Sun, their black, waist-length hair-braid quivering in the breeze, turned away from the clouded rising sun and to the people seated on the grass. ¡°Oyebode ze Phons!¡±

    ¡°Oyebode ze Phons!¡±

    Dwayne coughed and earned himself a few dirty looks, but they didn¡¯t hear chains ringing in concert with that prayer. He ignored them.

    ¡°Usdanus eki bala runindar la beltita de meastra iola Juanelo.¡±

    ¡°What is she saying?¡± Lady Pol asked under her breath.

    ¡°¡®We¡¯re here to mourn the loss of our brother Juanelo.¡¯¡± Dwayne translated. ¡°¡®As our sisters Camila and Ximena and our brother Ignacio complete their vigil,¡± the faces of Juanelo¡¯s family were blotched with tears and stiff with resolve, ¡°we join them in the final parting. Juanelo, may you body be committed to a greater purpose as your soul becomes the light that grows our food and nourishes our spirits.¡¯¡±

    Lady Pol huffed, earning herself some dirty looks.

    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Dwayne said under his breath. ¡°That¡¯s not why we¡¯re here.¡±

    They were here as representatives of the Royal Sorcerer¡¯s Office and to show support for local mages. In the two weeks since the Harvest Ball, Dwayne and Lady Pol, with the very occasional help of Mei and the awkwardly enthusiastic help of Magdala, had been working to put the Tower¡¯s records back in order. During this, Dwayne had discovered a regulation requiring that a representative of the Indigo Tower speak at the funeral of every mage. Obviously whoever had written it didn¡¯t mean Vanurians, but a small speech should have been easy for Lady Pol. Seeing her scowl now, Dwayne wasn¡¯t so sure about that.

    ¡°Oyebode ze Phons!¡±

    ¡°Oyebode ze Phons!¡±

    ¡°Now,¡± the praiser gestured to the gathered, ¡°does anyone wish to speak?¡±

    Lady Pol started to stand up, but Dwayne grabbed her sleeve and pulled her down as Juanelo¡¯s brother Ignacio stood up to stand before the praiser.

    ¡°Neighbors, friends, fameyia,¡± his voice caught on that last word, ¡°my little brother Juanelo Rinc¨®n was a good person who attended church, greeted every uduoya he came across, and traveled far and wide to make sure that our lost loved ones made it home.

    ¡°My little brother was a good person, who believed we faithful deserve better, who fought his way into the Academy, fought to graduate, and fought for other Blessed to have that same opportunity.¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s mouth went dry. They¡¯d known none of that. Magisterium records only had the grades of its Academy¡¯s students, and Juanelo¡¯s hadn¡¯t been spectacular. Having earned those same lackluster grades, Dwayne should have recognized the same bald-faced prejudice holding back the dead windsong.

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    ¡°My brother¡­¡± Ignacio paused to take a few shuddering breathes before continuing. ¡°My brother was a good person who was murdered, not because of hate, not because of anything he¡¯d done, but because he was in the way. To them, he was a curtain easily brushed aside with a knife.¡±

    Who Ignacio meant by ¡°them¡± became clear when more and more eyes flicked to Lady Pol. Dwayne¡¯s heart sank. They shouldn¡¯t have come. When Mei had said she wouldn¡¯t make it, they should have sent an apology and bowed out. Speaking now would be a disaster. Dwayne turned to Lady Pol, ready to tell her exactly that, but she was gone.

    ¡°My little brother Juanelo Rinc¨®n was a good person. Whenever Mama cooked, he always ate every single awful bit. Whenever Mena complained about how you Renan,¡± this was directed to a balding man in the front row, ¡°would bang pots and pans before rooster¡¯s crow, Juan would just say that he was thankful for the reminder to wake up.¡±

    ¡°Does that mean I can keep doing it?¡±

    ¡°No, please stop!¡± When the laughter died down, Ignacio glanced up at the clouded sky, tears streaming down his face. ¡°Whenever I cursed our father for abandoning us, Juan would say he was happy to be alive, and I would hate my father all the more because he did not deserve my brother¡¯s grace.¡± He wiped his face. ¡°Juan¡¯s going home. Toni¡¯s taking him back to Nuedanollo, where his hands will rest in the soil he worked so hard to return our lost. I pray his light will shine on all of us and bring us closer together. Oyebode ze Phons.¡±

    ¡°Oyebode ze Phons!¡±

    Ignacio stepped down and Lady Pol stepped up. Her dark purple cloak was too strong a contrast against all the white, making the inadequacy of the small white armband all the clearer. None of that occurred to Lady Pol who pulled out a small card to read from. Dwayne groaned at the implied insult. He¡¯d been concerned that Lady Pol¡¯s tendency to improvise would risk offending the Vanurians, but it was clear that the card made a stiff and awkward moment inauthentic.

    ¡°Citizens of Bradford,¡± the crisp autumn air carried the lie of Lady Pol¡¯s words effortlessly, ¡°the death of the windsong Juanelo Ybarra was a tragedy. As a bright student and a talented mage,¡± they really hadn¡¯t known anything else about him, ¡°his contributions to Souran society were immeasurable.¡± Great, the crowd¡¯s muttering had morphing into glaring. ¡°I promise as Her Majesty¡¯s Sorcerer to find his killers and bring them to justice. Thank you.¡±

    Dwayne stood up. He had to pull her out before-

    ¡°So Her Majesty¡¯s Sorcerer regrets my brother¡¯s death?¡± Ximena was already on her feet. ¡°How can I know Her Majesty didn¡¯t require it?¡±

    That was a bad question to answer. Dwayne tried to rush forward, but one well-placed foot, and he landed face first into the grass.

    ¡°Why would Her Majesty do that?¡± asked Lady Pol. ¡°That wouldn¡¯t make any sense. Our investigation-¡±

    ¡°Has been going on for weeks and has nothing to show for it,¡± Ximena reached Lady Pol, ¡°except that you have time to attend funerals you weren¡¯t invited to, just to pretend you¡¯re doing something.¡±

    Lady Pol¡¯s face reddened. ¡°We are doing something!¡±

    ¡°Then who killed my brother?¡±

    Lady Pol blinked. ¡°We¡¯re not at liberty to-¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know, do you?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re working on it.¡± Covered in wet dead grass, Dwayne stepped between Lady Pol and Ximena. ¡°We can¡¯t say more than that.¡±

    Ximena raised her chin. ¡°Oh, you can¡¯t, alu?¡±

    That word, ¡®boy¡¯ in Vanurian, pried lose a wave of heat and fury in Dwayne¡¯s chest. Only three things held it back: his need to hide his Ri magic, the sadness in Ximena¡¯s eyes, and the fear in her mother Camila as she took her daughter¡¯s arm and tried to pull her back.

    Even so, Dwayne¡¯s response came through gritted teeth. ¡°No, we can¡¯t, not until Mei¡¯s done.¡±

    Ximena raised her voice. ¡°What-¡±

    ¡°Mei?¡± Her mother cut her off. ¡°The young woman who told us about Juanelo?¡±

    Dwayne nodded.

    ¡°She promised us justice too.¡± Camila distinctly didn¡¯t look at Lady Pol. ¡°Are you?¡±

    There was the politic response that wouldn¡¯t commit Dwayne or his office to anything, but right here, right now, not committing was the wrong move. ¡°Yes, I am.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Camila turned to Lady Pol. ¡°You are a high-ranking noble, are you not? When he,¡± she gestured at Dwayne¡¯s dark skin, ¡°speaks, does he speak for you?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± said Lady Pol.

    Her lack of hesitation surprised Dwayne and satisfied Camila. ¡°Then I will believe you both. And,¡± she lowered her voice, ¡°I believe you will learn from this.¡±

    ¡°We will.¡± Dwayne signal for Lady Pol to leave. ¡°I am sorry for your loss.¡±

    Hopefully, Mei¡¯s investigation was going better.

 Xa-chia-pehrux-bey, Tortoise Shell Part 3

    Mei had spent her first night in Bradford searching for a place to sleep. It had taken her the afternoon to unpack Dwayne¡¯s luggage, which meant that it was already dark by the time her brother had announced, without consulting her, that they weren¡¯t staying at Sanford. After that, it took a fair bit of luck, to find a tenement apartment right before Bradford¡¯s busy season whose prior occupants had left, and a fair bit of coin, to convince a bleary-eyed Mrs. Schofeld to open her doors to a pair of armed bedraggled foreigners, in order to secure the room whose door she stood in.

    Huan had left three things behind: the sheets, the berry red suit he¡¯d worn to that fateful dinner, and the pile of purple and white that Mei had worn to that same dinner.

    Charlie picked up the dress. ¡°I remember this.¡±

    Mei made a vaguely affirmative sound. She and Huan had fought over that dress he¡¯d stolen the dress she was supposed to wear and handed her that one instead. Now that fight seemed quaint, compared to what¡­ She winced.

    ¡°Right.¡± Charlie tossed the dress back onto the bed. ¡°Obviously not your most impressive outfit.¡± He spread his arms and touched both sides of the room. ¡°I did not expect this place to be so small.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s one of the larger ones.¡± Mei pushed past Charlie to inspect the floor below the window where the dust had been subtly disturbed. ¡°Mrs. Schofeld said she normally puts four in here.¡±

    ¡°Four? Really?¡± The scrytive¡¯s disbelief made sense. This room wouldn¡¯t pass for a closet at Sanford. ¡°Surely you could have afforded better.¡±

    ¡°Yes, we could have.¡± Huan¡¯s suit and its velvet lapels and gold detailing along the cuffs cost far more than the room¡¯s monthly rent. ¡°But he said we should not owe Dwayne anything.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± Charlie leaned against the wall. ¡°Why?¡±

    Mei sighed. ¡°He didn¡¯t want Dwayne or Rodion to know where he was.¡±

    ¡°Only you.¡± Charlie lowered his voice. ¡°Are you ready to talk about it?¡±

    She shuddered at the memories of a body lying in the street, dressed in sky blue leathers and blood, the golden eyes of a beast peering out from behind a sky blue mask, and the last words Huan had said to her, ¡°You put strangers before him and that meant that all he has is me.¡±

    Mei hauled herself back into the present. ¡°He was here. He came back.¡±

    Charlie watched her a moment then asked, ¡°How do you know?¡±

    Mei gestured to the disturbed dust. ¡°His footprints and they don¡¯t lead to the door.¡±

    Charlie shook his head. ¡°Why would he come back?¡±

    ¡°To collect anything useful.¡± Mei gestured to the dress and the suit. ¡°Those aren¡¯t. That¡¯s why those are still here.¡±

    ¡°I see. So he was being careful?¡±

    ¡°Careful¡± didn¡¯t describe one who snuck into a heavily armed fortress or robbed the Royal Palace or charged Mei when she had her rifle trained on him. ¡°He has the confidence of squirrel stealing nuts from a sleeping hawk. It¡¯s how he got the sword.¡±

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    ¡°You told me about that. He had Dwayne and Lady Pol¡¯s¡­ friend¡¯s help, didn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± And the new Tiger and their archer had helped him escape the rooftops, and Kay and his mage had helped him escape Palace, and Mei had helped him escape Huo Luo. ¡°He doesn¡¯t know what it is like to be caught.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Charlie picked up Huan¡¯s suit and shook it out. ¡°So he thinks these are either worthless or useless.¡±

    ¡°Like me.¡± Mei sat on her old bunk. ¡°He can¡¯t trust me.¡±

    Charlie put the suit aside and sat down next to her. ¡°Are you ready to talk about it?¡±

    She wasn¡¯t, but she¡¯d used two weeks, Charlie¡¯s favors, Dwayne¡¯s powers of persuasion, and Fran¡¯s considerable reputation in order to keep herself out of the Chamber¡¯s dungeons, where she should be because she should have known what Huan was up to, should have done something to stop him. She owed it to Fran, Dwayne, and Charlie - to their kindness and patience - not to mope any longer.

    ¡°Yes, I am.¡± She curled up, pulling her knees to her chest. ¡°How do I¡­ What do I say?¡±

    Charlie patted her shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s start with how you feel.¡±

    ¡°Lost. Alone.¡± Mei curled up tighter. ¡°Afraid.¡±

    ¡°Why lost?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m only here because of him. I have never really thought about anything else except how to keep him safe.¡±

    ¡°Safe from what?¡±

    From the Empire, from Momin, from the consequences of giving Mei back a piece of her soul. ¡°I can¡¯t say.¡±

    Charlie nodded, accepting this. ¡°Why do you feel alone?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s family.¡± Mei never learned where her parents were buried, not after they were cut down. ¡°My only family.¡±

    ¡°What about young Gallus and Miss Lucchesi?¡±

    Mei frowned. ¡°They¡¯re my friends.¡±

    ¡°What makes one family? Blood? Name?¡±

    ¡°Family keeps each other safe.¡±

    Charlie smiled. ¡°And who¡¯s been keeping you safe?¡±

    Mei¡¯s head came up. ¡°They have been, but¡­ it¡¯s not the same.¡±

    ¡°Good. I¡¯d hate for your friendships to be anything like what you have with Huan. ¡®Family keeps each other safe.¡¯¡± Charlie chuckled. ¡°I like that. The only thing I would add is ¡®and they make us our best selves.¡¯¡±

    ¡°¡®Our best selves¡¯?¡± Mei uncurled. ¡°What does that mean?¡±

    Charlie smiled. ¡°You¡¯ll figure it out. Why do you feel afraid?¡±

    ¡°What he¡¯s doing, it can¡¯t be good.¡± Mei curled up again. ¡°Dwayne thinks that the people who hired him are looking for powerful magic that could hurt a lot of people. People like that are dangerous.¡±

    ¡°So you want to save him and keep him safe, but I have to ask.¡± Charlie slid off the bed and knelt before her. ¡°Why you?¡±

    Mei frowned. ¡°I¡¯m his sister.¡±

    ¡°Usually the elder sibling protects her younger siblings, not the other way around.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s always been this way.¡±

    ¡°But it doesn¡¯t have to be.¡± Charlie gestured at the window, at the city. ¡°He betrayed the queendom, betrayed his employer, and, most importantly, he betrayed you. He is past saving.¡±

    What Mei said next opened a door she did not want open because what she wanted was to go back to that day in Anders and refuse Maggie¡¯s offer and allow Huan find his freedom, thus evading the fate he¡¯d chosen. But it was too late. ¡°Maybe, but I still need to find him.¡±

    ¡°Find who?¡± Mrs. Schofeld was at the open door. ¡°Your brother?¡±

    ¡°Mrs. Schofeld.¡± Charlie rose to his feet. ¡°Do you have any idea where he is?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯ve no idea,¡± said Mrs. Schofeld, ¡°but the night workers might. They¡¯re up on the rooftop getting used to the sun again.¡± Her eyes dropped to Mei. ¡°Is she all right?¡±

    Mei wiped her face and got to her feet. ¡°Yes, I am.¡±

    ¡°Good, good. Hey, do you want them outfits? They¡¯re gaudy things, but I can imagine they¡¯d catch someone¡¯s eye.¡±

    Mei swallowed a hiccup at the words Huan had used to justify stealing her dress. ¡°No, you can have it.¡±

    ¡°Really? You don¡¯t want any coin for it?¡±

    ¡°I owe you for all the stew.¡± Mei smiled. ¡°You should come have tea at Sanford sometime.¡±

    Mrs. Schofeld blushed. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s¡­ I mean if you insist.¡±

    Charlie chuckled. ¡°I believe she does.¡±

    ¡°Then just send word and I¡¯ll put on something respectful and be there in a jiffy. Now,¡± Mrs. Schofeld straightened up, ¡°I must go see to that leaky pump. Again.¡±

    When she was out of earshot, Charlie asked, ¡°Are we still going to the river?¡±

    ¡°After.¡± Mei was already in the corridor. ¡°We should talk to the workers first.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± Charlie fell into line behind her. ¡°What happens when you find your brother? What will you do then?¡±

    Mei was glad that the scrytive lacked Fran¡¯s observation skills or Dwayne¡¯s familiarity with her as either of them would have caught the slight squeak in her voice when she answered, ¡°Take him in and make him tell us how to find the others.¡±

    That was only half of her plan. The other half was to make him safe.

 Xa-chia-pehrux-bey, Tortoise Shell Part 4 - END

    Today¡¯s lunch was set in Sanford¡¯s dining room and was supposed to be a small intimate affair with only three courses and seven guests. However, there were now twenty people sitting shoulder to shoulder around the table, an unruly collection of merchants and carters who¡¯d already ravened through what was supposed to be the whole meal before he and Lady Pol had arrived. Dana had to thank Phons for Miss Lucchesi¡¯s largess in deciding not only not to come but also to send a wagonload of baked goods and a pair of her family servants as an ¡°apology¡±.

    ¡°Where are they?¡± barked young dark-haired Ugo Sorgi, a cousin of one of the invited. His family name was well-known to Dana, but lu couldn¡¯t recall why his given name was too. ¡°I would expect the next Royal Sorcerer and her,¡± his lips just barely curled, ¡°apprentice to be on time.¡±

    Jane Voe, a blond well-fed carter from Pollum, and one of the invited, scoffed. ¡°I hear they¡¯re at a funeral in the Plague District.¡±

    ¡°They are?¡± Sorgi let his jaw drop, presenting the very picture of surprise. ¡°What ever for?¡±

    Voe shrugged. ¡°To show face? To placate the heretics? As alarming as it was to learn that a mage had been found murdered in the streets, I find it comforting that it was one of them and not one of us.¡±

    As an agreeing mumble went round the table, Dana picked up Voe¡¯s plate, failed to upend its remaining contents on her head, and went to collect the other empty plates. This was Dwayne¡¯s moment. Lu refused to ruin it.

    ¡°Perhaps, those two are too close to heresy.¡± Sorgi leaned forward over his plate. ¡°I hear that, after that terrible incident down at Walton, young Kalan has filled Walcrest with Vanurians. Oh!¡±

    ¡°Excuse me, my lord.¡± Dana¡¯s hand had snaked around the man and plucked his plate off the table. Lu¡¯d finally remembered where lu had seen his name: Mei¡¯s report on the possible whereabouts of the Harvest Ball Robbers. This sniveling toad was currently hosting the entire Lo Duca Dance Troupe at his home in the Gentle District. ¡°I believe that Lady Pol and young Kalan will be here shortly.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re here now.¡± Lady Pol strode into the room with a harried Dwayne right on her heels. They were still dressed for the funeral, which had not been the plan.

    ¡°Apologies,¡± Dwayne offered a bow, ¡±we were delayed crossing the bridge.¡±

    ¡°Apparently,¡± Lady Pol plopped down at the head of the table, ¡°someone thought that this morning was an excellent time to inventory their winter supplies right in the middle of the bridge.¡±

    As lu continued to collect empty plates, Dana considered this development with suspicion. Such inventory should have completed long ago and, if necessary, done on the river docks. Much like the sudden onslaught of uninvited, the timing was suspicious. Lu¡¯d would have to investigate.

    ¡°Would you like any of the first course, my lady?¡± Dana gestured to the full plate in front of Lady Pol.

    ¡°No, thank you. Let¡¯s move on to the second course and get this started.¡±

    Wincing at his new master¡¯s brusque tone, Dwayne took the seat next to her then turned to the assembled. ¡°Thank you for coming today. We invited you here so that you¡¯d have a chance to sound out our plans for the future. Although,¡± his voice hitched as he realized how many people had come, ¡°I believe some introductions are in order?¡±

    Sorgi cleared his throat, but every cell in Dana¡¯s body told luz that if he spoke, he¡¯d do irreparable damage.

    ¡°This,¡± lu gestured to him, ¡°is Ugo Sorgi of Sorgi Acquisitions and Transport, a company that specializes in small-batch Vanurian trade.¡± Lu left out the fact that his company sold slaves, including Baron Thadden¡¯s Gretchen. Dwayne didn¡¯t need the distraction. Lu continued the introductions, going around the table until finally, ¡°and this is Jane Voe of the North-North-West Caravan, most recently of Cairnbourne.¡±

    Voe coughed, attempting to hide her awe at Dana¡¯s performance. ¡°I see you looked us all up.¡±

    Dwayne bowed his head. ¡°We hire the best.¡±

    The swell of pride in Dana¡¯s chest was punctured by the question in Lady Pol¡¯s eyes. No, Dwayne had not ordered lu to find all this out. Yes, it largely came from Circle briefs and missives. No, that fact would never leave Dana¡¯s lips on pain of death.

    ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse me, my lord.¡± Dana turned to escape.

    ¡°A moment, Rodion,¡± Dwayne said. ¡°Should we not provide some entertainment while we wait?¡±

    Ah, he was worried that they needed more time. Dana bowed. ¡°The second course is already ready, my lord.¡±

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    Leaving Dwayne blinking in bemusement, Dana made luz escape, making luz way to the kitchen and joining the Lucchesi servants in preparing the second course: awrock steaks, starchy roots, and an assortment of local greens. As lu worked, Dana pushed away any concerns that lu was getting too attached to Dwayne because his magic was developing nicely and having his well-regard only helped solidify the Rodion persona. Many stewards felt fondly for their charges.

    After a quick check for any signs of imperfections, Dana announced, ¡°They¡¯re ready. Let¡¯s serve.¡±

    Picking up three of the plates, lu used an elbow to open doors and led the Lucchesi servants back into the dining room where one guest was already getting upset.

    ¡°Are you serious?¡± Voe¡¯s hands nearly smacked her plate of food to the floor. ¡°You¡¯re shutting down the provisional license system? How are we going to contract more mage labor?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re only shutting down a worthless piece of garbage.¡± Lady Pol accepted her plate. ¡°That¡¯s no great loss.¡±

    Voe¡¯s eyes goggled. ¡°Garbage?¡±

    Beside her, Dwayne hid a groan.

    ¡°While that¡¯s certainly hyperbole,¡± Sorgi¡¯s every word oozing sagacity, ¡°after all it has freed us from having to rely on established mage families for basic needs like long distance messaging and bulk carriage, I must say it has been galling to have to hunt down a licensed mage and pay them to pay someone else to do something they could have done in an afternoon.¡±

    ¡°Galling?¡± Jane¡¯s knife ripped into her steak. ¡°It was far more galling to have to stand in line behind half a dozen other carters and hope that some prissy Bradford mage would deign to help you. The provisional license system provided the queendom with more mages than ever before, each vetted by proven professionals. Take that away and I assure you we¡¯ll be forced to rely on heretics and commoners by the end of the week.¡±

    Dwayne cleared this throat. ¡°We plan to replace the provisional license system with a new one that incorporates Magisterium assess-¡±

    ¡°The Magisterium wouldn¡¯t know real work if it slapped them in the ass,¡± sneered Voe, whose father had forced her to work the docks.

    ¡°Here, here!¡± agreed Sorgi, who¡¯d never even a bit of hard labor in his entire life.

    ¡°You,¡± Lady Pol¡¯s voice was low, ¡°couldn¡¯t recognize a competent mage if she walked up to you and kick-¡±

    ¡°Obviously,¡± Dwayne¡¯s interruption barely covered the sharp thump that accompanied it, ¡°we would love input on how to tailor the new assessments to your actual needs. The new licenses should be a mark of true ability, not just a measure of coincidence and blood.¡±

    ¡°Then perhaps,¡± said Sorgi, ¡°we should do away with the system altogether.¡± When Voe and half the table made sounds of protest, he waved them down. ¡°As merchants and masters of coin, you must see that both this new license system and the one its replacing require money. As I¡¯m sure you all recall, the year the provisional license system was put in place all of our taxes went up significantly.¡± He turned to Dwayne. ¡°You¡¯re asking us to defer to the Royal Sorcerer¡¯s Office? The Royal Secretary¡¯s Office was far more aware of what we needed and yet still got in the way of business. Your expansion of the Royal Sorcerer¡¯s Office will require higher taxes-¡±

    ¡°And more audits,¡± grumbled Voe.

    ¡°- which means less gold in our pockets.¡± Sorgi left out the fact was that his company¡¯s finances were the shakiest of those seated here, a result of some ill-advised attempts to expand their stock-in-trade westwards. ¡°I say do away with the licenses altogether and allow us to hire who we like. After all, we know what we need.¡±

    While Voe still looked unhappy, much of the rest of the table was nodding along when Lady Pol rolled her eyes and asked, ¡°What happens when these mages you hire turn out shoddy work?¡±

    Sorgi shrugged. ¡°We¡¯ll only hire those with the strongest reputations.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Lady Pol leaned back in her chair. ¡°So you want to lose money.¡±

    ¡°Pardon? I just explained that we¡¯d save money on taxes and-¡±

    ¡°Dwayne, a hypothetical.¡± Lady Pol turned to her new apprentice. ¡°A Wind Qe who can¡¯t tell the difference between Qemilo and Qemichi is hired to push a ship out of Adhua¡¯s main harbor. What could happen?¡±

    The sudden attention made Dwayne stiffened, but he answered anyway. ¡°Using either spell at the wrong time could rip the ship¡¯s sails, ram it against the rocks or even damage a pier.¡±

    Lady Pol turned to Sorgi. ¡°Can you afford to appease the enraged Adhuan dockmasters? I hear they are ever so understanding.¡±

    ¡°We would hire-¡±

    ¡°When you hire an incompetent Earth Qe and she drops your cargo of dye straight into the river, how much money would you lose? When the Water Qe you hired to find a well is a complete fraud, who pays?¡±

    ¡°We do.¡± Voe looked grim. ¡°Our clients will not bear the cost.¡±

    ¡°Why should they? They didn¡¯t make the error. You did.¡± Lady Pol leaned back in her seat. ¡°But go ahead. Save a little. Hire who you like.¡±

    ¡°Surely that would be a temporary situation,¡± said Sorgi. ¡°After some initial, and admittedly regrettable, mishaps, good mages would have good references to match their skill.¡±

    ¡°And then you¡¯re back where you started.¡± Dwayne¡¯s tone was as rigid as his back. ¡°You will end up with a system that gives out licenses to mages, only with no care for what you need and no safeguards to prevent charlatans and cheats.¡±

    ¡°Sourans don¡¯t cheat Sourans.¡± Sorgi scoffed. ¡°Just like our ancestors, we¡¯re an honorable people. We can rely on that.¡±

    Dana watched Dwayne absorb Sorgi¡¯s statement, saw the moment Juanelo¡¯s death transmuted it into a damnable lie, and witness the moment that lie fed a rage that was ready to incinerate all in its path. Ever since the Harvest Ball, the young Ri mage¡¯s emotions had been rawer, closer to the surface, and whatever had happened at the funeral had only made it worse. If he wanted to, Dwayne could kill everyone here and no one here, except possibly Lady Pol, could stop him.

    Then the rage was stamped out, leaving Dwayne deflated from the effort.

    ¡°Sorgi, I¡¯m afraid you don¡¯t know our ancestors.¡± Lady Pol¡¯s voice was quiet. ¡°They didn¡¯t rise up against the Yaniti Empire because it violated their honor; they rose up because it had what they wanted: power. That desire, that ambition is why I attended a windsong¡¯s funeral this morning.¡±

    With that, the policy discussion was over, and the conversation shifted to more banal subjects. Dana watched Sorgi pick sullenly at his food. Whatever he was up to, lu would find out in time. Meanwhile, lu made a note have to remind Dwayne about Sorgi¡¯s connection to the Lo Ducas. Unfortunately, Sorgi¡¯s efforts had made this lunch a loss. Hopefully, this evening¡¯s gathering would go better.

 FoHassilaPo, Empassion Spirit Part 1

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 FoHassilaPo, Empassion Spirit Part 2

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 yRiuoim, Freeze Target Part 1

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 Qescreenutchim, Water Draw Part 1

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 Qescreenutchim, Water Draw part 2 END

    ¡°Right¡­¡± Magdala peered at her roommate, who¡¯d plonked down into her seat at the Commissary table like a sack of cokop root. ¡°Are you sure nothing¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure.¡± Francesca picked up her glass of water. ¡°Stop asking.¡±

    When Magdala glanced at Mei, the hunter shrugged. They both knew Francesca had spent lunch telling them about Dwayne¡¯s impressive feat at the practical to distract them, but neither of them knew why.

    ¡°I have a free period coming up?¡± ventured Magdala. That was courtesy of getting kicked out of Bruce College. ¡°We could talk then.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Francesca got up. ¡°I¡¯ll see you at dinner.¡± She stomped off.

    ¡°She is not fine,¡± said Mei. ¡°Why does she say so?¡±

    Magdala sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but when she¡¯s like this, you can only wait.¡± Which was too bad because she really needed to talk about yesterday. ¡°Are you free?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Mei got to her feet. ¡°Dwayne and I have something.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Everyone had something with Dwayne. Except Magdala. ¡°See you tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°See you.¡±

    And just like that, Magdala was alone.

    In all honesty, a free afternoon should have been a blessing. Magdala needed to study for winter finals, but, unlike running experiments, studying didn¡¯t fully absorb her attention, allowing her to escape the memory of Dwayne¡¯s rejection. Nevertheless, she made her way to the Archives, following a flock of first years chatting about what they would do after examinations, the food they¡¯d eat, the cousins they¡¯d talk to. Then she was on the threshold of Lees, the college Magdala¡¯s mother had hoped she¡¯d enter.

    Back during the Golden Ages, the college building had probably been a nobleman¡¯s manor, its stone walls and doak doors a solid bulwark against invaders, but Magdala knew a certain mage who could blowing it all up, allowing whatever troops with him to enter. After that, Mei and a selection of soldiers would find it easy to defend against-

    Magdala blinked. What was she doing?

    Oh, she was dreaming of a world where she used her magic to fight instead of studying. It was a foolish dream. Even her Offering to Her Majesty wasn¡¯t enough to make her forget that. However, maybe she needed an opportunity to let her fantasies, well one of them at least, run wild. She knew just the place. In between attending class and mucking out stables, she¡¯d dug through Tarpan¡¯s old records and located a reference to a certain college, which, after listening to her grandma¡¯s many many stories of her youth, led her to a thirty-year old map of the Magisterium.

    Getting there was easy, she¡¯d grown up at the heels of her mother after all, and even a badly maintained forest path couldn¡¯t stop her. Soon, she reached a wide clearing, a small pond, and a rough wooden cabin.

    ¡°Huh.¡± She¡¯d expected the first two but not the last. Was this the wrong place? Bruce College had been started after this one and its building was far grander.

    ¡°Disappointed?¡±

    Magdala jumped. ¡°Wh- Lady Pol? What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m visiting my old college.¡± Lady Pol passed her as she walked towards the cabin. ¡°Why are you here?¡±

    Magdala followed. ¡°I wanted to see it, the only college where mages learned to fight.¡±

    ¡°In that case, welcome to Duelists¡¯ College.¡± Lady Pol paused to gaze at the cabin. ¡°It¡¯s smaller than I remember.¡±

    Magdala stepped around an old well. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you take Bruce College¡¯s building?¡±

    ¡°Idealism mainly. We wanted to forge our own way.¡± Lady Pol stepped up to the cabin and shook her head. ¡°That was nonsense, of course. We were Magisterium graduates, on Magisterium land, using our parents¡¯ money to pay to have a cabin built.¡±

    She brushed ivy off a steel plaque covered in names. ¡°We argued about it at the time.¡± She snorted. ¡°We were a contentious lot. Your lady mother and I were rivals, your lord uncle liked to nitpick about rules he made, Boyle and his friends called the rest of us pretentious gits, and it didn¡¯t help that half the college was infatuated with Rionutte.¡±

    ¡°Rionutte was in the college too?¡± Magdala found her name at the top of the plaque. ¡°Who was she?¡±

    ¡°Our college founder and a pirate.¡± Lady Pol chuckled. ¡°If you ever find our official records, they list your lady mother and I as founders, but the college wouldn¡¯t have been existed without Rionutte.¡±

    Magdala looked over the rest of the list. ¡°Dean Bruce said that you, my mother, and my lord uncle are the last surviving members.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Lady Pol¡¯s eyes went distant, ¡°I suppose we are.¡±

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not my story to tell.¡± Lady Pol pushed past Magdala.

    Then whose was it? Magdala bit down on that question. ¡°Well, at least you got to fight.¡±

    ¡°Not fight, duel.¡± Lady Pol leaned against the cabin door. ¡°Not combat, sport, and only your lady mother and myself were any good.¡±

    Magdala perked up at this. ¡°Were you better?¡±

    Lady Pol smirked. ¡°Yes, but only because she spent her free time courting your father. If she¡¯d applied herself, she¡¯d have beaten me six times out of ten.¡±

    ¡°What about my lord uncle?¡± Maybe Magdala could get information about Rionutte by coming at it sidelong.

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    ¡°Ha!¡± Lady Pol shook her head. ¡°He was hopeless. Always had a good opening move, especially after wheedling tips out of Rionutte, but dodge that and you¡¯d already won.¡±

    ¡°And the others?¡±

    Lady Pol gestured at the plaque. ¡°Only Boyle is worth mentioning, but he was more passion than sense; he kept getting disqualified. No one else cared. They were only here because the apprentices of Sobol or the allure of Rionutte.¡±

    Magdala saw her chance. ¡°Why did she found the college?¡±

    Lady Pol¡¯s amusement evaporated. ¡°No. Not my story to tell.¡±

    Magdala sighed. ¡°Whose is it?¡±

    ¡°Hers and your lord uncle.¡± Lady Pol shrugged. ¡°Maybe Dwayne¡¯s.¡±

    Why him? ¡°What if I dueled you for it?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Magdala shrugged. ¡°Isn¡¯t that why people dueled? For stakes?¡±

    Lady Pol gave her a look. ¡°People dueled for all sorts of reasons.¡±

    Magdala waved that off. ¡°Still.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Lady Pol peered at Magdala. ¡°Is this about Dwayne?¡±

    Magdala¡¯s face flushed. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Although, wouldn¡¯t it be fun to talk with him about it later?

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Lady Pol began to walk away. Then she stopped and glanced back at Magdala. ¡°Are you coming?¡±

    ¡°What? Yes. Yes!¡±

    Magdala followed Lady Pol to the other side of the cabin, where an oval with two squares drawn at either end had been delineated in stone.

    ¡°You¡¯ll stand here.¡± Lady Pol pointed at one square. ¡°I¡¯ll go there.¡± She strode over to the other. ¡°We¡¯ll do this properly, although without most of the rules your lord uncle made because I can¡¯t be bothered to remember them. The main thing is this: the duel continues until one of us is pushed out of our square, is forced to yield, or can¡¯t cast. Understand?¡±

    Magdala nodded.

    ¡°Good. Now, normally we¡¯d raise rapiers to signal ready, but in lieu of that, we¡¯ll raise our hands. When we drop them, we start.¡±

    Magdala¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You have a rapier too?¡±

    ¡°Somewhere.¡± Lady Pol raised her hand. ¡°Ready?¡±

    ¡°There aren¡¯t any other rules?¡± Magdala asked.

    ¡°Like I said, I can¡¯t be bothered to remember the others. Ready?¡±

    Finally, doubt snuck its way into Magdala¡¯s mind. She was about to duel the one mage who could credibly claim to be a better duelist than her mother and could fling lightning bolts as easily as she could transmute fluids. Unfortunately for doubt, that was all the more reason to be excited because despite only having a Qe core, a rudimentary grasp of Qe spells, and extensive knowledge of nQe spells, victory was still visible. She had to strike first.

    Slipping her left hand into her pocket, Magdala took hold of the Qe core and raised her other hand. ¡°Ready.¡±

    Lady Pol smiled. ¡°Good, now-¡±

    Magdala dropped her hand. ¡°Qescreenutchim!¡±

    Pond water rushed to her side and pooled at her feet, making it easy for her to drop down and thrust her hands into the water. ¡°nQe-¡±

    ¡°Qemilo!¡±

    Wind blasted Magdala out of her square, depositing her near the cabin.

    ¡°I suspect that would have been quite impressive,¡± Lady Pol was inspecting her nails, ¡°but I had no reason to wait to find out. You do know how to prep spells, right? Dwayne said you¡¯re quite good at it.¡±

    Heat flooded Magdala¡¯s face. Dwayne had told her that? ¡°You didn¡¯t use a prepped spell.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t need to.¡±

    Magdala stood up. ¡°Again.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s in it for me?¡± Lady Pol crossed her arms. ¡°What stakes are you offering? One does not duel for amusement.¡± Her stance loosened as she planted her feet wide. ¡°Traditionally one duels for love, pride, or vengeance. Which do pick, young Gallus?¡±

    ¡°I told you.¡± Magdala returned to her square. ¡°I want you to tell me about Rionutte.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Why did she care? ¡°She made her own way. I want to as well.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I see.¡± Lady Pol lifted her chin. ¡°And? What¡¯s in it for me?¡±

    Good question. Honor? This duel was frivolous. Money? Lady Pol was rich. Pride? ¡°You can say you beat the Water Sage¡¯s daughter in a duel?¡±

    Lady Pol laughed. ¡°Oh, neither of us wants your lady mother to hear about this. No, I¡¯ll take an answer to a question.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the question?¡±

    ¡°Lose two more times, and you¡¯ll find out.¡± Lady Pol raised her hand. ¡°Ready?¡±

    The rule was they both had to put their hands up, and this time Magdala wasn¡¯t going to waste the opportunity. She prepared two spells, one to pull at the water still pooled at her feet and another to transform it.

    After letting them settle in her mind, she raised her hand. ¡°Rea-¡±

    Wait, what about Qemilo? She wasn¡¯t fast enough to stop it. Change of plan. She dropped her hand. ¡°¡®rut!¡±

    When the water at her feet rushed upwards, she thrust her hands into it. ¡° ¡®em!¡±

    ¡°Qemilo!¡±

    Lady Pol¡¯s spell slammed against a solid wall of warm ice, which gave Magdala enough time to think of her next move. What if she-

    ¡°¡®amde.¡± Another second gust of wind blew in from Magdala¡¯s left and sent her tumbling out of the ring and towards the forest.

    ¡°Better,¡± Lady Pol watched Magdala make her way back into the oval, ¡°but surely the daughter of the Lord Commander can think more than one step ahead.¡±

    Magdala winced as she returned to her square. It wasn¡¯t fair. Every inch of the oval was Lady Pol¡¯s to manipulate while Magdala only had a little bit of water, and speed wasn¡¯t working, which meant shock-and-awe was impossible. Dwayne could probably deal with the wind, she¡¯d seen him block dragon¡¯s fire, but she wasn¡¯t him and he wasn¡¯t here. Although, Dwayne had described what he¡¯d done to fight off those bandits who¡¯d attacked Sanford. That was an idea.

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Lady Pol tapped her chin with her fingers. ¡°I might as well ask the question now. What do you, young Magdala Gallus, want?¡±

    Magdala finished prepping her spells. ¡°I thought you were going to ask when I lost?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just saving time.¡± Lady Pol raised her hand. ¡°Ready?¡±

    Hopefully. Magdala raised her hand. ¡°Rea-¡±

    ¡°Qemilo!¡±

    Before the wall of air hit her, Magdala had already dropped to the ground. ¡°¡®em!¡±

    nQerikwem liquefied the muddy ground and she sank into it, her new position giving her the leverage she needed to weather Lady Pol¡¯s attack. Then she slapped the ground. ¡°¡®em!¡±

    nQerm shifted the water in the mud to mist, hiding her from view.

    ¡°¡®Qetork¡¯!¡±

    Why only half a spell? Whatever. Lady Pol¡¯s mistake gave Magdala time to scoop up two balls of mud, form them into bowls, and fill them with muddy water and wet pond reeds. After two quick applications of nQerm, she now had two sleep bombs. One, she immediately tossed in Lady Pol¡¯s direction, the other she threw up high.

    ¡°Cups, what is that? Qemilo!¡±

    The spell blew away Magdala¡¯s foggy cover, revealing that Lady Pol had taken one step to the right to avoid Magdala¡¯s first bomb.

    That meant she¡¯d won.

    The other bomb hit the ground in front of Lady Pol and burst, releasing its soporific contents.

    The older mage didn¡¯t even flinch. ¡°Qemilo.¡± The fumes dissipated. ¡°¡®aerotem!¡±

    The air above Magdala crackled and roared into a tiny tempest, the result of the spell Lady Pol had used to strike down a giant mantis down in the bowels of Yumma. Earlier, she¡¯d been setting up this spell and now Magdala had no way to block it.

    She threw her hands up. ¡°Yield. Yield!¡±

    ¡°Good. You¡¯re not as stubborn as your lady mother. Qeit.¡± As her tempest faded, Lady Pol crossed the field to peer down at Magdala. ¡°I believe rules twelve, fifteen, and twenty-one forbid this exact thing,¡± her eyes twinkled, ¡°because your lord uncle kept burrowing like a talpa. Need help?¡±

    ¡°He did?¡± Magdala took Lady Pol¡¯s hand and allowed herself to be pulled out of the muck. ¡°I thought you said he was bad at this.¡±

    ¡°He was terrible at dueling but great at breaking the rules. So,¡± Lady Pol slapped Magdala on the back, ¡°you feel any better?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± Magdala¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Yes, I do.¡±

    ¡°Good. I figured a little exercise would help. A born fighter like you must hate the classroom.¡±

    ¡°Fighter?¡± Magdala frowned. ¡°Not a duelist?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re a terrible duelist.¡± Lady Pol laughed. ¡°Just like your lord uncle, we¡¯d have to add rule addendum after addendum to contain you. Trying to knock me out was great fighting instinct and definitely illegal.¡±

    ¡°Thank you?¡± Magdala flushed. ¡°So do you want your answer now or¡­¡±

    ¡°Not yet. ¡®em.¡± Wind gathered under Lady Pol¡¯s cloak. ¡°Think about it first.¡±

    Then she was gone.

 Xa-huri-tse-ya-ze, Fox Teeth Part 1

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 Focesalesaynkuu, Bleed from Neck Part 1

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 yRiamumanpaa, Suspend Iron Flecks Part 1

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 yRiamumanpaa, Suspend Iron Flecks Part 3

    As the unseen sun was beginning to lighten the clouds, Magdala regretted her bravado as she trudged up Bradsbridge. Early waking Mei had decided to come, but Francesca had taken one look at the dark sky and then burrowed deeper into her blankets.

    Pulling her cloak tight around herself, Magdala asked Mei, ¡°Any tips for talking to the club?¡±

    ¡°Free food.¡±

    ¡°Hah. Next time.¡±

    They reached the middle of the bridge, where no fewer than forty people, Dwayne¡¯s club had grown so much in just one week, were waiting around in hat, thick coats, and long cloaks. Among them were Torben Andresen and Chloe Gordon, both of whom Magdala had met at the Harvest Ball and were now currently standing beside a burly young woman in a long wool sweater.

    Gordon intercepted Magdala and Mei. ¡°Why are we here?¡±

    ¡°To see the opportunity here.¡± Magdala¡¯s gesture took in the whole of Bradsbridge. ¡°This is where we¡¯ll show off the Qe core. Which of you is Miss Nicole Fletcher?¡±

    When the burly woman slowly raised her hand, Magdala had to hide her surprise with a cough. Aside from her brown hair, Nicole Fletcher barely resembled her scrawny younger brother. ¡°This was your idea. Who do you want to be the audience?¡±

    Miss Fletcher looked down and muttered something.

    ¡°What was that?¡±

    ¡°Everyone,¡± said Miss Fletcher.

    Andresen stepped between them. ¡°Can¡¯t we have it indoors?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± answered Magdala.

    ¡°Does Dwayne think this is a good idea?¡± asked Gordon.

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    She was on a first name basis with him? Magdala raised her chin. ¡°Yes, he does. That¡¯s why we¡¯re meeting here.¡±

    Gordon scowled. ¡°Then why isn¡¯t he here?¡±

    Why was she so hostile? Did she think Magdala was trying to take over? ¡°Because he¡¯s working on getting the hands we¡¯ll need to set it up. Miss Fletcher,¡± Magdala recalled what Francesca had said to her, that she should put credit where credit is due, ¡°how do you think this should go?¡±

    Miss Fletcher¡¯s face went pale. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Y-¡± Magdala clamped down on her frustration and forced a soft tone into her next words. ¡°What do you hope will happen?¡±

    ¡°Maybe¡­¡± Miss Fletcher¡¯s eyes flicked between Magdala and Gordon, ¡°we can show what we¡¯ll do for people with it?¡±

    ¡°Beyond enabling nQe mages to do Qe mage and vice versa?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s too abstract,¡± said Miss Fletcher, confidence entering her voice. ¡°The people have to know what that means. For example, with more Qe mages doing nQe magic, we have more people could can transform the colors in people¡¯s clothes, which is much cheaper than buying new clothes every season.¡±

    Magdala rubbed her chin. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that concern Dyer¡¯s College?¡±

    Miss Fletcher wilted. ¡°Would it?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but,¡± Magdala grinned, ¡°who cares. Let¡¯s show them. Any other ideas?¡±

    ¡°Exotic spices?¡±

    ¡°Multi-colored chalks!¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re doing this outside at night,¡± said Andresen. ¡°Can¡¯t we do something with light?¡±

    Mei perked up. ¡°I know what you can do.¡±

    ¡°All this is well and good for the laity,¡± Keith Auer merged from the crowd, ¡°but what about us mages? Have you tried doing joint magic with the cores?¡±

    ¡°Or moving really big things?¡±

    ¡°Or really small ones?¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Magdala waved for silence. ¡°Sounds like we have a lot of ideas. Let¡¯s split up into groups and figure out what is and isn¡¯t possible.¡±

    ¡°What about security?¡± asked Gordon. ¡°No one will come if we can¡¯t assure their safety.¡±

    ¡°Ask the scrytives,¡± said Mei from her perch on the bridge parapets. ¡°Scrytive Vogt will help.¡±

    Magdala frowned. ¡°Won¡¯t you be there?¡±

    Mei shook her head.

    Before Magdala could ask for clarification, Gordon asked, ¡°Who¡¯s going to pay for all this?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s easy. I will.¡± Seeing the shock on the younger mage¡¯s face, Magdala held in a grin. ¡°I¡¯m the Gallus family heir. That has to be worth something.¡±

    Gordon¡¯s jaw set. ¡°Your family will let you do that?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Assuming she moved fast enough. ¡°And if they won¡¯t, I have a bored roommate to rely on.¡±

    Gordon¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You don¡¯t mean-¡±

    ¡°I do. Miss Fletcher?¡± Magdala turned to the working mage, whose hands had taken up residence over her mouth. ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Are we really doing this?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Oh, wow.¡±

 yRiamumanpaa, Suspend Iron Flecks Part 4 - END

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 Qechinututem, Water Torrent Part 1

    The wood of Mei¡¯s crate barely muffled the voices of polemen.

    ¡°Who sends donations this late at night?¡±

    ¡°Like you¡¯d be doing anything else. Watch it, another one of them weird barges.¡±

    ¡°Cups, that¡¯s the fifth one. What are they doing out here this late at night?¡±

    ¡°Who cares? Let¡¯s get this done.¡±

    Tuning out the banter, Mei nestled into her crate and waited. They¡¯d already made it past the clamor on Bradsbridge so it wouldn¡¯t be much longer. Inge, currently in the crate next to Mei¡¯s, had warned her that impatience could easily do the work of the enemy, but to Mei, waiting was a chance to listen to the world, to the waves and winds. Anyway, the spy had probably been trying to distract themselves from what was happening on the bridge, where Maggie was doing Mei¡¯s job: protecting Dwayne.

    When Mei had told Rodion about that part of her plan, the steward had rushed to complete a new steel gray and indigo suit for Dwayne, delaying their departure by two bell tolls. Why Rodion, or Inge or whoever they really were, cared so much about the relationship of two young mages wasn¡¯t Mei¡¯s concern, but it probably meant Inge¡¯s crate was packed full of anxiety while Mei¡¯s only concern was the timing of the surprise she¡¯d planned with Maggie, and the pink-faced merchant boy.

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    ¡°We¡¯re almost there. Brake us, will you?¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± The barge slowed then bumped to a stop. ¡°There.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± barked a Sen Jerome monk.

    ¡°Donations, brother, from the Armstrong estate.¡±

    According to Inge, the Armstrongs had left Bradford immediately after the Harvest Ball. Apparently, spies tracked things like that.

    ¡°From the Armstrongs, huh?¡± A crate was cracked open. ¡°Honey and dried awrock meat. Off, that¡¯ll get you through the winter.¡±

    ¡°Want us to carry it in?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯d appreciate it. The dark mageling¡¯s bridge party has left us short-handed.¡±

    ¡°Is that why all those strange barges are on the river?¡±

    ¡°Probably.¡± Mei¡¯s crate was lifted. ¡°I hear he didn¡¯t even bother to ask the Privy Council if he could do this.¡±

    ¡°What do they got to do with it?¡± Mei¡¯s crate was ascending a stairway, step by step.

    ¡°It¡¯s their sworn duty to keep the city safe.¡± A door opened. ¡°Over here?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Mei¡¯s crate was put on the ground. ¡°Is it really? I assumed that-¡±

    A door shut.

    Mei waited. Her and Inge¡¯s crates had been at the back of the boat and thus should have been the last ones to be picked up, but carelessness went hand in hand with impatience and so she waited.

    Silence reigned the next few minutes.

    Assessing they were safe, Mei pushed open her crate, climbed out, then sought another crate marked with two snow-bees. She rapped its top with her knuckles.

    ¡°Whew!¡± Inge climbed out. ¡°I am never doing that again.¡± They looked around. ¡°Looks like we¡¯re in.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Mei opened the storage room door and peeked out into the hall. The coast was clear. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

 Qechinututem, Water Torrent Part 2

    ¡°You carry that around with you everywhere?¡±

    ¡°I have to.¡± Dwayne stopped fingering the License Key and faced Magdala. ¡°It¡¯s not safe anywhere else.¡±

    ¡°Ha, I know what you mean.¡± Magdala held up her left hand where a small blue sphere had been set into the back of a green leather fingerless glove. It reminded Dwayne of her old blouse and trousers and the taverns, forests, and empty ancient cities she¡¯d worn them in. ¡°Neither of us can let what¡¯s precious out of our sight.¡±

    Her eyes met his.

    ¡°No,¡± Dwayne coughed and looked down at the License Key, ¡°of course not.¡±

    ¡°May I hold it?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± Dwayne handed it over, holding in a shudder as her fingers brushed his.

    ¡°It¡¯s warm.¡± Magdala muttered a spell, and her eyebrows lifted. ¡°I don¡¯t recognize the metal.¡±

    Dwayne chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m not surprised. Normal metal doesn¡¯t condense out of books. While I haven¡¯t been able to investigate it much, it is obviously a powerful magical construct with a mind of its own. That¡¯s weird enough, but¡­ What?¡±

    Magdala looked away. ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m just glad we¡¯re friends.¡±

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    Heat flooded Dwayne¡¯s face. ¡°Uh, okay.¡±

    ¡°Milady, milord,¡± the carriage came to a stop, ¡°we¡¯re here.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s just put this away.¡± Magdala leaned over and slid the License Key into Dwayne¡¯s right inside suit pocket. ¡°And now you wait here.¡±

    ¡°What? Why?¡±

    But Magdala had already exited the carriage. When Dwayne tried to see what she was doing, she stopped him with a raised hand.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Just wait.¡± Magdala nodded to someone he couldn¡¯t see. ¡°Okay, we¡¯re good. Come on down.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Dwayne exited the carriage, turned to Bradsbridge, and gasped.

    The bridge was alight with color and filled with people. Because that morning Dwayne had worked with the laborers from the Plague District to set everything up, he knew exactly how many booths and tents there were, but that was like seeing a skeleton without the muscles, skin and fat on; he¡¯d had no idea what Magdala and the theory group had planned. Now there were fountains gushing liquids of every color, children drawing with colored chalks that rippled from red to blue to purple with each stroke, life-sized ice sculptures of the First Water Sage Sabina marching up and down the bridge, and so, so much more.

    For a long time, Dwayne didn¡¯t speak, only stood there drinking it in. When he finally tried to express anything, all he came up with was, ¡°This is¡­¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Magdala looped an arm through his. ¡°But you can¡¯t be amazed yet. Come see what Miss Fletcher¡¯s doing.¡±

    She towed him over to a booth dominated by a tower that reach just over Dwayne¡¯s head and was made of glittering, finger-length crystals that Nicole¡¯s magic was delicately putting into place.

    Dwayne gaped at it. ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°I presume magic, milord.¡± With those sardonic words, Akunna joined them. She raised an eyebrow at Magdala. ¡°Is this her? The nQe noble you won¡¯t stop talking about?¡±

 Qechinututem, Water Torrent Part 3

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 Xa-si-mao-ze, Bear Jaw Part 1

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 Xa-si-mao-ze, Bear Jaw Part 4 - END

    ¡°Roberta Bruce?¡± Huan stared at the dean.

    ¡°The Dean of the College of Martial Magic?¡± asked Zircon.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Bruce let her mask drop onto the deck. ¡°All we here have done - the acquisitions, the eliminations, the pamphlets - and all we¡¯ve been working for has been in service of restoring Soura¡¯s might. Tonight, I abandon the course of caution and commit myself fully to this greatest and most worthy of projects. I promise you before winter comes our country will be rid of the rot at its heart.¡±

    Kay reached for his mask.

    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s no need for that,¡± said Bruce.

    ¡°There is, ma¡¯am.¡± Kay¡¯s mask landed on the deck. ¡°I¡¯m with you.¡±

    ¡°So am I, master.¡± Gold¡¯s mask came off, revealing a sunned face and brown eyes. ¡°Burn the blight.¡±

    Zircon¡¯s was next, the action revealing slicked back black hair and light blue eyes. ¡°Burn the blight!¡±

    Clay¡¯s was next. ¡°Burn the blight,¡± she whispered.

    Then the newly unmasked turned to Huan.

    ¡°No.¡± He stepped back. ¡°I don¡¯t care about any of this. I¡¯m not even Souran. I¡¯m leaving.¡±

    ¡°I knew it!¡± Zircon marched towards him. ¡°He¡¯s a spy, a -¡±

    Kay¡¯s big hand landed on Zircon¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Sky will do as he wants.¡± When he looked at Huan, his eyes were full of pity. ¡°That¡¯s all Sky ever does.¡±

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    ¡°Sky, you are welcome to leave.¡± Bruce tossed a pouch onto the deck. ¡°There. What you¡¯re owed.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t let him leave!¡± Zircon¡¯s outburst made Clay flinch. ¡°He¡¯ll identify us.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not getting involved anymore.¡± Huan scooped up the money. ¡°I¡¯m going.¡±

    ¡°Where to?¡± asked Bruce.

    Huan shrugged. ¡°Wherever I want.¡±

    ¡°West to the Empire? Across the sea to Wesen? Or,¡± the dean was suddenly too close, ¡°south to Vanuria?¡±

    Huan stepped back. ¡°Why does it matter to you?¡±

    ¡°Because those coins,¡± she gestured at the pouch, ¡°will do you no good outside of Soura.¡±

    Huan scoffed. ¡°Money is money.¡±

    ¡°Is it? Vanurian ship captains only take two kinds of currency: humans and rexas. What you have, what you¡¯ve saved, is not enough to buy you the former, and the latter is comes through select banks in Adhua.¡±

    ¡°Ha!¡± Zircon made a rude gesture. ¡°Good luck getting an Adhuan banker to deal with the likes of you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll just steal it then.¡± Huan shoved the pouch into his pocket. ¡°I¡¯ve done it before.¡±

    Bruce lowered her voice. ¡°Aside from the fact that the Adhuan banks are nothing like Huo Luo Fortress-¡± She knows! ¡°-if you leave Bradford, you would give me no choice but to ensure your sister follows you.¡±

    Huan¡¯s blood chilled. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Mei Ma has already proven to be the greatest obstacle to my plans. She must be dealt with.¡±

    ¡°Then why let me go at all? Why not just kill me?¡±

    ¡°Despite your failures, both at the Ball and tonight, you Huan Ma are a valuable and rare asset. Your participation makes what I have planned possible. As such, I offer you a new contract: rexas and passage to Vanuria in exchange for one last job.¡±

    Huan narrowed his eyes. ¡°You just said they¡¯re impossible to get.¡±

    ¡°For you, yes. For me, also yes, but for him¡­¡± Bruce gestured to Zircon. ¡°He trades in slaves and heretic money all the time. What do you say?¡±

    The beast was pleased. This is a good deal.

    Of course, it was happy, Bruce¡¯s jobs had sated its desire for blood, but so far the they had been simple tasks: steal a book, chase a mage, slash a throat. Dean Bruce¡¯s real plans had to be much more involved. On the other hand, any job had to be easier than trying to find a way into Vanuria on his own.

    Huan removed his mask. ¡°What do you need me to do?¡±

 Fo-Heng-Xeaobu-Xia-Kater, Make Eyes Sad, Part 1

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 Rimjaliut, Flare - Part 1

    By the time she¡¯d eaten her second plate of food, Mei¡¯s fury had ebbed, leaving behind her refusal to let the Empire take Huan. Unfortunately, that was no match for the Magisterium¡¯s determination not to allow anyone other than staff or faculty anywhere near its docks. Even Mei had made it clear that she was acting on behalf of the Royal Sorcerer¡¯s Office, the clerk hadn¡¯t even given Mei the docks¡¯ location. As she started on her third plate of food, Mei decided that she¡¯d search the whole campus.

    Fran put her food tray next to Mei¡¯s. ¡°Where¡¯s Mags?¡±

    Mei shrugged. ¡°Not with you?¡±

    ¡°You know we don¡¯t take the same classes.¡± Fran sat down. ¡°I was hoping to talk to her.¡±

    ¡°What about?¡± Mei moved to let a servant hurriedly place a steaming cup of tea in front of Fran. ¡°You see her every morning.¡±

    ¡°I do, but these just arrived.¡± Fran pulled out two envelopes, one white, one indigo. She tapped the indigo. ¡°I¡¯ve been asked to join you at the Tower.¡±

    Mei smiled. She needed someone around who talked about something other than magic. ¡°Good.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but¡­¡± Fran sighed. ¡°I mean it¡¯s mainly going through records, matching them to receipts, making sure that the Tower¡¯s spending the Throne¡¯s money right, being the Exchequer¡¯s eyes and ears.¡±

    Mei tilted her head. ¡°How? Will you follow me and Dwayne around everywhere?¡±

    ¡°Ha, I hope not.¡± Fran reached over and squeezed Mei¡¯s hand. ¡°I love you like a sister, and Dwayne isn¡¯t bad, but he spends all his time studying, and you¡¯ve pressed boot leather to practically every cobblestone in the city. I do not have the patience or the strength for either.¡±

    ¡°Not every cobblestone.¡±

    Fran cocked an eyebrow. ¡°Where were you this morning?¡±

    ¡°The south riverbank.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Fran held her other hand up. ¡°No, I know you were looking for your brother, but I¡¯ve no reason to be anywhere near the wall.¡±

    Mei eyed Fran, noticing the wind Qe¡¯s attempt to change the topic. Normally, Maggie would pursue the obvious question, but she wasn¡¯t here so Mei had to ask, ¡°Didn¡¯t you want this?¡±

    ¡°I wanted something like this, but¡­¡± Fran squirmed. ¡°I wanted to work at the Exchequer where all the action is. The Tower is just you, Lady Pol, and Dwayne. Put together we could barely fill a rowboat!¡± She looked down. ¡°I¡¯m being foolish, aren¡¯t I?¡±

    Mei shrugged. ¡°You had what you wanted, and then it was taken away. It¡¯s not foolish to want it back.¡±

    That was a pretty good description of what had happened to Mei, and she didn¡¯t feel foolish.

    ¡°But I¡¯m complaining about a perfectly good opportunity because it is only mostly what I want.¡±

    Mei patted Fran on the back. ¡°You and I can talk all the time.¡±

    ¡°Dwayne won¡¯t mind?¡±

    Mei shook her head. ¡°He¡¯ll be in the basement working.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Fran picked at her food. ¡°I do want to hang out with you more. And I¡¯ll be working under Lady Pol, almost like her apprentice. Even my mother can¡¯t complain.¡±

    That didn¡¯t sound like real enthusiasm, but Mei would take it. ¡°So you¡¯ll do it?¡±

    Fran straightened in her seat. ¡°Promise me two things.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°One, you must let me design you a better uniform. You cannot imagine how much effort I expend on not commenting on this tragedy you wear everyday. And not just you, the whole office.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    Mei nodded. Easy enough.

    ¡°Two, I must not be hurt.¡±

    Mei nodded again.

    ¡°I mean it. If I¡¯m hurt, not even the Lightning Bolt of the East could survive my mother¡¯s wrath.¡±

    Mei squeezed Fran¡¯s hand. ¡°You will not be hurt. I promise.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Fran pulled her hand away to pick up her tea. ¡°I only ask because you¡¯ve only been here a month or so, and the two of you have gotten attacked thrice. I only want a tiny bit of excitement, just enough for good stories, not enough for scars. Understand?¡±

    ¡°Understood,¡± said Mei. ¡°Do you want to run away before or after?¡±

    ¡°Before is preferable.¡± Fran sipped her tea. ¡°Unless you can arrange for a certain handsome knight to whisk me away?¡±

    Mei¡¯s eyes met Fran¡¯s. ¡°You can choose between me or Dwayne.¡±

    ¡°I choose you.¡±

    ¡°Done.¡±

    ¡°Done.¡±

    They held each other¡¯s gazes until the giggling exploded out of them. After getting herself back under control, Mei asked, ¡°What¡¯s in the other one?¡±

    ¡°Oh, this?¡± Fran gestured at the white envelope. ¡°Umm¡­ Let¡¯s wait for Magdala, shall we?¡±

    Mei pulled the envelope towards herself. There were three names written on it: hers, Maggie¡¯s and, ¡°Saundra!¡±

    ¡°I know,¡± said Fran. ¡°I¡¯m dying to know what she wrote.¡±

    ¡°Why? You¡¯ve never met her.¡±

    ¡°I had Mags send a sketch I made of our Harvest Ball outfits. I have to know what she thought of them.¡± Fran eyed the envelope. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t open it, should we?¡±

    Mei frowned. Obviously, Fran wanted to do exactly that. ¡°I can open-¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯s a letter from Dwayne, right? I know Mags says they¡¯re just friends, but the way they looked at each last night is not how ¡®just friends¡¯ look at each other.¡±

    Mei agreed. However, ¡°I thought this was about Saundra?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. Let¡¯s open it.¡±

    Mei pulled the letter out of reach. ¡°I will. I¡¯ll also read it first.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. That¡¯s sensible.¡± Fran held herself still. ¡°I mean maybe there¡¯s a secret in there I don¡¯t need to know.¡±

    Mei was more concerned that she¡¯d never see the letter again if Fran got a hold of it. After slicing open the envelope, Mei set herself to the task of deciphering Saundra¡¯s blocky handwriting.

    <blockquote>

    Dear Lady Gallus and Miss Ma,

    I have good news: I¡¯m coming to Bradford! I and the others just finished our combat training (I got to learn how to wield a pike!), so now we¡¯re being sent to Bradford to ¡°learn how to hold spoons¡± or something. I have to admit I ain¡¯t am not looking forward to it, not after what you told me about the Tarpan dinner, but at least I¡¯ll get to see you both.

    Oh, more good news: the axes are done! I¡¯m right jealous of Mei¡¯s. It looks it¡¯ll fly out of your hand. Langseth really outdid herself. I did put make a suggestion for yours though, Lady Gallus. I think it¡¯ll fit how you fight. Hope you like it.

    Your friend,

    Saundra Taylor

    P.S. Was that really what you wore to the Ball? I wish I could have seen it.

    P.S.A Is the third girl your roommate, Lady Gallus? She¡¯s so elegant! Did she really make your dresses?

    </blockquote>

    It was good that the axes were done, even better Saundra was coming to town. They had a lot to catch up on.

    ¡°Well?¡± asked Fran, who¡¯d watched Mei like a hawk the whole time she¡¯d been reading.

    ¡°Here.¡± Mei handed it over the letter.

    After Fran breezed through the letter, possibly more than once, she clutched it to her chest. ¡°She thinks I¡¯m elegant.¡±

    ¡°Yes. She has eyes.¡±

    Fran threw a glare Mei¡¯s way. ¡°Surely, Mag wore a dress down in Walcrest.¡±

    Maggie had not used the word ¡°elegant¡± to describe her first meeting with Saundra. ¡°Sweaty¡± and ¡°undone¡± had been prominent. ¡°Yes, she did.¡±

    ¡°Well, nevermind.¡± Fran put the letter back into its envelope and, after a longing look, handed it back to Mei. ¡°I¡¯m glad those axes are finally on their way. I swear Mag mutters about them in her sleep.¡±

    ¡°She definitely does.¡±

    Mei looked down at her half empty plate. Fran was going to join the Tower. It wouldn¡¯t be bad to ask. ¡°Fran, do you know where the Magisterium docks are?¡±

    ¡°The docks?¡± Fran put down her fork. ¡°South Campus. Rosetti Building.¡±

    Mei stared. That name implied the docks were on campus, even though the Brad was prinwirs away. ¡°They¡¯re here? How?¡±

    ¡°We made them. About three queens ago, the Sages got tired of going all the way to the river, so they ordered Earth Qe to cut a canal from there to here.¡±

    ¡°And where do they meet?¡±

    ¡°Just east of Bradford. Why? Wait.¡± Fran studied Mei. ¡°This is about Huan, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Mei nodded.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Fran leaned back in her seat. ¡°So you¡¯ll want to get into Rosetti. You can¡¯t, not tonight, not alone.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡¯

    ¡°It¡¯s exam season.¡±

    Mei frowned. ¡°So students study there?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± A grin grew on Fran¡¯s face. ¡°We party there. If you go there dressed in that tragedy you call a uniform, you¡¯ll get kicked out and never even see who¡¯s guarding Rosetti itself.¡±

    ¡°I can get past them.¡±

    Fran¡¯s eyes glittered. ¡°Or you can just walk in. Tonight¡¯s theme is ¡®What you¡¯d never wear¡¯ and I have the perfect costumes for all three of us.¡±

    ¡°Three?¡±

    ¡°I will not allow Magdala to get away with standing us up for lunch.¡±

    Mei leaned in. ¡°There will be danger. I promised.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t go into the boathouse.¡± Fran patted her hand. ¡°Neither of us will. But we can get you past the party. Besides, after last night, you both need a break.¡±

    Mei let out a breath. ¡°Does that mean we¡¯re inviting Dwayne?¡±

    ¡°Cups, no,¡± said Fran. ¡°He doesn¡¯t have the time. Haven¡¯t you heard? He¡¯s to take the Qe Master¡¯s Examination in a week.¡±

 Rimjaliut, Flare - Part 2

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

 Rimjaliut, Flare - Part 3

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    Maggie threw the vial into the bonfire and filled the air with green and purple lights.

 Rimjaliut, Flare - Part 4 - END

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

 Qeuibuve, Shiver - Part 1

    Early the next morning, Magdala ran through the misty woods up the rarely trodden path to the Duelist¡¯s College. By now, any preconceptions that she was physically fit had been left gasping in the mud. She hated every part of this, from the way each breath tore at her chest to how every step was a short brief contest between her will to keep going and the ground¡¯s welcome. However, the worst part was what she was wearing.

    ¡°I had your traveling clothes burned,¡± Francesca had explained from the depths of her covers.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°As the Royal Sorcerer¡¯s Office next employee, I refuse to work with anyone who¡¯d wear anything as unfashionable as those things.¡±

    ¡°Employee?¡± Magdala had jumped onto to her roommate¡¯s bed. ¡°You¡¯re joining the Royal Sorcerer¡¯s Office?¡±

    ¡°Too loud.¡± Francesca nestled deeper into her blankets. ¡°A much better outfit is under your bed, and please inform Dwayne,¡± she¡¯d yawned, ¡°his is coming.¡±

    What Magdala had found, what she was wearing now, was a blouse, a leather waistcoat, a indigo long-coat with matching breeches, a belt festooned with holders for vials, a silver embossed bracer for her Qe core, and a pair of knee-high cavalry boots that had closeable slits to help her legs breath. Put together, the ensemble more closely resembled her riding clothes than her traveling ones, although lacking the skirt and a tighter fit. She¡¯d tried to protest the latter, but her roommate had mumbled something about windsong leathers before becoming completely insensible to further complaint. Still, Magdala was impressed, particularly with the woven leather in the waistcoat, which was supposed to still be in the theoretical stage. How Francesca had gotten her hands on some was anyone¡¯s guess.

    While the outfit was extremely easy to run in, that wasn¡¯t why she was now jogging through the woods before sixth bell. No that was because right before she¡¯d awakened her roommate, the Lightning Bolt of the East had showed up at Magdala¡¯s dormitory and demanded the dorm minders to bring her down.

    When Magdala, blinking away sleep, arrived in the lobby, Lady Pol had proclaimed, ¡°Yesterday, your lady mother requested I teach you all I know about the thaumaturgical martial arts.¡±

    That had woken Magdala up. ¡°Really? She did?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll start with physical fitness. You¡¯ll be running from here to the College.¡±

    ¡°What? That¡¯s almost seven prinwirs!¡±

    Lady Pol¡¯s eyes glinted. ¡°Then you¡¯d better hurry.¡±

    Gasping like a bellows, Magdala turned right at the final crossroads then barreled her way up the rocky path, ducking beneath low branches and clambering over fallen logs. A tree root caught her foot, forcing her to stamp her other one down to save herself from adding a mud and dirt to the sweat beading her brow. Thankfully, no one else was out here to see-

    ¡°Yes, he said ¡®baron.¡¯¡±

    Was that Mei?

    ¡°It makes sense. He¡¯s been involved since the beginning.¡±

    Why was Dwayne here? Magdala couldn¡¯t let him see her dressed like this, sweaty and wearing an outfit that was practically cemented to her hips, but before she could find a path around them, Mei stepped out from behind a tree, her rifle strapped to her back.

    ¡°Maggie!¡± The hunter waved a little too enthusiastically. ¡°Why are you running?¡±

    ¡°Mei!¡± Magdala was about to give in, to stop and say hi, but when Dwayne appeared, when his widening eyes took in her flushed face, her wild hair, the shape of her in her breeches, she changed course, saying ¡°I¡¯m-sorry-I¡¯ve-got-to-run-I¡¯ll-see-you-later-bye!¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    Her face hot, Magdala¡¯s memory of the last few wirs of her run became a blur, dominated instead by her hope that Dwayne had liked what he¡¯d seen and her sincere desire to create a memory obliterating potion for the both of them. By the time she reached the Duelist¡¯s College, at the highest velocity she¡¯d ever achieved in her lifetime, she¡¯d settled on fervently pretending that she¡¯d somehow had a normal conversation with her lord uncle¡¯s apprentice.

    Lady Pol whistled as Magdala reached the cabin porch. ¡°You made good time.¡±

    Magdala collapsed against the cabin then threw the older mage a glare. ¡°Why are Dwayne and Mei on their way?¡±

    ¡°The young Dwayne Kalan needs to blow off some steam, possibly literally, and you need a dueling partner. As for Mei,¡± Lady Pol shrugged, ¡°I have no idea. She finds her own wind.¡±

    Mei had unexpectedly run into her brother last night, so maybe she also needed a distraction? But as for Dwayne, ¡°He can¡¯t do Ri magic, not out here.¡±

    ¡°And he won¡¯t have to.¡± Lady Pol started waving. ¡°Hey, over here!¡± As Dwayne and Mei made their way towards them, Lady Pol asked, ¡°Did you really think this tiny field and this dinky cabin was all there was to the Duelist¡¯s College?¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­¡±

    ¡°Good morning.¡± Dwayne¡¯s expression was wry as he turned to Magdala. ¡°Magdala. I guess it was your turn to run away.¡±

    Looking refreshed and well-coiffed in his night blue long coat, Dwayne looked great and every bit the lord¡¯s scion Magdala¡¯s lord uncle had made him. He¡¯d looked great on the bridge too, even though he¡¯d had to have been nervous to speak with so many people without preparation. Seriously, he¡­

    Oh, she was just standing her staring. She should probably say something, anything.

    ¡°I, uh, needed the exercise.¡± Scintillating.

    Dwayne frowned. ¡°What for?¡±

    ¡°Because young Gallus here,¡± Lady Pol slapped Magdala on the back, ¡°wants to fight.¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°And I¡¯m here because?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll see. First, allow me to distribute these¡­¡± Lady Pol pulled a stack of gold cards out of her pocket and handed one out to Magdala, Mei, and Dwayne.

    The card was thin, but heavy, likely gold-embossed steel, but the bumps on it were intriguing. ¡°What are they?¡±

    ¡°Keys.¡± Lady Pol inserted hers into the center of the cabin door and waited. Thunk. She threw the door open. ¡°Onwards.¡±

    Instead of a humdrum cabin, the door opened on a set of stone stairs that descending into the dark.

    ¡°The cabin, the yard, those were to throw the deans off the scent,¡± Lady Pol explained as she led the way. ¡°We were young, rich and ambitious so we made this under the dark of night.¡±

    ¡°Sourans do like to put things underground,¡± said Dwayne.

    Magdala frowned. ¡°Things like what?¡±

    ¡°He can¡¯t say.¡± Lady Pol had paused to feel around in the dark. ¡°Now, they should be right around¡­ here. Qeuibuve.¡± Silvery light silhouetted the wind mage. ¡°Question, young Gallus: what did I just do?¡±

    The light came from an azade crystal set into the wall. ¡°You fueled¡­¡± That was wrong. ¡°What we¡¯re taught is that you provided magic to fuel the light, but that doesn¡¯t fit with Resonance Theory, does it?¡±

    Mei peered at the lit crystal. ¡°There are bugs inside it.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so they work like the spell vials,¡± said Dwayne.

    Lady Pol chuckled. ¡°And just like that, the three of you solve a mystery that has stumped Souran magic for ages.¡± She tapped another crystal. ¡°Qeuibuve. You¡¯re lucky you didn¡¯t demonstrate artificial versions of these two nights ago.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± asked Magdala.

    ¡°Certain noble families would find themselves destitute if these could just be made.¡± She tapped another crystal. ¡°Qeuibuve. Director Giordano would have been so pissed. We¡¯re here.¡±

    They¡¯d reached the bottom of the stairs where a vast, echoing space yawned before them.

    ¡°So, apprentice, trainee.¡± Lady Pol faced Magdala and Dwayne and gestured upwards. ¡°Will you do the honors? There are lights up there and all around us that Boyle used to light one by one, but I bet you two could do better.¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s hand brushed Magdala¡¯s as he joined her on the bottom stair. He grinned at Magdala. ¡°Are you thinking what I¡¯m thinking?¡±

    That friends weren¡¯t this friendly? ¡°Um, that this is like creating the Qe core?¡±

    ¡°Exactly. Let¡¯s try it.¡± He held out his hand to her.

    Magdala took it because it was logical, holding hands enhanced joint magic, and certainly Dwayne couldn¡¯t feel her heart race through her palms.

    ¡°You know the spell?¡± she asked by way of distraction.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Of course, he did. ¡°Then, on three. One, two, three.¡±

    ¡°Qeuibuve!¡±

    Their magic thrummed, and its harmony ignited the dozens of wall sconces and the massive crystal chandelier set high into the ceiling. The fresh silvery light revealed a large room nearly the size of Sanford with six circular fields cut into the stone floor. A bunch of dusty old equipment was piled into the far corner.

    ¡°Boyle would be pissed.¡± Lady Pol wiped her eyes and then turned to Magdala and Dwayne. ¡°Let¡¯s get started. Oh, you can stop holding hands now.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Magdala snatched her hand back. ¡°Sorry.¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s grin faded. ¡°Yeah, sorry.¡±

 Qeuibuve, Shiver - Part 2

    Once awe of lighting the room had passed, the dark weight of Thadden¡¯s sins, still unbanished by a night¡¯s sleep nor the shock of Magdala¡¯s outfit, took its place in Dwayne¡¯s mind. That meant he wasn¡¯t paying any attention to anything that Lady Pol and Magdala were saying until, ¡°and Dwayne has my permission to use Ri magic.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Lady Pol sighed. ¡°Magdala, please explain things to our soon-to-be Qe master what we¡¯re doing here? Mei and I have to go set things up.¡±

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Magdala asked.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine.¡± She didn¡¯t need his problems. Instead, he gave her an apologetic look. ¡°What are we doing?¡±

    ¡°Running a Guardian scenario.¡±

    ¡°A what?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s take this one,¡± said Lady Pol, patted a wood and wood dummy.

    ¡°It¡¯s a training exercise,¡± explained Magdala. ¡°Every round, one of us will take a turn guarding and another attacking. The attacker casts three spells. If she hits the target¡­¡± She paused to wait for the noise of Lady Pol and Mei dragging a dummy into the nearest ring to die down. ¡°She wins. We¡¯ll go for three rounds. Are you sure you¡¯re okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Dwayne looked away, ¡°and I can use Ri magic?¡±

    ¡°Correct.¡± Lady Pol rejoined the two of them, wiping sweat off her brow. ¡°Cups, I forgot how heavy those things are. Mei, please go pull that lever over there.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Is it safe down here?¡± Dwayne asked. ¡°If anyone saw me cast Ri¡­¡±

    ¡°Only three other people - Magdala¡¯s esteemed mother, her idiot uncle, and Odette - know about this place. You¡¯re safe.¡±

    Mei pulled the lever near the staircase, and water poured down from the ceiling, filling the grooves in the floor and transforming the rings into islands.

    Magdala crinkled her nose. ¡°This is pond water?¡±

    ¡°The same one you¡¯ll be returning it to when we¡¯re done,¡± said Lady Pol. ¡°Dwayne, you¡¯ll start on Guard. Magdala, attack.¡±

    ¡°Okay,¡± said Magdala.

    Dwayne only nodded, feeling ambivalent as he went to stand in front of the dummy at the far end of the ring. Dueling just seemed so trivial in the face of Akunna¡¯s suffering.

    ¡°Duelists, when I call out ¡®Raise arms,¡¯ you¡¯ll both raise Qe cores. When I call, ¡®Esses¡¯, you start. Understand?¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    That made sense. Esses meant ¡®go¡¯ in Vanurian. ¡°Yes,¡± said Dwayne.

    ¡°Yes,¡± said Magdala.

    ¡°Raise arms!¡±

    Dwayne and Magdala raised their Qe cores. Hers was also set in a bracer, one that was silver embossed and more elegant than his.

    ¡°Esses!¡±

    ¡°Qechinututem!¡±

    Dwayne parsed Magdala¡¯s spell then traced her eyeline to a spot just behind the dummy. He dashed forward and punched the stream of water targeting the dummy. ¡°Ri¡¯mwe¡¯ut!¡±

    The fireball fizzled out and Magdala¡¯s spell hit the dummy square in the back.

    ¡°Point to Magdala,¡± said Lady Pol. ¡°Switch places.¡±

    That happened so fast. As they passed each other in the center of the ring, Dwayne started to offer congratulations to Magdala, but Magdala was hiding a wince, like she was disappointed. Why?

    Pondering this, Dwayne reached to the other end of the ring, then turned to face Magdala.

    ¡°Raise arms!¡±

    As Dwayne put his hand up, Magdala shook off her disappointment and concentrated. He¡¯d have to try harder.

    ¡°Esses!¡±

    ¡°Ri¡¯mwe¡¯ut!¡±

    ¡°Qeulkusnutut!¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s fireball hit Magdala¡¯s wall of water and fizzled, but he wasn¡¯t done. ¡°Ri¡¯mwe¡¯ut! Ri¡¯mwe¡¯ut!¡±

    Looking bored, Magdala gestured. ¡°Qeulkusnutut.¡± Dwayne¡¯s attacks fizzled against her watery defense.

    ¡°Point to Magdala,¡± called out Lady Pol from her seat next to Mei on the stairs. ¡°Switch sides.¡±

    ¡°I thought you were training us,¡± Magdala called out as she started to cross the ring. ¡°You¡¯re not going to give him any tips?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re in training, not him,¡± answered Lady Pol. ¡°Hey, Dwayne, do you think Thadden¡¯s backing Huan?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Dwayne¡¯s fists clenched as he passed Magdala. ¡°I only know he¡¯s read Lord Kalan¡¯s correspondence.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Magdala reached back and grabbed his arm. ¡°Thadden was the sponsor?¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Well, Huan¡¯s saying Thadden¡¯s his back,¡± said Lady Pol. ¡°We¡¯ll verify later. For now, get in position.¡±

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±

    Dwayne would deal with Thadden soon, but he wasn¡¯t here for that. He was here to challenge Magdala. It was time for Dwayne to use her Harvest Ball gift.

    ¡°Raise arms!¡±

    Dwayne raised his arm. Magdala did the same.

    ¡°Esses!¡±

    ¡°Qechinututem!¡±

    ¡°Qesueke!¡±

    Magdala¡¯s spell splashed against the stone walls that Dwayne¡¯s had raised around him and the dummy. Despite the pain in his head, he peeked over them to grin at Magdala.

    ¡°Qeulkusnutut!¡±

    Magdala¡¯s response rushed up and over Dwayne¡¯s walls, flooding the inside. Dwayne shoved his arms into the water, thinking to evaporate the water, hoping to avoid drowning, but too much heat and he¡¯d boil, and besides-

    ¡°Point to Magdala,¡± called out Lady Pol. ¡°Reset field.¡±

    Beside, the dummy had been ¡°hit¡±. Forcing down his panic, the water had only reached his knees, Dwayne placed a hand on the walls. ¡°Qereuke.¡±

    The walls crumbled away, releasing the pond water back into the grooves around the ring. He¡¯d smell like a duck for the rest of the day, but at least he¡¯d forced Magdala to cast a second spell.

    ¡°Mei, can you take my coat please?¡±

    Mei got up, calling back to Lady Pol. ¡°Break into his office.¡±

    ¡°Break into whose office?¡± Dwayne asked.

    ¡°Thadden¡¯s,¡± answered Lady Pol. ¡°You two, switch places.¡±

    ¡°Mei, we can¡¯t break into everywhere,¡± said Dwayne as he complied. ¡°You¡¯ll get caught.¡±

    ¡°She hasn¡¯t been yet.¡± Magdala shrugged as she passed him. ¡°What¡¯s one more time?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t Huan catch her last night?¡± Dwayne reached the attacker¡¯s side.

    ¡°Or did she almost catch him?¡± Magdala reached the dummy. ¡°It¡¯s all about perspective.¡±

    ¡°Save the debate for after the duel,¡± said Lady Pol. ¡°Raise arms!¡±

    Dwayne considered his next move. Perspective. From Magdala¡¯s, he¡¯d blundered every turn, but maybe he could see it as lulling her into complacency.

    He raised his arm. He had just the thing.

 Qeuibuve, Shiver - Part 3 - END

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

 Xa-Yogg-Fehce-Doufe, Ash Weasel Fur - Part 1

    On the carriage ride back to Sanford with Dwayne, Mei¡¯s thoughts returned to what she¡¯d been doing since last night: figuring out what to do about Huan. While it was clear that his time spent on the run hadn¡¯t been good for him, and that the beast¡¯s paranoia was getting stronger and stronger, what wasn¡¯t clear was whether or not she could do anything about it aside from verifying his nonsensical comments.

    Maybe she needed a distraction.

    ¡°What do you want me to get from Baron Thadden¡¯s office?¡± she asked.

    Dwayne, who was looking better after a brisk walk and a few secret Ri castings, shook his hand. ¡°Not you. Me.¡±

    Mei¡¯s brow wrinkled. ¡°Why you?¡±

    ¡°Because if I go, I¡¯ll know what to look for.¡± Dwayne sat back in his seat, watching the street roll by. ¡°Also I read faster.¡±

    Mei rolled her eyes. ¡°Lady Pol also said we should look for anything that connects him to Granite.¡±This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°I can do that too.¡±

    ¡°But-¡±

    ¡°Just trust me. I need to get into his office.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    Dwayne sighed. ¡°I just do. You broke into Sen Jerome¡¯s. Can you get me into the Royal Secretary¡¯s Office?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± But not alone. Mei knocked on the roof. ¡°Stop please.¡± She stepped out of the carriage. ¡°Wait here.¡±

    ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°To get help.¡±

    ¡°From who?¡±

    Someone who wouldn¡¯t be happy to help, but who be very miserable if Dwayne got caught. ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡±

    After taking a moment to orient herself, Mei took off in the direction of Sanford, reaching its front door in record time.

    She knocked.

    Rodion opened the door then frowned. ¡°Mei? Is Dwayne okay? Lady Pol didn¡¯t hurt him, did she?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Mei lowered her voice. ¡°I need Inge.¡±

    The steward shook his head. ¡°I told you that last time was the last time.¡±

    ¡°Dwayne wants to break into Baron Thadden¡¯s office.¡±

    ¡°What? You¡¯re joking.¡± Rodion gave an unsteward-like giggle. ¡°H-he wouldn¡¯t do anything that reckless.¡±

    Considering that Dwayne had, in fact, chased after Kay and the windsong after they¡¯d attacked Sanford, Mei only had to wait for the steward to hear the absurdity in his own words.

    It didn¡¯t take long. Rodion groaned. ¡°I do not need this right now. Wait here.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°And Mei?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°And this really is the last time.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°I mean it!¡±

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    <blockquote>

    </blockquote>

 Xa-Chuai-Dali-Ze, Cricket Song - Part 1

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 Xa-Chuai-Dali-Ze, Cricket Song - Part 2

    Dwayne¡¯s memories of the location of Akunna¡¯s apartment in the Plague District were hazy, likely an after-effect of the thaumaturgical deprivation he¡¯d been suffering at the time, but he did remember a two-story building that ran along the main road dividing the Wesen and Vanurian Quarters. That was enough information for a carriage driver to take Dwayne to a plain white door on the second floor.

    Dwayne knocked.

    Nothing.

    He knocked again.

    Still, nothing.

    Where was she?

    Sighing, Dwayne sat down next to the door and waited for Akunna to come back home. Without the haze of thaumaturgical deprivation, the peeling plaster, the rain worn wooden struts, and the straw slowly replacing the roof shingles, the neglect of Akunna¡¯s landlord was impossible to miss even if the rooms were quite spacious compared to what the Vanurians lived in. During his research, Dwayne had come across an old Souran law that confined all Vanurians to the same area of space that five Sanfords took up. Wesens, on the other hand, lived in tenements owned by Souran nobles who cared little about comfort. Neither situation, living in ¡°spacious¡± neglect or cramped ¡°luxury¡± were good. While Magdala had been right that he couldn¡¯t bet on securing his position as Head Clerk, that was exactly the kind of power that he¡¯d need to help.

    Unfortunately, he had other concerns: Mei had missed breakfast. Dwayne wasn¡¯t that concerned though. After all, breaking into the College of Martial Magic had to be easier than fighting Revenants in the jungle, and Huan had always bragged that Mei could live off the land for weeks, and Mei knew Bradford and its environs like the back of her hand. If she¡¯d missed breakfast, then perhaps she was playing it safe, lying low, gone to ground. In the meantime, they¡¯d just have to prepare a feast for her and she¡¯d show up and Dwayne could stop worrying.

    That settled, Dwayne pulled out his notes from last night¡¯s study session with Magdala, who¡¯d shared some insights into how Water Qe mages thought about ebb and flow, which wanted to set in his mind. He smiled. Despite the awkward start, it had been fun to study with Magdala again, even if it could be tiring to answer all those-

    Someone groaned. Dwayne looked up. Akunna, dressed in a dusty, tattered tunic and trousers, was hauling herself up the stairs, each step painting pain on her face.

    Dwayne rushed to take her arm. She smelled of sweat and wood shavings. ¡°What happened?¡±

    Akunna frowned at his helping hand then peered at his face. ¡°Dwayne? Cussed lightning, what¡¯re you doing here?¡±

    ¡°I was waiting for you.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Akunna stumbled on the final stair.

    Dwayne hauled her onto the landing. ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine.¡± Her tired laugh made him wince. ¡°Staggering is my new hello.¡± She pulled out a key and fumbled it, trying to unlock her door. ¡°You¡¯ve an exam. Why ain¡¯t you studying?¡±

    Dwayne took the key and unlocked the door. ¡°Thadden told you?¡±

    ¡°Made my day.¡± Akunna chuckled as she pushed open her door. ¡°Seeing him like that.¡± She pushed away from Dwayne and collapsed into bed. ¡°You here to gloat? That would be new. You wear modest like a noble wears arrogant.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not here to gloat.¡± Dwayne closed Akunna¡¯s door then sat in her only chair. Her dark skin did its best to hide them, but Dwayne could see the bruises and cuts on her arms and legs as clear as day. He¡¯d been a slave after all. ¡°I came to get you out.¡±

    Akunna blinked. ¡°Out?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t let Thadden punish you for helping me. Mag- Young Gallus and I talked it over, and I believe we can smuggle-¡±

    Akunna shook her head. ¡°No.¡±

    Dwayne¡¯s head jerked back. ¡°No?¡±

    Akunna shook her head again, painfully, slowly. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡±

    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    She eyed him for a long moment then said, ¡°Because I don¡¯t want to.¡±

    Dwayne opened his mouth, his tongue ready with arguments and reasonings, but any argument he could make amounted to denying her choice and any reasoning he could form led to him making the choices her kidnappers had made. And so, he said ¡°Okay.¡±

    Akunna groaned. ¡°Curling fires, you make it hard to hate you.¡±

    Dwayne blinked. ¡°Hate me? Why?¡±

    ¡°I want to hate you because you¡¯ve got the luck and the magic and the freedom and I don¡¯t. But I can¡¯t because you understand.¡± Akunna curled up. ¡°Every so often, a free Wesen hears my poems and declares they¡¯ll ¡®take me away from all this.¡¯ They¡¯ll say its because of love or my words, but it¡¯s always really because of guilty, so when I say no, they¡­ don¡¯t take it well. You looked into buying my ¡®tract, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I did, but even if Thadden would sell it to me, I couldn¡¯t afford it.¡±

    Akunna chuckled weakly. ¡°Yeah, his pride would kill him if he sold my ¡®tract to you, a Wesen brat he dearly wants to drown in the Brad. Besides,¡± she gestured at the pristine maid uniform hanging next to the door, ¡°who would serve him and his friends afternoon tea?¡±

    Dwayne went still. ¡°Even now, he makes do that?¡±

    ¡°Yep, right before I go to work on the Project.¡± Akunna curled tighter. ¡°That¡¯s why I need to sleep now.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡± Dwayne stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll-¡±

    ¡°Wait.¡± Akunna sat up, winced. ¡°You should know why I said no. I¡¯ve my own plan. I¡¯m going to break them out.¡±

    ¡°Who out?¡±

    Akunna grinned. ¡°Everyone.¡±

    Dwayne sat back down. ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°When our dear friend Mister Baron Otto Thadden sent me to the Project, he made a mistake. A maid doesn¡¯t have time to talk to people like herself but a laborer has all the time in the world.¡±

    Dwayne grinned too. ¡°So you have a plan. Where will you all go?¡±

    ¡°Some will try to go home, some will hide, and some,¡± her eyes glittered, ¡°are going to fight.¡±

    It was madness. It was foolish. It was perfect. ¡°How can I¡­¡± Right, he shouldn¡¯t presume. ¡°I¡¯d like to help.¡±

    ¡°Make us a chance, something big to distract the guards. Then we¡¯ll make our move.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    She blinked. ¡°That¡¯s it? You don¡¯t want to know the rest?¡±

    ¡°Is it something I can help with?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then,¡± Dwayne sat back, ¡°I don¡¯t need to know.¡±

    ¡°Cussed lightning, lordling,¡± Akunna shook her head, ¡°you make it hard to hate you.¡±

    There was a knock at the door.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get it.¡± Dwayne went to the door and opened it to find Magdala standing there.

    She shoved a letter into his hands. ¡°Read this.¡±

    Dwayne frowned at it. ¡°What is it?¡± He saw the handwriting. ¡°This is from Lord Kalan.¡±

    ¡°Hey, trying to sleep!¡± called out Akunna.

    ¡°Sorry.¡± Dwayne stepped outside, closing the door behind him. ¡°Where did you get this?¡±

    ¡°Mei found it,¡± said Magdala. ¡°Dean Bruce had it.¡±

    ¡°Mei¡¯s okay!¡± Dwayne searched Magdala¡¯s face. She looked worn. ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°I will be.¡± Magdala sniffed. ¡°You should read the letter.¡±

    Dwayne put his hand on her arm. ¡°Are you really okay?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± Magdala pulled away, ¡°just read.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Dwayne opened the letter, which was dated one and a half weeks after the Harvest Ball.

    <blockquote>

    Dear Dwayne,

    Having just received your last correspondence via caravan, I find I must apologize for the manner in which you learned that I¡¯d abdicated my position as Royal Sorcerer. Still, I¡¯m grateful that you and Luisa were able to connect. I know she will perform her duties as your teacher with the care and attention you deserve; she basically demanded your apprenticeship after all.

    </blockquote>

    The apology was nice.

    <blockquote>

    However, I must admit to some jealousy; you¡¯ve found a solution to Resonance Scattering and created a external Qe resonator! Your ability to find the answers to questions that have bedeviled me for years is a source of jealousy but also a source of pride as I must applaud your achievements. Just remember not to let your other special qualities cause you to stand out too much. By now, you¡¯ve those who would take you away and remand you into the custody of those who refuse to share their knowledge. Just be sure to keep all you have close and you¡¯ll be fine.

    </blockquote>

    The hints at Na¡¯cch and Dwayne¡¯s Ri magic were a bit much.

    <blockquote>

    I have one more confession to make. By the time you receive this letter, I will be in Vanuria. In response to your inevitable question, it¡¯s because I believe that external resonators like that glorious Qe core you¡¯ve made are not the only way to enable a mage to cast every spell humanity has at its disposal. I speak not of the Well, I have no leads on where that is, but of a method of implanting, or even growing, an internal resonator in a person. Think of it! Such a resonator should have at least one distinct advantage over your new cores: creating a mage from a lay base. So I¡¯ve gone to visit a researcher in Vanuria I¡¯ve been in contact with to explore this possibility. Imagine it, a Qe-Fo cross-disciplinary project! How could I pass that up?

    </blockquote>

    ¡°He cannot be serious.¡±

    <blockquote>

    Unfortunately, Vanuria means I couldn¡¯t take you with me. As you very well know, the southern lands are too dangerous for a free Wesen, and I refuse to subject you to any more horrible things. So stay in Bradford, learn from Luisa, impress my lady sister, create unimaginable magic and stay safe.

    </blockquote>

    ¡°Was this why you abandoned me?¡±

    <blockquote>

    Ever Grateful to Have Met You,

    Bartholomew Kalan

    P.S. Next time we meet, I will expect a full report from both you and my niece on your accomplishments.

    </blockquote>

    ¡°I¡¯ll shove it down his throat!¡±

    ¡°You do know you¡¯re shouting, right?¡± asked Magdala.

    Dwayne looked up. Magdala had guided him away from Akunna¡¯s door and onto the street, where more than a couple of people were throwing alarmed looks his way.

    He grimaced. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s just¡­ How stupid is he? He abandoned me then put even more on my plate.¡±

    ¡°He is an expert at creating problems for other people.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯ll regret it when I rescue him.¡±

    Magdala¡¯s expression was grim. ¡°When we rescue him.¡±

 Xa-Chuai-Dali-Ze, Cricket Song - Part 3 - END

    After much fretting and feeding, Mei faked needing a nap and ended up sleeping till sundown. When she woke, the others had moved on to other tasks - Dwayne and Maggie were studying, Lady Pol and Fran were sorting through the Tower¡¯s finances, and Rodion was cleaning - so none of them saw her grab her weapons and cloak then slip out.

    The nap had been inconvenient, she¡¯d planned to head out long before dark, but between the mountain of food Rodion had made and the stress of last night, she wasn¡¯t surprised that she¡¯d needed it. At least, it made her fresh and ready to find her brother.

    Exiting the Parvenue Quarter, crossing Boscage, and traversing Bradsbridge got Mei through the city gates and up to the edge of the grid of long pale tenement buildings that was the Wesen Quarter. Much like the empty-eyed husks she¡¯d seen in Yumma, these buildings felt dead since everyone who was awake was either working or hanging out at the many cafes lining the street dividing this quarter from the Vanurian. Unlike Yumma, the streets here were lit and were even paved with the same smooth stone that covered Tarpan¡¯s drive, which Mei could step soundlessly past the doors while casting a shadow across them.

    Mei was quiet but the quarter wasn¡¯t. The persistent rhythms of construction - hammering, clanging, shouting - echoed off the sides of its buildings. Mei followed them four blocks east and to a hole in the tenement grid, a hundred wir by hundred square now occupied by a partially built brick spire about thirty wir tall and forty wir wide. Ducking into an alley, Mei found cover before anyone below could see her then settled in to watch.

    The site was as busy as a hive. Workers took bricks off their pallets and hauled them over to piles that other workers used ropes to lift into the waiting hands of a team of bricklayers working to raise the spire. Below the brick work, carpenters took logs, cut them into planks and rails, and then hammered them into place. Aside from the workers, there were overseers pointing and shouting and mercenaries guarding.

    As Dwayne had reported as Mei ate, the site¡¯s workers were a mix of Wesen and Vanurian - most of the carpenters and bricklayers were the latter and most of the rest the former - and the pace they kept was frenetic. Not all of the workers could keep up. A brick carrier tripped, sending his load clattering to the ground. Immediately, an overseer was there to scream in his face to pick it up or ¡°else his master would hear of it and take it out on your worthless darkie hide.¡± Akunna¡¯s plan to free these people made sense, but that wasn¡¯t why Mei had come.

    She turned her attention to the mercenaries, examining height, hair cut, hair color, gait, posture, and when she could, their faces. Even at this distance, Mei was able to eliminate half of them, but the remaining one would require a close and careful watch. She was only able to eliminated three more mercenaries when an awrock-drawn cart carrying an iron cauldron large enough to hold ten people rumbled onto the site. Leaving the driver behind, four people in bright green cloaks dropped down onto the muddy ground. Two turned to the cauldron, raised their arms, and the heavy cauldron lifted itself out of the cart while the other two waited. A quick inspection of all four revealed that none of them were Huan; he wasn¡¯t a mage and the other two were a young woman with russet-colored hair and Colin Fletcher.

    Mei¡¯s lips flattened. Maggie and Dwayne had told her about last night, how Colin had tried to start a riot on Sanford¡¯s front lawn. It was bad enough that Dean Bruce¡¯s College was involved at all, but the fact that he¡¯d stood with Maggie on that Harvest Ball stage and acted like nothing was wrong was galling.

    Mei was still wrestling with her anger when a young man in a blue scarf and bearing a long curved sword at his hip, sauntered out of the spire and right up to Colin and Russet Hair. Mei¡¯s breath stopped. There was no sign of the magic knives, but there was no mistaking that smirk. That was Huan. He was here.

    Seventeen guards. Five overseers. Four mages.

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    That was all that stood between Mei and her brother. And she was all she had: the spy had left a message in pudding that they wouldn¡¯t help any more, Lady Pol was too busy, Odette too unknown, Francesca wasn¡¯t suited, Dwayne had his examination coming up, and Maggie was helping him study. As an Imperial, Mei couldn¡¯t sneak in and hide among the bare-faced workers, but she couldn¡¯t just attack because that would create chaos that her brother would use to escape.

    Seventeen guards. Five overseers. Four mages. One Mei. This wouldn¡¯t work. She had to take out Granite first.

    Mei tensed. Behind her, shoe leather had hit road pavement, meaning two people were approaching from behind. Thieves would be quieter, assassins would be faster, so these had to be¡­

    Mei turned around and asked, ¡°What are you two doing here?¡±

    Charlie looked surprised.

    Odette shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m just the guide.¡± She held out a hand to the scrytive. ¡°Pay up.¡±

    Charlie scowled. ¡°You¡¯re the lover of our next Royal Sorcerer?¡±

    ¡°A bet¡¯s a bet. Pay up.¡±

    Charlie slapped a pair of coins into her hand. ¡°There.¡±

    Odette grinned. ¡°Thank you very much. Now, I¡¯ve some business in the quarter next door so I¡¯ll see you back at the house, Mei.¡±

    ¡°Vulture.¡± Charlie joined Mei at her end of the alley. ¡°How have you been?¡±

    Mei¡¯s throat closed. She turned away.

    ¡°Ah. Well, I see you found Huan.¡± Charlie nodded towards the site. ¡°That¡¯s him, right? The fellow with the sword?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± asked Mei. ¡°You won¡¯t do anything.¡±

    Charlie sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for not helping. You must understand that my authority is granted by the Chamber and where its reach ends so does mine. It sounds you don¡¯t have that problem.¡±

    Mei glared at him. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°I know you did Sen Jerome¡¯s. Even they couldn¡¯t cover up all the noise you made escaping, and it was also the first place I¡¯d look for him given that night.¡± Charlie watched Huan take Colin and Russet Hair on a tour around the site. His jaw worked before he said, ¡°I should have expected it.¡±

    Mei turned away. ¡°You disapprove.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but-¡±

    ¡°I had to try.¡±

    ¡°I know, but-¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s my brother!¡± Mei pointed. ¡°He¡¯s the only family I have left.¡±

    ¡°And what was your plan tonight?¡± Charlie asked. ¡°Go down there, grab him, whisk him out of the city?¡±

    ¡°It was, but¡­¡± Mei winced. This was going to hurt. ¡°That wouldn¡¯t work. Dean Bruce has her hooks in him.¡±

    ¡°Dean Bruce?¡± Charlie grabbed Mei by the shoulders. ¡°Dean Roberta Bruce? That¡¯s who¡¯s behind all this? Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± Charlie released her and turned to stare at her brother. ¡°So how will you pry her loose? Shoot her?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Mei shrugged her rifle case on more securely. ¡°My friends would get in trouble.¡±

    ¡°Ah, because it could only be you. Say you take her down some other way, what happens to Huan?¡±

    Mei looked down. ¡°We leave.¡±

    ¡°So he can escape the consequences of his actions. Again.¡±

    ¡°We won¡¯t bother anyone.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not you who-¡± Charlie sucked in a breath then blew it out. ¡°I¡¯m not here to fight you. I¡¯m here to inform you that Wagner and I have been keeping our eyes on the local windsong messengers.¡±

    Mei frowned. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because we can¡¯t help you directly, but we can keep them safe. As a result, we heard that an unknown windsong has been seen transporting materials on and off river.¡±

    Mei¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Delma.¡±

    Charlie nodded. ¡°Unfortunately, the Brad falls under the Exchange¡¯s jurisdiction so we have no idea where the boats went, but-¡±

    ¡°The Magisterium.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I tracked one there.¡±

    Charlie chuckled. ¡°Of course you did. At any rate, she¡¯s transported a lot so both Wagner and I think something big is about to happen.¡±

    Mei glanced at the spire. ¡°That will not be done soon.¡±

    Charlie¡¯s eyes flicked to it. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°A Miasmatic Distribution Spire.¡±

    ¡°A what?¡±

    Mei shrugged. ¡°Maggie said it can spread any sort of gaseous fluid over a wide area. We don¡¯t know what or why.¡± She glanced at Charlie. ¡°What do you think is about to happen?¡±

    Charlie shook his head. ¡°We have no idea.¡±

    Mei thought about it. ¡°There is one thing happening soon.¡±

    Charlie gasped. ¡°The Qe Master¡¯s Exam.¡±

    Mei nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll be prepared. Anything else?¡±

    Charlie smiled. ¡°Would you like to come down to my cabin?¡±

    Mei stared.

    ¡°Jens and I want to get away for a while, and I thought it might be good for you too, to be away from all this.¡±

    Charlie¡¯s cabin was deep in the forests south of Bradford, where she could wander around, stalk a few local animals before they hid for the winter, breath fresh clean air, be free.

    Which she wouldn¡¯t actually be because she¡¯d have abandoned her responsibilities.

    She shook her head.

    Charlie nodded. ¡°Well, the offer¡¯s always open. Good luck with your brother.¡±