《Mystic Ink》


 At least a jail cell is a roof over your head

    Cass was lucky to wake up before they threw her into the cell. She scrambled quickly to her feet as they tossed her in, trying to look as strong as she could with her thin thirteen year old frame, dirty blond hair and bare feet. You learned quickly on the city streets that you could not show any weakness, and given the hungry looks on the kids that were already here they would likely have stolen the rags off her back.


    Not that Cass could claim to be any better. After Red''s gang had claimed the back streets, the miniscule amount of charity provided by the Church of Light was monopolized by them. She had seen the signs and left the alley that served as her home before the Red''s came around, the other inhabitants weren''t so quick and were thrown out with broken bones. Without healers they were as good as dead on the streets.


    So Cass could not rely on the thin gruel and occasional crust of bread provided by the Church once a week, nor on the garbage and refuse of the streets nearby, which left her little choice but to steal. A dangerous occupation for a homeless orphan, no one would care if a merchant killed her for the offense. Then again, going to the Church had become more dangerous as well, she saw how some of the Priests looked at her... Though how anyone would be interested in her skin and bone frame she would never understand.


    Regardless, she had to eat. She remembered the rain starting, distracting the man selling bread as he tried to cover up his wares, her dashing and slipping through the crowd and grabbing a steaming hot loaf before fleeing to the safety of the shadows. He had yelled and called her a thief, but if he pursued her the rest of his wares would be ruined by the rain. Cass was free to escape and enjoy her feast!


    Or so she thought, when she turned the corner she saw a wooden club swinging towards her face and then blackness. She had woken up as two guards were dragging her down a stone hall, any attempt to speak or struggle had resulted in a swift slap to her face and so Cass had just let them drag her and throw her into this cell.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    The kids in the cell werent much different from her, probably ages seven to sixteen, though it was hard to tell due to starvation. All dressed in rags that barely covered their emaciated bodies, and all with a hungry look in thier eyes that would instinctivly let someone know they would kill over a crust of bread.


    "Cheh," one of the older, larger boys stepped forward. "Another mouse, well, let me welcome you to your new home." He was tall, and far more muscular then most of the starved kids around him, and probably the oldest one here, at least sixteen definetely. Beneath his unkempt black hair his eyes promised brutal violence, even more so than the usual thug.


    "Lets get this out of the way first," He said, stepping forward as Cass pressed herself back against the bars away from him. "I am Rat, and this is my kingdom. You pay tribute to your king, and you live safely. You don''t and..." Rat gestured to a corner where Cass could see the broken form of a child, arms and legs twisted the wrong way, every so often the broken mess would groan, showing that he was still alive.


    "Whatever you say Boss," Cass replied without hesitation, living on the streets had killed any shred of pride she might have had. At least being in a jail cell was out of the rain. "I know my place."


    "Good," Rat smiled looking her over, "It will be nice to have someone else besides Birdie over there when nights get cold." Cass trembled with fear, but said nothing. All that mattered was survival, and it was only natural for the strong to take whatever they wanted from the weak. She had survived without selling herself for years, but these streets werent kind to women and she had always known it was a matter of time.


    "The second thing," Rat''s smile disappeared, a blessing perhaps as the crooked and blackened teeth in his mouth made his smiles horrific. "You ain''t in a town jail, and there is no release. This is the labratory of the Lord Magician, and we are all just test subjects. When he is done with you, well, lets just say that the Hells will seem a sweet release."


    Rat suddenly smiled again, "I wonder how you will scream..."


    Cass''s trembling increased, and she wondered if she would die here.

 It could be worse, but not by much.

    After ¡°greeting¡± Cass, Rat went back towards an archway in the far wall.  A separate room, perhaps?  Cass tried to avoid attention, but she had been arrested once before.  The cell she was put in was cramped, dark, and damp and it definitely did not have a second room.  She had been lucky that a kind hearted guard had released her, but she did not hope that it would happen a second time.


    Another person came towards her, a girl, maybe a year older than Cass herself, with dark, wavy hair.  Every Boss had underlings, and Cass prepared herself for the worst, she would probably be beaten to make certain that she ¡°knew her place.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry none,¡± the girl said as she saw Cass flinch.  ¡°Ain¡¯t nobody going to hurt somethin¡¯ that Rat claimed.  I would know, cause I¡¯m Birdie.¡±


    Cass did not relax, Birdie¡¯s hair might be long, but Cass noticed the bruises on her neck.  They looked vaguely like handprints, even if the others wouldn¡¯t touch her, she was far from safe.


    Birdie noticed her glance and laughed, ¡°Everythin¡¯s got a price kid, you should know that much if you came off the street.¡±


    Cass nodded, she did indeed know that.  And considering the broken kid in the corner, some bruises might be a small price to pay¡­  But that did not stop her fear.


    She let Birdie take her hand and pull her forward and introduce her to some of the other kids in the cell, nodding when she was supposed to and keeping her mouth shut.  Orphans learned quickly that no one wanted to hear them, and that few people were shy about letting a noisy orphan know that with fists and feet.


    ¡°Heh, you¡¯re even quieter than most of the dregs dragged in here.¡±  Birdie snorted, ¡°At least tell us what to call you.¡±


    ¡°Cass.¡±  Her reply was quiet, few orphans had a real name and few people had a real name as dangerous as hers.  She would have lied, but if someone in here knew her and told Rat, Cass did not want to imagine the punishment.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Birdie blinked, then sneered.  ¡°Ha, looks like we got ourselves a little noblewoman.  My apologies, Milady.¡±  Birdie did an exaggerated bow as the others snickered.


    Cass silently cursed the priest who had given her that name, back when she was too young to realize the danger it had.  Cass was short for Cassandra, which was a noble name.  For an orphan to even have a part of a nobles name bordered on blasphemy, which was another reason for Cass to keep her mouth shut around others.  As much as the thugs and thieves and whores of the streets hated nobles, they would never be able to take out their anger on them, but Cass was close at hand.  Even though she was no more nobility than she was a tree, the name alone was reason for some to vent their rage on her.


    ¡°Birdie, don¡¯t be sucha bitch.¡±  A ten year old boy drawled out, Cass remembered his name was Stone.  ¡°Ain¡¯t got much of a choice wit¡¯ your name, right?  It is what it is.¡±


    ¡°Come to think,¡± Stone continued, ¡°You should be thankin¡¯ Cass since Boss took a likin¡¯ to her.  Gods know we all are tired of hearin¡¯ your voice every night.¡±


    Birdie scowled at Stone but said nothing else before sighing.  ¡°Your right Stone, just street habits die hard.¡±


    Cass was shocked to see the apology and even more stunned when Birdie calmed down and turned to her.


    ¡°You must be havin¡¯ some questions.¡±  Birdie unnerved Cass, she alternated between nice and sneering, so she could not get a read on her.  ¡°Go ahead and ask.¡±


    Cass weighed the dangers of responding or not responding, feeling anxious that she could not tell which was worse.  But the expectant silence was also nerve wracking, so she squared her shoulders and asked.


    ¡°What is a laboratory?¡±  She had heard Rat use the word, but she had no idea what it meant.  Only that it had something to do with a magician, though she had only street rumours to tell her what a magician was to begin with.  Some dregs said that magicians could turn invisible and kill with a glance, others said that they did not even exist and were just fairy tales.


    ¡°Ha!¡±  Birdie laughed, ¡°They don¡¯t think of us dregs as people, you know?  That bastard magician keeps us here like a rich folk would keep chickens or ducks.  And uses us much the same.¡±


    ¡°He eats us?¡±  Cass¡¯s eyes widened and a tremor went through her body.  Even dregs would avoid cannibalism if it could be helped.


    ¡°Not quite,¡± It was Stone who replied this time.  ¡°We are ingredients for his ¡°experiments.¡±  Whatever the fuck they are.¡±


    ¡°They will probably be comin¡¯ soon,¡± Birdie said.  ¡°Best start praying you aren¡¯t chosen.  The Boss is gentle compared to those fucks.¡±


    Cass shivered, the eyes of the crowd around her had turned from hunger to abject terror.  What kind of mess had she landed in?

 Look at the bright side, at least its not my problem.

    AN: This chapter was removed from RRL because I didn''t read the rules well!


    But you can read itfreehere:https://www.patreon.com/posts/17530193


    You can find this chapterfree on Patreon at the link provided in the Author''s notes. I would suggest opening it in a new tab so that you can return to your browsing soon after ^_^You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    I apologize for the inconvenience.


    Also, in typing this I found out that chapter content must be at least 500 characters long. which is really annoying when you are just putting out a link to somewhere else D:

 Be careful what you wish for, you might get it.

    The cell brightened as the sun rose. Cass watched the ray of light shine through the window and slowly creep along the dirty stone floor towards the corner she had curled up in. She was tired, and could only hope that Rat waited until the next night to torment her, by that point Cass might be out of it enough not to notice what was going on.


    Of course, she was not sure it really mattered. Even if she had not been put into this cell with Rat the day would have come where she didn¡¯t have a choice. Sure, she could have tried to join a gang or become a thief, but the cost of joining and the cost of getting caught by the guards generally ended up being what Rat was going to take anyway.


    She had seen it happen time and time again, and it always ended with the woman dying from some unknown disease in a dirty alley with no one but the dregs of the city to note their passing.


    Really, did life even matter? Sometimes Cass felt so empty that she wondered if the pain might be worth it, just to feel something at all besides fear and hunger and void. But she knew she was too much of a coward, a brave person wouldn¡¯t be cowering in a corner waiting her turn to be beaten and violated. She didn¡¯t even have the courage to kill herself and be done with it all, so she just existed without reason.


    Lost in her thoughts, Cass nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard a loud banging sound in the outside cell. She stayed out of Rat¡¯s way as he cursed and got up, tossing Birdie to the side like little more than rag, and followed him out.


    ¡°Oi Rat,¡± it was one of the guards that had threw her in here, he had been banging a wooden club against the bars to get his attention.


    ¡°Tinus.¡± Rat seemed to swallow the curses that he wanted to say, after all, he was stuck in the cells with them too. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    Cass realized something suddenly, Rat spoke with far better diction than most thugs on the street. Cass herself took pride in her ability to speak, she had painstakingly learned in bits and pieces from the priests and priestesses at the Church, and it honestly made a difference when begging or dealing with authority. Anyone who could speak clearly received much better treatment, even if Cass had no idea why.


    ¡°Well now,¡± Tinus grinned evilly, ¡°Ya recollec¡¯ our agreement, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± He seemed a bit nervous all of a sudden, Cass took careful note. It always paid to know the weaknesses of those with power.


    ¡°Well now, that one kid fought back. The deal bein¡¯ that you beat the struggle out of ¡®em, and ya don¡¯ get taken.¡± Rat paled when he heard this, apparently Stone had caused enough trouble to warrant the guard coming here to talk to him about it. Depending on how things went, Rat might be taken. Cass fervently prayed to the Gods, even if she knew they wouldn''t listen to an orphan¡¯s prayer, that he be taken away and she would be safe for a little longer.


    ¡°It won¡¯t happen again,¡± Rat hurried to assure the guard. ¡°I will make sure of it.¡±


    ¡°Well now,¡± despite the situation, Cass could not help but wonder why the guard started every statement that way. ¡°See, we was thinkin¡¯ that you needed some remindin¡¯.¡±


    Tinus grin widened into a horribly cruel and sinister smile, ¡°So for the mornin¡¯ we¡¯ll be takin¡¯ your new toy.¡± The guard pointed the club at Cass.


    Her mind went blank, she had gone from daring to hope that Rat might be taken away to realizing she was probably about to die. It was an odd feeling though, if she was honest with herself, she might say it was relief. Her life would finally be over, according to the Church she could not possibly make it to Paradise, but Cass had always been careful not to break any important law or rule. So if she avoided the Hells, doctrine said she would be reborn. Maybe in her next life she would be happy.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you wait a bit?¡± Rat scowled, though Cass could tell he was relieved not to be taken. ¡°I haven¡¯t even got to try her out yet.¡±


    ¡°Shoulda screwed her las¡¯ night.¡± Tinus laughed, ¡°Now come here girl, I don¡¯ have much patience.¡±


    She should struggle, she supposed, but why bother? So Cass followed Tinus obediently, joined by another guard who watched her to make sure she didn¡¯t run. They twisted through corridors, and down several flights of stairs, perhaps she was in the basement of the castle. She wasn¡¯t sure if there was another stone building this large in the city after all.


    Their destination was a small chamber where three robed men were busily working with some bowls. All around the room were cabinets with expensive glass doors showing off all kinds of exotic ingredients and preserved creature parts, but what caught Cass¡¯s eye was the table in the center.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Made of striking black stone one could barely see that it was blood stained, but Cass noticed it. At the four corners of the table were shackles with intricate carvings in them. In fact, the whole table was exquisitely carved with incredibly detailed work. Were it not for the blood and shackles it would be beautiful.


    One of the robed men turned to greet them, ¡°Ah thank you Tinus, if you would be so kind as to put it on the table.¡±


    This man was old, his hair stark white and thinning and a face made of wrinkles. He would look kindly if not for his piercing eyes. Cass also noticed that he referred to her as ¡°it.¡± Well, she didn¡¯t care at this point.


    They stripped her and doused her in water, Cass noted that the floor seemed to be built to let water flow into a drain, and her back was scrubbed vigorously. She was vaguely curious as to why this was happening, but it didn¡¯t really matter she supposed. She was then shackled face down on the table, and she shivered with the cold. She didn¡¯t complain, just lay there and listened as the robed men talked and busily worked around her.


    ¡°I do wish we could get better research materials,¡± This one sounded young, but his voice had a nasally sound to it. ¡°I mean, look at her back. She is so thin that her spine juts out, that makes this so much harder.¡±


    ¡°Quit complaining,¡± Another young voice, annoyed sounding. ¡°That is all you ever do, if you worked with half the effort you spent griping about work we would probably have results already.¡±


    The older man chuckled at that, ¡°You are both my apprentices, and you should learn this lesson. Magic is a slow art, making gains in understanding its mysteries is a lifetime pursuit. The letters back from the Tower believe our progress is nothing short of outstanding.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t particularly see how spending hours of work only to see the subject die in ten seconds instead of nine is progress.¡± Cass mused that maybe he had broken his nose, she had never heard such a nasally voice before. She hoped they would get on with it soon, she was cold.


    ¡°There you go, complaining again. It doesn¡¯t matter, the pigments and combs are ready.¡± The annoyed voice squatted down in front of her so that he could look her in the eyes. All mages were nobles, only they had magic in their blood, and considering the healthy glow to this mans face and the sparkling blue eyes and lustrous blonde hair, Cass could only compare to her own thin frame and think bitterly about the gap between them.


    ¡°Listen carefully,¡± The mage said, although he seemed to be hardly paying attention himself. As if this was something he had repeated so many times that he had grown bored of it. ¡°You will be feeling some pain on your back soon, if you don¡¯t move and stay very quiet we will give you a gold coin and release you, ok?¡±


    Cass tried to nod, but the table didn¡¯t let her. Still, the mage got the idea and stood up. They probably weren¡¯t lying about the pain, but she doubted she would ever get a gold coin. Doubt wasn¡¯t the right word even, no one would give an orphan such a treasure. More likely they would do whatever they wanted and then kill her. Finally.


    ¡°Well then let¡¯s get started, you two start at the subjects shoulders and I will start on the lower back.¡±


    ¡°As you say master.¡±


    ¡°Of course, master.¡±


    Cass felt three sharp, but wet, points on her back and then a sharp pain as something hit the objects, driving them into her. She didn¡¯t cry out, just clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. It would all be over soon anyway.


    However, it started to seem like it wouldn¡¯t be soon at all. The process of feeling the point and having it hammered in continued for hours, with the mages wiping her back every so often. Sometimes it didn¡¯t hurt much, but other times it felt like she was going to pass out and she could never tell which it would be before it was hammered in.


    She tasted blood in her mouth, Cass had bitten her own tongue subconsciously to keep herself from fainting. She had lost track of time and didn¡¯t know how long she had been on the table when she vaguely heard the old mage say ¡°Now for the last part of the glyph.¡±


    She felt the point on her back once again and then she screamed at the top of her lungs. It felt like her blood had instantly been replaced with liquid fire! She struggled and thrashed on the table as energy seemed to pour into her, fight with her, but she didn¡¯t understand anything but the absolute incredible pain!


    ¡°What the hell? This reaction!¡± The nasally voice seemed shocked.


    The old man had to shout over Cass¡¯s screams, ¡°It is a magic reaction, it happens when the power from the glyph comes into contact with a mages natural power.¡±


    ¡°But she is a commoner, an orphan.¡± The annoyed voice seemed vexed, ¡°She cannot have magic power as it only runs in noble blood lines.¡±


    ¡°Obviously, she is the bastard child of one family or another. It doesn¡¯t matter, it is a wasted experiment. We will have to repeat it with the next subject, all mages who have the glyph placed on them die. The body simply cannot hold that much magical power.¡±


    ¡°Well this is a waste, if we had known we could have used the Book to find out whose bastard she was. Might have made decent blackmail material.¡±


    Throughout this entire conversation Cass was thrashing and screaming, feeling overwhelmed as the fire in her blood got hotter and hotter. It felt like a massive pressure in her chest, fighting to break free through her skin.


    I just wanted to die! She wailed in her thoughts, just let me sink into the emptiness and die!


    She reached for that abyss again, and like a flood the fire seemed to pour into it. The heat seemed to be cooling and eventually she collapsed on the table, barely awake or coherent.


    ¡°Wait¡­ Impossible, she is still alive!¡±


    ¡°Quick, get the healing potions! There is so much we can learn from this!¡±


    Cass couldn¡¯t understand the excited voices and she fainted.

 Misery and happiness are the lot of human existence.

    The Priest¡¯s attendants would slop the gruel into the bowls of the ragged homeless that would come to the Church for charity. It was disgusting, but you learn what it means to be grateful when you get a single bowl of gruel after months of eating half rotten garbage to survive.


    Of course, the Church often ran out of food, so those who were last in line tended to go hungry regardless. So fights would occur on the side streets and back alleys to decide who would make it to the Church at all, which meant that in general only the adult homeless men managed to get in line.


    Nine-year old Cass would generally be at the back of the line, the first day she had tried she had been beaten and thrown into a gutter. Small even for a malnourished girl, she ate the scraps that older children left and often had that stolen from her as well. Anyone who saw her would think she was already dead, and if she didn¡¯t eat soon, they would be right.


    That night she had crawled, injured, starving, and close to death and hid herself in behind a stack of barrels and crates near the church, probably long forgotten by some merchant who learned that the people here were more likely to stab him and steal his money and leave him on the ground.


    No one would imagine that a person could fit in the tiny gap, but her gaunt frame could just barely manage it. She shivered, spending the rest of the night unable to sleep with rats and insects nibbling and biting her as she waited out the cold.


    So cold¡­


    Cass woke up shivering on a straw pallet, she had been dreaming¡­ And she was still alive. She sat up and looked around her, there was a thin blanket on the floor where she had apparently dropped it during her nightmare, but aside from that the room was empty. It was not unlike Rat¡¯s room, except for a solid looking wooden door instead of an open archway.


    Voices outside the door, talking about checking on her? As someone began to push open the door Cass realized that she was still naked and grabbed the rough blanket off the floor to cover herself and the man walked in.


    ¡°Finally awake, huh?¡± It was the annoyed mage from before, seeing him now Cass was reminded of one of the particular gang leaders she had met. The man had been so cold that simply looking at him caused Cass to shiver in fear, and this mage had an even more intense demeanor. His blue eyes were like ice.


    ¡°Just as well,¡± he continued, ¡°It would be a shame if you had died after surviving the application of the glyph.¡±


    Cass did not understand what he was talking about and just kept quiet, unsure whether she was supposed to speak or not.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°I am Sarius Hall,¡± the mage announced. ¡°A son of Viscount Hall. I will say this once, disrespect or disobey me and you will regret it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± Cass bowed her head, though her thoughts were bitter. She berated herself as a coward yet again, if she had spoken out here she might be executed and finally have all of this end.


    ¡°Remember it.¡± Hall continued to look down at her, ¡°I came to check on your condition, and now that you are awake I will have the servants bring some clothes and food.¡±


    He turned to leave and Cass steeled herself and quietly asked, ¡°Lord Hall, what will you do with me?¡±


    ¡°A commoner, and a homeless rat at that wouldn¡¯t be able to understand the intricacies of what we are doing.¡± Hall snorted in contempt. ¡°You have no value as anything more than an interesting experiment.¡±


    With that final sneer, he left the room, leaving Cass alone with her thoughts. How were things different from before? She guessed she had some value, more value than before surely, but Cass did not know why. They had done something to her back¡­


    She twisted around, trying to see her back. Cass could barely see it, but by stretching she was able to see that there was a black mark, no¡­ A design, on her back.


    She tried to rub it off, but it seemed part of her. Cass had heard about tattoos, but she did not know much about it. She didn¡¯t think they had anything to do with mages, but then she knew nothing about mages besides the rumors on the streets.


    Those rumors said that mages could kill with a glance and eat souls, she wished she had payed more attention when she heard them. But at the time she had only been envious of the people who had the energy and time to gossip.


    A knock on the door caused Cass to jump, she had been lost in her thoughts.


    ¡°Excuse me, I am coming in.¡± A woman entered the room dressed in a long brown dress and her long hair tied back behind her. She carried a pile of cloth and¡­ What was that smell?


    ¡°Lord Hall has assigned me to handle your meals and laundry, my name is Maurice.¡± She seemed a cheerful lady, but Cass had fixated on her right hand that had a basket that leaked a delicious scent. ¡°I won¡¯t be seeing you very often, but I hope we get along¡­¡±


    Maurice¡¯s voice drifted off as she noticed Cass¡¯s attention on the food. ¡°Ah, you must be hungry. It is not much, but the cook had steamed vegetables and there was a little bit of chicken left over from dinner so I thought to add it.¡±


    She held the basket towards Cass and then jumped back slightly when Cass quickly grabbed it from her and tore into it. The food was so hot it burned her tongue and mouth, but she had never tasted anything so good in her life.


    Maurice stood their stunned just watching Cass stuff food into her mouth, ignoring the fact that she had dropped the blanket and had left her emaciated frame exposed. Cass had tears falling down her face before she even noticed it.


    Maurice gently set the clothes down on the pallet next to Cass. ¡°I cannot speak for how the Lord¡¯s will treat you, but they have asked me to bring you meals in the morning and at night. I don¡¯t know if their will be meat for a while, but I can guarantee that I will be here every day.¡±


    Cass wiped her tears but then noticed something else odd, lowering her hand to her neck she felt a thin metal band around it. What on earth was this?

 And thus we give thanks for this meal

    Cass panicked, scratching at the metal collar on her neck, trying to work her fingers between it and her neck.  She could not see it, it encircled her neck right below her chin, and it seemed to be very thin, but she could not make it budge or bend.


    The servant Maurice grabbed her hands and pulled them away from the collar, Cass tried to struggle in a panic but the older and better fed Maurice was much stronger than her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that!¡±  Maurice said in a slightly panicked voice, ¡°It might activate!¡±


    ¡°A-Activate?¡±  Cass stuttered, her mind reeling.


    ¡°That slave collar is special.  I don¡¯t know much about it but the guards said it was used to hold captured mages.  If you try to remove it they say it will hurt you.¡±


    A slave collar.  For a second Cass had dared to hope that things might be a little better, she did not have the willpower for her cynical and skeptical side to make a difference when someone promised two meals a day.  Especially when the meal this person brought was so good.  But even as a homeless dreg in the slums, she had at least been a freeperson.  Now, she had been dropped down to merchandise, an object and that was only what happened to people with normal collars.  If Cass believe what Maurice said about her collar¡­


    The door pushed open again and this time it was the white haired mage who entered, Maurice quickly stood up and bowed.  ¡°My apologies, Lord Evans.¡±


    This old mage, Lord Evans, gestured towards the door and Maurice scurried out.  His gaze was even worse than the other mage, Cass thought.  Lord Hall had been cold, but Evans seemed¡­ Empty, as empty as Cass felt sometimesThis narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Cass quickly broke his gaze and bowed her head.


    ¡°It seems I have a lot to teach you before you are of use to me.¡±  Evans spoke quietly, but powerfully.  To some extent, Cass felt his words rather than heard them.  The mage noticed Cass tremble slightly, ¡°You are probably experiencing an effect of the enchanted slave collar, it has been attuned to me after all.  You do not have the right to use my name, I am your master and you are an object.  Remember that.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes, Master.¡±


    Evans did not seem to care if she responded or not, continuing on.  ¡°People like you were basically things to begin with anyways.  No one cares if you are taken off the streets, no one cares how you are used and that is how it should be.  We nobles are a higher existence than the scum that flows down the gutters, but you should be happy, because you have use to me.¡±


    ¡°I do not know how you survived the glyph when you have your own magic, but I intend to find out and I will turn you into a weapon for the glory of the kingdom.  Be thankful that you are of use.¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow at dawn, we begin.¡±  And with that, he strode out of the room, the door shut and locked behind him.  Cass finished the food out of habit, barely able to taste it anymore with her head reeling.  She laid back down, oddly tired despite not knowing how long she had slept after that day¡­


    Cass was no longer a person, but a thing.  But Cass did not care about pride or freedom all that much, you could not eat or take shelter in either.  She was unsure if her life would be better or worse, but she was afraid to be found useless and be unable to eat such a delicious meal again.  They were probably not good people, perhaps the rumors were right and they wanted to eat her soul, but Cass would work her hardest.


    Tears came back to her eyes as she considered that if they had offered that meal to her on the street she would have put the collar on and jumped on that table of her own will.  That was the fate of the weak.


    With that thought Cass curled up and fell back to sleep.

 A dream and a nightmare.

    Maurice woke Cass up at dawn the next day, bringing with her breakfast.  However, she would not let Cass eat at first, much to Cass¡¯s despair.  Before she could, Maurice took her to a washroom and helped Cass bathe and get dressed.


    While Cass knew that wealthier folk would take baths, she herself had never had one.  Clean water was too precious to waste in summer, and getting wet in the winter was a death sentence often enough.  Cass thought that being stuck in the rain without shelter was enough, but Maurice disagreed.  The filth that came off of Cass darkened the water, but by the time Cass came out, she had been scrubbed clean for the first time in her life.


    After that, Cass put on the clothes she was given.  Maurice had taken them from old, unused servant uniforms, but to Cass they were an unbelievable luxury.  A simple linen dress, thin socks, and a pair of old, worn shoes would seem worthless except to make rags out of.  But for someone who had lived their life in scraps of rags, it was a treasure.


    After that, Maurice, and the guards that had followed them to the washroom, took Cass back to her room and she was able to eat.  Maurice chatted away during this whole time, and although Cass did not understand the who¡¯s and the what¡¯s that Maurice was talking about, she felt oddly warm inside just from the company.


    Clean, fed, clothed, and in good company¡­  She had never thought she would experience these things, Cass felt like she was dreaming.


    This feeling didn¡¯t last too long, as the mage, Saurice Hall, came to the door not long after.


    ¡°Hmph,¡± Hall¡¯s eyes radiated his contempt.  ¡°Well at least you are nearly presentable, it will have to do.¡±


    With that he dismissed Maurice and bade Cass to follow him, and of course, the guards came as well.  The older mage, Evans, was in the room Cass was brought to, busying himself with a series of crystals on the other side of the room.  The other mage that had been present during her tattoo was not there however.


    ¡°Master,¡± Hall¡¯s voice was respectful when talking to the older mage.  ¡°I have brought the subject.¡±


    ¡°Good, good.¡±  Evans was somewhat absent minded, and Cass watched in silent fascination as he held his hand above a crystal and green light flowed back and forth between them.  ¡°I have finished the adjustments to the Measuring Crystal.¡±Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°With all do respect Teacher,¡± Hall was almost timid, Cass noted this and decided to be doubly careful around the old mage.  Even in noble society and magic, it seemed there was always a Boss to be wary of.


    ¡°Is it really necessary to modify the crystal so much?  The Measuring Crystal you had the steward purchase could even record the power of the Archmage¡­¡±


    ¡°We are in unknown territory Hall.¡±  Evans held the crystal up to inspect it.  ¡°The effort may be costly, and likely unnecessary, but it is far preferable to be more prepared than less.¡±


    Apparently satisfied, he told Cass to come towards him.  Again, Cass felt his words almost as much as heard them, and where she might have normally been nervous to approach and hesitate, Cass immediately went to him.  It was a command she would have followed regardless, but even with that it felt like her body was only partially her own.  If she resisted, it might not even be her¡¯s anymore¡­  The collar was a terrifying thing it seemed.


    ¡°Now raise your arm and keep it at chest level until I say otherwise.¡±  Again, Cass did as commanded, but flinched as she saw the old mage proffer a silver knife.  He brought it towards her arm and Cass realized she could not move her arm or flinch away.  No matter how hard she tried she could not make it move, and a new sensation began to arise, like small knives were being pushed into her body all over, but the mage hadn¡¯t touched her yet!


    Evan¡¯s paused, noting her grimace.  The emptiness in his eyes flickered with humor for a moment.


    ¡°I would advise you not to resist, though it is understandable why you would.¡±  His tone had gone back to the emptiness of before.  ¡°The more and longer you resist, the worse the pain will get.  Incidentally, no matter how hard you try you will not be able to break that.  Most slave collars are just hunks of crude metal, but the one on your neck is meant to hold mages captured in battle.  It will feed on the power inside of you, so the more you struggle, the stronger it is.¡±


    ¡°F-forgive me, My Lord.¡±  Cass tried to relax, letting her own emptiness surface to suck away her desire to resist and care for what happened next.


    The old mage didn¡¯t seem to care, or even notice her response.  Instead, he made two small cuts on her arm, not bother waiting for her to calm herself down and then placed the crystal between the cuts.


    Still unable to move, Cass watched as her blood flowed towards the crystal from one cut, seemingly passing through it, than in to the other cut.  As the blood flowed, the crystal began to shine.


    It was¡­ Beautiful¡­  Colors danced along the walls as it continued to brighten and it sparkled radiantly.


    The crystal started to grow hot on her arm, and the light continued to brighten until Cass could not look at it.  It was so hot and bright that it hurt, and Cass bit her lip to stop herself from crying out.


    But she was unable to stop herself from yelling out when the crystal exploded.

 The beginning

    Blood dripped down Cass¡¯s cheek, the cut was just below her eye.  If the fragment of the shattered crystal had been just a little higher, she would have lost it. The pain was terrible, not because of the explosion and the shattered fragments embedded in her arm, but because Cass had instinctively tried to pull away and go against Evan¡¯s commands.


    It was worse than the previous time, as if the phantom knives she had felt before had been heated.


    ¡°You may move.¡±  Cas heard the command just as Evan¡¯s slapped her hard across the face.  She fell backward onto the floor, brought back to reality by the hit.  Her throat hurt¡­  She must have been screaming, but Cass had not even noticed.  She had been released from the torture of the collar, but she did not get up off the ground, merely sat there panting.


    This turned out to be a bad idea, as the mage Hall kicker her out of his way as he approached his teacher.


    ¡°Utterly ridiculous!¡±  Hall was shouting angrily.  ¡°Even with the Glyph and her Inheritance, a dreg from the gutter could not possibly have that much power!¡±


    ¡°And yet,¡± Evan¡¯s watched her as she lay clutching her stomach and bleeding on the floor.  ¡°We have the evidence right in front of us.  Considering we had thought it impossible for a mage to survive the tattooing process at all, perhaps we overlooked something important.¡±


    He walked over to Cass, and as she began to recover she noticed that despite being close to the exploding crystal as well, the old mage was completely unharmed.


    ¡°Child,¡± He was a tall man, and with her just sitting up on the ground he towered over her, projecting an intimidating air.  ¡°Tell me your name.¡±


    ¡°Cass.¡±  She blurted out, the answer had come without her trying to, the collar could even make her answer questions!


    ¡°My lord,¡± she added belatedly, not wanting to be beaten for a lack of respect.


    Hall was surprised, ¡°Cass?  But a name like that¡­  Are you from a fallen family?¡±


    The reason Cass avoided saying her name on the streets was because it was a name typically only used by the nobility.  Their were worse results from having that kind of name than simply be beaten for arrogance.


    Cass did not know much about it, but Noble society could apparently be as cutthroat as the streets.  And very, very rarely, a noble family would end up homeless themselves.  It almost never happens, and often would only be a small part of the family that ended up on the streets, but the treatment those people received was horrific.  It was better not to think about it¡­


    Cass noticed that she did not have to answer Hall¡¯s question, the collar did not force her to speak.  However, she had been thinking too long already and she could see his anger rising.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°No my lord,¡±  Cass hurriedly spoke.  ¡°My mother apparently was a washerwoman, but she died soon after I was born.¡±


    ¡°You are lying.¡±  Hall¡¯s eyes simmered with rage and Cass cowered as he loomed over her.  ¡°No orphan off the street could speak so well, your diction and pronunciation lack the taint of the gutter.¡±


    Cass cringed and tried to back away, bumping into a counter.  ¡°No my lord!  I swear I am not lying, a priestess at the Church was kind to me and helped me to speak properly!¡±


    ¡°Ridiculous.¡±  Hall spat, his anger boiling over.


    ¡°Sarius¡­¡±  The old mage spoke once, and Hall stopped.  Cass watched as the mage struggled to rein in his anger, and stiffly move away.


    Before she could relax Lord Evans turned to her, ¡°Answer me, did you speak the truth?¡±


    ¡°Yes my lord.¡±  Again the collar pulled her answer from her throat, but she had the wherewithal to remember to call him lord this time.


    ¡°Interesting,¡±  Evans said, but he didn¡¯t seem interested at all.  ¡°So it seems there are still members of the Church that take their duties seriously.  Your father would die of shock, Sarius.¡±


    Sarius Hall did not answer, but his scowl deepened.  The old mage was silent for a while, seemingly pondering something.


    Cass took a deep breath, and decided to take a risk.


    ¡°My lord,¡±  She spoke timidly, not wanting to risk more anger, but needing to understand her situation.  ¡°May I ask what that crystal was?¡±


    ¡°A Measuring Crystal,¡±  To Cass¡¯s surprise, the old mage answered easily.  ¡°Though the how¡¯s and why¡¯s are more complicated than you would understand, the short answer is that it can give us a rough estimate of a magic user¡¯s Mana pool.¡±


    Cass had no idea what a ¡°Mana pool¡± was, but there was a larger question she had to follow up with.


    ¡°But my lord, I can¡¯t have magic.  I am a commoner, an orphan and a dreg.¡±


    ¡°No, you are some lord¡¯s bastard.¡±  To her even greater astonishment, it was Hall who answered this time.  ¡°Magic resides purely in noble blood, you had magic before the glyph was applied, therefore you must be from a noble bloodline.¡±


    Then Hall sneered, ¡°but don¡¯t go thinking you are nobility.  The filth and garbage that ran through your mother¡¯s blood likely could dilute even the blood of kings.¡±


    Cass had no real emotional attachment to her mother.  All she knew about the woman had been told to her second hand by the managers of the orphanage before it was closed down.


    ¡°Do you know who your father is?¡±  Evans left his thoughts to ask.


    ¡°No my lord,¡±  Cass replied truthfully.  ¡°The people who ran the orphanage said that my mother never talked about him.¡±


    ¡°Well, it is immaterial.¡±  He waved it away with a gnarled hand.  ¡°More importantly, we need to begin teaching you magic.¡±


    Again, his formerly empty eyes contained a gleam.  ¡°It seems through sheer luck, we have gained a weapon far beyond what we had hoped.¡±


    Then he ordered Cass to obey Hall¡¯s words as if it were his own and called over the guards to attend to Cass¡¯s still bleeding arm.  After that, he spoke quietly to his apprentice for a moment and left.


    Hall sighed in frustration, and turned to Cass.  ¡°So it falls to me to teach you magic.  Given what you are, a polluted mix blood, I cannot hope for talent.  Regardless, if you make any trouble for me I will show you precisely what magic can do.¡±


    He didn¡¯t really ask a question, or seem to be expecting an answer, but Cass nodded just in case.  She felt lightheaded, and not from blood loss.  On top of the chaos of the past two days the idea that they would teach her magic was unbelievable.  She had heard that magic users ate souls, and that they did so because they lost their own as the price to learn magic.  Remembering the empty eyes of the mage, Lord Evans, Cass wondered if those rumors she had dismissed were actually true.


    She could not fathom that she would learn magic, Cass did not even really know what magic was.  But what she did know was that Hall¡¯s threat was undoubtedly real, and with the orders Evans gave her to obey him, she had to do what he said or suffer.


    She looked at her freshly bandaged arm and wondered if she would survive this, and even if she did, what would happen after they were done with her.

 To experience pain requires no intelligence, no maturity, no wisdom.

    It turned out that the first thing Cass needed to learn was how to read.  Sarius Hall had questioned Cass only briefly before discovering this and declared it useless to go further until Cass could read, write, and perform arithmetic.  He had stormed off, and the guards had escorted her back to her room, only for a rather small, middle-aged man to show up at the door a few hours later.


    This man was her tutor for language and math, as apparently Hall felt it was beneath him to teach a commoner these things.  But the mage did not leave Cass alone during this.  As an ¡®incentive¡¯ to work hard and not waste his time, Sarius Hall had the tutor report any mistakes Cass made during the day.


    And on the next morning she was shackled to a wall and whipped for each one.


    ¡°You should be thanking me for being so merciful,¡± Hall said one morning, as he rested his arm for a moment.  ¡°Were I less kind, I would be using my magic, but I believe mundane lessons should only require mundane punishment.¡±


    ¡°Yes my lord,¡±  Each breath hurt her raw throat as she gasped for air after screaming and crying.  ¡°Thank you for your mercy!¡±


    Cass had thought that Hall was simply angry and blustry, dangerous to be sure, but a lesser threat compared to the old mage and his horrible emptiness.  As she was forced to count out the lashes, Cass had realized that she was wrong.  There was something broken in Hall, broken to a degree that wouldn¡¯t even be seen from the most viscous of street thugs.


    To make everything worse, the ¡°Glyph¡± they had placed on her back was not only unbroken by the lashes, but healed her back by the time she received her second meal.  So every day she would have to endure the pain from the morning, and then she was ready to be hurt again.


    Terrified, Cass threw herself into her studies, desperately working to avoid the brutal treatment in the mornings.  It took her two weeks to learn the basics of reading and writing, amazing the tutor who thought it was a pity that her results could not be duplicated without using a whip.  Admittedly, Cass was hardly proficient and most noble born children would receive further education, but the tutor said that with practice she would one day be as fully capable as them.  Though he did say that would likely take many years to achieve without a tutor, if it was achieved at all.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Her reward for learning to read and write?  The tutor started to teach her math, and the horror began again.  As Cass had become more proficient, she had received less lashes each day, but as they began math it began again in full force.


    At first, Cass had been grateful for the meals she had received.  At the time she had thought she would do anything to enjoy such food again.  Now Cass only wished she could eat those words, because even that had been a trap in a way.


    Four weeks after starting the brutal teaching regimen, Cass had been thrown into the chair behind the desk she studied at.  She was desperately trying to shake off the daze that had come with the morning lashing, when she felt a hand on her breast.


    Instinctively, she jerked away, causing the chair to fall over and smash her flayed back on to the floor.  She screamed in pain, and looked up through tear filled eyes to see the tutor with a look of disappointment on his face.


    ¡°You filled out nicely,¡± the tutor was frowning.  ¡°But unlike some people I¡¯d rather not deal with screams and blood.  What a waste¡­¡±


    Cass did not realize the changes in her own body.  With regular meals and bathing, not to mention fresh clothes, she was quite pretty.  As her body recovered from years of starvation and abuse on the streets, she would likely even become beautiful.  Before she had been somewhat protected from such advances, because only the sickest of people would even want her, and at the very least she could try and run.


    Now she was a slave, without protection or any where to run, and no one would bat an eye if someone took advantage of that.


    This turned out to be an even worse torture than before, to avoid being taken advantage of by the tutor Cass had to make certain to get enough wrong to be whipped bloody.  In effect, she was being forced to ask to be tortured.


    Three more weeks passed, and the harrowing experience finally came to an end.  But that terrified Cass even more.  In this place, every time something seemed to be good or something bad ended, whatever came next was worse.  And Cass had first hand experience with Sarius Hall¡¯s sadism.


    As she was escorted to a new room where she would begin to learn magic from him, Cass found herself shaking so much that the guards had to help her walk.

 It might not be so bad, but it will be.

    Oftentimes, people living on the street just stop.  Most everyone in that position feels the same emptiness Cass does to some degree and some of the more virtuous priests would preach against it.  From what she understood, the Church believed that emotions were ruled by Gods and Devils.  Good emotions would come from the Gods, and negative emotions from the Devils.  This, they claimed, separates humans from animals.


    The priests would expound verses and scripture, but often Cass was the only one to listen.  She heard one priestess claim that while an evil man might be saved, animals cannot be redeemed.  Thus, even feelings of fear and anger were better than feeling nothing at all.  Cass had approached her afterwards and asked to learn more, this kind priestess had helped Cass learn to speak properly.


    But the Church was wrong.  Emptiness was better than terror and hatred, much preferable over having your heart try to break out of your chest just by sitting in a chair and waiting for someone to show up.


    The room where Cass was to learn magic seemed a room like any other, she had no idea why there was a special location for it.  But she did know that she was going to be alone with Hall for the lessons, and that those lessons might last the whole day.  Cass was desperately trying to calm and focus herself, as each mistake would be punished worse than before.  When Hall did enter, throwing the door open with his usual aggressive nature, Cass just about jumped out of her skin.


    ¡°I will admit,¡±  Hall said without preamble or greeting as he looked at her.  ¡°You have surprised me.  I did not expect a piece of trash off the street to be able to learn even the basics so quickly.¡±


    Cass was stunned, was she being praised?  By Hall?


    ¡°Perhaps teaching you won¡¯t be a waste of my time after all.¡±


    She was tentatively hopeful that these lessons would not be so bad, if she did well enough she might even be able to change how Hall thought of her¡­


    ¡°But if you do waste my time,¡± Hall continued.  ¡°I will show you just how terrifying magic can truly be.¡±


    Cass shivered, she did not want to know what kind of torture would await her if she disappointed him.


    ¡°With that out of the way,¡± Hall dismissed his threat as if discussing the weather.  ¡°Let us begin to explain what magic is.¡±


    Cass listened attentively to Hall as he spoke, if she was honest, the things he said were fascinating.  The world was a system that was part of an even greater system and was itself composed of lesser systems.  Each and every thing that existed, was connected and what people called ¡®magic¡¯ was using mana to alter these systems or build artificial ones to create a new result.


    ¡°Take, for example, the classic fireball.¡±  Hall said, holding his hand palm up before him.  ¡°While converting mana to fire is possible, it is far easier to tweak the systems in the air to gather the energy and materials to form it.¡±  Suddenly a ball of flame appeared in his hand, Cass found herself drawn to the display despite herself.


    ¡°Therefore, the power of a mage is determined by his understanding of the world around him, and the size of his mana pool.¡±Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    However, according to Hall, no one was quite sure what mana itself was, or even why only some people could use it.  The capacity only occured in those with noble blood, but even among nobles it was a rare trait.  Mages were certain that it was part of the natural system somewhere, and certain creatures in the world that used magic without sentience seemed to confirm that.  But no one had yet devised a way to understand it.


    To Cass¡¯s shock, Hall seemed pleased with her attentiveness and understanding of what he was saying.  She spent days learning about relationships between things, and she found herself enjoying it.


    ¡°My lord,¡± Cass had relaxed slightly, but still had to gather her courage to ask a question.  ¡°If everything is part of a system, and those systems are all interconnected, would that also include people?¡±


    ¡°Correct, in fact the collar on your neck is one of the results of such magic.¡±  Hall answered, ¡°However, magic that could be used to control a society is generally viewed as impossible.  No matter how subtle the mage, no one has a mana pool large enough to control more than one or two people.  And even that is generally a brute force endeavor, forcibly making them attend to the casters will, as opposed to magic that would use the system itself to have them willingly make the choices the caster wants.¡±


    ¡°Having said that, perhaps a practical example might be beneficial.¡±  Cass knew that look on Hall¡¯s face and instinctively tried to retreat back into the chair.  ¡°As you might expect, there are systems that make up the system of society.  In other words, the systems that make up a human.¡±


    Hall¡¯s smile turned dark, ¡°Those particular systems are my specialty.  While I do admit it has been surprisingly pleasant to teach you, I was rather hoping to be able to test a new theory¡­¡±


    Cass¡¯s willpower broke, and she bolted for the door.  But before she even touched the handle Hall commanded her to stop trying to escape.  So Cass took the only other option available to her, and flung herself to the floor in front of Hall to beg.


    Hall merely laughed at the crying, shaking, and desperate girl in front of him.  ¡°I will be gone for a week or two, you know.  With those southern fools acting up again even apprentice mages are busy, but I wanted to make sure I gave you a parting gift to remember me by until I returned, so I thought I would give you a lecture on some of the systems in the human body.¡±


    ¡°For example,¡± Cass screamed as her body felt like it was burning, but there was no fire!  She could feel the heat of flames and fire, but there was none!  ¡°Oddly, it turns out that the body determines temperature in two ways.  There are parts that activate with cold and parts that activate with heat.¡±


    He pinned the flailing Cass to the ground with his foot, laughing at her tears. ¡°However, there is no way for it to tell that something is hot, not in a single function.  Instead, when both the cold and the warm are activated together, it produces the feeling of ¡®hot.¡¯ Even though I say this is my specialty, to be honest I barely understand it.  I am not entirely sure what these parts are or precisely how they work, but I did learn how to activate them, which led to a new discovery.¡±


    The heat disappeared and was replaced with pain. Intense, incredible, pain all over her body.  Cass felt her skin being flayed, her body stabbed and beaten, even her stomach and lungs were burning inside her!  She threw up on the stone floor and tasted blood in her mouth, she had bitten her tongue without noticing it, because it to had been in pain from the beginning!


    Then it ended, Cass couldn¡¯t tell if she had been tortured for minutes or hours, time itself had bent to the pain.  In reality, Hall had only applied the magic for around fifteen seconds, after all, he did not want to kill Cass.


    ¡°Hahaha,¡±  Hall laughed heartily.  ¡°What a nice reaction!  A good learner and capable of making such a pleasant face, I think I will enjoy this quite a bit!  I will leave you some books to study, you have until I return to understand their contents, because if you don''t¡­¡±


    And with that Hall left the room, still chuckling.  Cass herself could not move, her body was shaking so much that she could not use her arms to lift her up, and even if she did her legs would not support her.  In the end, her guards had picked her up and carried her back to her room.  As they laid her on the bed, she saw a stack of books waiting for her.  Cass could read now, but slowly.  There was absolutely no way she would be able to do as Hall had asked!

 Daring to dream.

    The books were worse than Cass feared.  She spent hours sounding out words and desperately trying to infer meanings from context, starting at dawn and stopping only when there was no longer light to read by.  She had even asked the guards for a candle, but was refused.  To make matters worse, the more she panicked, the harder the reading was, which only caused her to panic more!


    Cass felt like she was falling apart, until one day Maurice had stormed into the room around noon.  The normally kind and gentle lady had a steely look of determination on her face.  While Cass had initially feared the worst, Maurice had instead grabbed her by the arm and dragged her out into one of the castle courtyards.  Cass had learned earlier that the sheer size of the Imperial Center was greater than she had ever imagined.  A castle the size of a small city, at the center of the massive city of Tyine, and at the center of the Imperial Center castle was the palace itself.  Her location was essentially in the outskirts of the structure, a place normally used for housing soldiers during preparations for war.  Apparently, the Haj Empire had expanded so much that the space was no longer used, and garrisons further out had been constructed.  At least, that was what the guards had said while gossiping, not knowing that Cass had been listening on the other side of the door.


    ¡°Every day I see you,¡± Maurice was scolding Cass, ¡°You look worse!  I didn¡¯t spend the effort to have the kitchen give you extra food and put some meat back on your bones to see you eaten from inside by a Devil!¡±


    Maurice was surprisingly devout, and while the Church¡¯s power had waned somewhat, Maurice was still able to argue the guards down and allow Cass to briefly visit this courtyard.


    Cass took a deep breath, finally realizing how much she had missed fresh air and sunlight.  Birds were chirping and a cool breeze managed to reach over the castle walls and gently brush past her.  Cass wanted to lay down on the grass and sleep¡­


    But she couldn¡¯t, she had to return to the books.  Cass sighed, and turned to Maurice, but before she could speak Maurice spoke over her.


    ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t!¡±  Maurice pulled Cass towards a stone bench, ¡°I see what you are thinking, but you need to relax.  Trying to hard weakens the body, allowing Devils to come in.  And they in turn make it nearly impossible to do the work you wanted to do!¡±


    Maurice smiled, ¡°Besides, I finally have a chance to talk with you and honestly you have always seemed very lonely.¡±


    Maurice was overwhelming in a completely different way than Sarius Hall, in a way completely different than Cass had ever experienced before.  She interacted with Maurice every morning and evening, but she rarely spoke¡­  Maurice seemed to determine to drag every word out of Cass she could, while telling her own story.


    Maurice had been born in a small hamlet far away from the Capitol.  In fact, calling it a hamlet would be too much according to her, it was just a collection of huts, too small to even be worth a name.  She spoke of her family, of meeting a patrolling guard for the regional lord, marrying him and moving into Tyine itself.  It was a very different life than Cass had led, one that Cass had difficulty even imagining.


    Maurice had listened as Cass spoke of her own story, her years in the orphanage, the closing of that orphanage and her first experiences with the streets.  Cass spoke about the gangs and thugs and human monsters that stalked the alleys, of picking through garbage to find even a scrap of food, and then being forced to hide under the garbage to avoid those thugs passing through.


    On the subject of the Church, Maurice¡¯s eyes lit up and she grabbed Cass¡¯s hands.  Cass had difficulty with religion, but looking into Maurice¡¯s bright eyes, Cass did have to admit that the Church had helped her greatly.  The paltry food and education she received there had been far more important than she could have ever dreamed.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°Oh you poor thing,¡± Maurice hugged Cass tightly as she finished the story, and Cass was unsure how to react.  She had never been hugged before, and in general was afraid of being touched at all.  Maurice had slipped past those barriers without Cass even noticing at first.


    ¡°Life can be terrible you know,¡±  Maurice voice turned sad.  ¡°When I lost my child, I lost my will to live.  Life without her seemed so empty and pointless, how could I even try?¡±


    Cass slowly put her arms around Maurice, timidly returning the hug.  The wailing of parents who lost children was common on the streets, but that did not mean it was easy or waved away.  Cass could not really imagine love, but she knew the power of hate.  If love was hate¡¯s opposite, she believed it must be a powerful emotion and losing a child you came to love would have to be intensely painful.


    ¡°My husband took me to the priests at the Imperial Chapel, they helped me through my loss and gave me a lesson that I want to pass on to you.¡±


    Maurice pulled back slightly to look Cass directly in the eyes, ¡°Emotions are what separate us from animals, but what separates humans are dreams.  Those with a goal they work towards may stumble, but never fall.  The Gods gave us good feelings when accomplishing our dreams to encourage us and to help us grow.¡±


    Maurice smiled gently, ¡°The dream I chose was to help others find their own dreams, so no one would ever feel the emptiness and loss I felt.  Which brings me to you, Cass.¡±


    ¡°What is your dream?¡±


    ¡°My¡­  Dream..?¡±  Cass stutterd, confused by the sudden rush of emotions.


    ¡°Yes,¡±  Maurice nodded vigorously.  ¡°What do you want from life?  Who are you as a person?  Until you answer those questions, life will act on you, instead of you living life.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I should though,¡±  Cass thought about how every hope and happiness she had ever had was soon crushed and turned against her.  ¡°Having a dream is a luxury that you cannot afford on the streets, and now I am nothing more than a slave.  I cannot dream, I cannot want.  If I do all it will bring me is pain.¡±


    Maurice shook her head gently, ¡°An orphan can dream for a home, a dreg from the street can dream for shelter and food, a slave can dream for freedom.  That dream can give light in a life that otherwise has none, hope even when all seems hopeless.  So I ask again, who is Cass?  And what does she want?¡±


    ¡°I¡­  I don¡¯t know.¡±  Cass was troubled by the question, she wanted to answer but found herself scared to do so.  ¡°Who I am does not matter, I am just trash on the street.  Worthless and replaceable, you can find another to replace me anywhere you look.¡±


    ¡°Oh?  I can find a orphan child of a noble who went to the Church for food and took the initiative to learn proper diction, who survived torments and torture to throw herself into her studies and accomplish them faster than anyone thought possible?  And that kind of person is everywhere?¡±


    Thinking back to the thugs and whores and drunks, Cass was forced to admit, ¡°Well, no.  But-¡±


    ¡°You are unique.¡±  Maurice interrupted, ¡°The stories and dreams of people may be similar, but in the details they are all unique and special.  There is only one Cass who is you, invaluable and irreplaceable in the world.¡±


    Cass¡¯s cheeks were wet, she touched her hand to her face and realised she was crying, soon she found herself clutching on to Maurice tightly and sobbing against her.  Maurice simply held her and comforted her as Cass cried.


    As she finally regained control, wiping her eyes and sniffling, Cass said, ¡°I don¡¯t think this will last.  This moment, this feeling, is¡­ Good.  And nothing good ever happens to a dreg, but, even if it is just for today, I would like to dream.¡±


    Cass looked up to Maurice, ¡°Lord Hall told me everything is a system, even people.  A system to great for us to understand.  If I can have a dream¡­  I would wish to understand it, to use this power they say is inside me to fix it so that this pain ceases to exist forever.¡±

 There is never any good news.

    Maurice had been right, when Cass returned to her reading she felt much better.  With her anxiety somewhat reduced, she found the books to be absorbing.  All of the books she had been reading had been more about systems than magic.  According to Hall this was basic training for a mage, often they would spend years studying before being taught to handle magic.  Today she was reading a book about magic items and glyphs.


    Normal magic would make small changes to natural forces to create an effect, but there was a limit to what could be done with it.  To overcome these issues, mages would painstakingly use their magic to create crystallized structures that replicated systems found in nature.


    Glyphs functioned much the same, but were applied to living creatures.  According to the book, glyphs could enhance all kinds of physical phenomena, but they had several issues.  First, they could not be applied to mages.  According to the book, the magic in a mage''s blood would overcharge the glyph and the mage would die either from magical exhaustion, or overheating due to the magic feedback.  Additionally, though it was theorized that it was possible, no one had created a glyph that could absorb mana.


    But the mage¡¯s here and Cass were exceptions to that.  Normally, glyphs were applied to exceptional individuals, often in a military force, and then charged by a mage.  The glyphs would grant the soldier their effects until the charge ran out.  With a glyph drawing mana from the air, a mage would not need to apply the charge to the other glyphs.


    But why create a soldier like that?  And was that their goal for her?  Cass raised her hand and touched the collar at her throat, they had called her a weapon, but Cass had to wonder if she could do as they asked.  Life had taught her to run, fighting was too dangerous for her.  Cass had never had the food to waste energy on fighting, nor the health and safety to risk breaking a limb.


    The next day, Cass decided to take a risk.  Gathering her courage, she approached the door to her room, intending to talk to the guards outside.  Hearing them talking outside, she decided to press herself against the door and listen.  They had never spoken while Hall had been here, but without his influence they seemed far more relaxed.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°Well now,¡± That voice seemed very familiar to Cass, but it was muffled by the door.  ¡°They sent the bastar¡¯ the bastard to the south to deal wit¡¯ the bastards in the south.  I was thinkin¡¯ it makes sense.¡±


    ¡°Usually you thinking would scare me,¡± the other guard spoke much more clearly.


    ¡°But I have to admit I agree this time.  The girl might be gutter trash, but still¡­¡±


    ¡°Nah, I dun¡¯ care abou¡¯ her.¡±  The other guard laughed, ¡°Considerin¡¯ I pulled her outta that cell wit¡¯ Rat, she was screwed eithe¡¯ way.  Only a matte¡¯ of how.¡±


    Pulled her out of the cell?  Cass tried to remember his name, Tinus, perhaps?


    ¡°Still, I wouldn¡¯t have thought the southern territories would have the balls to rebel, though I suppose it hasn¡¯t got that far yet.¡±


    ¡°Intereste¡¯ inna bet?¡± Tinus asked greedily.


    ¡°Much as I would like to take your money, you wouldn¡¯t pay up.¡±  The guard brushed off the request.  ¡°Anyway, I hear Hall is returning soon.  Let¡¯s not give anyone reason to report us to him.¡±


    ¡°Bah,¡± Tinus spat.  ¡°Who would?  Anyway, why shoul¡¯ we bother guradin¡¯ some gal?¡±


    ¡°Lord Evans gave the order, that¡¯s why.¡±  The other guard clearly did not like Tinus all that much, just put up with him as a coworker.  ¡°Why Lord Evans wants her is beyond our understanding, a noble mage is above being questioned.¡±


    That killed the conversation, and Cass slowly stepped back from the door.  To some extent, she was relieved.  She had been bracing herself to talk to the guards, but had learned what she needed to know from their gossip.


    There weren¡¯t many older people on the streets, but the few that survived more than four decades would sometimes talk about the rebellions in the east.  The Empire crushed the rebels, but between conscription and famine, the slums of Tyine were a ghost town by the end of the wars.


    Cass did not understand the motives of Lords, they were as above her as the heavens above the earth.  But she was being made into a weapon, and her owners had enemies, it did not take a genius to understand her purpose here.

 Some times life is unpredictable.

    Cass¡¯s breaths were shallow, and she had to force herself to breathe deeply and calmly. But that was often more than she could manage, because Hall had returned today and she had not finished the stack of books he had left her. She was terrified, but Maurice had met with her a couple more times and been kind enough to share some things to reduce pain and anxiety.


    According to Maurice, the more tense you were, the more pain would hurt. Coming off the street, Cass had never been relaxed in her life, but she had to try. But she could not overcome her fear before the guards took her back to the room and she saw Hall.


    ¡°Ah, Cass.¡± Hall smiled, and Cass trembled. ¡°How have you been?¡±


    Such an innocuous question, but the casual welcome made her more worried. ¡°I am sorry my lord Hall, I was unable to finish the books you gave me.¡± Cass bowed her head, trying to hide her tears.


    ¡°How unfortunate,¡± Hall did not seem disappointed at all, but rather his smile had widened. ¡°What did you think of the material?¡±


    ¡°I-it was fascinating, Lord Hall.¡± Cass was not lying, but the fact he had not brought up her punishment had scarred her even more. Anxiety over the unknown was worse than knowing what he would do¡­ ¡°But I had some questions¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Cass bit her lip, and then forged ahead, she really was curious and she was already going to be punished, so it wasn¡¯t like it could be too much worse. ¡°I read about Glyphs of Linking, where a glyph would be placed on the throat of one person and on the ear of another, allowing them talk over distances.¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    ¡°Ah, not a very useful glyph really. It requires a mage to charge both parties, and the charge drains rapidly compared to enhancement glyphs, and your question?¡±


    ¡°Given that I have an Absorption Glyph, could I pass mana through the link to charge other glyphs? Perhaps even a glyph could be applied to a bird to let me see through their eyes¡­¡±


    Hall was surprised by her question, ¡°You did not finish the books you say, but I have to admit I am impressed by your thinking. Thinking above and beyond to see what is possible, that is the essence of a mage.¡±


    Hall looked at her for a moment, then nodded. ¡°Unfortunately, mana can not be transfered with a Glyph of Linking. I understand why you would think it to be possible, but the mana is absorbed by the first glyph instead of being transfered. Further, Linking eyes is not possible, glyphs are typically applied in tattoos, and knowing that you can ¡®see¡¯ the issue.¡±


    ¡°I understand, thank you lord.¡± Cass said, she was somewhat surprised that he had answered the questions, but if nothing else she had gained that information. Now she knew she would be tortured.


    ¡°Oh, you are welcome.¡± Hall said cheerfully, ¡°It is pleasent to have a student capable of thinking creatively, you would be amazed how many noble children fail at that¡­ I think that deserves a reward.¡±


    Cass was stunned, ¡°A¡­ reward?¡±


    Hall reached his hand out and Cass flinched, but he merely patted her on the head.


    ¡°Your reward today will be to avoid punishment,¡± Hall said as she looked up at him, utterly stunned. ¡°Haha, no need to look at me like that. I will always punish failure, and reward success, if you had not already earned a punishment I would have given you something nice.¡±


    Was this really Hall? Cass thought he hated her, but the more she had applied herself to her studies the more kindness he had shown her. Sometimes, Cass had a strange thought that Hall actually liked her, but she could not believe it.


    ¡°Which books did you complete?¡± Hall asked, changing the subject.


    Cass told him, and Hall seemed to think for a bit, then nodded.


    ¡°I think it is time for you to begin learning to use magic.¡±

 I think I may be losing my mind.

    ¡°Exhale and push all the air out of your lungs,¡± Hall was guiding Cass through drawing magic for the first time. ¡°Then breathe deeply and imagine energy gathering in your chest, flowing from the air to your blood to your heart.¡±


    Cass was sitting cross legged across from Hall, her eyes closed and following his instructions. Despite normally be anxious around Hall, she found this exercise very relaxing. And as it went on she began to feel something building in her chest, it she had to describe how it felt¡­ It was like her heart was racing, even though it was not. Hall had warned her of this feeling, and she struggled to control her breathing and heart rate. Even though the feeling was not actually her heart, it would cause her heartbeat to increase, and it would interfere with her concentration at first.


    ¡°Good,¡± Hall said encouragingly, he was holding one of her hands and had her move onto the next step. ¡°Now imagine that power flowing through your blood to your hand.¡±


    Cass obeyed, and Hall drew the power out of her through his own hand. Learning magic was dangerous, holding all that energy in a human body would be dangerous without practice. But practicing itself risked losing control, so a more learned mage would guide a student through the process and draw the excess energy from them.


    Cass could not help but gasp, ¡°This feels¡­¡±


    ¡°A feeling of euphoria is normal at first,¡± Hall¡¯s tone was gentle, it confused Cass but she let it go for now. ¡°The feeling of energy moving through your body can feel wonderful, but many amateur mages lose control at this stage, distracted by the feeling. But you will not, you would rather be rewarded than punished, yes?¡±


    Cass had been losing control, unsure how to handle a ¡®good¡¯ feeling. She had almost no experience in controlling happy emotions, but Hall¡¯s last statement injected fear into her. She did not want to experience his magic again, and that fear helped her resist the energy that flowed through her.


    Hall continued to speak, explaining the process as he went. ¡°Despite how it feels, the power is actually flowing from your blood rather than the air itself. Mana does gather from the atmosphere into a mage¡¯s blood, but the process occurs through the skin and the eyes and not through the breath. This process is much slower than the rate at which a mage can expend mana, so you will need to use your magic and gain an understanding of how much mana you have.¡±


    Hall paused for a moment, than said ruefully, ¡°Although that applies less to you than most magic users. The Glyph of Absorption was meant to power other glyphs without the need for a mage, and as a result, you draw mana far faster than a normal human mage. Still, you have limits, and you must be aware of them.¡±Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Hall took her other hand, instructing her to pour her energy through both hands to exhaust her power and find her limits. But Cass became distracted, her eyes were closed but she knew she was blushing slightly when Hall had taken both her hands. But why? Cass told herself that it was just that she had never held anyone¡¯s hands before, but she worried about her own thinking that she had this reaction to a man who tortured her so much. Still, he was not all bad, as long as she did not make mistakes¡­


    ¡°Cass,¡± Hall said sharply.


    Cass realized she was losing control, the distraction had disrupted her thinking and meditation. She could not control her breathing anymore, and she became more and more panicked. She felt the power inside her start to burn, and then Hall grabbed her hands more forcefully and she heard a crackling sound as he ripped the power out of her.


    Cass collapsed on the floor, gasping for air. Feeling both exhausted and aching, a far cry from the pleasure of earlier. Opening her eyes, she flinched seeing Hall¡¯s angry and disappointed face.


    ¡°I expected more from you,¡± Hall sighed. ¡°Losing control like that, if I had not drawn the energy from you it would have consumed you.¡±


    Cass noticed burn marks on Hall¡¯s hands, this training was dangerous for the teacher as well it seemed. ¡°I-I am sorry, m-my lord¡­¡± She could barely breathe, but she forced out her apology. Cass was confused as to why she actually felt bad about it, ¡°I was distracted, I will not let it happen again.¡±


    ¡°We are at the end of our time today anyway,¡± Hall said standing up, and waving the guards forward to pick Cass up. ¡°But losing control like that¡­ It is dangerous, it can kill a mage easily. I think you need some encouragement to avoid that.¡±


    Cass¡¯s eyes widened and tears came to her eyes, she had almost made it through the day¡­ She begged Hall not to use his magic, knowing full well that he would not listen. But to her surprise, Hall actually agreed.


    What had Hall done to her, that she was earnestly thanking him for calling for a whip? Cass¡¯s emotions were in chaos, she knew Hall was evil, but he was not totally so. And it was messing with her head. She barely noticed being stripped to the waist and shackled to the cold wall and was only brought back to reality by the first stroke of the whip.


    ¡°Clearly I am too attached to you,¡± Hall mused. ¡°I really had planned to test my magic on you, I will have to find another subject now perhaps.¡±


    ¡°Th-thank you, Lord Hall.¡± Why did she mean that? Why was Cass thanking this bastard? Cass realized that the fear she had felt before was hardly real fear, but real terror found her when she felt that staying here might cause her to lose her mind! Something was bending inside her, and she was afraid it would simply break one day.


    Fifteen strokes later, Cass was hanging slack in the shackles, trembling against the stone. Hall took her down and helped her with her tunic, before ordering the guards to take her back to her room. Cass was not thinking clearly, nearly delirious, but this was the first time Hall had bothered to have her covered before having her sent back. Why was she so grateful for that?

 I guess being broken is not so bad.

    The first time Cass used magic, she was amazed. It was nothing special, she merely created a breeze in the room where she learned magic with Hall. While weather was incredibly complex, a system beyond understanding and control of mages as of yet, the air itself was understood. It flows from high to low, from hot to cold, and so it was one of the most simple of effects to create and observe, especially in a room separated from the outside weather.


    But, after all the effort and concentration she had put into it, that breeze felt like heaven to Cass. Hall had heartily congratulated her, saying that her progress was nothing short of amazing. It often took years for mages to reach this stage apparently, but Cass felt that it had nothing to do with her being amazing or special. She simply was motivated.


    That night, Hall had the kitchens send her actual steak. Meat itself was something she had only very rarely tasted, and then it had either been the very worst cuts or had just begun to go bad. To have an actual steak, to Cass it was like tasting the food of the Gods. A delicacy so rare that she might have doubted its existence.


    Rewards such as that, combined with punishment by whip and magic for her failures, had Cass putting her entire being into her studies. She still worried about what was happening to her head, but as a slave with nowhere to run, Cass was not sure what else she could do but let it happen. As she bit into the juicy, delicious steak, she was not even sure she wanted to stop. You can¡¯t eat sanity, or shelter in it. And one lesson that the street taught everyone was that if it cannot be eaten or used for shelter, it was probably worthless.


    Only Maurice seemed to be getting more and more worried about her, but Cass ignored it. It was true that Maurice had struck a chord with Cass before, but really, as she thought about it, her having a dream of her own was impossible. The best she could hope for was to please her owners and be rewarded for it. That thought made Cass uncomfortable, as she realized that her own thinking was wrong, but she chose not to listen to the voice inside her and continued with her day to day life unabated.


    Eventually, Lord Evans returned to check on her progress. The old mage¡¯s eyes were still empty, and Cass had a sudden thought. Hall might have something broken inside him, and Cass might be breaking, but this mage had literally nothing inside him. She was wrong to be scared of Hall, by comparison, Evans was the one who truly was terrifying.


    As the old mage approached her, Cass found herself instinctively drawing closer to Hall, a reaction that would have worried her if she was not so scared of the mage in front of her.


    Evans stopped and raised an eyebrow. ¡°Interesting,¡± he said, sounding anything but. ¡°I did not think your magic was strong enough to produce this kind of reaction Hall.¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Hall rested a hand on Cass¡¯s shoulder and replied, ¡°It is not. In trying to understand the system better, I applied it practically to her training. Rewards and punishments based on her actions and my desires, but I have to admit the results were not what I expected.¡±


    So his actions had been an experiment in controlling people¡­ Hall had said controlling people with magic was difficult, bordering on impossible, but that was because the systems were poorly understood. He used Cass to try and understand those systems better, but oddly, Cass did not feel bothered by this, and Hall¡¯s next words confirmed that feeling.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Evans seemed slightly interested now, but his eyes were still mostly empty, just the faintest glimmer of emotion could be seen before it was swallowed again into nothingness.


    ¡°Indeed, I formed an attachment to the subject as well.¡± Hall said, patting Cass on the head. ¡°I am in control enough to even speak of this in front of her, but she is having a definite effect on me as well, which led me to a greater understanding of the magic I was studying.¡±


    Hall smiled down at Cass, who was trying to figure out why she enjoyed the hand on her head. ¡°I would hypothesise that the magic had always failed before because the mage has always thought of himself separate from the system, but in for magic involving people, he is actually a key part.¡±


    ¡°That would imply that social magic would by necessity change the user.¡±


    ¡°Correct,¡± Hall agreed. ¡°I still have more testing to do, however. But I have a willing participant now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lord Hall.¡± A part of Cass was screaming that this was wrong, that she should struggle to escape, but most of her had sunk accepted the feeling and her mind worked to rationalize her obedience. After all, isn¡¯t this what she wanted? She had told Maurice her dream, and though it was becoming hazy, she realized Hall¡¯s research worked towards that dream as well. That is what Cass told herself, pushing down the screaming voice deep inside her.


    Evans nodded and had Cass demonstrate her magic, and seemed to think for a bit.


    ¡°As you know Sarius,¡± He said suddenly. ¡°The situation is still deteriorating, so I will likely have to go back to the south on orders from the court.¡±


    Hall scowled, ¡°Those fools, do they not understand the risk that instability brings? if the Elhven try and take advantage of this weakness¡­¡±


    ¡°I will make certain that they do not have the chance.¡± Evans was firm on this point, Cass was surprised to see such a reaction from him. ¡°However, since I will not be here I have decided to transfer ownership rights of the subject to you. You are doing an excellent job in its education, at this rate we might be able to use the subject as a weapon on the field by the end of the year.¡±


    Hall seemed slightly uncomfortable with that, ¡°I am quite grateful for the ownership rights, but I would advise against using her so soon. The more time I have to train her, the stronger she will be.¡±


    ¡°I see, it does indeed change the user¡­¡± Evans mused, ¡°You know as well as I do that time is the one thing we don¡¯t have.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my Lord.¡± Hall bowed, ¡°I will do my best.¡±


    ¡°See that you do.¡± And with that, the old mage left.

 Inspiration and innovation lead to joy and pain

    Cass found herself enjoying her life, even though she was aware that she should not be. She should mind that Hall owned her, but she didn¡¯t. The first time she had called him master, she had giggled at his pleased reaction. Of course, Cass was then punished for disrespect, but she did not mind it, she felt she deserved it.


    Cass thought back to some of the people under the various gang bosses and thugs, who seemed to enjoy their place even though they were beaten and abused. She had never understood them before, and she knew that there was something wrong with her that she could now.


    But she was fed and warm, she was receiving education and she had her own room and bed. Cass had never been better off, and Hall, for all his cruelty could be kind too. The voice that was screaming in horror inside of her grew quieter every day, and if it wasn¡¯t for Maurice speaking to her at each meal, it probably would have faded away altogether.


    Maurice was closest Cass had ever had to a mother, and Cass could feel her concern and worry every time they spoke. Cass wondered if this is what love for a family member felt like, and with Maurice imploring her not to sink further, Cass could never quite let that voice inside her go away.


    Still, Cass knew that she had feelings for Hall as well. For all of his cruelty and manipulation, he had stopped belittling her. He had recognized that she had potential, and rewarded her for trying to reach that potential and only punished her when she disappointed. He was not fair, but ultimately, Cass respected him. Even liked him, for that matter, Cass knew Maurice worried that Cass liked Hall too much.


    She could not say that Maurice was wrong.


    Still, Hall could be kind. As a reward for her studies, she was granted her own study time each day. She had to report to Hall about her studies each week, but she was free to pursue her own curiosity and even free to move around the castle within reason.


    Cass found herself drawn to the subject of glyphs, the one on her back had changed her life, and she found them fascinating overall. There were many mysteries surrounding them, for example, why they worked.


    Magic items used what essentially was crystallized systems which when powered by mana, would produce an effect. Mages in general either used systems in nature or created them from scratch to work magic.


    But glyphs were circles filled with shapes and symbols in specific orders. The symbols were part of a language, but no one was sure what the language was or how it became linked to magic. Some mages theorized that somewhere there was a gigantic magic item that regulated glyphs, others thought that the language was the language of the Gods and was the building blocks of life itself, but no one really knew.


    Also, there were ¡®forbidden¡¯ glyphs. The Absorption Glyph on Cass¡¯s back was an example of that kind. These glyphs invariably killed the one they were applied to, but that did not stop mages from trying. In addition to the Absorption Glyph, other lethal glyphs included Memory Glyphs and Thinking Glyphs, and the most lethal, ironically, was the Life Glyph. The Life Glyph actually caused the one it was applied to burst into flames and turn to ash within seconds¡­


    No one was entirely sure why those glyphs failed, except for the Absorption Glyph. Records indicate that it caused feedback with itself and caused the user to burn up due to problems with the rate of transfer of mana from the glyph to the body. The book noted that this death was considered to be one of the most painful deaths known to man.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Cass agreed with that, the pain was absolutely unbearable.


    It was getting dark outside, so Cass poured a bit of magic into her hand to form a ball of light and set it in the air above her desk. The more she read, the more she enjoyed reading, and learning how to create light had ruined her sleep. Hall had laughed at the dark circles under her eyes, happily surprised by her desire to learn. Still, the mistakes she made when tired got her punished, and he told her it was a reminder that she needed to take care of herself to be able to do as she was required.


    Looking at the sparkling orb hanging in the air, Cass sat back for a moment, considering the text. Why was Cass an exception to the rule that these glyphs killed? For that matter, how were these glyphs created if they killed everyone they were applied to? Someone had figured it out in the past, and Cass herself was proof that at least one of them was possible.


    Thinking back to the day she had received her tattoo, she considered that the empty feeling inside her and her attempt to ¡®pour¡¯ magic into it had likely been her unconsciously using magic. She had pulled the excess mana from the glyph and placed it somewhere within her, where it had likely overflowed and leaked from her as the glyph continued to pull mana from the air.


    She had asked Hall about this, but he had no answers for her. He had never heard of such a thing before, and said that she should do her own research. To help her, Cass was given access to the mage library, though she was always accompanied by a guard.


    Cass devoured book after book and as she was sitting in her room that night, she had an idea. Jumping up, she went to the guards outside and asked them to bring her to Hall. She would likely be punished for waking up her Master, but she was too excited to care. If her theory was right, it would be possible for non-mages to have the Absorption Glyph placed on them with the proper precautions¡­


    Hall¡¯s door opened, revealing the shirtless Hall in a rather grumpy mood. ¡°This had better be important Cass.¡± He said, glaring blearily down at her.


    Cass was rather distracted for a second, she had not expected a mage to have muscles like that¡­ What was she thinking! She shook her head to clear it, before excitedly speaking about her idea about glyphs.


    ¡°Master, I was reading about glyphs and I realized something. The problem with the Absorption Glyph is not that the glyph is flawed, but that humans are. It simply draws mana faster than it can be absorbed by the body.¡±


    ¡°That is correct, but what is your point?¡± Hall said impatiently.


    ¡°I survived because I unconsciously pulled mana from the glyph, creating a system inside myself that keeps the mana under control.¡± Cass had no idea how she had done this, but it was the only way she could be standing here now. ¡°And it occured to me, my collar can inhibit my magic right? So Magic Tools can be made that inhibit mana itself.¡±


    ¡°That is also correct,¡± Hall had woken up slightly, and now was a bit intrigued. He could vaguely see where Cass was going with this.


    ¡°In other words, if a Tool was implanted into a person along with the glyph, the tool could regulate the magic inside the body acting as a buffer between the glyph and the host!¡±


    Hall stood silent for a second, then began to laugh. ¡°Brilliant! Absolutely Brilliant! That might just work, Cass your thinking is nothing short of amazing!¡±


    Cass blushed, embarrassed but elated at the same time. ¡°Thank you Master, but I don¡¯t deserve that much praise.¡±


    ¡°Ha! Mages have spent decades, no centuries on this issue!¡± Hall exclaimed, putting his hands on Cass¡¯s shoulders and pulling her towards him. ¡°I cannot believe no one thought of this before¡­ It is both simple and brilliant, but the thought process that considers glyphs and tools to be linkable¡­ No mage with proper education would think of it, but given how you have been taught¡­¡±


    Cass¡¯s face was now bright red, why had he pulled her closer? She had mostly given up worrying about her happiness to be praised, but being this close to Hall, in this situation. She did not know what she was feeling¡­


    Hall let go of her, and she was more disappointed than relieved. ¡°We will have to test this in the morning, and,¡± He smiled grandly at her. ¡°We will have to think of a suitable reward for you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Master,¡± Cass bowed, partially just to hide her bright red face and the happiness she felt.

 I am me, but who is that?

    Cass had nightmares about this room. The jars of unknown ingredients, the drain on the floor, and the table with shackles, these things would have her wake screaming more than she cared to admit. But this time, Cass was watching from a different position. Saurius Hall and two mages she didn''t know were preparing the ink for the tattoo, which seemed to glitter due to the small crystals now added to the material. Those crystals were the inhibitors that, hopefully, would allow the subject to survive.


    Now that she was here, Cass was having second thoughts about her theory. She had forgotten that her owners had no compunction using people off the street for test subjects. Cass¡¯s idea would cause another human being to be tortured like she was, and, if she was wrong, she will have killed them.


    Hall seemed to notice her feelings, and said to her earlier, ¡°Do not think of them as equal to you. Even as a slave, you are a mage, and beyond that, you have real potential. These test subjects are nothing but dirt beneath your feet.¡±


    ¡°Master,¡± It had been easier and easier for Cass to respond and hold conversations, though she was still timid with everyone but a very few people. ¡°I was one of them, I am one of them really. Maybe most of them are worthless, but I wonder how many with potential are missed and lost. Maybe you could give them more of a chance?¡±


    Hall sighed, ¡°Perhaps you are right, I suppose I have my own bias. You are proof that some dregs have value.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Master,¡± maybe she was in a position where she could make a difference, hopefully Maurice would be happy. Her displeasure with the direction that Cass¡¯s feelings for Hall had been going was a wedge between them, and it hurt. Hopefully this would help bridge that gap, she was trying to follow the dream that she told Maurice about. Even if that dream had become hazy for some reason¡­


    But for now, all she could do was hope her theory was right.


    The door opened, and the guards pulled a man in¡­ Was that¡­?


    ¡°Rat?¡± Cass asked, surprised. She had thought him to either be dead or continuing his arrangement with the guards, Cass had never expected to see him here.


    Rat¡¯s eyes focused on her. ¡°You,¡± he growled. ¡°So the little mouse was alive, eh? I still regret not having a chance to hear you scream.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately for you,¡± Cass might be timid with the people in the castle, Hall had rubbed off on her to some extent. She had no reason to be timid or merciful to Rat. ¡°I will be the one doing the listening, though I doubt your voice will be enjoyable to listen to at all.¡±


    Rat¡¯s eyes widened, than narrowed with rage and he lunged for Cass, but was restrained by the guards and eventually shackled to the table as Cass was. Hall walked over to him, much as he had for her when she first was brought here.


    He smiled at Rat, ¡°You really should regret that, you know. Her screams and whimpers are beautiful.¡±


    Hall¡¯s smile disappeared and he scowled, ¡°But scum like you don¡¯t deserve to hear that sound, you don¡¯t even deserve to be given the chance to be useful, so you should be grateful that I have decided to give you one!¡±


    Soon afterward, they began to apply the glyph to Rat. This formerly terrifying thug was now and crying and whimpering as the tattoo was created. Cass was actually quite glad that Rat was the one who was chosen, she had no reason to pity him. If anything, she was quite glad that he was suffering. Though Cass had to add that feeling to the list of feelings that were worrying her.


    The process took a long time, but finally, it was the moment of truth, the final part of the glyph. Rat grunted in pain, but did not show the same reaction Cass did. Of course, Cass¡¯s particular reaction was caused by her own magic, so it would have been surprising if he had reacted like that. Still, it was clearly very painful, and, in every experiment beside Cass¡¯s, lethal.


    But Rat slowly relaxed, breathing heavily, and swore at Hall angrily. He survived! Cass smiled and nearly jumped for joy! She had been right, and the other mages, including Hall, were also ecstatic!Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    ¡°Unbelievable, with this the Court will be undefeatable!¡± One of them said excitedly.


    ¡°Indeed, this is not only the end to rebellions, but perhaps Haj¡¯s path to ruling the continent.¡±


    ¡°Hush,¡± Hall reprimanded them, but not very harshly. ¡°All of that is Sealed to the Tower.¡± He turned to Cass, and congratulated her.


    ¡°Well done Cass,¡± Hall grinned. ¡°You have given us more than you know, I will have to think of a special reward.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Master!¡± Cass was also smiling happily, overwhelmed by the praise.


    Rat had fainted, and was being dragged away. According to Hall they planned to add several more glyphs to him to test the viability of the original plan, a plan to create enchanted soldiers and an invincible army. Cass would be allowed to attend those applications as well, and she gladly accepted the offer. She had learned a lot just by watching the mages work.


    However, with this Hall would have to leave for a while. As a first part of her reward, she would have the few days he was gone reporting to the Court off, to spend as she wished. Hall teased the second part of her reward would be more than she could imagine, but that did not stop Cass from trying to.


    Though¡­ Some of the things Hall had said raised questions for Cass, and she decided to ask, even if it was awkward.


    ¡°Master,¡± Cass said, slightly tentative. ¡°Do you really enjoy hearing me in pain?¡±


    ¡°Which answer would you prefer?¡± Hall grinned at her slyly.


    ¡°I- I don¡¯t know.¡± Cass stammered, ¡°And that scares me. A normal person would be able to answer that immediately.¡±


    ¡°And if I were to say yes?¡± Hall¡¯s eyes were cruel, ¡°What if I was to say, that as much as I enjoy your success, I am disappointed I don¡¯t have an opportunity to hear them?¡±


    ¡°Master¡­ I know that this is part of your experiment, but could you explain it to me someday?¡± Cass started to cry, ¡°because¡­ If that is what you think¡­¡±


    The room was empty, save for the two of them, Hall watched as Cass removed her tunic and braced herself against the table.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you are doing to me,¡± Cass said, starting to cry. ¡°I don¡¯t know why I am doing this. I feel like my very mind is bending and breaking sometimes and I find myself like this, thinking¡­ If you want to hear me scream and beg, I am willing to do it for you¡­ Just, please, let me understand what is happening to me!¡±


    Hall rested his hand on her back, lightly tracing her glyph. He was silent for a moment, then began to speak quietly. ¡°Prisoners taken as slaves during the Empire¡¯s conquest of other lands have always been a risk. Why, after all, should they obey their taskmasters when they outnumber them greatly and it is too expensive to collar them all.¡±


    She shivered as he brushed down her spine.


    ¡°The taskmasters were formerly officers in the military, and they came up with a solution. By combining brutality and generosity, they found that even the most resistant slave would become obedient. I have been studying the system with the hope of applying magic to it, and to understand it, I needed to perform it myself.¡±


    He left her for a moment, out of the corner of her eye she saw Hall picking up a long thin rod he got from one of the cabinets. A part of her wondered what it was used for normally, but she knew what it was being repurposed for now.


    ¡°As you might expect, I have been using you for that test.¡± Hall swung the rod, and Cass¡¯s breath quickened when she heard it swoosh behind her. ¡°The taskmasters know their work it seems, because you are close to breaking altogether. But that is not your fault, it is simply human nature to become obedient and worshipful of someone who controls both their suffering and pleasure.¡±


    Cass cried out as she was struck, ¡°Master¡­¡± She gasped, ¡°Will I even still be me?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Hall struck her again, ¡°You won¡¯t, but then who were you to begin with? Some trash off the street? Do you even want to be that?¡±


    ¡°I- I am not sure¡­¡± She gasped. Hall and Maurice, both of them were asking Cass who she was, both of them offered very different views on the world. Both of them had managed to touch her emotionally, and both had asked her to become something more.


    Maurice was gentle, but her path had no guidance. A future dream is wonderful and beautiful, but it was a life without structure and Cass did not have confidence in herself to keep to that life. It was a path she could fall off at any time and become lost again.


    Hall was cruel, but he was also kind, and he guided her. Cass could lose herself in his vision and his desires for the future, and she would never need to think about what she was doing with her life. But ¡®Cass¡¯ would disappear, be broken and molded into the perfect tool for Hall¡¯s use.


    As she cried out from the abuse she had actually asked for, Cass realized that she was almost unconsciously choosing that route to begin with. If her Master wanted to hear her scream, she offered herself to him¡­ As Hall pulled her up and thanked her for doing so, Cass knew she had to do something. She could not let herself go further down that path, or she would be nothing more than his toy. Cass may let herself do that someday, but if she had choices, she wanted to see them first.


    Tomorrow, she would talk to Maurice and ask her for help. These next three days, Cass felt that if she didn¡¯t do something, she would break soon after...

 A walk to clear the mind.

    Cass¡¯s face must have been particularly dreadful, because Maurice had taken one look at her and then hugged her.  Like Hall, but in a far different way, Maurice had worn through Cass¡¯s barriers and while she still stiffened instinctively when someone touched her, she would soon relax as Maurice held her.  When Maurice let go, Cass felt vaguely regretful.  Sometimes she wished that she could be held forever, but she knew better than that.


    ¡°Maurice,¡± Cass had already started crying as she looked up at Maurice with blurry eyes.  ¡°I think there is something wrong with me.¡±


    Maurice held her and patted her back as Cass poured out her heart, it was something Cass had never experienced before.  Despite the worry, anxiety, and fear that she was experiencing, being able to do this felt good.  Almost painfully good, she started worrying that she was dreaming.


    As she finished explaining her situation, she asked Maurice, ¡°Why?  Why do I feel like I want this?  I can feel myself bending more and more every day, and I know I will break.  But that isn¡¯t what scares me¡­¡±


    Cass buried her head in Maurice¡¯s arms so that she wouldn¡¯t have to look at her when she said her next words, ashamed of them.  ¡°What scares me is that this is making me happy, whatever my Master wants, I give to him.¡±


    Maurice was silent for a while, and Cass nervously looked up to see her face.  She almost backed away, the furious expression she saw was not one she had ever expected to see from the calm and gentle servant.  Now, she looked as if it were not for her holding on to Cass, Maurice would have stormed off to confront Hall herself.


    ¡°That bastard¡­¡±  Maurice swore, ¡°I knew they had turned away from the Gods, but to think the Hall family had begun to serve the Devils.¡±


    Cass was confused, ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­¡±


    Maurice pushed Cass to arms length and looked her straight in the eye, ¡°Do not let yourself fall into this trap, Cass.  Only a servant of the Devils would seek to spread pain and misery and make the victims come and ask for more, I will be here to help you and pray for you whenever you need me.¡±


    Maurice was firm, and offering help, but Cass felt more lost.  Her Master, Lord Hall, was not a good person, she knew that.  But then, neither was she.  Cass remembered times when she was sitting in a corner of the street, wishing that she had the courage to kill the child in the shadows near her just to take the half-eaten, rotten, vegetable that he had taken out of the trash somewhere.  Cass had stolen, lied, and even beaten others to survive on the streets, and was often the targets of those things herself.


    In some ways, Hall was better than her though.  She only ever took from those around her, only brought suffering.  But Hall was willing to reward her, he was not really evil, he was just cruel.


    ¡°I can tell what you are thinking,¡± Maurice said quietly.  ¡°But think about your life, you are only becoming attached to him because he offered you stability at a time you had none.  Do you remember how good it felt to imagine a dream for the future?  To believe in a purpose for your life?  Would you throw that away to serve a sadist?¡±


    Cass was startled, but Maurice¡¯s point was accurate, except¡­  ¡°Maurice, it is true that I would love to pursue dreams, but reality is not so easy.  In my heart, part of me agrees with you, but another part of me says that no one else would offer me even stability, much less praise and reward me.¡±


    ¡°This is why I said he served the Devils,¡± Maurice scowled, the ugly expression did not look right on her.  ¡°The Hall family separated from the Church, even accused and arrested priests on false charges!  What Hall is doing to you¡­  It could cost you your soul Cass!¡±


    Cass had no idea that her Master had separated from the Church, and it did make her slightly uncomfortable.  The Church, for all the leers she began to get towards the end from some of the priests, had given her support when she needed it most.  Cass listened to their doctrine, and was not sure if she could agree, but she knew there were good people in it, who tried to spread happiness wherever they went.  But she would leave that for now, she did not know enough about the situation, and¡­  And she could not believe that Hall would be truly separated from the message of the Church of Light.


    ¡°Maurice,¡± Cass thought she would try another question, as her answers thus far had only increased her turmoil.  ¡°How should I keep to my dream?  Day to day, it is so hard to remember it and to know what to do next.¡±


    ¡°Let me ask you a question instead, Cass.¡± Maurice¡¯s face relaxed a bit, but was still stiff with concern.  ¡°When you think of your ¡®master,¡¯ what do you see in the future?¡±


    ¡°I- I don¡¯t know.¡±  Cass hadn¡¯t thought about it.  She supposed that if she just gave in she would follow Hall in whatever he decided.  After telling Maurice as much, Maurice replied, ¡°Isn¡¯t that like having no future of your own at all?  You paint a picture of serving your ¡®master¡¯ without having any thoughts of the next day, simply existing as a tool for him to pick up and use when needed.  Is that what you really want?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±  Cass had begun to devour books, tales of far off lands, of magical research, of creatures and cultures.  And although she did not always know how to pursue it, the dream to end the kind of pain she had and was going through still existed within her.  She wanted to see more, know more, experience more than the little bubble that was her world.  ¡°I want to learn and see everything I can, and I really do want to fulfill the dream I spoke of, but¡­¡±  Cass bit her lip, ¡°But I cannot leave, and I cannot escape.  And even if I could, I am not sure that I would.¡±


    Maurice had to leave to attend to her other duties, but she had said many things to Cass.  Much like when she dealt with Lord Hall, she was never sure what to think.  Maurice gave her nothing to guide herself towards the path she showed, but she did show Cass a path that she had never before imagined.  Just as Hall gave her absolute guidance, but no path other than his own to follow.


    Both of their ways seemed right, and they both seemed wrong and Cass was stuck between.


    She had been given free reign to wander this area of the Imperial Center, although she was attended by guards the whole time, and she decided to take a walk to clear her head.  It was coming towards the end of summer, but it was blisteringly hot still, especially inside the stuffy castle.  Feeling a bit sorry for the guards in their armor, Cass quietly created a light breeze to keep the guards and herself cool as she walked.


    In the hallway ahead, there were guards posted by a door, this surprised Cass as she had often gone through this way on her way to study with Lord Hall and she had never seen them before.  Curious, she approached and asked them what they were doing.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°We are guarding the test subject, lady mage.¡±  The guard saluted and replied respectfully.  Cass was shocked by the reaction, and stood there open mouthed for a few awkward seconds before gathering her thoughts.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a title, guardsman.¡±  Cass indicated the collar on her neck, ¡°I am merely a slave.¡±


    ¡°With respect Lady,¡± the guard bowed slightly.  ¡°Even as a slave, you are still noble.  It would be beyond rude for me to not respect you as such.¡±


    ¡°Eh,¡± one of Cass¡¯s guards chimed in.  ¡°She ain¡¯t really a noble, just a kid offa the streets.  Noble probably stuck it to her mother one or two times, but she is just a commoner, like us.¡±


    Cass frowned slightly, while technically true she did not like the way he spoke.  What value did he have after all?  For the purposes of keeping track of Cass the guard could be replaced with a well trained dog!  Still, on a social level, as a freemen he was above her, if only just, so she did not reply.


    ¡°Even if that is true, there is no reason to not be respectful.¡± The first guard replied, ¡°Light willing, slavery should not exist in the first place, but it is not for me to question my betters.  Leaving that aside, were you here to speak to the subject?¡±


    A Church member, and a devout one too, that was a bit surprising.  Although it was not her original intent, Cass indeed said that she wished to see the subject, who of course, was Rat.


    The guard unlocked the door and entered with her, along with her two guards, making the room quite cramped.  But Cass really did not want to be alone with Rat anyway, so she supposed it was fine.


    ¡°The mouse again¡­¡±  Rat snarled, sitting on his bed.  ¡°I suppose I have you to thank for this?  I wonder just how well you did them to convince them of this, I really missed an opportunity that night.¡±


    He looked the same as ever, muscled, messy black hair and crooked teeth, but Cass was not really frightened anymore.  Compared to the strength of Hall, or the emptiness of Evans, or even the anger that had poured out of Maurice just a while ago, Rat seemed weak.


    ¡°I did no such thing,¡± Cass replied coolly.  ¡°I am merely responsible for you surviving it.  From what I understand of the plans for you, I would have thought you would be happy, Rat.¡±


    ¡°Responsible for me surviving?¡±  Rat spat on the floor, ¡°Don¡¯t make me laugh.  Just because the tests they did on you let them succeed with me, don¡¯t think you can take credit.  A trashy little mouse like you is only good for one thing.¡±  Looking at Cass from head to toe, Rat grinned lewdly.  ¡°I have to say, you certainly fill out nicely, I can see almost see why that bastard would keep you around.  But one day you will be screaming for me, you can believe that.¡±


    Cass had enough, and used magic to pin Rat against the wall.  Walking past the shocked guards, she raised her hand, forming fire much like Hall had once shown her.  Rat¡¯s face was priceless, Cass revealed in the stunned and fearful expression he was showing.


    ¡°First, I designed the very procedure that kept you alive.¡±  Cass said sweetly, as she held the flames up to Rat¡¯s face.  ¡°Second, just for the record, compared to Lord Hall, there is no way you could ever get me to so much as whimper.¡±


    She extinguished the fire and released him from the wall, stepping back to observe him as he struggled to control his rage.  Why had she felt proud thinking about her Master¡¯s ability to hurt her?  She really was losing control of her mind¡­


    She shook her head to clear it, Maurice was right about one thing, she needed to look towards the future.  And this was an opportunity to do that.


    ¡°Rat, our life on the streets is over.¡±  Cass said quietly, ¡°And that might not be a bad thing.  I understand the process of what our new masters are doing, and honestly, your are too expensive to simply throw away.  Unlike me, you do not have your own magic, so they will complete the procedures on you.¡±


    ¡°And your point?¡±  Rat glared at her, but seemed to be curious overall.


    ¡°The point is that you will be the first person in the world to have these enhancements, a soldier with potential beyond any other ever seen.¡±  Cass was not entirely sure of that, but Rat did not need to know that.  ¡°Resistance is futile, they will do as they want regardless.  But if you agree to help, you could receive training, maybe even be allowed to join the army.  You could have a real life, free of the streets.¡±


    Cass was not sure why, but she felt that sharing this with Rat would help her future dreams.  At the very least, she might be able to turn one thug and rapist into a somewhat productive member of society, although she doubted he would ever be a decent one.


    ¡°Just¡­ Think about it.¡±  With that, Cass turned and left.  She wondered if her speech with Rat had been more inspired by Hall or Maurice, as she had felt like she was showing pieces of both of them at certain times.  Maybe there was a middle ground, or perhaps an answer beyond what she could see right now.


    Struck by a thought, she turned to her guards.  ¡°I have never thought to ask before, but am I allowed to request some things?¡±


    ¡°You are a slave,¡± The one who had spoken out earlier said.  ¡°And I ain¡¯t about to take orders from a slave, but Lord Hall did tell us that if you needed somethin¡¯ that we was to pass it on to the mages.¡±


    Cass nodded, and asked if they would pass on a few requests for her.  Several hours later, she was in front of the cell she had been put in at the start of this whole thing.  She had been a different person then, and she would be a different person in the future.  Slowly her timid and fearful demeanor was leaving her, the only question is what precisely would replace it.


    ¡°Is that¡­  Cass?!¡±  Birdie recognized her, which Cass found somewhat touching.  Remembering one face out of the crowd months later, most street dregs wouldn¡¯t bother.


    ¡°Good afternoon, Birdie.¡±  Cass nodded, ¡°I brought you guys some things.¡±


    They were all, Birdie included, suspicious of Cass¡¯s sudden claim.  But that turned to shock when Cass began to hand out blankets and had bowls of thick soup for them.


    ¡°Wh-what¡­  Why?¡±  Birdie stammered, unable to believe or trust what she was seeing.


    ¡°There are a few reasons,¡± Cass replied with a smile.  ¡°But one of the biggest reasons is because I can.  Why shouldn¡¯t I share with you guys?  We are not any different after all, I just was luckier than I had any right to be.¡±


    That was all true, but Cass did have other reasons.  She begged Maurice¡¯s forgiveness in her heart, but she knew that she had been influenced too much by Hall to ever be what Maurice wanted.  Even Cass¡¯s attempt to help others took into account how to use them and how to make her Master¡¯s life better.  With the success of Rat, likely all of the orphans here would go through the same process, and before Cass knew what the success rate for the procedure was, she could only do what she could to make sure they lived.  Also, she knew what it was like to be hungry, she knew what it was like to be cold.  If she had the ability, why shouldn¡¯t she do this?


    The soup was rich, though by noble standards it would be considered bland and tasteless, to these orphans and homeless, starving kids, it was a feast.  Some of the younger ones had started to cry after tasting it, and Cass knew how they felt.  As Cass turned to leave, Birdie fell to her knees and thanked her.


    ¡°I- I am sorry tha¡¯ I wante¡¯ Rat to take yah instead of me.¡±  She said, tears rolling down her cheek.  The soup had been good, but that was not why Cass was getting this reaction from her.  The blankets were thick and warm, and when you¡¯ve felt the incredible pain that cold can bring, those blankets were a treasure more valuable than gold.  Even in the heat of summer, the dungeons were perpetually cold, and when the sun fell at night it would be barely above freezing.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to apologize.¡±  Cass said gently, ¡°I was happy that he had chosen you that night instead.  As I said before, we aren¡¯t different, I was just lucky.¡±

 A glimpse of possibilities.

    Later that evening, Cass was reading some of the books on glyphs she had ¡°borrowed¡± from the experiment room. They were only there for reference, so she doubted that anyone would notice. Even if it was, it probably wasn¡¯t something she would be punished for, and if it was Hall she was not entirely sure she minded anyway¡­


    Cass did not want to think about that now, the book she was reading was quite interesting. It was an encyclopedia of glyphs, specifically ones used in combat. These were the glyphs that would eventually be applied to Rat, and likely all the other orphans in the cell as well. Those kids would be the test batch before the mages applied it to actual soldiers, Cass herself would likely not get them applied to her though. Since she could use magic it made more sense to train her to use the power from the glyph as part of her mana pool.


    Cass enjoyed glyphs more than any other form of magic, the symbolism and language of the glyphs was incredibly interesting. But she always had a nagging feeling that she was missing something¡­ She could see the relationships between glyphs for strength and speed, endurance and strength, but she could not put her finger on what she was missing.


    She woke up with her face in the book, she had fell asleep at the small desk in her room. Cass had dreamed of her past and glyphs, where she had speed and strength enough to live on the streets without fear. If only she could have another breakthrough like the magic tools¡­ But perhaps she didn¡¯t need another, the solution was already in front of her!


    A couple hours later, Maurice came with breakfast only to find Cass furiously writing and drawing at her desk. Setting down the meal on the small end table by Cass¡¯s bed, she greeted Cass.


    ¡°I had thought you had these days off,¡± Maurice teased. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be studying so hard.¡±


    ¡°Not studying so much,¡± Cass said as she paused, mouthwatering at the smell of the food. ¡°More¡­ Designing.¡±


    Cass went over to the bed and put the plate on her lap and began to eat happily as Maurice studied her drawings.


    ¡°These¡­ Are glyphs?¡± Maurice picked one of the papers up, ¡°But the patterns are off¡­¡±


    Cass coughed, choking on a piece of bread slightly. ¡°You are familiar with glyphs?¡± She was surprised, aside from specialists, even mages would not necessarily be able to spot the subtle differences in the glyphs she had been drawing.


    ¡°I told you that my husband was a Lord¡¯s guard, he had glyphs on his arms and legs.¡± Maurice explained.


    ¡°But how did you notice the changes¡­?¡±


    ¡°Well, you might guess I know my husband quite well.¡± Maurice winked.


    Cass thought it would be odd for someone without magic to study glyphs that intensely, even if they were married to the person, but she did not want to dive into that awkward subject and so she let it go. After all, it was Maurice, wasn¡¯t like her to devote herself to her marriage that much?


    ¡°Well, the simple explanation is that I thought that if you could inhibit and regulate mana in glyphs by using magic tools, I figured you could use them almost like¡­ A door, perhaps. Unactivated, the tool would prevent the glyph from drawing power, but once activated it would allow it to flow and activate.¡±


    Cass supposed it was too technical, but who cared when the food was that good. Maurice was quiet for a bit as Cass ate happily.


    ¡°Well, I am not a mage, so I wouldn¡¯t know.¡± Maurice put down the parchment, ¡°But I do know that my husband wouldn¡¯t need something like this, what is it for?¡±


    ¡°It is for me. With this, I can have these glyphs applied and still use the full power of my Absorption Glyph for magic! I hope Master will agree to apply them, the theory is sound¡­¡±


    Maurice frowned, ¡°Don¡¯t risk yourself, you need to value yourself more.¡±


    ¡°Well, the worst that can happen is that it just won''t work¡­¡± Cass gestured with a forkful of egg, ¡°Unlike the Absorption Glyph, and with the changes in the pattern, it has no chance of killing me by overload. So the risk is really minimal.¡±


    ¡°I hope you know what you are doing¡­¡±


    Maurice left a little later, and Cass returned to her work. She had told the truth, but there was one risk, if she messed up she would never be able to have another glyph placed on her. Glyph locations were quite specific, and so choosing what would go where was important. Scars and tattoos would prevent their placement, as would significant birthmarks or physical deformity of any kind.


    Still, as risks went, that was basically meaningless, so it could be ignored. It would hurt, true, but Cass¡¯s feelings about that were mixed to begin with. And if it worked, it would cement her value and she would not have to worry about being discarded.


    She felt Hall would not abandon her, but she could see Evans locking her away and forgetting she existed. To avoid that she had to be worth keeping around, and she wanted to be able to stay near Lord Hall, so she needed to make sure she was useful to him.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    A few more hours later, she sat back and looked over her designs. There were six in total, more could be added later, but these were the primary ones that would be applied to the other test subjects. All of them had been modified to include a variation of the magic tool Cass had suggested adding to the Absorption Glyph as well.


    There were two her upper arms, two for her lower arms, and two for her calves. The swirls and symbols looked quite beautiful to Cass, she sometimes felt she might have wanted them even if they had done nothing at all. However, if they worked properly, they would greatly increase her speed, strength, and stamina. It wouldn¡¯t give her skill, but she would be able to learn that some day.


    She stretched, standing up to look outside her window to the small courtyard outside. Cass enjoyed this life. Reading and research, inspiration and design. She had never imagined that she would have a life like this before.


    It came with its own complications, she still wrestled with her own thoughts, feeling as if she was being pulled and stretched between Lord Hall and Maurice. But over the months she had lived here, Cass had gained confidence. She did not feel that she was beneath everyone, she had her own value and she knew it. Still, she had to keep in mind that she was a slave, even if she forgot sometimes.


    But being owned by Hall was not so bad, she even liked it at times.


    The future seemed hopeful, and for the rest of today and tomorrow she would be able to enjoy some time off. Maybe she could spend time with Maurice tomorrow, and after that Hall would return with her reward and she would also present her new designs to him.


    Cass was unused to being excited for the next day, but she felt she could get used to it. Watching the sunlight stream through her window, Cass smiled. She felt¡­ Happy¡­


    It was warm, so Cass decided to take a nap and relax, and woke up later in the evening to bring food to the underground cell again. They were overjoyed to see her and Cass felt good hearing their happiness. This was what she wanted everyone to experience, rather than the mistrust and misanthropy of the streets.


    When Maurice brought dinner to her, Cass asked if she wanted to spend any time with her tomorrow, and Maurice seemed ecstatic to be invited. Cass still was not sure how to react to being hugged, but it did feel nice when Maurice embraced her before leaving again.


    The next day, Maurice and Cass went down to the courtyard after breakfast, with Maurice talking about all the trouble her husband had given her the day before.


    ¡°I tell him to buy one thing at the market and he always comes home with something else!¡± Maurice was saying, ¡°Honestly, the only bigger fool than him is me for loving him anyways!¡±


    Cass laughed with her, enjoying the pleasant conversation. Maurice would complain in such a good-natured way that it hardly even counted! Cass envied her and her husband¡¯s bond, to someone more used to bonds of fear and greed, it seemed a beautiful, amazing thing. They each wanted to make each other happy, and although there were mistakes, the fact that they cared so deeply for each other saw them through each and every trouble.


    ¡°Come to think of it¡­¡± Maurice stopped suddenly, ¡°I think you met my husband just the other day.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Cass was surprised, thinking back. ¡°Really? Was he one of the guards I talked to when I was meeting with the other kids again?¡±


    ¡°No, he was guarding that boy¡¯s cell. He talked to you for a bit he said.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Cass remembered the respectful guard who had been outside Rat¡¯s room. With his black hair and black eyes he certainly was striking and stood out in a country of mostly light eyed and light haired people. ¡°That was your husband?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that was my Paul.¡± Maurice smiled happily, ¡°He thought you were a very nice young lady by the way, but he worried about you going to see the boy he had locked up. In the end though, he told me you handled yourself well.¡±


    ¡°I guess I did,¡± Cass was somewhat proud of it actually, a formerly timid person standing up to someone who had, even if only briefly, had complete power over her life.


    ¡°I wish you hadn¡¯t threatened him,¡± Maurice went on, oblivious to Cass¡¯s pride in that very fact. ¡°But the things you said at the end, Paul told me you were talking about him doing something with his life and moving past the streets.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I was.¡± Cass nodded, skipping over the part about her threatening Rat. He did deserve it, after all. ¡°The streets don¡¯t reward kindness, only cruelty. He might be a horrible person, but he might also be a product of the streets themselves. I thought Rat deserved at least a chance to choose something more, it was only luck that I got that chance myself after all.¡±


    ¡°I am so proud of you Cass.¡± Maurice hugged her tightly, and for once, Cass put her arms around her and hugged her back. She had never had a family, much less praise from one, but this warm feeling must be what it was like. She almost felt like she was glowing with happiness.


    ¡°Thank you Maurice,¡± Cass hugged her more tightly. ¡°The things you have said to me, the advice you have given, they have helped me see that I can be so much more. That there is a path that I can take towards my own future.¡±


    ¡°I am glad of that,¡± Maurice smiled down at her. ¡°Your own path away from Hall is for the best, and you will be able to be truly happy.¡±


    Cass shook her head at that, ¡°It is my own path to be sure, but it isn¡¯t away from Master¡¯s, just like it isn¡¯t away from yours. I want to walk between the two of you, because I don¡¯t think I could ever be without either of you.¡±


    Maurice seemed concerned at that reply, ¡°Cass, Hall is an evil man. He revels in the pain of others, and he seems to enjoy seeing you suffer in particular.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and he also has given me more opportunities than anyone else ever has and has praised my success and given me guidance to grow further. My Master might punish me for my failures harshly, he might even enjoy it. But¡­ After all he has given me, I am happy to make him happy, even if it involves me crying and begging in pain.¡±


    ¡°Cass¡­ You know that isn¡¯t healthy.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, but I am fine with it.¡± Cass looked down slightly, ¡°If I am totally honest and I could only ever say this to you, there is a part of me that enjoys it. There might be something wrong with me, but I can still try my best and look towards the future regardless.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Maurice said firmly, ¡°Hall is a terrible, evil, horrendous man. I did not want to bring this up, but I guess I have no choice. Let me tell you why he is beyond redemption as a minion of Devils.¡±


    Maurice took a deep breath and began her story.

 Fragments of the past.

    ¡°I told you that my husband and I decided to move to Tyine,¡± Maurice began. ¡°But the truth is that it is only partially true. The reality was that we had no choice.¡±


    Cass nodded, she had sometimes felt that Maurice was hiding things from her, but she had never begrudged that. Life was not so simple that someone would not have something they did not want others to see.


    ¡°The area was overseen by a baron, a kind and gentle man unlike any noble I have ever seen before.¡± Maurice looked off into the distance as she recalled her past. ¡°He was devout, and generous in his contributions to the Church and cared for the people he ruled over.¡±


    It would be more believable for Cass to grow wings than to find a noble like that, Cass thought. But she kept it to herself, after all, the more she learned the more she realized that the world was bigger than she knew.


    ¡°But despite his efforts, the territory grew more impoverished each year, while his neighbor prospered.¡± Glancing down at Cass, Maurice said, ¡°I would imagine you can understand what I am going to say next.¡±


    ¡°They were bordered by Lord Hall¡¯s family, his father, the Viscount?¡±


    ¡°He was not a viscount at the time, but they did border each other.¡± Maurice scowled, ¡°the former ¡®Baron¡¯ Hall grew rich off the suffering of our land, when the crops began to fail he would sell food to us at ridiculous prices forcing our kind lord to pay for part of them just so that we could afford it.¡±


    ¡°The Hall families men would walk through our villages like they owned the place, taking whatever they wanted and whomever they wanted.¡± Maurice looked to the side, ¡°I met Paul when he rescued me from them, the things they had said and the things they wanted to do to me still cause me to wake up at night screaming.¡±


    Cass could understand that, it was not an uncommon sight in the alleyways. Though on the streets, crying out in a nightmare generally only attracted people to make you shut up or make you scream louder, so those who could not suffer their memories quietly never lasted long.


    ¡°The Churches were torn down and sold to make payments on the debt,¡± Maurice said sadly. ¡°The chapel where Paul and I were married was sold for scrap to make up the costs to the bastard Halls. And eventually, it was just too much, the barony collapsed.¡±


    ¡°Our kind baron and his family were exiled from noble society and tried to commit suicide, but for some reason the son survived, though I heard that the poison they used and damaged his mouth and twisted it. He had been such a beautiful young boy, he had such wonderful dark hair and eyes, now thrown out of his home and onto the street.¡±


    That description sounded familiar, Cass thought to herself, but she could not quite place it. She would have to think about it later.


    ¡°And how was the Hall family punished for their treachery?¡± Maurice¡¯s voice trembled with anger. ¡°They were given the status of Viscount and rewarded our Lord¡¯s barony.¡±


    ¡°What was your Lord¡¯s name?¡± Cass asked curiously.


    ¡°Lord Rattan. A good family and a good man.¡±


    Impossible¡­ The coincidence was too great, but she would have to check¡­ As for the rest of the story¡­


    ¡°But that was my Master¡¯s father, right?¡± Cass did not think Sarius Hall would do something like this. He liked to cause pain, but he had control over his impulses, he used pain to drive people to rise above their limits and then rewarded them for it. For that matter, Cass was unsure that this was even the Hall families fault, why couldn¡¯t the Rattan family have purchased food from elsewhere? The even larger question was why did the barony become more and more impoverished? For all his generosity, Lord Rattan did not seem good at his actual job.


    She asked Maurice some of these things, though kept the last observation to herself. Maurice replied that Hall had messed with her thoughts and asked Cass to trust her.


    Cass was unsure how to deal with the confusion this brought on. Normally, she did trust Maurice, almost as much as she trusted Lord Hall. Cass imagined that Maurice would be the closest she would ever have to a mother, but¡­ Well, it seemed even Maurice was not above hate, and while Cass knew that the nobles could be the cruelest of the cruel, there were so many holes and questions in Maurice¡¯s story¡­


    Maurice spoke of other things to, the rumours that the Hall family had abolished the Churches in their barony, the persecution of missionaries and priests. She spat on the ground with contempt when she spoke of the barbarity of their soldiers, who would rape and murder at will all under the protection of the Hall family.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Cass listened, but she could not quite believe it. The pure hatred that was rolling of Maurice was scary to see, to think such a kind and loving lady could be filled with such loathing just beneath the surface.


    ¡°Hall even took my child from me,¡± Maurice continued, nearly growling now from sheer rage. ¡°When we left the barony, we were not able to hire a carriage, and¡­ and the traveling cost me my baby. That was all the fault of the Hall family!¡±


    Cass put her arms around the now sobbing Maurice, trying to comfort her, but confused over just how to respond. It seemed, unbelievable to her, and raised many more questions than it answered. Cass supposed she would ask Lord Hall about it tomorrow, but for now she would try and comfort this woman who had done the same for her. No matter what was actually true, Maurice believed what she said, and had delved into those painful memories to try and help keep Cass safe.


    For showing such concern, Cass could only be grateful that someone cared for her so much.


    After a while, Maurice calmed down and the subject ended up changing to far lighter topics of conversation. A few hours later, they said goodbye, smiling and laughing all the while after enjoying a pleasant conversation with each other.


    But Cass did not head back to her room, but instead went to another. Paul was not at the door this time, but the guards still let Cass pass by them to see Rat.


    ¡°Here again, huh?¡± Rat sneered, not bothering to get up from where he lay on the bed. ¡°Your ¡®lord¡¯ not able to satisfy you?¡±


    Cass had to resist the urge to burn him right there, but she was able to ignore the jab and ask the question she had come here for.


    ¡°You are a noble child, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Rat went still for a moment, then slowly sat up with an incredibly serious look in his eyes. ¡°You speak just as well as I do, and from what I hear, even have a noble name and are not a noble. What makes you think I am one?¡±


    ¡°A story I heard from a servant.¡± Cass would call Maurice a friend, but it was best not to give Rat any ammunition to use against her. Who knows what might happen if he ever got the chance to strike at Cass? ¡°One of the people in the tale reminded me of someone, right down to a similar name, only I cannot really believe it.¡±


    ¡°And who, precisely, do you think I am?¡±


    ¡°The son of Baron Rattan, who survived an attempt at suicide.¡±


    Rat started laughing, but there was no mirth in it. ¡°Suicide? More like murder, Father and Mother forced that down sister¡¯s and my throats because of their shame!¡±


    ¡°So it is true, you are noble¡­¡± Cass was stunned, there were similarities sure, and enough that she had come here to ask, but she had never really expected¡­


    ¡°That isn¡¯t how it works, you know.¡± Rat¡¯s smile was grim, especially unpleasant due to his horrendously crooked and yellowed teeth. ¡°The Rattan family was broken down from its status, losing our lands and title. Sure, technically, I am a ¡®noble,¡¯ but without a title that means nothing. I have no estate or family to help me, no knights or forces to command, not even a copper piece to my name. I might as well be dirt and trash, just like the rest of you.¡±


    ¡°How¡­ How did it happen?¡± Cass knew she shouldn¡¯t ask, and Rat probably would not really tell her. But he might know something about her Master¡­


    ¡°If you want details,¡± Rat layed back down again, closing his eyes in clear dismissal. ¡°Ask your ¡®lord Hall,¡¯ with how much he seems to be enjoying you, he might tell you tonight in bed.¡±


    Again, Cass let the barb pass. Though it was partially because after considering what she had said, this would of course be the conclusion Rat would have reached. And correcting him and explaining somehow felt more shameful than letting him believe whatever he wanted. But she did have one last thing she wanted to know.


    ¡°Could¡­ Would you tell me your name?¡±


    The room was silent, and Cass decided she was not going to get an answer and went to leave. As she opened the door though, she heard Rat reply.


    ¡°Owen.¡± Just that single word.


    ¡°Thank you, Owen.¡± Cass paused at the door. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you have gone through, but the our situations still ended up the same in the end. We both still have a chance to make something of our lives, remember that.¡±


    And with that, Cass left, leaving Owen to his own thoughts.


    Back in her own room, she sprawled on her bed staring at the ceiling. Lord Hall was at the center of Rattan¡¯s fall, Owen had essentially just confirmed that, but his description of how his father acted was nothing like what Maurice described. Perhaps it had simply been desperation and a broken mind, but Cass wondered just how complex this story really was. Her Master would tell her, but she was not entirely sure she wanted to know.


    Gritting her teeth, Cass made up her mind. She had to know, no matter what, Maurice was right that Hall had done things to Cass¡¯s head. She did not even want to hear a possibility of him doing something wrong, and given her own situation that mindset was obviously twisted.


    Getting up and pacing around the room, her eyes fell on her glyph designs. It was getting dark, but Cass used her magic to create a candle flame floating above the desk to light it as she looked over the parchments.


    They were beautiful, and brutal. Acquiring them would cause Cass immense pain, but she would be stronger for it. Was her Master not the same? If Maurice was magic, what would she be? Was there any system out there so generous and kind to the beings that surrounded it? No, such things did not exist in nature, only in humans.


    Perhaps that was nature itself telling humanity that the world was not so kind, that it was survival of the cruel and survival of the killers. Or, perhaps Cass was still missing something. She was not even an apprentice, merely a slave who was being taught magic to be used as a tool. Although her Master gave her access to whatever materials she was interested in, his own lessons clearly were readying her for battle.


    She extinguished the flame and went back to her bed and closed her eyes. When had life become so complicated?

 Rewards, touches, and glyphs.

    When Lord Hall returned he brought many other mages with him, so Cass did not have an opportunity to speak to him alone at first.  The mages were here to accelerate the process of applying the glyphs to the kids in the cell, her Master had said that the court and the Tower had been ecstatic with the results and wanted to have a field test as soon as possible, so extra mages had been dispatched.


    Cass was still unsure what the Tower was, though she knew it was some sort of organization among the mages, but from what Lord Hall told her very few mages overall were part of it.  Most nobles were affiliated with their houses and families rather than the Tower, which was an Imperial organization.  Still, with the resources of the Imperial Court, the Tower had a lot of pull near the capitol, and the amount of mages experienced at applying glyphs that they had sent was proof of that.


    Cass thought to fade into the background and talk to her Master later, but she did not give the chance.  Lord Hall pulled her to the front to address the mages and explain how her theory worked, she stammered and stuttered her way through it and was sure that her face was more red than an apple.


    Still, the mages did not seem to care, instead talking among themselves and preparing their materials.  After that, Cass was pulled aside by Hall.


    ¡°M- master¡­¡±  Cass was nearly in tears, she did not mind crowds but she was terrified of being the focus of a crowd''s attention.  In her experience, that often led to someone being torn apart.  He patted her head and she was glad that she had already been blushing, at least that way he wouldn¡¯t know that made her flushed as well!


    ¡°You did just fine,¡±  Hall smiled.  ¡°I am a pragmatic man, and a mind like yours is meant to be used.  I plan to use it well, but to do that you will need to get used to speaking.¡±


    Cass did not want to tell him that she did not think she could ever do that¡­  So she didn¡¯t, technically, he had not asked a question after all¡­  Instead she changed the subject, ¡°I had some other glyphs that I designed modifications for that I wanted to show you.¡±


    ¡°Busy working on your free days?¡±  Hall chuckled, ¡°Well I certainly won¡¯t punish you for being studious, especially if you truly found something else already.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t like the other one, the Absorption Glyph¡­¡±  Cass was a bit nervous, ¡°The modifications are¡­  For me¡­¡±


    Hall looked at her, he obviously had deduced what kind of modifications Cass had made based on that statement.  After all, without modifying the glyphs so that she could use them, no other modification would matter.  So Cass took a breath and forged ahead, ¡°And¡­  I would like you to apply them.¡±


    The last sentence came out in a rush of air and Cass found herself unable to look Hall in the eyes.  This was the first time she had so directly asked for something, especially something that would take so much of Hall¡¯s time.  She squared her shoulders, fully expecting to be punished for her presumption.


    Hall stood quietly for a time, then laughed.  ¡°I already had a reward prepared for you, but why not?  It will make you more useful to me after all, but first I want to see the designs.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Master.¡±  Cass was excited and a little scarred, the tattoo process would hurt but there was a part of her that was anticipating being able to use their power¡­  Other than her master, she would be safe from everyone, strong enough to keep herself safe.  Of course, she was starting to come to terms with the fact she would never be safe from Hall, because deep down she did not want to be.


    ¡°Well, before anything else,¡±  Hall had Cass follow him.  ¡°I should show you your reward.¡±


    Cass excitedly followed Hall through the castle, taking several staircases to the upper floors.  She was surprised to be here, from what Maurice had told her about the castle¡¯s layout, these were mostly unused rooms for officers and lesser nobles.


    Hall pushed a door open and gestured for her to go inside, as Cass thought, it was a suite of rooms for the nobility.  However, rather than seem like it was unused, it was clear that someone had been through to dust and uncover the furniture.  Cass wondered idly why anyone would need so much space, to her a bed and desk were a luxury and any more than that would just be confusing.  This collection of rooms had an entrance hall and a parlour, and through a door she could see a gigantic bed in the bedroom.  Cass had no idea what Hall had brought her here for and was shocked with what Hall said next.


    ¡°This is yours.¡±


    ¡°Master, I don¡¯t deserve-¡±


    Hall interrupted, ¡°you do deserve this.  I may own you, and for now there are things at play that stop me from training you properly.  But one day you will be my apprentice and become a full fledged mage.¡±


    Hall looked Cass in the eyes and she felt her rebuttal fall apart in her throat, ¡°You might not be aware, but tradition dictates much of high society.  I have already gotten approval from my teacher to be called a true mage.  When the trouble in the south calms down, and my Year of Reflection is finished, we will begin.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±  Cass whispered, for all his cruelty, not even Maurice could be as generous and kind as him at times.


    ¡°Because I know you like that servant¡­ I think her name was Maurice?¡±  Hall was still talking, ¡°I wanted to have her assigned to you, but that is not an option, so I will have to talk to one of the stewards to have a servant sent over here.¡±


    Cass thought for a second, then hesitated and finally said, ¡°Master, I know this is presumptuous, but would you allow me to choose?¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±  Hall seemed curious, ¡°Who would you even know that would qualify?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think she qualifies by the standards of a servant,¡± Cass chewed her lip.  ¡°But you have taught me to reward people for doing good, and even if it was not intentional, she saved me.¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    ¡°Presumably she is one of the test subjects then?¡±  Hall thought for a second, ¡°Well you will be along for the testing, so it should be fine, but I cannot guarantee her survival.¡±


    ¡°That is fine,¡± Cass smiled widely.  ¡°Thank you very much Master.¡±


    ¡°You will have to wait to see her until after the glyphs are applied to her, but I don¡¯t suppose you would be used to having a servant anyways so it should not be too much of a bother.  I really do wish it could have been Maurice though, you should have someone who knows the job.¡±


    Ah, that reminded Cass, but¡­  Should she ask?  Her Master had been so generous that she did not want to jeopardize it¡­  But she was also desperate to know.  In the end, she decided to risk it.


    ¡°Master¡­  There was something else¡­¡±  Cass told him about the stories she had heard, leaving Maurice out of it, but she did mention that Rat was Owen Rattan and as she spoke her Master¡¯s cheerful face had turned darker and darker, until looking him in the eyes had started to make Cass shake slightly in fear.


    After she finished, they were silent for a second.  Hall had looked away, his gaze directed at the wall, and with how angry he seemed Cass was surprised he hadn¡¯t blow it, or her, away.  He spoke quietly, but his tone was quick and strained.


    ¡°Do you ever wonder,¡± Hall was basically hissing.  ¡°How someone learns to enjoy hurting people?  What the life was like that made such a person who would revel in screams and blood and tears and begging?¡±


    Hall turned to her again and Cass was transfixed by the anger she saw, though she felt she was looking into a hateful sun that could burn her up without a second thought.


    ¡°I won¡¯t say any more about that part of things,¡±  Hall looked away again.  ¡°Suffice to say that my father is not what those stories imply, he is worse.  So much worse¡­  There are reasons I cannot truly leave my family, but practically I have given that up and have joined the Tower wholeheartedly.  The day he keels over and I can be rid of that legacy will be the happiest day of my life.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry,¡± Cass bowed her head.  ¡°I did not know this subject was so¡­¡±


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t have,¡± Hall waved it away.  ¡°Still, I need a distraction so let¡¯s go check out those designs you made.¡±


    This turned out to be the last trip to her old room, she showed Hall the designs and he was quite impressed by her ingenuity, and the type of magic tool involved was not very complicated at all.  Hall promised to personally apply the glyphs tomorrow night much to Cass¡¯s joy.


    He had work to attend to, as he was partially in charge of the whole experimental process, so he said his goodbyes to Cass and left her to explore her new rooms.  Cass was not aware that by noble standards, these were cramped quarters, but to her it was palatial.  Her parlour had a fireplace, couches and plump comfy chairs, and through the door was the bedroom, with a bed that felt like what Cass imagined clouds to feel like.  Even more surprising is that there were two more doors in her room, one of them was to her closet, which to a girl used to wearing rags seemed an unbelievable concept.  Needing a whole room for your clothes¡­  She had trouble even having clothes at all on the streets.  But the other door led to something even more unbelievable, a private bathroom.  With plumbing even and a tap from the aquaduct!


    Cass could hardly believe it, but was unable to resist leaping on to the bed and curling up in its softness.  If months ago, someone had told her that she would have her own bed she would have laughed at them.  If they had told her she would have had all this, she would have thought them mad and tried to run!


    The next day passed excruciatingly slowly for Cass, as her anticipation grew waiting for the glyphs.  Near to the time she would see Hall, she took advantage of her bathroom to clean herself, focusing especially on her arms and legs were the glyphs would be applied.


    She did admit, she was annoyed that there were not really any type of clothes that she could wear to cover herself while leaving the areas she needed exposed.  But her Master had already seen everything of her anyway and she knew that she was broken to the point where she would be happy if he did look.  He wouldn¡¯t though, Cass admonished herself, not like that.  He was a noble and a mage, he would have much better women than Cass seeking him out.  Even if she had filled out, she was only fourteen years old, much as she might wish otherwise, she doubted she could tempt him.


    Cass stopped for a second and frowned, what was she thinking?  She had been aware that her mind was bending to her Master for several weeks now, the very fact that she was mostly fine with that was proof.  But this was further than she wanted to let it go, and she would have to watch herself from here on out.


    Still¡­  When Cass looked into his eyes, simply sitting on a chair with her arms outstretched and saw that mix of cruelty, excitement, and concern¡­  It was hard for her to keep that promise to herself.  And now, she noticed there was something else there as well, and after hearing him talk about his father, Cass knew what it was.


    Self-loathing.


    He had not restrained Cass, had not ordered her to be still with the collar.  Merely prepared the tools and smiled at her.  He was going to enjoy applying the glyphs and causing her pain, he was going to enjoy her struggle to remain still, and even her mental struggles to prevent herself from breaking even further still.  And he hated himself for it.


    Cass wished she could comfort him, but she could understand the feeling.  She felt it herself whenever she realized that she had come to enjoy it.  She was reminded of their discussion a while ago, about the difficulty of applying magic to humans because of the complexity of their systems.  Whatever system was in play here was twisted to the point where just understanding it required a warped mind, and the more you understood the more warped you became.


    Starting at her shoulders, Hall began the glyphs.  The symbols and swirls curving over and around her bicep, spiraling down her arm to the inside of her wrist.  To the untrained eye, it either looked like a single complete work of art, or dozens of unconnected symbols.  But in reality it was four glyphs per arm, two on the upper arm and two on the lower, that would grant Cass strength and stamina.  At fourteen years old, when she poured power into her glyphs, she would be able to outmuscle adult soldiers with ease and keep doing so for longer than any normal human could stand.


    It took several hours to complete the arms, eight glyphs were completed.  The next glyphs to be applied, Cass blushed¡­  She had not really considered this when she had designed the glyphs, or when asking Hall to apply them¡­  But having Hall¡¯s hands on her inner thighs messed with her head in ways she had swore to herself she wouldn¡¯t think of.


    The glyphs actually started on the outside of her hip, but curved sharply inwards and then went down the inside of her thigh down to a point just above the knee.  Unfortunately for Cass, most of the detail was higher on the leg than that, where the tattoo was far more painful and much more embarrassing.


    Cass was panting by the end as she finally relaxed in the chair, she told herself that her breathing was only because of the pain and she would keep telling herself that until she believed it.  Though that was hard as Hall was checking over his work and Cass could almost feel his eyes on her, even if she knew that was just her imagination.


    He helped wash her off and get dressed and escorted her to her new room.  Cass was still trembling from pain and her own embarrassment, but when her master told her that they would test her new glyphs tomorrow¡­  Cass could not help but be excited.

 Testing the waters and being measured.

    Cass could hardly sleep that night, partially from the intense itching caused by the rapid healing of the glyphs, but mostly out of excitement. She got a few hours sleep and spent the rest of the time waiting excitedly, though Cass was occasionally bugged by thoughts that she did not need to wait and could test it herself. Still, she wouldn¡¯t take the chance for Lord Hall to observe his work first, after all, the application process was difficult on him as well.


    However, when the time came that morning, Hall told her that there would be many people in attendance to observe the test. The fact that so many people would be watching her made Cass anxious and panicky.


    However, when her Master looked to her and said, ¡°I will be counting on you out there, Cass.¡± She calmed herself down, Cass was determined not to let him down.


    Cass followed Hall through the winding corridors of the Imperial Center, leaving that section of the Center for the first time since she had been dragged and thrown into that cell. Cass reflected that in these past months her life, and her own self, had changed drastically. Though¡­ Perhaps that was not entirely accurate. Did she change? Or was this something she had wanted all along? She was not sure, of either her changing or if it mattered at all.


    Cass was not too lost in her own thoughts to notice the changing feel of the hallways they went through. The cold stone walls and floors were covered with the occasional rug and tapestry, pedestals stood with expensive looking works of art and the torches had been replaced with worked metal scones. Nothing was covered in dust, and the amount of servants Cass had observed working showed why.


    Rather than the part of the castle that Hall and the old mage had experimented in, this area was used and lived in, and it showed. When her Master opened a door to a courtyard similar to the one she had often spent time with Maurice in, Cass could feel the difference even more keenly.


    The gardens were well kept and orderly, with flowers of every color placed in tasteful designs and patterns. Along the stone paths laid out through the area were topiaries cut to resemble animals, though none that Cass could recognize. In the center of the courtyard was a stone plaza, and there stood a number of serious looking men dressed in the ceremonial armor of the Imperial Army.


    Cass had only seen its like once before during a parade, though she had quickly been shoved out of the crowd as a suspected pickpocket just by her ragged appearance. In fairness, they would usually have been right, though that time she had only been curious to see what was going on.


    Nearby, muscular servants were hauling large crates filled with strange metal shapes and others were setting up a water clock and putting marks in the lawn under the direction of one of the younger armored men, who perked up when he saw Cass¡¯s Master.


    ¡°Ah,¡± The young man smiled brightly. ¡°Lord Hall, I have not seen you for nearly a year! You have not forgotten where I live, have you?¡±


    ¡°Vincent¡­¡± Her Master sighed in exasperation, but Cass knew him well enough to know he was actually happy. ¡°First, we have known each other for years, you can drop the ¡®lord¡¯ bit. Neither of us are particularly the favorites of our families after all.¡±


    ¡°True, true.¡± Vincent laughed, smiling as he turned to look at Cass. Cass inched a little closer to Hall, making Vincent laugh even harder.


    ¡°And second,¡± Hall scowled good naturedly about the whole thing. ¡°You seem to move every two to three weeks, I have no more idea where you live than I do how to turn lead to gold!¡±


    ¡°Fair enough, you know I always like to enjoy a new view.¡± Cass had observed the animated Vincent throughout this brief exchange. Like Hall, he showed the signs of the aristocracy. It was obvious that at some point magic had been used to fix his teeth and that he was used to luxury in general. He seemed nice, but Cass¡¯s instinctively did not trust kind people. Honestly, sometimes she wondered how Maurice had gotten through her walls so quickly, but Maurice was Maurice. When it came to people, that woman was more a force of nature than a human being.


    ¡°Yes, I remember.¡± Hall put a hand on Cass¡¯s shoulder, ¡°But let me say this is one view you will not be enjoying.¡±


    ¡°You wound me friend!¡± Vincent exclaimed melodramatically, bringing his hand to his heart in mock shock, ¡°I was merely looking at this subject you have brought to demonstrate the new glyphs. A pretty girl like her was a good choice, if a small thing like her can pass the test, the generals will be eager to see what a true soldier can do with it.¡±


    That was probably true, but Cass wondered at the subtext between the two men. She had no doubt they were friends, but with what her Master had said when he put his hand on her shoulder¡­ Perhaps he just wanted to make it clear that Cass was his, something that Cass had no problem with at all.


    ¡°Come let me introduce you to the Secretariat!¡± Vincent headed over to the other armored men and waved Lord Hall and Cass to follow. For the most part, they left Cass without much of an impression, but the Secretariat rank was not a common one among the Imperial Army, and the man gave off a very serious atmosphere. He was not introduced to Cass, and she did not catch his name from where she stood, but she knew he would be the one making the ultimate decision about her Master¡¯s success or failure.


    ¡°Well then my Lords,¡± Hall announced. ¡°Let me introduce you to Lady Cass, who will be demonstrating the power of the new glyphs for you today. This young lady is also responsible for the discoveries that allowed us to finally show results in this project.¡±


    Lady!? And what is with this praise? Cass¡¯s understanding of glyphs was miles behind her Master¡¯s, she had only had an idea on how to make them work because of her own unique application! As for being called lady, Cass was certainly not nobility, and in fact was simply a slave! Indeed, the Secretariat raised his eyebrows at this introduction.


    ¡°I was under the impression this slave was a criminal from the street..?¡± The Secretariat said.


    ¡°She was, my Lord Caim.¡± Her Master, bowed slightly, ¡°However, she has the capability to learn magic, so she must be a child of one noble or another.¡±


    Caim¡­ Cas had heard that name before, but she could not think of where¡­ While Cass was thinking the conversation continued.


    ¡°And you have not gone to the Archives to check the Book of Bloodlines?¡± Secretariat Caim questioned, ¡°I suppose that she would have no inheritance rights, but knowing you I would have expected you to use this as a weapon against whomever fathered her.¡±


    Her thoughts were interrupted when Hall smiled at her, ¡°Cass is more valuable to me as a student than a subject to blackmail some random noble house.¡±


    This courtyard was so much warmer than the one she knew about...


    ¡°Hmmmmm,¡± Caim sounded suspicious, but said nothing more on the subject. ¡°Then I have only one more question before we begin, I was under the impression that mages could not have the glyph applied to them. Why did she survive?¡±


    ¡°Honestly, Lord Secretariat,¡± Hall sighed. ¡°We have absolutely no idea. Our best theory is that Cass instinctively directed the mana somewhere, but we know that cannot be completely correct.¡±


    ¡°Well, I suppose that when we deal with experimental concepts we must sometimes have to accept that we cannot know everything.¡± The Secretariat said that, but his tone implied that anything that could not be known was disgusting to him. ¡°Though I am not sure it would be useful anyway, mages on the front line would just be a waste, after all.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Cass¡¯s Master smiled slyly. ¡°I have some ideas about that, and Lady Cass may be the proof of concept for that later, but for now it is just a few ideas floating around.¡±


    The Secretariat waved that statement away, ¡°I would never recommend the application of glyphs to mages. The politics of the situation alone would cause more headaches than it would be worth. Let¡¯s get into the test for today.¡±


    Cass was slightly annoyed that he had simply dismissed her Master¡¯s words, but she didn¡¯t think she had any right to speak here. Instead, she followed directions to lift the oddly shaped metal objects. Apparently, they were used by soldiers in training and nobles who were interested in fitness. Cass thought it was kind of a waste, if someone was going to lift things over and over again to get stronger, why not just find a job moving boxes?


    Still, she did as she was asked and walked up to the ¡°weights¡± and poured power into her glyphs. There were gasps behind her and Cass looked down to see that her glyphs were glowing slightly, something that glyphs normally did not do. She guessed it was a side effect of the magic tools that were used in her glyphs but honestly she did not think about it much, because the feeling of power flowing through her limbs too her breath away.


    Walking up the largest weight, she reached down with one hand and picked it up casually. Cass could feel the weight of it, but it felt like little more than a decent sized rock. With a laugh of exhilaration, Cass tossed it into the air and caught it again, as if she was playing with a ball.


    ¡°This is¡­ a bit beyond my expectations¡­¡± The Secretariat muttered in the background.


    ¡°I did warn you, Lord Secretariat.¡± Her Master sounded smug, ¡°It is true that a normal soldier could lift that, but to toss it around like that? That weight is nearly three hundred pounds.¡±


    ¡°Two hundred and seventy five,¡± one of the assistants clarified and Cass laughed again.


    ¡°This is completely beyond our expectations, normally glyphs can only double a soldiers strength at most¡­ How is this even possible?¡±


    Lord Hall began to explain, ¡°Well Cass is a bit special because she has much more mana than any other subject. I wanted to give off the best first impression possible, so I told her to use all her mana in her glyphs. As a result, right now she is incapable of using magic but more or less physically invincible.¡±


    ¡°Cass, reduce the power down to that applied by the absorption glyph.¡± Her Master wanted her to, so she had to, but she was a little sad to let go of that feeling of incredible energy. The weight in her hand grew much heavier, or rather, she felt it now and the glow of her glyphs faded away.


    She could still move the weight around freely with one hand, and with both hands she was basically able to manipulate it with the same finesse she had with her full power. In the background, her Master was explaining this power was what they could expect from the new glyphs.


    ¡°Normally, the glyphs double a person''s strength.¡± Hall said proudly, ¡°These glyphs have had slight modifications and improvements made. Now the glyphs provide strength roughly around two and half times what a normal Imperial Soldier could be expected to have, and we can expect even more from an actual trained Imperial Soldier as opposed to the Lady Cass.¡±


    ¡°With this level of strength we will be able to use our heavy infantry with more versatility.¡± Caim muttered, ¡°That is not even accurate, this will completely revolutionize Imperial strategy.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Hall was smiling happily, and called Cass over. ¡°Bring the weight with you and head to the line over there.¡±


    Cass walked over to the line in the grass, this part was to be a test of the glyphs on her thighs. They wanted her to keep the weight to give them an idea how a soldier would be able to move in armor. Unfortunately, they did not have actual armor for her to wear, at fourteen she was too small in most areas and as a girl, albeit a young one, had


    a bit to much in others for any armor to fit.


    The results were actually a bit worse than she expected, but she had not realized that her feet would sink into the grass when she tried to run! Still, she sprinted the hundred meters in around eleven seconds, which would be impressive even if she had not been lugging around nearly three hundred pounds of metal.


    ¡°Now Cass, if you would use your full power on the return¡­¡±


    Her glyphs shined again as she poured power into them and kicked off, throwing up clods of grass and dirt from where she had started as she rocketed back towards the starting line.


    ¡°That¡­ That was barely five seconds!¡± The Secretariat¡¯s staff were excitedly talking to each other, ¡°With that much power she is comparable to heavy cavalry more than infantry!¡±


    ¡°Indeed, but is it worth compromising our mages for?¡±


    ¡°Probably not, but it is impressive nonetheless.¡±


    ¡°Still it is incredible¡­¡±


    ¡°There is yet another test planned.¡± Hall waved for Cass to come over, so she set the weight down and went to his side. ¡°I plan to take the rest of the test subjects and head to the southeastern regions. The instability in the south has led to a rise in banditry, and some practical tests will be useful.¡±


    Caim and Vincent talked for a moment, then Caim nodded. ¡°Indeed, this is a good plan, I will send some of my own soldiers to oversee it.¡±


    Her Master bowed slightly, ¡°Of course, Lord Secretariat, I look forward to your receiving an excellent report.¡±


    As they headed back towards their section of the castle, Hall congratulated her on doing so well and Cass filled with pride. She hoped that she would be able to help even more and asked, ¡°Master, will I be accompanying you to the South?¡±


    Hall smiled, ¡°Yes you will. Though I should warn you that it will not be very a interesting journey for the most part.¡±


    ¡°If I am traveling with you Master, I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    Hall¡¯s smile turned sinister, and Cass shivered. However, where before she had shivered in fear or revulsion, now it was something else¡­


    ¡°Are you certain? You know that it can sometimes be¡­ Dangerous¡­ When I get bored.¡±


    ¡°Then it is a good thing you are bringing a toy along, no?¡± Sometimes that voice that had screamed and struggled within Cass resurfaced, but it had faded more and more until it was just an occasional whisper. Right now, that voice was whispering that she should be more careful, she had already lost herself. She belonged to her Master, but the route she was going¡­


    ¡°Hmmm, well then I will have to think of some fun games to play¡­¡± Hall¡¯s voice made Cass tremble even more. How come she could sprint while carrying a three-hundred pound weight but now had trouble walking? Cass thought she should look into glyphs for dexterity and balance when she had the time, apparently she needed them around her Master these days!


    ¡°In the meantime, however,¡± Hall opened the door to Cass¡¯s room and gestured for her to enter. Cass blushed, to have her Master open a door for her¡­ It was a simple and small thing perhaps, but Cass was aware that her thoughts were fragile right now. However, that was briefly forgotten when she saw the people in her parlour.


    ¡°We have some things to attend to, Lady Cass.¡± Hall smiled.


    ¡°Ah, Lord Hall.¡± One of the women approached him and curtsied, ¡°Is this the other girl you wanted us to take measurements for?¡±


    ¡°Yes, please do.¡± Hall nodded and gently pushed Cass towards the women, ¡°She will need a full wardrobe and, although this request is uncommon, she will also need pants and tunics as well.¡±


    The woman frowned, ¡°I will do as you ask my Lord, but you know that it is considered barbaric for a woman to wear such clothes.¡±


    ¡°Well she can hardly perform her duties in a dress,¡± Hall waved the warning away. ¡°And besides, it will only be a small portion of her wardrobe.¡±


    ¡°As you wish¡­¡± The woman was clearly disapproving, but did as she as told anyway. Cass had no idea what they were talking about, and had no idea what to do when the women pulled her into the bedroom and stripped her down and began using tape measures to record every part of her.


    ¡°What, precisely, is this for?¡± Cass asked as the women had her hold her hands up and measured around her hips, waist and bust. Honestly, she only let them do as they wanted because her Master had clearly wished for it, but she felt rather annoyed and frustrated by how they ignored her.


    ¡°Measurements for your dresses of course,¡± one of the women said casually.


    ¡°Dresses?¡± Cass exclaimed in surprise. ¡°I am a slave, why on earth would I be wearing dresses?¡±


    The first women looked at her reprovingly, ¡°Slave or free, a woman should look like a woman. Honestly, the very idea of providing pants for you¡­ That noble has no idea what he is doing.¡±


    ¡°Do not insult my Master.¡± Cass hissed and the woman¡¯s eyes widened and she apologized as her forehead started to sweat lightly. Cass accepted the apology, but the conversation died, and she had no idea why she was getting these clothes to begin with.


    After they left, Hall came in as Cass was dressing again. As usual, she was more worried by her odd desire for her Master to look at her than she was about him seeing her in any state of undress. What was strange though was that her Master was not alone, but brought a girl dressed in the simple clothes that servants like Maurice wore. She looked familiar¡­


    ¡°Birdie!¡± Cass realized who she was quickly, ¡°I almost did not recognize you dressed like that.¡±

 Pain, Pleasure, and Disapointment.

    ¡°Ain¡¯t gonna blame you,¡±  Birdie shrugged, ¡°I hardl¡¯ recognize myself.¡±


    Servant¡¯s dress was not ornate in any way, at least not in this part of the castle.  Just a plain linen dress and a white apron, but it was amazing how much someone could change just with a bath and some clean clothes.  Birdie looked like a different person, although she was definitely uncomfortable with her current situation.


    ¡°Jus¡¯ curious why,¡± Birdie looked uncomfortably up at Hall.  ¡°Surel¡¯ you don¡¯ need someone like me?¡±


    ¡°Cass requested you specifically,¡± Hall said with a smile and Birdie seemed to relax, Cass reflected that her Master was quite good at hiding his cruelty when it suited him.  She also brushed away the slight feeling of jealousy that flared up.  ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will make sure the servants here train you for the job, though that will be dependent on you surviving our little test expedition of course.¡±


    Ah, there was the sinister smile that Cass¡­  She shook her head lightly to clear it.  Really, she needed some time away from her Master.  She did not want to, but Cass didn¡¯t think what she wanted and what was best for her were likely the same things at this point.


    ¡°Cass?¡± Hall asked, she had been lost in her thoughts!  Cass bowed her head and apologized and Hall repeated that he had brought Birdie here today to show her where Cass was staying.  She would not take her place as an attendant for some time yet.


    That was fine, she was happy to have someone else to talk to.  Her Master was a busy man, and Maurice was often busy as well, and so Cass was often alone.  After Hall and Birdie left, Cass had nothing left to do but practice her magic and study.  Still, she had to admit that her desk went unused, why sit in a chair when she had such a wonderfully soft bed that she could read in?


    The books her Master had lent her were interesting reads, at least if you were interested in magic.  To others they were probably dry and boring, but Cass would often read until she fell asleep on the pages.  This section was particularly fascinating as it delved into the use of Components in magic.


    Magic is the application of magic to alter and create systems which carry out the will of the caster, that was the basic concept.  But there were shortcuts and ways to improve those systems, and the easiest way to accomplish either of those was by using Components.


    The easiest example of this was candle wax.  To create fire, a mage could manipulate the air to produce the reaction needed, but in truth, there was not much in the air that burned well.  But by introducing mana to candle wax to vaporize it and combine it instantly with oxygen, a mage could create sizable explosions.


    Her own experiment the following night proved that point when Cass decided to see how it would work using the candles in her new parlour.  Fortunately, she was able to use magic to take the air from the fire and put it out, but she had utterly destroyed all the furniture in the room.


    And when Hall came to find out what the noise had been he had taken one look at her and had started laughing so hard he had nearly fallen over.  Once he had stopped laughing he promised Cass four things.


    First, that she would get new clothes in the morning, so she didn¡¯t have to worry about ruining her current outfit.  Second, that he would continue to teach Cass about components on the trip.  Third, that he would keep the punishment for ruining the parlour for later when he would get bored on the journey and fourth, that this next punishment would be something new.  An advancement in his magical research, the ability to control human systems¡­  As she looked at the charred stone, Cass realized the gulf between her and her Master.  She could hardly control a fire while he played with people¡¯s minds, now that she had context to understand the level of subtlety needed to perform his magic, she was simply awed.


    On the other hand, even as she began to enjoy some of his cruelty, Hall could still find ways to torment her like no other.  Cass thought that as she tripped over the hem of her new dress and cursed.  It was beautiful, though in a far more reserved style than what was seen at court according to the dressmaker.  Still, the sky-blue dress looked and felt elegant, to a point where she felt embarrassed to wear it.  The slits in the dress didn¡¯t help either.  If she thought about it, the rags she had worn as clothes before had been far more revealing but there was something about this that just made her feel like she should be wearing pants.


    That said, the lack of sleeves and the slits in the dress were intentional.  According to the dressmaker, all the clothing her Master had ordered for her had to be something that someone could conceivably run, jump, and fight in.  In theory, anyway.  In practice, Cass was unused to moving in this kind of clothing and kept stepping on the hem or getting caught against something.


    Still she forgot all about that when she saw Hall¡¯s eyes sweep over her appreciatively and he complimented her.  Cass decided she would learn to live with the dresses, although she prayed her Master would never ask her to wear those puffy ball gowns.  They looked beautiful and pretty and Cass admired them, but she could never see herself in one and felt she would die of embarrassment if she did.


    Preparations had been underway all morning, and they were to be setting out soon.  Cass was excited, she had never left the city before, and during the trip she was free to monopolize Hall¡¯s time.  After all, they would be sharing the same carriage, the three observers from the army and another mage would take another.


    Cass recognized her Master¡¯s friend Vincent when he waved to her and she hesitantly waved back.  Honestly, she was pretty sure her instincts had gone haywire lately.  He seemed like a nice enough man, and Cass thought that her previous misgivings might have more to do with her Master¡¯s possessive nature than any threat from Vincent.


    The other subjects would be walking behind the carriages and they all wore collars similar to Cass¡¯s.  Though admittedly, there¡¯s were of a much simpler variety.  Cass¡¯s collar forced obedience, not that it needed to, whereas the ones around the other kids necks simply caused pain on the command of a mage.  She did feel a little sorry for Birdie, but not too much.  As far as Cass was concerned her debt was paid, and the only time she felt a twinge of guilt was when she saw Rat, that is to say, Owen Rattan, leading the group.  She thought about asking Hall if Birdie could ride with them, but she doubted he would agree.  Cass remembered how months ago Hall had looked at her as little more than trash, and likely he felt the same about all the rest of the subjects.


    Cass was happy she had managed to prove her worth.  It was odd to consider that as a free woman, she had been a homeless dreg without value, and now as a slave, she was valued and rewarded.


    The first day traveling was uneventful, but educational.  She learned about using components, and specifically how to regulate and control the system to direct the magic as she wanted.  Her Master even explained how to throw lightning!  Though Cass was too terrified by the description to ever think of trying, and the conditions did not seem all that practical anyway¡­


    That night, Cass was allowed to sleep in the carriage floor, while her Master slept on the seats that had been cleverly designed for the purpose.  There was only room for one, but considering that even the army observers had to sleep in thin tents, Cass counted herself lucky.  However, she found she was unable to sleep at all, he was too close¡­  And¡­  Well, her Master talked in his sleep!  He didn¡¯t say anything too interesting at first, just casual talk to people from his day to day life.  Though Cass had shivers run down her spine when she heard him praise her magic but say that she had to be punished regardless¡­  That feeling that rose in her when she heard him say that, she had wondered before if she felt it from the praise or if she was sick and felt it from hearing that she would punished.


    That night, she decided the answer was both.


    The following day, she had a hard time keeping her eyes open, even falling asleep while talking!


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think I was that boring,¡± Hall smiled, but his eyes had a bit of dangerous glint to them.  ¡°Perhaps I should instead work on sleep magic, apparently I have a talent for it.¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Cass bowed her head and apologized for dozing off, and rubbed her eyes hard.  She could not believe she had done that, and the idea that her Master would think she would disrespect him¡­


    ¡°I am sorry Master, I did not sleep well last night.¡±  Cass¡¯s red eyes attested to the fact, ¡°I hope you can forgive me.¡±


    The glint in his eyes hardened, ¡°I think it is better to give you a reason to stay awake, no?  After all, this is the same kind of carelessness that led to you blowing up your own parlour.¡±


    ¡°Yes Master,¡± Cass felt eager, but she shouldn¡¯t feel eager, why does she feel these things?  ¡°You had planned a new experiment after all, and I am yours to use.¡±


    ¡°Ah Cass,¡±  Hall¡¯s face softened.  ¡°For all the trouble you can cause with your curiosity, you are a good girl.  Again, I can only put it down to a side effect of studying this system, but the impact you are having on me is an interesting thing to observe.  So at the very least, I will make this educational for you.¡±


    Now she was eager, any chance to learn more about her Master¡¯s magic was a treat.  She probably would not be able to replicate it, she would be lucky to barely understand it, but so long as she remembered it one day it would be useful to her.


    Hall held out his hand to her and as Cass took it she gasped as pain filled her.  But it was not near what Hall could do, true, a normal person would be on the floor screaming¡­  But Cass had endured torture to the point where she had started to enjoy it, this level of pain hurt, but did not impair her.  If anything, the world became sharper and clearer.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I have ever fully explained how my magic works,¡± Hall said casually.  ¡°But a rough explanation is that I trick your body into feeling things that are not happening by emulating the system and patterns found naturally in the body.¡±


    Cass nodded, she understood that much, and was aware of just how massive an accomplishment that was.


    ¡°In many respects, it is a more subtle version of the magic used to make your collar,¡± Hall continued, reaching out to trace the collar around her neck.  ¡°And when it comes to training and breaking you, I came to realize something.¡±


    Her Master leaned back and observed her as she sat silently, trembling occasionally in pain, fully awake and listening attentively and smiled.  ¡°Cass, I am going to ask you some questions.  I won¡¯t compel you to answer either, because it will be far more fun for me to see what kind of face you make as the words pass through your lips of your own will.¡±


    ¡°That you want something from me is compelling enough, Master.¡± Cass replied honestly.  Cass was not sure what she would do if the collar was removed, if she was offered a chance at freedom.  But the part of her that had screamed inside before and slowly shrunk and faded as she was broken was just barely able to worry that she would come back and put the collar back around her own neck.  Aside from that small worried part of her, the rest of her seemed fine with that.


    ¡°Do you enjoy being hurt by me?¡±


    This was a question Cass had been dodging in her own mind for a long time, she did not want to think about the topic¡­  But¡­


    ¡°Yes Master,¡±  Cass looked down, ashamed and unable to meet his eyes.  But unwilling to disappoint Hall by refusing to answer.  ¡°I¡­  I do.¡±


    ¡°And you enjoy being rewarded by me?¡±


    This one was much easier, and far less troubling for her.


    ¡°Well of course, Master.¡±  She looked up and smiled at him, ¡°You thought so little of me to begin with, and I agreed with you.  For you to tell me I have worth, I have no choice but to believe it, and I love the feeling it gives me.¡±


    ¡°Coming back around to my new theory on magic, it occured to me I was missing something.¡±  Hall met her eyes and returned the smile.  ¡°Training and breaking you was not just pain, but also pleasure.  Rewarding as well as hurtful.  My magic can replicate the feeling of whips or burns or even biting your own tongue¡­¡±


    As he said those things Cass felt each of them in turn, gasping and holding tighter to his hand.


    ¡°But to truly take your mind, what I was missing was.... This¡­¡±


    The pain¡­ Didn¡¯t go away, but there was something else.  Some of the pain left areas of her and was replaced by feelings of pleasure and it all mixed together in her head.


    ¡°M- Ma- Master¡­¡±  Cass stuttered, this was¡­ Bad.  The punishments already messed with her head, but this broke any rational thought or shred of willpower.  You can resist pain or deny pleasure, but trying to do both at once was more than Cass could bear.


    ¡°Ah, as always you do make the most pleasant expressions during my experiments.¡±  Her Master¡¯s voice sounded like it was coming through a fog, Cass could not concentrate as waves of feelings moved up and down her body.  ¡°This amount of pain you can handle with ease, but look at the results with just a little amount of pleasure mixed in¡­¡±


    ¡°Master.¡±  Cass gasped, ¡°Please¡­ Stop¡­¡±


    ¡°This is your punishment in addition to my experiment,¡±  Hall chided.  ¡°And you know begging me to stop is meaningless.  I am surprised though, you have not done that for a while.  This is more effective than I thought¡­¡±


    Cass started to shake, her head was spinning, she didn¡¯t know where she was anymore.  But her Master was here.  Suddenly, Cass found herself on his lap, wrapping her arms around him.  It didn¡¯t feel like she was saying these words, but they were words she wanted to say but had never had the willpower to do so.


    ¡°Cass..?¡±  Hall was startled by the sudden movements, it was a testament to his confidence that even then he had not been worried for his own safety.  And he had ever reason to be confident, she had not leaped on to him to attack.


    ¡°Master¡­¡±  Cass was moaning, ¡°Please¡­  I want¡­¡±


    In a flash, Cass was shoved back and an overwhelming wave of pain crashed down on her and she blacked out.  When she came to, she was laid down on the seats that could be arranged as a bed while Hall sat across from her looking out the window.  Cass sat up, and the last few moments before she had fainted came back to her and she turned bright red.


    ¡°Master¡­¡±  Cass¡¯s voice was timid, she was mortified by her own behavior.  She had never meant to show that side of herself¡­  ¡°Please, forgive me¡­¡±


    Hall waved his hand, still looking out the window.  ¡°There is nothing to forgive, I was testing out a new idea after all, I don¡¯t blame you for it.  I just was rather surprised by that reaction, it goes against all of my predictions.¡±


    Rather than feel relieved, Cass felt even worse.  One thing she knew about her Master¡¯s magic is that it depended upon both the caster and the target.  Her own fucked up feelings had ruined his experiment, she wasn¡¯t fit to be a subject for his research any more¡­


    ¡°Master, I am sorry¡­  But it is still my fault.¡±  Cass explained her thoughts to her Master and found herself crying by the end.  She wouldn¡¯t be killed, but Hall would likely discard her.  She would be sent off to serve the army, returned to little more than a dreg with some curiosity value.  She didn¡¯t want to go¡­


    To Cass¡¯s surprise, Hall moved to sit by her and put an arm around her.  He had seen through her fear and reassured Cass that he would not be letting her go.


    ¡°You are mine,¡± Her Master said firmly.  ¡°And as you may have noticed, I am a possessive guy.  I won¡¯t be giving you to anyone else.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±  Cass whispered into his shirt, her Master had changed over the time she had known him.  His cruelty from when they first met was still present, but as she had gotten to know him, and he, her¡­  He was cruel and brutal, but sheltering and protective.  He was viscous and angry, but also gentle and caring.


    He had broken Cass down piece by piece and rebuilt her, and that reconstruction was like him as well.  He had freed Cass to be curious, to grow and be confident and assertive, and he had also made certain that his every word would become law to her and bind her to him.


    He was her Master, and she was happy to belong to him.


    ¡°Cass¡­¡±  She basked in the warm feeling of being held, it was one she had never gotten to feel as a child, and she could not believe how wonderful it felt.  ¡°I am sorry as well, I did not realize that I had caused those kind of feelings within you.  That is going to cause you pain that I would rather you avoided¡­¡±


    This next question hurt, but she had to ask.  ¡°It is¡­  Impossible, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I have ever mentioned this before, but I was engaged to be married before I was even the age you are now.¡±  Hall said gently, ¡°A political marriage, to be sure, but still one I have to honor.  Besides, that kind of relationship would not be healthy for either of us.  I know that I have not explained what kind of life led to me having this degree of sadism, but it taught me that if I was to be in such an unbalanced relationship, any child would run the risk of becoming like me.  And that is one thing I will never allow to happen.  And on top of all that, you are too young.  It would only be legal because you are a slave, and as property I can do what I want with you, but even for a sadist like me, I would find it amoral.¡±


    Hall squeezed her tightly and said, ¡°It is far better if you gave up those feelings, Cass.¡±

 Ambush.

    They had returned to the lessons after that, and there were plenty of awkward silences between them.  Cass¡¯s mind was in shambles, between her already conflicted feelings, her lack of sleep, and that magic, Cass was barely coherent.  In some ways, that was a good thing, since she was not able to think too much about what her Master had said.  It had been wish that she had kept wrapped up in her own heart, mostly hidden even from herself¡­  But it still hurt to have that wish denied, no matter how impossible she knew it to be.


    She was still lost in her thoughts that night when Vincent came up to the campfire she and Hall shared with a smile.  ¡°


    Busy day, huh?¡±  He said with a wink and a nudge towards Hall.  Cass nearly dropped her bowl, but instincts born from the streets had her catch it in time.  Even if food was available in plenty to her now, her old habits died hard.


    ¡°Ugh,¡± her Master scowled.  ¡°I had forgotten about those ears of yours, you¡¯d think that Elhven blood would have been bred out of your family by now.  I assure you it is not what you think.¡±


    ¡°Oh I know what you like to do friend,¡± Vincent smiled wider.  ¡°You know I don¡¯t judge, I was just hoping you might change your mind about sharing.¡±


    ¡°I told you before Vincent,¡± Hall dropped his scowl and sighed. ¡°She is mine, drop it.¡±


    Cass knew that they were friends, but her Master clearly did not like what Vincent was asking for.  To some extent, she wondered why.  She was glad that he refused, but if she was little more than property¡­  Of course, that is not what her Master had said.  He had said she was too young, that he was worried about the sadism affecting possible children, and that he had an arranged marriage.  He had not said that he did not want to be with Cass, just that it was not possible.


    ¡°Fine, fine.¡±  Vincent held up his hands in defeat but his gaze lingered on Cass, then he frowned and his head whipped around to look into the darkness beyond the fire.  ¡°What the hell?¡±


    Next thing Cass knew, Vincent had shoved Hall to the side as an arrow passed through the place he had been sitting.


    ¡°Oh for fucks sake, who the hell was keeping watch?¡±  Vincent bellowed, hid demeanor totally changed.  ¡°Enemy attack!  Get on your feet or die in the dirt like the dogs you are!¡±


    Cass tossed her bowl to the side and rushed over to her Master¡¯s side, he was perfectly fine, if absolutely infuriated.  Now that their chance for stealth had failed, the assailants yelled war cries and charged into the camp.  In the dark, it was hard to tell what was going on or whether a dark shape was an enemy or an ally.


    ¡°Master, stay by me.¡±  Cass poured power into her glyphs and pulled Hall to his feet.


    ¡°I do not need you to protect me.¡±  Her Master had a dangerous look in his eyes, one that would terrify Cass even with her mind broken to him.  ¡°These fools need a lesson in what pain really is.¡±


    ¡°Of course Master,¡± Even in this situation, Cass would obey her Master.  But if it looked like he was in danger¡­  Better to be punished later than to lose him now.  ¡°I will watch your back for you then.¡±


    A man charged out of the darkness at Cass, yelling at the top of his lungs.  He was wielding an axe, which was a give away that he was one of the intruders.  None of the subjects or soldiers had an axe for a weapon after all.


    The man hesitated when Cass became clear in the firelight, perhaps he did not want to attack a young woman, and that was the last mistake the man would make as Cass punched him the gut and when he bent over in pain she smashed his skull in.


    She had just killed someone¡­  And¡­  She did not care.  Cass was angry, and Hall was right, these fools should learn what pain really was.  They would carve the lesson into the souls of anyone who managed to escape, if anyone managed to escape.


    Her Master lived up to her expectations as well.  As Cass had taken her first life, Hall was driving a group of four men to their knees, screaming in horror and pain before they died spasming.  Even Vincent was doing better than Cass had thought he would.  from looking at him she would not have expected him to be any use in a fight, but he cut down the ambushers with ease. The sword at his side had seemed decorative, but Cass was quickly disabused of that notion.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    However, it did not sound like the others were doing very well at all.  The ambushers had too much of an advantage in the darkness, one of the subjects stumbled into the light near Cass, holding his stomach.


    ...Or what was left of it, he intestines dragged on the ground behind him as he finally collapsed and died.  Cass felt sick at the sight, she didn¡¯t want Birdie, or even Rattan to die¡­  They needed light, and Cass realized she could provide it.  She had only used her glyphs mana to fuel her glyphs currently, so she had her own pool to use for other things.  She had summoned flames to use for light before, and now she did the same spreading them out around the camp.  It was not very much light, but enough to reveal the melee around them.


    Men in leather armor and wielding axes clashed with the glyph enhanced dregs, it was clear that they had far superior training than the subjects.  But as she saw Rattan tear the head off his opponent before taking his axe and laying about him, she realized just how much of an advantage the glyphs gave them.


    Two other men came after her, seeing her as the weaker of the three people around the fire.  In terms of pure killing ability, that was probably true.  But then, her Master and his friend were like reapers on the battlefield and it did not take much to not be as dangerous as them.


    But that was not to say she was not dangerous.


    Her magic was not near the level of her Master¡¯s, or even the other mage who had accompanied them.  Someday, she would be able to fight with her magic, but for now she would rely on the one thing she had above any opponent.


    She had picked up the axe that the first man dropped and stepped in to the approaching men swinging with her full strength.  Her arms were a glowing blur as Cass¡¯s full power flowed into them.


    The man was far more skilled than her, despite the speed of her strike, he managed to predict it and prepare a block.  The only issue was that Cass was far stronger than even the other glyphed subjects, she smashed straight through his defense and embedded the axe in the man''s chest, blood fountaining from it as his yells turned to screams.


    The other man rushed in, thinking that she would be open when removing her weapon from his friends corpse.  However, Cass just threw the body at the man knocking him over.  Then all she had to do was jump and stomp and she crushed his chest.


    And Cass felt wonderful, she looked back to see a grin on her Master¡¯s face and understood.  They had attacked her, she was free to do as she wished, and¡­  She wanted to hurt them¡­  What had happened to her?


    That distraction cost Cass and she was surrounded and cut off from Vincent and Hall.  There were so many men, where the hell had they come from and what did they want?  They were barely two days out from the capitol, they had not even reached the South yet, this was Imperial territory!  They lacked the polish of any Imperial force, and were far more determined and better armed than bandits were likely to be.


    Cass snarled at them and fought like a wildcat.  She had learned how to fight in the streets, and the only rule that anyone paid attention to in the streets was ¡°winner take all.¡±  Still, she was slowly being pushed away from the campfire¡­  And that worried her, she had said she would protect her Master¡¯s back.


    She twisted a man¡¯s head around and she heard the neck snap.  Well, if she just kept killing eventually there would be no more to separate her from him.


    ¡°For the love of the Gods.¡±  One of the men muttered, ¡°The Haj Empire really has created monsters, I have a daughter her age¡­¡±


    Cass snarled back, she was a monster?  She was not the one attacking people in the night!  She wasn¡¯t the one attempting to butcher a girl that reminded her of her daughter.  Cass knew she was not a good person, but what right did they have to judge her?


    ¡°Most of the men are dead,¡± Another man said.  ¡°They were far stronger than we thought they would be, this one will have to do.  She seems special compared to the others.¡±


    ¡°The won¡¯t be happy.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t have a choice, if we wait any longer the tides will turn against us.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to talk all night or are you going to come and try and kill me?¡±  Cass growled, and her glyphs flared brighter with her rage.  She was covered in blood, but none of it was her own.  She would break through this group and return to her Master.


    ¡°How about neither?¡±  The man held up a small orb, probably some type of magic tool.  Cass¡¯s instincts told her to run, but she was surrounded and unarmed.  Most weapons she picked up broke in her hands after one or two strikes after all¡­


    The orb flashed, and for the second time that day, Cass blacked out.

 A Mountain Breeze.

    When Cass woke up, she found herself lying in a comfortable bed, with light streaming through a nearby window on to the blankets.  Her head felt worse than the time she had been clubbed and dragged into that cell, but she sat up and tried to get her bearings, outside the window was¡­  Mountains?


    She had heard of them, but never seen them.  However, these towering and soaring stone and rock¡­ Thing¡­  Could be nothing else than what they described.  But that raised the question of where she was and how she had gotten here.  The last thing she remembered¡­


    She jumped out of the bed, they had been ambushed and she had been separated from her Master.  Then the man had held up an orb and she had blacked out.  She tried to take a step and stumbled, her legs felt weak and unsteady.  Cass growled and tried to pour power into her glyphs, but all she got was a pounding headache and she threw up on the floor, collapsing to her hands and knees.


    The door opened and a man with the look of the leather armored ambushers entered.  Seeing her on the floor he rushed over and Cass scrambled back away from him.  She was not quite afraid, but she did not know where she was or where her Master was.  Cass thought these people had likely kidnapped her for some reason, and the only thing she could think of was for her glyphs.  But if that was the case they didn¡¯t need to let her wake up, they could have dissected her to understand the magic tools added to her glyphs while she was asleep.


    The man drew back when Cass recoiled and approached slowly, spreading his hands to show he was unarmed, the way one might approach a frightened animal.


    ¡°Hey there little thing,¡± He said quietly.  ¡°There is no reason to be afraid, no one is going to hurt you here.  My name is Odal, and I promise you that I won¡¯t let anything bad happen to you.¡±


    Cass glared at him, ¡°You tried to kill me, knocked me out, and then kidnapped me.  I don¡¯t know what kind of idiot you are Odal, but you must be a big one if you don¡¯t think that counts as bad.¡±


    ¡°Well until we removed the collar we had no choice,¡± Odal grimaced and rubbed the back of his head.  ¡°Even the Magesbane we fed you was just because you might not realize when you woke up and act out based on orders you no longer had to follow.¡±


    ¡°Removed¡­?¡±  Cass raised her hand to her throat, but instead of the collar she had become so used to over the past few months her fingers brushed against bare skin.


    ¡°You are free,¡± Odal said gently.  ¡°The Haj Empire may keep slaves, but the Kingdom of Beergmutar is not so barbaric.  The Magesbane we fed you will wear off in a day or two as well, and you will be as healthy as can be.¡±


    Cass¡¯s head was spinning.  She was¡­ Free?  She¡­ Did not know what to think about that¡­  She wanted to go back, Cass didn¡¯t care if she was leashed so long as Hall was the one holding it.  But that voice that been silent in her grew louder, as if clawing for a chance to be heard.


    The time before Hall had gone hazy in places as her mind had accepted her Master as her whole world, but there was a time when she would have killed to have the skills and value to be able to make her own way in the world.  She was an amateur at magic, but it was a talent to valuable to pass up, she could find work¡­  Maurice had helped her choose a dream, even though that dream was as far from her as the moon was, this was her chance to pursue it.


    While Cass was lost in a daze, Odal had kept talking, attempting to soothe Cass and calm her down.  However one thing caught her attention.


    ¡°What do you mean that I cannot leave the kingdom?¡±  Cass had no idea where the kingdom was, but he did not need to know that.  She had never learned any geography, for that matter she had never even seen a map.


    ¡°Just as I said,¡± Odal repeated kindly.  ¡°As a magic user, you are part of the Strioi Caste, a well respected and honored part of our society.  There are very few laws restricting the Strioi, most of them are general laws that apply to all Castes.  But one thing to note is that Strioi may not leave Beergmutar, if you try the guards will turn you back.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry Odal,¡± Cass needed to clarify what she had heard.  ¡°I was lost in my thoughts a second ago, could you please explain what ¡®Castes¡¯ are?¡±


    Odal nodded easily, ¡°Sure, no worries.  As a mountain has a wide base to support its soaring peak, so does society have a base and a peak, each supporting the other in its own way.  The spirits of the Earth and Air communicated this to us in ancient times, and thus were the Castes born.¡±


    Cass was a firm follower of the Church, and the words Odal was speaking bordered on blasphemy, but she kept her mouth shut.  Her Master had not liked the Church and had not often let her attend services, so she did not think she really had the moral high ground to lecture¡­  But she had never heard of any belief system other than the Church, so she was confused.


    ¡°First, the Von.¡±  Odal continued his explanation, ¡°First among men, they are the soaring peak we all work to support.  To explain in a way you would recognize, they are our lords and kings.  Following them are the Spirit Caste and the Strioi Caste.  The first is priests and shamans and the second are mages like you.  Both of them support the Von as they reach for the glory of the skies.¡±


    Odal himself was part of the Warrior Caste, the next Caste under the Spirit and Strioi.  This was part of why he showed so much respect and kindness to Cass, here she was neither a dreg off the street or a slave, but something closer to lower nobility.  She¡­  Did not know how to feel about that either, the list of confusing and headache inducing things kept growing¡­


    Following the Warrior Caste was the Silver Caste, which was merchant families and business owners.  After which was the Stone Caste, which was workers and laborers.  And finally was the Sand Caste, which was mostly the descendants of criminals.  According to Odal, those who commited a crime would be marked, and they with all of their direct descendants would be moved to the Sand Caste.


    The rights and restrictions varied from caste to caste, and even the kindly Odal referred to those who were part of the Sand as little more than dogs.  Free dogs, he made clear, but no one would care what was done to them.


    As Cass began to understand, she realized that really nothing had changed.  The only difference between here and Tyine once you boiled down the cultures was her position in society.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°And if I wanted to leave?¡±  Cass inquired, ¡°Is there any way to do so?¡±


    ¡°For the Strioi?  No, I have never heard of one being allowed out past the valley.  A Strioi cannot be sent to the Sand, but as I recall they had their feet chopped off to prevent them from trying again.¡±


    Odal hurried to say that there really was no reason to leave, as a Strioi Cass would be provided for with everything from housing to education.


    ¡°In fact,¡± Odal smiled.  ¡°There are quite a few who wanted to discuss those glyphs of yours.  The glyphs on those poor slaves were already beyond belief, but glyphs on a Strioi¡­  He shook his head.¡±


    ¡°You were there?¡±  Cass started, there was one thing she had to know.  ¡°What happened?  Did the mages who were with us survive?¡±


    If her Master was dead¡­


    Odal scowled, ¡°Those bastards seemed to be completely unharmed.  The glyphed slaves like yourself were far stronger than we expected, we lost a lot of good Warriors that night.¡±


    Cass let out a breath in relief.  That, at least, was wonderful news.  Collar or no collar, whatever decision she ended up making, some part of her would always belong to her Master.  It was only a question of how much of her.


    Her Master encouraged curiosity and learning, always wanted her to approach her magic from a new angle and expand her thinking.  He told her to be open to new ways of thinking and seeing, and Cass would take his advice here.  The slums and her Master were all she knew, but the world was bigger than that by far.


    Odal ended up agreeing to show Cass the city later that day, after a brief interview with the Strioi he said.  In the meantime a servant came in to clean the vomit.  The servant kept her eyes down and said nothing, even when Cass apologized for the mess.  In fact, upon hearing that the woman jumped and her eyes went wide, she redoubled her scrubbing and left in a rush.  Cass was not entirely sure what she had done wrong¡­


    The mages, which was to say Strioi, came soon after she had left.  However, they left frustrated when Cass refused to talk about her glyphs.  She explained the basics, how magic tools were used to regulate the power, but refused to comment on how that impacted the designs except to inform them that her own glyphs were not the same as the others.  Someone without natural magic power, even if they had an Absorption Glyph, would not be able to use the glyphs that she had.


    Cass had expected to be tortured to reveal the information, but to her surprise they simply left in a huff.  Perhaps that would come later?  Or perhaps they did not want to¡­


    ¡°Why refuse them?¡±  Odal asked later as he came to escort her for the tour of the city.  ¡°I know that Haj cares little for its people, but the glyphs cannot be created by a means to terrible to name, right?¡±


    ¡°They belong to my Master,¡± Cass answered as she walked out into the sunlight.  There was an open carriage waiting for them and Cass had to accept a hand getting in as her legs still had difficulty holding her upright.  ¡°And I see no reason to trust any of you.¡±


    ¡°You were a slave, so I suppose that is understandable¡­¡±  Odal looked at her with sympathy, ¡°But the collar is gone now, you are a free woman.¡±


    Cass stayed silent about her own inner turmoil.  She had grown used to her collar, had become happy to be at her Master¡¯s beck and call, she could honestly say that if it was not for the other voice inside of her urging her to at least see the possibilities, she would ask for it back.  Besides, her experience with freedom was more painful than her experience with slavery.  She had never been in danger of freezing to death with Hall.  Had never been hungry during her months as his slave.  And unlike the things her Master did to her, there was no thrill in the pain of a cold winter or a week without food, Cass could see herself begging to be punished, but she would never miss a meal if she could help it.


    The silent stretched on for a bit and Odal coughed.  ¡°Well, the castle we just left is the Warrior Castes main headquarters, it looks pretty large but I am sure you will be able to find your way around just fine should you need to.¡±


    Compared to the Imperial Center it was a hut¡­  But Cass stayed quiet about that as well as the driver moved the carriage forward.  The air was crisp and cool, and very dry.  She inhaled deeply and sighed.  Cass did have to admit that was one plus for living up in the mountains.


    And they really were in the mountains.  The city, which held the same name as the country, Beergmutar, was stretched along the side of a mountain.  There were even tunnels dug into it as well, old mines where the depleted shafts closer to the surface had been repurposed as living quarters.


    The Silver district was not far different from Tyine, full of shops selling all kinds of goods and bursting with people.  If Cass squinted a bit she could almost imagine being back in the capitol, where she had stared hungrily at the busy streets and envied those who could afford to purchase food.


    The only real difference was the lack of color.  The merchants were all dressed in bright colors to advertise their wares, but most of the people shopping wore some grey cloaks of some description.  According to Odal, Stone Caste members were required to wear them as proof of their caste.


    ¡°Could someone in the Stone Caste become part of the Silver Caste?¡±  Cass asked as she watched a pair of ladies haggle over some vegetables.  The price seemed very high, she had to admit she was surprised that mere workers could afford it.


    Odal scowled as he saw where Cass was looking.  ¡°No, you are born into your Caste and it is set from birth to death.  Those people over there, do you see the waistband?¡±


    It was a brownish color and really quite unremarkable, but Cass nodded that she did.


    ¡°They are part of the so-called granite faction,¡± Odal grumbled.  ¡°The whole lot of them should be sent to the sand in my opinion.  The lot of them are heretics and Caste traitors.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±  Cass was curious as to what would elicit such a response from the seemingly gentle Odal.


    ¡°They do high level work for the upper classes, usually the Silver, but sometimes the Strioi or Von.¡±  Odal glared at the ladies as the carriage passed, ¡°And they think that they should not be considered part of the Stone, many of them don¡¯t think they should have a Caste at all.  If it weren¡¯t for some of the Von protecting them, I¡¯d round up the lot.¡±


    Ah, so they were administrators, accountants, and the like, Cass was able to read between the lines and understand.  Successful merchants would have enterprises that were bigger than they were that needed managing, the wheels of government required a great deal of manpower to move, and Cass had seen firsthand the need for mages to have assistants.  But for all the power these people might possess, they were still part of the Stone in the end.  It seemed like a minor complaint to Cass compared to the problems they could have, but she understood it at least.


    The tour of the Palace district, the Strioi district, and the Priest district passed uneventfully.  She knew where they were now at least, should she ever need to go to any of them.  But as they headed back she noticed a curve in the road that would head further down the mountain.  She had the Stone district pointed out to her, but the city seemed to extend further.


    ¡°What is down there?¡±


    Another subject to bring a scowl to Odal¡¯s face, ¡°The Sand district.  There is nothing there worth seeing.¡±


    ¡°Actually,¡± Cass felt a sudden urge to see what it was like here.  ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I would like to see it.¡±


    Odal had initially refused, but Cass had insisted and he eventually relented.  Odal did not seem to be a very strong willed man for a warrior, true she was weak willed herself not all that long ago, but she had that part of her beaten into a different shape.


    She was only subservient to her Master, and no one else.

 A New City

    As Cass expected, the Sand District was a slum, What she did not expect was the Warrior Caste presence there. Odal was quite open about their presence, even as Cass watched a small group, a family likely, separated and beaten. Apparently they had violated the rules regarding gatherings on public roads, limit of four that a family of five could not help but break.


    There were many rules like that, restricting what those in the Sand Caste could do, for example, they had to wear tan belts even in their own district. However, Odal was quite proud about the lack of organized crime in the district. Under the fierce pressure of the Warrior Caste, gangs simply did not exist.


    Odal did not want to go very far into the district, and Cass let him take her back to the castle. She had questions, but they were not the kind that Odal would be able to answer, she would have to find the answers herself. This was a very different society than the one she had been raised in, but looking past the surface, many things seemed the same.


    Odal guided her back to her room, where the servants informed her that Cass had been invited to dinner with some of the Strioi who had come down to the castle to visit her. Likely they were the same people from before, Cass figured that they still wanted to talk about her glyphs despite her refusal, which was only to be expected she supposed.


    She was provided with clothes to wear to the dinner, a much more conservative dress robe, but still quite pretty. It seemed a solid blue at first but on closer inspection there were complicated designs in different shades in the fabric and it was tied at the front with a brightly colored cloth band, with more beautifully intricate designs. A far cry from the grey cloaks of the Stone or the tan bands of the Sand she thought.


    The dinner itself was¡­ Amazing. Her Master had been generous, but Cass had never been to a banquet like this. She had never even dreamed that something like this could exist, the long table was piled with all kinds of exotic foods with servers and chefs constantly refilling plates and drinks for the well-dressed folk that were in attendance.


    ¡°Ah, there she is!¡± One of the mages smiled as Cass entered. He had been one of the ones that had interviewed her earlier, but he had not left any impression on her. ¡°Elder, this is the new Strioi I was telling you about.¡±


    A man stepped forward, Cass thought he might even be more ancient than Lord Evans, but he was a completely different personality. He was ancient looking, but he stood straight and strong, and there was an intensity to his eyes that was only second to her Masters in certain situations. He had dark eyes and despite his advanced age, his hair still retained some of of its dark color to it.


    ¡°So this is her?¡± The man was not as welcoming as the others it seemed, which suited Cass fine. Rather than wait to be introduced, she walked up to the two who were talking about her.


    ¡°I am Cass,¡± Curtsying was hard in this dress, but she managed it. Admittedly, she was not very practiced in curtsying, but she knew, roughly, how to do it. ¡°Might I ask your name?¡±


    The mage from earlier seemed a little shocked, but the older mage just seemed amused. ¡°Not very timid for a slave, are you?¡±


    ¡°Is there a reason I should be?¡± Cass had taken on parts of Hall¡¯s personality to a small extent. Her Master did not offer respect to those below him, and maintained etiquette but never went beyond that for his equals. He had treated Cass as dirt until she had proved himself, and the more she interacted with people aside from her Master, the more she understood his attitude. Did Rat deserve respect from her? After repaying her debt to Birdie, did she need to treat her as Cass¡¯s equal? Did Odal have the right to not be pressured by Cass?


    The answer to those questions was no, they did not.


    ¡°Aside from the Magesbane still in your system?¡± The man was still amused, ¡°No, there is not. I am one of the Elders of the Strioi, Cassan Klein.¡±


    ¡°Well, it is a pleasure to meet you Elder Klein,¡± Cass curtsied again. ¡°Unfortunately, I am not yet familiar with this kingdom and I have no idea what an Elder is.¡±


    ¡°Old, for one thing.¡± Klein laughed, ¡°You came from Haj, so perhaps the best way to explain what I am is to say that I am the lord of all mages here in Beergmutar.¡±


    Cass blinked in surprise, she did not think she would warrant that kind of attention. She did not know much about the countries surrounding the Haj Empire, but she knew they were much smaller. However, she still would not expect someone so important to take interest in her. Perhaps this banquet had been scheduled for a while?


    Klein quickly disabused her of that idea, ¡°Normally I would not attend such a poor banquet, but I was interested in the things I heard about you. A Strioi with glyphs¡­ We had thought our magic more advanced than Haj, and yet here we have an example of our hubris¡­¡±


    Wait, did he say ¡®poor banquet?¡¯ There was much in what he said that Cass should be thinking about, but the idea that this magnificent event was on the ¡®poor¡¯ side¡­ This much food could have fed hundreds for days, or dozens for weeks¡­ She almost thought she was dreaming.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°Ah, I am sorry.¡± Cass apologized for the lapse in the conversation, ¡°Since I woke I have had trouble concentrating, there is just so much to take in.¡±


    Klein waved it away, ¡°It is a side effect of the Magesbane, do not worry yourself about it.¡± Then he reached into his robes and produced a vial that he handed to her. ¡°I heard that you refused to go into detail about your glyphs, though the basics you explained will undoubtedly lead to great advances for us overall. However, I thought that perhaps a gesture of goodwill and thanks for what you have already given us is in order.¡±


    The vial turned out to be an antidote for Magesbane. Cass briefly debated whether or not she was being lied to, but if they had wanted they could have poisoned her in any number of ways, so she decided to trust them and take it. She gagged and nearly threw up as she swallowed it, they could have warned her about how bitter it was!


    ¡°The food in the Warrior Caste¡¯s castle is subpar,¡± Elder Klein said as he guided Cass over to the table. ¡°Nevertheless, it is satisfactory enough and I am sure you are hungry. We can discuss further over our meal.¡±


    If this was subpar the banquets the Elder was used to would likely cause Cass to die from shock! Every single dish was a beautiful work of art in presentation, and every bite of that art was an explosion of flavor and texture. Cass nearly inhaled the food around her, she was willing to bet she was not being polite, but she simply did not care, refusing to pause until she was full. What a wonderful feeling, even her Master had not let her eat this much! Of course, she did not want to start getting fat. She used to envy those nobles who could eat enough to become obese, but she knew that her Master would prefer to be a normal size, which meant Cass had to resolve to never eat like this again. Cass had seen people die on the streets and felt less sorrow than the thought that she would have to restrain herself from food like this!


    ¡°I see that Haj still doesn¡¯t believe in feeding their servants,¡± Klein laughed as he watched her eat. Cass did pause long enough to dispel the insinuation against Hall though.


    ¡°My Master fed me well, in fact, I would call him overly generous. But I have never seen anything like this.¡±


    ¡°I cannot see how,¡± Klein frowned. ¡°Slavery itself is a pathetic institution, but enslaving a Strioi is just plain blasphemous.¡±


    ¡°The Church of Light does not approve of the practice,¡± Cass knew that several priests had railed against it quite often when she had gone to receive the small charity meals before. Then again, those same priests had no problem taking advantage of the desperate, and in the end, what really was the difference? ¡°But they do not view it as harshly as it is taken here.¡±


    ¡°The Priests will likely talk to you about that some other time,¡± Klein took a sip of his wine and turned his full focus on Cass. ¡°Personally, I am more interested in your glyphs.¡±


    ¡°I would imagine that the mages from before told you what I told them.¡± Cass sat back in her chair in a rather unladylike manner, she was absolutely stuffed! ¡°My answer has not changed since then.¡±


    Klein frowned and set his wine down, ¡°But you are free now, why do you care if this information ¡®belongs to your master?¡¯¡± He looked over his folded hands at her curiously, ¡°Given the current situation, I would think you would be happy to support us.¡±


    ¡°The way you say that seems to imply there is more to this situation then simply freeing me.¡± Cass sat up straight again, she no longer had the luxury to be ignorant of the world around her.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Klein smiled grimly. ¡°Some of the southern lords in Haj have made deals with us to support them in their coming rebellion. Surely that is the reason that you were heading south, to reinforce the Imperial forces stationed there?¡±


    Cass laughed, ¡°We were there to fight bandits and test the limits of the glyphs. To be honest with you, I did not know this country existed before I woke up here, and I have no idea where it is in relation to Haj even now.¡±


    Klein seemed stunned by Cass¡¯s remark, ¡°As I recall all Strioi are lords in Haj, did your family not educate you before they fell from power?¡±


    ¡°I was born on the streets, my mother was a mere washerwoman and I do not know who my father was,¡± Cass shrugged. ¡°However, I am told it is quite likely he was of noble blood.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Klein was a little taken aback by this, and seemed unsure what to say next.


    ¡°To answer your question,¡± Cass continued through the pause. ¡°I did not mind being owned by my Master very much. There were parts of me that struggled against it, but in the end I came to admire his guidance. He taught me magic, encouraged me to think and learn, praised and rewarded me with generosity for my success and punished me for my failures. In short, I am unsure if I am thankful for being freed or not. I owe a friend of mine, who helped me find a dream of my own, to at least try and see what the world away from my Master is like.¡±


    Cass smiled as she thought of Maurice, if she ever saw her again she would have to thank her. While her words may have prolonged the process of breaking Cass before, they would help her now in deciding what she ultimately desired.


    ¡°All of that said, I may decide to go back to him in the end.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, you need to see the Priests more than I thought¡­¡± Klein looked concerned and¡­ Was that disgust in his eyes? Well, Cass could not entirely blame him. Even she knew that saying she was fine with being owned, and being secure in that knowledge enough to tell someone she just met, was abnormal. But normal and abnormal had nothing to do with good or bad, so she just shrugged it off.


    The conversation effectively died there. Some more small talk was made, a few introductions to other important figures in the Strioi Caste that she was now part of, and eventually it all came to an end. Cass was escorted back to her room with guards for ¡®her protection,¡¯ and she found herself in a situation not all that different from when she had first met Hall.


    However, Cass wanted to know more about this society, and while Odal had been easy to push around, he had not given answers to all of Cass¡¯s questions. Experimentally, Cass tried to put a small amount of power into her glyphs. To her relief, the antidote had worked, her mana was her own again. These people were not very experienced in holding people, as Cass¡¯s window was easy to open and it was a drop she could have made even before the glyphs were applied.


    With her glyphs, leaving through the window was as easy as walking through the door.

 A walk around town.

    Cass was careful not to dirty her dress on landing, having to find an explanation for the dirt later would be difficult after all. Honestly, she wished she could have worn her pants, but those had been left behind when she was captured and the dress she had been wearing was taken away after the servants saw its awful condition. Still, this would suffice, even if it would stand out where she was going.


    During the dinner, Klein and the other mages had expounded on the virtues of Beergmutar as a kingdom in an attempt to make Cass more favorable to them. Unfortunately for them, Cass had heard similar spiels from town criers and pompous officials before in Haj. Cass had been cynical and mocking of those announcements then, and the little that she had seen so far of this kingdom gave her reason to think it was no different.


    However, if this society truly worked as they claimed, the dream Maurice had helped Cass find may be closer than she thought. However, Hall had driven curiosity and the desire to learn and grow into her, and when added to her previous skepticism, Cass would just have to see for herself.


    Odal had been proud of the lack of crime, Klein had touted the good of their priests, and both firmly believed in this caste system they lived in. Both also were proud of the ability for the kingdom to employee and feed all of those in the Stone, but Cass was not very interested in that.


    Her dream was for a world where no person ever suffered like she had, and while the lot of the Stone¡¯s might be good, if poor, they were never the target of that dream. Cass had been the lowest of the low in Tyine, a homeless orphan on the streets, so worthless that it was debatable whether she was even worth the time to beat and chase away. There had been plenty of impoverished people who still managed to have roofs over their heads. Run down huts and shacks, families barely able to buy food, never enough to fill their stomachs but just enough to keep them living in constant hunger¡­ From her perspective in the gutter, those people had lives she could only dream of.


    Cass got many strange looks as she walked, but she was not stopped or recognized. Her clothes were in the style of the Strioi, and most of the people hurrying about their business in the fading light were of the Warrior or Stone Castes. By the rules of this society, she was simply above them.


    Even the checkpoint at the entrance to the Sand District was the same, Cass was able to talk her way through it with minimal effort.


    ¡°If you want to go you can.¡± The warrior said as he scratched his head in confusion, ¡°But it is not safe in the Sand at night, even for one of the Strioi.¡±


    Cass thanked him for the warning and continued on, it was a kind of danger she was used to after all. Though she did have to admit she was a much more attractive target than she used to be, especially with these expensive clothes, Cass was also not the timid and starving thing she had been before.


    People eyed her warily as she walked down the street, often slipping away into dark cracks and crevices as she neared. Cass noticed something else however, something that did make her more cautious.


    Their eyes should not be this fearful and angry, they should be emptier. Cass had felt constant fear to be sure, and often anger, but it was different. That was more a low level constant buzz that kept her alive through the empty fog of her life, this was sharper and energised.


    Acting on instinct, she turned into one of the numerous alleys that branched off the street. She moved through the shadows between the broken down buildings, taking a few turns until¡­


    ¡°I think you might be a bit lost, my dear little Strioi.¡± A tan belted man stepped out from behind some rotting wooden crates, ¡°I mean, it was stupid to come here at night in the first place, but to enter the alleyways? You must be a complete idiot.¡±


    He did talk well, Cass thought, the Sand District was mostly filled with the descendants of criminals, but anyone who committed crimes could be sent here. Judging by the man''s bulging muscles and scars, Cass guessed this man was a warrior who had been sentenced here and not someone born in this district.


    Cass glanced behind her to see that the watchers she had instinctively noticed earlier had moved to surround her. Scrawny and gaunt things holding rusted knives as weapons, a grim and dangerously excited look in their eyes Cass had seen on many thugs right before they got their haul.


    ¡°No, this is precisely where I intend to be.¡± Cass said clearly, ¡°I did not come looking for a fight either, but I would like to warn you that there are mages who can handle three people with ease. You really should pick different prey.¡±


    ¡°Overconfident bitch,¡± one of the smaller men snarled. ¡°You think it is only us three?¡±


    ¡°After you die screaming the others would probably run,¡± Cass laughed, she certainly would have if she was in their position. ¡°But as I said, I did not come for a fight, but just to ask some questions.¡±


    ¡°The time is nearly upon us!¡± The warrior shouted and pulled out a short sword, his eyes filled with rage and hatred. ¡°I think we will just take this opportunity to rid the world of another Strioi!¡±


    With that the three howled and attacked the surprised Cass, she expected them to hear her out before they attempted to kill her. People caught in this kind of situation would reveal all kinds of things in an attempt to have their life spared. Of course, they never were, but they shouldn¡¯t know Cass realized that.


    Cass sighed, both in exasperation and because the dry mountain air simply did not have enough water for the magic she intended. She also drew mana from her Absorption Glyph to gather water from a larger area as well, and froze it into two small spikes of ice that she sent flying into the stomachs of the men behind her. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Cass really did not intend to kill them, just stop them. And a painful gut wound might teach them a lesson about letting people speak before attempting to knife them. Or they might just die without treatment, she supposed it did not really matter to her.


    The warrior with the short sword had charged her during this time, his long strides quickly closing the distance between them, but Cass merely hopped back and redirected her power to her glyphs. Unseen under the fabric of her dress, the glyphs glowed and Cass exploded forward overwhelming the warrior completely and sending him crashing into the crates he had been hiding behind.


    Dazed and scratched up, but mostly unharmed, he attempted to sit up only for Cass to pin him to the ground with a foot on his chest.


    ¡°Now if you would be so kind as to answer my questions,¡± Cass said sweetly as she increased the pressure on his chest.


    ¡°Think again, whore.¡± The man gasped and surged upward, throwing Cass off balance as he put his fist into Cass¡¯s stomach. Cass simply growled and swung at him but he nimbly avoided the blow, and he backed off with a slightly wary respect in his eyes.


    He looked at the two men writhing in pain on the dirt behind Cass, then looked to her and spat on the ground. ¡°You might have magic and you might fucking strong, but you don¡¯t know how to fight.¡±


    ¡°I know enough to kill you right now,¡± Cass hissed back, annoyed that she had let herself be caught off guard.


    ¡°Do you?¡± The man smiled, ¡°I am curious now though, what were those questions of yours?¡±


    Cass glanced to the sides where shadowy figures were on the roofs of nearby buildings as well as in the alley behind her. More shadows appeared behind the warrior as well, this was many more people than Cass had expected. The two toughs she had struck down had been dragged away, and half a dozen more had replaced them. She even saw a crossbow in the hands of one the people on the roof.


    She started to think she had bit off more than she could chew, but she had no choice but to try and bluff her way through it. ¡°I recently came to this kingdom and I found the things told to me by my guides a little¡­ Lacking.¡±


    She was distorting the truth a bit, but honesty was not something she really cared about anyway¡­


    ¡°So I came to inquire on my own, and I must say, I can already see that they didn¡¯t tell me the truth.¡± Cass laughed even though she was getting more worried by the second. No organized crime? She had came down here on a whim, to get this large of a response so quickly required organisation beyond what Cass had seen from any gang in her life!


    ¡°You will find that the upper castes rarely concern themselves with the ¡®truth,¡¯ I doubt they even know the word.¡± The man obviously included Cass in that statement, and Cass agreed. She had no reason to be forthcoming and no obligation to say anything that was not in her best interest.


    ¡°So now that your question is answered,¡± he continued. ¡°You think you can leave? Injure two of our men and just walk away?¡±


    ¡°Well, you did attack me before you even knew what I wanted¡­¡± Cass sighed, ¡°and after I repeatedly told you I was not interested in fighting, so you can¡¯t expect me to feel sorry for them. I left them alive anyway, and besides, I do have other questions that I would like an answer to. After which, I will leave.¡±


    ¡°Left alive?¡± A voice from the shadows shouted, ¡°That spike was long ¡®nuff to core em¡¯! And in the bucket it to!¡±


    ¡°I have no idea what you meant by that,¡± Cass replied honestly.


    An older woman came out of the shadows, leaning heavily on a cane with stark white hair and determined brown eyes. ¡°What he means is that the wounds you gave them will kill them slowly and painfully. They may be alive now, but it is only a matter of time.¡±


    ¡°They could receive treatment,¡± Cass was aware that for people at this level of poverty that was nearly impossible. ¡°But to be honest, they did want to stab me, the least I could do with such a welcome is show them a good time.¡±


    The warrior took an involuntary step back from the smile on Cass¡¯s face, and even the strong looking old woman shuffled uncomfortably.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± The woman coughed, and changed the subject. ¡°I am The Matron, and the man over there is Odev, we will answer your questions and then you will leave this place and not return.¡±


    ¡°Matron!¡± Odev exclaimed in surprise, ¡°We cannot let her go with what she has seen!¡±


    ¡°Odev,¡± The Matron was calm as she spoke her next words. ¡°I have lived a long time and seen many people, and everyone here trusts my judgement and experience regarding them. This young woman,¡± She gestured at Cass. ¡°Does not particularly care who or what we are. The more we hide, the more curious we will make her, but I doubt she will interfere with our plans.¡±


    ¡°How could you possibly know that?¡± Odev seemed to be struggling to contain his anger.


    ¡°You.¡± The Matron addressed Cass, who had been quietly listening and piecing together her own idea of what kind of group she was talking to. ¡°You are a Strioi, and you say that you came to this kingdom recently, do you wish to go home?¡±


    A memory of her Master went through her mind and Cass answered instantly, but softly, ¡°Yes, I do. I miss someone there quite a lot¡­¡±


    ¡°Then you are an ally of our cause, not an enemy to be eliminated.¡± The Matron smiled broadly, ¡°Ask your questions and we''ll let you go, perhaps you can return some other night for us to have a more peaceful discussion.¡±


    ¡°I wanted to know what life was like for those in the Sand District,¡± Cass asked curiously. ¡°I am familiar with places like this elsewhere, and I wanted to see how they compare, if this society really was better than the one I left.¡±


    Odev laughed darkly, ¡°I can only hope that life here is worse, because if there was a deeper hell than this shithole no human soul could stand it.¡±


    You clearly haven¡¯t missed many meals, Cass thought to herself. She doubted this man had any idea what hell really was and his response infuriated her. Cass wanted to drag the man through some of the things she had gone through and ask how it compared, if there was anything sane left in his broken body to answer.


    The Matron shot a glance at Odev that seemed to hold similar feelings to Cass, and gave a far better answer. ¡°What is life like here? Short and painful. If the hunger and cold don¡¯t kill you, disease will, and if that doesn¡¯t kill you the Warriors will for fun at some point. Your own family would knife you over a crust of bread, and you wouldn¡¯t have the energy to blame them.¡±


    That sounded familiar to Cass, disappointingly so. Cass was not going to find the answers she needed here.


    ¡°I see.¡± Cass sighed, ¡°Then I will be going.¡±


    Now was time to see if they would let her go without a fight, and to Cass¡¯s surprise, the thugs parted to let her pass. As she walked away, the Matron called out to her.


    ¡°Tomorrow night at the Cave Tavern, if you want to know more about this kingdom be there. And if you ever want to be able to leave this kingdom ever again.¡±

 Where there is smoke, there is fire.

    Cass left the Sand District, passing the same Warriors that had seen her enter.  They were quite relieved to see her, but she waved away their concern and said that nothing had happened.  The Matron¡¯s parting words having effectively sealed Cass¡¯s lips regarding what occurred there.


    However, Cass did not head back to the castle, instead she walked towards the Stone District.  Too her surprise, there was a checkpoint and guards here as well.  Her surprise turned to suspicion when the guards gave her similar warnings as when she had entered the Sand District.  It was not too far in to the district that Cass found out why.


    Cass had expected the Stone District to be much better than the Sand, and it was in some ways.  The houses and apartments were small and unadorned, but they were clean and in good repair.  The people Cass saw did not have the emaciated, starving look that she had seen in the Sand District either.  These people had money to spend, not much, but some.


    Despite night having come in full, the middle areas of the Stone District were busy.  Taverns and bars filled with light and noise as drunken men and women stumbled in and out.  The alleys were cleaner, but people still crouched in the shadows, their eyes staring into the distance as drugs took them somewhere else.  Cass heard crashing and screaming from somewhere nearby and thought that this may be more dangerous than the Sand altogether.


    The raucous crowds drinking and smoking were interspersed with sober people walking quickly with their heads down, trying to avoid attention as they went about their business.  Near Cass, a girl a few years younger than her had someone stumble into her and was grabbed as a result.  Drunken laughter resulted from her yelling as she was pulled into the crowd.


    Cass turned to leave and then hesitated.  She could almost feel Maurice¡¯s disapproval weighing down on her.  How can Cass say she was pursuing her dream if she just left?  Cass sighed and turned back, walking swiftly towards the struggling women and the laughing men.


    ¡°Would you lookie here, ¡®er olda sista came to join ¡®er!¡±  One man called out and reached for Cass as she approached.


    ¡°No!  Run!¡±  The girl that they had grabbed wailed, sobbing and struggling weakly.


    Cass grabbed the man¡¯s outstretched hand and broke it in her fist then laughed as he fell on his ass screaming.


    ¡°You should let the girl go,¡± Cass grinned.  Maurice may have been the inspiration to help, but it was Hall who had given her the ability to enjoy it!  ¡°Or I will break every hand you have on her.¡±


    ¡°Fucking cunt!¡±  The men swore and attacked her.  A few minutes later, the last of them was on his knees before Cass, fear cutting through his drugged haze as he begged.


    ¡°Please, I am a server for the Von!¡±  He cried pitifully, ¡°if I can¡¯t do my job, I will be fired and my family will starve!¡±


    ¡°Family?¡±  Cass paused, ¡°A wife and kids I assume?¡±


    The man nodded vigorously, snot and tears running down his face.  Cass found him simply repulsive.  She grabbed one of his hands and broke each finger individually, then did the same to the other.


    ¡°I have to wonder,¡± Cass mused as she snapped the index finger on his first hand.  ¡°Why someone begging for mercy for assaulting and trying to rape a young girl, not even in her teens, would beg on behalf of their wife and kids?¡±


    The man tried to struggle and escape, but Cass kicked him hard in the groin and he curled up in pain as she methodically continued breaking his bones, ¡°Presumably, this girl has a mother and father, and presumably they would beg just as prettily to save their child from this.¡±


    Well, that is what Cass would imagine anyway.  The little she had heard from Hall about his family suggested that Cass¡¯s imagination might just be a fairy tale, something she wished was true but was not.  Still, there had to be at least one good family out there, right?


    As she broke the last finger she smiled down at the man blubbering on the ground, ¡°For that matter, why would you expect me to show you mercy when I showed none to your friends over there?¡±


    Cass jerked her thumb towards the pile of groaning men, crying and cradling their broken hands.  Her only regret was not being able to take her time with them, once they saw just how strong Cass was they would try and run, so she rushed for the first four.


    With number five she had the time to enjoy herself, she stepped on his newly broken hand and listened to him scream.  Really, was not begging on behalf of family the most disgusting thing ever?  Effectively, it was using the people who loved you as shields to protect yourself from harm.  Love was too valuable and special to hand to scum like that.


    ¡°Lady Strioi¡­¡±  The girl timidly called out to Cass, ¡°please¡­ Stop¡­¡±


    Cass turned in surprise, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Thank you for helping me,¡± the girl bowed low.  ¡°But I don¡¯t want anyone hurt on my behalf, just stopping them was enough¡­¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°And then what about the next girl to walk by?¡±  Cass raised an eyebrow, ¡°The punishment they received is commensurate with their crime, they put their hands where they shouldn¡¯t and now they cannot use their hands.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±  The girl faltered under Cass¡¯s gaze, ¡°I do not know, but even still¡­¡±


    Cass sighed, then kicked the man in the shins to make sure he was still conscious.  ¡°Get up and get out of here.  If I ever see you again we will pick up where we left off, understand?¡±


    As he scrambled away, Cass woke the others up the same way and gave them the same warning.  She noticed that she had gathered a decent audience who looked at her with a mix of terror and judgemental satisfaction.  She supposed that they liked seeing those men brought to justice and was afraid of her, Cass had to admit that this feeling of power was intoxicating.


    Idly, she wondered if when she saw her Master again, if he would enjoy how she had grown.  Knowing him, the fact that she had taken his lessons and stood on her own would only make it more fun for him to put her back under his control again.  The thought didn¡¯t bother Cass, on the contrary she rather looked forward to it, but he put that thought away for now.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be out so late at night,¡± Cass admonished the girl she had rescued.  ¡°And if you must, you should avoid places like this.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really have a choice¡­¡±  The girl mumbled and she stared at the ground.


    Cass sighed, ¡°I will walk you home, what is your name?¡±


    ¡°Natalie, but you don¡¯t need to do that Lady¡­¡±


    ¡°I put in the effort to help you,¡± Cass ignored her protests.  ¡°At the very least, I would like you to make it through tonight without being attacked again Natalie.¡±


    Natalie¡¯s home was not far away, and, true to what Natalie had said, it was at the end of a cul de sac that opened up into the main street.  The girl did in fact have to head through the crowds to head home, Natalie hesitantly invited Cass inside and Cass got a look at the inside of the tiny house Natalie and her family lived in.


    Honestly, Cass had no real way to compare or judge.  She had considered her first room that Lord Evans had assigned her to be luxurious and the suite her Master had given her to be palatial.  This house was somewhere in between those two, but she lacked any real ability to judge.


    ¡°Natalie!¡±  A woman rushed over and hugged Natalie tightly, ¡°We were so worried when you were late!  Where were-¡±


    She stumbled over her words when she saw Cass standing there, looking out of place in her beautiful and intricately designed dress in this simple home.  That look was one that Cass was familiar with, abject terror.  Cass was curious what would elicit that kind of response¡­


    ¡°Mother,¡± Natalie hugged her mother back tightly.  ¡°I was on my way home when¡­ When¡­  Well, this Lady saved me and insisted on making sure I made it back home!¡±


    ¡°If that is true, then we are very grateful.¡±  The husband had come in, he was slightly calmer, or perhaps just a bit better at hiding his worry.  ¡°Lady Strioi, we have no way to repay you, but you have our thanks.¡±


    He bowed deeply to Cass as he said that, the mother joined as well.  She was not very comfortable with it, but that was something she would have to consider later.  It was not the first time someone had bowed to her, but it was the first time she had felt so uncomfortable about it.


    ¡°There is no need to thank me,¡± Cass¡¯s voice was calm and cool.  ¡°My conscious would not let me pass it by.¡±


    Cass was a firm believer in the Church, so she probably should thank Maurice later.  Offering help to others and protecting the weak were virtues in the Church, and without Maurice¡¯s prodding, Cass probably would have left Natalie to her fate.  In some respect, the worry that Maurice would be disappointed with her acted as her conscious more than any internal measure.


    ¡°And I did want to ask a question, what is going on out there tonight?¡±


    The man laughed bitterly, ¡°Nothing any different from any other night.  People spending their money on drinks and drugs and getting into trouble.  The lot of them might get hauled to the Sand one day.¡±


    ¡°But why is it going on?¡±  Cass was confused, this was very different from Tyine.  ¡°And why do the Warriors even allow this?¡±


    ¡°The second one, I don¡¯t know, but the first¡­¡±


    ¡°They have nothing else,¡± The mother answered from where she still clung to her daughter.  ¡°We aren¡¯t like you, oh mighty Strioi.  We Stones have no place to spend our money but in escapism.¡±


    Now Cass understood, power in this kingdom was stratified, and there was no way to move between those strata.  The people of the Stone had no reason to invest in their future, because their future was already set for them.  So long as food and shelter were secured, all that left them was paying for entertainment and escape.


    ¡°Tina!¡±  The Father exclaimed, ¡°show respect to our guest!  The Lady Strioi saved our daughter!¡±


    There was an undercurrent of fear in that admonishment, Cass supposed that he was worried that she would take offense.  But Cass did not particularly care, and simply ignored it.


    ¡°For the future,¡± Cass turned towards the door.  ¡°If you value your daughter, make sure that someone escorts her home if she must be out this late.  Otherwise it is just a matter of time and only luck saved her today, I doubt I will return here again.¡±


    On her way back to the castle, Cass considered what she had learned.  She had been kidnapped from her Master and ¡®freed.¡¯  But she was only free within Beergmutar, and they would not let her leave.  The Sand Caste was organized and preparing something, the Stone Caste was descending into hedonistic abandon without any chance to do anything else, and the upper castes were striking a deal with the southern territories of Haj to support their rebellion.


    Cass poured power into her legs and leaped up to the window and returned to her room for the night.  She had not been separated from her Master for long, to the point she felt guilty about considering anything other than him.  But if what she was seeing was any indication, this society did not have the answers she needed.  If anything, this was worse than Tyine.


    With that, Cass made up her mind.  Hall was her Master, and the kingdom of Beergmutar was her enemy.  She would find her way home and do whatever she could to hurt Beergmutar on the way.  As Cass fell asleep, she wondered what it would feel like to dominate and break a country¡­  She never would be in a position to do so, but if beating down some rapists could be satisfying than ruling a country would be beyond her imagining...

 The smell of oil.

    The next morning, Cass was moved to the Strioi District. Compared to the Sand and the Stone, or even the houses of the Warriors, it was stunning. Paved roads ran straight between large houses and impressive gardens, fountains ran in the clean and orderly squares, and statues and artwork could be found wherever you looked.


    Although magic was a hereditary trait, not everyone from a family that had magic in the bloodline manifested it, maybe twenty percent at most turned out to have that potential. Since the Strioi district only housed Strioi and there husbands, wives, and children, the families that the Strioi were born in continued to live in the Caste and District they were born in. However, it was quite common for Strioi to quietly support their family and this was seen as perfectly acceptable.


    The end result of that, however, was that much of the Strioi District was empty and the mansions that lined its streets would tend to house several Strioi families, each with their own suites of rooms and the rest of the mansion serving as communal space. Which was how Cass ended up with more room then she knew what to do with.


    Her rooms back in Tyine had been more than she knew what to do with¡­ But her quarters dwarfed those, and she had several other rooms besides that were supposed to house her future children. Honestly, Cass felt as if she had been swallowed by the rooms, almost unnerved by the amount of privacy and space she was afforded.


    What did catch her eye was the wardrobe. The one back in Tyine had been empty and Cass had been measured for dresses but had never returned to see them, but the style of clothing here did not require the same precise measurements and so it was filled with colors and fabrics forming clothes of all descriptions.


    She had an urge to stay here all day and try them all on, but she doubted that she would be given the time to do so and chose a red dress hemmed with white fur. It lacked the intricate patterns of the blue one, but had bands of colors that were very pretty.


    It turns out she had made a wise decision, because just as Cass finished changing the bell connected to the entrance to her rooms jingled, signalling that someone was at the door. It turned out to be Elder Klein and another man who was practically identical to him, save that his hair was completely white compared to the still greying Klein.


    ¡°Cass, this is Brother Klein,¡± Elder Klein smiled, ¡°Who is, coincidentally, my older brother.¡±


    ¡°He never gets tired of that joke,¡± the older brother sighed. ¡°Just call me Cushan, the title is unnecessary.¡±


    ¡°It is nice to meet you Cushan,¡± Cass greeted him politely and invited them in, admittedly she was just copying the girl from the night before, but she had no experience with this kind of thing. ¡°Forgive me if I am wrong, but would you perhaps be part of the Priest Caste?¡±


    ¡°Indeed I am,¡± Cushan sat down slowly, a bit more stiff than his younger brother. ¡°My younger brother came to pester me at the crack of dawn this morning to come and meet you, I heard you recently came from Haj?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you could say I was rescued from Haj in some ways.¡± She wouldn¡¯t say that, but Cass figured that if they knew that she had decided to return they would restrict her freedoms tightly.


    ¡°You were a slave, correct?¡± The priest shook his head with a disgusted scowl, ¡°A terrible practice, to be sure.¡±


    ¡°Some of the things Cass said last night made me feel that she should talk to someone.¡± Elder Klein was gentle with his phrasing, though Cass wondered if he expected her to have that talk in front of him. Apparently so. ¡°Slavery can be damaging to the mind, and I am worried about her mental state.¡±


    ¡°I assure you,¡± Cass said smoothly and firmly. ¡°My mental state is just fine.¡±


    ¡°Last night you were missing for many hours,¡± Elder Klein¡¯s eyes turned steely. ¡°Guards at the checkpoints to the Sand District and the Stone District reported a young Strioi matching your description passing through.¡±


    Shit, they had noticed. Cass wondered how they had, though it could have been something as simple as a servant entering to check on her and finding her missing. Still, she would have to be careful not to underestimate them.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Cass replied casually. ¡°Did I do something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Technically, no.¡± Klein said that, but did not let her off the hook. ¡°But you have only just awoken, you may not be completely stable after being collared and enslaved. You need to be watched for your own safety.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, well let me ask you a question then,¡± Cass would have to reveal a part of her actual reasoning here, but it was not too much of a gamble. ¡°Why should I trust you when a cursory look revealed much of what my guide said to be lies?¡±


    ¡°Anyone who goes looking for trouble will find it,¡± Klein was unfazed. ¡°Our land may be safer than Tyine, and the Warriors may end most crime and dispute before it even occurs, but if you go looking for the darkness in men¡¯s hearts, you can find it no matter how hard we try to scour it away.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°I assure you,¡± Cass pressed the attack. ¡°I didn¡¯t have to look very far. I was attacked twice, once by a group of thugs in the Sand and once by a group of drunks in the Stone. That second one occured on the main road and when I tried to stop them from gang raping a girl even younger than me. So please, you can keep the bullshit to yourself, you are not fooling anyone.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately,¡± Cushan raised a hand to stop his brother from retorting. ¡°Despite our best efforts, few in the Sand or Stone follow the Spirits very closely, or any belief for that matter. It is a pity, because without something higher they can be no more than animals.¡±


    ¡°Belief in anything but the spirits would be heresy brother,¡± Klein frowned.


    ¡°Cassan, the girl in front of you comes from Haj.¡± Cushan laughed, ¡°She has stiffened up slightly every time I have mentioned the spirits, and has been wary of me since I was introduced. Undoubtedly she follows the Church of Light, and while I have strong disagreements with the Church, it does try to teach its followers to do good, which is far better than nothing.¡±


    Cass was not so sure about that. Some of the kinder people she had met believed in no gods or spirits at all. Church believers would often give charity out of duty, but those without duty gave because of their own feelings and values. That said, she loved the Church dearly, and it was only because of it that she was alive now.


    ¡°You are correct,¡± Cass thought it would be best to tell the truth here. ¡°The Church of Light saved me from death and insanity, and even taught me how to speak properly and clearly. I do believe in their message and teachings, though I have to confess that I do not always follow them as well as I would like.¡±


    Elder Klein was looking at her with a mixture of disgust and horror, but his brother was simply nodding calmly.


    ¡°I expected as much,¡± Cashan sighed. ¡°Brother, there is not much I can do here. Though Cass, I do hope you will drop by our temple sometime, you may find our beliefs and yours have more in common than you think.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the invitation and your kindness,¡± Cass had to admit, Cashan reminded her of a priestess from long ago. She rather liked the old man. ¡°I promise I will take you up on that once I have settled down a bit and am thinking more clearly.¡±


    Cashan smiled and went to get up, seeing him struggle, Cass got up to help the old man stand. Elder Klein needed no such help, and seemed unsure of how to react to the conversation that had happened, which was precisely how Cass had wanted him to be. However nice this priest was, even if he reminded Cass of that priestess, he could never match her generosity or the kindness of someone like Maurice. She was not interested in hearing about his beliefs as a result, she was deeply loyal to the Church. However, Cass¡¯s words had left an impression that she was open to conversion and would seek out the priests to learn more soon.


    Before they left, Elder Klein turned and handed Cass a small sack. To her utter shock, it was filled with golden coins!


    ¡°Forty Golden Voni,¡± he said. ¡°The salary of all Strioi in Beergmutar. Even if you don¡¯t feel part of the kingdom yet, and even if you don¡¯t trust us enough to fully explain your glyphs, the things that you have explained are more than worth that paltry sum. It is yours to spend as you see fit.¡±


    ¡°Th- Thank you.¡± Cass stuttered, she had never held so much money! Hell, she had rarely held any money at all! She did not know precisely how much forty Golden Voni would be worth in terms of goods or services, but they were gold, and she could hardly imagine spending them.


    After the brothers left, Odal came by, a serous look on his face.


    ¡°So I heard you went for a bit of a walk last night.¡± He said in lieu of a greeting.


    Is there anyone who didn¡¯t know she had left? Cass thought in exasperation, at the very least she had not been followed or they would have cut off her head for treason!


    ¡°Yes I did.¡± Cass replied calmly, even as she fumed inside.


    ¡°In that case you know that pretty much everything I said was not precisely true.¡± Odal looked down at the floor.


    ¡°That is what is one way to say it,¡± Cass laughed. ¡°I am not too surprised to be honest, and I know Elder Klein told you to.¡±


    ¡°H- How did you-?¡± He stumbled back, stunned.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t actually.¡± Cass said amusedly, ¡°But you just told me.¡±


    Odal really was easy to outmaneuver, Cass almost felt sorry for him really. It did make her life easier though¡­ The real question was why Klein would want to do so¡­ She had barely awoken before they had tried to trick her and cajole her, Cass did not think her glyphs by themselves were worth this much. That said, she had a sack of gold coins in her hands, so perhaps she just didn¡¯t understand the value.


    ¡°Here,¡± Cass said cheerfully. ¡°You can make it up to me, how much is this worth? I am not familiar with your currency.¡±


    She held up one of the Gold Voni and examined the designs on it. Mountains on one side, the face of some royal or another on the flip side.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Odal was confused by the change of subject, ¡°One Gold Voni is a Warriors monthly salary, and it could probably feed a Stone family for half a year if used sparingly¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait. You are telling me that I was just casually handed enough to live on for twenty years?¡± Cass was sure she misheard.


    ¡°Well¡­ Yes. You are Strioi after all.¡±


    What the hell would she even do with that much money? This was a monthly salary for mages? There is something wrong with the way this country worked, Cass was starting to feel uncomfortable in the kingdom¡­


    ¡°Well Odal,¡± Cass decided to explore a bit more to clear her head. ¡°Would you be so kind as to guide me to the Silver District?¡±


    ¡°You still want me to guide you¡­?¡± Odal had been confused by this entire conversation, ¡°even after I lied to you?¡±


    ¡°Why should I blame you for what Klein told you to do?¡± Cass said while briefly fantasizing about breaking Odal¡¯s jaw. Her real reason was that Odal was pretty much an idiot and he might be useful later. If she rejected him, another would be assigned who was just as much in Klein¡¯s pocket and would probably be smarter¡­


    ¡°So come on,¡± Cass smiled. ¡°I have never had a chance to go shopping, maybe I will enjoy it.¡±

 Side Story - Cass and the Church

    ¡°Even if your life is painful now,¡± the priest delivered his sermon as Cass was served gruel by the attendants.  ¡°You can work towards a dream and make it your reality!¡±


    That sounded nice, but where would anyone even find a job?  Cass would work for food, but out here on the streets there simply was no work for people like her.  Even if she found an opening, who would hire a emaciated, rag wearing, nine year old girl?  There were some, but the things that kind of employer wanted¡­  The very best an orphan like her could hope for is to have a somewhat decent pimp who would make sure the johns actually returned her alive.  But since there were always more orphans to replace the girls that didn¡¯t come back, a decent pimp was just a fairy tale and Cass knew it.  She stayed away from those kinds of people.


    Actually, she stayed away from people in general.  She was too small and weak to fight, so even spots for begging were denied her in the cutthroat streets of Tyine, no gang would want her for much the same reason, and Cass wanted to avoid thinking about her work prospects again¡­  She just quietly ate her gruel and listened to the sermon, grateful to have some warmth even if was just for a moment.


    Cass nearly jumped out of her skin when a hand touched her shoulder and she spun around to see a priestess smiling at her.


    ¡°Hello there,¡± The priestess greeted Cass, she could not have been much older than seventeen or so, quite young for a priestess.  Her long blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail behind her.  ¡°What do you think of the sermon?¡±


    ¡°Ya can wis¡¯ fo¡¯ a dream,¡± Cass replied, not wanting to talk but unwilling to offend a priestess who might deny her food again.  ¡°¡®ut to be ¡®onest, it is ¡®opeless.¡±


    The priestess nodded, ¡°It can certainly feel that way, can¡¯t it?  Especially when it is so cold and miserable outside¡­¡±


    Cass stayed silent, she should really think of something to say¡­  The sermon had ended, and she would be told to leave and go back outside, the longer she could stay here in this warmth¡­  But she had no idea what to say, Cass could not even think of a way to stay in this warm room a second longer and that made her want to cry¡­


    ¡°There, there.¡±  The priestess sat down next to her and put an arm around her, ¡°Tell you what, what if I gave you something to work towards?¡±


    Cass was still struggling not to cry, but she was also suspicious of anything offered.  ¡°Wha¡¯ do ya mean?¡±


    ¡°Would you like to learn how to talk properly?¡±  The priestess smiled, ¡°Working towards something, anything, can make a world of difference in your life if you let it.¡±


    Cass was about to refuse when the priestess quickly added, ¡°Of course, the lessons would be inside the Church¡­¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±  Cass¡¯s voice was small, but she did not want to go back out in the cold.


    ¡°How about we start with my name,¡± the priestess had Cass follow her to one of the Church¡¯s side rooms.  ¡°My name is Heather.¡±


    ¡°t¡¯ank ya, ¡®eather.¡±  Cass said, and Heather smiled.


    ¡°Come on, I will guide you through the pronunciation.¡±


    Cass came to look forward to these lessons for much more than the warmth they gave her, or perhaps it was a different kind of warmth.  The Church did not have the resources to spare for food, so she still ate the gruel they provided and scavenged as she could for whatever else she could find.  But the day Heather brought Cass a fresh apple to eat, she had not stopped crying for hours.


    Heather taught Cass how to speak properly, having her recite the Church¡¯s teachings and sermons.  Cass could really feel the depth of Heather¡¯s belief, and to some extent it rubbed off on her.  This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    The basic teaching of the Church of Light was to eliminate the darkness in people''s hearts through growth and work.  They believed that so long as someone had a dream that they worked towards with all their might, there would be no room for darkness to grow.  Not all dreams were treated equally of course, there were the Gods above who ordered the kinds of dreams and valued them more or less than others.  But even a small dream, like learning how to talk properly, could battle against the darkness and emptiness that grew in ones heart.


    Cass had to agree, because she could feel the difference in herself.  She felt happy when she spent an afternoon with Heather, trying to have an entire conversation without slipping back into slang.  A year later, Cass was sill meeting with Heather, who had started to suggest Cass become a priestess.


    ¡°The bishop will be visiting tonight Cass,¡± Heather smiled.  ¡°I will get to meet him and I will ask him to consider taking you to the cloister.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±  Cass asked excitedly, ¡°Thank you so much Heather!¡±


    ¡°You are welcome Cass!¡±  Heather laughed, ¡°Given your devotion to the Church, even if he doesn¡¯t agree to the cloister, I am certain we can bring you in as an attendant.¡±


    Cass was nearly skipping with joy the rest of the day, and that night she was too excited to sleep.  Instead, she sneakily climbed on to the Church¡¯s roof and slipped in through the gap left for the kitchen¡¯s smoke to hang in the rafters above.


    There she saw the bishop, an obese and bejewelled man surrounded by his guards and attendant priests.  Heather was talking to them and Cass strained to hear¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I am shutting this dump down.¡±  His voice was filled with contempt, ¡°It brings nothing to the Church and is just a waste of resources.¡±


    ¡°Bishop, Sir!¡±  Heather was begging, ¡°Please, there are people we can reach here, there is a young girl who I think might even-¡±


    Cass flinched as she saw the bishop casually slap Heather and send her to the floor.


    ¡°You should know your place, girl.¡±  The bishop said casually, as if he had swatted a mildly annoying fly, but then he perked up.  ¡°How about this, if you can help with¡­ My needs¡­  I will overlook this place for now.¡±


    Heather flinched, but nodded quietly.  Cass shut her eyes and tried not to listen to what happened next, as the bishop broke Church law as if it was nothing, his fat mass grunting over Heather for what seemed like an eternity until it was over.


    ¡°Hey, you guys can have a go now.¡±  The bishop said to the men around him after he had caught his breath.


    ¡°What?¡±  Heather cried out, her face red with tears.  ¡°I didn¡¯t agree to that!¡±


    ¡°You agreed to take care of ¡®my needs,¡¯ and I ¡®need¡¯ you to take care of my men.¡±  The bishop and his guards and priests laughed.  Cass recognized some of the priests as the ones who served the gruel and gave sermons¡­


    Hours later¡­  ¡°Hey, she has stopped moving, did you break another one?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get mad at me, we should have left a while ago anyways, and it is so much better when you choke them with your cock up their ass!¡±


    The men laughed, got their clothes together and left.  Trembling, Cass barely managed to climb down and go over to Heather.  They had left her naked, covered in semen and excrement, in the middle of the Church floor, Heather¡¯s eyes stared into nothingness and her chest was not moving.


    Bruise marks on her neck, bite marks on her breasts, even burns were visible where the bastards had taken a candle to her.  Cass closed Heather¡¯s eyes and cried.  Heather had done all that for her, for that little bit of food and warmth that meant so much to Cass.  Dreams might be a wonderful thing, but dreams can shatter, and all that is left afterwards is nothing.


    Cass left before the attendants showed up, shaking and trembling, and feeling emptiness eat away at her heart.


    Three years later, Cass sat in the same spot eating gruel as the priest preached.  He was preaching about the how dreams that helped others were praised above all else.  He had been there three years ago, laughing and jeering at Heather.  But Cass found it difficult to hate him, she found it difficult to feel anything at all¡­  Cass still believed the Church¡¯s message, but she no longer believed that most of them believed it.


    She still came to this Church, because she did not really have a choice.  She was faced with those memories until she had retreated so far inside herself it could not touch her.  She supposed she was lucky that she was still capable of fear even¡­


    She had tried to go somewhere else in the city, but the gangs had become more violent of late.  The Red¡¯s were pushing to take control of the backstreets, and the other gangs were fighting back.  Some mornings, people woke to see the gutters running with blood¡­


    Honestly, she wondered why she even bothered to stay alive.

 Side Story - Cass and the Reds

    The Red¡¯s name was simple to understand. It was the color of blood and they were creating a river of it on the streets. They were taking over the city block by block, pushing established the established gangs and thieves guilds out as they went. And then they settled in and ruled the streets with an iron fist.


    They were restricted to the slums, but rumors said that they were supported by some noble houses who stopped the guards from wiping them out. Cass could believe it, Red thugs, the ones from the main gang, not the conscripts they swept up from the ruins of their enemies, even wore leather armor and were well fed and well armed. You avoided them if at all possible, unfortunately, Cass¡¯s luck had run out.


    The trash heap outside a restaurant nearby the Church used to be the Masher¡¯s territory, but it was a Red who had rounded Cass up as she scavenged for food. She was brought to a run down warehouse with other orphans, prodded along by the mostly silent thugs behind them. Honestly, the silence was the most unnerving thing, when they did speak, their words were rough even for the streets. They seemed to speak more in snarls and growls then in words.


    At the warehouse a leather armored thug gave the gathered orphans a choice.


    ¡°You can drink this vial,¡± he sounded bored as he spoke, as if he had said this dozens of times. ¡°Or I can have those puppets cut you up. You choose.¡±


    Red Water. Cass had thought it to be a superstition, a myth brought on by the aggressive expansion of the Red¡¯s. The rumors said Red Water was an addictive drug that turned people into slaves, and as the growling thug shoved her forward, Cass realized that those rumors were right!


    Did she care though? She struggled with her emptiness for a bit before deciding that for now, she still did care. Cass did not want to be a slave and she did not want to die yet! Some of the other orphans had already taken the vial and had sunken to the floor in a stupor, a few had tried to run and were cut down, and a few were like Cass, desperately trying to look for a way out.


    There wasn¡¯t one. She was pushed ahead by the thug behind her and she found herself in front of the table. She reached a shaky hand towards the vial and picked it up. The liquid inside was mostly clear, but tinted red, as if an amount of blood had been mixed in¡­


    As a last ditch attempt, Cass raised the vial to her lips and pretended to drink while the man was checking over the orphans who had collapsed to the ground after the drugs took hold. She let the drug run down her neck and pretended to have it take effect, letting herself fall over and closed her eyes down to slits.


    The armored Red gave order for them to be watched and left, the thugs drifted off, taking small vials from their pockets and drinking. Cass figured that the Red¡¯s would get them hooked on it and then use them as disposable fodder. She figured she would never have a better opportunity and carefully inched her way to the wall. The windows were shuttered, but Cass saw where they were hooked together, ever so slowly she inched her way up and began to slowly undo the latch.


    Suddenly she heard a shout and realized she was discovered. Cass abandoned stealth tore open the shutters, jumped out the window, and ran. She darted through the streets, running into the main road and slipping through the crowd. Any orphan learned to use their small size to run away, slipping through openings in crowds and debris, and Cass made full use of that now. It helped that the thugs were not very careful due to the drugs and caused a stir in the crowd when they tried to move through it.


    Cass had to gather her courage for what she was going to do next, it went against her every instinct as a street urchin, but she called out for the guards that patrolled this road. When they saw her, their faces twisted in disgust and contempt.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    ¡°What do you want, dreg?¡± A guard spat at her feet, his eyes promising violence if she wasted their time.


    ¡°Sir!¡± Cass gasped, trying to catch her breath. ¡°The Red¡¯s gang is abducting dregs and forcing them to take drugs! Their warehouse is just over there!¡±


    The guards exchanged looks and then laughed. ¡°And? What do you expect us to do about it?¡±


    The other guard chimed in with, ¡°Look kid, if we go in there with just the two of us we will be carved up like a pig at a noble¡¯s dinner, and if we go for reinforcements, by the time we get there they will be gone.¡±


    ¡°The Red¡¯s are in deep with some noble or another anyway,¡± the first guard sighed. ¡°Order came down from the captain to leave them alone as long as they stay out of sight.¡±


    Cass did not know how to react. Corrupt and lazy guards were nothing new, but they rarely missed an opportunity to flex their muscle in front of local criminals and gangs. The reminder served to make those gangs remember to pay the guards to ignore them, and the guards often pocketed the ¡®confiscated¡¯ goods. She started to worry that they might just give her back to the Reds¡­


    The second guard had a sympathetic look on his face, he seemed the kinder of the two in general. ¡°Kid, orders said to ignore them if they stay out of sight, if they were chasing someone through a crowd that is not out of sight.¡±


    In short, these guards wouldn¡¯t turn her over to the gang and would stop the people chasing her, but nothing more. Honestly, Cass was grateful for even that much, but she worried that it wouldn¡¯t matter. The Red¡¯s were already pushing in on the Masher¡¯s turf, Cass had no place to go if they went further¡­ But she could not press the guards to help or she would likely end up in a prison or worse.


    That night, Cass heard fighting in the back alleys. Like other dregs, she was faced with a choice. Either she could run away now in the hopes to avoid trouble, or she could go and see what was happening to see who the winner would be. Both options had their pros and cons, but for Cass the answer was simple, she snuck out to see what was going on. She had no way to leave this area after all, not really.


    Cass snuck up on to the roof of a nearby shack and crawled over to watch. As she expected, the Reds and Mashers were fighting. The Mashers were a pretty brutal gang, but they considered it a waste of energy to cut up orphans and the like, so this area was relatively safe for children. Cass suspected that the Church had something to do with that, years ago Heather had made allusions to bribes paid to them to ignore the people who came for the charity and sermons¡­


    Cass fervently prayed the Mashers would win this fight, because she doubted the Reds would accept the same deal. However, her prayers clearly went unanswered and the Mashers were all dead, fleeing, or had turned on their former allies as soon as the tide of the battle had turned. What happened next though was surprising.


    Cass heard the clanking of metal and people running towards the scene of the fight, it was the city guards! This was only a small portion of the Reds, but if the guards eliminated this group Cass would at least have some time to figure out what to do.


    The leading Red stepped out to talk to the guards, it was the same man who had tried to force Cass to drink the Red water.


    ¡°I presume you know the deal,¡± He didn¡¯t sound bored this time, just nervous. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I have a message from a mutual friend of ours,¡± A guard sneered. ¡°He wanted to remind your leaders that spreading that filthy water of yours was not part of the arrangement.¡±


    ¡°We have done nothing of th-¡±


    ¡°Quit the act,¡± another guard laughed. ¡°A girl on the street ran up to us and told us the whole fucking story earlier today.¡±


    That was¡­ The guard that Cass had thought was kind before, he was apparently much more involved than he had let on earlier! He probably worked for whomever was behind the Red¡¯s rise to power¡­


    ¡°That little cunt¡­¡± The Red hissed, ¡°So how is this going to play out then? Am I taking the message back for you?¡±


    There was another option that the thug clearly hoped was not chosen¡­.


    ¡°In the sense that we will dump your body with the message carved into it on your leaders doorstep.¡±


    ¡°Fuck! Kill them!¡± The thug screamed to the henchmen and drug puppets and Cass slipped away.


    The Reds would get their message, Cass assumed, but they would still take control of this area. She had a little time, but not much. She would have to leave, and that meant she would likely have to start stealing¡­ Cass was not sure how much longer she would care to try...

 The Day Before

    Cass had slipped through crowds and watched them from the shadows of alleys, but she had never been part of them. The Silver District had a market that was open to all of the castes, and so was filled with all kinds of people both buying and selling. Cass¡¯s first reaction to being in the crowd was¡­ It was hard to move through.


    When she had slipped through the crowds as a street urchin, she had not had any reason to worry about things like etiquette or not knocking people over. Often she had been running from something, and those things were the last things on her mind. It didn¡¯t help that she was no longer emaciated and actually took up the space of a normal person. Getting to a stall on the other side of the street could be a chore.


    However, the things at those stalls caused Cass to gasp in wonder. Perhaps they would not have attracted a noble from Tyine, or even a normal Strioi here in Beergmutar, but to Cass many of the stalls were filled with things of beauty or utility that she could not ignore.


    ¡°It is the finest and purest silver,¡± the merchant said proudly, gesturing to two silver earrings that had caught Cass¡¯s eye. ¡°Straight from the mines and worked by the some of the finest Stone artisans we have seen in years.¡±


    They reminded Cass of swirling wind through someone¡¯s hair, and she was quite taken with them. They cost fifty Brass Voni, which was about half of a Gold Voni. Incidentally, silver was not used as a currency here except for a small amount mixed into the gold of the Gold Voni. Ten Copper Voni equalled a Brass Voni, and one hundred Brass Voni equalled a Gold Voni. She had to get her ears pierced to wear them and the lady who did so for her was surprised when Cass had no reaction to the piercing process, and even more surprised by the rapid healing of Cass¡¯s earlobes. She was able to wear her new earrings immediately that day, to her absolute joy.


    There was quite a bit of other things that she saw that she wanted to buy, but Cass managed to restrain herself. All the way back to her time in the orphanage she had memories of people on the streets having a lucky windfall and squandering it all immediately. But Cass would swear up and down that her next purchases were justified. She had not purchased that armlet because she admired how it looked, but because she thought it could be used with her glyphs. Somehow¡­ The same with the bracelet and anklet¡­


    ¡°Odal¡­¡± Cass looked longingly at another stall filled with beautiful clothes, ¡°get me out of here before I buy anything else!¡±


    Outside of the market, Cass caught her breath. She had wondered why rich people always wore such gaudy and tasteless jewelry and clothes, and now she figured that they probably wore it to justify their purchase of it. Being able to buy whatever caught her fancy, was intoxicating¡­ Cass would have to be careful, she had managed to spend fifteen of her Golden Voni just four hours! It wasn¡¯t a waste, Cass muttered to herself. She would make them into magic tools later¡­ The armlet was purchased for that purpose after all¡­ But she had to admit she had no idea what to do with the anklet¡­


    ¡°Thank you Odal,¡± Cass laughed at Odal¡¯s exasperated expression. ¡°I did not realize how fun that would be¡­ And now I have no idea where I am¡­¡±


    The districts were arranged along the mountain with the higher ranking castes at the top, but the Warrior, Priest, and Strioi district were arranged in such a way that they each shared a border with the Silver District from the top and side, and of course the Stone was bordering it below. So Cass could be almost anywhere in the city now, though they had headed up so it must be one of the first three.


    The roads were paved and wide, like the Strioi district, but there was a different sense of silence here and the buildings on the sides of the roads were not manors but more like public monuments and meeting areas. It was a peaceful place¡­


    ¡°This is the Priest¡¯s District,¡± Odal confirmed Cass¡¯s suspicion. ¡°There are no restrictions about who can come here, but few people actually come to this part of it.¡±


    ¡°What about the others?¡± Cass asked curiously.


    ¡°The other areas?¡± Odal scratched his head, ¡°Well the Temple is generally quite busy, but other than that it is just space for meditation and the Priest¡¯s quarters, so aside for the Priests, few go anywhere else.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to see it,¡± Cass said, she had liked Brother Cushan Klein, even though she was unsure about his brother¡¯s motivations. For that matter, the Priests seemed to have considerable power in this kingdom, though Cass was unsure how precisely. The more she knew, the more she could avoid the traps and tricks that Cass was sure was coming.


    Odal was happy to take here there and soon she was in front of the single most beautiful building Cass had ever seen. A soaring and swirling structure of white marble that shined and sparkled in the sunlight. The courtyard was spacious with tasteful gardens and fountains built throughout. The effect of the whole was to create a feeling of inspiration and admiration, and Cass could not help but bask in it.


    There were many people moving to and from the temple, and Cass joined the throng and entered the building. The first room inside was a gigantic hall that had other corridors branching off in many directions. Warriors stood at many of them, barring anyone but the priests from entering. The only two corridors that were open to the general public were the ones towards the main chapel and the one towards administration.


    ¡°Administration?¡± Cass asked curiously, ¡°what do they administrate?¡±


    ¡°Births, marriages, deaths,¡± Odal answered. ¡°All of these things are in the sphere of the Priests, law and order are the sphere of the Voni.¡±


    ¡°What would you administrate with birth?¡± Cass was confused by this, ¡°it isn¡¯t like you can tell the baby not to be born.¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Odal laughed, ¡°No, no it isn''t like that. The children are blessed by the Priests and added to the register.¡±


    ¡°Register?¡±


    ¡°Ah, it is a record of everyone who has been born in Beergmutar and their families,¡± Odal smiled. ¡°How else would we keep track of the Sand after all? We are not so barbaric as to brand them¡­¡±


    That was an interesting idea¡­ Cass would have to remember this, it certainly made more sense than the way it was handled in Haj. Which was to say, it wasn¡¯t. Local authorities came from the locality they worked in, and so were just expected to know everyone that they had to deal with. But this often didn¡¯t work out for a host of reasons, not the least of which was corruption, but if people knew what was expected from each area¡­


    Cass went to take a look at the administration for herself, though Odal said they would not let her back to see the register or the scribes. Priests were of a higher caste than Strioi after all.


    To her surprise, she saw Brother Cushan at one of the many desks scattered throughout the room. Well, since he had invited her, she might as well stop by. At the very least she should learn if the Priests intended to go after her for her belief in the Church of Light.


    Before she got there however, a woman with two children came up to speak to him first. Based on her clothes, they were Stone Caste, and Cass happened to overhear the conversation from where she was.


    ¡°Greetings, Brother Priest.¡± The woman bowed respectfully, nudging her children, who were probably five and six years old respectively, to get the to do the same.


    ¡°Greetings and welcome,¡± Cushan replied with a smile, he seemed sad to Cass though. ¡°Though it pains me to have to consider a divorce, you know that the doctrine only allows it in the most extreme circumstances, correct?¡±


    ¡°I understand Brother,¡± the woman was unfazed by this statement. ¡°But enough is enough, my husband is out drinking and smoking every night, and I have long suspected he was seeing other women as well, but I could not exactly leave the house to check.¡±


    Anger sparked in the woman¡¯s eyes as she continued, ¡°But this morning he came home with broken hands and covered in bruises, and was not even able to go to his job. I have asked for a divorce four times, and now this is the fifth, I want nothing more to do with the man.¡±


    Broken hands? She must be married to one of the Stones that Cass ¡®met¡¯ last night. If it came down to it, Cass decided she would tell Cushan about that event last night if it would help the woman. She didn¡¯t particularly care, but she had to respect the woman who managed to raise two kids while being married to someone that unreliable. That was a kind of strength that Cass though was all too rare, she would have more likely expected the kids to be abandoned than for something like this to occur.


    Cushan did approve the divorce and the woman left without ever meeting Cass, who simply walked over to say hello to the Priest in her absence.


    ¡°Hello, Brother Klein.¡± Cass was not completely sure about how to greet someone of a higher caste in this society, so she was grateful that Cushan knew that she was just being introduced to this kingdom. She didn¡¯t have to worry as much about insulting him on accident.


    ¡°Ah, Cass.¡± He smiled mischievously, with more energy than Cass would expect from a man of his advanced age. ¡°Eavesdropping is not a very polite thing to do you know.¡±


    The Kleins were observant men, Cass made a note to be especially careful around them from now on. Barely two days into her arrival and she was already getting the feeling that there machinations and schemes following her wherever she went.


    ¡°I apologise,¡± Cass decided on how precisely to respond. ¡°However, I think it was necessary in this case.¡±


    The Priest paused for a moment and studied her.


    ¡°My brother told me about those glyphs of yours.¡± Cushan said slowly, ¡°I imagine that if someone shook your hand you would have a ¡®crushing¡¯ grip.¡±


    Cass just smiled back at him as she took the seat across the desk. Her thoughts were a bit chaotic though, these two brothers seemed nearly fucking omniscient! At this rate she wouldn¡¯t be surprised if when she showed up for the meeting with those Sands from last night that Elder Klein and Brother Klein had a table and were having a beer!


    ¡°I wanted to take your invitation earlier than I originally planned, and I still want to come back after this,¡± Cass changed the subject. ¡°But there was a question I had to ask you.¡±


    ¡°I have some idea of what you are going to say, but please continue.¡±


    Of course you do, Cass sighed internally, he might be a nice guy, but his prescience was scary. ¡°I wanted to know if I will be allowed to continue my faith with the Church.¡±


    She would, regardless the answer. But it would be good to know ahead of time what kind of situation this would evolve, or perhaps devolve, into.


    ¡°Hmmmm,¡± Cushan sat back in his chair slowly, folding his wrinkled hands on the desk in front of him. ¡°The short answer is yes, so long as you do not speak about it. Beergmutar is a closed kingdom, the mountainous terrain has allowed the Warriors to seal off any kind of entrance that is deemed unfit by the Voni. So essentially, no one enters or leaves Beergmutar.¡±


    ¡°I thought only Strioi were placed under that restriction?¡± Cass found this situation odd, did they deny all trade as well? If no one could leave or enter, why were they getting involved with Southern Haj?


    ¡°Technically, only Strioi are restricted true.¡± Cushan nodded and continued, ¡°however the blocking of all travel is a temporary decree from the King, though the temporary part is a bit of a joke since it has been in place for nearly three hundred years now.¡±


    That seemed impossible to Cass. Just basic street intuition told her that somewhere there were smugglers trading and traveling across the border, even Tyine could not fully regulate access and it was just a city! How could an entire country succeed in doing the same?


    ¡°How does this relate to the Church though?¡± Cass kept on subject for now, her speculation about how to leave Beergmutar was not something she planned to share with anyone before she left.


    ¡°We have no rules regarding other religions,¡± Cushan shrugged. ¡°There are sermons and doctrine that warn against them, but no actual rules saying that you cannot believe something else or that you need to convert when you live here.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Cass nodded, this part she understood. It was better than she had feared, but worse than she had hoped in some ways. True, technically it was not required, but it was also not, not required. A grey area in the law, and if Cass kept her head down and gave them no reason to revisit it, it would likely stay that way.


    ¡°Thank you Brother Cushan,¡± Cass meant that and smiled warmly. ¡°This is a large weight off my shoulders.¡±


    After that, the conversation continued on about less weighty subjects for a time before Cushan excused himself to continue his duties. From the conversation she had just had with him, Cass knew that Cushan was not required to work at his age, but still did so to pass the time and because he enjoyed his work.


    Cass left in the mid afternoon and returned to her quarters, saying goodbye to Odal at the door. She had several things to do before tonight, and Cass wanted to be prepared.

 Flint to steel.

    Cass sat in a cross legged position on her bed, eyes closed and breathing evenly. She was not praying or involved in spiritual meditation, but rather carefully and slowly spreading her mana from her body like feelers from a crawling vine. Cass had never done this before, but she had read about it, using your own mana to check for traps set by other mages.


    She was suspicious that after they knew that Cass had left her rooms the night before that they would allow her even greater freedom so soon after. Undoubtedly, there was a trap or catch of some kind. Her Master was very skilled with magic regarding people, glyphs, and magic tools, but there were some kinds of magic he was poor at.


    Cass figured that Elder Klein might be practiced in different kinds of magic than she was used to. And sure enough, as Cass¡¯s mana reached the window she ¡®felt¡¯ an unfamiliar energy there. Carefully, she had her mana flow along the outside, trying to reason out the system that was set up there.


    There was a catalyst involved¡­ No, two of them. Cass frowned and tried to focus her attention more. There were two catalysts because there were two systems¡­ The first would react and release the energy coiled within it when the window was open, and the second system would take that energy and send it somewhere, presumably alerting the caster somehow.


    It was impressive work, Cass had to admit. Though simple in concept, to have tied your systems so tightly that they could keep their energy throughout extended periods of time, to be released when the trigger was finally set off¡­ Absolutely wonderful craftsmanship, and absolutely in Cass¡¯s way.


    Her Master had allowed Cass to read whatever had interested her, and for a few days that had been about systems like this. Ones that were made by a mage, then left for whatever circumstance the mage desired. The book had posited that magic tools had been developed from such magic, and Cass was inclined to agree.


    More importantly, the book discussed the various methods of dealing with these traps. Unfortunately, much like how she was sensing it with her mana, Cass had never had the opportunity to practice. If she messed up, the system would trigger, and if she really messed up there was a slight possibility the whole thing would explode.


    It wasn¡¯t designed to harm Cass, so there was not enough energy in there for that to be a major concern, but interacting with Cass¡¯s mana might fuel the system in strange ways that Cass would need to be wary of.


    Carefully, and ever so gently, Cass inserted her own mana into the system. She had her mana flow naturally in the system explore it more, as she understood it better, she began to create a similar system herself. Sweat was dripping from her forehead from having to concentrate and handle both at once, and she gritted her teeth as the effort of adding a third part started to give her a headache.


    That third part was using the mana inside the system to widen and stretch it, effectively changing the area where the trap would trigger, making the window no longer in that area. To stop the system from triggering during this, Cass had to merge the copy she made with it, tricking the system into believing that nothing had changed until she had finished.


    Once she had completed it, Cass collapsed on her bed gasping for air. Her head was spinning, or perhaps the room was¡­ Normally, a mage in Cass¡¯s position would lack the finesse and experience to perform such an alteration, Cass had only just managed by drawing on her Absorption Glyph and her tolerance for pain and discomfort.


    Still, she could leave now without Klein finding out, at least until he checked the systems himself. Cass would have to return it to its correct state when she came back, what a pain in the ass¡­


    After her busy day of shopping and exploring, then coming home and working through trial and error to furnish a magic tool, and now having manipulated another mage¡¯s magical system¡­ Cass was exhausted, and the fact that she would have to jump out her window and walk all the way to the Stone District was just painful. Still, her Master had put her through worse, she would be able to handle it.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    For that matter, she was quite happy with her purchases and extremely proud of her work on the anklet and the magical trap outside her window. Tired as she may be, Cass had a warm feeling of accomplishment for her work today.


    ¡°Well, I am out of time¡­¡± Cass sighed to herself and got up to go open the window. Just as before, she relied on her glyphs to prevent her from getting hurt in the jump down and slipped out of the manor. This time, however, she avoided the checkpoints that were manned at night. Again, her glyphs helped her with this, allowing her to climb over buildings and into areas around the guards as she made her way to the Sand District.


    After ¡®asking¡¯ some of the people hiding in the gutters and shadows for directions, Cass came to a place that look relatively undeveloped compared to the rest of the city. Tunnels into the mountain honeycombed the area and trash and debris were everywhere. Picking her way through the rubble, Cass made her way to one particular tunnel, the presence of shadowy guards confirmed that she indeed had the correct one.


    This tunnel had rooms where people lived, areas where people set up shops, and a bar called the Cave Tavern. Not the most inventive or imaginative name, Cass thought as she pushed through the tattered cloth that served as the door to the establishment.


    The room was dark, barely lit by the guttering torches that lined the room, the ceiling was black with smoke from candles and torches over the years. There were tables and chairs, though none of them matched and none were in good condition. At one of those tables was the Matron with Odev standing behind her like a bodyguard. Also at the table were two other men, though both wore cloaks concealing their features, as one shuffled in his seat Cass caught a glimpse of the Warrior Caste¡¯s clothes. Interesting.


    ¡°Ah, she has arrived.¡± the Matron smiled at Cass, though Odev scowled over her shoulder. ¡°A new ally to our cause.¡±


    ¡°With respect,¡± The cloaked warrior snarled. ¡°How can we possibly trust her? You just met her last night by your account and she has been spending a lot of time with the Kleins!¡±


    The warrior must know who Cass is, well at least she wouldn¡¯t have to decide whether to hide her identity or not.


    ¡°I am curious to know why you trust me as well,¡± Cass raised an eyebrow as she wondered aloud. ¡°You seem quite confident of it, more confident than I am anyway.¡±


    Both Odev and the warrior snarled at her while the Matron chuckled. The other cloaked man still had not spoken yet.


    ¡°It is quite simple really,¡± she seemed amused. ¡°You want to go home, and you can not do so without dealing with us.¡±


    Solid street logic, form an alliance where the other party needs you more than you need them and they will never betray you. Cass scowled at the Matron but did not disagree, instead she walked to the table and sat down.


    ¡°Well then,¡± the formerly silent man spoke, his voice was cool and in control. ¡°Let us get down to business, shall we? I presume that our new ally, I believe Cass was your name? Understands what this meeting is for?¡±


    ¡°I rather presume you are plotting rebellion,¡± Cass answered easily, she had already figured they knew who she was, despite his voice the man¡¯s attempt to put Cass off balance was amateur at best. ¡°And I further presume you need a mage for something, or I would not be here.¡±


    ¡°You have it correct for the most part,¡± the Matron smiled. ¡°But let me ask you another question, have you ever met the Voni?¡±


    ¡°The Voni?¡± Cass blinked surprised by the question, ¡°Well, no, I have not.¡±


    ¡°That is because I am the last of them,¡± the Matron¡¯s smile turned dark and her eyes simmered with rage. ¡°This is not a rebellion, but a reclamation. A war to end the abuses by the usurpers who have torn this kingdom asunder!¡±


    Cass was stunned, she tried to think back to her visits to the various districts, and the introductions to people she had met. She was searching her memory to see if she had ever seen one of the ruling Caste who were supposedly in charge of everything that the Priests were not. She realized she had not, but then¡­


    ¡°So who are the people really in control?¡± Cass asked, whoever they were they had been very careful not to let the city or country plunge into chaos thus far. For that matter, everyone Cass had talked to acted as if the Voni were still running things just as always.


    ¡°You already met him,¡± the warrior growled. ¡°That bastard Klein.¡±


    ¡°Klein?¡± Cass was stunned, she had figured that there were schemes that she was unaware of, but she had only just arrived, and that was to be expected¡­ Still she would have never suspected¡­


    ¡°And I need your help Cass.¡± The Matron leaned forward, ¡°I need you to get me Magesbane.¡±

 The deal.

    Magesbane. It was a rather uncommon herb, and hard to cultivate, but as its name implied, it was deadly to mages. It did not actually kill them, but it made it so that whenever they reached for their mana, they felt severe nausea to the point of incapacitating them. Other effects included headaches, exhaustion, and irritability, but those would appear even in non-mages who consumed the plant.


    Fortunately for mages, Magesbane¡¯s rarity and difficulty to grow meant that it was almost nonexistent in most parts of the world. Unfortunately for Cass, but perhaps fortunately for this rebellion, the condition for Magesbane¡¯s growth that was especially hard to replicate in most countries was not an issue in Beergmutar, which was to say altitude.


    It was for this reason that the Warriors could impose the ban on Strioi traveling, they could apply Magesbane salves to their weapons and the slightest nick would leave the mage impotent. However, Magesbane was tightly controlled by the Voni who had it as an insurance against the Strioi. According to the Matron, this insurance had not been enough.


    ¡°They did not fight directly,¡± the Matron snarled. ¡°Everywhere our Warrior guards went they were blocked by webs. The Strioi threw them like nets and they even intercepted arrows and bolts when we tried to shoot them.¡±


    Webs? The catalyst in the window trap must have been spider¡¯s silk! But to think they could use magic like this, there must be something more to it¡­


    ¡°Impressive,¡± Cass honestly admired magic on that level, what a wonderful display of knowledge and power! ¡°But if that is what occured, why should this revolt be any different?¡±


    ¡°It is not a revolt but a reclamation!¡± Odev growled, ¡°Those bastards are the rebels!¡±


    ¡°Semantics don¡¯t answer that question you know.¡± Cass laughed, ¡°You must have more of a plan than just ¡®acquiring¡¯ the herb.¡±


    ¡°Why should we trust you with that plan?¡± The cloaked warrior growled, clearly still wary of her. A good idea, because if this plot was idiotic she might just trade all of them in to Klein in exchange for allowing her to leave. However¡­


    ¡°I cannot imagine what kind of idiot would gather a poisonous herb that directly counters their power for someone when they did not know how it would be used.¡± Cass said bluntly, ¡°Leaving all the practical parts of me actually obtaining any aside, what guarantee may I have that I won¡¯t be cut by the same blade I give you? For that matter, you still have not explained why this time will be different than the last.¡±


    Those two questions were of the utmost importance, Cass did not particularly like Elder Klein, but she did not hate the man, still, she wanted to go home and she could not without risking a fight with Warriors equipped to fight mages. In short, if she felt this was likely to succeed, she would help, and if she thought otherwise, she would trade them in without a second thought.


    ¡°The difference?¡± The cool voiced man laughed, ¡°the difference will be in numbers. All of the Sand will fight with us and a fair chunk of the Stone and Warriors besides.¡±


    A mob supported by trained soldiers¡­ Without mages that would be very difficult to stop, which Cass supposed led to the Magesbane. She was not particularly sure that numbers would be enough to suppress the mages long enough to poison them, but she could see the logic at work behind it. Distract with a mob of Sand or Stone, then put an arrow or bolt in the distracted Strioi. Plus, the more open nature of the streets as opposed to the Voni palace would make the webs far less effective¡­


    ¡°As for trusting us not to turn on you¡­¡± The Matron smiled, ¡°I hate the Strioi, loathe them with a burning passion for their crimes and treachery in supporting that man. But you are hardly Strioi, you are a foreigner who will leave as soon as this mess is over.¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Cass agreed, though she did not trust the Matron would keep to her word precisely. Probably she would try and poison Cass at some point, if the poisoning succeeded she would kill Cass. If not, then she might let Cass go and claim that it had not been her. Or she might actually be being honest, but Cass trusted no one but her Master. ¡°So you need me to get the Magesbane for you then, how do you propose I do that?¡±


    ¡°I presume that your good treatment is because you have something they want.¡± The cool voiced man spoke, as she thought, they were in a position to know who she was now. ¡°Simply tell them that you wish to talk to the Voni and make a deal for the knowledge. They will either have to have someone pretend to be a Voni and have a meeting at the palace, or they will inform you that the Voni are no longer there and then you can go and see the palace without restriction.¡±


    Cass frowned, ¡°But in this scenario I will have to tell them certain things¡­¡±


    ¡°They will all be dead, so whatever secret you carry will be buried with them.¡±


    Cass mulled it over, then sighed. This did seem to be her only chance, she did not have much of a choice in whether or not to do it¡­ But she could ask for more¡­


    ¡°Considering the risk I am putting myself in,¡± Cass tacitly agreed to their proposal. ¡°I do have two other requests.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± The Matron smiled as she realized Cass was agreeing to help.


    ¡°First, I want all of the mages, sorry, Strioi¡¯s, research materials and documents.¡± Cass held up a finger, ¡°Obviously, I won¡¯t take them all with me, but I want to browse them before I go.¡±


    ¡°That is not a problem,¡± the Warrior laughed. ¡°There won¡¯t be any Strioi to use them after all.¡±


    Unless they killed every child who showed a hint of magical power that was not precisely true, though perhaps their anger had blinded them to the fact Cass had more or less just asked for all their national power regarding magical techniques. Or perhaps they did intend to kill her later and so it did not matter, she would find out when the time came, and she would be ready for whatever it was.


    ¡°And your second request?¡± The Matron asked curiously.


    ¡°I want you to break off your support of the rebels in the south of Haj.¡±


    The Matron blinked in surprise, ¡°I thought you would ask for money or goods of some kind¡­ Why request that?¡±


    ¡°When I left my Master,¡± which was to say, when Cass had been abducted. ¡°They had not yet entered open rebellion, or at least the news had not reached Tyine yet. From what I have heard here, that situation has changed, and they are openly trying to seize control.¡±


    ¡°From what I have heard, that is correct.¡± The cloaked Warrior nodded.


    ¡°My Master supports the Empire, and thus, I support the Empire.¡± Cass stated, ¡°therefore, I would like you to cease helping the rebels in the south.¡±


    The Matron was silent for a time and then spoke slowly, seeming to give every word great thought before it left her mouth. ¡°There are political considerations there that make what you are asking very difficult.¡±


    Cass knew that, and she was pleased by how the Matron was responding. If they had planned to kill or otherwise trick Cass later it would be easy to agree to this without thought. This kind of answer made it more likely that Cass might actually be making an honest deal with this group.


    ¡°From what I have been told,¡± the Matron continued. ¡°You are the bastard child of some noble, picked off the streets and enslaved to another mage. With a backstory like that, I think it might be hard for you to understand just how difficult your request is. The short answer to your request is, no, because doing so might destroy this country altogether.¡±


    ¡°Haj is an empire, but not a very united one.¡± The cool voice man explained, ¡°Should it ever become more united¡­ Well, expansion would be easy with its full might, so to prevent being subsumed by Haj, we must fan the flames where we can.¡±


    ¡°Even the bastards who overthrew my Caste understand that much,¡± the Matron agreed. ¡°Leaving the country and access to the research materials I can grant you, but that I simply cannot¡­¡±


    Now the question was how deep did the bluffs and trickery go¡­ Did they expect Cass to ask this kind of question and had already prepared an answer like this to make their tricks more believable, or was it actual honesty? Cass was not sure, but she thought that the Matron at least, might be honest in this deal.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Cass sighed, it wasn¡¯t hard to act disappointed because she was to some degree. Best case scenario would have been the Matron agreeing and making an honest deal. She would have been able to return to her Master having substantially weakened the rebels, but it was not to be. ¡°For those two things, I will help you.¡±

 Misleading and discovering.

    The meeting had gone on for a little while after that, with Cass getting a description of the layout of the Voni palace and the location of the garden that contained Magesbane. It wasn¡¯t a very large area, but with the potency of Magesbane it did not need to be. This worked out in the rebel¡¯s, and cass¡¯s, favor as she would not need all that many plants to fill the needs of the rebellion.


    However, they did not want to make Klein suspicious, so they had asked Cass to delay asking to meet the Voni for a little while. They hoped that as Cass settled in she would not be under as much scrutiny after her initial jaunt outside her room had been discovered. Unfortunately, they had been unable to provide any information on the orb that had been used to knock Cass out¡­ She was still worried about that and could only hope it had been a single-use magic tool, but she doubted she would be so lucky.


    Cass slipped back into her room closed her window, now came the had part though¡­ She had to concentrate through her exhaustion to undo the changes she had made to the alarm system and just barely managed it. By the time she crawled into bed, Cass was hardly conscious¡­ Well, they had asked her to delay, so the tomorrow she would sleep in¡­


    Except that Odal woke her up early¡­ Cass snarled and chased him off, then went back to bed. She ended up sleeping the entire day and the next day Elder Klein came to visit her in the morning, concerned about her health.


    ¡°I am fine,¡± Cass insisted. ¡°Really. I was just tired, there is no need to worry.¡±


    ¡°Well if you need anything don¡¯t hesitate to let someone know,¡± it was hard for Cass to believe this man was the current ruler of Beergmutar. She had never met someone so important before, but she made sure to act like she didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°I am still a little tired¡­¡± She wasn¡¯t, but again, not something he needed to know. ¡°I was hoping I might find something to read¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh? A reader of fiction are we?¡± Klein smiled, probably thinking that it was appropriate for her age.


    ¡°Ah, no actually¡­¡± Cass pretended to be embarrassed as she told a mix of lies and truth, ¡°I wanted to know how you knew I left that night and so I tried to see if there was a system attached to the window¡­ And it was beautiful, but I could not understand it¡­ But it was a triggered system using a catalyst, so I wondered if it might just be that my knowledge of catalysts is incomplete¡­¡±


    Cass doubted there was a way for him to tell that she had altered the system, but she was not sure. She wanted to portray herself as a girl whose curiosity would get the better of her, not a threat looking to put a knife in your back, but an over eager student who doesn¡¯t quite understand consequences. If she could really sell that image of her Klein might let her walk into the garden without her even needing to sneak in as long as she asked the proper questions.


    ¡°Now Cass,¡± the Elder admonished. ¡°That is placed there for your protection, you need to be more careful and respect your new place in society.¡±


    ¡°Yes Elder, I apologise¡­¡± Cass hung her head, careful not to let her smile show.


    ¡°There is much that you still have not told us,¡± Klein continued musing. ¡°But you did share a good deal with us already, so I think it will be ok to let you see some of our work as a show of good faith.¡±


    The Elder smiled at her and continued, ¡°You may not know this considering your¡­ Background¡­ But most every kingdom develops magic in different ways and have different skills. Those in Haj are known for their glyphs and for their ability to create systems on the fly. Further south, in the desert, the mages are skilled at designing magic tools, and here in Beergmutar we excel in the use of catalysts.¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    Interesting, Cass thought. But so few mages travel¡­ In Haj they were nobles, and so were tied to their domains to a certain extent, here in Beergmutar they were restricted from leaving the country, and though she was unsure about other kingdoms, she suspected that there would be reasons that mages rarely left them as well¡­ And with the general hostility between countries there was no exchanging of information¡­ So each land would probably develop magic subtly different ways¡­ Cass wondered how much information was out there and what could be learned¡­


    ¡°I will have an introductory book sent over,¡± the way the Elder emphasised ¡®introductory¡¯ made it obvious that she would not get more until she shared her knowledge. Well, her plan was to take if after he was dead so it didn¡¯t really matter to Cass¡­ Still, she was excited to read this book, if she could gather enough of their literature and research materials to bring back to her Master¡­ She could only imagine what might be accomplished¡­ Cass missed him, and she hadn¡¯t even been away from him for all that long¡­ But still¡­


    The Elder was good for his word, and a Stone messenger brought over the book a little later, Odal came back around then as well, or to be more accurate, he came in from outside. Apparently, he was her personal ¡®guide¡¯ for the foreseeable future, even when Cass had snapped at him, he had just been waiting outside the mansion for her to come out. In other words, between the trap on the window and Odal, she was being watched at all times. Undoubtedly they had simply been taken by surprise that first night by her ability to jump out the window at that height¡­ If she left after triggering the alarm system¡­ Cass bet that someone would be ready to follow her¡­


    Still, Cass felt a little sorry for Odal¡­ She doubted he even knew he was being used to spy on her, after all, he was not that bright¡­ So she apologised to Odal and invited him in, if he was going to sit around doing nothing he might as well do so in a chair.


    A few hours later, Odal asked, ¡°Is it really that interesting?¡±


    ¡°This book?¡± Cass said distractedly as she read, ¡°yes it is quite fascinating, in particular the opening theories¡­ The mage, pardon me, Strioi, who came up with that idea¡­ Simply brilliant.¡±


    No wonder they had such skill with catalysts, this very concept was so simple, yet such a revelation¡­ Cass wondered how she had never thought of it before, but knew that it never would have crossed her mind if she had not been introduced to it.


    ¡°Everything is magic, and nothing is.¡± Cass quoted from the book, ¡°Everything that can occur already has, every potential already exists. The world is flowing, and rather than try to build within its current, be swept away and direct it in return.¡±


    Odal looked at her like she had been speaking a different language, and Cass laughed. ¡°To a ma- sorry, Strioi. This makes sense with how we see the world. What it means is that surrounding us is infinite energy, and that something, somewhere has used that energy to do what the mage wants to occur.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Odal shrugged. ¡°I still don¡¯t get it.¡±


    ¡°If I wanted to create light,¡± Cass held her palm up and created a little flame within it. ¡°I could do this, using a system to create a flame from the air itself. Both the fuel for and the air for the fire are being gathered and supplied by me, but it is far easier than forming this flame out of pure mana.¡±


    Odal nodded, but his face was still confused, Cass continued anyway. Perhaps he would understand when he could see the full picture¡­


    ¡°However, if I was to take a honeycomb and use my mana to replicate its form and use it for the fire, it will use the gathered and replicated material from the honeycomb as fuel, like a candle, and it will burn brighter and longer with less mana.¡±


    ¡°In short, people already had an answer to needing light that worked,¡± Cass concluded excitedly. ¡°So by copying the ideas behind that, magic can be made far more efficient!¡±


    ¡°I¡­ See¡­¡± Odal said slowly, clearly struggling a bit with it. But that was ok, without magic there was not really a point to him understanding after all. Cass, however¡­


    ¡°There is something I am missing here¡­¡± Cass mumbled to herself, ¡°I feel like there is something more to this¡­¡± Maybe she would find it in their other writings¡­

 The first act of creation.

    Cass sent Odal to get something to eat, and promised him that she wouldn¡¯t leave while he was gone. The fact that he believed her was kind of silly, but for once she had not been lying. She was simply too busy with her attempt to create a magic tool based off of what she had read. Honestly, Cass was trying something that was way out of her league¡­ But like when she had worked on her bracelet, she had the mana to spare¡­ The more time she spent with other mages, the more she realized just how special the glyph on her back was and the fact that she was able to possess it on top of her normal mana¡­


    In terms of creating magical tools, where mages normally had to spend days or weeks in transforming crystals to replicate magical systems, and had to spend years in training to be able to focus their mana long enough to do it. The formation of magic tools follow the same rules as systematic magic, and even with a crystal base, they were essentially being formed from nothing, the most expensive form of magic in terms of mana, and the hardest to use.


    A good mage who made magic tools was like an artist, Cass was more like thug. She used her overwhelming mana pool to bludgeon things into shape and place, the results were undeniably crude, but they functioned¡­ Her bracelet was a good example of this, it was a magic tool that was crude and brutally effective. Magic could affect magic, and when Cass would pour mana into her bracelet it would radiate the mana around her in a wave, disrupting magical systems around her.


    She would not be caught out by that orb again¡­


    However, this next tool was different. It was another tool that would only see use by her, but if she could get it right¡­ Paired with the bracelet, she would be able to to handle the previous battle with ease.


    The idea had come from an anecdotal story in the book she had been given, it had just been intended to be an example of how everything was magic. However, it was something that Cass was intimately familiar with¡­


    The mage who wrote the book had described recreating the crack of a whip via magic, explaining the way the tip moved and how the process could be replicated. Cass could follow the test laid out in the book and create it as well, she was glad Odal was not here to see her shiver at the sound¡­ The last thing she needed was to have to explain why she was so happy to hear that sound¡­


    She shook her head, she had to focus¡­ Most whips were not particularly useful practical weapons, but they could inflict pain and control¡­ The ¡®concept¡¯ of a whip, would be her catalyst, with the magic tool using the motion of her body as a stand in for the whip itself to replicate the strike¡­


    She focused herself on the crystal on her anklet, took a deep breath, and started¡­


    Hours later, she sat back in her chair, gasping¡­ It had been far more complicated and draining than she thought it would be¡­ But the anklet was finished¡­


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± A voice¡­ Ah, Odal¡­ He sounded worried. ¡°You were so deep in concentration you did not notice me or even respond when I told you I had brought the food¡­ It is cold now¡­¡±


    Food? Oh, Yes.


    ¡°My apologies Odal,¡± Cass said as she turned to the basket laid out on a table in her dining room. ¡°I got a little distracted with something.¡±


    Odal did not ask further, which was fine with Cass since she would probably have to lie if he asked. She doubted they would be comfortable with the kind of weapon she created, but then, who besides someone like her would think of something like this? She kind of wanted to test it out though¡­ Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    Odal flinched when Cass looked at him, ¡°Your fa- face¡­¡±


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Cass thought that someone like him would probably be useful for that kind of test, but she had to sublimate the feeling for now. Instead, she made her face look cheery and happy. If he pushed, she would just say she had been tired and distracted, he wouldn¡¯t need to know she had just considered killing him¡­


    ¡°Ah, no,¡± Odal muttered in confusion. ¡°Please, excuse me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Cass waved it away. ¡°I must look strange after how much stress I was under, ah, that smells good¡­¡±


    ¡°Later tonight, there are some really good restaurants in the Silver District if you would like to go¡­¡± Odal spoke somewhat quietly, ¡°but if your tired, I could show you some other time.¡±


    Odd thing to suggest¡­ But why not? Odal was probably bored sitting here all day, and she was not entirely certain what people of this social level did with their time¡­ Odal would be useful for defusing suspicion about her¡­


    ¡°No, no.¡± Cass smiled brightly, ¡°I think that is a great idea. To be honest, I have never really been to a restaurant¡­¡±


    Odal brightened at that and rushed out to make a reservation. What an odd man¡­ It was a bit of a hassle though, she had been lazing about in a nightdress all day and she supposed she would have to get dressed now¡­ Still, it wouldn¡¯t be for some hours so she did not have to move quite yet¡­


    Still, she might as well. She did have to admit she really liked the clothes here¡­ She wondered if her Master would enjoy it, though Lord Hall had dresses made for her¡­ She had never gotten to see them, well she would when she got back home.


    Deciding to get dressed before Odal returned, she picked out a silver dress from her wardrobe. Cass had decided that she quite liked silver. Gold was too flashy, almost gaudy, but silver made her feel elegant¡­


    When Odal returned he seemed a little shocked. Cass wondered if he was getting sick¡­ When she had first met him he had been more verbose, but over the past few days he had gotten much more quiet¡­


    ¡°Are you well, Odal?¡± Cass asked with some concern, it would be a shame if he was replaced with someone less malleable¡­


    ¡°Ah, perfectly so,¡± Odal stumbled over his words. ¡°I just¡­ You¡­ Well, I- I have the reservation.¡±


    She should learn how to make healing potions, but those were incredibly complicated works of magic that required decades to learn how to make and years to produce¡­ So even if she knew it would not be of help right now¡­


    ¡°Wonderful,¡± Cass smiled again. Smiling always got the wrong kind of attention on the streets, but when interacting with people in society a smile was like a mask. You could cover anything with it, from a desire to kill to simple confusion over what is going on.


    They had a few hours until they needed to be there, so Cass asked about Odal¡¯s personal history. As part of the Warrior Caste, his whole life had been dedicated towards fighting and guarding. Some of the stories he told made Cass think of her time on the street, it was interesting to see things from a different perspective, though some of the things he said made Cass want to kill him again.


    ¡°Do you really think that the children of the Sand should be treated the same?¡± Cass frowned. Sure, the guards in Tyine would often pull in entire families if one commited a crime, but generally they were released, though not always in perfect condition¡­ Here, that system was codified, one crime, or one alleged one, could land you in the Sand Caste where no one would care if you were killed or raped.


    ¡°They are all either criminals or the children of criminals,¡± Odal nodded firmly. ¡°They deserve everything that happens to them.¡±


    ¡°Odal¡­ You do realize that I have stolen and fought during my time on the streets right?¡± Cass asked bluntly, ¡°You realize that if you are looking for a criminal, there is one right in front of you.¡±


    ¡°The Strioi are exempt from that consideration,¡± Odal answered immediately, then hesitated. ¡°But I do see your point¡­ I will consider it¡­¡±


    Perhaps when the rebellion started in earnest, Cass figured she would test her new magic tool on him. Idiots, fools, and the weak do not have the right to cruelty, it is the privilege of the strong and those who can wield it well. Cruelty in the right hands is a valuable, wonderful, tool. In the hands of Odal it was simply a waste...

 A Conversation over dinner.

    A carriage arrived to pick them up, a covered one this time, and it took them to the Silver District, specifically an area known for its good food and excellent restaurants.  To be honest, Cass was surprised to see so many restaurants in a city.  Outside of Beergmutar, they were rather uncommon institutions, though there were a few in Tyine.  Cass had heard rumors about this kind of place, and as she stepped out of the carriage she could not help but marvel.


    There were tables set up with two to four seats apiece, all set with a cloth covering them and the soft glow of candles helping to light the area in the fading light.  Servants would take orders from the people at each table and bring out plates of food, steaming and freshly prepared.  Having spent most of her life hungry, a part of Cass felt it was a dream.


    ¡°It is a nice looking place, isn¡¯t it?¡±  Odal asked beside her, ¡°and it is well known for its dishes that replicate food from other countries, I thought you might like to eat some food from your home country¡­¡±


    ¡°It is quite pretty,¡± Cass did have to agree, but she did not bring up that she had never really had any cuisine that Haj was known for.  ¡°I can¡¯t wait to try it.¡±


    They were guided to a table and soon a servant came over to them with a menu, ¡°Sir Warrior, Lady Strioi,¡± she said brightly.  ¡°Welcome to-  Oh!¡±


    As Cass sat down and turned to look at the server, she recognized her immediately, ¡°Your name was Natalie, right?¡±


    ¡°Ye-Yes,¡± Natalie stuttered, embarrassed.  ¡°I- I apologize Lady Strioi, I was surprised to see you again¡­  Allow me to thank you again for your help.¡±


    ¡°As I said before,¡± Cass waved away the thanks.  ¡°I felt it was something I had to do, so there is no need to thank me.  For that matter, you can call me Cass.¡±


    ¡°Oh I could never do that Lady,¡± Natalie turned red and was terribly flustered by the suggestion.  ¡°I need to apologize again, I have not been doing my job, I brought the menu for you and to ask what kind of wine you would like tonight¡­¡±


    Odal was watching the exchange with interest, and came to Natalie¡¯s rescue by putting in an order of wine.  Cass just copied him, there were more wines on the list than she knew existed and she knew nothing about the differences.


    Natalie scurried away to get their wine and Odal asked about the young girl and how she knew Cass.


    ¡°I just happened to help her a bit when I took that walk,¡± Cass smiled as she remembered the man begging before her.  She sincerely hoped he was in a great deal of pain right now¡­


    ¡°I see,¡± Odal cleared his throat.  ¡°Well, I am glad that you are settling down here, I am sure you will love it.¡±


    Natalie brought the wine and left to give them time to peruse the menu, but much as with the wine, Cass had no idea what anything on the menu was¡­  She ended up asking Odal for help and he seemed quite happy about that for some reason¡­


    ¡°She is quite young to be working here,¡± Odal said after Natalie left from taking their order.  ¡°She must be quite the worker.¡±


    ¡°She certainly has more determination than I expected¡­¡±  Cass mused as she sipped her wine, it was quite good¡­  ¡°When she goes home tonight she will have to walk through some rather dangerous areas.¡±  She frowned, Cass was unsure why Natalie was here, but to put herself at risk again after what happened that night, Cass doubted that she had a choice.  Cass could respect the willpower that allowed her to come back to work here.


    ¡°Would I be able to have a Warrior escort her home?¡±  Cass asked Odal, wondering idly why she cared so much.  ¡°It isn¡¯t exactly safe.¡±


    ¡°I will send someone here for her,¡± Odal nodded.  ¡°But for the future, you should not risk yourself either.¡±


    ¡°Odal,¡± Cass chuckled.  ¡°I was able to deal with thugs on the streets before I had these glyphs, with them and my magic there is no risk at all.¡±  Not entirely true as she thought back to the crossbows from before, but she was not about to say that.


    ¡°It is better to be on the safe side, I am a Warrior.  I know how to bring down a Strioi, and so does every other Warrior.¡±  Odal said grimly, ¡°Even those fallen to the Sand, so it makes me worry about you walking about on your own.  I will escort you personally if you will let me.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Cass agreed, but it was mostly a lie.  She would probably ask him to take her places for a few nights just to make them think she was letting him guide her and then slip out whenever she wanted to do something without being watched¡­  ¡°Though I would imagine you would have been bored after dealing with me all day.¡±


    ¡°I worry that it is the other way around!¡±  Odal laughed, ¡°you are not really what I expected from a former slave¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°Just that for a slave to be so¡­  Assertive.¡±  Odal had to think for a bit to find his words, ¡°Educated, well-spoken, determined, and well¡­  Stunning, to be honest.¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Wait, is he expressing interest in me?  Cass¡¯s mind went into overdrive as she considered how to react.  Her first instinct was split between shoving her fist through his teeth and laughing in his face, but¡­  He could be useful until he was disposed of, still, better to be cautious.


    ¡°Odal,¡± Cass began slowly.  ¡°You hardly know me or my history¡­  I am hardly educated, and as to my nature, I am not sure I understand myself.  You would be far better off looking elsewhere.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see.¡±  Odal looked downcast, and Cass realized she had made a mistake.  Ideally, she would be able to lead Odal on until she was able to leave this city, and she had tried to phrase her words to put distance between them, but suggest she was open to pursuit.


    Except that Odal was hardly an assertive man, and Cass had no real idea how to deal with this kind of person in this situation¡­  She would have to give some ground here probably¡­


    ¡°But I wouldn¡¯t mind spending a few dinners with you,¡± Cass smiled, idly wondering how a ¡®Warrior¡¯ could be so toothless.  ¡°Though I think your opinions might change as you get to know me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Odal brightened again smiling.  ¡°You are a pretty amazing woman, Lady Cass.¡±


    Natalie returned with their meals, and Cass had to admit that it was very good.  Apparently it was the meat from a native pheasant drizzled in a delicious sauce that was both sweet and a little spicy.  She also had to admit that she enjoyed this kind of lifestyle¡­ Maybe someday she could live like this with her Master, but that was just wishful thinking¡­


    ¡°Do you like it?¡±  Odal asked, and Cass was actually a little grateful she had the opportunity to tell the truth for once.


    ¡°Quite a bit!¡±  She said excitedly, whatever else she thought of Odal, he did have good taste¡­  ¡°I have never had anything like it.¡±


    ¡°I am glad that you do!¡±  He laughed, ¡°it is certainly my favorite meal here.¡±


    ¡°Do you come here often?¡±  Cass wondered what it would be like to do that, she supposed she could now.


    ¡°Well, after my patrols I would often pass by on my way home¡­¡±  Odal took a drink of his wine, ¡°So eventually I stopped in, and maybe once a week after that¡­¡±


    A thought occurred to Cass, ¡°but you never saw Natalie before?¡±  Perhaps he was just unobservant, but Cass didn¡¯t think so.  Odal was stupid, not blind.


    ¡°No, I have not.¡±  Odal frowned, ¡°I thought I knew everyone who worked here as well¡­  I guess it is a good thing that they hired on new workers, they must be doing well.¡±


    Perhaps, but what had led to Natalie working here, especially when she had to walk home at such a dangerous time?  It would have been something recent, Cass thought that she would have to investigate.


    ¡°So you passed by this place on your way home¡­  Where did you patrol?¡±  Cass asked curiously, hopefully it was someplace Cass could use his influence at some point.


    ¡°Most often in the Silver District market,¡± Odal gestured roughly in its direction with his utensils.  ¡°Though every Warrior is rotated to spend some time in different areas, over the years I think I have had assignments just about everywhere in Beergmutar.¡±


    Well it was too much to hope that he would be a palace guard, but Cass pocketed the information for later as Odal asked about her past.  Now that was a hard thing to answer.


    ¡°It really is not worth mentioning for the most part¡­¡±  Cass sighed, ¡°The simple version is that I was a homeless orphan who was arrested for theft and ended up in an experiment, where my abilities were discovered.¡±


    Odal frowned slightly, ¡°I am glad for that discovery, otherwise your theft would be inexcusable.¡±


    Cass could not help but scowl at this, and she wondered if she would be able to resist getting rid of him long enough to find a use for him¡­  ¡°Odal, you can¡¯t have it both ways like that.  Why should magic excuse someone from their crimes?  Why should it be a crime to take some bread just to survive?  You should think about some of the situations people find themselves in and make a choice.  I am not saying that what I did was right, nor am I saying what the guards arresting me did was wrong, but that you can respect a person who sticks to their beliefs and principals and not someone who looks for loopholes and excuses.¡±


    ¡°Ummm, La- Lady Cass¡­¡±  Cass started, she had been so angry she had not noticed Natalie walking up to her!  No, that wasn¡¯t it, Cass still had the instincts of the street, Natalie approached so quietly that Cass would not have noticed anyways¡­  ¡°I brought your check¡­¡±  She was looking at Cass with wide eyes, not much different from when Cass rescued her¡­  Cass had not sounded that angry, had she?


    ¡°Ah, uh- I apologize, Lady Cass.¡±  Odal cleared his throat, ¡°I will think more on what you have said in the future, in the meantime please let me take care of this¡­¡±


    ¡°Odal, you don¡¯t need to do that.  My salary is quite a bit more than yours after all¡­¡±


    ¡°No, I insist.¡±  Odd that he was so firm on this, but Cass wouldn¡¯t mind spending her money elsewhere so she allowed him this much.


    ¡°Ah, Natalie,¡± Cass remarked as Odal pulled out his purse.  ¡°I am going to have a Warrior escort you home tonight, we really must talk sometime.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t necessary, Lady.¡±  Natalie refused, to Cass¡¯s surprise.  ¡°But thank you very much for your kind offer.¡±


    ¡°It was not an offer,¡± Cass¡¯s smile turned slightly dark and Natalie shivered.  ¡°It is for your safety, after all.¡±


    ¡°As- as you say, Lady.¡±  Natalie bowed slightly, still shaking slightly.


    ¡°I suppose if I were to ask you would say you work here every day,¡± Cass continued as Odal counted out the correct coins for the meal.  ¡°And from dawn until dusk, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, my Lady¡­¡±


    ¡°Then I will have to ask the owners to give you a day off sometime so that we can have that conversation.¡±  Odal handed Natalie the money and she fled like a frightened rabbit¡­


    ¡°Lady Cass,¡± Odal smiled sympathetically.  ¡°The lower castes can be very nervous around the higher castes like the Strioi, I am sure she will be fine.¡±

 My neighbors might be crazier than I am...

    Cass waited as Odal sent a message to have a Warrior escort Natalie back and considered what she should do next. Surely, the palace would be trapped just as her room was, and despite the Matron giving her ideas for how to get in, they would not let her walk around unattended¡­ She would not be able to rely on her bracelet to disperse the traps, by its nature it would set them off even as it destroyed the trap.


    ¡°Are you ready to go back?¡± Odal asked as he returned.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Cass smiled. ¡°Thank you for tonight, Odal.¡±


    ¡°It was my pleasure,¡± Odal blushed slightly, so Cass must be doing something right. ¡°Also, I have a Warrior who will come to take Natalie home when her shift is done. Much as I hate to say it though, you won¡¯t be able to ask for this for long.¡±


    ¡°True, I will have to find another solution.¡± Cass was more curious about what was going on with Natalie, but that would have to wait for tomorrow.


    She said goodnight to Odal at the door and went inside her rooms. Today had been productive, but tomorrow the real work began. Through the Matron, Cass probably would have some limited influence in the Sand, through Odal she may have some with the Warrior¡¯s and in the regions he patrolled, so tomorrow she would have to meet her neighbors and investigate Natalie¡­ Then she would need to use these connections to expand her own influence¡­


    Cass sighed, and wondered if her personality had always been like this. Would she have tried to grasp at power and influence like this if she had the chance before? Probably not, she decided. Nor would she be doing it now if she felt any strength or vision from the people she had met here. Free of the streets and seperated from her Master, Cass almost wondered if she could not help but test boundaries, to see if these people could actually contain her¡­ And if they couldn¡¯t¡­


    Maurice probably was more right to worry than Cass had originally thought, whatever had twisted inside of Cass was dangerous without something to suppress it. Without Hall holding her leash, she felt¡­ Wild¡­


    She laid down in bed, considering that thought. As she fell asleep, it occurred to her that she did not mind the feeling at all, she just missed Lord Hall and worried about what Maurice and Heather would think¡­


    The next morning, Cass got up to meet her neighbors. The mansions of the Strioi very interestingly designed, incorporating communal public areas that branched off into the various suites of rooms provided for the Strioi. It could be downright labyrinthine if you did not know where you were going, and so Cass started simple, with her closest neighbor.


    The lady Strioi that invited her in was maybe fifty or sixty years old and with her brown eyes and hair was honestly very bland and forgettable, but Cass strived to remember her name and face anyway.


    Berentrad Hoissen was a very odd person for Cass to meet, because she had never had someone gush over her so much¡­


    ¡°Oh my, but you are just so little!¡± She crowed, ¡°And so well mannered for fourteen¡­ Just how wonderful!¡±


    Berentrad called for her servant to bring tea, which made Cass curious when he had arrived. She had come quite early in the day, and she hadn¡¯t thought anyone had entered the mansion¡­ But then, the mansion was quite large and she could have missed it.


    ¡°I have quite the weakness for cute little kids,¡± Berentrad patted her servants head, a boy who could not have been more than eight years old. Cass noted that the boy himself was not precisely comfortable with being patted on the head, but aside from Hall neither would she be.


    ¡°This little guy is actually a pretty sad story actually,¡± the older woman had noticed Cass observing him. ¡°His parents have trouble with addiction and they actually tried to sell their son! Of course, slavery is illegal here in Beergmutar, so they would have ended up in the Sand¡­ But instead I told them I would hire the boy and pay them part of his wage, so now he stays with me.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Cass sipped her tea but had no real idea what to say to that and so turned the subject to other small talk before thanking Berentrad and excusing herself. Berentrad had gave some casual warnings about the neighbor she was visiting next, saying that he was a rude and uncouth loute. However, given the standards of this layer of society, Cass doubted she would even really notice.


    Five minutes later, she learned that she was wrong when she got the door slammed in her face and was told to fuck off in such colorful language that Cass actually had to admire it. She knew that the man¡¯s name was Salev, and from her third and last neighbor she learned that he and Berentrad had be feuding for the last few decades.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Salev is a paranoid old coot,¡± Gerogina laughed, a thirty something, rather large woman who was Cass¡¯s final neighbor. ¡°He is Sandborn, and that is not supposed to count with Strioi but¡­ Well¡­ You heard him right?¡±


    ¡°Sandborn?¡± Cass could easily guess what the term meant but had not heard it used before, ¡°so I presume that one¡¯s caste has an impact still among Strioi?¡±


    ¡°As I said, it isn¡¯t supposed to¡­¡± Georgina sighed, ¡°and for the most part it doesn¡¯t, but the Sandborn have an awful reputation and Salev can¡¯t really control his mouth¡­¡±


    ¡°But as a Strioi he can¡¯t really be punished for something so minor, so people just avoid him.¡± Cass finished the thought and Gerogina nodded to confirm.


    ¡°He isn¡¯t right in the head,¡± Georgina did not use servants but instead used her magic to bring out treats and snacks for the two as they talked. ¡°You should hear some of the accusations he has thrown out over the years¡­ He once claimed that Berentrad and I were spies for the Elhven and that our ears and eyes were fake, then he claimed that there was another race living under the mountain, which was investigated in case the dwarves had made a return, but nothing was found¡­ And then¡­¡± Georgina laughed, and began ticking off each one on her fingers, ¡°he claimed that the Voni were supply drugs to the streets and that those drugs turned people into mindless soldiers, claimed that Berentrad was running a brothel filled with kids out in the Sand district, and something about the Priests being lizard people¡­¡±


    ¡°Wow¡­¡± Salev certainly did not sound stable, but a couple of those claims piqued Cass¡¯s curiosity. ¡°And he is still allowed to use magic?¡±


    ¡°He has never actually hurt anyone,¡± Gerogina sighed. ¡°Frankly, anyone who meets him would agree that he is harmless. And occasionally he produces some amazing magical systems¡­ So it is often best to just let him be¡­¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Cass said seriously. ¡°I will keep that in mind¡­¡±


    ¡°Honestly, there are so much nicer subjects to talk about, like how you are enjoying Beergmutar!¡± Georgina said happily, clearly hinting Cass to answer the unasked question.


    ¡°It is quite lovely here,¡± Cass said truthfully. ¡°The architecture, the clothes, the jewellry and food¡­ It is all wonderful, although I don¡¯t have much to compare it to¡­¡±


    ¡°I would have thought Tyine would have some nice places at least¡­¡± Georgina frowned, and Cass realized that she didn¡¯t know about Cass¡¯s background.


    ¡°I was an orphan on the street who was arrested and enslaved,¡± Cass wondered if that would make her associated with the Sand caste, well, better to see the reaction now. ¡°It was not until just before the event that led me here that I received anything of luxury at all.¡±


    ¡°Oh you poor thing!¡± Georgina obviously did not think of her as Cass had thought she would¡­ Though she had no idea why¡­ ¡°I am sorry to ask about such a troubling subject, but you don¡¯t have to worry about that kind of thing here!¡±


    ¡°What kind of things do you study?¡± Cass hated the pity in the woman¡¯s eyes and changed the subject. Magic was both a safe topic and useful to Cass.


    ¡°Nothing grand, I don¡¯t really have any ambition to be honest¡­¡± Georgina sighed again, the way she would shift emotions suddenly and to such extremes unnerved Cass a bit. ¡°I guess you could say I study home magic, but a lot of my peers would say I study useless magic.¡±


    ¡°Home magic?¡± Cass had never heard it mentioned before, something that worked with the systems of houses? But what even were those systems and would they be useful?


    ¡°Cleaning, cooking, upkeep.¡± Georgina waved her hands and Cass could hear pots and pans moving in the kitchen nearby. ¡°They are all systems, and we all do them everyday, but they are overlooked by us Strioi because it is easier to hire servants.¡±


    ¡°So why don¡¯t you do that?¡± Cass asked curiously, as she wondered what was going on in the kitchen.


    ¡°No reason in particular,¡± Gerogina smiled. ¡°I just would get bored if I did nothing, and I don¡¯t have the ambition for much else.¡±


    A tray with sliced bread spread with jam floated out of the kitchen and onto the table between them. This was¡­ Actually quite impressive¡­ The mage in front of Cass would have had to manipulate several objects at once, without seeing any of them, to accomplish this and do so while carrying on a conversation at the same time¡­ But that level of skill being used for something so mundane¡­


    ¡°I see the look on your face,¡± Georgina laughed. ¡°I see it all the time!¡±


    ¡°I apologize,¡± Cass bowed her head slightly, she did needed to make contacts in the Strioi after all and could not afford to alienate her. ¡°I was admiring your skill, to be honest.¡±


    ¡°But wondering why I don¡¯t use it for more?¡±


    ¡°Well, kind of¡­¡± Cass hesitated, then continued. ¡°But thinking about it for a bit I don¡¯t think it matters. If this is what you want to do, I see no reason not to do it. I would just worry about someone taking advantage of me if I studied that.¡±


    Having a dream was a basic tenet of Cass¡¯s religion, so following your dream was not a bad thing to Cass. But Cass could see someone pushing Georgina around with ease because of the lack of power and influence she would have¡­


    ¡°You would think so,¡± Georgina admitted. ¡°But it is all about who you know. The Klein family loves my cooking and are always first in line to try anything new I come up with.¡±


    That was something Cass had never thought about before¡­ The power to kill or control was not the only power out there. She would have to be careful not to write people off who might have more influence than they appear to.


    It was around noon when Cass said goodbye to Georgina, having come to honestly like the woman for turning her dream into her own form of power. She was an interesting woman. Odal was waiting for her when she got back to her rooms, all part of the plan for the next part of her day, which was finding out what Natalie was so desperate to hide from her...

 An interrogation.

    ¡°Why are you so concerned about this girl?¡± Odal asked in confusion as they entered the Stone district.


    ¡°She is hiding something¡­ The question is what and why.¡± Cass had been clearly offering something beneficial to Natalie, for her to try and refuse it meant she was afraid of something. It could be that she was afraid of the Warrior, but compared to the kind of people that roamed the Stone district at night, that would not seem a very strong reason to be afraid. From Cass¡¯s perspective, even if the Warrior did something to her, it would be better than being passed around a crowd. And considering how this society worked, a Warrior would not dare go against a Strioi¡¯s orders¡­ So Natalie had no real reason to refuse.


    Yet she tried to.


    ¡°Is it important?¡± Odal frowned, ¡°And how do you plan to find out?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea if it is important, but finding out will be quite simple.¡± She would simply knock on Natalie¡¯s door, despite her being at work, and if her parents were home she would get answers from them. If they weren¡¯t home she would just take a look around and see what she could find.


    ¡°As an aside Odal,¡± Cass tried to look as if she brought this up offhandedly, ¡°Would you let Elder Klein know I would not mind discussing my glyphs with him again? Though actually explaining precisely how they work is rather difficult¡­¡±


    If Klein thought the freedom, money, and power he had gifted Cass with was making a difference, she might be able to squeeze more out of him by indicating that it was working. She had to appear as if she was not thinking like that though, rather than seem greedy, she should appear to be happy and convinced.


    ¡°I think he will be very glad to hear that,¡± Odal replied smiling.


    The Stone district was very different during the day, you would not even think it was the same place. Instead of dangerous and raucous crowds there were busy and productive looking people moving about their business. Rather than yelling and occasional screams, there was the sound of calm talk and laughter. It seemed¡­ Nice.


    Cass easily remembered where Natalie¡¯s family lived and knocked on their door. At first, it seemed like no one was home, but then the door cracked open¡­


    ¡°Hello Tina,¡± Cass smiled brightly even as Natalie¡¯s mother jumped, perhaps surprised that Cass remembered her name. ¡°Would you have a moment to talk?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Tina seemed lost for a second, ¡°Lady Strioi¡­ I deeply apologize, but I was just on my way to the Priest district and I cannot delay¡­¡±


    Cass let a little bit of violence slip into her smile and Tina¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°I insist Tina, if you are questioned tell them that I stopped you, be certain to use my name, Cass.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ Lady Strioi¡­¡± Tina stuttered.


    ¡°Actually, you should start calling me Cass now, so that you don¡¯t forget.¡± Cass paused for a second, ¡°I will forgive you for being shaken and forgetting to invite me inside¡­¡±


    ¡°M- My apologies, Lady Cass.¡± Tina seemed more afraid than she needed to be, Cass began to feel excited as she scented metaphorical blood. ¡°Please, come in¡­¡±


    ¡°Is your husband home?¡± Cass asked casually as she and Odal entered.


    ¡°No, he is at work in the Warrior district,¡± Tina did not take them very far into the house¡­ ¡°I am here alone.¡±


    Cass smile widened further, ¡°no, you are not.¡±


    A nearby door opened and someone leaped at Cass with Odal yelling a warning. The next thing anyone besides Cass knew, he man was on the floor after a terrible sound shook the house.


    ¡°Wha- What was that?¡± Odal was shaken, even as he went to secure the man on the floor. Cass had to admit he was physically tough at least, he was the only person standing aside from Cass since Tina was crying on the floor.


    ¡°The short explanation is that I turned the anklet I bought in the Silver district into a magic tool,¡± Cass spoke loudly, knowing that Odal would likely not be able to hear her otherwise. ¡°Using the movement of my leg, and a system based off a whip crack, I use my mana to force sound itself together and release it.¡± She gestured to the man on the floor, ¡°As you can see, it can be quite debilitating.¡±


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Odal spoke loudly, Cass was unsurprised, she only escaped being made temporarily deaf by the sound because of her enhanced healing. ¡°But not very practical, trained Warriors would not be stopped by something like this.¡±


    No, they wouldn¡¯t, but this was not the primary effect of the anklet¡­ It was more of a pleasant extra she had realized would occur if she did not fully power the anklet. At full power¡­ Well, she still hoped to test that on Odal someday.


    ¡°Now then,¡± Cass said cheerily. ¡°It seems you were lying to me, how naughty¡­¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    The man on the ground spat at Cass and swore at her.


    ¡°Now, now,¡± Cass sidestepped the saliva and admonished the man. ¡°I am not talking to you yet.¡±


    Odal shoved his fist into the man¡¯s stomach, well he certainly knew the script for this story at least. Cass was right to keep him around for now, he really was useful.


    ¡°So Tina,¡± Cass prowled towards the woman who was still curled up on the floor. Tina tried to back away as Cass approached but hit the wall, ¡°Care to explain why this man, who looks so much like you, is here?¡±


    Cass would bet all her magic tools that the two were related. Natalie looked like her mother, raven black hair, green eyes, delicate features¡­ And this man was the masculine version of that, and slightly older than Tina.


    ¡°He just dropped by,¡± Tina swallowed and spoke quickly in her nervousness. ¡°I only answered that I was alone because I wasn¡¯t thinking, it was an honest mistake!¡±


    ¡°You must really think I am an idiot¡­¡± Cass sighed, and stomped down on the woman¡¯s leg, snapping it. She might like Natalie, but this woman had not left a good impression on her before, and to try and make such a pathetic lie¡­


    Tina screamed and the man resumed his struggling, ¡°You bitch!¡± He roared, ¡°Keep your disgusting hands off her! If you want to hurt someone I am right here!¡±


    ¡°Wait your turn, there is no need to rush.¡± Cass did quite enjoy this, and really, rushing would only lead to her accidentally killing someone. ¡°Tina here has a few questions to answer, and she should probably start working with the assumption that I am not an idiot and give answers that have at least an ounce of truth to them.¡±


    Tina was crying and clutching her leg as Cass loomed over her. Cass was a rather short girl, but when someone was collapsed on the ground she might as well have been a giant.


    ¡°So, before you lie again and I break your other leg,¡± Cass rested her foot on the unbroken leg to give her threat a bit more weight. ¡°Let me tell you a couple of my thoughts. First, this man looks quite like you and your daughter, but not so much like your husband. I don¡¯t think you are cuckolding him, at least not with this man, so that would make me presume he is related to you.¡±


    Cass smiled at the terror in Tina¡¯s eyes, it was more than just fear of pain after all. ¡°Further, as soon as I noticed the pair of shoes by the door and mentioned it, your relative attacked me. So clearly, meeting a Strioi and a Warrior would be a problem for him¡­ Tell me, what crime did your brother commit?¡±


    ¡°I am not her brother,¡± the man struggled against Odal. ¡°I forced this cunt to shelter me, if you want to hurt someone, hurt me!¡±


    Cass sighed, ¡°sorry Tina, but your relative over there ignored my warning about obvious lies¡­¡± She broke Tina¡¯s other leg, and basked in the accompanying scream.


    ¡°Fucking bitch!¡± The man struggled harder against Odal, but to no avail. Clearly Warrior training conditioned them to be far stronger than the average Stone¡­


    ¡°Ye- Yes¡­¡± Tina cried, her hands trembling as she tried to shield her broken legs from Cass. ¡°H- he is my brother¡­¡±


    ¡°Tina! No!¡±


    ¡°Ah, thank you Tina,¡± Cass said gently, almost lovingly, though the only thing she was loving was the feeling of power this gave her. ¡°And, aside from attacking me now, what did your brother do to warrant you hiding him?¡±


    ¡°Gorv wa- was dr- drunk one night¡­¡± Tina had no more will to resist Cass, she broke too easily Cass thought. She had wanted to have more fun¡­ ¡°He didn¡¯t know, h- he ne- never would have¡­ Th- the Priest wasn¡¯t hurt¡­¡±


    ¡°Fucking bitch,¡± Gorv growled. ¡°I robbed a fucking Priest, are you happy now? Even being sent to the Sand would be better than letting you torture my family any more!¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see¡­¡± Cass understood the situation, Tina¡¯s brother, Gorv, was an idiot and had gotten drunk and robbed a Priest. By the laws of Beergmutar he and his family would be forced into the Sand caste¡­ This would likely extend all the way to Tina¡¯s family as well. ¡°Odal, I am not particularly familiar with procedure for this, who, precisely, would be sent to the Sand?¡±


    ¡°This man, the woman over there, and that girl Natalie.¡± Odal replied easily, ¡°The husband would have been let off, but considering he sheltered this criminal¡­¡±


    Cass nodded, but there were still some oddities bothering her¡­ ¡°So, how does this relate to Natalie working in the Silver district and taking such a risky trip home?¡±


    ¡°Leave my niece out of this!¡±


    ¡°Odal, please shut him up.¡± Cass was tired of listening to Gorv¡¯s constant whining. And Odal obliged her by putting his fist in Gorv¡¯s stomach every time he tried to speak.


    ¡°I- I worked for the Priest¡­¡± Tina¡¯s face was a mess of snot and tears, pathetically crying and gasping as she spoke. ¡°If- if he saw m- me¡­ He might rec- recognize me¡­¡±


    ¡°So you had to leave him and Natalie had to get a job to replace the lost income¡­¡±


    ¡°An- and I could not go ba- back to work because¡­¡±


    ¡°Tina don-!¡± Odal kicked Gorv in the groin, and that seemed to shut him up for a bit longer¡­


    ¡°Because why my dear Tina?¡± Cass purred.


    ¡°The Ma- Matron¡­ She told me tha- that if I didn¡¯t help her¡­ She would report us all!¡±


    ¡°The Matron?¡± Cass was surprised by this, ¡°What did that woman want from you?¡±


    Tina just cried and shook her head, so Cass decided to ask Gorv for this one. ¡°Well Gorv, you have been begging to talk for so long now¡­ Perhaps you can explain?¡±


    ¡°The Matron gets her money from a series of deals¡­ All of which are shady,¡± Gorv growled angrily. ¡°She made Tina ¡®escort¡¯ children to ¡®work¡¯ in the houses of wealthy patrons.¡±


    ¡°Who is this ¡®Matron?¡¯¡± Odal asked, but Cass waved the question away and pursued the more important fact.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Cass smiled widely, ¡°I think we can make a deal then, one that we all can be happy about.¡±


    ¡°Fuck off cunt.¡± Gorv spat on Cass¡¯s face and in the next instant Cass had him by the throat, lifting him straight off the ground with the power of her glyphs.


    ¡°I try to be generous and look where it gets me,¡± she wiped the spittle off on the man¡¯s shirt and then slammed him against the wall, shaking the entire house. ¡°But I really think you should think more about your situation. Right now, you and your entire family are in my hands, and I think you realize that I am not a particularly merciful girl.¡±


    She tossed Gorv aside and watched him fall on top of Tina who screamed in pain. Cass had actually not intended to do that, but it certainly got her point across¡­


    ¡°So before I lose my temper, let me explain how this is going to go down.¡±

 Assault on the brothel.

    AN: This chapter was removed to comply with RRL''s rules! But you can still read itfree on my Patreon by following this link ->https://www.patreon.com/posts/mystic-ink-ch-40-17195253This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    I would suggest doing so in a new tab so you can go right back to reading chapters!


    I apologize for the inconvienience! D:


    Also, chapter content needsto be 500 characters long, which is super annoying when I have to do this!


    SO HAVE A COOKIE (>O_O)>@

 Embers on the wind.

    ¡°My dear Merchant,¡± Cass spoke with a broad smile to the man who had sold her earrings to her before.  ¡°Your jewelry truly is peerless, and if it would be possible I would like to put in a special order.¡±


    It was the second day since she had assaulted the brothel, and Cass was honestly quite frustrated.  Yesterday¡­ Had not gone well, she would have to work on the problem when she got home.


    ¡°Ah, please step over here milady Strioi,¡± the Merchant gestured towards the back of his stall and very courteously held back the draped cloth that served as a door to the back.  Cass had asked Odal to stay outside, and so she was alone with the Merchant for the moment.


    ¡°Now, my dear and honorable customer,¡± the Merchant bowed smartly.  ¡°How may I help you today?¡±


    He raised his head and froze, Cass had stopped hiding her true feelings for the disgusting waste of life before her.  Odal was unsure why he was outside, but Cass had subtly hinted it was to surprise him, and it certainly would down the road¡­


    ¡°Illhue, you have quite excellent taste in jewelry,¡± Cass¡¯s voice was smooth, cold, and promising a violent death even as she spoke such normal words.  ¡°However your personal tastes are execrable, I feel polluted just breathing the same air as you.¡±


    ¡°My- my lady?¡±  Illhue stuttered, absolutely confused by the sudden change in the demeanor of the young lady before him, ¡°if I have done anything to offend¡­¡±


    ¡°I am aware of you¡­  Proclivities,¡± her face twisting in distaste, as she looked upon the shaken man.  ¡°How much did the Brass Voni I bought these for get you?  A couple of nights at the brothel?  Or did you splurge and spend it all at once?¡±


    ¡°How did you-¡± The Merchant¡¯s eyes widened and he backed away from Cass so quickly he nearly fell over, and Cass took it a step further by giving him a ¡®light¡¯ push to put him on the floor.


    ¡°Really, I should kill you.¡±  Cass smiled as she thought of doing just that and the trembling man flinched and shuddered, ¡°but since you seem to have an understanding of what this visit is about and means¡­  Well, we should get down to business.¡±


    Half an hour later, Cass exited the tent and gestured for Odal to follow her.


    ¡°Were you able to place the order?¡± Odal asked as he followed, ¡°I am guessing so based on your smile.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, it went quite well.¡± Cass laughed, ¡°I cannot wait to see the results to be honest.¡±


    Cass had spent the day quietly, but publically, visiting several figures from the guest list she acquired from the brothel.  She also had managed to slip a message to the Matron through some Sand caste that she ¡®bumped¡¯ into, telling her that Odev¡¯s sacrifice would get her the magesbane she needed by tomorrow.  Unfortunately, neither Klein was on the list, but then if they had been the Matron would not need Cass.


    It was yesterday that bothered her, and Cass sighed just thinking about it.  She had returned to her quarters and the Warriors had brought Natalie over, and things had not gone well.  Natalie asked many questions, and Cass answered honestly so that Natalie was aware of her family''s fate and she alone had been spared.


    The reaction was¡­  A mixture of hatred, fear, and sorrow.  She had gone to her knees to beg Cass to help her family, entreating her with tear filled eyes.  And Cass would not, as she was denied again and again, Natalie¡¯s anger grew until she lashed out at Cass, who merely grabbed her wrist and lifted the child into the air by it.


    Cass had spoke brutal truth, telling Natalie that her family had been doomed from the moment her uncle accosted a Priest.  Having to hide Gorv forced Natalie¡¯s mother to be help the Matron as the result of blackmail, having that mother not working when there was another mouth to feed meant that Natalie had to work and had to pick a job where she could earn a decent amount of money.  And that job would force her to walk through the Stone district at night, alone and through drunk and drugged crowds.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Natalie would be grabbed one night, robbed, violated and raped, before likely being killed.  Her family would grieve and their poverty would get worse, and as debt piled up they would be sent to the Sand one day.  And Gorv would likely be discovered when that happened.


    Cass gave her the best possible scenario, her entire family was alive, including Gorv, and she had not just been spared from the Sand, but elevated from the Stone.  Still, Natalie had refused and tried to run away to the Sand.  Odal had caught her and even now Cass had left a Warrior to watch her in case Natalie tried to run again¡­


    ¡°Odal,¡± Cass sighed again, it was becoming a habit unfortunately.  ¡°Tomorrow we were planning to start training me right?  I am going to have Natalie join us.¡±


    Odal frowned slightly, ¡°are you sure about that?  That girl truly hates you.¡±


    ¡°She will come around,¡± Cass waved her hand as they headed back to the Strioi district.  ¡°Although frankly it does not matter if she does or does not, I will get what I want.¡±


    Cass saw potential in Natalie, even if Natalie hated her so long as the potential is drawn out, Cass will feel she had gotten what she wanted.


    ¡°I see,¡± Odal paused to think for a second and asked.  ¡°Then why do this?¡±


    ¡°Because someone must,¡± Cass answered, confusing Odal who did not really understand what she had been talking about.  ¡°Nevermind that now, I need to focus on this upcoming meeting.¡±


    A chill breeze had Cass frowning as she walked, winter would be here soon¡­  According to Odal, the mountain passes will be impassable once the snows start to fall.  If Cass wanted to make it back to Tyine before spring she did not have more than another month¡­  Cass shook her head to refocus herself as she entered the manor, she would need her focus for this next part¡­


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that Warden Rowig?¡±  Odal exclaimed in surprise, ¡°and those Warriors¡­¡±


    ¡°I apologize Odal,¡± Cass spoke seriously and even bowed her head slightly to Odal to really sell the lie.  ¡°I happened to get a hold of a piece of the guest list and I found out that my neighbor, Berentrad is probably one of the ringleaders.¡±


    Rowig happened to be one as well actually, but because I had intimated that I have the guest list, combined with the spreading knowledge that I had killed Odev, and that I also implied I had allies that would put the pieces together if I was gone¡­  Rowig was a practical man, and he recognized that his life was mine now.


    Odal had been with Natalie when this discussion had occurred, and when I had told Rowig to assemble certain parts of the squad from the brothel assault and prepare to arrest Berentrad.


    ¡°I¡­  But¡­  Impossible!¡±  Odal was stunned by this, even as the Warriors began to apply the specially requisitioned magesbane.


    ¡°Stay here and look after Natalie,¡± Cass ordered as she followed the Warriors towards Berentrad¡¯s quarters.  And now¡­  Cass quietly moved through the six Warriors to the front with Rowig in front of the door.


    ¡°Are you ready?¡±  Cass spoke quietly as she brushed down her dress, with a nod from Rowig she kicked the door down and the Warriors flooded in.


    Cass let them lead, silently laughing that none of them had noticed her pickpocketing their magesbane when she walked to the front and pocketing it.  The first part of this little mission was complete, so she counted to six and walked in to find the Warriors holding a struggling old woman to the ground.  Two Warriors were dead, but a poisoned knife was now lodged in her shoulder and she didn¡¯t seem like she would be conscious long.


    ¡°Sorry to drop by uninvited,¡± Cass spoke cheerily while wondering how Berentrad had killed the Warriors so quietly.  ¡°But I had such a great time with you during our last conversation, I could not help but come back to talk to you about a few more things.¡±


    She noticed a boy cowering in the corner and stopped¡­  He was the same boy from the brothel, and now that she thought about it he was the same boy that had been here when she first visited!  Whatever situation awaits him in the Sand district must be quite horrible, because it seems like he chose to do this of his volition instead of running or talking the Warriors.


    Well, Cass could understand.  If you still had the will to live, you did what you had to do to survive.  Just as Cass acknowledged that freedom would neither fill her stomach, nor clothe her body, and had allowed herself to submit to her Master, this boy had likely come to a similar conclusion.  After all, what use was purity if you were dead?  Perhaps she should see¡­  No, to take Natalie was already above her station, but she would find some way to help this boy before she left.


    ¡°Well then spit it out you foreign cunt!¡±  Berentrad had apparantly grown tired of watching Cass think and swore at her loudly and with venom, ¡°to think you would even get Rowig to betray me¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, my apologies,¡± Cass acted slightly bemused, as if she had merely lost focus on a friend talking on the street.  There was no reason to take this much more seriously than that.  ¡°I simply wanted to ask you about the Matron¡¯s involvement with the brothel.¡±

 A deal with Natalie

    Cass sighed heavily, leaning against the wall for a moment.


    ¡°This is¡­ Too much,¡± she muttered under her breath. ¡°Just too¡­ fucking¡­ much¡­¡±


    Berentrad had been hauled away and Cass should be heading back to her rooms, but she was just so tired. Cass had woken up in a strange place after being ambushed and kidnapped away from her Master, she had seized every opportunity she could and twisted and manipulated every person around her.


    ¡°Is this who I am freed from hunger and poverty,¡± Cass sank down against the wall until she was sitting on the floor. ¡°Is this all the control I can muster without my Master to hold my leash?¡±


    She closed her eyes for a second, Cass just needed a bit to compose her thoughts before she met with Odal and Natalie again. Cass considered her current situation, she had Odal wrapped around her finger, a few Warriors, Merchants and Strioi under thumb, and even had the means to fulfill her deal with the Matron in the Sand while currying favor with the Strioi usurpers with knowledge about her glyphs.


    Cass struggled to her feet, she no longer had time to rest. This was not her, but it was a part of her. Cass was leaving things better than they were when she came, even if blood pooled at her passing. And she couldn¡¯t say she was not enjoying it¡­ Because she was, as exhausted as she was, she felt alive¡­ Almost how she felt under her Master¡¯s whip¡­ But she would deal with those feelings later.


    Cass pushed open the door, only to quickly duck as a bottle flew at her head.


    ¡°Let me go!¡± Natalie was screaming and crying while Odal tried to calm her down, unfortunately for Cass, it appeared the only thing this girl was truly afraid of was being seperated from her family.


    ¡°So that you can go starve in the Sand?¡± Cass replied dryly as she finally entered the room, ¡°You do realize what I saved you from, right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care!¡± Odal was holding her arms now to stop Natalie from throwing anything else, a quick glance around showed Cass that Natalie had been quite the handful while she was away. ¡°I want to go home!¡±


    Cass let out a frustrated sigh, it was amazing how one kid could be more difficult to deal with than a fully trained Warrior¡­


    ¡°Listen Nat,¡± Cass spoke seriously for a moment, letting the emotions she normally controlled around the little girl out. ¡°How about I make deal with you? Because you have no home to return to, the only way your family will even have a roof over their head is if someone gives it to them, and I can do that, but¡­¡±


    Cass stepped in towards Natalie and gripped her chin to force her to look into Cass¡¯s eyes. Even now her gaze had such determination, and quite a bit of hatred too, it almost hid the terror that Cass could see lurking behind all of it. Almost.


    ¡°If you want your family taken care of,¡± Cass smiled sweetly, though her words seemed poisonous. ¡°Be a good girl and behave, otherwise who knows what might happen?¡±


    Natalie paled, likely remembering how she had first met Cass and eventually nodded. Both Odal and Cass released her and aside from a bit of sniffling she was quiet and submissive. Also burning with anger, but that did not bother Cass much. Far better to be angry than empty after all.


    ¡°What has been going on Cass?¡± Odal asked in a more serious tone than Cass had ever heard from him, ¡°these past few days have been so chaotic¡­¡±


    It would seem that there is a limit to how much Odal could be blinded by his infatuation, Cass thought. Still, it isn¡¯t like he is intelligent, so even if he can see a glimpse he cannot really understand what he sees¡­


    ¡°The city of Beergmutar has a society far more rotten than Tyine. To accomplish any good here requires both chaos and evil, because the rules that bind this kingdom are so strict. Some things must be torn down, others must be broken and controlled, and still others must be pushed hard to become more than they are for this place to become better.¡±


    Cass had not really lied with that statement, she had just left out that the tearing, breaking, pushing and controlling were an utter joy to her. She also left out that a good portion of anything good she accomplished was because of Maurice and the Church she believed in, and the guilt Cass felt not being able to live up to Heather and Maurice¡¯s expectations.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Odal,¡± Cass wanted to change the subject, since she was unsure of herself right now as well. ¡°Let¡¯s begin the training today, I would rather not wait¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course Cass,¡± Odal switched gears completely, seemingly delighted by the request. ¡°Are you sure you want Natalie to join as well?¡±


    ¡°Training?¡± Natalie interjected upon hearing her name, ¡°as in fighting training? It would be illegal for me, and I don¡¯t want to hurt people anyway.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to hurt people? I guess that bottle was just a friendly greeting then.¡± Cass said sarcastically, ¡°as for legality, even though you are Stone you are my adopted daughter, and the children of Stioi have many benefits.¡±


    The training, however, was not what Cass expected. Both she and Natalie were struggling as they ran laps, Cass having been asked not to use her glyphs, as Odal was a surprisingly stern teacher and trainer.


    ¡°Training must be taken seriously,¡± Odal explained. ¡°Every Warrior who dies is a blow to the one who trained them, they will always worry and wonder if it had been a failure of theirs. Every Warrior who slacks in training is a danger to all, because he might be the weak link that breaks and drags all his comrades down with him.¡±


    Actual fighting instruction only occured after they had been thoroughly exhausted, with Odal saying that if they learned and performed under that condition they would be able to do so under any. Solid logic that did nothing to make it less miserable, as Cass quickly learned that despite no longer being malnourished and starving, her reliance on her glyphs and magic had meant that her actual physical strength had not much increased.


    That night, both Cass and Natalie collapsed exhausted into their beds, much to the amusement of Odal as he bid them goodnight. Cass was too tired to even feel the desire to kill him for once, which was good since his chuckling would normally make it difficult to not rip his throat out.


    Hours of running and other exercises followed by two hours of being told how to stand, where to put your feet, how to hold your arms¡­ If Cass did not know better, she would have thought Odal was making half of it up just as an excuse to touch her and move her limbs into the right position, but she could feel the balance in those stances and understood why they were like that.


    He still got closer than he needed to though¡­


    Cass had not realized she fell asleep until she woke with a start. The door, well oiled though it was, made enough noise to wake a person who was used to sleeping on the street. Cass pretended to be asleep still, but whoever had entered her room would be in for a painful surprise when they¡­


    ¡°Lady?¡± A quiet voice spoke out, Natalie.


    ¡°Natalie?¡± Cass sat up, confused and wary. ¡°You should be in bed.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t sleep¡­¡± She sounded different than she normally did, more fear and sadness than determination, which made Cass worry. ¡°I¡­ I am not used to being alone¡­¡±


    Cass considered the silhouette in the doorway for a moment, ¡°would you like to sleep in here?¡±


    Natalie nodded and Cass moved over to make room, she certainly did not need this gigantic bed to herself. Natalie was very timid, only taken a tiny fraction of the space Cass had offered her, but Cass found it more amusing than anything else.


    It was quiet for a time, and Cass had thought Natalie had fallen asleep when that voice asked, ¡°why did all of this have to happen? Why couldn¡¯t we just have lived happily?¡± She was trembling, no she must be crying, Cass thought. From what she understood, Cass knew she was supposed to comfort her, but she herself had never received nor really observed that happening in the past so it was a difficult thing for Cass to do.


    She decided to scoot closer and put an arm around Nat, who stiffened at the contact. Unsurprising really, she regarded Cass as an enemy blackmailing her by threatening her family after all.


    ¡°The answer to that¡­¡± Cass sighed and spoke quietly, ¡°the answer is that this society kills dreams.¡±


    Cass spoke to Natalie about her life, about trying and hoping for something more and seeing that hope dashed on the floor of a Church building. How she had eventually lost her dreams and lost most of her will to live, how her Master had offered her more, even if he punished Cass harshly for her failure.


    She skipped over the details for Natalie, Cass did not feel comfortable divulging what had happened in that church, or that her Master¡¯s punishment was both terrifying and wonderful, but she explained the important themes.


    ¡°However,¡± Cass finished telling Natalie about those parts of her story and continued. ¡°Here in Beergmutar, the lower castes are not even allowed hope. A Sand will never become a Stone, a Stone could not join the military and become a Warrior. Birth decides all our stations, but here there is not even the illusion that we could do better, and so people turn to other things to provide that illusion.¡±


    Natalie was sniffling less, she was done crying and seemed to be listening to Cass¡¯s words. She had also relaxed slightly in Cass¡¯s hug.


    ¡°You see it at night,¡± Cass looked out the window towards the Stone district. ¡°Those that drink or drug themselves into oblivion, and lose the ability to control or think of their actions. Then they make stupid mistakes, and the same laws that drive them to escape into those substances binds their family to go down with them.¡±


    ¡°Why couldn¡¯t you help them?¡± Nat¡¯s whisper was bitter, ¡°why only me?¡±


    ¡°I am helping them Nat,¡± Cass reminded her. ¡°That is the payment I offered for your obedience, as to why I only offered this life to you¡­ I admire the way you behave, and believe you have potential. I simply do not want to see it wasted.¡±


    Natalie asked no more questions, and Cass said nothing else. Eventually they both drifted off to sleep.

 Side Story - Cass and the Orphanage

    There were two kinds of orphanage in Tyine, or more accurately, it could be said that there were only two orphanages in Tyine and that they were different from each other.  The first was the orphanage run by the Church of Light, and it was well run and clean.  The children of reasonably well off families would end up here should their parents die, and while the Church would take most of what the children were left as an offering, they would provide education and protection to their charges.  No child left that orphanage without a chance to make their way in the world.


    The other orphanage was apparently once a nobles pet project, and it tried to look after the poorest of the poor, those that even the Church would overlook as hopeless.  The Church was not being cruel in this decision, there were only so many resources to go around and they had to make the best with what they had.  They fully supported and lauded the noble as a truly wonderful and excellent man.


    The problem was, politics eat kind men the same way a pack of wolves bring down a deer, and over time the nobles influence and resources waned as well.


    It was the first day of spring, the birthday assigned to all orphans, even ones like Cass where the managers of the orphanage actually knew when she was born.  Cass turned six today.  But despite every single child in this building having survived another year, there was no celebration or congratulation.  Not even an acknowledgement.  Because this was three months after that noble had been forced from the city, and three months since the orphanage, which had been receiving less and less resources each year for the past decade, finally received none.


    Cass had been wandering aimlessly through the dirty halls when she happened to overhear a conversation between the managers of the place.


    ¡°The hell are we going to do?¡±  An angry man¡¯s voice growled, Auron the adult feared because he was in charge of rules and discipline, and he was not shy about breaking a few ribs to prove a point.  ¡°I am not going back to the streets, you know no one else will hire me.¡±


    ¡°We are all in the same fucking boat Auron,¡± the exasperated voice of Kinly, the head administrator answered, the orphans rarely saw him and both parties prefered it that way.  ¡°Unless you forgot that the only reason the Church got the guards off our ass was because of our ¡®service to the poor¡¯ here.¡±


    ¡°We might be able to stretch it another month¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be an idiot,¡± Kinly snapped, shutting the other man down.  ¡°We either find a way to keep this place afloat or it will be torn to shreds in the next few weeks, and our ticket out of prison with it.¡±


    Auron snarled again, but after thinking for a bit suggested, ¡°Why don¡¯t we just sell a few?  Who would know?¡±


    ¡°For fucks sake man,¡± Kinly lost his patience entirely.  ¡°Did you replace your brain with your balls?  The Church makes us record the kids we have, and the Church also sometimes buys slaves to become future acolytes, do the fucking math and figure out what happens if someone notices!  And you had better not suggest grabbing them off the street, because you know damn well that the guards and gangs don¡¯t want competition!¡±


    ¡°I hate those brats so much,¡± Auron¡¯s voice absolutely brimmed with loathing.  ¡°I did not think that one through but¡­¡±


    ¡°This had better be good Auron.¡±


    ¡°There are plenty of people who might pay to visit them, if you catch my meaning¡­¡±


    There was just silence, and Cass quietly walked away.  Life in the orphanage had not been so kind as to let Cass be totally unaware of what those words might mean, but she was still confused and sought out one of the older girls who didn¡¯t beat her as often.


    ¡°Tha¡¯ wha¡¯ you hear?¡±  She had grabbed Cass by the hair and yanked it up violently to force Cass to look in her eyes.


    ¡°Ya, I tol¡¯ it all!¡±  Cass answered as her eyes teared up from the pain.  ¡°I jus¡¯ don¡¯ ge¡¯ it¡­¡±


    The girl laughed and pushed her up against the wall, ¡°Tha¡¯ mea¡¯s this!¡±  Still holding Cass by the hair, she reached around and grabbed Cass¡¯s butt then ran her hand up to Cass¡¯s chest.  Cass had seen things like this before, it never looked like the person wanted it and Cass could see why not.  When Cass was finally released she scrambled to put of distance between them, not that it mattered much, the older girl was taller and stronger and could chase Cass down if she wanted.  She had done so before, and beaten her more for making her run.


    She was the nicest of the older girls here, to be sure.  Cass had actually been able to limp back after her beatings instead of laying on the ground in pain until a manager noticed her.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    ¡°Heh,¡± she chuckled as she watched Cass.  ¡°No¡¯ good righ¡¯?  Be thinkin¡¯ again, ¡®cause tha¡¯ is all tha¡¯ awai¡¯s us women on the street.  Looking like we are goin¡¯ be payin¡¯ up early.¡±


    Next week, Cass was surprised to see someone come in at night.  The orphanage rarely got visitors at all, so what was this man doing here tonight in the girl¡¯s room?


    ¡°Pick one and we¡¯ll drag her out for you.¡±  That was Auron¡­


    ¡°No need to bother,¡± the voice was cool and smooth and refined, and utterly empty.  ¡°It is much better for me that they get to listen to their friend tonight.¡±


    ¡°If that is what you want¡­¡±  Auron seemed confused, but acquiesced regardless.


    Cass saw the shadowy man toss something to Auron, perhaps a bag of some kind?  It made a clinking sound when Auron caught it, like coins but Cass doubted it was that, a rich person would not come here after all, why would they?


    ¡°That should cover it, no?¡±


    ¡°Ah, of course, of course,¡± Auron¡¯s tone turned agreeable but slimy as he looked inside the bag.  Maybe it was money, Auron only showed this side of himself when money was involved after all¡­


    All the kids were awake at this point, and the shadowy man walked past a few before stopping before one of the older girls.  Her name was Marsha, and she had a gang of cronies who listened to her every word.  In this orphanage, the only people with more power than her were the managers since the boys had not formed a group.  There were rumors that Marsha had her cronies seduce some of the boys and prevent it from happening, but Cass was not quite sure what that meant.


    Auron whispered a few words to Marsha and left, none of the girls slept that night as they listened to Marsha whimpering, begging, crying and at one point screaming¡­  And the man grunting and laughing on top of her.


    In the morning, Marsha was a shell of herself.  She was breathing, but wouldn¡¯t respond to anything, she didn¡¯t even cover herself but just stared at the ceiling.


    More people came the next night, though the girls were removed from the room, and more the night after until this became the new normal.  Some kids tried to run, but Auron always dragged them back, many gave up like Marsha and became husks, and others turned violent themselves, turning on the weaker orphans even more cruelly than they had done before.


    The boys had gotten the same visits, though the ones that visited them seemed to prefer the younger boys, or at least the meeker ones.  And so the boys struggled to show themselves to be as cruel and strong as possible and for the girls who had become husks the day became just as dangerous as the night as the boys used them just as cruelly as the visitors did.


    Cass had so far gone unnoticed, but she was terrified that it would not last.  As more people came, men and women with stranger preferences also showed up, and some seemed to prefer the younger kids like Cass.


    A man and woman pair, married apparently, had even stopped to examine Cass before choosing the girl next to her.  The girl eventually died from blood loss a couple of days later, apparently the lacerations in her anus had not quite healed enough.


    The boys and girls who still had enough of their minds remaining to them decided to escape, and Cass joined them.  There was a gap between when the girls were sent to bed and when the visitors came, and during that gap the managers would be distracted preparing for the ¡®guests,¡¯ so it was the perfect, no, the only time to escape.


    That evening, they put the plan into action, hurrying towards the back of the building and towards freedom¡­  Only to find two familiar shadows in the corridor between them and the door.


    ¡°Oh?  What do we have here?¡±  It was the voice of the man from the first night, so cold and emotionless that it nearly broke the will of the kids right there.  ¡°Trying to escape huh?  What naughty children¡­¡±


    The other shadow was Marsha, still just a blank husk kneeling between the man¡¯s legs, a man who had not even bothered to stop when the group had turned the corner.


    ¡°Perhaps it is time to teach naughty children a lesson,¡± the door behind him opened and Auron stepped in with a smile, holding one of the younger boys up in the air by an arm.  He tossed him into the hallway and in a patch of moonlight Cass could see the abuse that been heaped on the boy, bruises, whip marks, burns¡­  Even places where it seemed like someone had bit him¡­  ¡°As your ¡®friend¡¯ here told us everything after the third or fourth client, funny how he thought we would stop if he finally spoke up, though it was a pity to lose someone so popular with our few lady customers¡­¡±


    The eldest boy stepped forward and spoke up, ¡°Your ledgers are overseen by the Church, you won¡¯t get away with this seeing how many you have let die.¡±


    ¡°On the contrary,¡± Auron¡¯s smile turned wicked.  ¡°Our dear friend here is our new benefactor, and it only cost one insignificant little girl to get the Church off our back.¡±


    ¡°You know I will be taking a few more,¡± the still shadowed man said.  ¡°I rarely feel much of anything, but little kids in pain and humiliation before they break¡­  Truly a wondrous experience¡­¡±


    ¡°Y- You can¡¯t stop us all!¡±  The elder boy didn¡¯t seem so confident of that, but considering their fate if they didn¡¯t try¡­


    ¡°Watch me.¡±  Auron smiled.


    The kids rushed the door except for Cass who quietly slipped away into the next room, opened the shutters and slid out the window and ran.  She knew, even at her young age, that she had just sacrificed all the kids and everyone she knew for her own escape¡­  But as she ran off into the night she could not imagine what else she could have done.

 It is all coming together.

    Ilhue the Merchant visited in the morning, with the custom bracelet Cass had ordered. The Merchant was understandably nervous around Cass since she held his life in her hands and clearly had little to no mercy¡­ So the bracelet, which was made of silver, diamond and sapphire was a ¡®gift¡¯ from him to her. Later, Cass would make some special modifications to it, but she planned to give it to Natalie soon.


    This was only the secondary reason for why Ilhue was visiting though, the primary reason was to take the magesbane from Cass to the Matron, fulfilling Cass¡¯s end of the deal. In the end, she had not needed to go into the Voni palace at all, but Cass still planned to make a deal with Elder Klein anyway. It might be her Master¡¯s secret, but it would not matter if Klein died anyway, and so she would bleed him dry of value before that point. However, before that meeting took place¡­


    ¡°Cass¡­¡± Odal seemed to be struggling not to laugh, ¡°I don¡¯t think this is for you.¡±


    When Cass swore viciously at Odal he did start laughing, and Natalie joined in despite herself. It turned out that Cass was incredibly untalented in the martial arts Odal was teaching.


    ¡°Even Natalie is doing better¡­¡± Odal snickered as Cass struggled to follow the refined and accurate movements of the other two.


    ¡°Odal,¡± Cass ground her teeth. ¡°I am a few minutes away from activating my glyphs and tearing you limb from limb.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay,¡± Odal was still chuckling, since he didn¡¯t take Cass¡¯s threat seriously. ¡°To be honest, I just don¡¯t think this fighting style is for you.¡±


    ¡°I will learn this,¡± Cass was determined to do so. Odev had taught her that even her strength in arms and magic meant nothing without skill, otherwise she was just a child flailing around with unearned power. And who would fear a child with a sword they couldn¡¯t handle? ¡°And when I do, I am going to beat you to death with it!¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think it is for you,¡± Odal stopped laughing and spoke seriously. ¡°Natalie shows real talent, but I think you would be better off learning Welde Jagb instead of Stelle Jagb¡­¡±


    Cass stopped mid form and frowned at Odal, ¡°explain.¡±


    ¡°Beergmutar, the kingdom not the city, was once two tribes long ago. Before unification they each developed their own method of fighting, and most Warriors today use Stelle Jagb.¡± Cass was surprised to see that Odal knew history so well, she would not have expected it from him. ¡°Stelle Jagb is the more defensive of the two styles, pushing for stability and accuracy to minimize a Warrior¡¯s exhaustion and take advantage of enemy openings.¡±


    ¡°And Welde Jagb?¡± Natalie asked curiously from the side, Cass could not believe she had been outdone by a girl five years younger than her¡­ But Natalie was a bright girl.


    ¡°Welde Jagb is used by few Warriors, mostly Wardens.¡± Odal frowned slightly, ¡°Some believe that mastering Welde Jagb is a sign that a Warrior can become a Warden, but it isn¡¯t that simple. Welde Jagb is an aggressive style, where speed and flow are used to tear through enemies. According to legend, it is based off of the fierce mountain lions that prowled that tribes territory, and I can certainly vouch for its effectiveness.¡±


    ¡°Then can you teach me that?¡± Cass asked, but based on Odal¡¯s face she knew the answer.


    ¡°No,¡± Odal shook his head, ¡°but if you are close to Warden Rowig¡­¡± Odal did not look happy about that possibility, it was kind of amusing to Cass. To think he would be jealous of Rowig when Cass was not remotely interested in either man. Odal was a weak and stupid fool, and Rowig was a pedophile, corrupt, and would stick a knife into my back at the first opportunity. However, I also had him in the same way I had Ilhue, so it might work out.


    ¡°However, this isn¡¯t something you can learn overnight¡­¡± Odal warned, ¡°it will take time, months to gain a beginner level of proficiency and at least a decade to have mastered it. And to truly, fully, master one of these styles can take a lifetime¡­¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    That was an issue actually¡­ Haj likely had people who could train her, but these Warriors were clearly some of the best. She would deal with that later, for now she wanted to learn the basics at least.


    ¡°I will keep that in mind,¡± Cass acknowledged. ¡°I will have Rowig join us tomorrow, but I should clean up for the meeting with Klein now. You and Natalie should as well.¡±


    ¡°Wait, me?¡± Natalie exclaimed in shock, ¡°Lady, I can¡¯t go with you to meet with Elder Klein!¡±


    ¡°If I don¡¯t take you with me who knows what kind of trouble you will get into,¡± at least until her bracelet is finished. ¡°I had clothes prepared for you, so take a bath and change.¡±


    Natalie was forced to go along with Cass, despite obviously not wanting to. Cass actually thought she looked rather cute dressed up, but she could understand why she would be so nervous around Klein. And Nat did not even know even half of what Cass did about him¡­


    The meeting took place in Elder Klein¡¯s mansion. Unlike the other Strioi, he had an entire mansion to himself. Cass wondered what he would even do with all that space¡­ Natalie had her face glued to the carriage window, amazed by the sights around her. Cass did have to admit the architecture and artistry were quite beautiful.


    Servants showed Cass into the room where she was meeting Elder Klein and Klein entered in a moment later, with a broad smile on his face.


    ¡°My dear Cass,¡± Klein said happily. ¡°I am simply overjoyed you decided to talk to us about your glyphs, the things we can learn from them!¡±


    ¡°Elder Klein,¡± Cass inclined her head slightly, while Odal and Natalie bowed deeply. ¡°I have observed your city and made a decision.¡±


    It is just that the decision hinges on you dying in the future¡­


    ¡°I will sell you that information,¡± Cass paused to make certain that she had everyone¡¯s full attention. ¡°For one thousand gold Voni.¡±


    Odal and Natalie just about fell over, stunned by the ridiculous sum Css had named. It was more than a Warrior, much less a Stone, would ever see in their life. Of course, to a Strioi it was a little over a two year salary, but that still left it as a considerable amount.


    ¡°Done,¡± Klein said without hesitation. ¡°But I didn¡¯t expect you to ask for money¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh I know that even at one thousand gold you would be ripping me off,¡± Cass waved her hand as if she was dismissing the money as if it were nothing. It kind of was to her, she could not comprehend that much money really¡­ ¡°I want copies of all your research notes on catalysts. Especially the ones you held back from me before.¡±


    Klein chuckled, ¡°I¡¯ll have copies made and delivered by the end of the week.¡±


    ¡°Wonderful,¡± Cass¡¯s warm smile was honest this time, the third part of her hastily compiled plan was complete. ¡°Then please, allow me to explain how the glyphs work.¡±


    Cass explained the modifications she had made to the various glyphs, even going so far as to draw examples on paper that was provided.


    ¡°The most important part about the absorption glyph is the inhibitor crystals implanted in the ink,¡± Cass spoke with confidence about her innovation to the glyphs, she still remembered the pride he had felt with the approval of her Master¡­ ¡°Without the inhibitor the subject will almost always die.¡±


    ¡°Almost always?¡± Klein asked curiously, ¡°even with what we know about the soldiers who had glyphs like you, I was not aware that Haj had managed to apply an unmodified glyph¡­¡±


    ¡°Just one,¡± Cass laughed. ¡°And that one would be on me, though none of the mages were entirely sure why. However, my uninhibited glyph does have many benefits, my mana pool is effectively many times larger than would be expected and I can use my glyphs far better than the others.¡±


    Klein narrowed his eyes, ¡°the way you say that¡­ You have an idea why it worked, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Cass sighed, ¡°it is not like other magic though. Magic systems are explainable and repeatable, something that can be studied. Before I had the glyph applied, no one was aware of my magical talent, so the method I used was by instinct and I cannot even say if it had anything to do with it at all.¡±


    She paused for a second as she thought back to that time on the table, ¡°I felt empty at that time, I did not care if I lived or died¡­ That pain and power¡­ I pushed it into that emptiness and I managed to survive. I would conjecture that I created a system based on a catalyst of my own emotional state and siphoned off the excess mana until I reached equilibrium between my natural mana and the glyph¡¯s power.¡±


    ¡°I can see why you prefaced it by saying you were unsure if it had anything to do with it at all,¡± Klein was rubbing his chin and thinking. ¡°However, I think there is some merit to that explanation¡­ It will require more study.¡±


    ¡°I was happy to help,¡± Cass said graciously. ¡°If it is ok with you Elder, I would like to retire for the night.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Klein was lost in his thoughts as he examined the drawings and notes on the table. ¡°I will have the money for you tomorrow and the notes within a week.¡±


    ¡°You are too kind Elder,¡± Cass said her goodbyes and left smiling.

 A second meeting.

    Cass was not entirely sure when her thoughts and almost instinctive plotting had coalesced into a plan. Neither was she sure why she was so determined to tear the kingdom of Beergmutar down around her. If she was asked, she could provide a plethora of reasons, from their corruption and terrible societal system to preventing the kingdom from allying with her Master¡¯s enemies¡­


    But deep down it just felt good to make a few small cuts and watch an entire city bleed out from her actions. Right now this kingdom was rushing towards disaster, it had been on the precipice before and Cass had simply given it a little help. And no one noticed, too blinded by their own greed and ambition to see the wider picture¡­ No one except for¡­


    ¡°You were lying to the Elder¡­¡± Nat whispered in the dark, sleeping next to Cass again tonight. ¡°Or¡­ You held something back¡­¡±


    ¡°What makes you think that, Natalie?¡± Cass was curious what the girl would say next. She had not said anything to Klein or to Odal, and Natalie knew better than to try and blackmail Cass.


    ¡°Your smiles are all the same.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Cass did not expect that answer, she didn¡¯t even understand it. ¡°I have no idea what you mean by that Nat.¡±


    Natalie rolled over so that she was looking Cass in the eyes, ¡°People smile naturally when they are happy, but you put your smiles on your face. They are not real, and the real you is hiding behind them.¡±


    ¡°And?¡± Cass¡¯s smile was honest this time, what an impressively observant girl! ¡°Is that a problem?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°You are quite an observant girl Natalie,¡± Cass praised her. ¡°I am curious, how did you notice?¡±


    ¡°My mother was teaching me how to be a servant,¡± Nat answered even more quietly. ¡°She hoped I could get a position as a Voni maid¡­ And being able to read the person you are serving mood is the most important skill, to make sure you fulfill their needs before they ask and are gone before they tell you to leave.¡±


    Ah, it had not occurred to Cass, but servants would need a certain set of skills and having those before being hired would be an attractive proposal since you would not need to train the worker¡­ Maybe Hall would let Cass keep Natalie as a maid in addition to Birdie, presuming that Birdie is even alive of course.


    ¡°You are not entirely wrong Nat,¡± Cass admitted. ¡°The real question is if you know what I was hiding and why.¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°Then go to sleep and work to figure it out tomorrow.¡± Cass laughed softly and patted Nat on the head, though she had no idea where the desire to do that had come from.


    ¡°You won¡¯t tell be to stop?¡± Nat asked in a confused but sleepy voice.


    ¡°No, I want you to learn Nat,¡± Cass continued to stroke Nat¡¯s hair. ¡°You are already seeing more than most around you, now you just need to understand it, and then use it.¡±


    Soon Nat drifted off to sleep, and Cass followed soon after. Everything was going according to plan¡­


    Rowig joined Odal the next morning and Cass had to admit that Odal¡¯s judgement was correct, Rowig might have been a complete bastard but Welde Jagb was much far more her style than the Stelle Jabg being taught to Natalie. And it was a good fit with her glyphs, she could move at speed and even the quickest strikes would have incredible power. He gave her the same warning about the time it would take to learn though, so Cass decided she would have to adjust her plans a bit. Unfortunately, she could not afford to let either Odal or Rowig die until they had outlived their usefulness.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    The training session ended early when a messenger, accompanied by more than a few Warrior guards, came to deliver Cass¡¯s payment from Elder Klein. Cass supposed that as the one usurping the throne, he certainly would have the money to spare. Admittedly, such a large sum would normally make her a target, but between the alarms set by Klein and her contacts throughout Beergmutar, she was not worried. That said, she did have one thing to accomplish.


    Cass sat at a desk, her eyes closed as she focused on the single strand of spider silk before her. Pulling on her vast mana pool she began to work, using the silk as a catalyst to link the sapphire bracelet to one of her earrings. This was the most complex task Cass had ever tried to accomplish, especially with her inexpert and crude ability¡­ But she was determined to make it work.


    When Cass poured mana into that earring, it would resonate with the bracelet, giving off a tone that Cass would hear from the direction the bracelet was in. In other words, when Cass gave this to Natalie she would be able to find her wherever she went. So long as Nat wore it at least, and presuming no mage used magic similar to Cass¡¯s bracelet to interfere¡­


    Still, it was better than nothing, and Cass thought Natalie would look rather nice with the bracelet anyway. An exhausted Cass presented it to Natalie the following morning, who looked at in utter shock. It was worth enough to feed her entire family for a couple of years, so that was not too surprising, but Cass still enjoyed seeing Natalie react like that.


    And some days later, the promised notes arrived. The notes on catalysts were bound into nearly a dozen books, one of which was an encyclopedia of catalysts! This was far more than Cass expected, she had only thought Klein would give lip service to this promise, though she had knew that even that would be valuable, this was worth more than the gold by a long shot.


    In Cass¡¯s hands was the entirety of Beergmutar¡¯s magical research, two soldiers trained in the martial arts unique to this mountainous country, an incredible amount of gold, and enough influence to have essentially carved out her own faction in the city.


    After some surreptitious contact between her and the Matron, another meeting had been decided. This time Cass would not be alone either, while Odal was staying with Natalie, Cass would use Rowig as a bodyguard. It was quite amusing to Cass to have a bodyguard who hated her enough to want to kill her, but would strive to keep her alive because of the blackmail she had over him. She wondered if he would ever realize that she had not actually made arrangements for the information to be released if she died. He was smarter than Odal, but she doubted he would notice.


    The meeting was taking place in the same tavern, and once again the Matron was seated with two cloaked individuals, though obviously Odev was no longer at her side.


    ¡°Lady Terresa, Warrior Hrohar, and Merchant Ilhue,¡± Cass greeted them each in turn as both the Matron Terresa and Hrohar shifted uncomfortably when they realised that Cass had figured out their identities. ¡°I trust the night is treating you well.¡±


    ¡°It seems you have been busy,¡± Terresa replied dryly. ¡°You should be careful with your words young lady, more sensitive souls might seem them for threats and decide to do something about it.¡±


    ¡°I merely was saying hello,¡± Cass sat down at the table smiling. ¡°The last thing on my mind was threatening you.¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Terresa replied with her own smile, likely as fake as Cass¡¯s own. ¡°And you have delivered on your half of the deal, so you really are a valuable ally. Though I do wish you had not killed Odev, he was quite useful to me.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but I really hated him.¡± Cass answered honestly, ¡°since I no longer need the magic notes you were going to provide, please consider his life an alternate payment.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t going to demand more?¡± Hrohar was suspicious, ¡°We know you gained those notes from that bastard Klein.¡±


    ¡°When I was on the street I would sometimes see people try to change the deal after both sides had come to an agreement,¡± Cass thought back to some of the shady dealings she had observed. ¡°It never ended well. I agreed to do something for a payment, and even now that I no longer need part of it, that is no reason to back out.¡±


    Or, if she removed the bullshit from her sentence, the important point was being able to leave the kingdom. The notes had just been something she had desperately wanted and did not care how she obtained.


    ¡°I would not mind if you would reduce your aid to southern Haj,¡± Cass continued. ¡°But I would not ask for it as part of the deal we made.¡±


    ¡°You are¡­¡± Terresa paused and chuckled, ¡°such a surprisingly practical girl, despite killing Odev I have to admit to having a bit of liking to you.¡±

 A Nagging Conscious

    ¡°Are you sure you want to leave?¡± Terresa laughed, ¡°I may hate Strioi, but I think I could make an exception for you.¡±


    Ilhue paled and Cass laughed at the look on his face. ¡°No, no.¡± She shook her head, ¡°Unfortunately, my¡­ Shall we say visit? To this kingdom and city has revealed some things about my character that would make staying here a very bad idea.¡±


    ¡°You have such wonderful self-awareness for someone so young,¡± Terresa smiled warmly. ¡°If how you are now is any indication, I must confess to being very curious as to how you well develop in the future.¡±


    ¡°You are too kind,¡± and probably lying, Cass thought. But so long as Matron Terresa kept her end of the deal, Cass didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°I wonder though,¡± Terresa¡¯s smile chilled a bit as she looked at Cass. ¡°If you plan to take that girl with you, I wouldn¡¯t think she would want to be so far from her family¡­¡±


    ¡°Your concern is touching,¡± Cass¡¯s reply was quick and firm. ¡°However, I already have arranged for that to be taken care of.¡±


    ¡°You do know I will not help them forever, right?¡±


    ¡°I do not expect you to, before I leave I will have them set up just fine.¡± Cass smile said nothing about her plans, but why should a Voni care about a mere peasant family? She was simply trying to find a weakness in Cass, but Cass did not particularly care if Nat¡¯s family died, though she prefered they not. Rather than break and reforge Natalie, she wanted to temper her and cultivate the potential Natalie has now.


    ¡°Hmmm, well then I shall leave it to you.¡±


    ¡°To be honest,¡± Cass decided to lay her cards on the table with her next comment. ¡°I expected you to be angry about your brothel, but you barely even seem to care about Odev. I won¡¯t have to watch my back for a knife, will I?¡±


    ¡°Well, to answer your honesty with my own,¡± Terresa laughed again, she seemed incredibly cheery tonight. ¡°The brothel was mostly Odev¡¯s thing anyway, although the money it gave us was quite welcome it would have to go as I reclaimed my throne. Can¡¯t let that kind of thing stay in my beautiful country, understand?¡±


    ¡°I see, glad to be of service then.¡± Cass made to stand, her part in this meeting over.


    ¡°A moment,¡± Cass paused too listen to Terresa¡¯s words. ¡°There are ten days before it begins, I would make use of them if I were you.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Cass thanked Terresa for the heads up. ¡°It would be difficult to prepare provisions for a journey during unrest, I will be ready.¡±


    On the way back to the Strioi district Cass told Rowig that he and Odal would be coming with Cass and Natalie when they left the city.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know much about geography or travel,¡± Cass admitted. ¡°So I need a guide, and I also need people to continue training Nat and myself in fighting. Therefore, you and he will be joining me.¡±


    ¡°It would be my pleasure.¡± Rowig said eagerly, and Cass just rolled her eyes. Did he think she was an idiot?


    ¡°Oh I realise that my ¡®information¡¯ won¡¯t be able to hold you outside of the city, but I think you realise at least a fraction of the strength I have.¡± Cass stopped and sneered up at Rowig, displaying her utter contempt. ¡°I might not have skill, but I do have power, and if you think you can take me down, I welcome you to try.¡±


    Rowig gulped and stepped back, holding his hands up in surrender. Cass nodded and continued on her way.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°From what I understand, we won¡¯t make it out of the mountains before the snows hit.¡± Cass had asked Odal many questions about the mountains and the routes through them, she had a rough idea of what she would need and even with Odal as a guide the seasons worked against them. That meant spending the winter in one of Beergmutar¡¯s towns closer to the border, because Cass was not dumb enough to stay in this city considering the chaos she had unleashed on it. ¡°I will pay you a hundred gold at the beginning of winter and another hundred at the end to continue obeying and training me, and then you can leave. Or to be more precise, you will leave or I will gut you.¡±


    Promise of rewards and threats of punishment, Rowig might not be as simple as Odal but this is all Cass would need to control him. The two of them were little more than her dogs at this point, to be staked out in the yard until she decided she needed them. Or disposed of when they were needed no longer.


    ¡°So, is two hundred gold enough to ¡®hire¡¯ your services?¡±


    ¡°More than,¡± Rowig laughed, greed shining in his eyes. For such a skilled Warrior his desires were incredibly base. In fact, most of the Warriors were like that. Perhaps Odal was different because he was not intelligent enough to notice the opportunities he missed? ¡°The real question is what you are going to do with Odal.¡±


    ¡°I plan on taking him with me to Haj,¡± Cass saw no reason to lie, Odal might be an idiot, but he had turned out to be a valuable idiot. Master Hall might find use for his martial arts in training the other test subjects, there were benefits in soldiers that could fight effectively unarmed. ¡°He is a rather useful and predictable fellow.¡±


    Is what she said, but what it meant was; I have him by the neck and plan to wring him dry.


    ¡°The more I am around you,¡± Rowig was still chuckling. ¡°The more I understand your personality. You are quite nasty aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°More than I thought, to be sure.¡± Cass agreed, ¡°but then, there seem to be quite a few terrible people in this city.¡±


    More than a few actually. This entire society was toxic, and Cass vowed to return here someday when she had the answers she needed. On that day she would tear this city apart and rebuild it, and she would truly enjoy the tearing process. As she was now¡­ She could not fulfill her dream hear. She could manipulate and rip apart, but she could not build. She would leave this city a wasteland and would cause the very pain and misery she wished to prevent.


    ¡°I suppose you will have me get the materials together then?¡± Rowig sighed.


    ¡°You and Odal,¡± Cass corrected. ¡°I am not giving you a chance to poison our food or arrange something equally problematic.¡±


    ¡°I am a Warden you know,¡± Rowig frowned. ¡°I may have some dealings with the underworld of the streets, but I am not so untrustworthy as that. Those deals brought more peace and justice than you know.¡±


    ¡°You and your friend Odev fucked kids,¡± Cass said bluntly. ¡°Don¡¯t think you can trick me with pretty words now when I have seen you struggle against your leash right up until you caught the scent of gold, and that reminds me.¡±


    They had walked into an alley that was a shortcut to the Strioi district, there was no reason to be afraid of anything that these alleys had to hide, except for Cass herself. She slammed Rowig into the wall, if anyone had been watching they would have been stunned to see a petite and pretty young lady holding Rowig, a man of solid muscle, up against the wall.


    ¡°If you lay a hand on Natalie,¡± Cass hissed. ¡°Or if I even think you might be thinking about doing so¡­ I will drag you back to my Master and beg him to show you what the definition of pain is, and that is if you manage to survive what I do to you! Be a good guide and teacher, and walk free a rich man even if you don¡¯t deserve it. Piss me off or hurt Natalie and learn just how terrible life can be!¡±


    Rowig was afraid of the almost mad light coming from Cass¡¯s eyes, but he would not let himself be intimidated so easily as a matter of pride.


    ¡°No concern about Odal?¡± A snarky comment was probably not in his best interest, but it was clear he would not roll over entirely for Cass, even if she had the clear advantage.


    ¡°Fuck him for all I care,¡± Cass, however, did not care in the slightest. ¡°So long as he can walk and teach it isn¡¯t my problem.¡±


    She dropped Rowig and continued on her way, idly wondering what Maurice would think of her now¡­ Cass sighed, but she could not shake the imaginary lecture she could see Maurice giving her¡­ She decided she would take a shot at educating Odal, maybe something could be made of him. And if she didn¡¯t try, Cass knew that she would regret it. Not a lot, but enough to annoy her when she looked back at what she might have done.


    ¡°Actually Rowig, I take that back.¡± Cass turned to Rowig who was standing up and brushing himself off. ¡°First I should see if I can improve the man, so I will let you know when we leave the city. Until then, hands off him too. But I don¡¯t have a lot of hope that he will grow at all, and if that happens I don¡¯t really care.¡±

 A burst of temper

    ¡°Maurice¡­¡±  Cass sighed in exasperation, ¡°Light help me, but I didn¡¯t think this would be so hard.¡±


    Cass had agreed to another request from Odal for dinner, thinking that this would be a good time to try and help Odal understand a little more of the complexity of the world around him.  That had been a mistake, and his flirting was irritating her to near the point of violence.


    The dinner had been¡­  Fine.  Cass had wanted to slit Odal¡¯s throat, but she had kept him from noticing that, so at least she hadn¡¯t lost ground.  But if she heard one more comment¡­


    ¡°Fools¡­¡±  Odal was looking at two drunk Stone caste men stumbling around the road.  They were quickly removed by the Warriors who kept this area safe for late dinners such as the one he and Cass had just enjoyed.  ¡°That is the proof of the Castes, people are born where they belong.  They do not even try to improve themselves.¡±


    As they stepped into the carriage Cass replied, ¡°What good would self-improvement do?  No matter what they do, they and their descendants will always be Stone, there is no real way for them to improve.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Odal countered firmly, a surprising move from him.  ¡°A Warrior can train and one day become a leader or a Warden, a Merchant can gain a larger business or even become an advisor to the Voni, and the Strioi always strive to improve themselves and their knowledge.  Anyone can improve, the Stone merely choose not to.¡±


    Cass felt her eye twitching, but tried to keep her temper.  ¡°And please tell me, what can a servant in the Stone aspire to?¡±


    ¡°To serve a higher Caste of course,¡± Odal was quite confident in his answer.  ¡°To serve the Voni is an honor.¡±


    ¡°How does honor taste?¡±  Cass asked sarcastically.


    ¡°Wh- what?¡±  Odal was completely thrown by the question.  ¡°I have no idea¡­¡±


    ¡°I know you don¡¯t Odal,¡±  Cass interjected and asked another question.  ¡°How large is honor¡¯s roof?¡±


    ¡°Lady Cass,¡± Odal scratched his head, confusion in his eyes.  ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you mean.¡±


    Cass sighed again¡­  She had been sighing a lot these past four days that she had tried to reason with Odal, her patience was at its end, she snapped.  The next thing Odal knew, Cass had him pinned down against the carriage seat with her hand around his throat.


    Cass immediately rejected losing control of her temper, not the least because she was more or less on Odal¡¯s lap and that close proximity disgusted her, but mostly because she was unsure how Odal would react to seeing a shred of her true personality. Still, it was just a shred and the little tirade she was about to go one would feel so good.


    ¡°Honor is a lovely concept Odal,¡±  Cass¡¯s voice trembled with anger, Odal tried to push her away but found that he was not strong enough to do so.  Cass had learned from her fight with Odev, despite her strength, she was light and any soldier could lift her easily, which was why he other hand was holding on to the carriage itself, preventing her from simply being lifted away.  ¡°But people in the Stone are not too far away from the Sand, and down at that level, honor has no value.  You cannot feed your family with honor, you cannot keep them warm and out of the rain with honor, neither can you clothe them with it, nor protect them with it.  Your pretty ideals, your confidence in the Castes, none of that matters to someone who looks at their life and decides that nothing matters.¡±


    The last four days had been hell.  She had tried to point out his hypocrisies and inconsistencies, tried to explain and even show him some of the issues that were piled up on the backs of the lower Castes, and he remained the same.  Cass would not have minded so much if he would just say something like, ¡°they are the lower class, who cares?¡±  Because that would at least show that he understood reality!


    The problems of the lower Castes were problems, but they could not be fixed if the top remained blind and lived in their own dreamland.  Yet even someone like Odal apparently needed to be made to see it.


    ¡°La- Lady¡­  You are too¡­  Too close¡­¡±  Odal stuttered, still trying in vain to gently move Cass, but even if he used his full strength it wouldn''t have mattered.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    Cass nearly broke Odal¡¯s neck right there when she felt him grow hard underneath her.


    ¡°Pay attention!¡±  Enough, of this!  Cass removed her hand from his throat just to slap him across the face.  She was just barely able to hold back enough to prevent breaking Odal¡¯s jaw.  Just barely.  ¡°You are worse than even someone like Odev, because you cannot even see what is in front of you.  At least he did not live as a blind hypocrite!¡±


    ¡°Ca- Cass I¡­¡± Cass did not let him finish, slapping Odal again.  Though admittedly she had hit him there simply because she had felt like it.  He was so weak¡­  All it would take to throw her off was to break her grip on the carriage and lift her up¡­  For that matter, he wasn¡¯t even using his full strength, she had made it quite clear that she was not made of glass.  If he wouldn¡¯t respect her strength, or use his mind enough to break her grip regardless, he didn¡¯t really deserve to talk¡­


    She hit him again for good measure before letting him say another word.  Cass also noticed that Odal¡¯s hands were getting close to dangerous positions- for him.  Perhaps he was more cunning than Cass had realized at first, but that just pissed Cass off more.


    ¡°Odal¡­¡±  Her voice was low with warning and he got the message and moved his hands¡­  But the way he moved them, sliding them away from where they were but still along her body.  ¡°Really Odal, feeling me up in this situation?  I don¡¯t think you quite understand just how¡­  Unstable, your position is on this precipice.¡±


    A simple system on her nail and lightly running it across his exposed collarbone cut through his skin with ease.  A slight shift of Cass¡¯s hand and Odal¡¯s neck would be slit right here in this carriage, and Cass was seriously considering doing it.  It was a testament to how dense he was that she was so close to killing such a valuable resource, or perhaps to her own naivety to think that she could do anything about him.


    Despite that, Odal smiled.  ¡°How can I help myself with such a strong and beautiful woman?  Even your anger is hypnotizing¡­¡±


    Maybe if she cut his balls off he would stop thinking about sex and actually listen to what she was saying?  The only issue was that she didn¡¯t want to touch him¡­  Her current position was nearly enough to make her vomit if she was not so angry.


    ¡°But¡­  I think I understand what you mean.¡±  Odal looked at her seriously this time, unwittingly saving himself because Cass had been close to castrating him there and then.  ¡°There are things I overlook because I thought them small, but if they mean this much to you¡­¡±


    Cass could tell Odal was not lying, but it was not the whole truth either.  He would try harder, but not because he had come to an epiphany but because of his own lust.  That would¡­ Work.  If barely.


    ¡°That will do for now Odal,¡± but before Cass got up, she dug her nail into his shoulder causing him to grunt in pain.  ¡°But if we have to have this conversation again, it will be far worse for you.¡±


    ¡°Well to be honest,¡± Odal spread his hands as Cass returned to her seat, and gave her a slight grin.  ¡°I did not mind that much.¡±


    ¡°I can tell,¡± Cass shot a glare at Odal¡¯s pants.  ¡°But that is as close as you are ever going to get.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t like Cass did not understand being attracted to those more powerful than you, but it was up to you to make yourself worth it for them.  Cass was worth her Master punishing her, worth her Master rewarding her, worth her Master doing both at the same time to the point they mixed together and she forgot which was which.  But¡­  She had not been worth enough to gain that kind of attention from Master Hall.  No matter how much she wanted him, the nature of submission to someone stronger than you was to admit that the burden was on you to deserve attention.


    Of course, there were responsibilities on her Master as well.  He had to mete out rewards and punishments according to her performance, and give her those opportunities to perform.  He was a guide who steered someone to be better than they ever thought they could be.  If they were worth doing so for.


    Odal was not worth even her attention, much less her Master¡¯s-  But he was what she had to work with¡­


    ¡°Hopefully I will change your mind someday.¡±


    ¡°Change your own way of thinking first,¡± Cass retorted, then chuckled as she thought of what Odal was going up against.  ¡°If you truly wanted me Odal, you have to be strong enough to take me from my Master, break me and rebuild me.  My love is a twisted thing, I have watched people I cared about tortured to protect me, I have starved and stolen, and I found love in a person who saw me as more than a dreg off the street, but as material for something more.  As my Master decided I was worth having, he treated me better and punished me harder.  That cycle continued, worth, reward and punishment, until not just my body, but my very soul belonged to my Master.¡±


    Odal watched Cass in silence for a while, his contemplative expression a rare occurence on his face.  ¡°If you know your love is twisted, why do you defend it?¡±


    The carriage stopped in front of the mansion, and Cass stood up.  She was tired of this conversation and still incredibly angry, but she did deign to answer that last question.


    ¡°Because the world is twisted Odal,¡± Cass said softly.  ¡°And my Master is giving me the tools I need to fix it.  He may not be the most perfect man, but he is the most perfect Master.¡±

 Natalies View

    *Natalie*


    Natalie watched from the window as Lady Cass and Odal left the carriage and walked into the manor.  She could tell that Lady Cass was furious and shivered as she recalled the night she met the Strioi.  Odal might be a Warrior, but she didn¡¯t think that he could beat Lady Cass.  Also, Natalie was certain Odal would not really be able to fight Lady Cass at all, he clearly liked her a lot.  Natalie also knew that Lady Cass knew that and was leading Odal on, but she kept her mouth shut about it during the lessons.


    But those lessons¡­  When Lady Cass had told her that she would be learning how to fight, Natalie had initially balked, but Lady Cass was not the kind of woman that could really be denied.  According to Odal she had even killed a Warden in single combat!  Wardens were blessed by the spirits of battle according to the priests and yet she had killed one!


    Natalie sometimes wondered if Lady Cass was a spirit herself, but whenever she thought back to the night they had met¡­  If she was a spirit, she was a dark one.  Natalie heard Lady Cass enter and turned to watch her as she stormed off to her rooms.  Even when she was so angry she could barely control her movements, being stiffer and jerkier than normal, she still managed to look beautiful.  Natalie would have idolized her¡­  But Lady Cass was not a person who one could have simple feelings towards.  She had torn down Natalie¡¯s family, then saved her and supported them.  She had saved Natalie but then tortured and tormented those men more than she needed¡­


    Odal entered next and Natalie decided to go talk to him, she was still cautious of Lady Cass and finding out why she was angry might be a good idea.


    ¡°Warrior Odal-¡±  Natalie stopped, seeing the blood near his neck.  Had they been attacked?  ¡°You are hurt, why don¡¯t you sit down and let me take a look at it?¡±


    Odal tried to refuse, but Natalie eventually got him to sit down.  For a Warrior he really was not that hard to push around¡­  Natalie used a little water and a small cloth to clean the cuts and also noticed the marks on his cheeks-  handprints?  These cuts almost looked like they were made by nails, or maybe claws of some kind?  No, given the marks on his face, it was definitely nails.


    ¡°Did you get into a fight with the Lady?¡±  Natalie asked while cleaning and examining the wounds.  They bled a lot, but were quite thin, they should heal soon without any need for real treatment.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t quite call it a fight,¡± Odal chuckled, oddly happy for some reason.  Natalie did not understand why, but maybe she would find out.  ¡°It seems that my way of thinking is a bit narrow.¡±


    Well, yes.  Natalie was nine and she could have told him that much.  She also could have told him that picking a fight with Cass was akin to asking to die horribly.  Natalie doubted that Warden Rowig could handle Cass, so someone like Odal would be little more than a mouse before a cat.


    Instead of saying any of that though, Natalie said, ¡°I am sure she was just tired.¡±


    ¡°No, this was my own fault.¡±  Odal sighed, ¡°I deserved this, and I do have to admit her fury is hard to look away from.¡±


    Oh Odal, how can you be so dense when you are so much older?  Well if he wanted Lady Cass to kick his ass that badly, there was not much Natalie could do about it.  Though why anyone would want to be hurt was beyond Natalie¡¯s ability to understand.  Her mother told her that pain was the spirits way of saying to avoid something, and it was never a good idea to go against the spirits.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    They talked a little more and Odal left for the night, so Natalie walked towards Cass¡¯s bedroom.  She had her own, but Natalie was more afraid of being alone then being around Cass who, for all her cruelty and manipulation, always treated Natalie well.  And they both seemed to need each other when the silence took over at night, though while Natalie was afraid of being alone, she was not quite sure what Cass scared of.  Since it was something that could terrify someone as strong and smart as Lady Cass, Natalie was sure she did not want to know what it was.


    Cass was changing into her nightdress and Natalie was able to catch a glimpse of the stunningly complicated tattoo that dominated Cass¡¯s back.  It was a beautiful thing, a work of art only comparable to the ones that twined around her arms and thighs.  They really complimented her looks, beauty and grace combined with violence and brutality.


    ¡°Sorry that you weren¡¯t invited Nat,¡± Lady Cass turned and smiled softly.  ¡°Next time we go to a restaurant you are coming, you should see what it feels like on the other side.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that Lady,¡± Natalie was not even sure she would be comfortable with that.  Of course, refusing Cass rarely worked.  ¡°You have been generous enough already.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Yeah, it didn¡¯t work this time either.  ¡°It is such a small thing that it hardly counts as generosity.¡±  Cass got into bed, leaving a space for Natalie to slide in to, which she did.  She was more comfortable being held by someone as scary as Cass could be then she was being alone right now¡­  ¡°For that matter, you can call me Cass.¡±


    Lady Cass had said that last part several times, but Natalie did not think she could do it.  She had raised to always, always, always, use the titles of the upper Castes.  To not do so was incredibly dangerous.  Still, she slipped into the bed next to the Lady and let her pull Natalie close.  Natalie did not stiffen so much this time, Lady Cass was cruel, but never to her- even if she did not quite understand why she was so important to the Lady.


    After a moment of silence, Natalie decided to risk a question.  She even tried to call the Lady by her name to try and see if she would answer, ¡°Why are you doing this to Warrior Odal, Ca- Cass?¡±  She stumbled over the name, she could hardly get it out¡­


    Cass shifted too look down at Natalie, but Natalie did not look up.  The Lady¡¯s eyes could be soft, but generally were hard and scary¡­  She did not want to see which it was¡­


    ¡°You are a very observant girl, Nat.¡±  Cass said quietly, ¡°Odal is not.  Why am I doing this to him?  Because one side of my personality tells me to use him and the other side of it tells me to help educate him, and his knowledge is useful, even if he lacks the intelligence and imagination to go beyond his rote knowledge.¡±


    ¡°You hurt him tonight.¡±  Natalie whispered, starting to tremble slightly in Cass¡¯s arms.  Natalie felt Cass hold her tighter, trying to comfort her even as cold words came from her lips.


    ¡°Odal is a fool and a hypocrite.¡±  Cass¡¯s voice was like mountain ice, clear but colder than death.  ¡°It would not be so bad if he took advantage of people on purpose, but to do so and think that he is a beacon for good and justice is despicable.  He deserves everything he gets because he ignores reality for his own dreams.¡±


    ¡°Lady, isn¡¯t your beliefs all about dreams?¡±  Natalie asked in confusion, Cass had been teaching her about the beliefs of Haj and the Church of Light, and Natalie had to admit it had a certain attraction to it. But this answer seemed the opposite of what her Church preached.


    ¡°To make your dreams real,¡± Cass explained smoothly.  ¡°You must understand the current reality, and how to get from that reality to the dream.  If you never leave your dreams you will never reach them, as strange as that sounds.¡±


    ¡°I think I understand,¡± Natalie yawned.  She was tired, the exercise and lessons from Odal combined with some the lessons Cass taught exhausted her.  She would have to think more on what Cass had said tomorrow, almost unconsciously she snuggled closer to Cass as she fell asleep.

 Wheels begining to spin

    *Odal*


    His cheeks still throbbed, but given Cass¡¯s incredible strength Odal expected them to do so for a while.  The cuts on his collar had clotted though, it was quite kind of Natalie to wash and examine them for him.


    Odal was walking to his home in the Warrior district as he considered the night.  Cass was always a pleasure to listen to, her quick wit and rare, dry humor had Odal losing track of time all night.  Or that could have been her dress, which was cut more in the style of Haj than of Beergmutar and so had been a much tighter fit.


    And then in the carriage, it had been like being pounced on by a mountain cat.  A small one perhaps, but powerful and wild.  Odal had always knew that there was something hiding behind Cass¡¯s polite demeanor, but to see those claws come out¡­  It had been exhilarating to find her on his lap, pinning him down in that carriage and she had given him a lot to think about.


    Not the least of which was Cass admitting her love for her old master.  Odal could not understand that, she was free of him, why love a person who owned you as property?  More importantly, the last statements that Cass made had lit a fire in Odal¡¯s heart- well, he was honest it was in his loins, but the result was the same regardless.  Odal did not see what she said as a flat out rejection, but a challenge.  He had to become a better and stronger man than her master, and claim this amazing wildcat for himself.


    And, to his good fortune, he saw familiar person walking through the night.


    ¡°Warden Rowig,¡± Odal called out, quickening his pace to meet up with the senior Warrior.  ¡°I am glad to see you tonight.¡±


    ¡°Odal,¡± Rowig nodded in greeting, then squinted in the fading light as he looked at Odal¡¯s face, then sighed.  ¡°Try not to anger Lady Cass if you value your life.  It wouldn¡¯t take much for those slaps to have ripped off your head.¡±


    ¡°I deserved it,¡± Odal admitted, he did not entirely understand what Cass had been talking about, but he was sure that he had deserved being hit.  He needed to talk to the Warden to prevent angering her again.  ¡°And I would hope to beg your help.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±  The Warden raised an eyebrow and bid Odal to explain, and Odal gave a rough summary of the night, especially mentioning what Cass said about strength.


    ¡°So I was hoping that you could help me grow stronger, Warden Rowig.¡±  Odal thought that Rowig looked incredulous, but it disappeared so quickly into a smile that he was sure he had imagined it.


    ¡°Well, until we have glyphs like hers physical strength is out of the question,¡± Warden Rowig explained carefully.  ¡°Her power is magical in nature, and even with glyphs we can never fully match the strength she has as a Stioi.¡±


    Odal, slumped when he heard that.  Was it truly impossible?  But Rowig¡¯s next words gave him hope.


    ¡°However, strength is not just about muscles.¡±  Rowig continued, ¡°There are many kinds, though there is only one I think you could match her in.¡±


    ¡°Which one is that?¡±  Odal asked excitedly, he would devote himself body and soul to this, to gain Cass¡¯s attention!


    ¡°Understanding her.¡±  Rowig smiled, ¡°No offence, but you do not have the intelligence to match wits with her in a fair fight, nor the strength of muscles to overwhelm her magic.  But by looking into what she has been doing, and understanding all of her actions, you can know what she will do next and gain strength through finesse.¡±This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Oh, Oh!¡±  Odal broke into a wide and beaming smile, ¡°Your words are wisdom, Warden Rowig!  Thank you for your aid to this lesser Warrior!¡±


    ¡°It was no trouble at all,¡± Warden Rowig was truly generous, waving away Odal¡¯s thanks.  ¡°I am always happy to help someone grow.¡±


    Odal said his goodbyes and excitedly moved off into the night.  Tomorrow he would examine Cass¡¯s actions and try to understand her better than she knew herself!


    *Warden Rowig*


    What an incredible idiot, was what Rowig was thinking when Odal ran off like a child.  Nearly twice the ladies age and still being led around by her like a dog on a leash¡­  He did not even have the excuses of blackmail on one side and payment on the other like Rowig did.  Odal was just a fool.


    But even a fool could be used.  If Odal was not too stupid, a rather big if, the path Rowig had just set him down would reveal the truth of the woman he had become infatuated with.  Rowig might not be able to strike at her directly, but in this way he could lash out at Cass and hopefully leave an opening for him to strike at her.


    Rowig started walking towards his own home, having watched Odal excitedly half-run down the road.  Rowig was fairly sure that Cass herself was more or less immune to any revenge he could take out on her.  Hell, from what he understood from the few things she had let slip about her past she had been the personal toy of a Strioi, or mage in Haj he supposed, that specialized in torture.  But Rowig was not like Odal, and Cass was not as untouchable as she would like to think¡­


    That girl, Natalie wasn¡¯t it?  Rowig wondered how Cass would react to that girl being abused in front of her.  Now that would be revenge for the humiliation that bitch had laid on him, and for killing one of his best friends.


    ¡°Ah Odev,¡± Rowig muttered bitterly.  ¡°Should have killed the cunt, or chained her up in that brothel until her mind was fucking gone.¡±


    Still, she had killed Odev.  And Odev had been more skilled than he was, and since she was now learning Welde Jagb¡­  To think he had to rely on Odal for this, if this failed he wouldn¡¯t have any choice but to go along with what the bitch wanted and follow her for the next few months, nevermind the bullshit about the rebellion.


    *Merchant Ilhue*


    Ilhue was glad he had purchased a few of the Sand kids from the brothel for his own personal collection, now that it was gone he had lost his access to the wonderful variety it had had, but at least he had these ones.  With their small hands they were even able to do fine work on some of the jewelry he sold that would be too difficult for an adult, so it really had been a win win.


    The girl he had in bed with him now was the best at that, and so he always made sure to be gentle with her and never hit her too much.  One of the boys had been sold to a friend of his who was not interested in kids, but had his own tastes.  That brothel had catered to a lot of different customers, and his friend wasn¡¯t about to use those hot irons on anything but trash from the Sand!  Ilhue did not understand his friends fetish, but his friend didn¡¯t understand his either.  As long as the subjects were Sand caste though, who cared?


    Ilhue yawned and sat up, clutching his head.  It was probably a little past midnight, and he had kept the shop closed today to drink and fuck his anger away.  He was regretting the first part now that he had a massive headache.  He went to get some water but noticed the odd silence, normally at least one of those Sand rats would weeping about now, especially with what he had done to them before he took that girl to bed.


    The blood drained from his face when he suddenly realised something.  He dropped the glass and rushed to the basement door¡­  Which was open.  In his drunken state he had forgotten to lock it!  He cursed his rotten luck and quickly started to try and think of a plan¡­  If they went to the Warriors¡­  No it shouldn¡¯t matter, the word of some kids from the Sand against his own?  No contest, they would likely be whipped for lying.


    Next thing he knew he was screaming on the ground, a red hot searing pain having struck him suddenly.  His hands reached down and came back covered with blood, he had been stabbed in the balls!


    ¡°Wh- what?  Who?!¡±  Ilhue shrieked as the girl stepped out of the shadows with a bloody knife and calmly stabbed him in the eye.


    She felt the knife go in and watched Ilhue shudder and die before pulling the blade out and stabbing him again for good measure.  She felt his disgusting seed running down her leg and stabbed him again, and again, and again.  By the time she had vented her anger of Ilhue¡¯s corpse, the sun had begun to rise.


    She lodged the knife in the shredded remains of the body and left.

 Inferno

    *Cass*


    ¡°So Ilhue is dead?¡±  Cass snorted, ¡°Can¡¯t say that I will miss him.¡±


    Rowig had delivered the news as Cass was waking up, according to him it seemed that Ilhue had been keeping some people, probably kids, locked up in his basement.  Clearly they got loose and killed the bastard, Cass did not really care, though it did annoy her to lose one of her contacts.


    She sipped at her tea, considering how this would affect her plans.  Her biggest worry at this point was that Matron Terresa would think that Cass was targeting her.  Cass did want to kill the bitch, but she didn¡¯t quite think she could pull it off currently¡­  Cass also noticed that Natalie was hiding around the corner, listening in, but that was fine.  Normally Cass kept these talks with Rowig away from Odal and Nat, but Nat would be included eventually.  May as well let her sneak in now¡­


    ¡°This will not affect my plans in any significant way,¡± Cass set her tea down and continued.  ¡°Once we have the pass-  What is that?¡±


    Cass frowned as she was looking out the window, there was smoke rising from the Warrior district.  She rushed to the window and stuck her head out to look towards the Merchant district, smoke was rising from there as well.


    ¡°Fuck, fuck, fuck!¡±  Cass swore, moving back into the room and calling Nat out of hiding. ¡°Rowig, where are we in our preparations?¡±


    ¡°Not as well as I would like, but we¡¯d survive.¡±  Rowig said gruffly, grabbing various items from the room to take with them.  They¡¯d be more organized, but Natalie and Odal were not aware of the overall plan¡­  No time for regrets now though.


    ¡°Where the hell is Odal?¡±  Cass growled as she lifted a large chest of supplies and quickly began moving towards the stable.  Of course he would choose this day to be late¡­


    ¡°He said he had some things to check out in the Warrior district,¡± Rowig yelled over his shoulder.


    ¡°Oh for fucks sake,¡± Cass cursed the idiot, then she heard Natalie scream.


    ¡°Lady Cass!¡±


    Natalie was ahead of Cass in running to the stables, because Cass had to stop for certain items, but in her way were a group of thugs dressed in tan.  When they saw Cass come out the groups smiles twisted.


    ¡°Oi!  There is the bitch!¡±


    Terresa had stabbed her in the back!  Cass poured power into her glyphs and lept the distance between her and the group, landing between them and Natalie before using the chest she carried as a weapon.  For all the Matrons cunning, she had severely underestimated Cass.  The last man was trying to drag his broken body away as Cass approached him.


    ¡°Ha,¡± He stopped trying to crawl away and looked between Cass and Natalie.  ¡°Even if you kill us here, we¡¯ve already dug the knife in.  That family you wanted looked after?  I filleted them myself!¡±


    He laughed and spat blood at Cass, who merely stepped on his chest and crushed him like the insect he was.  He did not die quickly, but he did die painfully.


    ¡°Ca- Cass?¡±  Natalie was trembling staring at the dead man.  ¡°He, he said my family¡­¡±


    ¡°He might have lied,¡± Cass said as she took Nat¡¯s hand and dragged her away.  ¡°Though I won¡¯t lie to you, he probably didn¡¯t.  That whore Terresa has stabbed me in the back, you¡¯d think me leaving this country would count as getting rid of loose ends, but apparently not.¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Rowig!  We are leaving without the idiot!¡±  Cass tossed Natalie into the back of the carriage as Rowig drove the horses forward.  Cass herself was faster on foot and didn¡¯t bother to get on herself, instead jogging forward and drawing level with Rowig.


    ¡°Your original plan is fucked then,¡± Rowig growled.  ¡°We need a diffrent way out.¡±


    ¡°You would be the expert, just remember who is in charge here.¡±


    Rowig snorted, ¡°The rebels will want to kill me too.  Odev might have been in on that shit, but I only helped run the brothel.  We will head to the Priest district, the Warriors will likely be pulled from that gate to help quell this.¡±


    All over, more and more people were becoming aware of what was going on.  Strioi various states of dress were rushing around trying to organize and reinforce the Warrior district.  No one had time to stop Cass as she and the carriage shoved their way through, and Cass did not stop.  The group nearly ran over a few people who were not paying enough attention in their haste.


    To make matters worse, most of the Stone¡¯s population was running away from the fires and the battle, clogging the roads that they needed to navigate and slowing them down considerably.  So much so that by the time they reached the Priest district the rebels had already pushed past the Merchant district and began to assault the Priests.


    Through gaps in the chaotic crowd, Cass saw Elder Klein throwing nets- no, those were webs- at the rebel forces.  These nets seemed to be special though, because wherever they touched cloth or flesh they smoked and hissed and the poor fools caught in them screamed as they were dissolved.


    But he was greatly outnumbered and a single arrow in his shoulder, undoubtedly slathered in magesbane was his end.


    ¡°At this rate we will have to push through the rebels to make the gate!¡±  Rowig shouted over the screams and clash of metal, and even a few explosions from Stioi.  ¡°I hope you are ready for this!¡±


    ¡°Natalie,¡± Cass shouted to the inside of the carriage.  ¡°Get down and cover yourself with whatever you can, stay small and stay safe!¡±


    The Priests were not as ill-defended as they seemed to be, more than a few were wielding staves with incredible skill, fighting six to one and winning.  However, the bows and crossbows were the deciding factor.  The priests would get pinned down by their opponents and then an archer would take their shot.  The Strioi were being handled in a similar way, there were hardly any Warriors in the district likely having been successfully cut off by rebel forces attacking the Warrior district.


    Into that fray, they plunged.  Rowig simply ran down anyone foolish enough to stand in front of the carriage and Cass dealt with any rebels who had makeshift pikes or spears to prevent them from harming the horses.  With her glyphs glowing she tore through the crowd as a dagger would through flesh.  Technically Cass was unarmed, but she had used the same system that she had applied to cut Odal on all of her nails, and so her hands struck like the claws of a large animal, ripping flesh from bone in sprays of blood.


    They managed to get through the line of rebels, and although Cass looked like she taken a bath in a pool of blood, no one was really hurt.  They hurried forward, except¡­


    ¡°Oh, this is too good to be true.¡±  Cass¡¯s smile could only be described as ecstatic evil.  Her eyes radiated cruelty, and her demeanor was of one who had decided not just to kill someone, but to take their sweet time and enjoy it.


    Matron Terresa was leading a ragtag band of Sand and Stone caste, with a few Warriors mixed in, at the front of the main temple.  At the top of its steps stood dozens of Warriors, Priests and Strioi, led by Cushan Klein, who was leaning heavily on his cane.


    ¡°Terresa,¡± Cushan Klein¡¯s voice was louder and sharper than Cass would have expected from an old man.  ¡°To think you would rise from your grave¡­¡±


    ¡°Should have done a better job of putting me in it before you took over, Brother Klein.¡±  Terresa spat, and Cass realised she had been making a mistake the entire time.  When Terresa said that Klein ruled, she had always figured it was Elder Klein, the Strioi.  But no, it was his brother, the frail and kind Cushan Klein who had ousted the Voni and seized control of the country.


    But frankly, Cass did not care about that.  What she did care about was that the bitch who had betrayed her was right in front of her, but Cass could never get to her before being cut down.  Rowig was trying to get her attention, but Cass was seething with rage, unable to hear anything but the blood pounding in her ears.


    The system Cass came up with was crude, and it consumed Mana so quickly that even she would have trouble keeping it up for long, but to the eyes of Rowig and anyone else who was watching, it seemed like Cass had vanished.


    Rowig continued on regardless, and managed to catch a glimpse of Cass appearing before the Matron a few dozen seconds later and ripping her throat out.

 Conflagration

    The crowd was stunned by the sudden ferocious attack, and Cass took that second to revel in the feeling of the backstabbers blood on her hands. The next moment she was whirling through the crowd like a cyclone of death. Flooding power into her anklet, every kick shredded human flesh and with her fingers sheathed in hardened air she clawed out throats and rended bodies.


    Against Warriors Cass may have been eventually overwhelmed, but against Sand and Stone peasants she tore through the mob without pause. Soon, instead of coming after her the crowd was attempting to flee from Cass as she carved her way out. Free of the press, Cass poured power into the glyphs on her legs and sprinted to catch up to the carriage. When she saw Rowig, the blood had drained from his face leaving him with a ghastly expression.


    ¡°Impossible¡­¡± His mouth was hanging open as he looked at the bloody woman running causally alongside the speeding carriage.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you are so surprised Rowig,¡± Cass hardly even noticed the blood that drenched her. Her blonde hair was dyed red in many places and her arms were coated in the liquid, as well as her legs and much of her body. ¡°They were only unarmored peasants after all.¡±


    Even leather armor would have vastly weakened her attacks, the systems that she had placed on her hands were actually quite fragile. Just a little something that she had thought up after her fight with Odev to give her an advantage should she ever need it, but they wouldn¡¯t withstand hitting anything harder than flesh. And her anklet was powerful, but even cheap armor would disperse the force of the blow. For that matter, against regular soldiers she could not have fought with such abandon. She had left openings all over that had only avoided being take advantage of because they were not trained soldiers. Going even further, they had no mage support, so she had not needed to devote any of her power to dealing with magical attacks or system interference. Even a regular soldier would kill many of them before being dragged down by sheer numbers, someone with glyphs would likely be able to escape, and someone with Cass¡¯s power was an unstoppable killing force in such a crowd.


    They hurried onward, dodging or pushing their way through crowds of people. Despite their rush, the sheer press of people fleeing the fighting slowed them down considerably and even Cass¡¯s fearsome blood-soaked visage was unable to open a clear path. The people in their way couldn¡¯t move, even though they desperately wanted to.


    ¡°At this rate,¡± Cass shouted angrily. ¡°We might have to force our way through.¡±


    ¡°Does it matter?¡± Rowig retorted, ¡°You didn¡¯t get your border pass after all.¡±


    ¡°I will figure it out once we are out of this damn city!¡±


    Rowig was right though, her carefully laid plans had fell apart and shattered to pieces. If Cass slowed down she might start to panic. She had felt so powerful, so cunning, until today, and now the city was showing her that not everything would go according to her will.


    ¡°Shit.¡± Cass cursed under her breath, ¡°fucking shit!¡±


    ¡°Stop that carriage!¡± Cass heard a shout from behind, ¡°It belongs to the bitch who attacked the Matron!¡±


    ¡°How the hell did they even catch up?¡±


    ¡°The carriage is slower than walking in a crowd,¡± Rowig gritted his teeth. ¡°And if they had groups spaced throughout the city¡­¡±


    All they would have to do is yell, Cass understood what Rowig was trying to say. Indeed, Rowig soon shouted down that there were people pushing towards the carriage from basically every direction. Cass was too short to see through the crowd, and was worried about protecting Natalie in a situation where she couldn¡¯t even know where the next attack would come from.


    Then she had an idea. ¡°Natalie! Rowig!¡± She shouted, ¡°Cover your ears!¡±


    She put her own hands to to her head as she stomped down, pouring energy into her anklet. The roar was not nearly as effective in an open space as an enclosed one, but it did inspire terror in all the people near her and the carriage, and the crowd began to push away from them.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Fucking bitch!¡± Rowig roared, and Cass realized she had not thought this through. The horses were panicking, and Rowig was struggling to get them under control. Still, they were moving quicker without having to deal with the crowd as much, and the pursuers would be fighting against the flow of people¡­


    Rowig had the skill to get the horses back under control, but Cass reminded herself to think more about her actions in the future. On the bright side, Rowig told her that he could see the gate.


    Cass jumped up onto the front of the carriage to take a look for herself, a small amount of Warriors were holding people away from the gate, but it shouldn¡¯t pose any trouble. Except¡­


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that Odal?¡± Cass squinted, trying to make see against the glare. She was fairly sure she was right.


    ¡°I think so,¡± Rowig agreed when she pointed him out. ¡°But what is he doing here?¡±


    Odal wouldn¡¯t have known the plan after all, and Cass was suspicious of coincidence. Had Odal been more than she thought and had he been preparing to stab her in the back too? The Matron¡¯s actions had somewhat unsettled Cass, and she didn¡¯t know if she could trust anyone aside from Natalie and Rowig in this city at this point¡­


    ¡°Turn towards him, Rowig.¡± Cass would know what was going on now and not leave a loose end behind her. She would either be able to take Odal with her, or leave his body to cool in the street.


    Rowig slowwed down as they approached, the crowd that the Warriors had been holding back dispersed at the sight of Cass, who looked like some kind of horrible demon at this point. All blood and fury.


    ¡°Cass.¡± Odal greeted her much to calmly, and Cass¡¯s suspicions grew.


    ¡°Odal, I had wondered where you were.¡± Cass replied as she redid the systems on her hands. They used her own bones and nails as catalysts, effectively hardening and sharpening her nails while anchoring them more firmly to the bones in her hands. It sounded far more complicated than it actually was, but really she was simply copying many of the same systems that glyphs produce. After all, with her strength, her bones would have shattered by her own attacks if the glyphs had left her bones alone.


    ¡°I was doing some reading last night and was caught by surprise.¡± Odal replied, and upon closer examination, Cass could see the dark circles under his eyes. But this conversation was too stilted and awkward for her trust him at this point, and she did not have much time considering the Matron¡¯s thugs were likely not far behind her.


    ¡°I learned some interesting things last night,¡± Odal¡¯s eyes narrowed as he glanced at Rowig. ¡°Not the least of which that Warden Rowig had been quietly gathering information on you Cass.¡±


    Shit. Well it didn¡¯t take a genius to understand where this was going. Cass felt she had been a fool not to expect something like this, even with his greed Rowig wouldn¡¯t let himself be leashed as easily as Odal.


    ¡°Working with rebels, extortion, trespassing¡­¡± Odal focused again on Cass, ¡°Only fragments of fragments of information due to your stealth and caution, but it seems that Wardens have a further reach. Especially a Warden that has contacts on the darker side of the city.¡±


    ¡°Odal,¡± Cass decided to drop the mask. ¡°Do you really think I would accept what was told to me at face value? Did those investigations of yours uncover the death of your precious Voni caste? Or that Cushan Klein was running the city in their stead? When you gave me that tour did you not think I would check to see if there was more than what you were saying?¡±


    Cass laughed, amused by the thought. ¡°So I checked, and look what I found. Chaos stirring just beneath the surface, that brothel, the organized crime in the Sand, the drugs and abuse in the Stone- You were blind from the beginning, is it my fault for seeing further?¡±


    ¡°I- I don¡¯t know.¡± Odal frowned, ¡°This city isn¡¯t what I thought it was, and you are not who I thought you were.¡±


    ¡°For better or for worse?¡±


    ¡°I hate to interupt,¡± Rowig interjected dryly. ¡°But our pursuers are not far behind us.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know that either.¡± Odal ignored Rowig and answered Cass¡¯s question, though admittedly Cass thought it a rather weak answer. Even at this point it seemed Odal was unable to take a stand.


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you come with us and see what I am like without the mask, Odal?¡± Cass offered her bloodsoaked hand to Odal. This was the final offer, he would agree or die. They could not waste any more time.


    ¡°I will go with you for now Cass,¡± Odal walked forward and took her hand, much to Cass¡¯s surprise. ¡°Because I don¡¯t think what you showed me was entirely a mask.¡±


    Well I guess an informed idiot is still an idiot, Cass thought even as she smiled and said. ¡°Wonderful, then jump on the carriage and we will get the hell out of here!¡±


    They were out the gate before the pursuers caught up, and they seemed unwilling to chase them once they left the city. They would travel as far as they could for now and put some distance between the city and themselves. Though they would need to stop and plan, and also to clean the blood off of Cass.

 Stories on the Road

    If there was one thing that Cass would learn from this, it was that she absolutely hated the wilderness.


    Compared to these mountains, the alleys and gutters of Tyine seemed positively welcoming. For that matter, the distances she was traveling made Cass wonder precisely how long she was kept unconscious. She had not ran into that orb again, and she wasn¡¯t even sure if that was what kept her unconscious, but the distance was much further than what she had imagined. And it seemed that every inch of it was rock and wind!


    ¡°You know,¡± Odal said as he and Rowig laughed at Cass¡¯s misery together. ¡°After all of your schemes and cunning, and despite your strength and magic, you actually are pretty hopeless out here!¡±


    Even Natalie joined in the laughter, and Cass sighed. First, Natalie was just as useless as Cass was right now and second, when the hell would she have ever learned to shoot a bow? Odal had initially tried to teach her, but Rowig had quickly put a stop to it after Cass wasted half a dozen arrows and broke her bow. She hated sleeping out in the wild, even in the carriage she would continuously wake up either from strange sounds in the night or because there was no sound at all!


    They had joined a ¡®caravan¡¯ of sorts, made of people who managed to flee the city, but they were not particularly trusted by the group. Cass could understand, the others in the group were all people from the Stone and Sand who had not been involved in the rebellion and they were several castes below Cass and her group. Frankly, Cass was more concerned that they would attempt to steal their supplies than of anything else, but things seemed to be going fine for now.


    ¡°So,¡± Cass was sitting in the back of the carriage, which honestly was more of a wagon with benches and a roof, but it served Cass¡¯s purposes. ¡°What can you tell me about Vaila, Rowig?¡±


    Vaila was the city they would be spending the winter in, and hopefully the city that would solve Cass¡¯s problems. After they had stopped for the first night since their flight from the capital, and Cass had managed to clean most of the blood off herself, Cass and Rowig had made some adjustments to the original plan.


    If Terresa had kept her part of the deal they would not need to do this, but as it was they would likely have to deal with the Voni in Vaila to gain a pass to leave through the border. Rowig and Odal had both insisted that the border was very secure, the mountains were either impassable or heavily guarded and reinforced. This could make the winter far more complicated than Cass would like.


    ¡°Well, it is less of a city and more of village that serves as a military waypoint.¡± Rowig grunted, ¡°Not a whole lot there besides a bunch of miners, their overseers, and the Voni. They are the only permanent residents really.¡±


    ¡°Waypoint? So a lot of Warriors passing through?¡± That would be something to worry about Cass thought. It all depended on who won in Beergmutar¡­


    ¡°Not this time of year, and definitely not with what is going on in Beergmutar.¡± Rowig shook his head. ¡°For that matter they likely won¡¯t hear of that until we reach there really.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard the Vailain Voni are the bravest and most honorable in the kingdom,¡± Natalie said excitedly. ¡°My moth-¡±


    Her voice faltered and she stopped speaking and Cass put her arm around the young girl next to her. She was not very good at comforting Natalie, or even distracting her. But doing nothing gave Cass an uncomfortable feeling and she always felt she had to try something.


    ¡°Well they are descendants of a tribe that held the mountains against the dwarves,¡± Odal came to the rescue this time with a way to move the subject onwards. ¡°And they are the only Voni to actually fight.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the job of Warriors?¡± Cass asked curiously, it was an odd exception to the caste system if true.


    ¡°Ah, it''s a bit complicated¡­¡± Odal grinned ruefully and rubbed the back of his head. Cass heard Rowig snort from where he was driving the carriage.


    ¡°Not so much.¡± He began to explain, ¡°The tribe was made entirely of Warriors, even the women. They had no leaders that weren¡¯t fighters, no craftsman that were not fighters, even their shamans would fight. Further, they did not resist the integration of the tribes, so they were not killed. In the end, the entire tribe became Voni, but they are not wholly part of the system.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°That seems like a lot of work,¡± Cass could not understand why they bothered. ¡°Why not just kill them if they won¡¯t fall in line?¡±


    ¡°Ah, you probably have not heard the legend of their war with the dwarves,¡± Odal laughed. ¡°Well this is as good a time to hear it as any I suppose.¡±


    Natalie shifted in Cass¡¯s arms to look towards Odal, well if it helped Natalie pull through this¡­ ¡°I agree, please tell us Odal.¡± Cass smiled, which still seemed to affect Odal even though he now knew what lay behind the mask.


    ¡°Well as you imagine, the story starts a long time ago.¡± Odal began his story, ¡°before the unification of the tribes and before the birth of the castes and our understanding of the spirits.¡±


    ¡°Humanity was not alone in these mountains, no we were haunted by an implacable foe. The name of this foe is lost to time now, but its presence drew the dwarves to the range, and at first they were hailed as heroes and champions.¡±


    Odal spoke of how the dwarves helped humanity defeat their foe and the celebrations that followed, but it was not to last. The dwarves eventually turned on the human tribes.


    ¡°They would come to the surface and steal our herds and our children and there was little that could be done against such fierce warriors as the dwarves possessed.¡± Odal was actually a pretty good storyteller, Cass found herself really getting into it and she noticed that Natalie at her side was likewise absorbed. ¡°No one knew why the dwarves did this either. What use are human slaves compared to the strength of the dwarves? Regardless of the why, the raids continued regardless.¡±


    ¡°The tribes lived in terror, unable to defend against the dwarves and their superior strength and technology. At least until the Vailain Tribe decided that enough was enough. The tribe had been fearsome warriors since time immemorial, and in their anger they descended into the dwarven tunnels and brought the fight to them.¡±


    The battle raged on for decades, according to Odal. The Vailain Tribe fought in the tunnels, and would travel overland to visit other tribes that had been attacked to find the tunnel the dwarves emerged from and collapse it. Eventually the dwarves had only one tunnel to access the mountain range, one that was fiercely guarded by the Vailain Tribe.


    ¡°And then, to the surprise of all, the dwarves asked for a truce. They promised to never attack again in exchange for the opportunity to trade,¡± Odal spoke brightly about this segment of the story. ¡°It was a golden age for the tribes, and during this time the tribes began to unify, though that is a different story. More importantly, the dwarves suddenly disappeared around this time, and no one knew where they went.¡±


    ¡°Some brave souls entered the tunnels to look for them, but none ever returned, and the Vailain continued and still continue their watch on those tunnels, waiting for the return of the dwarves and guarding against them to protect us all.¡±


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Cass remarked as Odal finished. ¡°So is this story a true one?¡±


    ¡°As far as anyone knows,¡± Odal sat back and stretched. ¡°We are taught during our training that the dwarves were indeed real, and that they are stronger and hardier than humans, but that is about it.¡±


    ¡°I have heard of dwarves before,¡± Cass thought back to some of the stranger rumors and stories on the streets of Tyine. ¡°But I was never sure if they were real or not.¡±


    It was Rowig who answered the implied question in Cass¡¯s statement. ¡°There are actually many non-human species out there. The Elhven are by far the most powerful of them, though the dwarves were a powerful nation before their disappearance. Other than them, goblins, orcs, and their kin have mostly been driven extinct, barring some tribes to the far southwest. If you had ever met a goblin or an orc, you would know why they were worth exterminating.¡±


    ¡°The world is so much bigger than I knew,¡± Cass sighed. ¡°I suppose my own ignorance is to be expected though. This entire- well let us call it a trip- is showing me just how little knowledge I have about geography and the world.¡±


    ¡°Most people have no need to know that kind of stuff,¡± Rowig shrugged up front, throwing a glance over his shoulder. ¡°Why bother?¡±


    ¡°Because I am stuck depending on others to tell me where I am and where to go.¡± Cass had to try hard not to grind her teeth as she thought about it. ¡°And there is nothing stopping anyone from lying to me, and I would have no way to check or prove them wrong. I hate being at the mercy of others.¡±


    ¡°And yet,¡± Rowig countered. ¡°You are returning to Haj, where you are a slave.¡±


    Cass laughed, ¡°fair enough, Rowig. Yes, there is one man I do not mind being at the mercy of, though frankly he is not a very merciful man.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± A small voice from her side, Natalie had emerged from her sadness and was looking at Cass curiously, though Cass could still see the weariness and sadness hiding behind her eyes. ¡°Why go back to being a slave?¡±


    How would Cass explain¡­? It did not help that Cass was still not entirely certain of her own reasons, but even the parts she did understand were not easy to explain.


    ¡°I had nothing before my Master,¡± she began slowly. ¡°He gave me power and my initial purpose, and even allowed me to meet someone who could help me dream. It is such a small sentence, seemingly such a tiny thing, but it saved me from that emptiness.¡±


    ¡°I think I would prefer emptiness right now¡­¡± Natalie muttered.


    ¡°I don¡¯t blame you for that Nat,¡± Cass squeezed her tighter. ¡°But I hope that you can have something better than that, and I will do whatever I can to make sure you do.¡±

 A Conversation

    Vaila was a small city, not even close to the size of Beergmutar, which itself was much smaller than Tyine.  Perhaps with many cities this would be where someone would say, ¡®but it has a nice atmosphere.¡¯ Or something to that effect.


    However, Vaila was a pit.  Little more than a military checkpoint with a mine and some basic facilities for travelers passing through.  Still, it would be the pit they would have to live in for the next three months. Cass purchased the best rooms in town, and even for someone who had lived on the street she thought it was rip off.  Still, there were not a whole lot of options and this inn at least had relatively decent food as well.


    Cass hid her identity as Strioi and presented herself as an extremely wealthy Merchant, she would rather not deal with the Voni in this area.  At least for now. Nat was her daughter of course, and Odal and Rowig were her guards. Incredibly rich Merchants would occasionally have guards after all.  Honestly, Cass didn¡¯t think that the innkeeper believed a word she said, but an extra gold coin bought his silence. Hopefully.


    ¡°What will the others do?¡± Natalie asked, referring to the other refugees with them.


    ¡°I won¡¯t lie to you Nat,¡± Cass sighed.  ¡°I would not be surprised if most of them died.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t we help them?¡±  Natalie reminded Cass of Maurice sometimes, Nat was a better person than Cass was.


    ¡°It would attract too much attention,¡± Cass replied.  That was the truth, though she had to admit she was envious of Nat¡¯s kindness.  Cass could not remember a time when she had ever been that innocent. ¡°A Merchant annoyed that they have to stay the winter in this shithole is nothing to make a note of.  A Merchant trying to rescue everyone around them is noteworthy.¡±


    ¡°But, they could die, and we could help them.¡±


    ¡°And then everyone would be looking into us, and we might end up dying along with them.¡±  Cass said that, but the sorrow on Natalie¡¯s face was more than she could really deal with.  ¡°Fine, I will try and help them out- quietly.¡±


    Why did Nat have this much of an effect on her?  Whatever, Cass would think about it later. This winter would be a long one, and Cass wanted it to be calm and peaceful.  Well, as peaceful as it could be with Rowig training her and trying to find a way out of this blasted country.


    ¡°Lady Cass,¡± Odal spoke from the side.  ¡°Could I talk to you for a moment?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I needed to speak to you as well Odal,¡± Cass would push helping the refugees onto Odal- she would have him make it look like loans of some kind, and pretend to be driving them into debt-slavery.  If push came to shove, she could actually do it to. ¡°What did you need?¡±


    ¡°I think you should go and talk to the Voni here, explain to them what has been going on.¡±  Odal said passionately, ¡°you did not see this country at its best, but we are better than that.¡±


    Cass frowned, ¡°Odal, I know you aren¡¯t that bright but try and think for a bit.  Do you honestly think that you could simply eliminate the Voni in the capital city and have none of the other leaders notice?  They were either in on the plan, being blackmailed, or are too idiotic to be worth speaking to.¡±


    ¡°Why would you go back to slavery?¡±  Odal pressed, ¡°why support a society than enslaves others?¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Cass sighed, ¡°Odal, go grab Nat and come up to my room.  I think I should explain this once and for all.¡±


    A few minutes later, Cass and Nat were sitting on the bed and Odal was seated on the floor.  Rowig was taking care of a few things elsewhere, Cass didn¡¯t really care what he did, she did not intend to take him to Haj with her.


    ¡°So Nat,¡± Cass began as she settled down on the bed.  The bed she had overpaid for she could not help adding as a mental note.  ¡°To bring you up to speed, Odal asked me why I would go back to slavery and why I would support Haj over Beergmutar, you and I have had similar discussions before.¡±


    Natalie nodded and Odal remarked that he was interested to hear Cass¡¯s reasoning.


    ¡°The simple answer is that I think this society is more enslaved than my own.¡±  That was boiling it down quite a bit, but not an untrue statement from Cass¡¯s point of view.


    ¡°We have no slaves at all!¡±  Odal protested, and Cass could only shake her head.


    ¡°Odal, you cannot become a Merchant, you cannot be a servant, you cannot even not fight.¡±  Cass ticked off the things Odal was disallowed to do, ¡°from birth, your job and duties were already planned out, without any possibility of change and to deviate from that would only bring punishment- how is that not a slave?¡±


    ¡°I am not owned by anyone!¡±


    Well, I am pretty sure I own you Odal, Cass thought to herself.  But she did not say that.


    ¡°You are owned by the society itself, not by any specific person.  That your owner is not a single individual does not make you any less a slave.  And Natalie has even fewer options.¡±


    Natalie¡¯s future in Beergmutar was to work and get married to another member of the Stone and to keep working until she had to raise kids.  And that was it. To be fair, most women ended up doing the same thing- but Natalie had no other choice. Cass had seen many women end up on the street after failing to reach for something more, but at least they had the chance to do so.  Nat had no chance whatsoever.


    ¡°Odal, you know I don¡¯t follow your religion- in fact it makes me sick.¡±  Cass would not presume to make a judgement, but she felt that the religion of this region was likely an affront to the Church.  A stagnant and tepid faith that strangled growth, it was the antithesis of all the Church stood for. ¡°You ¡®spirits¡¯ tell you to stay and obey.  To live and work and die within the shackles you have worn since birth. My faith tells me to grow, to become better tomorrow than I was yesterday, how could the two possibly compare?¡±


    Cass wished she could explain better- for that matter she wished she could live closer to those principles.  Natalie had listened well, and Cass hoped that Nat could learn from it. Odal¡­ Well, he just seemed confused.  Still, Odal was not making any arguments against her.


    ¡°Speaking just for myself,¡± Cass took a breath, and decided to be honest.  ¡°Natalie¡­ Odal¡­ I sometimes feel I am out of control- that I am spinning and twisting and manipulating everything around me almost on instinct.  This success, is intoxicating¡­ But it is luck, and it will run out. And when that happens I will end up in an unmarked grave somewhere, and I am terrified by my own fervid and wanton actions¡­  I¡­ I need someone holding my leash¡­¡±


    Cass¡¯s face burned admitting that, but her plans had been fraying and falling apart for days now.  She had to go out on a limb if she wanted to keep this group together, and frankly she needed to remind herself that she needed that guiding hand.


    ¡°You have never seen Haj,¡± Cass continued after a moment.  ¡°And I won¡¯t lie and tell you it is a wonderful place. I cannot say that anything in your life will change, in fact I can say that it probably will not.  But it could- the opportunity exists, and you might be able to seize that opportunity if you try.¡±


    Well, she didn¡¯t lie, but that was not really the complete truth.  The real truth was that success had more to do with luck than anything else.  Cass had just happened to be pushed out of her area and grabbed by the right guard and had just happened to survive the experiments before she was given that small chance to impress her Master.  That last bit was from her own effort, but everything before that was pure luck.


    Still, Cass was sure Hall would see the benefit of these two.  She would make sure that Natalie, at least, was given an opportunity.

 Vaila

    One of the most important lessons you can learn on the street is to not ask questions. You don¡¯t questions the thugs and gangsters about what they are doing, you don¡¯t draw attention from the guards by questioning them, you never question the boss of your area if you value your bones unbroken, and you never, ever, ask where food came from. Cass reflected on this valuable lesson as she took her dinner at the inn. It was a stew- probably, honestly it was a bit hard to pin down. There were meat and vegetables, though what the actual ingredients were was anyone''s guess.


    Odal and Rowig seemed to be trying to play that guessing game, but all that would do is make the food less palatable. Sometimes it was better not to know.


    ¡°Clearly it is rock lizard,¡± Odal was saying as he held up one chunk of the mysterious substance. Cass refused to refer to it as meat when she had to think about it, which was never if she had her way about it. ¡°What else has that texture and color?¡±


    ¡°Rock lizard in the middle of winter?¡± Rowig gestured out the window to the blizzard, ¡°where the hell would they get it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, and I am not sure I want to know.¡± The first smart thing Cass had heard Odal say. ¡°The fact that people would eat it to begin with is repulsive.¡±


    ¡°Well that is all this hole has Odal,¡± Cass sighed in exasperation. ¡°You can either eat it or go hungry, but whichever you choose stop making it hard for Nat and I to eat.¡±


    It had been a month since they had arrived, and winter had come in force. It was much, much, colder than it had been in Tyine, and the snow fell constantly. The only way you could tell the difference between a blizzard and any other day was by the intensity of the snowfall. Right now, outside, it was basically an impenetrable wall of white. Cass, through Odal, had done what she could for the various refugees, but honestly she did not have a whole lot of hope for them considering the weather. However, Cass had to admit that kindness and generosity was more useful than she had thought- they had learned some interesting things from speaking to the town¡¯s miners and the refugees.


    ¡°Were you able to learn anything more about those tunnels?¡± Cass directed the question at Odal, she still needed a way out of this frozen shithole after all. According to the miners, some of the tunnels used by the dwarves led all the way out of the mountains.


    ¡°Nothing that would be useful to us,¡± Odal sighed and finally started to eat his stew with grimace. ¡°There is a map at the garrison by the mine, but I wouldn¡¯t be able to get to it. Even if I did, it is not a safe journey apparently through pitch blackness- and the map is hard to understand due to the way the tunnels are made supposedly.¡±


    ¡°At least it is a possibility,¡± the more Cass heard about the tunnels, the less of a possibility it seemed though. The Dwarven tunnels ran far and deep, and were nearly a maze. Getting lost down there would be a death sentence, and Cass would rather not risk it. ¡°Though I don¡¯t suppose we could just bribe our way through the border?¡±


    ¡°They would take your money and arrest you anyway.¡± Rowig laughed, ¡°I would know.¡±


    Rowig had revealed that he had actually worked on the border for a time, but that was not as much an advantage as Cass had hoped it would be. The border was not just one wall, but several with multiple checkpoints and a good chunk of Beergmutar¡¯s military forces garrisoned there. Getting through without a pass would require someone to be invisible, which was when Rowig had brought up her disappearing act back in the Priest district of the capitol.


    ¡°That is not something I could do for very long,¡± Cass admitted. ¡°I don¡¯t even fully understand it to begin with, but the amount of energy it takes is incredible. Maintaining it on myself for those few seconds back then was difficult enough, to attempt it on the four of us, for hours? That just isn¡¯t possible.¡±


    For that matter, Cass had done some experiments with those systems since that day, and had concluded that it would only work if people were not paying a whole lot of attention. She did not actually completely disappear, but appeared blurred. It was good enough when people were distracted, but the systems would need major improvement to be very useful in any other situation.


    ¡°So in that case, we need a Merchant¡¯s pass.¡± Rowig concluded, ¡°it will cost you a great deal, and you will need to be very convincing when asking for it.¡±


    ¡°I hear the Merchant¡¯s passes are rare and hard to get,¡± Nat piped in from the side. ¡°I don¡¯t think I have ever heard of anyone having them.¡±


    ¡°Still, I do not think I have much choice.¡± Cass swore under her breath, ¡°I guess I will have to meet with the Voni here.¡±


    It was a testament to the weather that Cass was more unhappy about the blizzard than she was about having to meet the Voni. However, what must be, must be. Cass used Odal as a messenger to set up a meeting- it wouldn¡¯t be proper for a Merchant of the status she is pretending to be to do it herself after all, and then braved the snow a few days later to reach the Voni palace.


    Or perhaps manor would be a better word, it really was not impressive enough to be called a palace. Not in an artistic way that is. In terms of defensive construction, even an untrained eye like Cass¡¯s could tell that it was incredibly secure. Any force attacking this ¡®manor¡¯ would likely accomplish nothing but thinning their own ranks.


    Warriors escorted Cass and Rowig into the structure, the inside was just as militaristic as the outside implied. She supposed that it made sense for a tribe that encompassed both the Voni caste and the Warrior caste, but it did make her worry about dealing with them. Her plan was¡­ Slightly riskier than she would have liked.


    Their escorts opened the door into an office, where a muscular, well dressed man rose to greet them.


    ¡°Welcome, welcome!¡± His hair was pure white, but his face could not have been that much older than Odal. It was a rather disconcerting affect, but Cass had been prepared for it. It was a trait that was shared by the entirety of the Vaila tribe, and Rowig had warned her that it was the easiest way to tell these Warrior-Voni from the normal Warriors around them. ¡°I had heard rumors of a Merchant hiding out in the town, but I had not paid it much mind- but I am always happy to welcome more income into our small town!¡±


    Cass bowed, and greeted the man respectfully. ¡°I must apologize, Lord Voni. I should have come to greet you sooner, I must admit my own weakness and fear after the chaos I had to run from.¡±


    ¡°You are neither Vaila nor Warrior,¡± the man waved her apology away. ¡°It cannot be expected for you to have strength and courage, especially not as a woman. Ah, I almost forgot to introduce myself- I am Lord Radormr Dvergsvarner, a captain here in Vaila.¡±


    ¡°It is a pleasure to meet you, Lord Dversvarner.¡± Cass bowed again, ¡°I am the humble Merchant Alfridr Gandruna, and I must apologize again for not greeting you before, and again for taking your time today.¡±


    ¡°Now Alfridr,¡± Lord Dvergsvarner laughed and leaned forward conspiratorially to whisper. ¡°To let you in on a bit of a secret, nothing much happens here during the winter. I spend most of my days just sitting and waiting for spring to come!¡±


    ¡°Well then allow me to provide you a bit of a distraction Lord,¡± Cass smiled. That hair reminded her too much of Lord Evans, it was unnerving. ¡°Though I must admit that I am here for business.¡±


    ¡°That is the duty of your caste after all,¡± he nodded towards a chair to indicate that Cass should sit down across from him as he settled back down behind his desk. ¡°So how can I help you today?¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Cass took a deep breath and steeled herself to push forward. ¡°I would like to request a border pass so that I may travel to Haj.¡±


    Lord Dversvarner blinked, he had clearly not been expecting that. ¡°That is quite the ask, especially when I know nothing about you or what your business is. I would have known if you had brought a great deal of merchandise into town, and you are not from any of the larger Merchant families- so why would I issue a pass to you?¡±


    It was not difficult for Cass to feign being uncomfortable, because she actually was nervous in this conversation, but it would certainly help sell her next words.


    ¡°Well¡­ The chaos in the capital was not a complete loss for me.¡± Cass avoided the man¡¯s eyes. What she was going to claim to have was not technically illegal, but only a fool would not realise the importance it held. She had to take this gamble though, she had to show enough value to be worth issuing the pass to. ¡°I may have stumbled on some of the recipes for glyph ink that the Lord Stioi¡¯s held.¡±


    As Cass expected, the Voni¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Careful Merchant, choose your next words carefully.¡±


    She had done so, she had planned this conversation out days ago. Still, that did not make her less worried.


    ¡°I want to go to Haj and trade these for their Strioi¡¯s recepies.¡± Cass continued, ¡°I will sell them to individual Strioi in Haj, telling them that I am only selling to each individual. Then I will return here with all of their secrets and make a fortune!¡±


    Plausible? Yes. Foolish? Extremely, but Cass could not think what else would be worth such a pass for a Merchant as small she was pretending to be. The question is whether or not they would take the risk¡­


    Lord Dversvarner frowned, no- it was a scowl. ¡°You grabbing a loose rock while climbing cliff, Alfridr Gandruna. What makes you think that I won¡¯t strike you down right here?¡±


    ¡°The potential gains are great¡­¡± Cass shrank back, somewhat part of the act and somewhat because this man reminded her too much of Lord Evans, and she had to admit that she was scared of him. ¡°Although I would profit greatly myself, Beergmutar would benefit massively- by the spirits, our country would grow so much stronger!¡±


    ¡°I will have to think about this, I will have Warrior¡¯s you escort back to your inn.¡±


    To keep an eye on them, Cass supposed. This was not the result she wished for, but it was the one she thought most likely for the first meeting. The real question is what will happen next.


    ¡°Of course, my Lord.¡± Cass stood and bowed again, ¡°I hope we can meet again, under more profitable circumstances.¡±


    Just as she thought, the Warriors did not just escort them, but stayed on the first floor of the inn to watch them. Cass sighed, at the very least the snows would prevent them from knowing who she was or from having any real news from the capitol city.


    She had to admit, if there was one thing that Beergmutar¡¯s castes excelled in, it was stability in the face of this kind of situation. Jobs were clearly defined, and not dependent on the central government, so things in this small town ran smoothly.


    ¡°How did the meeting go Lady Cass?¡± Nat asked as Cass entered their room.


    ¡°About as well as we could expect,¡± Cass sighed and got ready to jump into bed. It was far too cold today to do otherwise, especially in this drafty inn.


    ¡°That badly, huh?¡± Natalie hit that on the head, and Cass could do nothing but sigh again.


    ¡°Yeah, that badly.¡± Cass admitted, ¡°I just want to sleep until it is warmer and all my problems go away¡­¡±


    Unfortunately, that second one would never happen. The first one though, well, she could sleep until tomorrow at least. It was slightly warmer around midday after all.


    The creaking of the inn¡¯s door woke her up, it was pitch black inside the room. Natalie was beside her, and Odal and Rowig would not enter like this- so whoever it was would soon be getting an unpleasant surprise from Cass. She could tell Natalie had woken up as well as she tensed slightly, the sound of steps entered the room and Cass jumped up to strike.


    ¡°Shit, she¡¯s awake!¡± A gruff voice shouted, ¡°get some lights in here!¡±


    Cass hissed as she was blinded by the light of suddenly uncovered lanterns, and backed up so that they would not be able to take advantage of her blindness. She did not get far enough back, and the Warrior lunged towards her and Cass only barely managed to parry his blows, relying on her superior strength and speed.


    ¡°Fuck, they were right- this bitch is tough!¡±


    Who the hell was ¡®they?¡¯ These people knew who she was! How the hell was that possible? The mountain roads were impassable! Cass growled and put the thought away for now. As her eyes adjusted, she gained the advantage in the fight and a swift kick to the side of the man¡¯s head ended that fight. But what about the people the Warrior had been talking to?


    ¡°Well I had not wanted to use this,¡± that voice sounded familiar, but she could not make out his features in the shadows thrown by the lanterns. ¡°But you seem even more dangerous than you were the first time.¡±


    Cass could not make out the man¡¯s face, but she did see the orb he had suddenly proffered! Cass poured magic into her bracelet, the tool she had built to counter this orb and when it flashed¡­


    Why was she on the floor? She was standing a second ago, but now she was on her hands and knees and the room was spinning. She could hardly control her magic and she felt sick- what the hell was that thing?


    ¡°Well, well. I must admit I am surprised, and more than a little angry right now.¡± The voice didn¡¯t sound angry, it sounded cheery. Cass knew he was approaching her, but she couldn¡¯t stand up. Hell, she couldn¡¯t even maintain her balance on her hands and knees! She fell on her side, gasping and fighting her nausea. ¡°Do you have any idea how expensive those are to make? It is a ridiculous cost, and it took me hours to do it to.¡±


    The man crouched down in front of her and she saw a young face with white hair.


    ¡°Radormr¡­ You¡­ Are a mage?¡± Cass struggled to stay conscious, and she realised she had made a horrendous mistake. She had not even considered what mages born into this tribe did!


    ¡°I was actually quite disappointed you didn¡¯t remember me,¡± Radormr laughed as he grabbed Cass by the hair and pulled her up to look into his eyes. ¡°Considering that we met back in Haj, this is the second time I have to use a Magesbane Orb on you.¡±


    ¡°It was you¡­¡± Cass thought back to that night, she could not remember much about it- she had never tried. That turned out to be the worst mistake she could have made.


    ¡°Yes, it was.¡± Radormr smiled evilly, ¡°and if you had any idea how much it cost to replicate the magesbane herb into a magic tool you would be begging me for forgiveness right now.¡±


    Cass spat in his face and Radormr slammed her face into the floor.


    ¡°Well if that is how you want to do this- urk!¡±


    Radormr¡¯s eyes widened in surprise as a little fist struck him in the throat. Natalie had been dismissed by the adults in the room, and as a result of her training even her little strength was enough to collapse a man¡¯s windpipe. Radormr would die slowly and horribly as he suffocated in this shitty inn.


    ¡°Oi, you little bitch!¡± The other Warrior¡¯s did not just stand there though and came after Natalie. Cass struggled to get up, but a swift kick in passing left her gasping on the floor. Natalie was somewhat skilled, but they were more skilled, older and stronger. If Cass couldn¡¯t get up, she wouldn¡¯t stand a chance!


    She was able to breathe a sigh of relief when Odal and Rowig stormed into the room, tearing through the Warrior¡¯s from behind. The skill of a Warden that Rowig displayed was truly a sight to behold.


    On the other hand, none of these three had any reason to trust or like Cass¡­ She might have traded one death for another.


    ¡°Get up Cass!¡± Rowig did not stomp on her neck like she expected, but hauled her up by the arm. ¡°They might have been cocky and thought they could take us down with this, but they probably were not foolish enough to come without letting people know. We don¡¯t have long!¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t walk¡­¡± As soon as Rowig let go of her, Cass collapsed again. ¡°Damn Radormr¡­¡±


    ¡°What the hell is wrong with you?¡± Odal picked Cass up like an infant and started running. If she had her strength she would have killed him for the humiliation of it!


    ¡°That man had some kind of orb!¡± Natalie explained as they rushed around, throwing together the bare necessities to run with. ¡°It flashed and Cass collapsed on the ground!¡±


    ¡°That must be the tool Cass mentioned before,¡± Odal frowned. ¡°It certainly is powerful.¡±


    ¡°What is the plan?¡± Cass asked from where she lay in Odal¡¯s arms, her mind was too cloudy to work out a strategy herself.


    ¡°Strike the mining offices, steal the map, go through the tunnels.¡± Rowig¡¯s answer was succinct and their only real choice. ¡°Your master was some kind of big-shot in Haj right? I had not wanted to leave in the first place, so I had better be compensated for this!¡±


    Cass was fading in and out of consciousness as they raced out of the inn and into the stormy night. She was losing track of time- the next thing she knew Odal was telling Nat to watch over her as he and Rowig went into a building. She blacked out again, and she was being carried by Odal when she woke up, they were running into a tunnel- and she blacked out again.

 Watchers in the Dark

    Cass woke up again to find herself on the ground in a tunnel. It was¡­ Surprisingly warm, though not enough that she was actually comfortable. She sat up to see a small fire burning made from scraps of wood, and she was finally able to get her bearings. She had trouble remembering the flight from Vaila, Cass desperately hoped that they had grabbed the map or this was just a slower death sentence than what they left behind them.


    ¡°Hey, look who woke up. Did you enjoy your beauty sleep my Lady?¡± Rowig said sarcastically, and lucky for him, Cass did not feel well enough to hit him upside the head.


    ¡°I feel like I was thrown down the mountain head first.¡± Cass groaned, ¡°I hate that fucking orb!¡±


    ¡°If it was the same thing that was used when you were brought to Beergmutar,¡± Odal commented from where he sat. ¡°I am surprised you are awake. When you first arrived you were out for days.¡±


    ¡°I built a countermeasure against it,¡± Cass held out her bracelet so that it glinted in the firelight. ¡°But it did not work as well as I hoped- hell, not even as well as I expected.¡±


    ¡°You are awake though,¡± Odal smiled. ¡°So look on the bright side, if we can make it through this you will almost be home in Haj.¡±


    ¡°Did any of you know that the Vaila tribe also included mages in their ranks?¡± That oversight had cost Cass a lot of pain. Even with her countermeasure she could not resist that orb. A Magesbane Orb, a tool based on the plant that was anathema to mages. How did they even make something like that? Cass could not even imagine something like that existing, but it did and she hated it immensely.


    ¡°No, and it doesn¡¯t matter now.¡± Rowig shrugged, ¡°what matters is that we need to follow this map out. This place gives me the creeps.¡±


    ¡°Well, I can agree with that.¡± Cass sighed, she had wanted to avoid this route if she could but it did not seem that she would be given a choice. ¡°Hey Nat, how are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Cass figured that tone indicated that Natalie was anything but fine, but she wasn¡¯t sure how to talk to her right now. Natalie had killed someone last night, and she was a far more innocent soul than Cass was.


    ¡°Hey Nat,¡± Cass said quietly to the young girl. ¡°Thank you for last night. I know that it was hard for you, but you saved my life- and I appreciate it.¡±


    Natalie nodded, and Cass didn¡¯t think her words had quite reached the young girl, but it would take time. Her world has been changing so fast it is not surprising that she was a more than a bit shocked by it all. The near impenetrable darkness, only slightly held at bay by the small fire, had a very oppressive feel to it. Cass spun off small systems and little balls of light came into existent around the- well, she would be generous and call it a campsite.


    The other three blinked at the sudden light and Nat was even distracted for a bit.


    ¡°So pretty¡­¡± She whispered as she reached out to touch one of the lights. With a thought, Cass moved it a little away.


    ¡°That they may be, but please don¡¯t touch, they will go out if you do.¡± Cass warned, but Nat¡¯s downcast face just about broke her heart. Cass created a few more and had them chase each other around Natalie to cheer her up, while at the same time wondering why she was so concerned. She liked Nat, but she was starting to think it was a bit much.


    ¡°Well at least we won¡¯t have to worry about the torches burning out,¡± Rowig commented, utterly unmoved by the scene. ¡°If you had not been able to do that, we would have had to turn around.¡±


    ¡°Which would likely have been a death sentence,¡± Odal pointed it out. ¡°But then so would wandering around these tunnels in the dark.¡±


    ¡°Waiting here might be just as bad,¡± Rowig scowled. ¡°They might mount an expedition and come after us, at the very least we need to make it to the dwarf tunnels. We only stopped to make sure you were alright.¡±


    ¡°Why though?¡± In their shoes Cass would have turned her over with a smile. Odal might be attracted to her, but he knew that she had lied and manipulated him. Rowig was somewhere between being blackmailed and bribed, kept to her by a combination of fear and greed- and barely at that. For that matter, Cass was essentially responsible for the death of Natalie¡¯s family and had even hurt them before they were eventually killed.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Rowig shrugged, ¡°at this point I would be a wanted man, so it is better to take my money and start over somewhere else and as I mentioned before, we need light to get through here.¡±


    Ah, so they needed her to make it through¡­ Of course, that called into question what would happen when they did make it to the end. Well, she would deal with that as it came.


    ¡°In any case,¡± Rowig continued. ¡°We should get moving, we don¡¯t have the resources to laze around.¡±


    A flash of displeasure went through Cass, who was Rowig to think he was in charge? However, he was right and it wouldn¡¯t look good to confront him over suggesting the correct course of action. Thus, they extinguished the fire and began to move, following the map as they encountered each turn and worked there way deeper into the mountains.


    Cass had completely lost track of time, being unconscious had certainly not helped with that. But even if she had been conscious the whole time, the sheer unending monotony of the tunnels was maddening. Cass did not think she could have done this alone, and she was rather surprised by that revelation.


    Every time they came to a branch or turn, they would carefully consult the map and make a mark both on the map and on the tunnel wall. Even this task was filled with extra anxiety, the unpleasant thought that they could die if they messed up strained their nerves. Odal had tried to lighten the mood, but he had failed so horribly that even Natalie was threatening to slit his throat after an hour or two of listening to him.


    So they walked in silence until they were tired, stopped to rest, sleep, and eat a small portion of the little supplies they had, then got up and started the whole thing again.


    It reached a point where Cass thought she was hallucinating when she saw light in the distance. But as the group came closer, it was undeniable- and unpleasant. The map showed no entrance here, they were not even halfway through, so the light could only mean they had taken a wrong turn somewhere. Still, no one suggested turning around immediately- they all thought seeing some light would them all some good.


    A few minutes later¡­


    ¡°By the spirits¡­¡± Odal whispered, ¡°what is this?¡±


    They had not taken the wrong turn, no the tunnel had simply collapsed into the cavern below. You could see where the tunnel continued on the other side of the cavern, and you could see it because¡­


    ¡°It is beautiful.¡± Natalie looked with wonder upon what seemed to be some sort of small outpost, perhaps even a town, illuminated by the soft glow of crystals in the walls and artfully placed in pillars and artwork.


    ¡°A dwarfish town?¡± Cass speculated, ¡°I wonder if there are any still around¡­¡±


    ¡°I doubt it,¡± Rowig answered, though he looked ready to fight at any moment. ¡°The Vaila would not allow them to be so close, this is probably a remnant from the wars.¡±


    Cass was curious to see what the place was like, and they had to descend into the cavern to reach the other side anyway, so the decision was quick and easy to make.


    ¡°The rock is different here,¡± Natalie commented, and upon examination Cass realised she was right. The tunnels they had been traveling through were rough and hewn either by nature or by uncaring miners. Corridors that branched away from this place were all carved and fashioned, the ground flat and artful designs and mosaics covering the walls. ¡°This whole place is¡­ Amazing.¡±


    ¡°I have to agree,¡± Cass admitted. ¡°I have never seen anywhere like it.¡±


    Who would spend so much effort on such a small place? Unless it wasn¡¯t much effort? Perhaps they had magic for stone shaping? According to the very few things Cass had heard about them though, they were incapable of using magic- though she only had rumors and stories to go on, and those weren¡¯t even reliable for what was going on the next street over.


    The buildings were squat, but intricate and well built. They were clearly made for individuals smaller than either Odal or Rowig, but based on what Cass was seeing the Dwarves were likely not as short as their name implied. Maybe a little shorter than her, and probably far wider if their furniture was anything to go by.


    But aside from the art, buildings and furniture, there was nothing here.


    ¡°This is fucking creepy,¡± Rowig muttered. ¡°I almost feel like I am being watched.¡±


    ¡°I feel it too,¡± Cass agreed. ¡°But every time I check, nothing is there. I am pretty sure it is just the atmosphere of an empty town¡­¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Rowig glanced around. ¡°I¡¯ve been around you for a bit Cass, and you have decent senses for a city- but that doesn¡¯t count out in the wild, not for much anyways. Something is wrong here, but I can¡¯t place my finger on it.¡±


    Odal frowned, ¡°we should hurry to the other side, the tunnel will serve as a choke point if we need one.¡±


    ¡°But what if they are in the tunnel too?¡± Natalie had gone from wide eyed wonder to nervous anxiety. ¡°We would be surrounded!¡±


    ¡°We have a Strioi,¡± Rowig snorted. ¡°If they want to group up for her like that, the least she can do is oblige them and wipe them out.¡±


    That made Cass smile, Rowig might be an ass, but he did have his moments. However, it turned out all of their caution and anxiety was for naught- nothing struck out at them from the cavern, whatever was watching seemed content to do just that and let them continue on.


    So they did, and after some time, they made there way through the tunnels to the exit and Cass stepped out of the dark, blinking in the bright sunlight as she took in the snow blanketed landscape of Haj.

 Desire

    This chapter, unfortunately, cannot be published on RRL. Though relationships that occur did occur in the medival time period this story is based on, it is not acceptable today. For good reason too. But the chapter is published here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/17904404</a>


    It is also my patreon page, so if you go there, consider donating a dollar and getting the abillity to read ahead, because the next few chapters are already available to patrons!


    That aside, I am also uncomfortable with this chapter myself for a number of reasons. Firstly, because I have never written this kind of scene before. Secondly, because I have to write it from a female perspective. And thirdly, because it will give cpassmore too many ideas, and he already has too much to begin with!The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Whatever, it is neccesary, I suppose.


    EDIT: So this chapter was shortened to prevent a massive cliff, and the result of that is that the next chapter is ridiculously long. I currently consider 1.5k words to be the minimum acceptable amount, with 2.5k to 3k being ideal for a chapter. The next one is over 4.5k, and might be the longest chapter I have written. Just wanted to note that, because I am quite proud of myself. ^_^

 A New Start

    Cass¡¯s head was still fuzzy when she woke up, she didn¡¯t feel like she had been out long.  Actually, she felt wonderful. Tired, absolutely exhausted, but wonderful. Her head was on her Master¡¯s lap, who had dressed- even if he looked a little disheveled- and he was stroking her hair.  An uncommonly gentle gesture from her Master, as was using the remains of her dress as an impromptu blanket to cover her. She stirred and tried to sit up, but Hall gently, yet firmly, used the hand that had been stroking her hair to keep her down.


    Well, Cass was happy enough to oblige him, but she wasn¡¯t happy about what he said next.


    ¡°I should not have done that,¡± her Master sighed, and Cass was not being entirely truthful.  She was happy about parts of that statement. The idea that she had been so tempting that he had thrown reason to the winds and taken her was wonderful, but the fact that he said he should not have done it was painful.


    ¡°Was¡­  Did I do something wrong?¡±  This was Cass¡¯s greatest worry, though the startled surprised reaction Hall had to the question did much to alleviate that, and his next words soothed her completely.


    ¡°You were perfect,¡± Hall answered unequivocally and then chuckled.  ¡°I would even say that the way you tried to tempt me- while still submitting totally- probably would have driven a lesser man mad.  It even had me throwing reason to the winds, but unfortunately the situation is¡­ Complicated.¡±


    ¡°Indeed it is,¡± a new voice called out as the door opened, revealing a tall, dark haired beauty, perhaps only a few years younger than Cass¡¯s Master.  ¡°To think I would find you in this situation Sarius.¡±


    ¡°How long have you been waiting behind that door?¡±  The scowl on Sarius Hall¡¯s face was terrifying, had it been directed at Cass she would have tried to run and hide.  Yet the new woman merely smirked.


    ¡°Long enough,¡± her eyes flicked to Cass, who Hall had finally allowed to sit up before adding two more words dripping with sarcasm.  ¡°Dear husband.¡±


    Cass had felt lightning flow through her body before, but this was a different kind of shock.  She was not even sure how to react. Rationally, she knew as a slave the most she could ever hope for would be to be Hall¡¯s concubine¡­  But that didn¡¯t stop her from wishing for more, and being hurt when reality put her back in her place.


    ¡°I thought you were at the manor.¡±  A statement, not a question, from Hall- and laced with enough antipathy that Cass noticed it through her stunned mind.


    ¡°There was something to deliver to you, and I told the messenger I would like to deliver it personally.¡±  The woman tossed a golden collar, Cass¡¯s new collar, to Hall, who caught it deftly. ¡°It is my duty to be¡­  ¡®Supportive,¡¯ after all.¡±


    ¡°Then you have done so,¡± Hall¡¯s scowl deepened.  ¡°Now leave Clare, I have work to attend to.¡±


    ¡°Explaining to do, you mean.¡±  Clare Hall responded, her own flash of distaste appearing on her face as she looked at Sarius, that disappeared as she looked at Cass and smiled.  ¡°And I look forward to getting to know you, girl. I will be seeing you later.¡±


    And with that, she stalked out.


    After she left, Hall sighed and unhooked the collar.  Cass, without needing to be told, gathered her hair back and stretched out her neck and her Master snapped it into place.  Despite the chaos of the last few hours, the joy and the shock, she was glad to have the collar back. She was Hall¡¯s slave, and she would do her best to stop wishing for more- the pain that wish caused was not the kind she had been conditioned to enjoy.


    That kind of pain just hurt.


    ¡°I owe you an explanation, Cass.¡± Hall said quietly.


    ¡°No Master, you don-¡±


    Her Master put a finger to Cass¡¯s lips, silencing her.


    ¡°I may own you Cass, but I have my own responsibilities to you.  You are mine, and that also means you are mine to look after.¡± Hall spoke and Cass quieted.  As difficult as this situation was, those words felt good.


    ¡°First, I would hope you are observant enough to notice Clare and I¡¯s¡­  Distaste, for each other.¡± Cass watched Hall¡¯s lips turn into a sneer, apparently just at the thought of his wife.  ¡°The second thing you have to understand is that for as much as I hate her, I hate my father a thousand times more.¡±


    Cass blinked, not expecting that turn in the conversation, but she kept silent.  At the same time she tried to recall all she knew of her Master¡¯s father. Maruice hated the whole family because of that man¡¯s actions, she knew.  Cass also vaguely remembered that Hall and his father were estranged, and Hall had done everything he could to separate himself from his father¡¯s influence.  So why was it even an issue?


    As if he could read her thoughts, though perhaps it was more that her Master simply knew her mind, Hall answered the unasked question.


    ¡°My father is not, it seems, the kind of man you can run from.¡±  Hall¡¯s anger had an exhausted edge to it, almost as if to add with his tone that even trying to run was an exercise in futility.  ¡°His influence in the Tower was for more than I had ever dreamed. Even months ago, in that carriage when I refused you, I had hoped to avoid this situation.  But my father wanted a marriage between our house and the house of Amall- Clare¡¯s family- who lack an heir and border our lands, and nothing as small as my refusal would stop him.¡±


    ¡°But how would someone like me, someone who controls and is in control, be pushed around like this?¡±  Hall continued bitterly, as if every word was bile on his tongue. ¡°Once, long ago, I asked you if you knew where my kind of personality came from- and I am sure you understand what I mean.  I am not a good man Cass, I am so close to evil that I cannot see the line anymore. But my father cannot see the line because he passed it so long, and so far ago, that it is further than any man could see behind him.¡±


    ¡°I punish your mistakes, and reward your success- to push you to grow.  I mix pleasure into pain so that my control is not solely based on pain, but also desire.  I want you to want what I do to you. And I am aware how twisted, how close to evil, that is.  Perhaps I am, it wouldn¡¯t surprise me at all- and don¡¯t you say that I am not. I broke you myself, you cannot be objective about me.¡±


    Cass had indeed opened her mouth to deny that Hall was evil, but shut it at that mild rebuke.  Cass didn¡¯t think he was a good person, but she wasn¡¯t a good person either. He was a good Master though, and she felt that was enough for her.  Something she both needed, and wanted. Still, she stayed quiet as her Master continued his mix of a story and explanation.


    ¡°My father is me, without even the tiny shred of good that I posses.  With him, there is no pleasure, no reward, no growth. Only pain, pain, and more pain, and occasionally, terror.¡±  Hall looked away from Cass, examining the floor with an seemingly intense interest- with a start, Cass realized he did not want to meet her eyes!  Her Master was¡­ Scared¡­


    But then he took a deep breath and collected himself, once more the strong and controlling Master that Cass¡­  Loved? Is that what this was? She would have to think on it later, after her mind had some time to sort out the chaos of today- or even the chaos of the past few hours!


    ¡°To make a long story short,¡± Hall spoke firmly, clearly skipping over a few things, but Cass was content to let her Master tell her in his own time.  That he had been this open at all was more than anyone in her position could ever have expected, that her Master had bothered was one of the reasons she believed he was not evil.  ¡°This ¡®marriage¡¯ has been arranged since I was ten years old, and I had desperately hoped to escape it. For that matter, Clare did everything she could to avoid this too. We hate each other to the point I won¡¯t be surprised if one of us has the other assassinated some day, and I almost wouldn¡¯t mind dying if I never saw her again as a result, so whoever kills whom, it is a win.¡±


    Cass frowned at that, her Master¡¯s death was unacceptable.  She would never let it happen so long as she drew breath, but she didn¡¯t interrupt him.  That she would do that went without saying.


    ¡°Two months ago, all hope I had to avoid this fled.¡±  Hall sighed, ¡°Somehow, my father got the Imperial family on his side and I was ¡®asked¡¯ to fulfil the contract my father had made.  Obviously, the illusion of choice was just that, and she had no more choice than I did- and so it happened.¡±


    ¡°Now this all relates to you in several ways.  Admittedly, unfortunately, our respective statuses are too different for us to ever marry- and honestly, that is not quite the relationship we have.  You desire to be owned, and I desire to own you, but how that would work out is not something that bears thought. There is no use dreaming about a fantasy that cannot happen.¡±


    Again, something Cass would have to think about later.  That statement was too big for Cass to unpack immediately.  It implied¡­ That he cared for her more than he even let on now, even if they were both aware that the imbalance of power was something they both wanted¡­  But if that imbalance was lessened, maybe that fantasy would not be so impossible¡­ No, she could not fall into this trap. If she started thinking about it, she would never escape from that cycle.


    ¡°Though I could check your heredity,¡± Hall continued his explanation.  ¡°There are many and various reasons that I have not, but it is highly likely you had a noble father as opposed to a grandparent or great grandparent.  If you and I had a child, that child would have more noble blood than common- they would have a chance to inherit, in theory anyway. You cannot imagine the danger that would put you, and that child, in from both my father and Clare¡¯s parents.  Even today, you will have to drink an herbal mixture to prevent pregnancy, or risk ending up in my father¡¯s hands somehow. I would put nothing past that bastard.¡±


    Have her Master¡¯s child?  Cass had not even thought of that, and had no idea what to think of it.  She would think about that later as well.


    ¡°The issue is, that mixture is not perfect.  If I were to take you as I wanted...¡± Cass shivered at the sudden hunger in her Master¡¯s eyes, and the sudden growl in Hall¡¯s voice.  She found herself leaning into him despite her better judgement, wanting him to do just that despite everything he was saying.


    Hall slid an arm around her back, drawing her in.  ¡°Well, the amount you would have to drink would make you sick.  And the way math works you would have my child anyway.¡±


    For him, Cass wouldn¡¯t mind.  She knew it was a consequence of her own breaking, that she would do anything for Hall so readily, but another consequence of being broken was not fully being able to care about that fact.  And her Master wasn¡¯t helping either, the hand that had slid around her back had slid down to her butt, and he was idly squeezing it. Despite the seriousness of the discussion, Cass wanted to giggle- apparently boys will be boys, and she certainly was not complaining.  In fact, she was close to pouting when he managed to regain control of himself and pulled his hand up to rest on her back.


    ¡°The end result of all of this is that we cannot risk this until I have an heir, and even then it would be dangerous.¡±


    The world was not a fair place, perhaps not even a good one.  And Cass was a broken individual, perhaps had always been broken, and only barely held together by her Master.  Cass knew these things, understood the painful nature of that reality- or she thought she did. To have had a taste- a wonderful, overwhelmingly powerful taste- of what could be, and then to have it pulled back was an excruciating lesson in just how little she had really understood.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    It was made even worse because her Master did not want this.  Cass was aware, and mostly accepting at this point, of how warped her mind had become.  If her Master had wanted Clare, Cass knew her mind would have bent to accommodate him. She also knew that most people would react to that kind of thought with horror and shock- a slave might be required to obey, but to rationalize so willingly goes even beyond that.  Perhaps it was for the best though, if her mind kept bending, warping, and breaking, what of Cass would even remain? Even at this point she realized she should figure out who she was before that changed forever, if it was not too late already.


    For now though, Cass would just keep solace in the fact that Hall liked her and not Clare.  While she worked through this issue, she would always have that over- Cass shuddered slightly at the next thought- over Lady Hall.  She gave the only response she could give her Master, much as she wished for so much more.


    ¡°I¡¯m yours, Master.  I am always happy to serve and obey you¡­¡±  Cass swallowed all her other thoughts and desires, burying it within her chest for now.  ¡°Danger does not mean much to me if it is for you. After¡­ After there is an heir, I will be still be here to serve you.¡±


    A statement that said nothing, and one- if Hall¡¯s expression was anything to go by- that was seen through instantly.  Both of them understood, and both of them knew they could do nothing about it- now. But Cass could see the look in her Master¡¯s eye, a mix of desire and aggression that made her shiver, and knew he wasn¡¯t simply going to accept it.  For all his power, intelligence, and cunning Cass almost smiled as the image of Hall as a child came to her, a child mad that he couldn¡¯t play with his toy that would steal it back when their guardian was not looking.


    For her own part, she would do what she could.  Cass did not know what she could do, but she would find out.  Her time away had changed her, she would still obey her Master without question, but she knew that there was a more assertive part of her- one that could, and would rip down any obstruction between her and what she wanted, slave or not.


    Hall smiled at the look in Cass¡¯s eye, and changed the subject.  They both silently agreed that all that needed to be said had been for now.  Cass tried to get up and go to her bags, which were still in the room, to change into something that her Master hadn¡¯t torn to shreds but the arm around her wouldn¡¯t loosen to let her up.


    ¡°Master¡­¡±  She chided softly, smiling slightly.


    ¡°Just because I can¡¯t touch, doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t like to look.¡±  Hall grinned back at her, and Cass could not help herself from giggling this time.


    ¡°You are just tormenting yourself,¡± Cass noted, mischievously moving under her covering to exspose a little more skin.  The glint in his eyes telling her she would be punished for her teasing later.


    ¡°I have taught you well enough to know that sometimes torment can be fun.¡±


    True enough, though she did have to admit she was cold¡­  Well, she could wait a bit longer.


    ¡°So where have you been the past few months?¡±  Her Master asked, casually putting his cloak- which had been lying over the couch back- over her shoulders.  Of course, he took her shredded dress. So she was still basically naked, and Cass had a sneaking suspicion that the action had been equal parts generosity and desire for better ¡®view.¡¯  He examined the remains of her dress, ¡°Beergmutar, I would guess. If this is anything to go by.¡±


    ¡°Yes Master, the people who ambushed us came from there as well.¡±  Cass nodded, and began to narrate her experiences in the kingdom to Hall.  For his part, Hall sat back and listened- nodding with approval at several points, and breaking into a wide smile at her revelation regarding Beergmutar¡¯s magic- but frowned at her description of magesbane and the magesbane orb.


    ¡°A magic tool based off of a plant poisonous to mages¡­¡±  Hall seemed to think for a while, ¡°it is odd that we have never heard of it before.  You would think that it would have been used at some point in one of the conflicts between our countries- perhaps it is a recent discovery¡­¡±


    ¡°I am not sure Master,¡± Cass shivered, and not from cold this time.  ¡°But it is powerful, even with preparations against it I was incapacitated.¡±


    ¡°Still, your¡­  Well, let us call them allies, brought you to safety.¡±  Hall raised a hand to his chin as he thought, causing Cass to lose her train of thought for a moment as she considered its definition.  She had always found him attractive, though it was more his attitude and force of personality than his looks, but having been separate from him and then reunited with such¡­  Fervor¡­ Cass was having a harder time focusing than usual. For once, she was going to blame Hall for this- it was completely his fault!


    A slight shock of pain brought her back to reality, with Hall looking at her with amusement.


    ¡°I¡¯m not even the one who is undressed, I will have to add another punishment to the list to remind you to pay attention.¡±


    ¡°My apologies, Master.¡±  Cass bowed slightly, realizing that this new tension would take some getting used to.  Another thing she would have to work on.


    ¡°As I was saying,¡± he seemed more amused than anything, but Cass resolved to focus- at the current rate she would end up being punished for an entire day if she didn¡¯t get her act together.  She would admit to liking some punishment, but it was still punishment, and if she pushed too far her Master would have her in chains begging for mercy.


    ¡°Your initiative in taking those two warriors was good,¡± Hall spoke seriously now, even releasing Cass so that she could dress- though he watched her every move as she did.  ¡°As I am sure you figured out, the original group was merely a test group with the eventual plan to perform this on trained soldiers- and to a degree, that plan is proceeding.  But as an irregular force, the martial arts combined with the glyphs might make that unit into something more.¡±


    ¡°Moreover, acquiring a large portion of that countries magic research¡­  It is worth its weight in gold, several times in fact. If you had wanted freedom, these accomplishments alone are worth it- so I suppose I am overwhelmingly lucky that you want to be mine.¡±


    Cass had never really thought of it that way, but she supposed he was right.  At least, if you left out how she had increasingly grown wild and aggressive as time went on.   And if you left out the fact that she had gained much of her worth from his training and work to begin with.  Her glyphs and magic, along with her education, were all from her Master. And she had avoided spiraling into an out of control disaster by returning to him, really, luck had little to nothing to do with it.


    ¡°Added to the fact you discovered that the southern rebels were being supported from outside the country, your revelation of magesbane, the discovery of a way past the border wall of the country, and coming back with a decent amount of gold¡­  The reward you will be getting for this, well, I know precisely what it will be, but you will have to wait.¡±


    ¡°For now,¡± Hall patted Cass on the head as he smiled.  ¡°I want you to know that I am proud of you. You are brilliant, and I will see you shine brighter still.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±  Cass barely could whisper that, overjoyed by what she had heard.  She actually had to struggle not to cry, such an odd thing to resist- crying from happiness!


    ¡°I will make sure that Natalie receives maid training,¡± Hall continued.  ¡°But as for glyphs, she is a free woman- I cannot force her, she would have to ask.  Not that a girl her age would understand what she is asking for, but the law is flawed like that.¡±


    ¡°I will talk to her,¡± Cass did not think anyone would refuse the glyphs if they were properly explained.  ¡°To have all of this- the pain is more than worth it, but on that note¡­¡±


    ¡°The new glyphs.¡±


    Cass nodded, spreading out her rough sketches, made even less intelligible by their many folds and the wear from travel, but still serviceable to an expert like her Master.  In a fit of rage, Cass had used her unparalleled magical power to make systems that intercepted light and bent it around her to a degree. She had used this to kill the Matron in a crowd of the woman¡¯s followers.


    Later, as she considered it more and more, she realized just how inelegant the systems she had used were and discovered a myriad of problems with the systems in general.  From accidentally having a limb move out of the area of effect, or other things entering that area and making it obvious, or the biggest problem of all- the more effective and refined the magic was, the less she could be seen and the less she could see out of it!  She was unable to perfect the system, but Cass theorized that if she made herself perfectly invisible she would also lose the ability to see.


    But these problems could be mitigated by a series of glyphs placed around her body.  The systems would conform to a much smaller area around her, eliminating problems in that regard and causing it to be vastly more efficient.  But more importantly, the systems could be tuned around her eyes and adjusted on the fly.


    And, as an aesthetic aside, Cass thought the idea of appearing to people as a pair of floating eyes on occasion would be fun.


    ¡°This is the kind of thing that would only be useful to you,¡± Hall noted as he examined them.  ¡°Only someone able to finely control their glyphs, and who understood the systems involved, would ever be able to use something like this.  And in all the world, that is just you.¡±


    ¡°For now Master,¡± Cass nodded.  ¡°I am certain that the way I survived can be isolated eventually, and when it does this information will be invaluable.¡±


    ¡°True,¡± Hall said, then laughed at a thought.  ¡°I get the feeling that one day you will be a walking disaster.  Beautiful as an ocean, but as deadly as a tsunami.¡±


    Cass, who had never seen an ocean, asked about the term and was blown away by her Master¡¯s response.  As a child, he had taken a trip far to the south and seen the southern coast. He had been on a large hill overlooking a bay, taking part in a feast hosted by the city¡¯s lord, when it had struck.  The hill was large, nearly as tall as ten normal buildings stacked one on the other, and the water from the wave had still ruined the lord¡¯s garden and washed up as far as the manors steps. As for the city itself¡­  It had been absolutely destroyed.


    Cass found she liked the comparison.


    ¡°I wonder though¡­¡±  Her Master mused, ¡°perhaps you could do the same thing with sound?  The magic tool you wear as an anklet- which I quite approve of, by the way- I wonder if it could similarly be made into a glyph¡­  Though I can already see why you did not, it would lose its power, at least with our current understanding¡­ Which then makes me wonder this, perhaps light could be bent into a destructive force by a magic tool?  I think I will have to explore that later¡­¡±


    Hall shook his head to clear his thoughts, ¡°regardless, I would be happy to apply them.¡±


    And probably take the opportunity to let his hands wander- not that my thoughts aren¡¯t!  Cass had to remind herself to stay focused once again.


    However, the discussion was at an end.  Cass wanted, desperately, to spend more time with Hall- but he had a meeting to attend, and she had to make certain that Natalie, Odal, and Rowig settled in.  For now, they had all been assigned to rooms near her own, but Hall gave the impression that it was only temporary and would say no more on the matter.


    Cass, unwillingly but obediently, left to find them and then had to find an excuse for Natalie as to why she had changed clothes- much to Odal¡¯s discomfort and Rowig¡¯s laughter.


    ¡°I give up!¡±  Cass threw her hands in the air, unable to stumble through a sentence under the trio of gazes, each with their own emotion.  ¡°It will make sense when you are older!¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±  Natalie was quiet for a while, then made Cass turn red as she said, ¡°My parents only gave that answer about one thing, but it seems odd that you would need a new dress- couldn¡¯t you just put the old one back on?¡±


    Rowig was on the floor now.  He had only bent over from laughter, but it was Cass¡¯s fist that sent him down.  He was not seriously hurt, and in fact, only laughed harder. Cass muttered a small prayer and changed the subject with the same amount of subtlety Rowig was portraying.


    ¡°As I expected,¡± Cass told them and pointed at the two former Warriors.  ¡°You two will be helping to train our glyphed subjects. My Master has already guaranteed you both pay and status equivalent to a minor officer- something that generally only nobles can aspire to be.¡±


    Odal and Rowig nodded, a rather muted response for what was actually stunningly generous.  However, as immigrants from another country, they did not have a good point of comparison so were only aware that it was a good thing.  They would soon find out it was more than that.


    ¡°And Nat,¡±  Cass smiled at the small girl, who was probably just happy to have a bed to sleep in again after all the travelling.  ¡°For now, you will be training to be a maid of mine- though your future might be¡­¡±


    Cass trailed off as the door opened and Clare walked in.  Despite her distaste, Cass immediatly curtsied and greeted her.  Clare was not her owner, but as the wife of her Master she was able to utilize Cass¡¯s slave collar to some extent.


    ¡°Lady Ha-¡±


    ¡°Be silent and come with me.¡±  Clare interrupted her and began to walk away.


    Never having seen the effects of a slave collar firsthand, the other three watched in shock as Cass- who they knew as wild and overpowering- snapped her jaw shut and followed the woman out of the room without another word.

 Humiliation

    As Cass silently followed Clare, she took the opportunity to observe the woman.  She was beautiful, with long deep black hair and slender legs that Cass could not help but envy¡­  But really, she was not interested in comparing herself to the woman in that way. No, what interested her instead was how she moved and acted.


    This was a woman used to authority, and unless Cass¡¯s street instincts had been dulled too much, someone she guessed was used to running people over with that authority.  She actually reminded Cass of Sarius, but they were not quite the same. She was not sure how though¡­


    The room that Clare brought her too was empty, even of furnishings, which was rather odd even for this section of the castle.  She had Cass stop moving and proceeded to examine her. Cass could hear her scoffing quietly at what she observed, and wondered if it would even be possible to have a good relationship with this woman.


    She was owned by Clare¡¯s husband, and it was obvious that Sarius liked Cass over Clare- but it was also obvious Clare disliked Sarius anyway.  Cass had heard rumors about the relations of the nobility, but she had no idea how she would fit into it.


    ¡°You know,¡± Clare spoke, and with nothing to absorb the sound, her voice echoed throughout the room.  ¡°There are two things Sarius and I share that really matter at the end of the day.¡±


    Cass couldn¡¯t look behind herself to where Clare was lifting Cass¡¯s hair and examining it, but her instincts were screaming at her that she was in danger- Cass was fairly sure how this relationship would go now, and it certainly was not going to be pleasant.  Or would it? Her Master had bent her mind to the point she almost sought pain out after all, and with his magic there is no way she could do worse than him, so it really didn¡¯t matter she supposed.


    ¡°The first is our hatred for our families,¡± Clare continued speaking, lifting Cass¡¯s arm to examine the markings on her forearm.  ¡°As you are no doubt unaware, given your background, the House of Amal is not very different from the Halls- if anything, we are worse regarded.¡±


    She laughed softly, ¡°But what does it matter if we are worse regarded when we are too powerful to move against?  The answer is, it doesn¡¯t- and our power is a bit different from my dear Sarius¡¯s family, as you will soon find out.¡±


    Clare called out and from the next room, Rat and Birdie came in¡­   They were carrying chains. To be honest, Cass did not really care all that much, if anything she considered it a waste.  Not that there weren¡¯t merits to chaining someone up, but this room clearly wasn¡¯t made for it- in fact, they were using the hooks that would have held a chandelier.  Without a proper holding cell, Cass figured that if Clare wanted to torture her she might as well just use the collar. Cass can not resist her commands after all.


    She was a little uncomfortable with Owen Rattan and Birdie shackling her up, but it was not a huge deal.  What did worry her was the look of terrified obeisance on the two¡¯s faces, it was not the kind of look that would surface in a person without ¡®training¡¯ as Cass well knew.


    ¡°The second thing we share is similar¡­  Well, let us say pastimes.¡± Clare smiled as Cass was hauled into the air by her wrists, until just her toes touched the ground.  ¡°Though there are some key differences, and it seems my dear husband has decided to come after me in both ways.¡±


    Clare¡¯s smile twisted, her beautiful face now ugly from the rage and hate- the sheer fury stunned Cass.  This woman loathed Cass for some reason¡­


    ¡°You know,¡± Clare hissed.  ¡°I hate Sarius quite a bit, but for him to demean me by sleeping with some dreg slave- and to hear every noble in the castle know of it before me, it seems I underestimated him, but I will wager he overestimates you!¡±


    Clare was tall enough to simply lean over, even with Cass strung up like this, and whisper in her ear.  ¡°You know absolutely nothing about pain, slave. I think, perhaps, some education is in order. You may use your voice to whimper, scream, cry and beg- but nothing else, not that you would be able to use it for anything else!¡±


    Cass actually wanted to use her voice to sigh.  Clare was not stupid, at least that was not Cass¡¯s evaluation of her so far, but Cass would bet money that she was too short tempered to think things through.  Somehow, someone became aware of what was going on with Cass and her Master in that room, and the word spread. This, apparently, Clare saw as an affront. Cass could understand why if Clare cared about her Master, but she clearly hated the man long before Cass returned.  Which left the reason being nothing but her feeling humiliated- for something that probably happened quite frequently in the noble circles. Sarius had not committed adultery, because Cass was not legally a person but a possession. For that matter, even if Clare was able to punish Cass in a way that actually made her afraid to go against the woman- which Cass doubted highly- even that would be a waste of time because she could not refuse her Master even if she wanted to.  And she didn¡¯t.


    ¡°Oh I can already see in your eyes that you have written this off,¡± Clare laughed.  ¡°I guess I will have to teach you a lesson, little girl.¡±


    Owen was ordered to bring over, and hold for Clare, an assortment of knives.  Not Sarius¡¯s prefered method, but Cass had experienced it before. Overall, she found it less painful than whips, but often more intimidating.  Or they were until she got used to them, and then they were just less painful.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Cass¡¯s cloths were cut away, which was annoying since she had just changed and because Owen was taking too much of a good look at her.  Cass would ¡®remind¡¯ him to be more careful with where his eyes wandered later- and probably make it a little more painful than necessary because Cass didn¡¯t like the look on his face as he did so.  For that matter, Birdie was a little too interested as well. Cass didn¡¯t care about her interest one way or the other, but her looks were even worse than Owen¡¯s!


    The way Clare used the knives was different than Sarius, Cass wasn¡¯t cut or sliced- but stabbed.  Slowly, and quite carefully, choosing a place for each blade to go before pushing each blade in up to the hilt.  Her training with Rowig had given her enough knowledge of anatomy to know that they were not lethal, and for that matter they were not even very painful.  Cass was used to so much worse that only this much would hardly be noticable, it was practically relaxing.


    Twenty minutes later, Cass was barely able to hold her head up.  Not from pain, but from blood loss.


    Clare giggled, in another situation she may have caused men to swoon over her with such cute and delicate actions, but with a bloody knife she had just pulled from Cass¡¯s chest the scene was too incongruous.


    ¡°Perfect, I just remove one more blade and¡­  there¡­¡± Clare pulled another knife from Cass, putting them back on the tray Owen was holding.  He was not looking at Cass anymore, which probably meant he was one of the more normal people in the room.  Birdie was still watching, but Cass¡¯s thoughts were too foggy to know if she was watching from lust or horror.


    ¡°You know,¡± Clare said idly as she admired the blood running down Cass and pooling on the floor.  ¡°My family, unlike the Halls, actually help with the interrogation of the Empire¡¯s enemies. We find that the most important point in that work is the one right before death, that balance is fascinating.¡±


    Clare was smiling beatifically, seemingly fascinated and overjoyed as she looked at Cass.  Cass, for her part, knew she was right- Cass was about to die before she had removed those two knives.  At this point, her enhanced healing and the blades stuck in her were just about balanced out, she healed roughly about as much as she bled- leaving her on the edge of death.


    ¡°The other thing my family knows,¡± Cass was not completely sure of reality at this point, sometimes she thought she saw grey shadows moving around her.  ¡°Is that physical pain fades or is adjusted to, or for freaks like you, becomes enjoyable. But that is only one kind of pain, and there are others- ones that are much harder to endure and get used to.¡±


    Clare adjusted one of the knives, displaying enough skill to reduce the amount of blood loss just enough for the fog in Cass¡¯s head to lift a little- wait, who the hell were all these people?  The room was full now, the walls lined with people¡­ These were the other subjects who had been glyphed, what were they doing here?


    ¡°Cass,¡± Clare spoke clearly.  ¡°I order you to only obey orders from me in this room that you would prefer to follow over death.¡±


    That actually isn¡¯t how the collar works, but few people would know that.  Cass was not actually able to speak right now, and this was probably on purpose to prevent her pointing this out.  The collars were designed to prevent a master, much less a family member of a master, from accidentally putting out an order like that which could be exploited with loopholes.  Did Clare not know this?


    Cass was released from the chains holding her, but the knives were left in her as she fell to her knees in the pool of her own blood.  Her weakness was causing her mind to wander occasionally, and looking at the blood she had an odd image of being turned into some kind of fountain¡­


    ¡°I am sure you are all aware that this whore has the favor of Sarius,¡± Clare was speaking as Cass struggled to keep on her knees and not simply fall down on her side.  ¡°She spread her legs a bit and lives in luxury while you all suffer, in fact, she was the one who made them tattoo you in the first place!¡±


    The people looking at Cass had eyes filled with hate now, and Cass doubted that reasoning with them would work anyway.  If Cass had not helped with the glyphs they would have been experimented on one by one until they were all dead¡­ From a certain point of view, she saved their lives.¡±


    ¡°She even was able to spend months being treated as royalty in another country, while you were worked to death here.¡±  Clare said, then laughed. ¡°but to save her pathetic life she would kiss my feet!¡±


    Clare gave an order, and Cass had to obey.  Crawling over in a show of obeisance, and to those who did not understand the collar, a show of her fear of death.


    ¡°And if I order her to act like a dog¡­¡±  Clare continued, ¡°bark for me puppy.¡±


    The whole room laughed at Cass¡¯s poor attempt, and Cass felt mortified- but when did she have enough pride to feel shame like this?  Less than half a year ago, she was a dreg on the street. She would have done all of this without the collar to save her life- why was she so bothered by it now?


    ¡°So tell me Cass,¡± Clare smiled evily.  ¡°Did you enjoy being fucked by your dear master?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lady Hall.¡±  The words were pulled out of Cass¡¯s mouth by the collar, despite her attempts to resist, which triggered the collars pain.  But that was good, she was okay with that.


    ¡°Well tell us about it,¡± Clare sneered.  ¡°Don¡¯t leave a detail out, tell us your every feeling.¡±


    Cass tried to resist, but she could not- and by halfway through, she did wish to die.  Her own shame was near intolerable, having to speak like this in front of these people- with Clare occasionally ordering her to behave like an animal or beg at her command- but worse to Cass, this would bring shame to her Master.  Unfortunately, the order before was a ruse- and Cass could not refuse despite her wish to die rather than shame her Master or herself anymore.


    Eventually, the knives were removed and they all left- not bothering to leave Cass something to cover herself, that was likely part of the shame they wanted to cause, leaving her in a pool of her own blood with the realization that Clare was right.  She would feel shame every time she met them, and the very thought of Rowig learning about this and telling Natalie¡­ Or her Master hearing about this¡­


    Cass had not felt this weak, helpless, and afraid for months...

 The Hunt Begins

    Cass did not want to move, but she could not let herself lay there long. She had tears running down her face and she was covered in her own blood and she did not want anyone to see her right now. Maybe for a long, long, time. But she also needed to be ready whenever her Master or- and the very thought made her shiver now- her Mistress called for her.


    She used her system to make herself invisible and disappeared, working her way back to her apartments. Thankfully, water had been set out for a bath she had never showed up to receive- even cold, she was grateful to be able to clean herself and dress. To make matters worse, even though Cass did not want to see anyone, that left her alone with her thoughts, and her thoughts were quite unpleasant.


    Clare¡­ Clare had hit Cass hard on her weakest point, her pride. As a dreg, she had none, but her time with Hall had given her some measure of self worth and a deep admiration for the worth of her Master. Cass was proud of herself, and vastly more proud of Hall- literally joyful to serve him.


    Clare humiliating Cass was one thing. Cass felt that her pride was unwarranted sometimes, and it was within the rights of her Mistress to put her back into her place. Cass had chosen this collar after all, she could hardly complain about now having to face the consequences of that. But to make her recant that experience, which had been wonderful and special to Cass, in front of a group of laughing and jeering people¡­ Her Master might hate her for the shame she had brought him. No, Hall would never do something like that- she knew that to be true. But she still worried, no matter how insanely irrational those fears were.


    A soft knock followed by the opening of her apartment door was the last thing Cass wanted to hear, and Birdie was one of the last people she had wanted to see. But Cass could do nothing about it, and tried to focus on the fact that Birdie had not been one of the ones who had laughed and hurled abuse at her. Birdie was her maid by order of their Master, and so Cass would simply have to deal with it.


    ¡°Cass,¡± Birdie began hesitantly and Cass stiffened, her wish that Birdie would say nothing blown to pieces before it even truly materialized. ¡°I am sorry, I really am- I had no choice!¡±


    Birdie rushed her words out as she looked at the floor, not raising her eyes- not that Cass was doing much else, neither of them really wanted to see each other during this conversation.


    ¡°I know,¡± Cass said, trying to rein in her emotions. ¡°You had your orders- I had mine. It is simply the way of things.¡±


    Does not make it hurt any less. Everytime Cass sees one of them will be a cause for worry and shame from now on.


    ¡°Owen did not want to either¡­¡± Birdie said softly, ¡°but that woman¡­ She is a monster!¡±


    Cass had to agree, but she could not say that. ¡°Be careful Birdie,¡± she warned instead. ¡°She is our Master¡¯s wife, you must speak of her with respect.¡±


    Though it might be a struggle, Cass thought to herself. She had come to fear Clare after just a few hours- but the thought was interrupted when the door was opened so violently it nearly went off its hinges.


    ¡°Master,¡± Cass bowed deeply- mostly out of respect but partially out of a desire to hide her face. Birdie also curtsied, though she was ignored by Hall.


    ¡°I heard what happened.¡±


    The first words out of her Master¡¯s mouth made her chest constrict and terror start to worm its way through Cass¡¯s veins.


    ¡°I am sorry Mas-¡±


    ¡°I am not angry at you Cass!¡± Hall interrupted, though his tone and words did not match in the slightest. ¡°I should have warned you about the struggles between me and her- she thinks that she has a chance to have power over me, but I will show her otherwise. This little back and forth of ours has gone on long enough.¡±


    Her Master was seething, his anger barely contained and leaking out through his words and actions to the point it almost felt like he was spitting fire. Cass had never seen him so furious, and it was terrifying. It was a level of pure loathing that Cass could not even fathom.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    ¡°I do not care how, I do not care when- so long as it is soon- but I want all of them dead,¡± Hall grabbed Cass¡¯s chin and forced her to look him in the eyes. ¡°I am going to teach my ¡®wife¡¯ a lesson, and you, my dear, are going to get a measure of vengeance through it.¡±


    As much as Cass wanted to do as her Master asks, she had to remind him. ¡°Master, aren¡¯t those subjects of value to you? Are you sure you want to waste them for me?¡±


    ¡°First, it is not just for you- she humiliates me as well through this.¡± Her Master¡¯s eyes narrowed dangerously as he considered his next sentence, ¡°and even if it was just you, I would still do this. You are much more valuable to me than all of their lives and talents combined!¡±


    Despite everything, Cass could not help but have her spirits lifted by hearing this and bowed to her Master. ¡°As you command Master.¡±


    ¡°Oh and you can spare Owen and Birdie at your discretion,¡± Hall eyed the girl who had been slowly backing away from the conversation- clearly worried Cass might turn and pounce on her. ¡°Honestly, I do not care which you choose.¡±


    With that he left, and Cass turned to Birdie who froze like a small animal suddenly confronted with a dangerous predator.


    ¡°I won¡¯t hurt you,¡± Cass spoke, though her tone made it clear she was debating it. ¡°Continue to do your work.¡±


    Birdie did not stick around to become an eyesore, she immediately ran off to whatever work it was that she did- leaving Cass alone and feeling much better than she had even a little bit ago. After a little bit of hunting, she might feel even better¡­


    An hour later, she was perched invisible on a window box on a second floor window above a courtyard listening to the group below her speak and considering the best, most painful, ways to kill them.


    ¡°Haha,¡± one laughed. ¡°You had to love listening to the bitch beg!¡±


    ¡°Compared to that story she told? Are you crazy? That is a grade A whore right there!¡± Another said.


    ¡°I¡¯d kill for a night with her,¡± the final man spoke wistfully, but his face was twisted in a crude caricature of lust. ¡°If she likes screaming I know just thing for her too.¡±


    ¡°Man, we all know what you are into,¡± the first complained. ¡°You have told us more than once, and once was far too much- can¡¯t you even have a normal conversation?¡±


    ¡°All I am saying is that you don¡¯t have to worry about kids if you stick it where I tell you! And if you want to hear a girl beg and cry, ain¡¯t nothing better!¡±


    ¡°You know,¡± Cass appeared beside the man. ¡°That is not a bad idea.¡±


    Then her fist slammed into his stomach with enough force to send him flying into the wall. The other two caught on when their buddy went flying and ¡®activated¡¯ their glyphs- though it was a far different activation than Cass¡¯s own- and struck at her. However, her training with Rowig- combined with her own glyphs- was more than enough for her to easily gain the upper hand. She was so superior that she did not need to use her magic, but she felt it was fitting revenge to humiliate them, and so she made systems to trip them up so that she could laugh at them. Then she made systems that shot a stone into one of their crotches, again laughing as the man collapsed in pain.


    When she finally began to tire of this, which is to say that she got bored- she was not physically tired in the least- she used systems she had learned from Beergmutar, with spider silk as a catalyst, to spin webs that bound them hand and foot.


    She put another wad of the stuff in their mouths just to shut them up, though it did make her sad that she would not be able to hear their screams as well as a result.


    ¡°So you boys like experimenting in where things go, hmmm?¡± Cass joked as she dragged the three behind her. ¡°Well, I am not going to judge you for that- I wouldn¡¯t have the experience to know, though I have heard stories.¡±


    This particular courtyard was well decorated. Four statues of soldiers bearing lances flanked a fountain with a beautiful woman statue who held a jug from which flowed the fountains water. The garden was well kept, despite it being in one of the less used portions of the castle, but it was normally quiet- giving it an almost otherworldly, fae-like feeling sometimes.


    ¡°In fact, I would really like to help you.¡± Cass said earnestly, though her face could only be described as ¡®gleefully evil.¡¯ ¡°You boys don¡¯t mind that right?¡±


    Of course, the only answer she got back was unintelligible grunts against the gags of spider silk, but Cass took that for a yes.


    ¡°Wonderful,¡± Cass stopped pulling them and picked one of them up with her supernatural strength. ¡°I think this is the perfect spot.¡±


    Still holding the man, Cass casually jumped on to the horse statue- and proceeded to impale the man upon the statues lance. Cass jumped down and admired her handiwork, as the shaking, screaming, man tried to escape- but only ended up causing himself more pain.


    ¡°Heh, Master was right,¡± Cass said to herself. ¡°I do feel better after this!¡±


    She was also more sure that she had lost her sanity and any vestige of morality that she had when she was on the street- but she had two more people to ¡®help.¡¯

 Family

    *Sarius Hall*


    Sarius Hall was a powerful man. Walking through the halls of the Imperial Center, many who knew who he was would make way and bow, but he ignored them. He also ignored the ones that smirked at him from the side, if that was all they could do they were not worth his attention. The politics of Haj were complex, and in the heart of Tyine, the Imperial Center was the depths of that web.


    Hall had thought that joining the Tower and being apprenticed to Evans would allow him to step out of that web, but he had vastly underestimated the hold it had on him. The hold his father had on him. That was why he was here at all, this section of the Center was far more used than where he was used to. Red carpets with complex designs covered the floor, decorative scones held torches with mirrored backs to light the halls and the walls were decorated with thick tapestries and paintings. Servants and nobles moved about in their various duties and plots, and the whole place felt bright and alive.


    All the better to hide the rot. Though admittedly, if his father was not there it would not be nearly so bad. Sarius¡¯s father was enough to rot wherever he stood.


    Sarius stroad through the hallways, turning corners with purpose until he was in front of a double door which two servants opened for him as they announced his presence. He did not want to be here, but he could never show it. Showing weakness here would have consequences worse than death.


    ¡°Sarius,¡± his father was behind a desk, sitting back from the papers he had been reading with a pleasant smile on his face. ¡°Why is it that I have to order my son to appear before me if I want to see him? You never drop by otherwise.¡±


    ¡°It is not my fault you have grown too old to remember,¡± Sarius spoke harshly. No weakness, absolutely none. ¡°If your senility has progressed that far, I might be ruling House Hall before very long- I can only imagine the problems you will leave me with.¡±


    ¡°Haha!¡± Viscount Wilric Hall laughed aloud, ¡°you could only wish Sarius, I am not about to pass on yet- especially when you are so incompetent.¡±


    ¡°Leaving a sinking ship is only seen as incompetent by the person who does not see the water pooling at their feet,¡± Sarius replied smoothly. ¡°All you are doing is putting a rope around my neck to drag me down with you.¡±


    ¡°Enough,¡± Wilric scowled, signaling that the round had gone to Sarius. ¡°At the very least I would have thought you would stop fighting my plans after that marriage took place, but some of the reports I am reading suggest otherwise. You know how important Clare is, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Again, I have to question your competence.¡± Sarius snarled, ¡°You know that she and I hate each other, what were you expecting?¡±


    ¡°I was expecting you to be smart enough to take part in merging the Amall¡¯s into our own family!¡± Wilric snarled, slamming his fist down on the table. ¡°Just because the contracts are signed does not mean we have won! If this situation between you and Clare is not worked out we run the risk of losing the Amall¡¯s connections- something we desperately need if we want the Hall family to rise to the position of Dukes! And you are throwing all of my work away to screw some little slave girl!¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°If it was anyone else besides you saying that, I would feel guilt and shame.¡± Sarius matched his father¡¯s tone, his anger rising to the surface. ¡°After what you have done you have no right to lecture me on anything!¡±


    His father just snorted, ¡°That is the way of things between the strong and the weak, son. The reason I can do what I want and then have you forced to appear before me is because I am strong, and you are weak. Did you really think hiding behind the Tower and Evans would stop me? That is not your strength, you are merely borrowing theirs, at the end of the day you have nothing- aside from your magic. Aside from the slaves, which according to my reports are being massacred as we speak, what do you have? Where is your Steward, who serves as your Hand? What connections have you built and what territory do you hold? If I decided to remind you of our little play times by bending you over this desk right now you would have no way to stop me- because you are weak and pathetic and you will always be.¡±


    Sarius wilted under his father¡¯s words. No matter how he tried to be strong in front of him, this man would always be a step ahead. To make matters worse- his father was not wrong. If Sarius had been stronger, had built connections and seized opportunities outside of his magical research, he might not be here.


    Before he could collect himself, his father drove his victory home, like a spike through his chest.


    ¡°You cannot even control your own wife,¡± his father was chuckling now. ¡°Sure, she is a strong willed woman from a powerful family- but a bitch is a bitch. I put your mother in her place soon enough, and kept her there. You cannot even stop her from attacking your favorite slave! Speaking of which¡­¡±


    Viscount Hall pulled a certain paper out of one of the piles and skimmed it, ¡°I will admit this ¡®Cass¡¯ is an interesting slave. To think you had broken her so thoroughly that she would come back after being freed and having more than enough wealth to live a life wherever and however she chose. And her power¡­ When you figure out how her power works, and you will if you do not want her and I to become acquainted, our family will have power enough to make a bid for the Imperial Court, especially when you consider her ancestry.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Sarius was surprised by that statement. For various reasons, Evans and Hall had never checked on Cass¡¯s parentage- if they never checked, they could always say they did not know. Some families were interested in their children with peasants if they showed magical talent after all, and it was best not to get involved in that debate. However, when his father handed the document over to Sarius and he read it, he had an incredible shock.


    ¡°Impossible,¡± he shook his head, denying the words on the page. ¡°How would you even get her blood? Even if it was her blood, this result is obviously false!¡±


    In response, Viscount Hall merely produced a small stack of similar reports- all from different testers and said, ¡°Clare was quite happy to provide as much of Cass¡¯s blood as I needed- more in fact. Quite a jealous little harpy, that one- you would think she would be glad that you were screwing someone besides her, but I would guess she finds it insulting that you would prefer a slave instead.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Sarius threw the paper back at his father as if it had burned his hands. ¡°I will not believe this- not coming from you.¡±


    His father merely shrugged and told him to do the test himself. If he had not been lying, then there were many people in positions of great power who were reading reports similar to what Hall had just seen. There were consequences to having ancestry like that.


    Sarius growled and turned on his heel, this matter had to be addressed immediately- he would have to have a response ready.


    ¡°Sarius,¡± his father called out from behind him and Sarius paused at the doorway, despite his fervent wish to leave. ¡°Given her parentage, I am actually quite curious about how things will turn out. If you want to struggle with Clare, with this slave as the focus, be my guest. No matter what happens, the only one who wins is me.¡±


    Sarius hated his father¡¯s smile- especially this one. As a child he had seen it often, and it had always been associated with pain, disgust, and shame. Hall left as soon as his father was done speaking, nearly fleeing from his father¡¯s office in the Imperial Center.

 Masters Hand

    *Cass*


    Once again, Cass was listening to her targets speak.  They had locked themselves in this room from fear, and she had walked in with them invisible.  It amused her to terrify them, it made the revenge all the sweeter.


    ¡°Shit!¡±  One of them swore, ¡°I cannot believe they will not do anything- after all they spent on us, and all the work we did!¡±


    ¡°Even Lady Bitch herself isn¡¯t doing shit.  That bastard must hav- urk!¡±


    She had been following them long enough to know who ¡®bastard¡¯ was referring to, and she was done letting the insult pass.  Cass grabbed him by the neck, not quite strangling him, but simply letting him struggle for a moment before she snapped his neck and tossed him aside.  The other man fell back in fear, tripping over his own feet. Even with his glyphs, a street rat was still a dreg. The street left its mark on people, and while some of the subjects had grown beyond that, most were like this one.  Craven.


    She left the room, feeling slightly bad for the maids that would have to clean up the mess she left.  Cass herself needed a bath, she had to wonder if she shouldn¡¯t learn to use a blade, it would be much cleaner for her.  Those two had been the last, Cass had stalked them as they begged the various nobles and commanders to protect them and were refused.  Her Master¡¯s conflict with Lady Clare¡¯s had intensified, an internal family matter that no other lord or military officer was interested in getting involved with.


    Three weeks had passed in this power struggle, and on some level, Cass found it fascinating.  In theory, Lord Hall owned both Cass and the former test subjects- in practice, what they could do was heavily influenced by the connections of whomever gave them orders.  Again, theoretically, Sarius was in charge of his wife, but he had spent years distancing himself from politics and Clare had spent years being immersed in it by her family.


    The easiest way this could be shown was in moving through the halls.  Guards would impede anyone obeying Hall instead of Clare because of the strings she pulled behind the scene.  Both slaves and servants would only follow the letter of Hall¡¯s orders, but they would follow the spirit of Clare¡¯s because she used her families connections to offer rewards of all kinds.  But Cass had tipped the balance, simply by showing that this disobedience would have consequences- and that Clare could not protect them from it.


    Of course, in order to fulfill her Master¡¯s wishes Cass also had to be wary of Clare.  Clare could not countermand Hall, but the way the collars worked was far more complex than Cass had initially assumed.  In fact, as magic items they were far more advanced than what could normally be created and yet had strange loopholes that could not be closed.  In short, if Clare gave Cass an order she would not be able to disobey it unless it was directly against her Master or her Master¡¯s orders.


    Of course, the other issue was that Cass was simply terrified of Clare.  She could not say that she would rather die than go through ¡®that¡¯ again, but it was a near thing.  Thankfully, Clare was visiting her family today, so after Cass¡¯s bath she was free to walk normally through the hallways.


    But this also left her free to worry¡­


    ¡°Ah, Master¡­¡±  She breathed out, thinking about the pressure Sarius seemed to be under.  There was something going on behind the scenes, though it is only to be expected a slave would not know the details of the family- but her Master always returned pale faced after meeting with his father.  Considering that, the rumors and stories Cass had heard about Viscount Hall seemed to be under exaggerated.


    She arrived at her Master¡¯s chambers- the ones he used for work, that is- had a guard at the door announce her and was told to go inside.  However, Lord Hall was not alone there.


    There were three other men inside, two of which Cass vaguely recognized.  The two she recognized were dressed in ceremonial Imperial armor, one of which wore a rather ornate red cape.  When the young man without the cape smiled at her Master, Cass remembered- he was Lord Vincent, a friend of Hall¡¯s who had been present when the army was testing her.  Which meant the other man that seemed familiar was probably the Lord Secretariat, though Cass remembered absolutely nothing about him other than that- maybe his name was Caim?  The third man was dressed as a noble, a rather distinguished, older gentlemen who stood ramrod straight and had a slightly intimidating presence.


    ¡°I beg your pardon, my Lords.¡±  Cass curtsied deeply as she entered the room, ¡°I was ordered to appear before my Lord Master and inform him when my job was completed- I hope you can forgive the intrusion.¡±


    For a slave to interrupt her betters was generally a death sentence- but orders were orders.  The balance between those two was held through language and proper etiquette. A couple of the people she had stalked were killed before she even touched them for upsetting that balance, but Cass had a far better grasp of the manners required of her.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°Worry not, Lady Cass,¡± Vincent laughed.  ¡°A beautiful flower such as yourself does not need to apologize for appearing before us!  How ungrateful would we be to see a sunrise and toss it away?¡±


    ¡°Vincent¡­¡±  Sarius growled, as Vincent laughed at the stunned and flustered Cass.


    ¡°Haha, teasing the two of you is far too easy,¡± Vincent was smiling widely.  ¡°Really Sarius, you need to learn to lighten up a bit, or every joke will throw you for a loop!¡±


    ¡°Perhaps it was because the joke was in particularly bad taste, considering the topic.¡±  The Secretariat Caim said mildly, ¡°Though all of us have to admit that it is good to have the subject before us.¡±


    Wait?  Were they talking about me?  Cass wondered to herself. Surely she was not important enough to warrant much of a discussion in the grand scheme of things- perhaps it was about her glyphs?  Or¡­ Nat and the others were sent away to stay with Vincent¡¯s part of the army to protect themselves from the infighting, Cass desperately prayed that nothing had happened to Natalie.  Vincent¡¯s appearance here worried her, but Cass could not exactly ask him. She did not have the right to speak and ask questions in this company.


    ¡°Cass,¡± her Master Hall spoke.  ¡°I need you to answer some questions for Lord Tenbronous.¡±  Hall indicated the older, unarmored, man who had not spoken.


    ¡°He is a mage who works in the archives¡­  And although I know that I do not need to go this far, for his peace of mind I order you to answer all of his questions truthfully while in this room today.¡±


    Her Master had gone so far as to qualify a place and time- meaning that he did not necessarily trust this man.  The magic of the collars was complex, but not all orders that unspecified limits applied for the slaves entire life.  Some orders faded while some did not, and no one was sure why. Still, it was good practice to take precautions as her Master did.


    Having the attention of all four men turned on her made Cass even more nervous, but she curtsied again and acknowledged her Master¡¯s orders.


    ¡°Then I will simply get right to it,¡± Tenbronous spoke, his voice was dignified as he befit this proper, grey haired man.  He was old, but gave off no signs of weakness in his steel colored eyes, and even though his voice was soft, it was still authoritative.  This was an important man comfortable and natural in his exercise of power.


    ¡°First, I must ask you, do you know your father¡¯s name or what he looks like?¡±


    ¡°No my Lord,¡± Cass answered truthfully.  ¡°I do not know either, my Mother died not very long after my birth and I am told that she refused to speak about my father.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±  Tenbronous muttered, ¡°I am aware you were in one of the Church¡¯s orphanages- where did you go once you left?¡±


    Cass was made to tell her life story to the men listening, though she had no idea why they would be interested.  Well, that is untrue, there was only one reason this could possibly interest them.


    ¡°As unlikely as it seems,¡± Caim spoke after listening to Cass speak for over an hour on various parts of her past.  ¡°The timing fits with our employment records, as best as we are able to tell anyway and with these questions we know that she has not and is not being groomed for anything subversive.¡±


    Subversive?  Ha¡­ When Cass had been asked a question about her loyalty she had answered honestly, ¡°I am absolutely loyal to my Master, Lord Hall.  Above even my life.¡±


    Of course, when asked specifically about her loyalty to Haj they had learned that Cass essentially was loyal to the extent her Master was.  Or rather, she valued what he valued and was loyal to what he was loyal. To be honest, answering these questions made her wonder if she was nothing more than a dog, but she dismissed the thought quickly- the answer was obvious.


    Currently, she was a dog.  She had been a feral dog, sick and starving, eating scraps in an alley.  She was caught, collared and trained and was becoming useful, but then was let off the leash and went wild without it.  With that leash back on, she was still a dog, but now less a mongrel than a hunting dog for her Master. With the growth he encouraged in her, one day she might be able to stand without this collar as a powerful person in her own right, Cass felt.  Of course, she also knew that she simply enjoyed having Hall holding her leash, and would probably not want it removed even in that far off future.


    However, she was pulled from her thoughts by the direction the conversation was heading- a way that scarred her only slightly less than Clare did!


    ¡°Given this, the Imperial Family will be taking ownership of her- you will be compen-¡±  Lord Tenbronous was speaking, but Sarius Hall interrupted him.


    ¡°Unfortunately, that will not be happening.¡±


    ¡°You would defy the Empire for a slave?¡±  Tenbronous seemed shocked, as was everyone else in the room aside from Hall.  But before that shock could be expressed, Cass¡¯s Master continued.


    ¡°Not intentionally,¡± Hall said smoothly.  ¡°Lady Cass is my Hand, even though she is a slave her station is such that not even you can simply take her.¡±


    ¡°So you prepared an answer beforehand, knowing I was coming¡­¡±  Tenbronous¡¯s tone turned dangerous, ¡°This will not be forgotten, Lord Hall.¡±


    With that, he stalked out of the room past the shell shocked Cass- she had been appointed to be her Master¡¯s Hand?

 Revelations

    ¡°M- Master, I do not understand.¡±  Cass stuttered in her shock. She knew, roughly, what a Noble¡¯s Hand was- a trusted servant that could exercise some of their Master¡¯s authority, but different from a Steward in that instead of managing a home, they would manage their Master¡¯s authority in the world at large.  Cass was not aware that a slave like her could even take the job, and would never have believed that it would have been given to her regardless.


    For that matter, they seemed to know who her father was- and whomever it was, they were powerful enough to simply take Cass away from her Master if she had not been granted this position.  Though she was not even sure how the position protected her¡­


    ¡°Sarius, are you sure about this?¡±  Vincent asked, his serious and concerned attitude was far different from his normally jovial demeanor.  ¡°I mean, leaving aside whether she can do the job- it is the Imperial Family that you are angering, not to mention that your father and wife won¡¯t approve.¡±


    Cass saw that her Master had shivered slightly at the mention of his father, but his composure did not waver.  Only someone as attentive as her to the slight changes around Sarius would ever have noticed.


    Instead of directly answering the question, Cass¡¯s Master called her to stand before him and she did so.


    ¡°Cass,¡± Hall looked her straight in the eyes and spoke with absolute seriousness.  ¡°About your father¡­ There is simply no gentle way to say this, so brace yourself- your father is His Highness, Fourth Prince Joseph Haj¡¯ivaren.¡±


    For a few seconds, Cass was unable to understand the words her Master had spoken.  When she did, she swayed where she stood- the room spinning, causing Vincent to reach out and steady her.  A nice gesture she did not deserve as a slave, a slave who could not possibly be related to someone so powerful!


    ¡°It¡­  No, Master that is¡­¡±  Cass could not gather her thoughts, between being appointed to be her Master¡¯s Hand and this news, Cass¡¯s mind was not able to comprehend the information she had been given.  ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± her Master said firmly, but gently.  ¡°When the Archivers use the Book of Bloodlines, they do not make mistakes- the answer is certain.¡±


    ¡°And the Imperial Family is not like the other nobles,¡± Vincent chimed in.  ¡°They take their bloodline even more seriously. Congratulations Cass, technically, you are now the one thousandth person in line for the Throne, give or take.  When you get past the tenth it gets a bit complicated, you are probably somewhere between the nine hundred and eleven hundredth spot.¡±


    ¡°No one past one hundred actually has any chance of taking the throne,¡± Hall sighed.  ¡°However, only families with the blood of the Imperial Family are eligible in the first place, which is why I am not in that line at all.  And given your status as my slave, this creates problems.¡±


    Hall stood up and looked out a window, towards the heart of the Imperial Center.  ¡°Normally, it would not matter much. As Vincent said, you have absolutely no chance of ever ascending to the throne, whatever the list might say.  But, you are unique in your magical ability and so the Imperial Family wanted to ¡®acquire¡¯ you for themselves.¡±


    ¡°Technically, as of this point, you are not a commoner Cass.¡±  Hall continued, looking back at her. ¡°But neither are you a noble, you have slipped into one of the cracks in the laws of this country- a loophole left in from who knows when, and this in turn allowed me to appoint you as my Hand.  Which made it politically untenable for them to simply seize you.¡±


    Walking over to Cass and putting his hand under her chin, Hall guided Cass¡¯s eyes up to meet his.  Cass forgot about the others in the room, and later she would wonder if her Master likewise forgot.


    ¡°I know you can excel in this position Cass,¡± he spoke softly.  ¡°I know that you will never disappoint me.¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°Master¡­¡±  Cass felt herself relax and she replied, ¡°of course Master, if you want something of me, I will always give it to you.  I will give my absolute all to fulfill your expectations.¡±


    ¡°I would tell you two to get a room,¡± Vincent disrupted the moment with his dry comment.  ¡°But this is your¡¯s Hall, I am just curious why you want an audience. Not that I would mind seeing more of Cass, but I do not think my eyes would ever recover from what I saw of you!¡±


    ¡°Lord Hall,¡± Caim sighed with exasperation.  ¡°I threw my lot in with your faction because of what you offered, and those two trainers have certainly delivered in that regard.  But you should show more decorum, especially considering the position you are now in.¡±


    ¡°You should be happy with this appointment too, Lord Secretariat.¡±  Hall said smoothly, subtly brushing Cass¡¯s cheek before letting go of her.  ¡°Those trainers, Rowig and Odal, were recruited by Cass here- just as she was the one to discover how to make the glyphs function as we wished for them to.  When the new troops are deployed to the south in a few months her contributions will allow them to subjugate those rebels with ease.¡±


    ¡°True enough, too many nobles shy away from battle these days, but the ones that still do are coming around to your side- and to think that you were rumored to be inept when it came to politics.¡±


    Hall chuckled, ¡°well, I never had much of a reason to care before.¡±  The way Hall looked at Cass when he said those words made her shiver.  Sometimes her Master simply looked so¡­ Hungry¡­  Cass was not sure if she was intimidated or hopeful¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Cass,¡± Hall spoke to her directly.  ¡°I will make sure you are ready for the job, and I think the attendants I have chosen for you will meet your approval.¡±


    ¡°You do not need to be so considerate towards me Master!¡±  Cass rushed out, ¡°I will work with whoever you decide, you do not need to think of me.¡±


    ¡°But I like to,¡± Hall said and Vincent groaned, muttering something about needing to teach Hall how to speak to women better.  ¡°And it will make your job easier, and thus, my life easier.¡±


    ¡°I will excuse myself before this goes any further,¡± Caim sighed.  ¡°A good day to you, my Lords and Lady Cass.¡±


    Cass was so shocked she was unable to respond as the Secretariat left and Vincent laughed at her expression.  ¡°Hands are generally considered to be higher ranking than Stewards. Unlike Stewards, the correct address for a Hand is either ¡®lord¡¯ or ¡®lady.¡¯  You may not have a title- yet- but you are now officially Lady Cass.¡±


    Cass had no idea what to make of the ¡®yet.¡¯  Hand or not, she was still a slave and, if she could convince herself that she had not dreamed the last few hours, even if she had Imperial blood- she was still just a commoner!


    ¡°With this, I will have Clare cornered as well.¡±  Hall smiled, ¡°and when the political situation stabilizes I will finally be able to go back to my research- especially with my favorite subject back.¡±


    ¡°Ok, jokes aside, you have to cool down Sarius,¡± Vincent spoke seriously now.  ¡°You have not won yet, and your wife won¡¯t take this lying down.¡±


    ¡°True,¡± Hall took a deep breath to calm himself.  ¡°Whatever happens, I will be ready.¡±


    Vincent also bid his goodbyes, leaving Cass and Hall alone in the room.  As her Master sat behind his desk, he indicated that Cass should sit in the chair in front of it.


    ¡°Your attendants are to be Owin, that Birdie girl and the young girl named Natalie that you brought with you.¡±  Hall said, and Cass was happy to have them and especially happy that Natalie would be getting a far superior education than a simple maid.  However, her Master seemed to be struggling with what he was going to say next.


    ¡°This struggle,¡± Hall paused, then sighed.  ¡°It is not just between Clare and I, but it involves my father and I have to ask you now, in private, if you want this.  Despite what I said in front of them, I will not order you into this position- if you want to, you can go. I know what happened with Clare, and all I can say is that my father is worse- so much worse, and no, do not ask me anything more.  I am going to take House Hall for myself, and as dangerous as it is, I would like you to come with me.¡±


    Cass watched her Master for a moment, then started to laugh.


    ¡°Master, punish me if you will, but for such a genius you sure can be dumb sometimes.¡±  She was giggling, ¡°I am not even sure why you would ask that question- I do not think I am as capable as you think, but I will give my best for you.¡±


    Hall blinked, then sat back and laughed loudly.  ¡°Well then, it seems it is settled.¡±

 A Gift

    After that meeting, Cass had a lot to learn and she had multiple tutors this time- of a much higher quality as well.  The sheer volume of information about politics and etiquette made Cass feel like her head was going to explode. It was not just the name and current position of families and their affairs, but their pasts and their connections with each other.  Cass felt that she could study this country forever and not understand it.


    And surprisingly, her best tutor was Owin.  Having seen him as Rat, she could only describe those two facets of the man as different people altogether.  His ability to explain the words of the tutors in a way that could be understood by someone off the street was invaluable and took a great deal of stress off of Cass.  That Clare had also seemed to step back was also a great weight off of her, but Cass could not relax. Still, Cass did not think she was defeated- the sheer terror that would seize Cass when Clare would so much as smile at her¡­


    Almost as bad was Cass¡¯s reuniting with Maurice.


    Natalie had came back with Owin and Birdie, and with her came Maurice, who had been training her as a maid.  Cass was glad that Nat had a chance to meet Maurice, but when Maurice had looked at her with such sad and disappointed eyes, Cass could not help but feel ashamed.  Cass¡¯s revenge had not gone unnoticed, and Maurice was smart enough to put two and two together and figure out that Cass was the culprit. Especially since she must have heard about Cass¡¯s exploits in Beergmutar from Natalie.


    Still, Cass did not run from this- instead she made time to talk to Maurice and they were walking through a courtyard.  Though it was quiet between them, and Maurice broke the silence first.


    ¡°I got something for you, as a birthday gift.¡±  Maurice produced a small book and gave it to Cass.  It was a copy of the First Testament, one of the holy books of the Church.  Cass was stunned, she had never received anything on her birthday- for that matter she was surprised that Maurice even knew¡­


    ¡°Thank you, but how did you¡­?¡±  Cass took the book with reverence.  It was not a basic copy of the book, but gilded and artistic.  Books are expensive, but one like this was a treasure. ¡°Maurice, I could not possibly take something like this!¡±


    ¡°Well, first, it was pretty easy to know when your birthday was Cass- all orphans are counted as having it at the beginning of spring, so congratulations on turning fifteen, Cass!¡±


    ¡°Th- thank you, but still¡­¡±


    ¡°Please, accept it- after all of that, I feel you need it more than anything else right now.¡±


    Cass could not argue against that, ¡°Maurice, I¡­  I do not know what to say¡­¡±


    ¡°Cass, I heard about what happened.¡±  Maurice said quietly, and Cass looked away- after everything Maurice had done for her, and now that she had been given such a precious gift¡­  Cass felt shame near what Clare had shown her and she was barely able to prevent herself from fleeing. But Maurice would not even let her look away, she cupped Cass¡¯s face and guided her to meet Maurice¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Cass, I cannot say that I am not disappointed- but I am also proud of you.¡±


    ¡°Proud?¡±  Cass started, ¡°how could you be proud of what I did?¡±


    ¡°Cass- I do not think you are as far from good as you imagine.¡±  Maurice said quietly, ¡°what you have done for Natalie is wonderful by itself.  She told me about how you shut down a brothel and your attempts to protect her and her family- even within the chaos you did good.¡±


    Maurice smiled sadly, ¡°what makes me sad is that you felt the need to return here and serve him.¡±


    ¡°He is not as bad a person as you think Maurice,¡± Cass spoke quickly, defending her Master.  ¡°I often think he is a better person than me.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Maurice sighed and let go of Cass¡¯s face, ¡°I will not argue that with you.  Regardless of how you arrived at the emotions- you love that man, and what person would not like to think the best of the person they love?  But Cass¡­ Sometimes I think you feel you need to have someone over you, and I think that you are better than you think.¡±


    Maurice could see through her too easily, but Cass did not agree with her conclusions.  Still, she was felt better with Maurice¡¯s words.


    ¡°And I hope that the First Testament helps you become better still- especially considering your new position, my Lady Cass.¡±  Maurice¡¯s eyes sparkled mischievously as she called Cass ¡®lady.¡¯ And admittedly, Cass did react in what was probably an amusing way.


    ¡°You do not need to call me that!¡±  Cass said hurriedly, ¡°please just call me Cass!  I can hardly believe that this has happened at all!¡±


    ¡°Just keep to the teachings of the Church, and work towards your dreams.¡±  Maurice said and smiled, ¡°before you felt that your dreams were beyond what you could accomplish, but look- you are closer to it now than you were before!¡±


    Cass had to admit that it was true, and when she parted with Maurice she was in a far better mood than she was before.  She had gone into the conversation afraid, but Maurice always made her feel better.


    Natalie was doing quite well herself, even as one of Cass¡¯s attendants her quality of life had increased- and Cass made sure she was kept busy to prevent her from thinking back on her family.  Natalie was given a room in Cass¡¯s suite at Cass¡¯s request and was getting along well with Owin and Birdie- though Cass had never told Nat about how she had threatened Owin with a painful and slow death if he ever touched Nat.


    ¡°So I think that she should have an actual name- it must just be demeaning to be called that every day.¡±  Natalie was saying as she walked beside Cass in one of her rare moments of free time.


    ¡°Oh?¡±  Cass laughed, ¡°and what would you call Birdie instead?¡±


    ¡°I asked her about it, and she really liked ¡®Svala,¡¯¡± Natalie replied happily.  ¡°What do you think about it, Lady Cass?¡±


    Realistically, Birdie did not have a name currently.  Lord Hall could be barely bothered to remember that she existed, and aside from Owin and Cass the rest of the test subjects were dead.  She had been called Birdie, but her name was not recorded anywhere and considering her new duties, a more proper name would likely be better.  According to Nat, ¡®Svala¡¯ was a name that referred to birds in Old Beergmutar, so it fit rather well.


    ¡°If she is ok with it, I think that is a great idea.¡±  Cass smiled, ¡°though you might be surprised at how people react to names in the lower rungs of Haj¡¯s society.  When I was on the street my name was far too good for me. Those above me would be angry that I would associate with them, and those with me on the streets would think I was arrogant- all because of my name.¡±


    ¡°Owin mentioned that,¡± Natalie said thoughtfully.  ¡°He told me that when he was on the street he went by the name ¡®Rat.¡¯  It seems sad to me that he would be afraid to use his own name- but Cass is not your actual name, is it?  Why did you not choose a lesser name if that one causes so much trouble?¡±


    Cass laughed, ¡°No, it is my name- just not my full name.  My mother named me Cassandra- and that is all I have from her.  I just have never been able to throw it away, sad as that is to say.  It is a kind of sentiment that does not serve you well on the street, and I paid for it more than once.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see¡­¡±  Natalie was suddenly quiet, and Cass cursed herself for her idiocy.  To mention a family member was a terrible thing when talking to Nat right now.


    ¡°Hey Nat, I almost forgot to show you- take a look at this.¡±


    A flower appeared in thin air before Natalie and she gasped, and reached for it- but her fingers passed through.


    ¡°Haha,¡± Cass laughed.  ¡°It was not really there, the groundskeepers have them in a greenhouse not far from here- I am just using magic to show you the image.  Want to go see them?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­  and that magic was amazing Cass!¡±


    Cass chuckled and thanked Natalie, guiding her to the greenhouse where the groundskeepers kept the flowers while waiting for the weather to be ready.  Then they would plant the flowers so that it seemed that flowers had bloomed immediately.


    Cass was explaining this while trying to hide her trembling limbs.  What she had done was a variation of her invisibility system, and it took so much mana that even Cass could not maintain it.  To make a single flower appear had driven Cass to the edge of consciousness, but it was worth it to distract Natalie. Cass did not want to see her sad...

 Unpleasant Meetings

    The Church¡¯s teachings were divided into eight Testaments.  Each was a thick book that contained many parables whose teachings were meant to help people live as well as they could and grow beyond that.  Cass had never owned one of them until now, and was thankful for the opportunity Maurice had given her to read through one of them. Especially since it was such a beautiful book- Cass could barely touch it for fear of harming such a beautiful work of art.


    But instead of diving into the book immediately, Cass felt there was something she needed first.  The Testament¡¯s were only a part of the doctrine, also important was the Exegesis of the Saints- a book that accompanies each Testament analysing the parables therein and deepening the understanding of the teachings of each.  For the first time in Tyine, Cass had the opportunity, and the resources, to go shopping. Few people would understand her true rank, but her high quality clothes and golden collar made it clear that she was the slave of someone rich and powerful- and so she was allowed to walk the streets in the higher quality shopping areas uncontested.


    Cass had never been here before, the guards were more numerous and far less tolerant towards dregs here and you either avoided the area or got your limbs broken.  However, that edge seemed to have moved back a bit- the guards still protected the streets, but they were not enough to prevent the dregs from slipping into the back alleys.


    Before, Cass would have not understood why this was occurring, but her lessons had opened her eyes.  Not that the answer was complex, it was just not something that she had the spare time to think about when she was on the streets, nor the knowledge to make the conclusion.  The suppression of the southern rebels was not going as well as planned and men had been relocated from guard duty to the army to help hasten victory.


    Still, Cass had no reason to care, she simply made note of it and went on her way.


    Is what she would have prefered, unfortunately she appeared to be an easy target for the resident of one particular alley she passed.  They had left the shadows and made an attempt to steal her coin purse- whereupon they would likely do their best to disappear, counting on the fact that the guards would not likely do much on behalf of a slave.  However, despite her nice dress and collar, Cass was one of the worst targets thief could have.


    And one broken hand later, the would be thief learned this.  The guards were already coming over, and the man made an admirable attempt to scuttle away, but Cass simply stepped on the man¡¯s back and forced him to the ground.  He turned his face towards Cass and was begging her forgiveness, and Cass felt that she recognized the man from somewhere- but she could not think about from where¡­


    The guards had reached her, and the door to the shop she had been going to opened.  This was far more attention than Cass had wanted, and so she simply was going to explain to the guards what had happened and be on her way, but-


    ¡°I think it is better to show the man a little mercy, don¡¯t you think a broken hand is an acceptable punishment for his sins?¡±  The man who had left the store said gently, and the guards started at the personage before them.


    ¡°Lord Bishop!¡±  The guards not holding the man bowed lightly and Cass had a bad premonition as she turned towards the man who had interfered.  Upon seeing him, her mind blanked and then her thoughts went into a rush.


    It was him.  This bastard, it may have been years later, but Cass would never forget this man.  She should kill him, she should kill him right here and now- but after what he had done to Heather, killing him was not enough.  He had to die slowly, and he had to know why when he died.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    He was just as obese and gaudily dressed as before- the only thing more disgusting than his looks were what hid beneath it.


    ¡°Every man can fall, and it is our duty to help them find a better path.¡±  The Bishop held his hand out and helped the thief up, ¡°Tell me, what is your name child?¡±


    ¡°Auron, Your Grace.¡±  The thief, gritting his teeth against the pain.  What a weakling, as if that was real pain- a broken hand was hardly worth noting.


    ¡°Auron?¡±  The Bishop seemed surprised and looked closely at the thief¡¯s face, ¡°Were you not one of the managers of an orphanage?  Yes, I remember- my son, what has brought you to this place in society?¡±


    Auron- the one who ran her orphanage, and sold the kids to the highest bidder.  Another man who it was a struggle not to gut right here on the street. Too meet these two together, Cass did not know what the chances were but she absolutely burned with hatred.  No, she should be on her way, she was not far from the shop anyways.


    ¡°I shall leave him to your judgement, my Lords.¡±  Cass inclined her head, and moved to walk on- but was stopped by the Bishop¡¯s hand on her arm.  It took every last bit of her self control not to rip his arm off, she felt defiled just by him touching her.


    ¡°Ah, please wait dear girl.¡±  He still had not let go of her arm, to the point Cass had to pull away rudely or tear the man¡¯s head off.


    ¡°Your pardon, Bishop.¡±  Cass did her best to keep her anger from her voice and lied, ¡°but I have orders from my Master, and I can not tarry here.¡±


    ¡°Your master will understand if you tell them that Bishop Clement told you to wait, though your desire to serve your master is admirable.¡±  Bishop Clement smiled, ¡°It is important for you to wait and receive this man¡¯s apology- I may have stepped in on his behalf, but he owes you this much at least.¡±


    Cass¡¯s eyes widened in rage and the Bishop took a step back in shock and his guards reached their hands towards their swords.


    ¡°There is no way I would ever accept an apology from this worm,¡± Cass hissed.  ¡°I do not know how this coincidence has occurred, but I know what this man has done- his life would not be enough of an apology, but I will leave him to you, your Grace.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±  Bishop Clement seemed surprised, ¡°then please, come with me and let me know- I will make certain he atones for his sins and lives a better life.  Prison and death are not the way to create a good society, how can those things pay back for sins and crimes? They cannot- with work and the teachings of the Church, a man can become a productive member of society and pay for his sins.¡±


    Cass was struggling to keep herself from killing him.  She would never be able to provide evidence for her accusations, and despite her standing as Hall¡¯s Hand, she was still a slave.  Even a noble would need powerful evidence to go against a Bishop, and at Cass¡¯s level she could do nothing.


    ¡°Your pardon, but as I said- I am unable to do as you ask.¡±  Cass said after a brief silence, ¡°however, I will give you this warning- if you pardon that man, you will end up regretting it.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Bishop Clement murmured.  ¡°Then I shall not keep you any longer, let blessings be upon you and walk in the good light.¡±


    ¡°And let the light follow you, your Grace.¡±  Cass replied with a bow, finishing the Church¡¯s traditional goodbye and entering the store.  Out of sight for a moment, she braced herself against the wall and took a deep breath. Too meet those two men- at the same time¡­  How bad could her luck be?


    She would just purchase the book and head back to the castle and pray she never crossed paths with them ever again.  However, considering her terrible luck, Cass felt that it was unlikely.

 Lessons

    Cass put that encounter behind her, she refused to think about it again if she could help it.  She made her purchase and went back to the castle and returned to her lessons. Lord Hall wanted Cass to begin her duties within the next few weeks, Owin would be helping where it was needed and her first assignment would not be particularly challenging, but Cass was nervous.  As a Hand, her duties were a mix of diplomacy and military commanding, and Cass did not really feel she was capable of doing that.


    However, Lord Hall would only laugh in response and express his admiration for what she did in Beergmutar- and collar or not, Cass could not possibly refuse him.


    Her very first actions as her Master¡¯s hand was to travel to the Rence Barony, a little south of her Master¡¯s territory, and meet with the Baron Rence regarding his acceptance of glyphed soldiers.  Baron Rence was against the concept, and Cass was supposed to convince him.


    ¡°The Rence family are fairly orthodox mages,¡± her tutor said.  ¡°The current Baron Rence, while capable of magic, is much better known for his business dealings which is not uncommon in their line.¡±


    ¡°An old house that has never risen above the Baron title,¡± another tutor had told her.  ¡°Some of the more highly ranked houses look down on them for this, but their stability is something to be admired.¡±


    When Cass asked Owin, he laughed and gave a derisive reply.


    ¡°They got burned every time they tried to reach up,¡± Owin snorted.  ¡°So now they are afraid to try for more and spend all their time trying to solidify their own position.¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t they the same rank as the Rattan family?¡±  Cass asked, confused.


    ¡°My family was gifted their title long before their territory as a reward for valor on the battlefield.¡±  Owin explained, ¡°originally we were a knight family, and then unlanded Lords, and then unlanded Barons, before finally gaining lands.  Compared to the Rence family, we were rising stars- until my father inherited the estate anyway. He was less capable, and you know the rest.¡±


    To summarize, the family was not very powerful- but was very proud and internally stable.  A consistent line of mages, but without any unique talents or powerful casters, though knowledgeable enough to understand glyphs.  She needed to establish why they were wary of the glyphs and to convince them otherwise.


    To do this, Cass would preferably rely on discussion and logic- but there were other things that Cass would have available to her as a Hand of Sarius Hall.  Namely, she had some authority to utilize the resources of Lord Hall and could use them for negotiation. However, Cass was forbidden from doing to much in that regard, at least until she had learned more about the Hall¡¯s territory and its situation.  So all she was given was an amount of money that could be used in the negotiations, which was a pittance to the Hall Household- but a vast amount of wealth to anyone else, even someone like the Baron Cass would be negotiating with.


    ¡°So you must be wondering, why all of this effort?¡±  Her Master was her tutor today, much like he used to teach her about magic.  Of course, there was far more tension this time, but Cass was not unhappy about that.  ¡°Why does it matter if some minor Baron does or does not do anything and how does this relate to the struggles between Clare and myself.¡±


    ¡°The answer is simple on the surface, but complicated beneath that.¡±  Hall explained, ¡°Clare herself essentially has no power. Technically, she is mine and is subservient to me, but that is an anarchic tradition and the reality is that women in the Empire are no longer simply decorations.  Further, she is an agent of her family, and is wielding their power within the household in an attempt to corral and restrain my actions. De jure, I would be the Head of the House, de facto, she would be.¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Hall sighed, putting his hand to his head for a moment seemingly in exhaustion.  ¡°As I have said before, I have hid from my family for so long that I lack connections and power of my own.  However, these glyphs come from me- every lord who accepts them is accepting a bit of my influence and allowing me to make connections and allies.  The more power I have, the more I push back against Clare and her family and if I can defeat them solidly, I can put this threat to rest.¡±


    As for Hall¡¯s and Cass¡¯s relationship- not much was said.  Her Master had to have a male child with Clare- an heir- and the very thought of that made Cass depressed, angry, and jealous.  Cass herself was a threat to Clare. A perfectly loyal servant with powerful magic and incredible glyphs, she was a card the Clare wanted to remove from Hall¡¯s hand.  But Cass could not claim to understand the whole of the situation- was her Master¡¯s father just going to sit back and let this power struggle happen? And how would this end?  As she moved to take this position for her Master, these were questions that she could no longer ignore.


    This wider view of the world that Cass had been given was¡­  Overwhelming.


    Just in terms of the size of Empire- Cass had never understood it until these lessons.  Tyine, the capitol, was actually quite close to Beergmutar. The western areas of the Empire were quite small, whereas the north, south, and east were massive.  For nearly a year, parts of the south had been in rebellion- and that had hardly affected the rest of the nation. The boundaries of the Empire were not decided by the strength of their opponents, but by indomitable walls of nature.  To the west, the mountains. To the south, the desert. To the east, the ocean, and to the north the forest of the Elehven.


    There were several cities near the size of Tyine, and dozens of towns of moderate size all throughout the land.  The gears of this nation''s politics moved in ways Cass could never have imagined as a child begging for scraps, and now this is the stage she was being groomed for.


    Baron Rence held a small territory in the southeast, not very far from Lord Hall¡¯s lands.  A warm and fertile grassland with many rivers that ran through it, many would call it idyllic.  Cass would see when she arrived there, but the carriage ride out would last an entire week. Cass herself could simply run the distance much more quickly, but there was a lot of preparation and decorum that went with being a Hand.  For one thing, she would have Owin, Natalie and Svala attending her and for another she would have a small detachment of soldiers accompanying her as well.


    It would seem like a waste of time, but Natalie looked absolutely adorable dressed as a maid- and Cass was not in any real rush she supposed.  Birdie, now renamed Svala, also had cleaned up well, though Cass had seen that before she had ended up in Beergmutar. Owin was perhaps the most surprising, or the least depending on your point of view.  The brutal thug that Cass had met on her first day in that dungeon was now a dapper, noble looking gentleman- on the outside anyways. His personality was unchanged, just as brutal and domineering as before and if Cass had been the same girl she might have been intimidated.  However, instead she considered him to be an effective tool in her arsenal and she would be relying on him and his knowledge during this trip.


    She would have to, because she could tell there was more going on behind the scenes that she was unaware of.  Hall sending Cass away so soon and with so little training and education¡­ It just seemed strange, but she would not question it now.  She would question Owin about it later on the trip out and hope that she could get a better idea of the situation.


    Idly, Cass wondered if there was any way to speed all of this up.  All of this information being shoved down her throat¡­ No, a glyph of learning would be impossible unfortunately.  Maybe, when she had time, she would do some research into that idea. Before she left Cass was going to have the new invisibility glyphs added to her own.  They were two small glyphs that would fit within the glyphs on her back and she was looking forward to testing them out- though she did not really think she was going to get an option as her Master¡¯s Hand.

 New Glyphs

    Cass, topless, was laying on her bed as Lord Hall prepared the needles behind her.  When she thought back to the first time she had a glyph tattooed she smiled, then laughed.


    ¡°You know Master,¡± Cass said jokingly.  ¡°You never did give me that coin you promised me.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, oh!¡±  Her Master laughed as he put a hand on Cass¡¯s back and chuckled as well.  ¡°I forgot about that, I guess I owe you one Cass. That doesn¡¯t bother you, does it Cass?¡±


    With his hand stroking her back, Cass caved faster than she had planned.  Hall had gotten into the habit of lightly using his power whenever he touched Cass, which made it difficult for her to think.


    ¡°Master,¡± Cass said as she shivered, despite being warm.  ¡°You like teasing me a bit much I think.¡±


    Sarius just laughed and began his work.  The glyphs were not particularly large, but they were more complex than the other Cass had- especially after the extra adjustments Cass and her Master had made to them.  And of course, her Master did enjoy teasing her, he continued to pour his power into her as he worked. Again, Cass thought back to that day in the dungeon. Back then, she had been trying her best not to scream and pass out, whereas now she was trying not to moan!


    Cass reflected over the past half of a year or so of her life.  It was a strange twist of fate that had led her to this place, and despite her worries and fears, when she thought about it she was happier now than she had ever been before meeting her Master.  Not that there were not problems, but right now, at this moment- Cass felt hopeful, and happy. Even after what happened with Claire, her Master had moved to protect her and given her even more.


    She would absolutely not let her generous Master down and would be certain to live up to his expectations in her potential.


    Hours later, her Master finished and wiped the blood away from her new glyphs.  Her incredible healing took care of the rest and Cass was able to sit up without needing to worry and stretched.


    ¡°Well go ahead and test it out,¡± Hall encouraged.  ¡°I would like to see, or I suppose not see, the result.¡±


    Before her chuckling Master, Cass began to feed power into the glyphs and started to fade.  There were several adjustments made to the glyphs that her Master had applied to Cass¡¯s back that allowed for several new features.  With a great deal of the burden of forming the systems taken off of her shoulders, Cass was now able to control the degree to which she faded.  Cass slowly became more translucent, seeming more shadow than solid object, before fading away entirely.


    ¡°Fascinating,¡± Hall muttered.  ¡°This is an incredible discovery- it makes me wonder just how much potential we are missing.  When the political situation stabilizes, there is so much research to be done¡­¡±


    Cass faded back into sight, smiling widely and her Master grinned as well- though for different reasons.


    ¡°Master,¡± Cass admonished jokingly.  ¡°Enjoying the view?¡±


    ¡°Just thinking that I would have to be careful about any glyphs there,¡± Hall replied.  ¡°I am completely innocent, I assure you.¡±


    ¡°Of course you are, Master.¡±  Cass laughed and stood up to get dressed, noting that her Master looked rather sad as he watched her dress.  ¡°What is next on the agenda today?¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± her Master came back to reality, stood up and began to put the inks away.  ¡°I will be introducing you to your escort, not that you need it personally. Though you might find them useful at some point.¡±


    ¡°Did they receive glyphs already?¡±  Cass asked curiously, and Hall nodded.  ¡°That is good, combined with their training I will not have any reason to worry about threats.¡±


    ¡°Would you anyways?¡±  Hall laughed, ¡°with your magic you could slip away from any situation without much of a worry.¡±


    ¡°Until Natalie has her glyphs, I will always be a little worried.¡±


    ¡°Ah, her.¡±  Her Master had a pensive expression, ¡°the only issue is her age.  You know that the application is unpleasant, to say the least.¡±


    ¡°But you could use your magic to remove the pain right?¡±  Cass asked, and then narrowed her eyes, ¡°and that is all you would do with your magic, right?¡±


    Hall could not help but laugh as Cass was close to threatening him, she had changed so much over the time he had known her.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    ¡°Cass, I was not even planning on apply the glyphs myself.¡±  He was still laughing, ¡°You will be, and I will be supervising.¡±


    ¡°Master!?¡±  Cass was shocked, ¡°are you sure?¡±


    ¡°No, are you sure, Cass.¡±  Lord Hall corrected her, ¡°I own you, but you are stepping onto a different stage now- you have your own decisions to make, and you do not need me to make them for you.¡±


    ¡°Then, in that case¡­¡±  Cass took a deep breath, ¡°by your leave Master, I will go discuss that with her now.¡±


    At Hall¡¯s nod, Cass curtsied and left the room.  Again, she thought about how many things have changed.  She was no longer followed by guards and whenever she passed a servant in the halls they made way and bowed slightly to her.  It was a strange feeling.


    Even the way she walked was different, her tutors had spent a lot of time correcting the way she moved in public.  Though to be honest, Cass did not think she would ever achieve the grace and poise they desired in her- she was too assertive apparently.  Natalie, however, had taken to the lessons incredibly well. It would be interesting to see how well she moved after the glyphs were applied¡­


    Cass was interrupting one of Natalie¡¯s lessons, but as her Master had reminded her, she could do that now.  ¡°Excuse me please, I will be borrowing Natalie for a moment.¡±


    The senior mage bowed and Natalie left with Cass who took her to a nearby parlor.


    ¡°Lady Cass?¡±  Natalie sounded a little worried, ¡°is there something wrong?¡±


    ¡°As I have said before, you do not need to call me Lady Nat.¡±  Cass soothed, ¡°and no, there is nothing wrong- but I have to have an important discussion with you.¡±


    They sat down and made themselves comfortable, Cass even sent a maid to bring them tea.  Cass had actually become rather addicted to Gyakura tea that was imported from some of the southern territories that were not in rebellion.  It was quite expensive, each cup was worth enough to feed a family for a few days, and Cass considered it to be one of the single biggest benefits of her new position.  It also had a sweet taste so Natalie did not mind sharing it with her.


    They made small talk until the tea arrived, and Cass savored her first taste of the tea before diving into the main issue.


    ¡°Nat,¡± Cass set her teacup down.  ¡°I want to give you glyphs like mine.  Would you be ok with that?¡±


    ¡°Glyphs?¡±  Natalie¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°but those are magic¡­¡±


    ¡°How much do you know about my glyphs Natalie?¡±  Cass asked.


    ¡°Not much Lady,¡± Natalie admitted.  ¡°I know that they make you strong and fast, and that they are magic.¡±


    Cass smiled and held out her arm so that Natalie could look at the glyph that twisted around it.


    ¡°You are not wrong, but there is more to it than that.¡±  Cass explained as Natalie cautiously touched the glyph where it ended on the inside of Cass¡¯s wrist.  ¡°Before, soldiers with glyphs had to have them charged by mages- and it was not very efficient. My Master and I developed a way to apply a new glyph that draws in ambient magic and powers them without a need to be charged.  So yes, they are magic, but you do need to have magic to use them.¡±


    ¡°That is amazing,¡± Natalie¡¯s voice was filled with awe.


    Cass nodded and smiled, ¡°I agree, and I would like you to have them to.¡±


    ¡°But¡­  Wouldn¡¯t it hurt?¡±  Natalie asked cautiously, ¡°they are tattoos right?¡±


    ¡°Normally, yes.¡±  Cass did not lie to Natalie.  ¡°When I went through it for the first time, it hurt a lot and I was terrified.¡±


    Cass took Nat¡¯s hand and spoke calmly, ¡°but my Master can prevent there from being any pain at all, and he will do that for you when I apply the glyphs.¡±


    Natalie seemed to be unsure, but in the end she agreed faster than Cass had thought she would.  She felt there was more going on than what she was aware of, but Cass decided not to pry. She would ask after the glyphs were applied.


    Later that evening, Cass was in the opposite position of what she was used to.  Cass had the inks and combs ready and set out, and laying on her stomach before her was Natalie.  Unlike when Cass had hers applied, Natalie was given underwear to preserve her modesty and had a comfortable bed for her to rest on.


    Cass took a deep breath, and then exhaled and set about beginning the tattoo.


    ¡°How do you feel Nat?¡±  She asked as she wiped the blood away.  So far Natalie had not given any indication of discomfort, but Cass was worried anyway.


    ¡°It feels weird Cass,¡± Natalie replied.  ¡°Pokey, but it does not hurt, just feels strange.¡±


    ¡°That is good Nat,¡± Cass smiled in relief, and continued her work.  ¡°Just let me know if anything is wrong, ok? But make certain you do not move- I do not want to make a mistake.¡±


    The one on Nat¡¯s back took the longest, it was hours of painstaking work to make certain that everything was perfect and Cass was glad that her Master was watching over the process to make certain it went well.  After the back, Cass marked Natalie¡¯s arms and legs as well.


    ¡°There we go Natalie!¡±  Cass breathed out in relief, ¡°we are finished, how do you feel?¡±


    ¡°Even more strange¡­¡±  Natalie replied, reaching out her arms and examining the designs on them.  ¡°I feel¡­ Strong¡­¡±


    ¡°Feels nice, doesn¡¯t it?  Want to go test it out?¡±


    Twenty minutes later, Natalie was amusing herself by jumping as far up as she could and having Cass catch her as she fell down.  She was just reveling in her new strength and speed, and Cass was enjoying watching her enjoy it!


    Between this power and her training in unarmed combat, Cass felt that she had far less to worry about in the future.  Though she hoped that this preparation would not be needed.

 A Piece of Advice

    Before Cass went with Hall to apply Natalie¡¯s tattoos, she went with her Master to meet with the soldiers who would be accompanying her.  The Warriors of Beergmutar favored light and flexible armors to complement their individual skill. In contrast, the soldiers of the Haj Empire were mostly heavy infantry- focusing on heavy armors and powerful formations.  Honestly, Cass thought the glyphs were of more use in Beergmutar¡¯s style, but there certainly were benefits.


    The most notable benefit was that the soldiers were easily able to march in their armor now- something that would have been unthinkable before.  For that matter, their armor was heavier than normal. Plate armor was incredibly expensive, and the entirety of Cass¡¯s escort, a full twenty men, were outfitted in that way.


    ¡°Our Lord favors quality over quantity after all,¡± the large man who led the soldiers laughed.  ¡°And now with the magic he has given us, I would wager we are the strongest soldiers in the Empire!¡±


    The man was really a giant of a man, with bright eyes and short cropped dark hair who introduced himself as Sir Darius Ramusson, a knight who served the Hall family.  He was a really cheerful person, so much so that it rather unnerved Cass who was simply unused to such happy people. Unlike the soldiers, instead of a shield he wielded a massive greatsword, which was rather abnormal for a knight- but Cass could imagine how effective it would be when used in conjunction with the glyphs.


    ¡°So my dear Lady,¡± the knight bowed to Cass, which was very impressive in his armor.  ¡°I am charged with keeping you safe on this journey. On my honor I will see you there and back safely.¡±


    ¡°It is appreciated Sir Rammuson,¡± Cass acknowledged the knight.  ¡°Though I must confess I hope for a quiet trip.¡±


    ¡°Haha!¡±  Rammuson laughed, ¡°Well if you do not mind me saying so, Lady Cass, we soldiers also feel the same way.  Nothing like collecting pay for standing around!¡±


    ¡°Rammuson ended up serving under my family with Vincent¡¯s recommendation.¡±  Hall said as if that explained everything, and if Cass was honest, it did. Cass could totally see how this came to be.


    ¡°I presume that when we actually arrive you alone will be escorting me at the Baron¡¯s estate?¡±  Cass asked, thinking that the amount of guards seemed a little excessive. ¡°Having twenty soldiers following me down every hallway might be a bit¡­  Much¡­¡±


    ¡°No, no!¡±  Rammuson laughed, ¡°They will be staying in the barracks, I will be your bodyguard inside the estate.  But we are all yours to command, my Lady.¡±


    Cass also got to take a look at the carriage that was being prepared for her, and it was quite an extravagant affair.  Not so much for its decoration, but it was large- large enough that it included two beds that could be made from the seats.  That was good, Cass would rather not sleep outside if she could help it- especially since she had to keep up her appearances on this trip.


    There was a single issue however, but Cass did not think it was worth bothering Lord Hall over and decided to deal with it herself.  She, reluctantly, said goodbye to Lord Hall and made her way to the Head Maid of this section of the castle. Honestly, ¡®Head Maid¡¯ was a bit of a misnomer- she was more of an administrator than a maid, and that was what made her so useful.


    The size of the Imperial Center, combined with the many nobles and dignitaries each with their own staff, made it next to impossible to know where or what servants were doing.  This is where the Head Maid¡¯s came in, they were responsible for knowing who was doing what and where for the section of the castle they oversaw. Last time Cass had been here, this section had actually lacked a Head Maid due to the lack of inhabitants and the efficiency of Maurice- but as the amount of activity increased, it was decided for one to be assigned here.


    Cass went to her office to find the whereabouts of Owin and Svala, who would be accompanying her on the trip because there was an unfortunate problem.  Natalie was small enough that she could sleep next to Cass, but that still left only one other bed in the carriage- and there were two people. Cass¡¯s first instinct was to make Owin sleep outside, but she wondered if that was the correct decision.


    Technically, the ones with the privilege to sleep in the carriage should be the ones highest up the hierarchy and this is where things began to get complicated.  Natalie was a free woman employed by the Hall Household, but Cass, Svala, and Owin were slaves- however, Cass had the position of a Hand and was thus a representative of her Master, almost a noble by proxy.  Owin, on the other hand, was noble by birth, but his family had been destroyed and was now a slave. However, once it was discovered that Owin was from the Rattan family, his enslavement became somewhat complicated.  Legally, a noble could become a slave- but the laws regarding their treatment were far different than the treatment of a common slave. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Which would solve the issue, if Svala was not Cass¡¯s first maid- and theoretically responsible for organizing Cass¡¯s servants.  A position that Cass could not, and did not want to, put Owin in. To summarize, the social standings of this group were a complete mess and a massive headache for Cass whenever she thought about it.


    Of course, she could simply do what she wanted and ignore it entirely.  But while she had the ability to do so, her tutors had driven home the point that that was unacceptable at her current position.  As a Hand, she had to be cognizant of these issues and deal with them accordingly, ignoring them could even put the Hall family in a bad light if another party was to observe it.


    Having had all of those thoughts going through her mind, Cass was absolutely unprepared for the response she was given.


    ¡°Well, it is not an issue if we share the same bed.¡±  Svala had said, looking at Cass as if wondering why she had to say something so obvious.  ¡°And I am glad to leave it at that, I suspect I would end up sleeping outside if this was discussed further.¡±


    ¡°Svala, no- Birdie, you know that you do not have to do that, right?¡±  Cass had been aware of this months ago, but she had not been the same person then.  While it was true that Cass still struggled with sympathy and empathy, to the point she often appeared to lack both entirely, she did not hate Svala and did not want her to suffer under Cass¡¯s management.  Her dream was to improve society, how could she claim that stance with a straight face while allowing this to go on under her care?


    ¡°It is not like it was before!¡±  Svala said firmly, ¡°and even if it was, are you one to talk?¡±


    ¡°Svala, both Lord Hall and I recognize that there is something- probably many things- greatly wrong with us.¡±  Cass admitted with a sigh, ¡°My Master, our Master, has given me a lot, and I could never have imagined a life like this when I was starving on the street- but it is also true that he broke me while doing it.  Owin gave you some crusts of bread to serve him in bed back in that cell- but what has he done for you since? For that matter, you ask ¡®who am I to talk,¡¯ and the answer to that is that I am the one who knows best.  My Master and I have a relationship that is unhealthy and we both hate ourselves for it- that is not something others should ask for.¡±


    Then, as an afterthought, Cass added, ¡°and really, Owin?  He might be able to give someone a beating, but there are people far more practiced in the art of breaking people than him.  Even if, against all reason, you decided that is what you wanted- there are better people out there.¡±


    Svala listened to Cass, but clearly was of a different opinion- and so Cass dismissed her with a sigh.  She was unsure what else to say, or even if it would matter. The only person who could do anything about it was-


    ¡°How long are you going to sit there and listen?¡±  Cass called out to the seemingly empty to courtyard only to have Owin stroll out with perfect posture and confidence as if he had not just been eavesdropping on that entire conversation.


    ¡°You know Cass,¡± Owin said casually, not bothering to hide the fact he was running his eyes over her body before meeting her own.  ¡°You are rather naive, it is actually quite funny.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Cass arched a single eyebrow.  ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°Haha, well let me tell you a little secret about people- one of the unfortunate truths about the world that most goodly folk ignore.¡±  Beneath his polished and formal exterior Cass could catch a glint of the brutal thug who had raped and intimidated people in that underground cell.  She still thought he could be a better person, but maybe that was naive of her after all, regardless she continued to listen.


    ¡°The truth is, I did not break Svala- and given a twist of fate, you two could have been easily switched.¡±  Owin laughed darkly, ¡°Let me ask you, do you remember how you were when they threw you in that cell? You might think back over your life and compare it, but I bet you don¡¯t think too hard on that point in time, right?¡±


    Owin leaned forward, uncomfortably close to Cass.  If he got any closer she would likely break his jaw, but Owin seemed to know that line well and stopped just before it as he whispered.


    ¡°The streets break people without any need for intervention.  The weak serve the strong or suffer, and if they live that life long enough the sheer force of years shatter their wills and they will happily follow anyone with a shred of presence left.  Svala spent too long on the streets, and then too long quite literally under me. She is so terrified of what would happen if I left her and her terror is not remotely rational.¡±


    Owin stepped back and began to walk away with a slightly amused look on his face, but he stopped to throw one last comment over his shoulder.


    ¡°If you want to help her, give her a life she can trust and believe in.  Stability, a future, and security- it will not heal her, but it would be the start.  Do take your time though, she is a lot more fun now that she has some meat on her bones!¡±


    Owin left with a crude laugh, leaving Cass to wonder about whether or not she even had the right to judge good from bad.  She was still so far from her dream of a better world that even Owin could point out the direction better than her.

 Begining to Travel

    Cass was sitting in the carriage on her way to the Rence Barony along with Natalie, Owin, and Svala, wishing that she did not need to leave Tyine so soon.  But on the other hand, she was proud of her new position and the trust her Master had put in her. For that matter, she would not be gone for nearly as long this time and she wanted to be successful, perhaps someday she would be happy serving Lord Hall without having to wear the collar.


    But that was for something far in the future, Cass did currently enjoy her position.


    ¡°So you came from Beergmutar?¡±  Svala was asking Natalie.


    ¡°Yes, I am from the Sone Caste.¡±  Natalie said a little shyly.


    ¡°Stone Caste?¡±  Svala was confused by the term, ¡°what is that?¡±


    ¡°Beergmutar is divided socially into different groups,¡± Cass explained while idly looking out the window at the passing scenery.  ¡°They are all, aside from the Strioi, determined by who your parents were. The Stone Caste are servants and workers from birth and the second lowest caste.¡±


    ¡°Well that does not sound so bad,¡± Svala said.  ¡°How did you like it there?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±  Natalie said, ¡°I thought it was good, but then things happened¡­  I am not sure what to say anymore.¡±


    Svala was able to read the mood, and did not ask anything more, but the atmosphere had already become quite awkward.  So Svala tried to change the subject, coughng lightly before saying.


    ¡°Well hopefully you enjoy it here in Haj, though honestly I would not know much about what is here myself!¡±


    Cass found the changes in Svala quite interesting, seeing her trying to be cheerful was strange.  Especially because even now, Svala¡¯s life was not precisely enviable. Some of it was undoubtedly a result of her maid training, she had to maintain a certain attitude regardless of her own feelings- but the rest Cass could only chalk up to her never really knowing Svala to begin with.


    ¡°All things considered,¡± it was Owin who chimed in here.  ¡°There is not much for people below the aristocracy to see anywhere.  Having said that Natalie, you could probably convince Cass to take you to visit the theater when we make it back to Tyine.¡±


    ¡°What is that?¡±  Natalie asked curiously, and to be honest, Cass herself was not really able to answer that.  She knew what it was academically, but she had never been to see a play and only had hearsay to go on.


    And listening to Owin explain, she somewhat thought it sounded like a waste of time better spent elsewhere.  However, Natalie was fascinated by Owin¡¯s stories, and Cass made a note to take her next time they were in the capital.


    Owin was, for the time being anyway, actually quite suave and well mannered.  Cass probably should have expected him to be capable of it, him having had a noble upbringing, but it contrasted greatly against the thug she was used to.  Perhaps it would be accurate to say she really did not know Owin as a person either, especially considering the conversation they had had before the group left.


    ¡°It is so odd to think there are not castes here,¡± Natalie was saying.  ¡°How do people know who is what or how to treat each other?¡±


    ¡°Just because the castes are not codified does not mean they are not socially there, it is just a bit more complex!¡± Owin laughed, ¡°There are nobles and commoners, and there are subdivisions among those divisions.  The main difference between here and your erstwhile homeland is that people can move between those groups. Svala and Cass were once homeless dregs, but freewomen, and I was once a noble- now all three of us are slaves and even in this we are divided.  Although I am surprised Hall let me live knowing my identity, now that he does I have a different level of treatment than Svala will and Cass is, of course, Hall¡¯s Hand. So she is in a somewhat raised position herself.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    And then there is you, an employed freewoman with some favor from Hall¡¯s House.  Sure, most of that is a result of Cass¡¯s position as Hand, but Lord Hall goes along with it, so it is basically the same thing.  Theoretically, you are equal to any other freeperson, but the reality is that you are socially in the upper group of commoners.¡±


    Natalie¡¯s expression was a mix of confusion and glazed eyes, she had clearly given up understanding what Owin was talking about and Cass did not blame her.  Cass had just about cried trying to absorb not just this information, but the reasoning behind it. Still, Natalie looked absolutely adorable with her face like that to the point that Cass could not help but give her a hug!


    And so the first day of travel passed rather uneventfully, and at night they converted the carriage¡¯s seats into small beds.  After dinner, Cass took Owin aside and promised him a slow and painful death if he did anything with Svala with Natalie and Cass so close by and did not trust him regardless of how he answered.  Natalie was placed on the side of the bed that was away from the other pair and Cass was on the side towards them.


    The next day was equally calm, but on the third day the guards reported spotting others watching them in the distance.


    ¡°We are hardly two days out of Tyine,¡± Rammuson said with a frown.  ¡°There is no way that security has fallen so far to allow bandits this close to the capital.¡±


    ¡°Then who are they?¡±  Cass had thought that at least the journey would be calm, but it seems like that would be unlikely.


    ¡°At the very best,¡± Rammuson sighed.  ¡°They might have nothing to do with us, but realistically they are probably mercenaries of some lord or another dressed up as bandits.¡±


    ¡°The question then is if they are targeting us specifically or are just trying to sow chaos,¡± Owin added.  ¡°Considering our forces, my money is on them leaving us alone. For that matter, if they do decide to attack us they will be in for one hell of a surprise.¡±


    That much is true.  Lord Hall was pushing for all soldiers in the Empire to be glyphed, but in terms of actual numbers there were very few of them and by percentage of soldiers they were almost nonexistent.  So, be they bandits or mercenaries, they would not likely have any idea what they were getting into.


    ¡°Just keep an eye out regardless,¡± Cass instructed.  ¡°I cannot think we would look worth attacking anyway- no merchant would travel like this after all- so if we are attacked, they will probably be prepared.¡±


    ¡°Every time we travel together,¡± Svala sighed to herself.  ¡°Something happens. You cannot help but attract trouble, can you Lady Cass?¡±


    Why are you saying that like this is my fault?  Cass thought to herself, but said nothing. Coincidence or not, it was hard to argue with the fact that since she had been captured her life had become eventful to say the least.  Thankfully, there was no way that this group would have something like the antimagic orb that had given her such a headache last time.


    ¡°Well, you are the only noncombatant here,¡± Cass said to the carriage driver.  ¡°So if we are attacked, just make sure the horses do not run off and we will take care of whatever happens.¡±


    ¡°What about little Natalie here?¡±  Svala asked with a concerned voice, causing Cass to laugh.


    ¡°Well, I will keep her out of the fight if I can,¡± Cass explained.  ¡°But Nat is pretty strong, you know?¡±


    ¡°Lady Cass applied my glyphs herself!¡±  Natalie added, ¡°and Warrior Odal has been training me!¡±


    ¡°So I see!¡±  Svala and Cass were trying not to laugh, Nat could be a bit too cute at times- but her words were correct.  Despite her size and looks, Natalie was terrifyingly strong compared to normal soldiers, let alone normal people.  Combined with her hand to hand combat training, she was quite capable of holding her own in a fight if she had to. Not that Cass planned on letting her fight, but the girl could if she had to.


    Since the conversation had dragged on, they decided to stop for now and eat lunch.  It was a simple meal, much as you would expect while traveling, of dried meat and bread.  One of the things Cass had learned quickly in her few travels since Tyine was just how much space and effort the food and water people took with them takes.  Food and water for twenty soldiers, one servant, Owin, Svala, Natalie, Cass and the horses drawing the carriage, enough to last a whole week, was a huge amount!  Thinking about stories where people would stop and eat stews around a campfire made Cass laugh now when she thought about it- how the hell did they transport the pots and the water for it?


    Also, when had she reached the point where she was slightly more concerned about the quality of her food than the possibility of being attacked?

 Stand and Deliver

    It was not so much a forest as a woods, it was not sizeable enough to deserve the descriptor ¡®forest,¡¯ but if there was going to be an ambush it would happen when they traveled through here.  But still, even when the leather wearing, masked, thugs stepped on to the path, Cass could not quite believe it. Hell, she did not really believe they were bandits.


    ¡°Good day there!¡±  The bandit called out with a false cheerfulness.  ¡°This here is a toll road, upkeep and all is expensive you know.¡±


    Rammuson barked out a laugh, ¡°Oh come on, why even bother with the play?  Are we going to do this or not?¡± And with that he drew his greatsword and casually twirled it.  The strength of a veteran knight with glyphs was quite something to see.


    ¡°Well, we outnumber you quite a bit you see.¡±  The bandit did not take the bait, ¡°but even though we could, and will if we must, kill you, we will lose some people for sure- so we would rather you just pay up and be on your way.¡±


    Cass frowned, she had decided to leave dealing with the bandits to Sir Rammuson, but she had not expected them to be actual bandits- and they certainly sounded like they were.  Rammuson, apparently, was having the same thought.


    ¡°Look,¡± he apparently decided to try and reason with the thugs.  ¡°This is not going to go the way you think it will, and to be frank, I would rather not fight either.  But I can tell you right now that there is no chance my Lady will pay, she would be far more likely to kill you herself to be honest.  Let it go, and take some advice from me, get further away from Tyine. You are just asking for trouble here.¡±


    The bandit sighed, ¡°well it seems like neither of us will back down.  Sorry about this.¡±


    He lifted his hand and signalled to his unseen allies in the woods, and in answer a dozen arrows shout out at the soldiers.  However, this was not terribly problematic- it was immediately clear that their bows were not powerful enough to puncture the plate.  Only one unlucky soldier went down from a shot through the slots for his eyes, the rest held in formation as the bandits came out from hiding.


    At first, Cass thought the group was suicidal.  The difference in equipment between her guards and the bandits was larger than the gap between heaven and earth.  Outside of pure luck, an unarmored soldier facing up against plate was madness if they were not very skilled with their weapons, but it soon was revealed that Cass¡¯s thinking was naive.


    If they had equal numbers to the bandits, Cass¡¯s presumption would have been correct- however, the brigands had maybe three times their number and so instead of meeting the soldiers in combat directly, they came out with ropes.  Although they could immediately see and understand the bandits plan, none of the passengers in the carriage were remotely worried. Rather than try to avoid the ropes and the bandits attempt to disrupt his balance, Rammuson stepped in and let it happen.


    With one hand on the rope, he yanked the bandit towards himself and bisected him with his greatsword.  The bandits were stunned by the superhuman display of might, and Rammuson merely said.


    ¡°I would advise you to start running, you will probably survive because none of us can be bothered to chase you.¡±


    ¡°Well damn,¡± the bandit leader whistled in appreciation of the scene.  ¡°That is impressive, but it won¡¯t be enough.¡±


    ¡°Hey Cass,¡± Owin spoke up with a serious expression as Cass continued to watch the scene play out.  ¡°I am starting to think our bandits are making trouble for us on purpose.¡±


    ¡°I am getting the same feeling,¡± Cass admitted, watching the soldiers fight and demonstrate their strength against the ¡®bandits.¡¯  ¡°They seem to organised and determined, but I cannot think of why thieves would bother.¡±


    ¡°Not all bandits are the same,¡± Owin replied, his noble-born education showing.  ¡°If I had to bet, I would say these are not so much bandits as mercenaries that sometimes resort to banditry.  Or are hired to pretend to be bandits, perhaps.¡±


    That made far more sense than them simply being thieves and disenfranchised peasants.  Aside from one death on each side, so far no one else had fallen. The bandits were showing far to much skill and confidence in their ability to outmaneuver the soldiers to have had no combat experience.  That said, the advantage was clearly on the side of Cass¡¯s soldiers. The power of the glyphs was simply too overwhelming, especially when combined with the heavy armor, and even as Cass was watching another bandit fell.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to help them?¡±  Natalie asked Cass, the former wondering why the latter was content to observe.  ¡°If you fought with them, the bandits would have been defeated by now.¡±


    Cass was touched by Natalie¡¯s confidence in her, but shook her head in reply.  ¡°If I exited the carriage and tried to cast magic, the archers would undoubtedly shoot me down.  As for hand to hand well, I do not want to get my dress dirty!¡±


    A large part of interaction in noble society is about presentation, and Cass was traveling with a limited wardrobe to start with.  It was not that she would not sacrifice a dress if she needed to, but this situation definitely did not qualify as serious enough. Rather, instead of her joining the fight¡­


    ¡°You know,¡± Cass mused.  ¡°I do not think I have ever seen you fight, Owin.¡±


    Owin chuckled, understanding precisely what Cass meant by that.  He grabbed his sword and exited the carriage swiftly, with his sword and the contrast between his attire and the knights and bandits- even Cass had to admit he looked the part of a dashing young noble.  The effect was lessened by the fact Cass knew his actual personality was just a little less warped than her own, but as she had thought before, it was all about the presentation.


    A few arrows did shoot towards him, but he was long gone before they reached their target.  Unburdened by heavy armor, trained in noble swordsmanship and more used to his glyphs than the regular soldiers, Owin almost seemed to flit around the battlefield delicately.  That was, however, only if you could divorce his movements from the bodies hitting the ground.


    With the new perspective the education she had received as a Hand had begun to give her, Cass was able to really appreciate just how powerful these glyphs were to the Empire as a whole.  The surviving bandits were already fleeing, leaving behind nearly fifteen of their comrades dead on the ground behind them. Only a single one of the soldiers had died, and that was more bad luck on his part than anything else.


    Of course, that same perspective also allowed her to see that arming, arming, and tattooing a large number of soldiers would be prohibitively expensive- and dangerous.  The glyphs do not ensure loyalty after all, though considering her master¡¯s research they might in the future.


    ¡°Well done, Owin.¡±  Cass congratulated Owin as he returned, ¡°You fought well.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Owin reacted noncommittally to Cass¡¯s praise.  ¡°More importantly, having crossed blades with them, I am almost certain they are mercenaries.  What do you think, Sir Rammuson?¡±


    ¡°I have to agree,¡± Rammuson was wiping down his blade with a cloth.  ¡°And they did not feel like they were between contracts to me either.  They were too prepared for us and in a rather odd location.¡±


    ¡°I do not suppose we know what mercenary group they are?¡±  Cass asked, ¡°once we figure out what the mercenary company is we might have a chance at figuring out who hired them and why.¡±


    ¡°Or we could work backwards from who would want to stop you.¡±  Rammuson replied, ¡°or rather, you can work backwards. The best part about being a knight is not having to worry about that part of things- all I have to do is swing my blade!¡±  And with that he started to laugh, although Cass did not find it particularly funny.


    Cass sighed, ¡°let us just move on¡­¡±


    Well, Cass said that but there was one last important thing to do before they left.  Cass, Owin, and Svala came from the streets after all, so when it comes to looting bodies they were all professionals.  It was not an exaggeration to say that they left the bandit mercenaries as little more than a naked pile of corpses by the side of the road, stripped of anything of even the tiniest value.


    It was not worth much, compared to the resources that the Hall family could command.  But the leather armor was decent and the weapons were well made, and Cass was sure that they would find a use for it at some point.  They also recovered the plate off of the fallen soldier, but they afforded him the decency of a grave instead of throwing him on the pile with the others.


    The rest of the journey was unremarkable and soon they were passing through the village beneath Rence Manor, about to arrive at their destination.  Overall, Cass felt that the journey went well, although everyone else said that was simply because her luck with traveling was so bad that she had lost the ability to differentiate good from bad.  Honestly, in the face of Owin, Svala, and Nat saying the same thing, Cass had a hard time arguing with them.


    Still, this was the first somewhat major journey that Cass had not been knocked out by an antimagic enchanted orb, and that counted as a win as far as she was concerned.  Also, Owin had actually kept his hands to himself during the night and Cass had not had to cover Nat¡¯s ears and then beat the shit out of him- so that was another win. And if they ignored their past, the group was actually quite good for conversations.  That did depend on not bringing up certain facets of the past, but Natalie was good at avoiding those pitfalls and everyone else was aware enough to avoid it as well.


    That conversation had helped soothe Cass¡¯s nerves, which became more frayed the closer she got to the Rence Barony.  Lord Hall had left a lot of responsibility on her shoulders, and Cass could not help but be afraid she would not match up.  But now she would have to do her best.

 Rence Barony

    Cass had thought she had gotten used to luxury, having been rather pampered by Lord Hall and given her own rather impressive quarters. She had heard that, aside from the Imperial Quarters, the Imperial Center in Tyine was more functional than not. Built for defense first and comfort second, and many nobles rather disliked to stay there as a result- but Cass did not really understand what they meant until she visited a noble¡¯s private residence.


    They had arrived at Rence Manor and a servant had met them at the door and guided them into the entrance hall- and the sheer opulence bordered on garish. Every inch of the room was nearly over designed and shined with polish from the marble floors to the crystal chandelier hanging above, it could almost be described as blinding¡­ Cass was disabused of her belief that she knew what luxury was, but at the same time she wondered if the vast amount of gold that went into this single room was even remotely worth it if it came so close to the border of being tacky, but did not quite make that. It was not tasteful, and stopped just short of being tacky, so it was unpleasant- but not enough had been spent for it to be remarkably so.


    The slightly overweight man descending the staircase to greet them was, on the other hand, most definitely over that line.


    Just observing the man had Cass wondering all kinds of strange things. Her first thought upon seeing him was to wonder if he had gained weight for the sole purpose of having more surface area on which to decorate himself. The layers of clothes and jewels adorning the man could probably feed the village below the manor for a decade and in addition to not even looking good on him, made him sweat enough to ruin his makeup- culminating in a person that Cass could only describe as thoroughly disgusting.


    A servant announced him as Baron Rence as he had entered the room- a rather pompous move that was obviously planned- but Cass ignored all of that and dipped a deep curtsy to the baron.


    ¡°Oh ho!¡± The baron laughed, ¡°I had been informed that a young woman would be visiting as Hall¡¯s Hand, but to think he would send three such flowers to visit me!¡±


    ¡°On behalf of my Lord, I greet you Baron Rence.¡± Cass did another, shallower curtsy as a gesture of respect. Not one she particularly meant, but that was immaterial. ¡°I am Cass, Lord Hall¡¯s Hand and it is a pleasure to visit such a prosperous territory and your stunning residence.¡±


    On the streets, people were very direct. When talking, you told the truth if it was good for you, and lied if it was not. Either way, you kept your words as succinct as possible. For nobles, on the other hand, it was the precise opposite. Everything was supposed to be flowery and attention grabbing, and every turn of phrase could contain many meanings. If there was ¡®truth¡¯ anywhere in a noble¡¯s words, it would be buried under layers of hyperbole and embellished to the point where even a ¡®true¡¯ statement could be considered a lie.


    ¡°The pleasure is mine,¡± Baron Rence approached, took Cass¡¯s hand and kissed the back of it. ¡°Were it not for that collar, by sight alone I would have taken you for myself! As it is, I will have to have you take an offer back to Lord Hall.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, I do not think it is likely that my Master would let go of me,¡± Cass smiled and spoke pleasantly while resisting the urge to wipe her hand. The back of her hand felt disgusting from having the man¡¯s mouth on it, and her palm had been drenched in the sweat of Rence¡¯s hand. ¡°However, I will happily take any message you give me to him.¡±


    On the bright side, Cass could tell from the man¡¯s eyes he had no real interest in her. He merely was complimenting her to be polite, which led Cass to idly wonder what she would have said a couple of years back if someone told her that offering to purchase her would be a compliment to her in the future. Well, if she was told that she would be able to eat her fill of delicious food, she would probably have said she did not mind.


    With the formal greeting out of the way, the Baron had servants show them to their quarters to refresh themselves after their journey. Cass¡¯s first true meeting with the Baron would be a little later in the day, and she was a little nervous about it. She was not very nervous, mostly because she felt that this negotiation would be a fairly simple one.


    While she had made preparations regardless, Cass honestly thought that a single demonstration would be enough to have the Baron agree. A few of the Baron¡¯s soldiers likely had glyphs already, the old style ones that required a mage to charge them before battle. The only real addition was the mana absorbing glyph, and their tattoos would have to have some careful touch-ups, but otherwise the only difference is that they would no longer need to have them charged. Surely the pressure applied by Lady Clare¡¯s family was not enough to offset the value Cass was dangling in front of the Baron¡¯s nose.


    As an aside, Cass¡¯s rooms were decorated in the same way as the rest of the mansion. Even the canopy bed had gilded posts and carvings, to think he would have gold leaf even in a place like a guest room. Cass actually had difficulty imagining the kind of wealth she was seeing, and also had difficulty accepting that all that money had not resulted in something actually desirable to look at.


    Natalie, Svala, and Owin were all settling in as well- though Owin was less than impressed by the manor.


    ¡°Look at this place,¡± he snorted. ¡°They may be decent mages and good at business, but they have no taste whatsoever.¡±


    ¡°That is a little harsher than what I thought,¡± Cass replied, though she mostly agreed with Owin. ¡°But I was just thinking that it is a bit stunning to realize that all this wealth was spent to such an underwhelming effect.¡±


    Owin simply shook his head with a scowl, ¡°you only say that because you do not have the experience to really judge what you are seeing. Dipping trash in gold is enough to fool some people, but that does not make it anything but shinier trash. If you ever see your beloved Master¡¯s manor you will understand the difference. His mother might be a pathetic whore, but I cannot deny that she has a good eye.¡±


    Cass frowned at Owin¡¯s words, but did not refute him. Lord Hall did not often talk about his family, but Cass knew that he had a terribly poor relationship with his father at the very least. From some of the things Cass had been told or had inferred, she had a fairly low opinion of Sarius Hall¡¯s mother to begin with. At the very best, she had not helped her son- and that was at the very best. However, while she did not refute what he said, she did rebuke him for saying it.


    ¡°Watch your language Owin,¡± Cass spoke slightly sharply. ¡°That is our Master¡¯s mother you are talking about, and even if she was not our Master¡¯s parent, she would still be the wife of a viscount and outrank both of us. For that matter, she would be above us even if we were not slaves.


    And for that matter, you should be careful saying such things around me. I will let it go for now, because I honestly can not say for certain that what you said was wrong, but disrespecting Master¡¯s mother is not something I will tolerate regardless. Next time you say something like that, I will beat you into the ground.¡±


    He laughed in response, ¡°For now, you might just be able to do that. But as I said before, I will be making you scream one day.¡±


    Cass raised a single eyebrow and went for the jugular, metaphorically this time. ¡°How could you possibly do that when you do not even know who you are? Are you the street thug Rat? Or are you the young noble Owin? Because when I first came in here, I was speaking to Owin- but that last part was nothing more than a rat. Face it, your noble upbringing will always make you too soft to be anything above a middling level thug, and your experience on the street will never let you be refined enough to reclaim your noble heritage. If you think such a half-assed person could ever take me on, go ahead and try. If you are lucky, I might even leave enough to bury.¡±


    But Owin just laughed again, shaking his head with mirth causing Cass to scowl at him. She considered making good on her threat just for his attitude, but restrained herself.


    ¡°Sorry! Sorry!¡± Owin took a deep breath as he got his laughter under control, ¡°I it is just hilarious that you, of all people, would say that kind of thing. Who the hell do you think you are?¡±


    Cass was about to respond, but Owin cut her off. ¡°I ask that because if I am a half-assed noble and a half-assed thug, what are you? Who are you? You were a worthless dreg whose only value was her body, either as something for me to use or as experimental material. Then, you were a valuable point of study after the experiment on you gave unexpected results- but both of us know that did not last long, because you ended up in a position of power as Hall¡¯s Hand!


    Face it Cass, you are in the same position I am. No, worse! Are you Cass the starving dreg? Or perhaps, Cass the assistant in experiments and the material in those same experiments? If you are either of those, how does that work with Cass the Hand and her near noble status despite her slave collar? Who is Cass, really?¡±


    Owin¡¯s words unsettled Cass more than she thought he was capable of. Despite his cruel intentions, his words reminded her of Maurice and Lord Hall. The thought that Owin had the same capacity as those two to allow him to see through her and strike at the core of who Cass was¡­


    Seeing Cass¡¯s expression, Owin clarified his statement. ¡°Do not get me wrong, Cass- I have no intention of trying to change or manipulate you. Find your identity yourself, find your own way to accept your life and where you are in it. Outside of my duties as your ¡®attendant,¡¯ the only thing I will have to do with you is shove you down beneath me.


    However, here is a hint- maybe you should consider why you have let me live this long, and why you treat me so well. Sure, Hall has some use for me, and you would be punished, but you like that to an extent, do you not? He certainly would not get rid of you, or even change how he feels about you. At the same time, you should also consider that you were broken and put back together- but what shape were you rebuilt into and did every part of you get put back by Hall? Even if they all were, and I have seen enough to know that Hall missed a few that were picked up by others, are you certain that you can hide the weaknesses it left you with? If you do not at least figure that last part out, you really will end up in bed with me.¡±


    Owin then proceeded to throw Cass out of his room, and she was too much in a daze to really stop him. Her mind was reeling, and the fact that this ¡®advice¡¯ came from such an unexpected quarter- from Owin ¡®Rat¡¯ Rattan- made it all the more daunting. She had intended to visit Svala as well, and then the soldiers, but she found herself back in her room, sitting on her couch.


    She told herself she would make herself stand and do those things, but it was difficult to muster the strength when she considered Owin¡¯s last words. Cass had been, at first when the glyphs were applied, telling herself that Owin, despite his obvious evil, deserved a chance to have a better life. And later, learning of who he was, eventually decided that he was a valuable person and in light of his increasingly nicer treatment of Svala, Cass continued to restrain herself.


    But even if Cass¡¯s identity was in flux, and complicated by her breaking, rebuilding, and subsequent actions and learning in Beergmutar and Tyine- Owin¡¯s behaviors were antithetical to Cass¡¯s dreams that she had held on to, with the help of Maurice, throughout much of these challenges.


    Yet not only did she not strike at Owin, Cass realized she respected the man. There was only one reason that Cass could think of for that- Cass had never really let herself think of being equal to or above him. Even when she had threatened him with magic and fire one day that felt like a lifetime ago, and even thought of him as weak compared to Hall, she respected his ability to restrain his fear and talk to her normally after he was released. Especially in light of what happened in Beergmutar, Cass could see the weakness Owin spoke of laid out before her.


    Cass¡¯s weakness was submission, and that the weakness was not limited to her Master Hall. Hall had the greatest claim to her, so long as he was above her she would submit to no one else. But if Cass thought of the start of her ¡®breaking¡¯ to be when she was tossed in that cell, there were others that Cass had acknowledged as above her. Maurice, Evans, and¡­ Rat¡­


    Even as she surpassed Maurice and Rat, now Owin, she did not think of them as beneath her permanently. She believed in their capacity, that those two could be better, and she was still certain that her belief was right. But this introspection revealed to her that Cass had not reached that conclusion due to her analysis of their potential- but out of a belief that they were superior to her, and thus must be able to reach a higher point than her.


    And worse, Cass realized that if Owin did become better than her, and if her Master was gone, she would submit to him. She would hate him, she would hate herself for submitting to him, and she would likely start to hate the world itself for her being forced to serve under him. But the force that would hold her beneath him was her own self.


    Cass was fine with serving her Master, Lord Hall, forever. He had broken her and given her more than she could have ever dreamed of, and she loved him for both of those things. But she would not serve others, she was for him alone and she hoped that he would one day be hers alone.


    She would not be submissive to anyone else but Sarius Hall, she would never look at someone above her and think that person should be above her forever. And when she thought about it, Cass realized that this was necessary for her dream. Cass needed ambition. She needed ambition to grab power, and power to fulfill her dreams and protect her from submission. She would not rise to the top, no- Cass would work to put her Master at the top, and let herself be a step below him. He was the only person she would allow to stand above her.


    Though she was still shaken, this was enough for Cass to stand up and go find Svala and Natalie, who had been assigned a room together. Not that either would be staying in the room, but it was a fine enough place for them both to put their things for now. During the journey here, Svala and Natalie had gained some familiarity with each other and, while not quite friends, might one day be.


    If anything, if was not for Nat being rather timid and shy, they would likely be friends already. Natalie¡¯s cuteness, combined with her determination and work ethic, was too potent to resist. Svala was certainly different around Nat than she had been when she had met Cass, but it was hard to be ¡®cute¡¯ on the street and you really did not want to stand out that way.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    The two had already finished unpacking- even with the rise in status, relative to when Cass met them in Owin¡¯s case, no one really had much in the way of stuff. Cass had a decent wardrobe as part of her duties as a Hand, but the others had far less luggage. As a result, Cass found the two of them chatting happily with each other.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know much about the spirits really,¡± Nat was saying. ¡°That kind of thing was for the Priests mostly- though I think that the Warriors and Voni knew stuff about it too.¡±


    ¡°I did not even know there were other beliefs,¡± Svala said with a frown, and then noticed Cass and greeted her with a smile. They apparantly had been too engrossed in conversation to notice when Cass entered the room, it seemed that Natalie was talking about the spirit worship Cass had seen in Beergmutar.


    ¡°If you are interested, I could introduce you to Odal and Rowig.¡± Cass suggested, ¡°they were part of the Warrior Caste and might be able to tell you more.¡±


    Cass was unsure why Svala was so interested, but it did remind her that she needed to give Natalie an education on the Church. With Natalie¡¯s personality, Cass was confident that she would be able to reach whatever dream she set her mind to- and Cass would happily help her with it. When Cass had brought it up a few times, Nat seemed a little reluctant, but she was sure she would come around.


    ¡°Oh, thank you Lady.¡± Svala smiled a bit wider, ¡°from what Natalie was saying, it sounds very interesting. I wish I could meet one of the Priests¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmmm,¡± Cass had really nothing to say to respond that, so she changed the subject. ¡°How are your rooms?¡±


    ¡°Unbelievable, Lady Cass!¡± Natalie exclaimed, ¡°they are even more amazing than your rooms in Beergmutar!¡±


    ¡°Haha,¡± Cass laughed. ¡°That is true. Makes you wonder what the Baron¡¯s quarters are like, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°I can not even imagine¡­¡± Svala laughed with Cass, ¡°sometimes I think this is all a dream and I will wake up in a corner of an alley with a bottle of red next to me!¡±


    ¡°Well, I am glad that the rooms are good and that you two are getting along well,¡± Cass said. ¡°Though I am a bit curious why you guys got rooms like this, I am not about to complain.¡±


    ¡°I was wondering that too,¡± Nat said curiously. ¡°The three of us are assigned as your servants, right? It seems a bit odd that we would be treated this nicely.¡±


    ¡°They are not quite as nice as you think,¡± Cass chuckled. ¡°Expensive, sure, but even I know they could have spent less for better effect. Nevertheless, you are right, it is odd. My guess is that they are assuming that treating you well will help them get a better deal from me.¡±


    As she thought about it, Cass decided that made the most sense and also no sense whatsoever. Cass had some leeway to make deals, but considering the reason she was here- to convince Baron Rence to use glyphs- it was likely a little unneeded. There was really no downside to the glyphs, after all. Why wouldn¡¯t you use them?


    After that, the subject changed and they made light small talk for a few minutes before excusing herself. She still had to visit Sir Rammuson and the soldiers, who were lodging down in the barracks, which was separate from the manor. Cass called one of the servants to lead her there and was able to get a glimpse of some of the manor¡¯s grounds on the way.


    Cass was curious about the animal shaped trees, which the servant named as ¡®topiaries,¡¯ and made a note to take Natalie to see them when she had the chance. The grounds were very well kept, with large gardens with statues and fountains tastefully placed throughout. Whoever had made the decisions regarding the exterior of the manor was far superior to the one who had made the decisions about the decorations of the interior.


    The path the servant took her on led away from the gardens and through a well maintained hedge via a gate into a small stand of trees. It was explained to Cass that both the hedge and trees were placed to hide the less decorative and more functional facilities from sight of the manor. Past the trees was a rather large barracks as well as a few other buildings, mostly storage it seemed.


    Cass thanked the servant and went on ahead. As she got closer, she frowned slightly. On closer inspection, the building seemed to be somewhat in disrepair- even parts of the roof seemed to be sagging! True, Cass was used to seeing dirty and crumbling structures in the poor parts of Tyine, but compared to the extravagance of the manor she had just been inside, it was surprising.


    Inside was an open hall filled with cots and thin blankets. Even without taking a closer look, Cass could tell that blankets were neither clean, nor of any decent quality. Her own soldiers seemed to be removing the cots and setting up their camping bedrolls, likely a good choice, Cass thought.


    Other than the soldiers Cass had brought with her from Tyine, there were only five other people inside. Looking at them, she could not really tell if the quality of the soldiers Baron Rence had was pathetically bad or if the five people were squatters who had been living in the building without his knowledge.


    Well, that was hyperbole on her part, Cass thought to herself. But she felt that she was starting to get a grasp on how the Baron could be so uninterested in glyphs.


    Still, the Baron had guards at his manor that were of greater quality than this and it would not be odd for him to have a knight as well, and they would clearly not be housed here. After greeting Sir Rammuson, Cass asked for his opinion, betting that an experienced knight would likely have decent insight in to the matter.


    ¡°You probably never thought about this much, Lady Cass,¡± the expression on Rammuson¡¯s face was quite serious as he spoke. ¡°But while the lower classes use the terms ¡®guard¡¯ and ¡®soldier¡¯ interchangeably, they are different professions in reality. For that matter, there are differences between guards depending on the areas they are guarding- a market guard and a palace guard are very different people and do very different jobs.


    The Baron has a lot of personal guards at his manor it seems, but has almost no soldiers. It would be beyond rude for me to make an accusation, but I do wonder if the Baron contributes much to the war in the south or if he has made appeals to the nobles above him that he lacks the forces to do so¡­¡±


    But if Baron Rence was doing something like that he would not want Cass to see such a thing, but he was not hiding it at all. She was not worried about him trying to assassinate the group, partly because she doubted he could, but mostly because that would force Lord Hall to seriously investigate what occured. Even if they got away with killing her and everyone else, the investigation would reveal the Baron¡¯s trickery with his fighting force.


    In short, Cass had no clue what Baron Rence¡¯s game was, but he certainly was playing one.


    ¡°Have our soldiers mix with the Baron¡¯s and see what you can find out,¡± Cass ordered Ramusson. ¡°And send a few people down to the village to ¡®relax,¡¯ okay? There might be nothing going on, but I would rather know for certain than be surprised later.¡±


    On her way back, a servant intercepted her and said that the Baron had asked to meet with Cass in his study. It was far earlier than Cass had expected, normally noble¡¯s business would take place after a meal. It was not considered to polite to rush business, much to Cass¡¯s annoyance. So while she was pleasantly surprised to meet with the Baron earlier, she had to wonder what caused him to call for the meeting early.


    It took some time for the servant to show Cass to the study- which simply illustrated the gigantic size of the manor. In contrast to everything Cass had seen so far, however, the study was cozy and tasteful. Bookshelves lined the walls and there was very little decoration aside from the exquisite designs on the carpet.


    The Baron was sitting behind his desk, his face serious as he read a report. Cass gave a light bow, ¡°I did not think we would be meeting until a little later, Baron. I hope there is nothing wrong?¡±


    ¡°Ah, Lady Cass, please come in and take a seat.¡± The Baron gestured towards the comfy chair in front of his desk. ¡°I am not quite certain whether or not I am fortunate or unfortunate today. There is, in fact, something quite wrong, but if your ¡®glyphs¡¯ are as effective as your Lord says, then I am fortunate that you have arrived.¡±


    ¡°Aside from lacking the requirement for a mage to charge them, they are not any different from the glyphs you are used to Baron.¡± Cass wanted to be careful not to oversell the glyphs, but that single point is incredibly valuable by itself regardless. She was also quite curious what the Baron was talking about. ¡°However, it would be my pleasure to demonstrate their ability and without needing to charge them, you can witness the fighting power of a glyph-bearing unit with mage support. It is nigh invincible compared to the current troop paradigm.¡±


    A servant entered to serve tea, pouring a fresh cup for the Baron and Cass. Cass took a sip, it was not bad, but not excellent either. The tea set was far higher quality than the tea within it- which was only to be expected given what Cass had seen in the manor.


    ¡°I certainly hope so,¡± Baron Rence sighed. ¡°The report I just received suggests that the manticores living in the northeaster caves have left them and are wandering around the territory.¡±


    The Baron¡¯s words did not sink in at first, and then Cass sprung up coughing up her tea and dropping the teacup. The wonderfully plush carpet cushioned the teacup so that it did not shatter, but it would likely take the servants quite a bit of work to remove the stains the tea would leave. However, Cass could not care less about that.


    ¡°You had Magical Beasts living in your territory and you let them be!? Are you mad!?¡± Cass asked in stunned disbelief. Despite never seeing one of them herself, records of the Magical Beast hunts that drove them extinct within the Empire were included in her studies. She had not paid much attention to them, but she could easily recall accounts of their danger and the incredible amount of casualties that were caused.


    In modern times, Magical Beasts were almost mythical in the Empire. Occasionally, they were apparently encountered on the northern and southern borders, and then hunted down immediately. The idea that manticores would be living in the Rence Barony was ludicrous, almost incomprehensible.


    ¡°Watch your tone!¡± The Baron spoke sharply, ¡°you may be Lord Hall¡¯s Hand, but you are still a slave, you will speak to me with respect. And if you have no right to criticise my decisions, I have far too few soldiers to handle creatures like that.¡±


    Cass forcefully restrained her disbelief and anger and managed to sit back down. She could not deny that the Baron did not have the soldiers from what she had seen, but she would also bet that it was his own fault. She also was willing to bet that he had known about these monsters for a while now and had decided not to either build up his forces or alert the Empire itself.


    ¡°Regardless,¡± Baron Rence continued. ¡°We both have something to gain from this. You need to show off the power of the glyphs, and I need the beasts gone- we both win.¡±


    ¡°Baron Rence,¡± Cass had managed to calm herself down enough to think again and was not about to agree to help so easily. ¡°While I apologise for my previous words, I hope you can excuse them in light of how surprising your own words are. However, you surely would not expect me to accept such a dangerous proposal just to show off.¡±


    ¡°And why not? Is that not why you are here?¡± The Baron said, making Cass wonder just how much of an idiot the man thought she was.


    ¡°With respect, I could reliably exhibit the power of the glyphs simply by showing the soldiers I brought lifting weights. In fact, we both are mages and so even that much should be unnecessary.¡± Cass did not give an inch on this point, ¡°As Lord Hall¡¯s Hand, I need something far more concrete.¡±


    The man snorted, ¡°I can imagine what you want. Fine, I will agree to use the glyphs on my soldiers if you can get rid of the manticores for me.¡±


    It was exactly what Cass wanted, but the speed and ease at which she had gotten that commitment had her feeling a bit suspicious. She had been in the Barony for less than a day, and the mix of things that were out of place were already making her wary. Combined with the sudden appearance of the the legendarily dangerous Magical Beasts, and the odd encounter with bandit-mercenaries earlier in the trip- Cass felt like she was dealing with webs thicker than Beergmutar¡¯s Strioi could create.


    Still, despite her unpleasant suspicions, Cass could not find a reason to refuse. So instead she asked for information about manticores, the only information she had about them was based on minor references in her books. Baron Rence provided her with a large chunk of information, none of which she thought was incredibly useful. Still, as she jogged through the woods and through the long plain grasses, Cass had been able to distill some nuggets of information from the dross.


    Manticores were, in the past, one of the more common Magical Beasts in the southern reaches of Haj. As the extermination of the dangerous creatures began, they began to migrate north as the predators that used to keep them pinned in the south were killed. The purge eventually expanded to include the manticores as well, but they had, at one point, ranged throughout the entire Empire.


    All manticores had the body of a lion and a human head, but depending on their age they had different tails- which were the truly dangerous part of the beast. Young manticores had the tails of scorpions and could strike with blinding speed, made all the worse because of the deadly venom contained within. However, as manticores matured, the stiff bristles that covered those tails would grow into full fledged poisonous spines- which the adult manticore could launch over surprising distances. Just what that distance was, however, was not something Rence or Cass knew.


    For that matter, Cass¡¯s rushed education and lack of experience were evident when she tried to imagine what the creature looked like. She had never seen a lion, or even a depiction of one, but it was supposed to be a very large cat she thought. Just how ¡®large¡¯ it actually was, she had no idea.


    According to what records the Baron had on hand, aside from the tails she should be wary of the monsters head. It had a human head, but none of the intelligence that implied. Hearing roars and shrieks emitting from a human mouth was noted to be especially disconcerting, and again, while it would not be normally something you would think of looking at a human face, it was known to savagely bite in close range.


    For that matter, the head¡¯s size was misleading. Manticores could unhinge their bottom jaws and retract their lips to take bites far larger than what you would think at first look- and doing so would reveal its three rows of teeth. As an aside, it was noted for eating its prey whole- bones and equipment included.


    How the hell could such dangerous creatures just be allowed to live near human settlements? Cass did not have time to think about it now, but she would certainly be adding it to the list of things she had to investigate. The more they had talked, the less Cass had believed the Baron¡¯s words about simply leaving them be.


    Still, this also gave Cass exactly what she needed and showed off the incredible utility of her glyphed soldiers. Having just arrived at the Baron¡¯s manor that morning, they were able to deploy and move at incredible speeds. A fully equipped infantry jogging while maintaining enough stamina to have a fight? Why would you not want to use this with your own troops?


    Their guide was not nearly in as good of shape as Cass and her team. Despite only wearing regular clothes they were breathing heavily and looked close to collapse about halfway to their destination. Initially, Cass thought it would be best to ride, but the Baron did not have enough mounts for everyone and the guide was just a local peasant who could not ride regardless.


    It was late afternoon before they reached the hamlet that had reported the sighting. According to the guide, a few families of hunters and fur trappers lived here and traded with a nearby village often. But the buildings were empty now, the doors busted in and arrows stuck in random places around the huts. And embedded in the empty door frame of one hut were three spines, each one over a foot and a half in length and still glistening with a sickly sheen.


    ¡°Well, I cannot say that I expected to make it here before something like this occured,¡± Cass sighed and turned to the pale hunter who had come with them. ¡°Can you track the beasts that were here?¡±


    ¡°What!?¡± The hunter was trembling and seemed to shout reflexively, ¡°there is no way I am going to get near those things! Why can¡¯t you track them?¡±


    ¡°We are all from the city, you know.¡± Cass sighed again, hoping that this man would not be much of a headache. ¡°Your cooperation would be greatly appreciated, and greatly remunerated.¡±


    The flash of a few gold coins that Cass happened to have on her was definitely tempting to the man, who licked his lips as he saw them in her hand. His greed was warring against his fear, so Cass gave him another little push.


    ¡°On the other hand, I really do not want to have to punish you for your disobedience.¡± Cass had gold in one hand, and now she created fire in the other. ¡°You do not really have a choice, so you might as well just make a profit, right?¡±


    The man heaved a sigh of his own and took Cass¡¯s coins and began to examine the scene.

 Rabbit Hole

    Cass examined the area well, but the reality is that she did not really have the training to deduce what had occured. She was able to discern that when the manticores attacked that the villagers had broken up into three groups.


    First, the group that had tried to fight the beasts- it did not take an expert to know those people had perished. The second group, the people who had hid in their homes, were undoubtedly dead as well. There was little left aside from the occasional bloody stains and broken doors, the manticores having either taken the bodies or eaten them whole on site. According to what little Cass knew, it would be hard to tell which had occurred. Manticores were strong enough that they did not need to drag prey, so their would be no trail that would show they had taken a body and their habit of eating people whole was well documented.


    They did not spend long in the hamlet, Cass instead directing their guide to try and follow the trail of the third group. The third group had fled, and Cass hoped that the other groups had bought enough time for those people to escape. According to the guide, maybe four or five people had ran to the south and there did not seem to be manticore tracks pursuing them.


    Cass wanted to find the survivors, should there be any, before she attempted to track down the beasts. Any information they might be able to provide would be invaluable- and she was not in any rush to fight the manticores. She would much rather gather whatever knowledge she could first, even if that meant risking having to make camp and wait until dawn to continue the hunt.


    Not far from the village, a few of the manticore¡¯s spines and a new blood trail made it clear that the beasts had noticed the people fleeing and had managed to strike them from a distance. The tracks were obvious enough for even a city girl like Cass to read, they had clearly attempted to carry their wounded comrade to safety.


    ¡°They won¡¯t have gotten far, Sir Rammuson.¡± Cass called out to the ever-vigilant leader of her forces. ¡°And this blood is fresher than I thought it would be, we seem to have just missed the fight.¡±


    Cass increased the pace even more than what she had made them do to get to the hamlet, running the poor guide ragged. However, the sudden screams of terror and odd sounding roar ahead of them seemed to prove Cass had made the right choice. Focusing mana into her legs, she charged ahead leaving Rammuson to catch up behind her.


    She burst into a small clearing that would have been picturesque in any other circumstance. A small brook bubbling merrily by a boulder grown patchy with moss and the rays of golden sunlight shining down through the gaps in the leaves. Except now a man hardly held himself up as he leaned against the boulder, smearing it with blood as he struggled with the manticore spine that had punctured him in the side. The face, pale from blood loss, terror, and poison as he looked on in horror at the large beast stalking the other four villagers in the clearing.


    Cass had wondered what a manticore looked like, supposing that it would look like a large cat with a human face and a longer tail. That was not wrong, but at the same time it failed to convey the sheer monstrous nature of the creature. It was large, maybe four and a half feet tall at the shoulder, covered in rough and spiky looking reddish-gold fur that seemed somehow tarnished.


    The human heads features were subtly wrong above the mouth, and the mouth itself was a nightmare by itself. Stretching from ear to ear and unfolding and opening downward to reveal a gigantic maw filled with rows of teeth, human teeth in the front and two rows of sharp canines behind them. It leaked blood and drool in a mess down the chin as it roared, shaking its body as it did so to make the spines on its tail rattle against each other in a deafening storm of clicking and clacking. Two men and two women had their backs against a large tree, one of them fallen to the ground and all of them clearly too terrified to even try and run for a second time.


    In a blur, Cass jumped over the wounded man and on to the boulder- using it as a platform to power her launch forward and into the side of the beast. Despite taking the manticore by surprise, and the power of her attack, the beast merely stumbled slightly and did not fall. It spread its paws to absorb the force and reacted quickly, spinning its long tail and the spikes that covered it in an arc towards where Cass had landed.


    Rather than dodge away, Cass moved forward, gripping the rough fur of the creatures body as it turned and pulling herself on to its back. Her hand pulled back and covered with her magic claws, Cass attempted to launch an attack from her perch but had to abandon it as the creature threw itself into a roll.


    Springing off and twisting in the air lightly Cass produced a candle she had stolen from the Rence Manor as she had left, tossing it towards the beast and pouring mana into a system. Even as Cass landed and the manticore was getting to its feet, a ball of fire came into existence and shot towards the monster. Realistically, it was not a very dangerous system. The fire had no mass or weight behind it, and Cass would not be able to increase the heat to a truly dangerous level without time that she didn¡¯t have or a catalyst that she also did not have.


    However, even most people who were aware of this would flinch as fire came at their face, and a manticore was not an intelligent creature but a beast of instinct. It recoiled away from the flames and Cass lunged forward through the dispersing flame, her hand outstretched. Her magical claws sliced through the flesh on top of the bald head, Cass¡¯s hand was too small to grip entirely around the skull, but she had all she needed. Her eyes met the beasts- those two human like orbs seated above the gaping, hideos, maw beneath- and saw them devoid of intelligence, but brimming with malice and hunger.


    Mana flowed into her hand and she crushed the manticore¡¯s skull in her hand, watching as the light in the beast¡¯s eyes faded and the giant body collapsed on the forest floor. Aside from the brook, which had cheerily continued to bubble and splash throughout the fight, there was no sound aside from the quiet panting of the stunned audience. An audience that included a slack-jawed Rammuson who had come upon the scene to see his petite and pretty charge dive through fire and crush a monsters head with a single hand.


    The whole fight had taken only a minute, maybe two at the most, and had left Cass with her hand dripping blood above her ruined enemy. As she looked at that hand in silence for a moment, she seemed to exude an aura of intimidation and violence, but in reality she was simply thinking that it was a good thing she had changed from her dress and into the leather armour they had taken off the mercenaries. It did not fit well, and they obviously had no time for alterations, so they had compromised with quick and crude cuts and using belts to strap down the armour in place.


    Cass thought that it looked ridiculous, but the tightened belts caused the armor to hug her form a little too well. With her hair tied back and her confident and powerful movements, even her tiny size seemed to tower above others. As she looked away from her blood stained and still dripping hand towards the four cowering villagers they showed just as much terror from the attention of their rescuer as they had from the monster that had cornered them. The tension was broken somewhat by the gasping of the injured man by the boulder, who caught Cass¡¯s attention and she walked over towards. Rammusson seemed to shake off his daze and motioned his soldiers to secure the clearing as he came to join her.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Can you save-?¡± The woman who started to call out must have gathered all of her courage and will to speak, but Cass mercilessly interrupted her.


    ¡°No, I cannot. At least, not after so long.¡± Cass said as she examined the dying man. ¡°The only question at this point is whether he dies naturally or not. It does seem rather painful.¡±


    The woman choked up at Cass¡¯s dispassionate analysis, but Cass was not paying any attention to her any more. Instead, she asked the man the only question that would still matter to him.


    ¡°I can make it fast,¡± she said. ¡°Or would you rather the manticore¡¯s venom do it?¡±


    The man struggled for a moment, opening his mouth to gasp out, ¡°End it, please.¡±


    If someone imagines putting a suffering person out of their misery, perhaps they imagine a knife to the heart or throat, but that would not be merciful. You still have to bleed out and die in the former, and wait for the brain to lose consciousness in the later. Actual mercy was not so pretty, especially when Cass was dispensing it. Two fingers sheathed in magic claws through the man¡¯s eye and into the brain behind it and he was instantly dead.


    Behind her, the woman screamed and one of the others threw up in disgust and horror. Cass ignored their reactions and rinsed her hands off in the water, watching as it ran red.


    ¡°We tracked you from the village,¡± she said, standing up to dry her hands on the dead man¡¯s shirt and turning towards the cowering villagers. ¡°I am Cass, the Hand of Lord Hall, and this is Sir Rammusson, a knight of the same. Baron Rence asked for our help in exterminating the manticore threat, and as you may imagine, we have some questions for you regarding this attack.¡±


    They stared at her for a while in shock, and then one of the men stepped forward in anger.


    ¡°You are here to exterminate those damn freaks? Where have you been for the past two weeks! Those things have been stalking hunting parties and travelers for at least that long, maybe longer!¡± He shouted at her, his eyes red and wild, his face haggard and strained. ¡°And now everyone is dead. Dead! Hell, you just killed Jeb as easy as you would have stepped on an ant! Where was your help when we needed it? And how is killing a man like that help at all?¡±


    The attacks had been going on for that long? That was nothing like the Baron had told her, and manticore¡¯s were not known to be stalkers anyway. If a manticore had been here that long it would have attacked the village then even if it had to do so alone.


    ¡°The request was given to us from the Baron today,¡± Cass replied sharply. ¡°Take it up with him, and I¡¯d suggest you start to watch your tongue. With four people who can talk I can rip yours out without losing the information I want, speaking of which¡­ You say these things have been around for as long as two weeks?¡±


    The man did not push his luck, which was probably for the best because Cass had not been joking. This entire trip was starting to look like some sort of conspiracy or trap, and Cass was not happy to be in the middle of it. Perhaps she should have known given her luck that her first mission as her Lord¡¯s Hand would not end simply.


    Speaking to the villagers painted an unpleasant picture. People who wandered into the woods alone had started disappearing two and a half weeks ago, and the first sighting of a manticore had been only a few days after that began. The creatures would skirt the hamlet, but never enter and runners had been able to make it to the Baron and back even if a few never returned.


    So the Baron had been lying when he said he had just gotten the report, Cass noted. But why lie and why not organize a subjugation party to put them down before now? No, Cass realised that she was thinking about this wrong. She ordered camp to be made in the clearing and sat down on the boulder to try and organize her thoughts.


    Manticores had been present, and killing, for two weeks and the Baron had known, but not reacted. Normally, if the lord of an area thought the reports were lies or hyperbole, they would at least dispatch some kind of force to check. For that matter, they would have some force to dispatch and check. The Baron lacked any real force and had definitely not sent anyone- much less trained soldiers or guards- to examine the situation.


    But that had not been a problem until now, because the manticores were not acting like they normally would. The information on the beasts highlighted their intensely aggressive natures and insatiable gluttony, to say nothing of the indications that they prefered human meat over animal meat when they had the choice.


    So she had manticores not acting like manticores and a baron who was not acting like a baron. Cass would be a fool to think they were unrelated, but what could be the connection? Her first instinct was a crazy one, but once the thought had gotten into her head she could not dismiss it easily.


    What if they had found a way to tame magical beasts? That could be a possible explanation for the Baron¡¯s seeming lack of guards or soldiers and the odd behavior of the manticores. If he could direct magical beasts, he would hardly need humans to defend himself- at least before the glyphs Cass had come with. The dead beast that her guards had tossed out of camp would probably have been a tough fight for her men if she had not been present, but they would undoubtedly have prevailed.


    There were many holes in her theory though, not the least of which was that taming magical beasts was borderline impossible. Some specific types could be domesticated, but manticores were not part of that very small, select, group. If it was possible, why would the people holding the creatures leashes spend so much effort terrorizing one small community? If the Baron was working with them, why notify Cass at all?


    To kill them all and blame it on the beasts? But then they could have just had the beasts ambush them on the road. The attack on the village today would be strange as well if there were controllers behind the scenes, mostly because there seemed no reason to do so.


    She questioned the villagers thoroughly, but nothing strange had happened recently. Well, nothing besides the manticores, but Cass was more interested if strangers had come around or if some hunter had started talking about some odd discovery in the forest. It would, Cass reflected, have been too easy for one of those things to be true.


    So what were her other options? The manticores may have been afraid of something in the village, and avoided the place until whatever they feared had left or changed. However, manticores were almost incapable of caution or fear and were known to willingly charge into groups of hundreds of soldiers in blind rage.


    It could just be coincidence, albeit an incredible one. Cass did not believe it for a second, and only tried to consider it for the sake of examining all the possibilities she could think of. It was unheard of for the beasts not to go after human flesh when it was available, and there was no set of circumstances that would have kept the beasts from a waiting feast.


    The forrest was growing dark, and Cass had ordered the fires to be kept low. She wanted the area lit, but only softly. There were two reasons for this, the first being to allow them to see better in the night while not interfering with their night vision too much. And the second was to try and keep as low a profile as she could while still having fires burning.


    Fortunately, manticores had about the same quality of vision as people, and as long as they kept the fires low and careful the trees should block the light from traveling too far in the forest. They did, on the other hand, possess supernaturally acute hearing. A blind manticore could accurately shoot spikes just based on sound alone, so Cass had no desire to face the creatures at night.


    She got into her bedroll after ensuring a double watch would be set, her thoughts abuzz with theories and worries and frustration. Tomorrow, they would backtrack to the ruined hamlet and attempt to track the beasts themselves. If Cass had any luck at all, the four people she rescued might be able to provide some help in that regard, but she would not hold her breath.


    Tomorrow was going to be a busy, and very probably bloody, day.

 Beast Slayer

    Much to Cass¡¯s surprise there was not an attack that night. She slept straight through the entire night, making her the only person in the camp to get a full night''s sleep. The soldiers, even those not on watch, had trouble falling asleep given what they knew could be prowling about in the forest and the five peasants were too terrified to sleep at all.


    Breakfast was light, and the group was moving again before an hour had passed. Their first stop would be the village and they would see where the tracks led them after that. If Baron Rence was to be believed, the beasts had come from the northeast. However, Cass did not remotely trust the Baron at this point. Anything the man said was suspect, which in turn raised questions that Cass would have to consider before she talked to the man again.


    In theory, the Baron was beholden to a lord above him, a Viscount in this case, in a long chain of lords that reached up to the Imperial Family. However, this was rarely a very rigid structure. It was rare for a higher rank lord to order one of their feudatories to do anything, and considered to be a sign of an incompetent lord who had chosen their underlings poorly.


    Cass didn''t particularly think much of this system, thinking a tradition of absolute obedience between liege and vassal would be much preferable. Regardless, she had to wonder if the Viscount above Baron Rence knew what was going on in this section of his territory. But she did not want to consider that now.


    The village was much the same as it had been yesterday. Manticores did not leave bodies to rot and clear skies ensured the tracks would remain. However, Cass was soon frustrated. The tracks were there, but they were too confusing for either her or any of the people with her to make sense of.


    ¡°Shit,¡± Cass swore. ¡°Sir Rammusson, do you have any suggestions? I have to admit that I have no real experience in tactics or how to use your soldiers, but my instinct is to split our forces into teams and search the woods.¡±


    ¡°It would be dangerous,¡± Rammusson grunted, alert with his eyes scanning the woods around them. ¡°The edges of our line would be weak to being picked off, but thankfully manticores are not that intelligent. However, I don''t think we could have groups less than four soldiers apiece, and that does not give us a large net.¡±


    ¡°I am worried that our quarry might be more directed than not,¡± Cass admitted her suspicions. ¡°This entire event is strange, and I am not sure what game Baron Rence is playing- or what level he is playing on.¡±


    ¡°Still, if you want to push forward it is our only real choice, but do we need to?¡± Rammusson asked, ¡°We are not far from Tyine- or we could even push north into the Hall family territory, although I would not like to give any ammunition to our young lord¡¯s father. Their feud is legendary in some part of their territory.¡±


    That was a fair point actually, one that Cass had not considered, she could just leave. She could go back and have the soldiers drag the manticore she had killed back to the Baron and tell him the rest had escaped- but she doubted that would be enough to fulfill their agreement. Though if her suspicions were correct the Baron might be involved in this whole thing.


    If he was though, why had he directed Cass to come out here? Either Baron Rence figured the beasts would kill them all or that Cass and Rammusson would exterminate them. Could he be working with the Amall Family or Viscount Hall? Not only were both territories close, only maybe ten or twenty miles away in the later case, but it would explain the resistance to implementing glyphs. But that would presume that they would die here, but that was unlikely- Cass, at least, could probably escape most situations and the whole group of them could handle more than a few of the beasts.


    ¡°Split the men, we will search towards the northeast,¡± Cass commanded. ¡°Four groups, but keep relatively close and take one of the villagers to navigate. Even if it is suspect, we cannot turn back on such a flimsy set of circumstances.¡±


    Her Master did not have a huge amount of political capital to spend, and all of it was dependent on the success and spread of Glyphs. If it spread that a group of Glyphed soldiers had failed a request and the Baron Rence continued to refuse to use them¡­ Well, it would have long term consequences to say the least, possibly fatal ones- perhaps literally fatal to Cass given Clare¡¯s dislike of her.


    ¡°By your order, Lady Cass.¡± Sir Darius Rammusson saluted and began to organize the soldiers.


    ¡°Split into your Sections, turns out none of us city boys know how to track even a big ass magical beast, so we are going to be going for a hike and combing the woods! Now I¡¯d rather not have to explain your deaths to your widows, so each group needs to keep line of sight with the group next to them. Take care, our quarry is not acting like how it is supposed to, so be on the watch for anything suspicious, understand?¡±


    A Section was the smallest unit of soldiers organized in Haj, consisting of four soldiers and one Section Leader for a total of five. Even if it took longer to find where the beasts had run off to, there was far less of a risk to the soldiers themselves. Despite her temptation to thin the lines further, she resisted and took a place between the two central groups. True, it was only her and Rammusson walking together, but they had a Section close by on either side and Cass herself had taken the measure of the manticore she had killed. So long as she was paying attention, she did not think they were much of a threat to her.


    She chose the northeast for a few reasons. First, Baron Rence had said that the beasts had come from that direction- though whether or not he was being truthful was another matter. Second, they had come to the hamlet from the west and had chased the survivors to the south. While they had hardly searched exhaustively, the west and the south had been explored to some degree and she could save those for last. The final reason was that the Amall territory was in that direction, and even if it was paranoia, she could not help but worry about their hand in this affair.


    Twenty seven people set out not long later, each Section had one of the villagers with them and the original guide joined Rammusson and Cass in the center. Before they left, Rammusson reminded Cass that regardless of what occurred they only had so much supplies- even with the minimum rations they only had enough for two days. Morning on the third day would see the troops go hungry and force their return to the Baron.


    Though still a failure, it would be a far more acceptable result than a retreat. It would be painted as a failure due to incompetence instead of cowardice, but that could be spun as a failure on the Baron¡¯s side because he had failed to send anything more than a single guide with them.


    The scenery could be described as idyllic, the Baron¡¯s territory was beautiful in the way only an open forrest could. Bright, even if there was lots of shade against the glare, and a sea of green undergrowth of various shades.


    It was interesting, Cass reflected, how something that would be enjoyable to just sit and look at, or to walk through and explore, became a nerve wracking experience when you knew there was danger inside. It was hard not to jump at every small noise, whether it be the wind rustling a fern or Rammusson stepping on a twig. Cass found herself looking for the source of such noises even though she knew the large and heavy manticore would have been far louder.


    A few hours of walking with no result had Cass wondering if they should backtrack and try a different direction, when a call from the northernmost group caused her to order the Sections to join up with them. It was not a large find, only a bit of reddish-gold fur caught on a branch and some paw prints in soil beneath a fern, but it gave them a direction. Cass reoriented and redeployed the soldiers with the line of the paw prints in the center and they continued forward.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    By late afternoon, they had clearly entered the manticore¡¯s territory. Multiple trees had been rent and scratched by large claws and beneath them the earth had been tore up by a clearly large creature.


    Cass had them backtrack out of the area before they set camp for the night, but even doing so did not help her this time. She was woken in the night by men shouting and discordant roars. Cass was on her feet in a flash, trying to adjust her eyes to the night and the chaos surrounding her.


    ¡°Get your shields and get them up!¡± Rammusson¡¯s roar was good competition for the manticores in volume and ferocity. ¡°Even if you can¡¯t see them, the dumb shits make noise! Keep steel between you and them or be turned into a godsdamn pincushion!¡±


    Most of the soldiers did so in time for a rain of spines flying in, but one was too slow and died instantly with one through his face. Cass realised that the manticore¡¯s ranged advantage in the darkness would be deadly, perhaps enough to wipe her soldiers out. She used her magic to create light systems that, while not very bright, would illuminate the bulky creatures and reduce their advantage.


    ¡°Rammusson, I¡¯ll provide a distraction!¡± Cass shouted, although she had no idea where the knight was right now. ¡°Use it to close the distance and butcher these shits!¡±


    She let her mana flow into her legs and leapt forward, shoving a large amount of mana into her anklet so that when she touched down between the soldiers and the manticores the sound was less like a whip and more like a thunderclap. The wind around her was violent. Cass had twisted the air with magic to deflect any incoming spines, though she was only partly successful. The spines did divert, but she still had to dodge a few as her noise and charge drew the beasts ire.


    Picking a beast at random, Cass sprinted forward and the beast came at her to meet the challenge. Despite its mass, the manticore had the muscle to spring into the air and attempt to pounce down on her. A sudden acceleration on Cass¡¯s part had her sliding beneath the creature with one hand sheathed in magic claws dragging across its underside from chest to belly. It died where it landed as its guts spilled on the ground, but Cass had already dismissed it and activated her new glyphs to fade from view.


    Even though it was far more efficient than her ad hoc system version, it still drained Cass¡¯s mana at an atrocious rate. However, even if a few soldiers died for it, she had to confirm whether or not there were any hidden handlers. She moved quickly in a large arc around the area the beasts had struck from, and was rewarded when she almost tripped over a trio of black clothed men. Needless to say, she only needed one to drag back to the camp and she was not gentle about robbing his consciousness.


    Back at the camp, her soldiers were giving a good account of themselves. Flesh and claw was a poor match against magic and steel without the advantage of darkness and range and they closed the distance quickly. Sir Rammusson once again showed off how devastating his strength was when combined with his massive greatsword. No matter where it struck, the first cut would either kill the target outright or maim it so badly that it could not defend itself from the second.


    Manticores were too stupid to run, and so they were butchered not long after. The final count had six manticores dead- two to Rammusson, one to Cass, and three to the regular soldiers- and two enemy humans dead as well, with a third captured. Cass¡¯s forces had only suffered a single death, that single unlucky soldier who had gotten a spine through the face.


    ¡°Good work,¡± Cass congratulated the knight as she dragged her black clothed prize behind her. ¡°I got you a present to congratulate you.¡±


    ¡°Aww, you shouldn¡¯t have.¡± The sight of the blood soaked man smiling was absolutely terrifying to most people, however the girl he spoke too was not much better. Gutting a manticore and butchering those two men had left Cass with her fair share of blood on her as well, and the two together looked like something out of a nightmare.


    ¡°Still, while I suppose it is a good thing, this is far less than I was expecting,¡± Cass¡¯s tone turned serious again as she tossed the masked man on to the ground ahead of her. ¡°It would be closer without the glyphs, but even then I think we would have prevailed, which makes me wonder what the point of it all is.¡±


    ¡°I am not so certain, my Lady,¡± Rammusson began to wipe the blood from his blade on a nearby manticore. ¡°Without your light, distraction, and the glyphs it would have been difficult to approach them, especially if those men were truly controlling them. All they would have to do is keep backing up as we approach and shower us with spines, there would not be much we could do.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, but it would not take many more men to take that uncertainty away,¡± Cass shrugged. ¡°Controlling magical beasts is supposed to be nearly impossible, and if an easy way to control them was found they would still have a huge upkeep cost. Seems quite costly for something so ineffective.¡±


    ¡°Well we have a new friend who may have the answers we want,¡± Rammusson¡¯s grin grew wider. ¡°So how about we just ask him?¡±


    The man was tied to a nearby tree and then slapped awake, groaning in pain and disoriented.


    ¡°Evening,¡± Cass said cheerily. ¡°My friends and I were just going for a nice, relaxing, walk around these parts and came across some pretty interesting things. Being a naturally curious group we thought we would invite you over to our camp to ask some questions. That won¡¯t be a bother, will it?¡±


    The only response was a snarl and a glob of spit, which fell short of reaching Cass. For her part, Cass heaved an overacted disappointed sigh and reach her hand out. She considered, offhand, that her master would probably teach her his magic properly if she asked- however she did not want to use that magic on the likes of people like this, they didn¡¯t deserve that and Cass had to admit wanting it to herself.


    Still, a replica of the system was enough to have the man writhing and screaming. Cass just watched and held the magic as she counted to ten, idly noticing that the man was scraping the skin off his arms as he thrashed against the ropes that bound him to the tree.


    At ten, Cass stopped, leaving the man sagging and panting. Again, she put on a smiling, fake cheerful, demeanor- more for her own amusement than anything else- and asked the man.


    ¡°Won¡¯t you answer some questions for me?¡± She asked sweetly, ¡°I get so terribly frustrated when there is a mystery I can¡¯t solve and I will have to keep you as a playmate for a while to relax.¡±


    ¡°Fuck off, bitch.¡± The man croaked, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you nothing.¡±


    Cass just smiled and extended her hand, counting to ten again as she watched the man scream. She did not worry, or even really care that the man had decided to resist. She might not have her Master¡¯s magic, but even a pale imitation was enough for most people- especially when applied without any concern for damaging the subject. As she had noted before, Cass even enjoyed this kind of thing. Her fake smile had become more and more real as the seconds passed, and as she spoke again there was nothing about her tone or smile that as faked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just be honest with you here for a moment, I do not really mind your resistance.¡± Cass said with a laugh. ¡°I mean, it''s pretty amusing to crush insects under heel, you know? That said, there is not much of a point to dragging this on- besides my amusement that is- and you do not have any good options, just less bad ones.¡±


    ¡°First option, you drop the tough guy routine and tell me everything I want to know.¡± Cass did not think he would do that, but she made the offer anyway. ¡°I probably kill you, depending on what I hear, but I do kill you painlessly, which is a plus.¡±


    She was pacing around the tree as she spoke, and now was behind the tree and out of his sight as she explained the second option.


    ¡°Your second choice, we keep this up for a time until you get tired of screaming your lungs out and you still tell me everything you want to know and then die in a level of pain depending on my mood.¡±


    Back in his view now, stopping in front of him and looking in his eyes, Cass listed the third option- one that she doubted he had the fortitude to choose, but the threat alone would help to break him down.


    ¡°Number three is a real bad one,¡± Cass¡¯s teeth glinted in the firelight as she smiled. ¡°You heroically resist and I end up dragging you back with me. You spend days screaming until you are coughing blood and then you meet my Master, who will show you what real pain feels like. If it makes you feel better, you might live through the third choice- my Master might just break your mind and enslave you.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t scare me,¡± the man snarled at Cass. ¡°You have no idea what you are dealing with.¡±


    ¡°Well of course I don¡¯t you idiot,¡± Cass sighed in exasperation. ¡°The whole point of me asking is that I don¡¯t know and the whole reason I am about to break your finger is that you won¡¯t tell me!¡±


    That last part did not register with the man until Cass had already crushed the man¡¯s index finger on his right hand. It was only the start of a very long night for the man.

 A Mad Plan

    ¡°Honestly, I am rather disappointed.¡± Cass grumbled as the body was hauled away. ¡°He talked a much bigger game than he could handle, I was just getting warmed up.¡±


    Cass failed to notice that everyone around her was wide eyed and edging away carefully- as one might when confronted with an animal that they would not want to provoke. She seemed more beast-like than the magical beasts themselves.


    She had only worked her way up to his forearm, he had plenty of bones left to break but his mind had gone first. Well, Cass supposed that no matter how much resistance one had before they broke, it would never compare to the pain tolerance you could obtain afterwards. Still, she had gotten the information she wanted, part of it anyway.


    Not too far away from here was a small cave system where experiments were taking place on the manticores, experiments that had paid off. Cass walked over to one of the manticore corpses and carefully shifted the spines on its tail. Around the tail, just below the stinger, were a pair of metal rings.


    Slave collars.


    The masked controller had not been able to say much about the experiments or the changes made to the collar, but he did reveal that there were two mages that stayed in the caves and that they often had noble visitors. Including, as it happens, Baron Rence. However, the Baron also seemed to not be the most willing participant and had argued with the mage in charge several times.


    So the Baron had borrowed a knife to strike at them in the form of Cass and her soldiers. She did not appreciate being used in this way, but she was also very curious what they held over the Baron to force his obedience. For that matter, she was unsure why this experiment was being run out in some caves in the middle of nowhere.


    The presence of mages, while something she had suspected and expected as this had gone on, complicated things somewhat because they were almost certainly from noble families. Non-noble mages were rare in Haj, after all, and the mages had to come from somewhere. So Cass could not simply kill them without consequence and the caves had still more manticores and even some human guards.


    ¡°Sir Rammusson, get the men back to sleep as soon as possible,¡± Cass made her decision and issued a command. ¡°They will be aware they failed before long, if they are not already. Which means they will be ready for us tomorrow, we need to be rested to meet the challenge.¡±


    ¡°My Lady,¡± Rammusson began cautiously. ¡°Are you certain? I am worried that they will hit the camp again. I would do so, and if they use their full strength it would be a very hard fight. If we attack them, it will be much the same.¡±


    ¡°I agree, and I¡¯d rather not risk it if possible,¡± Cass admitted. ¡°However, I doubt it will come to that. If I have read the situation right, despite how it may appear, they are more in a corner than we are.¡±


    After all, noble born mages would hardly choose to live and work in a cave next to disgusting and filthy monsters instead of the luxury of their homes and the convenience of their territory if they had a choice in the matter. The fact that the Baron had confronted them and been turned back seemed to indicate that, if not for whatever they held over him, he would have been able to oust them from the territory.


    So if there backing was a shaky as Cass predicted, she doubted they would have the resources to easily lose much more than they had already. Seven manticores, fourteen modified slave collars, and three of their human servants was a significant loss. Even if they could defeat Cass¡¯s forces- which was not guaranteed- the operation would be essentially finished.


    So if they were confronted, Cass presumed they would prefer to deal with her in negotiations instead of battle. Despite her belief, she was nervous. If she misread this- even if she just failed to gauge how likely they were to let cooler heads prevail and talk to her- it would be violent and bloody.


    ¡°If it does become a fight, we can always simply pull back.¡± Cass thought aloud. ¡°The beasts could keep up with us, but not there handlers or leaders.¡±


    Sir Rammusson seemed less than enthused about the idea, appearing to mull it over before he spoke. Whatever he said, Cass planned to consider it seriously. Her education was lacking and rushed, and she had far more to go- to especially in terms of military command. Just because Cass figured she knew how they would react, did not mean that they would react in what she presumed was a reasonable way when they were cornered by her forces.


    ¡°My Lady, trying to fight and retreat from these things,¡± he said as he kicked one of the dead bodies nearby. ¡°Will be a far cry from facing them head on. Even we can''t shield ourselves effectively and retreat in good order- and these things are probably faster than us anyway. If we stop to fight them, their soldiers and mages will catch up and we will be back to square one.¡±


    ¡°And if we pretended to fall back to create a gap between the beasts and their handlers?¡± Cass suggested, not willing to give up so easily even if she understood the knight''s point. ¡°Before they could catch up again we could turn on the beasts and butcher them, leaving us with just some lightly armed guards and the two mages.¡±


    ¡°With all due respect, you have never fought against mages in any organized battle, have you Lady Cass?¡±


    ¡°Technically, yes, but it was hardly a usual situation and I was out of the fight pretty quickly.¡± The raid from Beergmutar would actually have been around this scale, but Cass had not taken part in that as either a commander or a soldier. In fact, it did not take much consideration to realise the way she fought was not very conducive to fighting as a squad or larger group. Cass was, to her own amusement, not very different in style from the manticores- although she was a fair bit smarter. A skirmisher who was strong against small groups and could strike with both speed and power, but her effectiveness waned as the number of troops went up.


    ¡°So essentially all I know is theory,¡± Cass continued. ¡°And not a whole lot of that as of yet. If I am to be honest, despite having some rather esoteric knowledge compared to most mages in Haj, my own training as a mage is woefully incomplete.¡±


    It stun a bit to admit that, but there was a lot of things Cass had to learn and no amount of effort that could grant her the two decades of training in magic, politics, economics, history, and military in a short amount of time. Even with her Master''s training to motivate her, there was only so much a human was capable of in a day.


    ¡°Right, so the short version of what you can expect¡­ It depends on the quality of the mage, but the basic staples are usually some kind of fireball and some kind of projectile attack, usually a stone or something similar.¡± Rammusson began to explain some of the more common magics seen in the field, and why they were such an issue for massed soldiers. ¡°Most mages will have more tricks than those, but they almost always open with one of those kinds of strikes. A decent mage¡¯s fireball won¡¯t necessarily light anyone on fire, but it won¡¯t need to. Any exposed skin will be fried and the soldier will almost certainly be disabled. Real nasty mages, generally older ones, can create fireballs that even suck the life out the air. You will be able to pull air into your lungs, but you won¡¯t be able to breathe it.¡±


    ¡°A mage experienced in combat could send out a few dozen and demolish a formation that lacks defensive mage support- not that you can ever rely on that, but I digress- so it is extremely difficult to hold a line against mage supported forces. Once the line breaks, the exposed soldiers will be picked off with projectiles, which can be anything from rocks, to arrows, to a bolt from a siege engine. And this is the minimum you can expect from a mage, someone like Baron Rence, for example.¡±


    ¡°However, not every mage is like that, our Lord and your Ladyship being prime examples. While I have never seen mages that fight quite like either of you, I have seen more than one mage capable of making the air itself sharp. Simply breathing in his presence would have enemies coughing up blood and dying. And, if I were a betting man, I would say it is almost certain that the kind of mages who would be out here experimenting would be the kind of mages to have some unique form of attack.¡±


    Rammusson finished his lecture by saying, ¡°So if you expect us to be able to easily retreat with enemy mages on the field, you have another thing coming.


    All of the things Rammusson said were valid points, Cass reluctantly conceded, and things she had not considered. Despite living and serving with, as well as being, a mage she had put very little thought to how they might fight- traditionally, anyway- and how that would apply to soldiers.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    Rammusson, and likely the enemy mages, were far superior to her in this game. Certainly, they had made a mistake in assuming that this attack would succeed, but this was likely there first time encountering glyphed soldiers like these ones. The ones controlling the manticores sometimes would ¡®lose¡¯ one for a time- though compulsion would always force the beast back- according to the handler Cass had interrogated. They had lost one after the village attack, and that was almost certainly the one Cass killed.


    They had made a mistake, but they probably would not make a second. Luck would only get Cass so far, and this was probably the end of it.


    So if they would beat her at this game, maybe she should play another? Cass was leaving her past, and the street behind, but did that mean she had to leave behind the streets lessons and tricks? Its games?


    ¡°My order stands, Rammusson.¡± Cass said as a feral smile spread over her face, ¡°but the plan for tomorrow is going to be a little¡­ Complicated¡­¡±


    *Rammusson*


    Sir Darius Rammusson was no stranger to the schemes and treachery of the noble classes. To say that the government of Haj was fractious would be to far understate the situation- the webs of power and influence grew ever more convoluted with each power play, which were incessant.


    His current situation, the knight thought to himself as his soldiers marched through the forest, was a perfect exhibit of the normal balance of power.


    His family, a knight family, was, arguably, the lowest rung on the ladder of Haj nobility. Knights rarely owned land, and instead served under a higher ranked noble as elite soldiers and servants. While Barons rarely had such a family serving them, Viscounts would always have at least one and as many as four in some cases.


    The Rammusson Family had come to serve House Hall after breaking ties with their old lords, an action unique to the mostly landless noble rank of knights. A knight family would take an oath of loyalty to the house they would serve, and there would be similar oaths in return. While this used to be something of an honor and a sacred ritual in ancient times, today it was not too much more than a business transaction- even to knight families like the Rammusons that kept to the old ideas of honor.


    Darius¡¯ father had broken off their former contract and found a new one in the Hall family, through a recommendation of a mutual friend between Darius and the heir to the Hall family. The whole situation had looked far more stable than a lot of noble families looked. An ascendant, but not overly fast rising, house that had a decent enough relationship with one of their neighbors that the heir was marrying their only daughter. Wilric Hall¡¯s heir, Sarius, had seemed far more interested in magic than politics, and that was seen as a good sign for a stable future that would stay out of the south¡¯s troubles. Darius had had his doubts, he would never have imagined a noble family without some kind of intrigue and did not believe it when his father had presented the Hall¡¯s as such.


    It was not very long after the oaths had been taken that it had become obvious that Darius was right.


    House Hall and House Amall were in the middle of an unpleasant game where the winner would probably end up usurping or even outright absorbing the loser¡¯s territory and family. To make matters worse, that game centered around Lord Sarius Hall and Lady Clare Amall- now Lady Clare Hall- who absolutely hated each other. It was complicated by the fact that the Halls were divided and the son not only despised his father but also opposed him politically in many places, and publicly.


    If it had just been this much, oddly enough, it would have been low key enough for politics this close to the Imperial Center that Darius would not have cared very much. If this was all, it would be abnormal only in how tame it was, but of course there was more.


    Not only did the son have some significant backers in the Tower, the innovations he had made to soldier¡¯s glyphs had potentially revolutionary implications. Sarius Hall had, and was, leveraging those glyphs against his father for control of House Hall- but Viscount Hall was far more politically entrenched and stable than any Viscount had a right to be and House Amall was not far behind.


    Still, House Hall was showing some splinters from the split and fight between father and son- Darius Rammusson was one such splinter.


    After the oaths had already been taken, another nasty revelation was that Viscount Wilric Hall was, to put it mildly, a psychopath. His son was as well, but the difference was like the night and day, Sarius Hall was a paragon of morality compared to his father. The standard oaths were written in such a way that so long as a knight was serving the family they swore to, they did not necessarily need to serve the head of the House. So Darius had chosen Lord Sarius Hall and upon going to his side, realized that this family was an even bigger mess than it looked like.


    His Lord¡¯s Hand was, essentially, an enslaved homeless orphan of the Imperial Family who had been driven mad from a mixture of magical experimentation and torture.


    Lady Cassandra had to be mad, or how else would anyone explain why she came crawling back to her torturer and go from human experiment to human experiment and sex slave?


    And of course, it would take a madwoman to think up and order this plan to take place. His cheerful attitude, which was a mask he wore to hide the disappointment and disgust he had for the world around him, had slowly been chipped away over the past couple of days as it became clear that this was a bigger mess than they had ever thought and his Lady seemed intent on forging ahead. Her sending the villagers away last night had been the last straw it had taken for that mask to slip entirely, how could they be sure their plan was not leaked to the enemy by now?


    They found the forest caves soon enough and the forces arrayed in front of it and Darius noted the shawl wearing woman that shouted and pointed at him and his men.


    ¡°See? There they are, just as I told you milords!¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± a nearby hooded man said cooly. ¡°We will have to suitably reward you once this is all settled for your timely warning miss.¡±


    There were two hooded men, behind the ranks of snarling manticores and armed guards. They were probably the mages and it was too them Darius made his address as he stepped forward.


    ¡°I am Sir Darius Rammusson in service to House Hall and was hunting the magical beasts reported to be troubling these lands by the request of Baron Rence,¡± he said, speaking loudly and clearly. He was thankful Lady Cass had allowed him to negotiate, he dreaded to think what the inexperienced girl would have done if she had been left to it herself. ¡°I desire no quarrel with your Lordships or your Lordship¡¯s Houses, however I am oath-bound to discharge my orders and end the threat to this land- I was hoping we could come to an arrangement without bloodshed.¡±


    It was, Darius reflected, probably their only chance of making it out alive. The Lady Hand¡¯s plan was dangerous and would only be considered by an insane person- he did not believe for a second that it would work and would eat his own boots if it did. Though admittedly, the first part seemed to have- miraculously- succeeded.


    ¡°I imagine you would like that,¡± the same cool voice man replied. ¡°Seeing as how we hold the advantage. Why should we even continue this conversation further?¡±


    ¡°Even if you can win- something that I personally doubt- twenty heavy infantry bearing House Hall¡¯s new glyphs can do quite a lot of damage before it is put down I think.¡± Darius spoke with far more confidence than he actually felt, though part of that was just the nerves that would precede any possible combat. ¡°You¡¯ve lost what, seven manticores already? We trashed those collars on their tails too. I am not a mage, but it seems pretty obvious to me that won¡¯t be an easy loss to stomach- why add more?¡±


    ¡°A fair point coming from an idiot knight family brute? I am considerably impressed!¡± The affected surprise coming from the man was grating, to say the least, and his continued arrogance would become hard for Darius to stomach- though it did raise the possibility of a higher noble than a mere Baron or Viscount behind this. ¡°Still, your thoughts are too shallow. We, like you, have our own duties- and manticores grow to adulthood long before humans do, so their loss is hardly terrible. A stick is useful in a bargain, but it losses something if it does not have the carrot to entice the other party on.¡±


    Translating out of noble-speak, he had basically asked for payment. What, did he expect that Darius had dragged out a chest of gold with him into a forest?


    ¡°Maybe it does, but if the stick isn¡¯t enough what is to stop the other party from taking the carrot anyway?¡± Darius purposefully left out whether or not he could bribe them and continued on, ¡°but either way, you are done here whether or not I or my men leave her alive. The Halls will demand an answer from the Baron for my disappearance, and the Baron was obviously tired of your presence already because he sent me out here- so I doubt he will hold back.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, perhaps not. The territories to the north are about to have more than their fair share of problems very soon, we might be able to slip away in the chaos.¡±


    ¡°Gambling, huh? Well, if I had known you were the kind of men for that I wouldn¡¯t have come here thinking you¡¯d take the reasonable option. If you think that the Halls are the kind of people who let things go you are in for a very painful surprise.¡± The first bit was a complete lie, but Darius was dead serious about the second part. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s your call in the end, but we both have an easy out in this.¡±


    The hooded man seemed to consider for a moment and Darius counted the seconds that ticked by in awkward silence.


    ¡°I admit,¡± the man said suddenly. ¡°The offer is tempting. I am not in the habit of taking losses I can avoid, especially when it is for little to no gain.¡±


    Darius¡¯s sudden hopes were dashed a second later though.


    ¡°However, something that I find far more unpleasant would be taking insults from my lessers,¡± the man¡¯s voice went from cool to cold, filled with a dangerous sort of anger. ¡°If not for that, I might have let you be, but instead-¡±


    The man was clearly about to order an attack, but he did not get the chance. The woman behind him, blonde hair and golden collar hidden by the shawl she had stolen off a villager, swept him and his partner off their feet and had her hands at their throats a heartbeat later.


    Despite acting rationally for most of the time Darius had known her, in the end, the wicked smile and shining eyes of Lady Cass confirmed his suspicions that she was genuinely mad. Brilliant in some ways, but mad.

 The Truth is Cruelty

    Cass had, at the knight¡¯s request, at least let him attempt negotiation- but there was something far more satisfying about having her hand at her enemy¡¯s throats. The guards reacted late, and a slight squeeze had the mages calling out.


    ¡°Stop! Don¡¯t come near!¡± The cool voice was now tinged with panic instead of anger, to Cass¡¯s amusement.


    ¡°Smart man,¡± Cass said with a laugh. ¡°That will make things easier I think. My apologies for the late introduction, but I am the Hand of Lord Sarius Hall- you can call me Cass, but what should I call you?¡±


    The hoods had fallen and revealed the cool voiced man to be a brown haired man in his late twenties and a man in his forties with black hair speckled grey.


    ¡°I am Aurius and this is Bassil,¡± the younger man- Aurius- spoke, but Cass noted he had not revealed a family name or House. ¡°And I suppose you feel clever with this treachery?¡±


    ¡°There is not much reason for pride when tricking fools- fools who should know better than to try using magic in this situation!¡± Cass noticed Aurius¡¯s attempt to form magic and she briefly cast her magic claws to draw a thin line of blood across his throat. ¡°Order them to butcher the manticores and then disarm, and we can discuss whether or not I am going to let you leave and in how many pieces you are in if and when you do.¡±


    ¡°And if I decide not to?¡±


    Cass did not bother to reply with words and just ripped out Bassil¡¯s throat while maintaining eye contact with Aurius. The men shouted and drew their swords, but the mage was screaming now.


    ¡°Stop! Stop!¡± Aurius¡¯s eyes were wide as he twitched beneath Cass¡¯s hand. ¡°Do as she says!¡±


    ¡°See, I knew you were a smart man.¡± Cass laughed as she went from a crouch to practically sitting on his chest and wiped her bloody hand on his shirt. ¡°You had me worried for a bit there when you asked a really stupid question, but I suppose I should make an allowance for your surprise.¡±


    ¡°You have no idea what you have done, do you?¡± The mage asked through gritted teeth as the manticores were killed. ¡°Or what kind of mess you have stepped into.¡±


    ¡°Oh no, I know everything. It is not my fault you were foolish enough to think you weren¡¯t seen through.¡± Cass said blithely, ¡°honestly though, this was way easier than what they told me. I really expected you two to be more of a challenge.¡±


    The man blinked in stunned surprise, and then his eyes narrowed.


    ¡°You lie, you never would have killed Lord Bassil if you knew who he represented. I admit your savagery was shocking and unexpected, even for the lower classes, but there was a reason he was calm even then.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t do him a lot of good, did it?¡± Cass laughed, ¡°Sure, sure- I was lying, but that only matters if we leave witnesses.¡±


    When the manticores had been butchered, the men had surrendered and threw their weapons away as they were ordered by Aurius. However, Rammusson and his forces followed the orders Cass had given them before and killed the unarmed men without mercy.


    ¡°Here is how this is going to go down,¡± Cass said conversationally as she patted the man on the cheek with mock affection. ¡°You are going to tell me everything you know and explain why I should spare you. If you make a good case, you will accompany to Imperial Center where I will lodge a formal complaint against your family before agents of the Imperial Court about your attacks in this territory and failure to identify yourself. Your friend there will be a¡­ Tragic¡­ Accident that resulted from your failure to identify yourself.¡±


    ¡°On the other hand,¡± she gripped his chin and made sure he saw her eyes as she spoke. ¡°If you don¡¯t convince me, you get to meet up with your friend in the afterlife and if you refuse to talk you and I will become much better acquainted with each other. And I assure you, you do not want that.¡±


    ¡°It is done, my Lady.¡± Rammusson had a grim look on his face as he approached, a far cry from the expression he had when this whole expedition had started.


    ¡°Wonderful,¡± Cass replied, and then ordered him to have a section watch over Aurius. ¡°I want steel on his neck at all times. If he so much as twitches wrong, end him.¡±


    It was, Cass reflected, a shame that she had no magesbane. As unpleasant as the effects were she would be able to feel far more safe with a mage prisoner if she had some and her own personal distaste was not enough for her to ignore the convenience. Dragging him back to Tyine would likely be a difficult and dangerous experience.


    ¡°So Aurius,¡± Cass got up and dusted herself off, throwing away the ratty shawl she had worn to hide her collar. ¡°Perhaps a more detailed introduction is in order- for your friend too, since he can¡¯t talk anymore.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a slave!?¡± Aurius snarled in disgust when he saw the collar, ¡°And you dare speak to me this way?¡±


    ¡°Maybe not so smart¡­¡± Cass grumbled to herself and kicked the man in the face, knocking the man who had just sat up back flat on the ground.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t really matter who I am,¡± Cass said calmly, despite her sudden burst of violence. ¡°What matters is that I can and will kill you- painfully- unless you can give me a good reason not to. And, before you get any not-so-clever ideas again, please know that I would rather enjoy torturing you to death. Your face is handsome in annoying way and I think it would look better with some blood and pain.¡±


    One day, Cass mused, she would have to spend some time unraveling her personality a bit. It was not like she seeked out people to torture- not to torture for tortures sake, anyway- but she did deeply enjoy it. Absolute power over someone was intoxicating. For now though, she would have him placed under guard while she took stock of the situation.


    Cass entered the cave and found that it split not far in. The passage to the right had an incredibly disgusting musky smell and was probably the manticore''s den. Cass sent a section of soldiers to investigate that side, reflecting that it was nice to be in charge as she entered the more clean and better smelling tunnel.


    It was a bit surprising that the mage called Aurius had live here given his attitude. There was almost no furniture, two chairs and cot and a single desk. The non-mages had bedrolls and small sacks for their personal effects, and there wasn''t much else.


    ¡°With a personality like that he had to either really want to be here for some reason or someone forced him¡­¡± Cass muttered to herself and headed to the desk, which seemed like the best place to start.


    On the desk was a metal collar, and when she extended her mana into it she discovered it was a half finished enchanted object. It was similar- very similar- to a slave collar, but there were differences. Unfortunately, Cass was unable to really understand the difference. Not many mages made a study of slave collars, though Lord Hall was one of those few. Cass''s attempt to remove the collars on the dead manticores had failed horribly- the mere attempt had broken the collars beyond repair or analysis, despite her intention- which meant this might be the only remaining collar.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Cass took the collar to show to her master later, but more immediately useful was the sheaf of paper and small journal that was also on the table. The papers seemed to be letters, but they were written in cipher. At least, Cass presumed they were. Otherwise they were just sets of unintelligible gibberish and she did not feel that was likely.


    The journal was not, unfortunately, a personal one. Instead it was notes on the control method for the manticores. In particular, it was clear that the two mages here were attempting to reverse engineer the method- which meant they had not developed it. Cass flipped through it, noting that the method for producing the collars had been given to them from an unnamed third group.


    So what were they trying to reverse engineer? It was a liquid of some kind that was fed to the manticore¡¯s as juveniles. Without it, the collars placed on their tails could only restrain the beast and not compel them to action- a distinction that seemed quite strange to Cassandra.


    While slave collars did have an effect subconscious actions- if ordered to raise their hand, a person with a collar will often begin moving before they consider the order- this was an easy impulse to ignore. The main way the collar enforced control was through pain upon disobedience, and the way these notes made it sound, the beasts could and would ignore all orders besides ¡°stop¡± before they were fed this liquid. It was also quite interesting that it required two collars to control the beasts- Cass never would have thought to put more than one on anything.


    Cass was still flipping through the journal as she walked back outside to her new, and heavily guarded, charge.


    ¡°It is an interesting read, that is for sure.¡± Cass¡¯s affectation was as much to annoy the hapless Aurius. ¡°It certainly gives us a lot to talk about. I could ask about this mystery liquid you mention, for details about the modifications made to the collars- or even about who you are and who sent you here- but I think I am most interested in why you are here.¡±


    The ¡°why¡± might be mixed in to the ¡°who¡± in the answer, but at its core she wanted to know the reason they had all been here. Ignoring for a moment the efforts to understand how the manticores were controlled, these mages had been sent here by someone else to do something. They were not out here for a vacation, after all.


    ¡°Do you have anything to say about this, Aurius?¡± Cass asked, snapping the journal shut.


    ¡°Why should I tell you anything?¡± The man said, his tone unintentionally humorous because Cass¡¯s last kick seemed to have broken his nose. Blood was running down his face and off his chin as he continued with his distorted voice, ¡°there isn¡¯t a whole lot in it for me, after all.¡±


    This was, Cass guessed, an invitation to offer him freedom in exchange for his information. Cass, on the other hand, had different ideas.


    ¡°Or- and this is just a thought- you could tell the violently crazy girl what she wants to know before she does something violently crazy. Again.¡± Cass tapped the journal against her chin thoughtfully, ¡°At the very least, an intelligent move would be to explain why I should entertain a discussion or trade of any kind instead of brutally torturing you and sifting the information from your screams.¡±


    ¡°I am the son of Duke Hassanor!¡± Aurius spat, though he may have done that just to get rid of the blood in his mouth. The words though had certainly given pause to the soldiers around him.


    ¡°Well now, that certainly is interesting.¡± Cass whistled, surprised that such a high ranked mage would be here. ¡°And, sadly for you, not something that matters to me.¡±


    Both Aurius, and the soldiers guarding him, looked at Cass in stunned disbelief when she said that. In a way, it was understandable. Even in an empire as gigantic as Haj, there were only eight Dukes- Duke Hassanor being the southernmost Duke and the only one without territory bordering Tyine.


    ¡°See, I don¡¯t really believe that the son of a Duke would be living with beasts in a hidden forest cave.¡± Cass shook her head with a sigh, ¡°So I have to ask if you can prove that?¡±


    ¡°The Archives-¡± Aurius began before he was cut off by Cass.


    ¡°Are in Tyine.¡± She talked sharply and over him, ¡°and I will need something better than your word to spend the effort to bring you there and have you tested.¡±


    This time Cass was met by nothing but silence and a glare, and so she continued on.


    ¡°And so we come back to my first question- implied question, anyway- which was, why are you here?¡±


    Aurius returned her question with one of his own, that being to ask what assurance he had that she wouldn¡¯t kill him when she got what she wanted.


    ¡°What happened to that smart man who panicked when he saw how far I was willing to go?¡± Cass sighed, looking to Rammusson who very obviously wanted no part in this now. Probably since the mage had claimed to be a Duke¡¯s son, which Cass actually believed despite what she had said to him. ¡°What part of my ripping out a man¡¯s throat made me seem reasonable? Or my orders to have your surrendered men slaughtered, or maybe I didn¡¯t kick you hard enough? I can fix that last one, at least.¡±


    She had been effectively ranting to her subordinates, so her last comment did not quite register for the people listening before she moved and her foot met Aurius face again. He hit the ground again and Cass walked up and put her foot on his face and lightly ground his cheek into the ground.


    ¡°Let me explain Aurius,¡± Cass pushed him into the dirt a little harder. ¡°I am not really worried about your claim for a couple of reasons. The first and most obvious is that anyone can claim something like that, and unless you can prove it, I am not about to believe it. But second, if you were telling the truth, I would have to wonder¡­ If daddy cares about you all that much, what the hell are you doing out here?¡±


    A Duke¡¯s son, an official one anyway, would have plenty of resources. If Aurius is the son of Duke Hassanor, Cass highly doubted he had his father¡¯s favor or he would not be living in a cave.


    ¡°Third, for that matter, if you are Duke Hassanor¡¯s son and he does care about you, so what? You noticed my collar, right?¡± Cass stretched her neck and tapped her collar with a finger. ¡°I can be compelled to tell the truth and the truth is that Baron Rence requested my help to stop the magical beasts attacking his territory. The truth is we hunted those magical beasts down and found them controlled by masked soldiers and hooded mages who had led that attack and confronted us with violence when we announced ourselves as the representatives of the Barony¡¯s Lord and offered a peaceful resolution. The truth is you cannot prove who you are without unreasonable demands.¡±


    She shifted to using her heel as she continued to grind him down, pure amusement coursing through her. There was something that was even nicer about doing this with the possibility he was the Duke¡¯s son. Cass found it far more satisfying than she would have tormenting a peasant, perhaps far more than she should have. It reminded her of how she felt in Beergmutar, though she did have the comfort of knowing there was a limit to how far her Master would let her leash go. But right now¡­


    ¡°So the truth is, right now, that you are at my mercy and I do not have a lot of that.¡± It was a pity that when the soldiers had bound the mage they had tied his hands behind his back. Cass would have broken one of Aurius fingers if she could reach them. Which is it was why she felt pity for Aurius when she moved her foot to his shoulder and increased the pressure until it broke.


    She smiled as he screamed out in pain and said, ¡°So let us start again, shall we? Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Shit, Shit!¡± Aurius swore and twisted under Cass¡¯s foot, which was still pinning him to the ground my his broken shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you, you crazy bitch! You will regret this!¡±


    ¡°None of that sounded like an answer to me, my dear Aurius.¡± Cass sighed and stomped down a little lower on his arm, breaking another bone and listening to him scream again. ¡°As an aside, not really related to anything, I have always wondered why people threaten to break every bone in someone¡¯s body. Why not break every bone in a body, multiple times? I imagine you can get at least two per, maybe more on some the larger ones.¡±


    ¡°We were here because the Rebellion needed us here,¡± the man¡¯s voice was hoarse, but it was clear. ¡°Does that answer your question you madwoman?¡±


    ¡°It does, but now I¡¯m not feeling you are quite respectful enough for your position.¡± Another broken bone, and another scream. ¡°It took a long time to get here, and I don¡¯t think I want to go through that again, so how about you and I become better acquainted first?¡±


    Cass had the soldiers drag Aurius back into the cave and ordered him tied to a chair. Cass, meanwhile, was creating a makeshift gag out of one of the sheets. She apologised to Aurius as she stuffed in his mouth.


    ¡°Sorry about this, it¡¯s just that I don¡¯t want to have to pull every answer out of you and it will get really loud in here if I don¡¯t shut you up first.¡± Cass said as he tried to speak through it. ¡°So I might go a bit further than I need to, but better safe than sorry, right?¡±


    Cass¡¯s smile was joyful and cruel and terrible. It was unfortunate for Aurius that she was still working through her issues regarding those feelings.