by Andrew Rowe
My reward was a table littered with crystals. Mostly gray, but some transference mana and some mental mana.
They weren’t worth much, but I was getting better in two ways. First, I was getting used to making them without the shells. Second, I’d been focusing on making the new ones at progressively higher levels of density. My original crystals weren’t even a full point of mana, but my latest ones each held about three mana each.
That still was less than a Class 1 mana gem, but I was getting there. And I was confident I could get even further with practice.
Not bad at all for a day of work.
As excited as I was, though, I still didn’t have anything to give as a suitable gift. I went downstairs to talk to everyone, which was the point when I realized that it was the middle of the night.
Oops.
I wasn’t quite alone, though.
I found a familiar figure sitting next to the fireplace, reading a book. He looked up as I approached. “Ah, Master Cadence. I was wondering if you would bother to make an appearance this evening.”
I blinked. “Lord...Teft? What are you doing here?”
He waved to offer me a chair across from his. “Playing the role of your guardian for the evening, it would seem.”
I frowned, taking a seat and folding my arms. “I seem to have acquired quite a few of those recently.”
“You have made yourself a figure of some significance, but lack the power necessary to defend yourself adequately.” Teft raised a hand to silence any objections.
“I did not say that you lack skill. You are young yet, and your magic will grow over time. But the circumstances you have found yourself in are dangerous — that can no longer be in any doubt. I do not expect that anyone would be foolish enough to strike at you in the heart of Master Hartigan’s home, but it is wise to be prepared.”
I sighed. I couldn’t entirely disagree. “Preparations are fine, but I suspect that Derek and Keras are quite enough for any threats that might emerge.”
“Ah, is that who the man in the masquerade mask was? I suspected from your prior description, but I was uncertain. Nay, the pair of them left somewhat earlier, and will not be returning this eve. Thus, I am here. Much to our mutual dismay, I’m certain.”
I was a bit surprised by that. “Gone? Where? To the tower?”
“I would prefer that in some senses, even if I would disapprove of going with only two people. Nay, it is far worse. They have gone to a place of ill repute.”
I blinked. “What?... Like a brothel?”
He shook his head and waved a hand dismissively. “No, no. Although I have little doubt such services are offered, such would be positively mundane compared to the depths of depravity where they have gone. It is a place representing the worst of our society. Dark dealings, gambling, and all forms of excess.” After a brief pause, he clasped his hands dramatically, “A casino.”
I’d heard of casinos, but I’d never been to one. They sounded rather entertaining. I had a number of questions, but the first one was simple enough. “Why?”
“It would seem that Master Hartigan has gotten it into his head that reputable sources of information are insufficient for his investigations. And thus, he turns to those who would sell anything for the right price, information being one service of many.” Teft lowered his head. He looked tired, as well as disapproving.
“You look like a casino just killed your favorite dog. What’s the problem? Those two can take care of themselves, if you’re worried about them.”
Teft sighed. “In body, I am certain they can fend for themselves. Derek is a master swordsman, and if the one accompanying him is Keras Selyrian, I am certain that even the cutthroats in that place would give him a wide berth. I am more concerned for their health in other respects. In mind, and of spirit.”
Spirit? Derek had mentioned that Teft was devout, but I didn’t see what the problem with this place was. “In what way? I thought the goddess approved of gambling. Isn’t going into the spire essentially gambling in itself?”
Teft shook his head. “I would not compare the spire to mere secular gambling, but it is true that the goddess favors games of both chance and skill. No, the distinction is that the goddess is fair. The casino is designed to be unfair. Therein, Derek and Keras will be tempted, and when they are at their weakest, exploited. It is dishonesty in business form.”
That sounded kind of fun. I mean, Teft clearly thought the whole concept was awful, but I liked the idea of testing myself against their rigged games. The intoxication and other forms of temptation I could do without.
I raised a hand to my chin. “So, I take it you don’t want to head over there, then?”
Teft stared me in the eyes. “I know you’re jesting, but no. I most certainly do not.”
I chuckled. “Fine, fine. I’ll let them have the fun this time. But that still doesn’t tell me why you are here.”
Teft’s jaw tensed into an uncharacteristic look. Frustration? Dismay, maybe? “I have made mistakes. I consider this the first of many steps to make amends for them.”
“You mean like making Sera fight when she clearly was still injured?”
He shook his head. “I make no apologies for that. I offered her a fair choice. That is more than she would be given on the battlefield.”
“But we’re not on a battlefield, and surely you’re aware it came across as a false choice.”
“Only because there are too many fools who do not realize that retreat is a valid option. At times, it is the best option. I do not fault Miss Cadence for fighting, of course. I respect her tenacity, and she performed better than I expected, given her disadvantages. But she was not ‘better’ by a sufficient margin to overcome her disadvantage, and thus, she failed.”
“It still wasn’t very kind of you.”
“If you think that training for battle should be about kindness, you are more of a fool than I realized.”
I pushed myself up from the chair, glaring down at Teft. “Really? Turning to insults? I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, given that attacking students seems to be the only thing you’re good at. It’s fortunate that we haven’t actually been attacked tonight, because you’re certainly not capable of defending them.”
Teft stood as well, returning my stare. “Perhaps you are right. I deserve your ridicule for allowing you into that battle outside the tower, and more so for allowing Derek to take my place in the aftermath. But if I seem harsh, Master Cadence, that is because I am seeking to prepare you for what is coming. And in war, there will be no one to coddle you, or any other child.”
“Oh, I believe you. I’ve heard the same thing from my father for years. You two are quite a lot alike.”
Teft actually winced when I said that. I hadn’t expected to hit a nerve with that, but I certainly wasn’t going to complain.
And, given that he was startled enough that he didn’t reply immediately, I took that as a chance to make my dramatic exit, and headed back toward my room to sleep.
***
When I woke up in the morning, I could hear a group gathered downstairs. I hadn’t slept well, mostly as a consequence of the pain from overworking both of my attunements.
Fortunately, Derek was wealthy enough that his washrooms had bathtubs that generated their own hot and cold water. We’d had just one of them at home, so I knew how to activate the runes to change the temperature. I settled on hot, which helped chase away some of the lingering pain.
I inspected the runes on the side of the tub as I bathed, but I wasn’t awake enough to remember them very well.
After I finished bathing and getting dressed, I checked my mana. It registered at 84/84 for my Arbiter attunement and 52/52 for my Enchanter attunement.
So, two points for each.
That was fantastic progress for one day of work, comparable to what I’d gotten after the fight outside of the tower. Unfortunately, it had taken most of the day, and I was still exhausted from the effort. I planned to keep pushing
myself to increase in strength quickly, but I’d have to figure out a way to make it more efficient.
Transferring my mana into runes is much faster than trying to form crystals, so that would reduce the time it takes to drain my mana reserves — and it would give me more time to recover. Presumably, using my Arbiter attunement to transfer mana directly into someone will work similarly... I should test that out soon.
It was Kyrsday, so I only had two classes: Understanding Attunements and Physical Combat.
The latter was less exciting than it sounded, since it ended up being more about exercise and general weapon familiarity than direct combat. We practiced dueling cane usage, basic sword strokes, and footwork more than anything else. Occasionally, we had a class dedicated to another weapon, such as bows or spears — mostly with the goal of learning how to counter them.
The Valian military used a mixture of firearms and dueling canes, with sabers as side arms for close combat engagements. Up to that point, we’d only been given a single lesson with firearms — we’d focus on them more the following year.
Physical Combat was one of the few classes where I was toward the top in performance. I couldn’t hope to match up against Guardians, but my years of training with my father had gotten me into excellent shape.
I can skip both classes today if I need more time to work on a gift for Sheridan, but I need to be careful.
I can’t miss my classes often. My grades are fine, but graduating is still extremely important. I can’t afford to get set back a year or sent off to some obscure military assignment.
I’ll see how the morning goes and hit Understanding Attunements in the afternoon if I have time.
With that in mind, I headed downstairs.
Everyone was gathered for breakfast, minus Teft. I didn’t know if he’d left or if he was just sleeping somewhere, given how late he’d been up.
Patrick waved excitedly at me as I headed into the dining room. “Corin! You’re awake!”
I waved sleepily in return. “For certain values of ‘awake’, yeah. Strange seeing everyone here at once. What’s the event?”
Patrick waved for me to take a seat next to him. I obliged. “We were waiting for you. Not too long, don’t worry. Derek has news!”
Taking the opening, Derek leaned forward across his spot at the table. “I think Orden’s conspiracy made their next move. Or moves, as the case may be.”
“What do you mean?”
Sera passed an empty plate to Marissa, who passed it on to me. I accepted it and began to load the plate from the dishes on the dining table — eggs cooked with bacon, a couple sausages, cooked carrots, and a muffin.
I wasn’t sure who cooked all of it, but at the moment, I was too famished to care. I tore into the breakfast with abandon while I listened to Derek.
“I’d been hearing some dark rumors about happenings in other countries, and I decided to look into it further. Last night, Keras and I went to The Golden Run to meet with a few old friends of mine. We learned a few things that are, well, concerning.”
“Such as?” I asked, while Patrick poured me a drink and handed it over. I nodded to him gratefully.
Derek’s expression took a turn for the serious, which was never a good sign. “Only hours after we left the Shifting Spire, someone detonated an explosive device in the Grand Cathedral in Dalenos. Dozens were killed, and hundreds injured.”
I had to put my fork down to pause and process that. “The Grand Cathedral? Isn’t that one of their biggest centers of worship?”
“It is. Or, rather, it was. The place was devastated. There’s talk that Katashi’s Hierophant may have been killed in the explosion, but I haven’t been able to confirm that.”
I winced. “That can’t be good. With Tenjin missing, Katashi was already inches from leveling Valia.” I paused, processing that. “Which was probably deliberate. You think someone is trying to force Katashi’s hand?”
“Definitely. Could be the same group that Orden was working with, could be someone else being opportunistic. Either way, the longer Tenjin is missing, the more this situation has a chance to escalate. I was hoping that with Orden captured, Katashi would have enough information to find his brother and resolve this himself...”
I understood where Derek was going. “But if someone just attacked a major temple in Katashi’s home region, he’s probably going to need to deal with that.”
“Right. And there’s more to it. Two more temples have been attacked in the last few days, and three other government buildings. There have been a few people arrested, but the attacks haven’t stopped. They most likely have organized leadership, and I suspect this is just an opening move.”
Patrick had a thoughtful expression. “For what goal?”
Derek grimaced. “A few possibilities there. Orden mentioned protecting Valia as a goal. By drawing Katashi’s attention back to Dalenos, the people who were working with her might minimize the damage to our country. There are all sorts of other longer-term goals that could be behind this, though. Weakening specific countries to allow for an invasion from another force, such as Edria or Caelford, for example.”
I had another hypothesis, but I didn’t say it aloud. It was pure speculation at this point, and I didn’t want to raise any more alarms.
“So many people,” Marissa mumbled. “It’s terrible.”
I hadn’t even been thinking about that, in truth. I agreed with her, of course, but my mind was elsewhere.
Tristan, what are you planning?
Derek was right. If Tristan and his organization were behind this, they’d have a longer-term plan of some kind.
I glanced at Sera, saw her calculating expression, and knew she was contemplating possibilities like I was.
Keras turned his head toward Marissa. He’d been silent up to this point, his expression neutral. “It’s unconscionable. And we intend to put a stop to it, but for that, we need to find the source.”
Derek nodded. “Right. And we were planning to do just that, so Keras and I headed straight to the spire after we were done at the casino.”
That drew a series of blank stares. Marissa was the one who spoke up. “Just yerselves?”
“Either one of us could handle the first twenty or so floors on our own without much difficulty, and we were only planning to check the first few floors for clues. The plan was to try to find the spot where Tenjin was captured, and see if we could find any blood or other clues. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the problem. Someone has sealed the spire entirely. It’s impossible to get in or out.”
Several pairs of eyes turned toward me. I opened my hands in a gesture of surrender. “You think Tristan sealed the spire somehow?”
Derek shook his head. “Not exactly. I think Tristan is one of the people involved, though, and he might be the easiest to find to get some answers. The other possibility is that Katashi sealed the spire himself to prevent any further interference to his own investigation. We don’t have a good way to contact him to ask, however, nor would he necessarily respond even if we did.”
“Do you have a way of finding Tristan?”
I had the book, but that was just a way of sending messages. I’d considered the possibility that it might be used to trace his location in the same way he seemed to be tracking me, but I didn’t know how to do it.
And I hadn’t told everyone about the book yet. I wasn’t quite sure if I wanted to.
“If you’d be willing to give us a sample of your blood, I think we could use it to locate Tristan.”
I folded my arms. “The spire blocks most forms of divination, even for people inside. That was one of the first things we checked when Tristan disappeared. People try to locate lost loved ones in the spire all the time, it doesn’t work.”
“True, under normal circumstances. But certain people are given the ability to circumvent that in order to do their jobs properly. Using it for personal gain is, of course, strictly forbidden.”
My eyes narrowed. “You’re tal
king about Whispers.”
“Yes, or other groups in the service of the visages. I believe that given the dire nature of the situation, we could find someone who would agree to help us.”
I wonder if there’s any chance Arbiters are on the list of people that can use detection magic inside the spires? It would make a degree of sense, since it’s an attunement that the visages give out directly, and we’re supposed to be some kind of assistants to the visages.
I can’t count on it, but I can try to learn an information gathering spell or two and test them next time I’m inside the spire.
In the meantime, I’ll need to look into other options.
I took a drink, pondering. “Orden was a Whisper. Tristan was, or is, a Whisper. How would we know if any given member of their organization is working with Tristan?”
“I don’t think we could decisively prove someone’s allegiance, but I have a few ideas for people Tristan and Orden might not have been willing to work with. Either due to ideological differences or personal ones.”
I turned toward Keras. “What about your magic? Would the tower block it?”
He shrugged. “I’ve never learned any dominion sorcery for information gathering. If my friends were here...” He shook his head. “But they’re not. And I’m honestly not sure it would work, either way. Whoever made these towers was familiar with my style of magic, they may have taken precautions.”
That was an interesting statement, but before I got a chance to follow it up with more questions, Derek spoke again. “I think I know someone who could do it, but I’d need Corin to agree to help first, and it could take a while for me to track them down. Probably a few months, at least. They were in Caelford, last I checked.”
I glanced to my right.
Sera gave me a curt nod.
I turned back to Derek. “I’ll do it. But under one condition.”
Derek grinned. “You want to come with us when we enter the spire, I assume?”
I twisted my lips into a frown. “Am I really that predictable?”