by Logan Jacobs
“Um, unless you and Maderel have suddenly become best friends in the last day or so, I don’t think he would trade the Shodra for you,” Aerin replied.
“Pebbles thought he was building a secret mage army,” I said. “One that included manipulators, and all trained by him. She believed I was part of that army.”
“Maderel has a secret army of mages?” Emeline repeated. “But, he’s the most law-and-order person I know. I can’t imagine him building a secret army.”
“And where does one keep an army that’s supposed to be a secret?” Lena asked. “It seems like it would be difficult to hide that many people.”
“I don’t know,” I shrugged. “That’s just what she claimed.”
“We have been seeing a lot of strange things lately,” Aerin said quietly. “Who’s to say that the High Mage hasn’t hidden a large coven of mages somewhere, just waiting for his word to do whatever.”
“Emeline, what do you know about the other mages that worked only with Maderel?” I asked.
“Not much,” she conceded. “I don’t think I’ve ever met one because they don’t usually mix with the regular students. Mostly you just hear gossip that Maderel’s training someone.”
“But once the training has finished,” I insisted, “What then? Do they join guilds or get jobs somewhere?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted. Her brow furrowed as she tried to remember what she had heard. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of one of his students doing anything afterwards. Which is really strange, because the Academy is pretty good at keeping track of mages. Even if they join a group of thieves, the Academy usually knows what they’re up to.”
“What would Maderel need with a mage army?” Lena asked. “He has control of the Academy.”
“But the Academy hunts and kills manipulators,” I replied. “And if Pebbles was telling the truth, then Maderel has been training them. He would need somewhere safe to send them, where the Academy couldn’t find them.”
“Maybe the better question is what would he want with manipulators?” Aerin pointed out.
“Damn,” I hissed. “That’s why he wants the Shodra. Not so the Academy can study them or whatever, but so he can turn them over to manipulators. They’re the only ones that can use them safely.”
“We have to get them back before he can send them to the manipulators,” Emeline exclaimed.
“We’ll send Dehn out to the estate tomorrow morning with everything we’ve gathered so far,” I decided. “That way Imogen and Lavinia will be able to finalize the plans they’re working on. I’ll talk to Maderel tomorrow, too, and see if I can get anything from him.”
“So, no sleep tonight,” Aerin sighed. “It’s a good thing Lena and I picked up some of that super potent tea while we were in the market earlier.”
“I’ll need some for sure,” Emeline agreed. “I’ve got a ton of maps and plans to copy.”
“I can help with that,” Lena offered.
“I’ll let everyone know what’s happened,” Aerin said. “And tell them what we’re doing next.”
“Also, tell them that the rest of us will be returning to the estate after I’ve talked to Maderel,” I added. “We’re running out of time. We’ve got to make our move now.”
Chapter 10
Aerin wasn’t wrong. Between the city guard who finally showed up on our doorstep to ask questions, and the planning work we needed to complete, the guild was up all night. Dehn left just before sunup, weighted down with maps, plans, and every scrap of information we could find about the Tower. Hopefully, there would be enough there for Imogen and Lavinia to find a way in and out of the Tower with a minimum of fuss.
I returned to my own room for a quick cat nap after seeing the halfling off. The super potent tea had helped me get through the night, but the long hours and, I suspected, the remnants of Pebbles’ drug dragged at me. I collapsed onto the bed, with Merlin curled up next to me.
It was nearly noon by the time the two of us emerged from the room. Maruk was in the kitchen, preparing lunch for everyone. The rest were gathered around the table, discussing last night’s adventure.
“I can’t believe she came back,” Yvaine said as I stepped into the room. She saw me before anyone else and pulled me into a bear hug. “Gabriel, how are you and Merlin doing?”
“We’re recovering,” I assured her as I hugged her back, and then took a seat. Merlin sauntered over towards Maruk and sat by his feet. Those golden eyes didn’t miss a single thing Maruk did.
“Dehn talked to one of the guards who was still at the house when he was heading out this morning,” Aerin chimed in. “He told Dehn that the owner rented the house to a young couple from Tref, who’ve been there for about a year. But they got a letter last week saying that the wife’s mother was on her deathbed. So they left about four days ago for a visit.”
“Let me guess,” I said. “The owner didn’t know anyone else was in the house.”
“As far as he knew, it was empty,” Emeline agreed. “They’d already paid the next month’s rent, and he figured they would be back after they had a chance to say goodbye to the mother.”
“There have been Academy mages there all morning as well,” Lena added. “I saw them removing several bags of material, as well as the bodies.”
“I guess that's to be expected,” I sighed. “They’ll have figured out that black magic was involved. Do they have ideas about what happened?”
“They found the ropes in the attic,” Aerin replied. “At least, that’s what the guard told Dehn. They think someone was held prisoner there, but that’s all they’ve got.”
“So we’re in the clear for now,” I said as Maruk placed our dishes on the table. His concoction was a neon orange colored sauce that smelled vaguely crab-like, served over pale green noodles. I stared at it for a moment, then glanced around the table. No one else had taken a bite yet either.
“It’s Permean angoletti,” Maruk sighed. “It’s the epitome of fine cuisine.”
Yvaine lifted a forkful and sniffed. She nodded at whatever she discovered and put the fork in her mouth. We all waited, and I let out a sigh of relief when Yvaine smiled happily and refilled her fork.
“It’s divine,” Yvaine purred. “You have just the perfect balance between the truffle and the Permean cheese.”
“Thank you,” Maruk said modestly.
We all dug in then, and it turned out to be as good as Yvaine had declared. It was salty and earthy, yet somehow not too heavy. I didn’t even realize that I was hungry until I started eating, and then I managed to polish off two servings.
We had just finished cleaning up when someone pounded on the front door. We glanced at each other, and then Emeline volunteered to answer. The rest of us waited in the kitchen until she returned.
“Well, maybe we’re not in the clear just yet,” she said as she handed me an envelope. “It’s from Maderel.”
“Oh boy,” I moaned as I stared at my name. It had been carefully printed on a heavy envelope bearing the official seal of the Academy of Mages. I sliced the envelope open with one of Maruk’s kitchen knives, which drew a small protest from the orc. The letter inside was on Maderel’s personal stationery and said only that he had learned of the events near the guild hall and that he would like to discuss it with me at my convenience.
“Well,” I drawled, “I did want to talk to him today.”
“Do you think he knows?” Aerin asked as she read the letter over my shoulder.
“I’m sure he has his suspicions,” I replied. “It’ll be interesting to find out what those are.”
“Are you going to ask him about Pebbles’ claims?” Lena asked.
“Probably,” I admitted. “And I’m sure he’ll deny it. But the idea that there might be other manipulators out there somewhere is, well, amazing. I kind of like the idea that I’m not the only one.”
“Yes, but they’ve all been taught by Maderel,” Yvaine warned. “Who knows what poison he’s been feed
ing them.”
“And now’s not the time to put him on his guard,” Maruk added. “If you mention this to him, he may decide he has no choice but to kill you or move the Shodra, or both.”
“I know,” I replied. “But I really need to know if there are other manipulators out there. If there are, there could be manipulators that Maderel hasn’t found yet.”
“Perhaps after we retrieve the Shodra would be the time to ask,” Maruk suggested.
“Somehow, I don’t think Maderel will be talking to me after we do that,” I replied.
“Only if he figures out that we’re the ones that stole the Shodra,” Maruk pointed out. “The whole point of all this planning is to avoid that.”
I reread the letter and then set it on the counter. Emeline placed her hand over mine and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
“I don’t think it matters how many precautions we take,” I finally replied. “Maderel will know that we’ve stolen them, and he’ll come looking for us. This may be my only chance to ask him.”
“I think Gabriel is right,” Emeline said quietly. “I think we should find out.”
“Besides, I’ll just say it was something Pebbles claimed,” I added. “You know, something like, ‘you won’t believe what that crazy woman told me.’”
“Well, that part, at least, is true,” Yvaine conceded.
“I need to find them,” I declared. “Before Maderel or the Academy or anyone else can. I need to find the other manipulators and I need to help them.”
“One mission at a time,” Aerin protested. “First, let’s just get the Shodra away from Maderel.”
“I agree with Aerin,” Maruk added. “That’s the most important thing we can do right now. Even Theira agrees with that.”
“Yes, I know,” I sighed as I slipped the letter back into the envelope. “You’re right. We’ll get the Shodra away from the Academy. Once they’re safe, I can start working out how to find other manipulators.”
“Never a dull moment around here,” Yvaine said with a laugh. “So when are you going to confront the High Mage?”
“Not confront,” I protested. “Just discuss. And I guess now is as good a time as any. Let’s plan on leaving for the estate as soon as I’m back. We’ll probably have to camp tonight, but I’d rather keep moving in case some of Murillo’s other associates are still out there.”
“May I suggest that Aerin and I serve as your bodyguards for your trip to the Tower?” Maruk replied. “We can wait in the lobby if you don’t think Maderel will talk while we’re around.”
“That would be appreciated,” I agreed. “I’m not sure I feel like fending off any more crazy people on my own just yet.”
The three of us plus one puca set out ten minutes later. We passed the house where Pebbles had come to her untimely end, and I saw two guards were still on duty by the door. They shooed away anyone who stopped and tried to look inside, though I could see someone in mage robes moving around inside. We slowed down as we neared the house, but a stern look from one of the guards kept us moving.
“I know the couple that live there,” I said as we reached the end of the block. “He works for the city architect, and she makes pottery for one of the big designers. They’re really nice. I hope nothing is really wrong with her mother.”
“They may not have had enough time to really do anything to her,” Aerin replied. “They probably just sent the letter to get them out of the house.”
“And that’s a long trip,” Maruk agreed. “They would know that they could use the house for a while.”
“I’m surprised they took one so close to our guild hall,” I mused.
“Makes it easy to keep an eye on us,” Aerin replied.
“How convoluted,” Maruk chuckled. “Do you suppose they were following us while we were following Maderel?”
“Oh, that must have confused them,” Aerin laughed.
“Maybe Maderel mistook some of their agents for ours, or vice versa,” I added as an image came to my mind of Maderal leading a parade of spies and agents past the gates of the city. I shook my head and wondered how we had somehow missed the fact that we were being watched as well.
“How did they do it?” Aerin asked in an echo of my own thoughts.
“I assume dark magic was somehow involved,” Maruk replied.
“I’d like to know what they did, though,” Aerin said. “Just so we’d know what to look for in the future.”
“Maybe Maderel will have some ideas,” I offered.
“Great,” Aerin huffed. “Advice from the man who may or may not be training manipulators in secret, and who may or may not have plans for world domination.”
“If anyone would know,” Maruk pointed out, “It would certainly be him.”
“Fine,” Aerin conceded. “But I refuse to say thank you to him.”
“Somehow, I don’t think he’ll be offended,” I laughed.
We finally arrived at the hulking black mass that was the Tower, and I shivered as the usual sensation of being watched crept up my spine. Its presence was especially looming today, given how low the clouds sat. The only thing missing was the soundtrack from a slasher movie.
Even Aerin, who had a tendency to start talking up a storm when we were anywhere near the Tower, had gone silent. I saw Maruk adjust the armored bands he had slipped on just before we left, and Aerin fingered the mace that hung at her hip.
“It’ll be fine,” I tried to reassure them, even though I half expected to see an axe-wielding maniac jump out of the shrubs.
We walked across the one pristine sidewalk in the entire city and stepped into the lobby of the Academy of Mages. Lain wasn’t on duty today, nor Purple Polly. A dwarf with a billowing mass of white hair and a face crisscrossed with wrinkles was perched on the edge of a stool behind the desk.
“Wow, I thought he was dead,” Aerin muttered.
“Who is he?” I asked as we walked slowly towards the desk.
“Marv the troll-killer,” Aerin whispered. “He’s famous, or infamous, even outside the Academy. I have no idea how he got the name, but he used to teach some sort of self-defense class. Then he accidentally turned one of his students into a warthog, and no one could figure out how to undo the spell. So they just made him some sort of honorary something or other and shipped him off to the Academy gardens.”
“Hi,” I said as we stopped in front of the desk. Marv the troll-killer looked us over and sniffed in disdain.
“You’re not students,” he grumbled. He pointed to Aerin and added, “But I know you. You’re that elf that got kicked out of the maternity class that the Healers Guild put on. Said they’d never seen such a bad bedside manner.”
Maruk and I both looked at Aerin, who was now flushed clear up to the tips of her ears.
“It was a misunderstanding,” she mumbled.
The orc and I both looked back at Marv, who might have been grinning, or might have been suffering from constipation. It was hard to tell for sure.
“Some misunderstanding,” Marv replied. “Started a fight with one of the patients and socked the husband of another.”
Maruk and I looked at Aerin again.
“Why are you here?” Aerin demanded as she ignored us completely. “Students always man the desk.”
“Some big meeting,” Marv replied, unfazed by Aerin’s animosity. “Some of them were feeling a wee upset after it got out that dark magic had been used inside the city wall’s last night. Bunch of wusses, if you ask me.”
“So Maderel is at the meeting,” I said as I glanced at the staircase.
“He opened it,” Marv noted. “But he didn’t stay. That’s a man with steel in his spine.”
“He’s expecting me,” I offered, along with a friendly grin.
“I doubt that,” Marv replied as he tilted his head to one side and examined me again. “Who are you? And why do you have a cat on your shoulders?”
“This is Merlin,” I answered as I scratched the puca between the ears. He’
d slept through our discussion with Marv and barely managed a yawn now. “He likes to come along. I’m Gabriel Vega. I’ve been working with Maderel.”
“Oh, you have, have you?” the dwarf clucked. He ducked out of view for a moment, then hauled a large register to the top of the desk.
“Vega, vega, vega,” he murmured as he flipped through the pages. “Oh, well, here it is. You are on the cleared list.”
“I’ll just go on up,” I said as I started to step away from the desk.
“Hold up there,” Marv ordered. He pulled a pad out of a drawer and wrote something on the top sheet. He tore the page off and handed it to me. “Keep that on you the whole time you’re here. It’s how everyone knows you’re supposed to be here.”
“Uh, sure,” I said as I looked at the paper. It had the date, the time, my name, and Maderel’s name. Marv had just handed me a hall pass. I looked at Maruk and Aerin, who looked as surprised as I felt.
“What about you two?” Marv asked as he turned his glare on Aerin and Maruk.
“We’re just going to wait down here,” Aerin replied. She and Maruk quickly moved to the empty chairs on the side of the lobby furthest away from Marv.
I tried one more grin on Marv, then crossed to the staircase. The whole building felt eerily empty, and I hadn’t appreciated how much noise there normally was inside the Tower until it was gone. My footsteps as I walked down the hall towards Maderel’s office seemed to echo forever.
“Gabriel, I’m glad you’re here,” Maderel called before I’d even stuck my head around the door. “Come in and close the door.”
I obeyed, and Merlin finally stirred as I removed my cloak. He yawned again, much wider this time, and dropped onto the other guest chair. He blinked at Maderel, then started to wash his face with his paw.
“I was worried when I heard there had been a fight involving magic on the street where your guild hall is located,” he said. “I thought perhaps one of your guild’s bounties had gone awry.”
