Watching Marksi through an Invisible Eye was perfect. It was just the right amount of distraction to relieve the tedium of listening to his teachers’ lectures or his classmates fumble through their answers.
Marksi and Tonin followed Alnesh to an elevator and then two floors down, though it just opened what looked like office space. Unlike the Fire Circle of the fourteenth floor, the Life Circle took a lot more care to label things. They crossed through the Departnt of Agriculture Studies, which had a Subdepartnt of Livestock, a Subdepartnt of Grains, and a Subdepartnt of Fruits. Each of the office doors were labeled, too, with the na of the people within, usually four in each room.
Here, he saw more people in robes that were likely actual mbers of the Tower, but there were still a lot of what he’d call commoners. From the brief glimpse he got as his Invisible Eye floated by, commoners could make an appointnt with one of the Tower mages to learn a spell or technique to improve their farms. These weren’t all people wearing the grays of Steamshield, either. People traveled here from across the kingdom.
Brin’s connection to Marksi was muted with the separation; he couldn’t intuit what the dragonling was feeling or thinking through their bond as well as he normally could. That bond wasn’t sothing he spent a lot of ti thinking about, and for practical reasons. It seed to work better the less he concentrated on it.
Even so, he didn’t need a mystical bond to know that Marksi cared nothing for these silly humans with boring jobs, though he was interested in wherever Alnesh was taking him.
Past the offices, they ca into what looked more like a barn, though a well-kept one. Tools and supplies were carefully organized and catalogued, and on top of every workbench and attached to every supply closet, there was a sign-out sheet.
At last, they passed through another doorway and arrived at their destination. Under the earth, an enormous garden was laid out before them. It must have been an entire acre. Above ground, that would be a modest farm, but here below the earth, it seed endless. There were a few gaps in the roof where windows let in natural light, but most of the room was lit artificially, and quite carefully from what he could see.
A hundred different flowers and herbs were arranged around the room. So grew free in big patches, while others were huddled and boxed in by magical devices that must be providing the exact right amount of humidity and airflow.
Marksi darted inside, and sprinted around the grounds, trying to take in all the sights at once. Alnesh must’ve decided to skip her class, because she waited nearby and kept an eye on him, while pitching in here and there with the garden workers and explaining Marksi’s presence to anyone who asked.
About the ti that Brin was wrapping up Calligraphy, Marksi’s enthusiasm slowed enough that Alnesh got a chance to pull him aside and say, “Now, do you wonder why I brought you here? I hope you will help us, little miracle. This garden is troubled with pests.”
Marksi did not need to hear any more. He was ready for action. Brin smiled, and let himself be drawn back to his own work.
He ended up between Ares and Sancha for calligraphy, and the mont class ended, Ares said, "I saw your fight, quite right. Legitimate spear work, lots of glass, but no fire. New class?"
"Bother Lord Mistaken not with thine inanity. Thou knowest well that his class is new," said Sancha.
"You," Brin said while pointing at Sancha accusingly, "can call Brin. And the new class is part of it, but I still have so fire tricks I could pull out if I really had to. The real problem is stopping power. My, um, dad always says that's the trouble with fire. I could burn all Vitor's hair off or lt his face and still lose the duel."
"Stopping power. Heh. I like that. Kill without stopping? That's a sucker's ga. If I kill you and stop you, then fair is fair. You ca for a penny and got a pound. But stop without killing. Glass chains. Yeah, I get it," said Ares.
"I could wish for the power of stopping, if only to stop thy prattling," said Sancha. "Lord... Brin is too polite to say't, but truly art thou an importunity unto him."
"I also wish I had the power to stop," said Ares, suddenly looking very serious. His normally spitfire speech changed, turning suddenly very solid and smooth. He stepped right into Sancha's personal space and said, "I would stop ti to preserve your beauty in this mont forever."
Sancha slapped his hand away as he tried to take her hand, already bending to kiss it, and stepped to the side. "Desist, cur."
Ares snorted and then looked back to Brin. "It's lunch ti. So what's for lunch?"
"The banquet hall shall prepare as they always have. Dolt," said Sancha.
"Actually, I was hoping to try out the Prinnashian cafe on the second floor. I want to see if it's authentic," said Brin.
Ares shrugged. "I'm always up for trying sothing new."
Sancha paused, as if trying to determine if he was really inviting her, and then said, "As thou wilt."
Ares walked fast. He kept getting two steps ahead and then rembering they were there and slowing down again. "Hey, so you looking to get into more duels?"
Sancha interjected, "How couldst thou ask such a thing when he hath but just laid down his naked blade from the fray?"
"I'm not asking! I'm asking if he's ready for asking, because soone's bound to ask. It was a good duel, makes a fellow want to try his luck himself, not that I'm asking," said Ares.
Brin wanted to say yes, because as painful as the aftermath had been, it really was a terrific duel. But he sighed and said, "Lumina wasn't happy about it. She made herself pretty clear that she doesn't want to get hurt."
"Nor I!" said Sancha.
"If Vitor couldn't scratch you, no one else has a chance," said Ares.
Brin hesitated, but decided to extend so trust. His enemies already knew he was fragile; Bia had been the first to notice. He may as well let his allies know as well. "That's not all. I have a... well, it's better to show you. Just keep this between us, alright?" He set [The Death Curse of the Great Witch Arnarra] to visible. "[Inspect] ."
"Oh dear!" said Sancha, genuine concern in her eyes.
"Nice," said Ares, and gave him a fist bump.
Brin hid the curse again. "I saw a healer so I'm good now, but that fight broke a lot of bones. I really shouldn't keep carrying on like that."
"[Mage] rules then. All gain, no pain," said Ares. "No attacks on the body. Usually fight over a ball or a doll. Heh, I shoulda said brawl."
Brin nodded. "I could get into that."
"Killer," said Ares.
"The aim is not to kill," said Sancha, still obviously affected by the sight of his curse.
They walked in silence the rest of the way to the cafe, giving the two of them ti to digest his revelation. Once there, they were seated by an elegant matronly hostess, and the cafe wasn't nearly as casual as it looked from the outside. Looking at the nu, the prices were a bit higher than Brin had expected. Neither Sancha nor Ares complained or even let themselves show any discomfort, but they both ordered the most inexpensive thing on the nu.
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Interesting. He'd already known Ares was poor, and it confird a few suspicions he'd had about Sancha.
Her base Class, [Gatherer of Stone], at first glance seed like a rich lady’s Class for collecting jewelry. But after spending a bit more ti with her, he'd had ti to get a stronger impression of her magic in the Wyrd. It was a Class for having gemstones, it was a Class for getting them. The jewels she wore in her hair, on her arms and around her neck were extrely valuable, and they grew more valuable the longer she wore them. Sancha had a Class for making money.
Her noble status was definitely real, because everyone here knew her and she spoke High Frenarian the way only soone born to it really could, but she wasn't as wealthy as she liked people to believe. It offered another explanation for why she'd been so persistent in attaching herself to him while also not caring that he wasn't interested in her romantically.
Brin ordered bread and appetizers for the table, and then got the Prinny. He was pleased to find it really was pretty authentic. It was just like he'd had at that public house in Talra, except for the small ways the cafe had elevated it to try to justify the price tag. The steak had been seared separately, then cut up and mixed inside, where in Prinnash they'd just stewed whatever at they could grab together with the rest of it.
He made an excuse about wanting to ask the chef where they sourced the spices, and then approached the server to pay in advance so that Sancha and Ares couldn't object to him treating them.
"Lightning is excellent for stopping people, by the by," said Ares when Brin sat back down.
"I've heard about that. I read sowhere that lightning is the sa energy that our bodies use to send signals, so the tiniest bit of electricity will lock you down, no matter how strong you are," said Brin.
Ares nodded. "Don't care about your stats. One zap, and you fall flat."
"Surely there is a counter," said Sancha.
"Yeah, yeah, and your Bia's got it, too. Life lads and ladies learn to Language their limbs, if you follow my lingo. She's all body Skills, so she can't learn magic for much else," said Ares.
"Really? I thought she'd be focusing on her senses. She's got to have so observation Skills, too. For spying," said Brin.
"Oh, nice. We can just straight up say stuff like that out loud then? I never know with noble types," said Ares.
"It's not typically done," said Sancha.
"What? I didn't even ntion Mind magic," said Brin.
Sancha shook her head in scandalized humor. "So long as we prattle of Bia, I have news."
"Oh? What news?" asked Brin.
Sancha leaned forward, voice low. "She hath departed."
"Departed? Really?"
"Verily, she hath left the city. The Guven household possesseth no manor within Steamshield, so she hath made her lodging at the Cobol estate. Yet, the entire house emptied o'er the weekend, journeying westward toward their lands. Lord Xian went in their company, as did Lord Rotera, a second-year student."
"Seriously? Where did they go?" Brin asked.
"Prithee, forgive , for I know not aught else. Lord Vincente shall Dean the Water Track in his absence. He is Vincente of Cobol, though only a distant cousin to Duke Xander."
Brin tapped his chin, trying to cover how weirdly disappointed he was to hear that Bia had left. Was he sad that she hadn't said goodbye? He barely knew that girl. He should focus on the real issue: He needed to get this information to the Shadow Pact imdiately, if only to find out what else they knew. He didn't know what it ant if Cobol was pulling all his forces and allies to his own Dukedom, but it couldn't be good.
"Did Vitor go with them?"
"He remained."
"Thank you, Sancha. Seriously," said Brin.
"Nay, it is gossip. Nothing more."
The two of them stayed with him as they walked towards the next class, and when they crossed the hallway leading to the regular banquet hall, a gang of young n spotted them and dashed over.
"Lord the Mistaken, we have sought thee, and now thou art found! We seek to--"
"Duel , Lord Mistaken!"
"No, first !"
"All of you? Absurd!" said Sancha. "Ye may consider... settling among each other."
"We've already fought each other."
"Many tis."
"You're wasting your ti, lads. I already barked up that tree. Brin's not interested in fighting soone who can't fight with swords as well as spells. What's he supposed to do, take it easy on you?" asked Ares.
"Mage rules?" one of them suggested.
"Cowards rules, you an. Why's he going to give up his main advantage? You're asking a lot here, fellas," said Ares.
The would-be duelists and Ares argued back and forth, setting things up nicely for Brin to play the benevolent hero. "I suppose I could agree to Mage rules. It'll be good practice, a bit like tying an arm behind my back. And who knows? Maybe so day I'll be forced to fight with magic alone."
"Alright, gather in boys, we'll set up a schedule. It'll be first, and that's a fact," said Ares.
Ares and Sancha stayed with him the rest of the afternoon, with Ares ably turning away all the n trying to get to him while Sancha deflected the won. They made a pretty good team.
He invited them to go pick up Marksi with him, which they both accepted, and soon they found themselves down in the garden cave.
The one thing that seeing it through Invisible Eyes hadn't prepared him for was the sll. All the different plants and flowers gave off a hefty perfu, but at the sa ti the air was so fresh and clean that it was pleasant rather than overpowering.
Marksi ran straight to them, and danced around to mimic how it was already the first day and he'd already killed three rats, and one of them had been magical and pretty tough. There were several holes and gaps in the walls that the rats could get through, and apparently there was a huge warren of tunnels under the cavern, with so very clever traps and switchbacks ant to deter any hunters like Marksi. He was equal to the challenge, though.
He also wanted Brin to know that there were two pretty neat rats here that he hadn't killed yet because they were pets. One was yellow, and the other was two feet long, just so Brin would know not to kill them.
Sancha watched him with her jaw dropped, a rare break in her composure. She leaned forward to get a closer look, but flinched back when Marksi's scrambling brought him close.
Ares put his hands hips and said, "Ay, he's a cheeky fellow, isn't he? What's he saying, then?"
"He's really proud of so hunting he did," said Brin.
Sancha found her voice. "Is he...? Can I...?"
"Yes, he can understand you. Yes, you can pet him. Here." Brin held out his arms, and Marksi jumped up onto him. He turned to Sancha, who held out her hand. She jerked back right before touching him, then slowly brought her hand forward again and laid it against Marksi's neck. Then she gave Ares a wide-eyed panicked look as if to say, I'm touching a dragon!
Ares snickered, and Sancha recovered enough to glare at him.
"It's funny how mixed the reaction has been. In the Life track main room, no one gave him a second glance," said Brin.
"Place and ti matter," Alnesh said as she approached. "People shrug their way past a [Bard] in a crowded hackney station, but cheer with tears in their eyes when hearing the sa in a concert hall."
"Thanks for watching out for him," said Brin.
"It was my complete pleasure. Thank you, little miracle, for your help today. Though, I can't help but wonder. You stayed the whole day among these plants, but showed so little interest in them," said Alnesh.
Marksi grinned wryly. Growing plants was a human occupation. Dragons hunted and fought. If he wanted a plant, he would just find it and take it.
"The greatest of your kind, perhaps the greatest single being to ever live, was called 'Gardener', was she not? Sothing to think about," said Alnesh. She bowed to Marksi. "I'll see you, tomorrow."
Ares nodded to Alnesh as she departed. "That's Pollissian's for you. Always making you think."
"Dost thou ken many Pollissians?" asked Sancha.
"I've only t one. Just the once. Ten seconds ago," said Ares. "I've t just as many dragons. So what's next, then? I'm up for a spot of what have you."
Brin had considered asking Sancha to introduce him to the Earth track, but Ares didn't have any Earth magic at all, and Brin didn't want to split up this budding possible friend group quite yet. Neither one of them could follow to the Circle of Illusions, which was the only other thing he really wanted to do today.
Marksi had an idea, and shrugged his way out of Brin's arms to look him in the eyes and make his demand.
"Oh, no, Marksi, I'm not sure that's a great idea for today."
Marksi was firm.
"What does he want?" asked Ares.
Brin looked between Sancha and Ares and winced in apology. "Well, he heard talking all about the ghost on campus, and..."
"Nay! We daren't!" said Sancha.
"Oh, we dare!" said Ares.
They did indeed dare, although Sancha protested the entire way up, until they got to the fourteenth floor and there was nothing imdiately dangerous-looking.
Marksi slled sothing imdiately, and ran full bore down the hall, his nose to the ground like a dog. He returned a minute later and then ran down the other direction.
Brin, Sancha, and Ares walked randomly, and they weren't the only group of ghost-hunters in the hallway at this ti of day. Several upper-class [Mages] were pacing the floor, trying to get a glimpse of the disturbance. Amateurs. You had to co at night.
Marksi returned long enough for Brin to get an impression of his emotions. Marksi was pretty sure he knew what this was. He was just waiting for Brin to figure it out on his own. He was... he was hiding sothing from the bond.
Brin hadn't known that was possible. He was still only mostly certain that this bond even existed. He still had an inkling doubt that he wasn't divining Marksi's true thoughts at all, and he was just projecting his own thoughts onto him the way a lot of people did with their dogs.
As much as Marksi wasn't going to give answers, he was still determined to catch it, whatever it was. He raced around, always close in his mind, but never catching it. Like chasing Brin's laser pointer. and yes, he knew about that, too.
Brin decided to let him go at it and didn't repeat his trick with the lasers. If he did draw the ghost out now, all these other ghost hunters would get the credit. Instead, he contented himself with wandering the halls, chatting about whatever was on Sancha's mind. She really did know all her classmates, and she had a lot of gossip. Who was engaged to who, and who everyone wished they were engaged to.
They mutually decided to give up after around an hour. That left plenty of ti in the day for Brin to head downtown to the Cult of Tenerer. He wanted to see what Tim thought of Sancha's news about Cobol, and more importantly, to find out if he knew more.
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