Magic can only be performed by combining two or more elements, yet combinations of more than two elements are too unstable to use in practice. This leaves the two-element combination, which is called a dyad. As there are six elements, this means there are fifteen dyads in total. Weavers who specialize in and fortify a single dyad are called mages. Those who fortify three elements, and thus three dyads, are called wizards.

  Excerpt from 'Magic Guilds of Rios: The Age of Enlightenment'

  “This is good,” Maria said with a pleased look. “If we discredit Magister Tonnavil like this, he will be forced to withdraw from the breaching. That will put them back for another two days.”

  Jolene looked at the text in front of her with disdain. “If this really is true then this man is scum. Why do women allow themselves to be treated like this?”

  Maria shrugged. “Poverty mostly. If you can't channel, there are few jobs to do unless you happen to be very intelligent.”

  “I understand that, but this is just—” Jolene threw up her hands in disgust.

  “Be glad it is like this. We will use it to tear them down one by one.”

  Maria had been working on a suitable plan for several days now and the meeting room she had chosen for the vendetta's heart and mind had been filled with activity. Adepts ran around to fulfil their assignments and magistras brought in their own ideas for how to best deal with Callium. At the moment, however, only Maria and Jolene occupied the room as most of the Daughters had retired for the night.

  The door to the room opened and a short and well-dressed magistra stormed inside.

  “Maria, thank the ?ther you are here!” she exclaimed.

  “Kasha?” Maria asked in surprise. “What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the Winged Keep?”

  Magistra Kasha Vemissia, the Daughters of Ashira's liaison to the Royal Court, stopped to lean on a nearby table and catch her breath.

  “Were you running?” Maria asked, growing ever more bewildered.

  “I was,” Kasha said. “When I heard what happened I returned as soon as possible.”

  “Heard about what? What happened?”

  Kasha was silent for a moment as she studied Maria.

  What's going on? Maria wondered. Why is she looking at me like that?

  “You don't know,” Kasha said, looking relieved. “That's a weight off my mind.”

  Maria took a few steps towards the breathless magistra. “What's this about?”

  “The White Candle was attacked. There was a huge fight and people died.”

  “What?!” Jolene exclaimed as Maria's eyes grew wide. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that an unknown group attacked Callium as they were working in the White Candle. Several of them were killed. On both sides.”

  “What?!” Maria now echoed Jolene. “Callium was attacked?! By who? When?” She then realized why Kasha had been studying her. “You think I had something do with this?”

  “I didn't think you did,” Kasha said as she shook her head, “but I had to make certain.”

  Maria pulled out a chair and gestured for Kasha to sit down. “Tell me what happened.”

  “I don't know much,” Kasha said, accepting the chair. “We are the primary suspects so all I heard was part of the accusations. I talked until I had blisters on my tongue assuring them we had nothing to do with it. I doubt the King believed me though.”

  “Start at the beginning; when did this happen?”

  “Yesterday evening, during the hour of the bat. A large group of attackers, all enchanted with shade shrouds, forced their way in and attacked the Callium members present. Several men were killed or injured.”

  “Anyone we know?”

  Kasha shook her head as she ran her hand through her short hair. “No magisters among them. Only adepts and apprentices. One of the Royal Guard lances was nearby and assisted the rest of them in repelling the attack.”

  “And?” Maria urged her on. “What happened to the attackers?”

  Kasha's face became serious. “That's the most unsettling part. Apparently they all blackshifted.”

  “How many are we talking about?” Maria asked, frowning. “Five?”

  “Twenty at least.”

  Maria drew in a sharp breath. That many? “They all blackshifted to escape, you say?”

  Kasha nodded at Maria's confusion. “That surprised me as well. Even if we took all the blackshift sigils we have and added all the magistras who can weave the spell themselves, we would still fall short of reaching half that number.”

  Twenty people who can blackshift? That's impossible.

  A blackshift required Entropy to be at rank twenty-one; halfway into the fourth tier. The chance of gathering twenty people capable of blackshifting under a single banner was near non-existent; there were at most two hundred people in the entire kingdom who would be capable of it.

  They must have used sigils instead. But who has that many of those?

  Like Kasha said, the Daughters maybe had one or two. High-tier spells like a Blackshift were difficult to forge and any successful creation would be preceded by many failed attempts. This made forging such runestones extremely expensive as every time the creation of the rune failed, the materials used were lost as well. For this reason, no guild went beyond creating more than a handful of high-tier runestones just to have them on hand. It was simply too costly to do otherwise, especially for spells that were hardly ever used.

  So who could have so much resource to spend?

  Kasha breathed more slowly now as she recovered. “The Whisper's grandmaster suspected that we could have joined our resources with the Lyceum.”

  “Lyceum magistrae tend to avoid the descending elements,” Maria said. “I think they have even less people capable of blackshifting than we do.”

  “It does explain why the Crown considers us suspects,” Jolene said.

  “That's why I rushed back here,” Kasha said. “I had to make certain we had nothing to do with this.”

  “I can assure you we didn't,” Maria said, horrified at the thought. “I would never allow something as dangerous as that. It's as much risk to the attacker as it is to Callium.”

  “The Whisper suggested we might have hired a rogue cadre to do the work for us.”

  Maria scoffed. “Mercenaries? This isn't the Dust Empire or Galond where those sorts hide in every crossroad inn. I wouldn't even know how to contact a group like that. Besides, I doubt all of the attackers got away unscathed if the Royal Guard arrived. Blackshift or not.”

  “About that,” Kasha began hesitantly. “I heard something disturbing from one of my sources at the court about their fight. Apparently the attackers immolated themselves to avoid capture.”

  Maria's mouth fell open; she was too stunned to respond. This is getting more insane by the moment.

  “Self-immolation?” Jolene asked. “That's terrible. Are you certain?”

  Kasha raised her arms in the air. “I know it sounds outrageous, but I trust the source. And this is a problem for us as the real perpetrator remains unknown and we are suspects.”

  “I understand,” Maria said, as her mind raced over all that this implied. “What's the situation at the sanctum now?”

  “The Royal Guard now has a lance stationed there permanently until further notice. The breaching is suspended until King Darych says otherwise.”

  Maria nodded slowly. “That's some good news at least.”

  Kasha got up from her chair. “Now if you'll excuse me, I need to speak to Tayla. She needs to hear about this as well.”

  “Of course,” Maria said. “Thank you for coming to me first.”

  She watched Kasha leave and then turned towards Jolene who stared pensively at a point on the far wall.

  “This is most unexpected,” Maria said after a brief silence.

  Jolene looked up. “That's an understatement. Who could have possibly done such a thing? You don't think the Lyceum acted on their own?”

  “Impossible,” Maria stated. “They neither have the nerve nor desire to do such violence. It must have been another group. Especially if they really went as far as killing themselves to prevent capture.”

  “But who then? Besides us and the Lyceum, the only magic guild left is—”

  “Hyna. Their overzealous desire for secrecy would allow them to go that far.”

  “But why?” Jolene asked, befuddled. “What could they possibly have to gain?”

  “I don't know, but you can count on the disappearance of the White Candle guild to be related. They had a taste for secrecy as well, so who knows what kind of dealings they had with Hyna that we don't know about. Maybe even the syndicates were involved; they were during the Callium Imperatus Schism.”

  “The syndicates don't have that much magic at their disposal,” Jolene said, sweeping her hand in a broad gesture. “Neither in runes nor channellers, and I can't see any profit in it for them either.”

  “Perhaps you are right,” Maria said. “But this doesn't sit right with me.” She started to pace around the room. “But we can't waste time speculating about that now though. We need to think about how this affects our own plans. If Hyna really moved against Callium, then we need to readjust our own plans as well.”

  “I agree. I think it would be prudent to postpone our more active operations.”

  “Why?” Maria asked, halting mid-pace. “Past vendettas saw this level of violence. This should not surprise anyone.”

  Jolene raised an eyebrow. “That's true, but we had nothing to do with this, and I think it's better to keep our noses clean until that is made clear to all. And furthermore, I don't think the Royal Guard will look kindly upon this, regardless of the vendetta. It was fought at the sanctum after all, and it won't be much of a stretch to translate that to reckless endangerment of the citizenry.”

  “You've been reading up on vendetta laws, haven't you?” Maria answered with a smirk.

  “I'm glad you noticed,” Jolene said, stretching her arms above her head and yawning, “but can we deal with all this tomorrow? I feel like I've been awake for two days and putting my mind to work now will be a fool's errand.” She grimaced. “Not that I can sleep, now that I've heard about this.”

  “You go,” Maria said. “I'm going to stay a little longer. This warrants some thought first.”

  “Suit yourself, but you should get some rest as well,” Jolene said as she walked towards the door.

  The door swung open just before she reached it.

  “Still at it at this hour?” Tayla greeted them, beaming at Jolene. The acting archmagistra strode into the room as if she was moving on a cushion of air.

  “I'm done for tonight,” Jolene said as Tayla passed her; yet she did not leave the room, choosing to linger instead.

  “Maria,” Tayla said. “I need to hear it from you. Did we have anything to do with what happened at the White Candle last night?”

  Maria shook her head vigorously. “No, of course not. I would never order our sisters to do something as dangerous as that. What would the point even be?”

  Tayla did not answer immediately. Instead she regarded Maria quietly for a moment.

  Maria felt uncomfortable underneath Tayla's gaze. Doesn't she believe me? I wouldn't order people on such a mad quest.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  “I believe you,” Tayla said. She turned her attention to the papers on the table. “I assume you took the required steps in light of this terrible event?”

  “I did,” Maria said. “We've put all things that directly mess with Callium on hold.”

  “Most prudent. Did you also reinforce our more outlying holdings? Or perhaps it might be better to consolidate them.”

  Maria frowned. “Consolidate? Wouldn't it be better to keep our haunts active at a time like this? We need information now more than ever.”

  Tayla raised a hand and tapped her temple with her index finger. “That attack on Callium might be part of a plot to strike at all the magic guilds in Rios. The White Candle simply may have been the first. I would feel safer in the knowledge that our position is one of defensive strength rather than offensive projection.”

  A plot to strike at all the guilds? What's she talking about? Does she know something I don't or is this just speculation?

  Tayla took Maria's silence as an agreement. “I will take my leave then. King Darych has requested to see me.”

  That surprised Maria. “If the King wants to talk about this, shouldn't I be the one to go?”

  Tayla inclined her head. “Currently nobody outside our guild is aware that you are the leader of the vendetta. I would like to keep it that way for a while longer until we have established some clarity in last night's events.”

  “But it is my responsibility,” Maria protested.

  Tayla shook her head, her hair flowing around her shoulders. “Your responsibility is to the guild and providing guidance with regards to the vendetta. If you were to go to the court, you would spend most of your time there for the coming days. We need you here to take charge of this.”

  “I understand,” Maria said. She felt relieved. The thought of having to show up in front of King Darych every time the tiniest thing happened in Rios didn't appeal to her in the slightest.

  Tayla walked back towards the door and passed Jolene once more before turning around in the doorway.

  “Oh, and Maria, the archmagistra has requested to speak with you first thing in the morning.”

  Apprehension filled Maria. She has?!

  Because of her illness, Ashira was confined to her bed and even brief conversations cost her a great deal of energy. The only people who still exchanged words with her on occasion were Tayla and the two astutes who tended to her needs. Even after the vendetta had been established, Ashira had not summoned Maria to speak with her. So why now?

  “I will be there at first light,” Maria said.

  “That's good,” Tayla said. “Don't be reckless, Maria.” She nodded a goodbye to both Maria and Jolene and left the room.

  Don't be reckless? What's that supposed to mean?

  “The archmagistra wishes to see you?” Jolene said as she walked back into the room. “I wouldn't have expected her to want to speak to you at all.”

  “Me neither,” Maria said, flopping down on the nearest chair. “This thing has me worried.”

  Jolene looked pensive. “It worried Tayla as well. She was quite adamant about revising our plans.”

  Maria nodded as her mind raced. She didn't want to halt the things she had set in motion, yet she was acutely aware of the fact that her hard-won majority was a thin one. The imminent threat of Callium raiding the White Candle sanctum was a decisive factor in swaying a lot of magistras to Maria's side. If the breaching was suspended, however, her support within the Daughters could erode if she didn't handle this carefully.

  The vendetta has to go on, Maria thought. Even if it is in a reduced form.

  “Let's review what we can do,” Maria said, reaching for some papers. “If the breaching has been suspended then I suppose we can halt the more aggressive operations for now. Or are you still going to sleep?”

  “I suppose I can postpone that for a while longer,” Jolene said with a sly smile. “But don't count on me to wake you up in the morning.”

  It didn't take long for them to realize that without any direct action against Callium, there wasn't much left; only court politicking and information gathering.

  “We can start laying down the scrying web at the very least,” Maria said as she unfolded a large map of Rios.

  “That works,” Jolene said, “but do we even have enough scrying stones for that? It's going to be a lot of work to handle them all as well.”

  “We have enough hands, and I'll ask Magistra Arett tomorrow if she can reschedule the rune forge.”

  Jolene raised an eyebrow. “That's going to ruffle a few feathers.”

  “Let them be ruffled. We're in a vendetta and the sooner everyone realizes it the better. Several of the magistras haven't been very forthcoming with assistance. Especially not the faithful.”

  “I wonder what the other magistras think about this,” Jolene said, yawning.

  Maria yawned as well. “We'll have to see tomorrow.” Her eyelids felt heavy and she realized that she wouldn't be able to stay awake much longer.

  “You look like you're about to keel over,” Jolene said.

  “So do you,” Maria said. “Let's leave it at this.”

  Jolene nodded. “You need to be rested before your meeting tomorrow.”

  A meeting with the archmagistra, Maria thought uneasily as they headed for their beds. I truly wonder what she wants to talk about.

  The next morning, Maria rushed to the Wind spire of Felados Towers. She had overslept after a restless night.

  She rushed out of the stairwell onto the floor beneath Ashira's chamber only to be stopped by one of the astutes present there.

  “The archmagistra is still resting,” the astute said.

  “Oh,” Maria said as she caught her breath from climbing so many stairs. “When will she be awake?”

  “Soon, but not now.” The astute gestured towards a nearby chair. “You can wait over there.”

  Maria meekly took a seat and watched as the two middle-aged women prepared a simple meal in the room's tiny kitchen.

  Inne and Aleria seem as dedicated as ever, Maria thought.

  As a magistra, she outranked both of them as an astute was an adept who, for whatever reason, never managed to pass the bar to become a magistra and gave up trying. Usually a person like that left for one of the smaller subsidiary guilds that existed in Gerios' other cities where requirements weren't as strict.

  Sometimes they stayed, however, instead focusing their attention on the things they could do and thus became astutes, replacing their lack of acumen with acuity, as the saying went.

  I wonder how they feel about the vendetta? Maria wondered. As they weren't magistras, they weren't allowed to participate in the vote, yet after thinking it over Maria decided that was just as well. Like Tayla, both Inne and Aleria had been mentored by Ashira herself and they would likely be as fiercely dedicated to her ideals as she herself was.

  I just hope they aren't holding some grudge against me, Maria thought as she watched Inne ascend the final stairway. They could leave me sitting here for hours.

  The waiting period turned out to be shorter than Maria had expected. After Inne returned and softly spoke with Aleria, she beckoned to Maria.

  “Ashira will see you now.”

  Maria stood up and ascended the winding stairs until she arrived at the door that separated it from the Wind spire's top floor. There she took a deep breath and drew a finger along the light-blue wood called limaria.

  No avoiding it, Maria thought. While she felt apprehension at the reasons for Ashira calling her here, she was curious as well.

  Maria straightened herself and her outfit one last time and then knocked on the door.

  “Enter,” a firm and clear voice responded.

  Maria stepped into the room, taking a moment to adjust to the overflowing light present. The hexagonal top room of the Wind spire had glass walls at all sides, barring some key ironwood support struts. On a clear day it allowed an unfettered view of the entire Amethyst Quarter and the districts beyond.

  Today was such a day, as Maria could easily spot the Imperator in the Old City and the Winged Keep in the Royal Quarter. Even the Crag was dimly visible in the far distance as a great hulk of dark stone.

  In the centre of the room, on a great bed that could rotate in any direction, Ashira was waiting. She was seated against the back panel of the bed and propped up with pillows.

  Maria swallowed. She looks so... frail.

  It had been a while since she had last seen the archmagistra and the memory Maria had of her no longer tallied with reality.

  Ashira's skin had become almost translucent, with the purple veins beneath clearly visible even though Maria stood several paces away. She had lost weight as well; her frame was a flimsy shadow of her once firm body.

  What hadn't changed, however, were her eyes. A bright opal blue that burned with a passionate fire.

  “Approach,” Ashira commanded, and Maria immediately closed the distance. Even though Ashira's body was withered, her voice was as strong as Maria remembered.

  “Sit,” she added after Maria reached the bed.

  Maria sank onto a small bench next to the bed, bringing their eyes level.

  “It's been a while since I last saw you, Maria.”

  “It has, archmagistra,” Maria said, meeting Ashira's gaze head on.

  Ashira's expression changed; an odd sight as her muscles and veins visibly shifted around beneath her skin.

  “Call me Ashira,” she said. “I may still be archmagistra in name, but we both know that title belongs to Tayla now.”

  “I will.”

  “So it has come to this at last,” Ashira said with a disapproving tone. “A vendetta being declared by the guild I founded.”

  “Yes,” Maria stated firmly. Before she came here she had already resolved not to back down regarding the vendetta.

  “I understand from Tayla that you are the main perpetrator in conjuring this thing into existence.”

  “I wasn't just me; but yes, I did push for a vendetta.” And I'm not going to apologize for it.

  Ashira chortled. “Oh, I know it wasn't just you. You got your two-thirds majority after all.”

  Is she mocking me? The thought annoyed Maria. “Considering the circumstances, it is the right path to take.”

  The corners of Ashira's mouth raised slightly. “You are correct.”

  Maria's eyes widened in amazement. Did she just agree with me?

  “Surprised?”

  “Well, yes,” Maria stammered. “I didn't think you would approve.”

  “I don't. Violence just plants the seeds for more violence.”

  Maria's amazement turned into confusion. “But you just said—”

  “That a vendetta is the correct path to take? As you said, under the current circumstances it is. Yet the circumstances you consider are different from mine.” Ashira eyed Maria intently. “Do you think I summoned you here to berate you? To tell you how much you failed my ideals?”

  “The thought crossed my mind,” Maria said. She hastily covered her mouth with her hand. “Forgive me. I meant no disrespect.”

  Ashira waved her hand. “I know you didn't. This is who you are; how all the other young ones are. They followed the path I laid down in front of them and this is the inevitable outcome.”

  What's she talking about? I can't follow her at all.

  “You don't understand,” Ashira said. She stated it as a fact.

  “I do not,” Maria admitted.

  Ashira turned her eyes away from Maria and gazed across the city. “When I was your age I was like you. Rash, brazen, and willing to take on everyone who stood in my way. It took twenty years before I had any success, however.”

  “The Schism,” Maria said.

  “The Schism, yes. The year 1692, when my former guild Callium Imperatus was disbanded and both Callium and our guild rose from its ashes like a pair of mismatched siblings.”

  “A great moment.”

  “It was a great moment,” Ashira said, “yet to reach that moment I required those twenty years that came before.”

  She turned her gaze back to Maria. “Where are your years?”

  Maria again grew annoyed. Does she doubt my competence?

  “Are you saying I'm too young to lead a vendetta?”

  “I'm saying you are too young to understand what a vendetta—what conflict—truly is. You grew up here in an environment that supported and nurtured you. Certainly there were rough patches, especially considering the path you in particular followed.” Ashira lifted her arm and pointed towards the Old City. “Yet those were nothing compared to that.”

  Compared to what? Maria thought, stretching her neck to look at the clear sky beyond the window. What's over there?

  “Do you see that tower?” Ashira asked, her arm trembling.

  Maria leaned to the side to see where she pointed. “The Imperator?”

  “No, the other one. The light-grey one with the silver edges and that enormous stone marble at the top. Can't you see it? The dark-green and black banners waving in the wind from every window?”

  Maria didn't know what to say. There is nothing there. Yet Ashira looked at her, expecting an answer.

  “I don't see anything.”

  “Exactly,” Ashira said, dropping her arm to the blankets. “There is nothing left. The Palantir was torn down before you were even born.”

  Understanding dawned upon Maria. “Chyn Kotia's seat.”

  “Yes, the guild that gambled and lost everything during the Schism.”

  “What about them? Do you regret that they are gone?”

  “Oh, by the ?ther no,” Ashira said vehemently. “Their guild consisted of the vilest sorts of magistrae and their disbanding was perhaps the greatest good the Schism bestowed upon the city.”

  “So they were like what Callium is now,” Maria said, seeing her chance to validate her position. “A plague upon not just us, but the entire city.”

  Ashira's expression changed, suddenly becoming sad. “You still do not understand, Maria. It is true that Callium now and Chyn Kotia back then have many things in common, yet there is also a fundamental difference between the two. Where Callium isn't afraid to step into the light, Chyn Kotia was a guild that wasn't afraid to step into the darkness. And it is that darkness that you never experienced.”

  She turned her head away again, this time facing the direction of the distant Amber Quarter where the White Candle was a vague light-smear against a still darkened horizon.

  “After I learned of what happened to the White Candle guild, I gained an uneasy feeling that the darkness I speak of has returned. A feeling that grew into certainty after I heard what happened yesterday, and that's why I wanted to speak to you. Not because I want to stop the vendetta or because I feel you are unfit, but to warn you.”

  Maria shifted slightly on her bench. To warn me? That is what this is about? “Are you saying that Chyn Kotia has returned?”

  “Not them specifically. They were broken beyond recovery after the Schism. That I am certain of. It is merely that it is a similar brand of darkness that I see, although perhaps even more insidious.”

  “Tayla said something similar to me,” Maria said, trying to sound reassuring. “I will make certain everyone stays as safe possible.”

  “No, no, no,” Ashira shook her head, her eyes blazing. “You still do not grasp what I mean. This isn't a test where you merely fill in the correct answer to succeed. In real life, there are no correct answers. Even the best decision can lead to interminable grief.” She paused for a moment, giving Maria a searing stare.

  Maria met it without flinching, though felt very uncomfortable doing so. Why is she so upset about this? Am I really missing something?

  Ashira continued. “Tayla told me those men who attacked Callium at the White Candle immolated themselves to avoid being captured. Can you imagine ever ordering one of your sisters to do that?”

  Maria shook her head in shock. “Of course not.”

  “No, you couldn't. You probably wouldn't even come up with the idea in the first place. Yet that is the kind of darkness you might face. The kind where human lives are mere tools to be used and disposed of. Where warmth and emotion are replaced by cold logic and reasoning and where the final goal is all that matters. You've never encountered people like that. Those fools from Callium do not even come close.”

  The flame in her eyes vanished and a shroud of fatigue enveloped Ashira.

  Maria waited in silence to allow the archmagistra to recover.

  “This isn't the path I would have chosen,” Ashira eventually continued, with a much weaker voice, “yet the choice for a different path should have been made years ago. Then this entire vendetta could have been avoided.”

  “It's not your fault,” Maria said. “I chose this. We all chose this.”

  “No. It is my fault. I have had a lot of time to reflect on my life these past years, and it was me who created and maintained the current split between us and Callium. I even allowed Callium and us to divide ourselves along genders. I, who valued cooperation and harmony above anything else, excluded so many people over a grudge I held from my past.” Ashira scoffed. “They even called the guild 'Daughters of Ashira' and I let it pass. I was proud, even.” Her head sagged as if her neck no longer could support its weight; her earlier vigour was now rapidly vanishing from her body.

  Feeling that the conversation was approaching its end, Maria rose from her bench. “I will take your warning to heart,” she said, seizing Ashira's frail hand. “You should rest now.”

  “Remain vigilant, Maria,” Ashira whispered, her eyes closing. “The darkness will be upon you when you least expect it.”

  Maria waited until she was convinced Ashira was sleeping and then slipped out of the room.

  “How is she?” Inne asked when Maria arrived at the floor below.

  “She's asleep,” Maria said. “She used a lot of energy.”

  “I knew it was a bad idea to let you go to her,” Inne said, shaking her head. “If she hadn't been so adamant about it I would have not allowed it.”

  She wanted to speak to me that badly? Was her desire to warn me so strong?

  Lost in thought, Maria started her descent down the Wind spire. The meeting with the archmagistra had been a strange one, yet Maria knew every word Ashira said was heartfelt.

  An uneasy feeling lingered inside her chest and Maria wondered what she should do now.

  At the very least, it will be a good idea to not get involved in any active operations for the moment. Just like Jolene and I decided upon last night.

  She halted next to one of the windows in the stairway and looked outside. At first she had viewed the disappearance of the White Candle guild as a convenient event to further her own plans. Yet now she fully realized how short-sighted that was. If there really was an unknown party, then the Daughters could also be a target, just like Tayla had suggested last night.

  Still, sitting on my hands and waiting for darkness to come doesn't suit me. Information is what I need right now. Not just from Callium, but from everywhere in the city.

  She resumed her descent as she knew what her next step should be.

  Magistra Arett and the rune forge are going to be very busy.