***

I have to admit it, hot baths are growing on me.

The ThauCon complex where I did Basic Training didn't have them, since we don’t waste water like that in Zelenia. We had warm pools at Intelligence School, but they were always noisy and crammed with insufferable juvenile fellow trainees. Also, the people who used them the most were either Karesian students, or Zelenians anxious to show how worldly and immodest they were, and I don't know which annoyed me the most.

Here, though, given the half-empty base, it’s easy to get the pool for myself. It’s often more peaceful than my bunk, since I don’t have to put up with Sorivel praying, Kaelich trying to chat, or Althea being gorgeous. And it's easy to overcome my ingrained guilt at wasting water, when I'm surrounded by snow.

So, I got the habit to read the Agency’s bulletin while soaking in hot water. Lord of Sands, forgive me, a few more years in this Light-forsaken place, and I’ll start liking fried grasshoppers, too.

I close my eyes and open the bulletin on my StemLink overlay. I skim the usual chaff about ceremonies and speeches and get to the activity reports.

NEWS – GREAT TAER REQUESTS MORE INFLUENCE ON THE AGENCY’S BOARD

I snort and close that headline. I can’t stand the politicking around the Agency.

NEWS – UPSURGE IN DEMONFALLS, FIVE AGENTS AND SEVENTY-FIVE CIVILIANS DEAD. DEMON RESPONSE TEAMS ON HIGH ALERT THROUGH THE WHOLE EQUATORIAL REGION. NON-ESSENTIAL ACTIVITIES CLOSED IN TER VERGATHA.

I’d kill for the Intelligence feed. But even from the general bulletin, I can get an idea of what’s happening. The news section is all about the new Syndicate Cartel stirring shit.

ANALYSIS: Increased pattern of conflict between Syndicate forces and Faceless Army. Magical confrontations confirmed in Landfall, Valanes, Sovrasdon, Simirch.

OPINION: the Syndicate Cartel is a qualitatively new risk that requires a unified approach – from General Heynes.

I skim the articles and save them both for later reading.

QUERY - KEYWORD SEARCH - Syndicate activity. Rakavdon. Vorok.

I find a few short reports about the new Syndicate Cartel gaining ground against regular criminals, mainly in the larger cities of this frozen wasteland of a country. Nothing about Rakavdon itself. Once again, it looks like the magical factions want nothing to do with this city.

Not that I can blame them. I wouldn’t want anything to do with this city, either, if I had a choice. But Korundon is even colder, and yet the Sacred Song Society set up shop there. So…

“Lady of Light, You’re easy to sneak up to, Ceri, aren’t you some kind of super-spy in training?” Althea says, from the pool’s side. I jump in surprise, which is not advisable while almost entirely submerged, and I end up thrashing to get up while I cough warm water.

When I manage to breathe again, I finally see Althea laughing her ass off. She’s still standing outside the pool, in a green bathrobe. Fortunately, I kept my swimming suit on - I started taking it off when I'm alone, since reasonable people warn before barging in.

“It’s common politeness to announce oneself when entering the baths,” I say, even if I’ve no clue whether it’s true in this continent of degenerates. I should have investigated Karesian etiquette, before being transferred here, it turns out movies aren’t all that reliable.

Althea waves a hand dismissively. “Maybe in the barbarian-filled desert you grew up in. Also, you had full sight on the door, it’s just that you were watching porn sims or whatever you people do with Stemlink implants.”

Blood rushes to my cheeks. “I was not…”

“Of course you weren’t,” she says, rolling her eyes. “You were probably looking at a spreadsheet. Or worse, reading the news. Damn, you’re boring. And since you weren’t looking, you spoiled my whole plan of taking off my bathrobe in an apparently casual, but very sexy way, and watch you blush to death.”

I start blushing to death, and she smiles in a very strange way. She takes off her robe, slowly, then slides into the water. The image of her body burns itself in my mind, and then my brain goes temporarily offline.

Lady of Light, I really need to get laid. By Althea, if possible. I remember the kiss in the training room, and the snow melting as she walked down stairs made of green light, so confident, so intense. Fuck, I studied how to fight mages for four years, and five seconds after meeting an actual one, I got a crush on her. How can I be so stupid and unprofessional?

Althea snaps her fingers in front of me. “Ceri? Still there? Did I break you?” She asks.

“I… sorry, I was... thinking. Things.” I say. Smooth, Cerical, real smooth. “Anyway, yes, I was reading the news. Which apparently no one else does in our team.”

“I think Sorivel does,” Althea says, “just not as aggressively as you do. Anyway, you have a moment? There’s a talk we’ve been putting off.”

My heart beats faster. “Of course,” I say, forcing my voice to be steady and nonchalant. Is she going to suggest a relationship? If so, what am I going to answer? If…

“We should talk about demons,” she says, resolute. I feel like the worst idiot in all of Refuge. “The Else isn’t as agitated today,” she goes on, and I force myself to actually parse her words. “Vakris is no longer in our cells. So it’s as good a time as any. Just remember my warning: don’t talk often, and don’t talk lightly, about the things in the Else.”

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“Should we call the others?” I ask. I mean, this clearly wasn’t the private moment I imagined.

Althea looks pained. “I don’t want to keep secrets or anything. But it’s an easy guess that Sorivel would excuse himself from the conversation – his religion teaches, not unreasonably, to avoid searching for hidden truths about the Else. As for Kaelich… look, xe’s great, but information security isn’t xir thing.”

Information security. I’d have called it superstition until a week ago – don’t talk about demons. That’s what most people say, but people also mindlessly repeat an inordinate amount of incorrect things.

“It may sound like a circular question,” I say, “but why didn’t anyone tell us we shouldn’t talk about demons? Or at least no one made clear it’s more than superstition?”

Althea shrugs. “Most people don’t talk about demons anyway. They probably think it’s superstition, but a communication campaign to tell people no, you really really shouldn’t talk about demons would be spectacularly self-defeating. That said, the Agency should definitely clarify it to its soldiers, I’ve no idea what the fuck is wrong with your training.”

“In those news you’re not reading,” I say, “A surge in demonfalls is reported. Is that what was happening when Vakris almost went nova?”

“Not exactly,” Athea says, “demonfalls are caused by demons who enter Here through the Crack in the Moon, and head instinctively for Refuge. The things Vakris attracted were still in the Else. But those were powerful demons, unusually close to the Veil, and that was probably because of some disturbance in the Else. Probably the same disturbance that caused these exceptional demonfalls.”

“So, it was… like a storm in the Else? And Vakris simply had terrible timing for when he tore the Veil?”

Althea runs a hand through her wet curls, considering my words. “There are storms in the Else," she says, "but, Engineer be thanked, that wasn’t one. More like a light drizzle. That said… I’m not sure Vakris just had bad timing. I think there was some magical activity ongoing, somewhere in Rakavdon. Powerful magic attracts demons from the depths – and I think I felt some disturbance, during the operation. Not directly caused by Vakris.”

She’s not looking at me, and she talks very fast. I’m not good at reading people, as evidenced by the fact I thought she was going for the ‘are we an item’ talk and not a lesson about eldritch horrors. But I think there’s something she’s not saying.

Well, given the topic, she may be hiding something to avoid demons appearing in the pool and eating us, so I won’t push.

“So you believe someone was using magic in Rakavdon? Could it have been Korentis?”

She shakes her head. "Korentis is far too weak to attract entities from the Deep else. I asked Aeniki to have a look at the theta background for that day, and she says there’s some statistically unusual activity. Too low to trigger alarms, and might be background, but given the timing, it’s probably magic, well hidden.”

“Did you report this?” I ask.

She looks at me, very serious. “I did my report. But while I’m a part of the team, I’m not a part of your Agency.”

Oh, Lost Stars. Of course Althea reports to the Council. So how does this work? Should I make a report? Suspicions of strong magical activity in Rakavdon. Source: girl talk in the hot pool. That would go great. And to whom should I report? Regional HQ… or Quicksilver?

Part of me, however, is positively giddy. Secrets, mysterious magical activity, that is exactly what I studied for. And I get to discuss it all with a smart, beautiful and passionate girl while she’s naked. Maybe the Lords and Ladies decided I deserve some compensation for having sent me into this ghastly place.

“I’ll see if Aeniki can squeeze enough data to give me the basis for a proper report,” I say. “Do you have any idea what kind of magic was involved? Or who the mage was?”

She shakes her head. “Not for sure, but it was an expert mage, of Adept rank at least. More likely a full Master.”

It takes me a moment to translate in modern terms – level 3, possibly 4.

“As for the magic used,” Althea goes on, “We have limited information. But Aeniki thinks the best fit would be fold-path. So, my guess is that someone Else-walked into the city, and stirred the Else in the process.”

Else-walking. Powerful mages can move great distances, impossible to detect, by entering the Else and emerging in a different place.

“So, we have a powerful mage in Rakavdon,” I say, “who moved here just before a surge of demonfalls. Or could they have caused the agitation in the Else?”

Althea shakes her head, but doesn’t look entirely convinced.

“No, not even an archmage could destabilize the Else that much. But… when the magical faction fought, in the past, it did shake the Else. The final battle in the Zelenian revolt triggered a true Else-storm. So, it could be a coincidence. Or the magical factions might be starting some major shit.”

I feel a thrill of anticipation. This is what I enlisted for. Not teenage robbers.

“If a powerful mage moved into Rakavdon, we must look for them. This might be the Syndicates, or the Faceless, making a move. They’re unusually active, lately,” I say, and already itch to leave the pool and get to work.

Althea throws her arms up, splashing water all around her. “I wouldn’t know where to start!” She says. “But I still thought I had to tell someone. And given the someones available in this base, that means you.”

Again, I’m struck by how dangerous the poor communication between the Agency and Council is. This is critical information, and our team wouldn’t get it except for our good personal relationship with Althea. Or my personal relationship. Whatever relationship that is.

“Well,” she says, perking up, “with that out of the way. Want to kiss again? I put privacy wards on the doors.”

It takes me a few seconds to understand her words, and the abrupt change of subject. “Wait, what?” I ask, my pitch a bit too high. “Are you serious? Does this mean we're a couple? Look, I’m not good at… people stuff.”

She laughs. “Good thing I’m amazing in every way” she says. Then she smiles at me, warm and tender, and I feel like I could melt and die happy.

“I’m serious," she says. "Do you want a signed request? I hereby request a sizable amount of smooching and the beginning of a casual, yet inadvisable romantic relationship, based on shallow physical attraction and shared misfortune. Are you in?”

She looks at me, and for all her sarcasm and confidence, she’s tense - she bites her lower lip when she’s nervous. Weirdly, that makes me feel better. At least I'm not the only one.

"While not against regulations, a relationship between us could cause us problems, both because we have to work together and because of how our superiors could react.” I say. And realize almost instantly I should have kept my mouth shout, I know by now people tend to read me as harsh even when I'm anything but.

Althea looks down, surprised and disappointed.

“I, uhm,” she says, “don’t want to pressure you, but…”

I get an extremely frivolous idea. I decide to act on it before I can start assessing its pros and cons.

“You talk too much, mage,” I say, and I lean forward to kiss her, my hands gripping her waist. Her eyes widen with surprise, and I smile in satisfaction. Who’s boring now?