--- Rickhart

Stupid sand. I hate it. It's dirty and gets into my clothes.

Rickhart walked across the beach, trying not to pay attention to it. He glanced at the ship, which had just turned away and set sail back to the continent. Being a seasoned smuggler, the captain had taken their money without any question about the passengers and the huge crate they were transporting.

I appreciate those who mind their own business. Being smart means living longer.

It was easy to find questionable people hanging in the coastal city of Canthars, a place of exchange since the times of old, but they didn't like to interact with foreigners who they couldn't trust. Grandma must have had one or two acquaintances living in the criminal part of the town, or so the young necromancer suspected. She had traveled for many years before retiring in his father's mansion, after all.

Still, even with the knowledge she gathered during her life, I can't believe she managed to build such a powerful item with so little help.

He had only seen the stone twice, right after the beginning of its construction and shortly before it was packed and loaded in the cargo hold. Its size was absurd, about that of a pig, and gave away the fact that it didn't come from a natural formation. A red crystal, so huge and red, would have been worth a fortune, hadn't it been manufactured to have its special characteristics.

It was all because of Rickhart's ability of messing with the life force of others, however, that the artifact was so valuable. The old lady had created it with a larger plan in mind, one that would result in submitting the world to his will. He had been the hand, up to that point, while she acted as brains.

Now that I've cooled down, I see escaping Lyngard was the right choice. We already had obtained more than enough from the battle. Letting Roric leave pains me, but the next time he dares showing his face I'll be even more powerful. There's nothing he and his kingdom can do. We only have to wait for the right moment and then...

The necromancer looked up to the sky, expectantly. In his mind, he could already see the sun darkening. His servants were preparing the ritual in advance, and had received instructions to prevent any external interference. It was just a matter of waiting.

Yes. Soon, all will be over.

***

--- Roric

The streets of Cassidia were packed, at that hour, and the men of the royal guard struggled to make headway into the crowd.

Right after hearing of the siege of Lyngard, King Sebastian had asked the Circle to make a thorough investigation, to avoid any risk of Rickhart catching them by surprise again. The Mages had sure methods to locate someone that powerful and assess his strength clearly, he had said, but those details had to be discussed privately. Archmage Sartan himself had insisted so that the King joined him in his study, near the top of the tower, to keep their knowledge away from prying ears. The only problem was that Elise's father wasn't exactly in good shape. He rarely left the palace, due to his leg, and facing many flights of stairs was impossible for him.

For that reason, he had decided to send the young princess instead, along with her friend. Both of them were already involved in that situation up to their necks, in fact, and wouldn't have liked being kept from what the Circle had discovered.

It took nearly an hour to reach the tower's gardens, which Roric had previously visited. Elise spent some time looking around before moving on, with a sigh.

She must feel frustrated. All these months and she has yet to see the entirety of the capital. When this crisis is finally resolved, I'll take her out even if His Majesty forbids it. I even know a couple of spots where we could have dinner.

The two parted ways with their escorts at the main entrance of the tower, where Mary was waiting for them. It was her duty to lead them to the Archmage, as a representative of the Circle.

"Good morning, Your... Elise!" she greeted them. "And Roric!"

"Same to you, Mary," Elise gave her a wide smile.

They get well together, now that I notice it.

"So, shall we go? Archmage Sartan should be in his study. It's a bit of a hike, but at least the view from the windows isn't that bad."

Roric sighed. "Nothing like climbing the tallest building in Cassidia first thing in the morning."

"Come on, don't whine!" the princess poked his arm. "What about all those miles you run every day?"

"I've already had my share earlier. I wake up at dawn and exercise like I did with Barden."

"That includes your powers, as well?" asked the young Mage.

Her curious, innocent expression made the boy feel a little embarrassed, like he was explaining something new to a child.

"I... At times. After Lyngard, I decided I would work on my resistance. I can't afford to collapse with each attack. Damn, I thought being an Elemental was supposed to be easier."

"Make sure to keep me informed. I plan on writing a paper on you, specifically," Mary winked, cheerfully.

She seems more relieved since we talked about her past. She used to be always spent, and...

"Hello?" Elise interrupted their conversation. "I hate to get in the way of you two, but at this rate the Archmage will lose his patience."

They both apologized and the small group headed in.

As they walked, the young warrior whispered to his friend, "What was that just now? There's nothing special between us."

"From the way she reacted, I would say otherwise," the girl glared forward. "Sometimes you are so dense."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing. All that matters is that I won't lose."

My goodness... Girls can surely get obsessed over nothing. Mary and I are just good friends.

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"You are exaggerating," he went on. "There's no need to be concerned. Or you have forgot what I told you the other day?"

The princess lowered her green eyes and said, in a murmur, "How could I?"

That made Roric's gaze go towards the floor as well, even if he didn't completely know why.

***

Archmage Sartan was definitely a weird person. He had to be.

There was barely enough space to stand inside his study. Nearly every bit of walkable floor was used to store or display books, piles of papers, cryptic instruments and strange-looking artifacts. Roric proceeded carefully, trying not to touch anything, and wondered if even Mary was destined to become like that in the future. The idea made him shiver. It didn't matter how much Mages could get absorbed in their work, no person should have ever been allowed to live in that chaos.

I can see the Archmage loves collecting stuff... But where is the boundary between that and hoarding, exactly?

"Sir," the young apprentice exclaimed, moving through the mess with a grace beyond suspicion. "Sir, the guests from the palace have arrived."

"Just a moment," a voice replied, from behind a maze of shelves.

Roric couldn't speak for Elise, obviously, but he was ready to bet she too was surprised. An old man, exquisitely dressed and carrying a dusty tome, emerged from the depths of the room and sat on a chair, which was almost hidden behind a mountain of what seemed to be reports. Just by looking at him, the boy had a feeling of inferiority. In every movement that elder made there was precision, solemnity, efficiency. A long, white beard gave him a wise appearance, somewhat reminding of Tolwin when he was still alive.

No... This man is many times more powerful than him. If he wanted, he could destroy us three with a flick of his hand. Does he know I am an Elemental already, or...

"I reckon you took into consideration every risk before bringing your Elemental friend here, Miss Wilmore," the Archmage observed, strangely not addressing Elise first. "Some of the masters wouldn't approve his presence."

"He is escorting the Princess, sir," Mary stepped aside. "And he fought the enemy. So I took the liberty of inviting him too."

"Good, I'll trust your judgment."

"Thanks, Archmage."

You can tell how much she respects him. We aren't even talking about a relationship between teacher and student. There's something... Deeper.

"Archmage Sartan," Elise took a step in the direction of the table. "My father the King apologizes for his inability to attend this meeting. We hope you'll understand."

The man glared forward, his eyes studying her intently. "Of course, Your Highness. I was aware his leg could have been a problem, but you see... These days I rarely leave the tower too because of my age. It's better to rely on the youth for the trivial matters."

He stood in a single, fluid motion, that contrasted a bit with his claims. In truth, Roric thought Sebastian was the one who seemed weaker and more unsteady.

Well, spending many years on the battlefield can do terrible things to your body.

The boy scratched his left arm, in the point where he had been hit in Fradot. Even with his special nature, those scars couldn't disappear.

Meanwhile, his friend engaged a lively conversation with the Archmage. They discussed for a while about the King, the court and the palace. Sartan even indulged on some sophisticated bad-mouthing against some of the nobles, to which Elise laughed politely. Roric kept glancing nervously at Mary, who remained silent as well, hoping that she would have sent him a sign regarding when they would begin with the important things.

"Now, the real reason of this meeting," the elder proceeded, taking out some documents that lay separately from all the others. "The results of our investigation in Lyngard. Please, have a seat, Your Highness."

The young warrior remained standing, but went closer to have a better look.

"We had to employ some of our most complex machines for this one, but they produced excellent results. The Circle is way better at tracking people than the Order of the Light. They still don't have any clue."

There was a note of mockery in his voice. It was a known fact that the two organizations weren't on good terms, but Roric was amazed to hear that disdain so easily, and from the leader of the Mages no less.

The girl relaxed in the chair. "I reckon your skill to find new Arcane users deserves some praise. It helps keeping the Kingdom safe, ultimately."

"In the past, the Circle was asked to intervene when certain circomstances were met," replied Sartan. "We can't find them all and make sure their power is contained. It's just the way it is. There's been an informal agreement that the Order would take care of necromancers, since they are better suited to do so, but their dependence on bureaucracy slows them down."

If he could spit on the ground, he would.

The Archmage looked at Roric. "Anyway, sometimes more peculiar individuals appear. People so dangerous that we have to step in ourselves. Especially when the Holy City is so late to respond."

"If I may," Elise stepped in. "Rickhart's powers have brought terrible suffering to my people, but it's thanks to a paladin if we found him and saved Lyngard from sure destruction. Your instruments that can reveal magic, sure, but since they aren't active at any time I guess using them must be costly. Once dispatched, the Order's agents are quite efficient."

For a moment, the man looked like he was reflecting. Then, he answered.

"You speak the truth, Princess. Our machines have a wider range of applications, but they can't fulfill our every need. Someone who can build and operate them is hard to train, probably as much as a good paladin."

"What did your instruments find, then?"

"Yes, yes," the old Mage went through the papers with expertise. "Here. Eight days after the battle of Lyngard, outer plains. An Arcane compass picked up traces of spiritual magic heading towards Canthars, to the South. One of ours followed it, ending in a cove by the sea. There, we think the target might have used a vessel to escape."

Roric asked, interrupting him, "Can he still be tracked?"

"Magic can linger for weeks, no matter how faint it is," Sartan gave him a stern gaze. "Wind and rain can't sweep it away like dust or sand. Now that the compass has been attuned to our necromancer, provided that we act swiftly, he won't be able to hide."

Incredible. I'm almost worried to ask if they would be able to track me as well, if they received a request. Elementals are a kind of spirit users, aren't they?

Mary stepped forward. "It's similar to how we find the people who have the Arcane. We use a different method to detect them, which reacts to the echoes of magic by using a series of other machines, but the way we locate them is essentially the same."

"Still," the Archmage put down the reports. "The results the other instrument gave are what concerns me."

With a perplexed expression, Elise said, "Why? Did something unusual happen?"

"Not quite," the man replied. "We are still running more experiments. You see, the device I'm referring to is able to produce an accurate calculation on both the nature and the intensity of our enemy's magic. The only issue is, his trace was partially incomplete and impossible to examine."

Roric gulped. He was happy that a method to know how strong Rickhart was existed, but the Circle finding it so difficult could only mean two things.

Either he is able to fool the magic detectors, or there's something he hasn't shown yet.

"Your Highness, let this old man be honest with you. Are you sure you are dealing with a necromancer? Because the trace of magic we followed wasn't fully spiritual. It's impossible that it belonged to a single person."

"A... A second trace? Are you sure?"

Sartan's fingers ran across his beard. "I had the engineers examine it three times. We had set the machine to identify only one user, but if there's more we'll need a couple of days more to run more tests with the new idea in mind."

The Mages would know if one of them was with Rickhart. An... An Elemental? No, what if it's just more spiritual energy, maybe belonging to...

"One of his followers? Archmage, could that be the magic of his followers? He has a cult of people that can use magic, as far as I know."

"Impossible. As I stated, it's not spiritual. Elementals leave different traces and are more difficult to spot. That only leaves one option, maybe a renegade Mage has joined his cause. Yet, for some reason we can't figure out the nature of this power. It seems incomplete. Shrouded."

"We already have most of what we need, anyway," Elise stood up. "I'll inform my father that you need more time, and keep searching for Rickhart after this problem is solved."

Sartan faced her, and bowed his head respectfully. "Sure, Your Highness. I beg you to be careful, nonetheless. The whereabouts of the necromancer aren't that wide, but we must be patient and don't engage an enemy we can't take. You'll have the full support of the Circle, a compass and a team capable to use it, when you are ready."

"Thanks, Archmage," the girl concluded. "Your help means a lot to us."

The group left the study and began walking down the stairs of the tower.

Elise is more determined than ever. She grew so much in the past months, sometimes I still can't believe she used to...

"Roric?" she called for him.

"Yeah?"

"We can't afford letting that bastard go somewhere out of our reach. You know that, right?"

"Sure," the young warrior answered. "But how can we get to him, if he escaped by sea?"

Elise smiled confidently. "Who do you think I am? Cassidia has ships and I intend to take one. Let's talk with my father and uncle, they will help us finding a solution."