Megan still didn’t know what was going on, and it was starting to wear on her patience. All she knew so far was that Samuel had sent her a scrying spell in the middle of her class and had told her to go to Raven’s Hall. She and Eric were needed for a mission immediately. Drop everything and go over there, he had said. It didn’t escape her attention that the Archmage had been pale and worried-looking in the message. Thankfully, only she’d seen this.

She thought back to it now. It had been a pretty damn good lesson. As it was drawing towards the end of the school year for the Mage’s College, she’d been beginning the last complex subject of the year for her students. They were her oldest year group. If successful, they’d graduate that year, recognized Masters in their own right. Indeed, a few of them had already been wearing the dark blue robes that marked them as that rank, with a variety of trim, heraldry, and insignias to indicate their personal ties to outside groups or deities.

One of her students, Wensley, was a devout follower of Arcana. He’d already taken up a post as one of the god’s curators, sorting and tending to the massive library that the deity presided over. For followers of Arcana, it was an honor. One of two great posts. The other was to serve under Samuel as a member of his personal guard or as a Spellblade, like Michael. But Wensley, while a competent mage and already a Master, was terrified at the mere thought of conflict. He simply wasn’t cut out for combat. Still, he was easily one of her best students.

“Why are you taking my class?” She’d asked the young man. “You’re only two or three years younger than me, but you’re already a phenomenal mage. I’d even be willing to admit that you’re my equal.”

He’d given her a shifty sort of smile. Not shifty in the sense that it was dishonest or hiding something. He just couldn’t maintain eye contact unless you got him talking about one of his favorite subjects. He was a very timid person. As a result, the simplest of answers from him, with many sideways glances and heavy breathing, came off as suspicious. But she knew by now that it was far from anything deceitful.

“Your subject is incredible,” he’d admitted to her. “And you’re a great mage. I could never equal you, Master Richards.”

She’d clicked her tongue in annoyance at that. It was impossible to tell if she was being teased. She despised leg-pulling, especially when it was at her expense. “You’re a Master of Travel magicks. Why are you taking a high-level class on Alchemy? You’re not going into the business of mixing potions and tonics.”

“No knowledge is a waste,” he said. But at her insistent glare, he finally gave a proper answer. “I’m going to be in that library every waking moment once I graduate. I might as well take the chance to enjoy my student life while I still can. Curators don’t get much free time, you know.”

The statement was so out-of-character for him that she was rendered momentarily speechless. He was such a serious sort; the idea of him taking part in a leisure activity, or as he put it, “enjoying his student life,” was so odd. She’d wanted to ask him exactly what he meant by that, but before she could find the words, the bell had rung, and class had begun. She was forced to drop the subject for the time being and focus on teaching her students the basics of a Stasis Potion, a solution that could freeze those splashed in place without using any cold magic.

It was Alice that had notified her something strange was about to happen. Well, not in words. Alice was a very strange individual. Whenever Megan was in control, as she was most of the time, Alice was a lazy spectator, either dozing in the back of her mind or making snide comments about the goings on in her life. She had to admit that much of the commentary was amusing, but it was annoying when it was given during one of her classes when she had to maintain an important and serious front for her students.

But at that moment, Alice had nearly jumped out of her proverbial skin. Some of her mana even escaped into reality, surrounding Megan as if expecting some kind of attack. But it had merely been a message from Samuel. The Archmage’s mana, especially his spells, was so potent that even the most stoic mage flinched a little when they witnessed it. It’d seemed that Alice, though an Infernal, was no exception.

“Megan,” Samuel had said. “Eric is being sent on an important and immediate mission. Drop what you’re doing, and go to Raven’s Hall. It is urgent. He will explain.”

Except that Eric hadn’t explained. He hadn’t explained one bit. Nearly a full day away from Milagre, he still said nothing more than, “It’s urgent. I’ll explain in a bit.”

So, she was getting impatient. She was of half a mind to tell him and Samuel to sort it out for themselves and return. If she teleported, she could have just enough time to finalize her lesson plans for the next class. That way, another teacher wouldn’t have to take over her classes and risk ruining the delicate plan she’d laid out. But deep inside, she sensed that this mission was important, and Eric only kept the secret because so many new people were there.

“I think we should make camp soon,” she said. She’d caught up to where he was at the head of the group. “It’ll be dark soon. We’ll only weaken ourselves if we don’t get enough rest.”

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“That’s a good point,” he agreed. Casting a glance over his shoulder at the others, he added in a lower voice, “I’m sorry that I haven’t shared the real point of the mission with you yet. I don’t think Samuel would want just anyone to know, so I need to make sure that I only tell you. Can’t have the others overhearing.”

“Why is it so important that you keep it from your own men?” She asked. “Don’t you trust them? Do you think they like being kept in the dark like this?”

“They’re used to not having all the information,” he said. “There are plenty of missions where they’re only told vague information. We’re accustomed to operating on a need-to-know basis.”

“Alright then,” she’d said begrudgingly. “As long as you know, I don’t operate like that. If it’s need-to-know, then I need to know all of it as soon as possible.”

That had brought a laugh out of him. The tension he seemed to be carrying at once vanished partly, and he looked lighter. “Thanks for that. It’s been a hell of a day. Hell of a week, actually, now that I think of it.”

“I thought you seemed tense,” she said. It had been several months since their last meeting, with how busy they both were. “How’s Emma and Emily? I should make a point to visit more often.”

“They’re… fine,” Eric said. Megan caught the undertone of his reply at once and raised an eyebrow. But he made a small wave, dismissing the topic. “Later.”

“Eventually, you must plan on burying me with words,” she said dryly. “Keep piling everything up for ‘later’, and you might just kill me.”

He laughed again. “Man, I missed your dry wit. I’m getting tired of the sycophantic people. Everyone gets all smooth and flattering when they find out that I’m a Lord.”

“Chevalier,” she replied. “Not quite a Lord.”

He nodded, accepting the correction. “Even then, it’s still a pain. They think they can get something just from being… oily.”

“Oh, woe is you,” she said snidely. “Imagine what it’s like to have hundreds of students barely a year or two younger than you babble on about your achievements.”

“Someone’s a popular teacher,” Eric pointed out. “That’s your fault for being so good at it. Even I hear stories, and I’m not connected to the college in the slightest.”

The corner of her mouth turned down in a gesture of distaste. “Don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.”

“It’s not bad,” he said in a reassuring sort of way. “It’s actually quite good.”

“Even worse. Don’t save that for later.”

He chuckled again, then lifted one hand to shade his eyes and peered to the left and the right. “What is it?”

“Nothing serious,” he said. “I’m just trying to find the tavern.”

“There’s a tavern this far out from the city?” She asked, incredulous. “We’re not even halfway to the Trader’s Outpost.”

“That’s what those traders we passed a few hours ago said. They told me they spent the night at a tavern not too far from here. They said it was only an hour from the junction to Merta.”

“And we passed that about…”

“An hour ago,” he completed the thought. “So it should be coming in sight soon… Aha! That must be it.”

She turned slightly to follow his gaze and picked out the building he’d spotted. It was a three-story affair. Not very wide, but much taller than she’d expect of an establishment so far from a city or major settlement. “Why’d they build such a big building in the middle of nowhere?”

He could only offer a slight shrug. “It is still on the main road. Maybe it’s to service those who can’t find a room at Trader’s Rest. You know, that inn in the outpost.”

“Good point. Well, at least we get hot food for the night.”

“Even if we didn’t find this, we would have eaten well,” he said. “I’ve got a bag of holding full of ingredients, and Jerik’s carrying fresh meat in his pack. But tonight, we can eat something cooked by someone that isn’t me.”

They reached the building in no time. As it came into proper view, Megan allowed herself to relax, abandoning the alert state she knew was necessary on the road. She even let down the field of mana she’d maintained. She didn’t need to be able to sense magic in a thirty-meter radius just now. Later, she’d come to learn that was a mistake. But, as usual, it was Alice that noticed something wrong at first.

Without warning, Megan stopped dead in her tracks, mere yards away from the building. Then, she did the strangest thing. She jumped back as if avoiding a spell. But there was no attack that he could see. No sign of danger at all. Brows furrowed, he looked at her with some concern. “What was that about?”

“I… I don’t know,” she said. She looked just as puzzled as he did. “Alice just tried to run away for some reason. She seems seriously freaked out.”

That bewildered him further. He looked from her to the building, then back to her. “Why would she be scared of a simple tavern?”

I’m not scared! Megan winced at the forceful reply from the Infernal girl. “She claims she’s not afraid. But she won’t say what this is all about. I think I’ll let her explain.”

In a flash, she was gone. In her place was Alice the Infernal. Eric had only met her a handful of times, but he had no trouble recognizing her, and the switch no longer confused him. He raised an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation. “Well, Alice? What’s wrong?”

It was clear that something was wrong. Alice had her daggers drawn, and she was glaring at the isolated tavern as if trying to set it on fire with her scorching gaze. Her voice was a low, hostile hiss. “There’s an Infernal in that building.”

“Really?” Eric had never heard of another Infernal living on the mortal plane. Except for that one that possessed Elena, Samuel’s daughter. But that had been years ago, and the girl grew quickly now. He gave a hand signal for the others to wait and walked closer to the building. Now his guard was up, and he knew that Alice was dead-on. Something was very wrong with this building. For he could see the sign now proclaiming the name of this business. It swung in the light breeze, clearly visible.

The Laughing Lich.