Lebuin groaned as two knocks bounced around the room. Opening one eye brought sharp pain from the bright sun shining in the half-open shutters. Closing his eyes, Lebuin turned over, pulling one of the soft down pillows over his head. The coolness of the cream silk cover felt good. Two knocks again.

Maybe whoever it is will give up and go away.

Waiting for the expected knocks was dragging his mind out of the unconsciousness of sleep. The previous day’s events rolled around his head.

Oh, Lords, what am I going to do? I have no idea what to do next. I have to leave, but for what?

Concentrating, Lebuin tried to pull back any memories of what the teachers might have said about Journeyman requirements. Nothing was coming. The effort brought him awake.

Why did no one mention this? Or was this something else everyone thought I knew, so no one told me?

Too many questions, not enough answers. The bed was comfortable and warm, with the silk sheets against his skin. Closing his eyes he started to drift off to sleep.

Two more knocks bounced around the room.

“I don’t have classes. Go away.” He mumbled, barely audible even to himself.

He waited, remembering Magus Cune’s evil smirk as he walked away after the ceremony.

The ceremony, that incantation with my creation was unexpected. It linked us somehow.

Remembering when the link was established, his training took over, and he broke the memory down, recalling the precise feelings of the power and its interactions with his physical and mental bodies. He examined himself mentally and found the connection. A slim thread of a channel was present where none had been before. The incantation had imprinted on him as if he had been an artifact.

He fed a little power from his core into the channel. A new awareness was added to his list of senses.

Interesting. I can feel every Magi around.

Playing with the new sense, he realized there were slight flavors or colors or scents to each feeling.

Ah! I bet I can tell who is who if I pay enough attention to this and keep it active.

Deciding to refer to the variations in the sense as ‘scents,’ Lebuin adjusted his mental state, adding the new channel to the incantations he maintained continuously.

Now, I just need to pay careful attention when I meet each Magus to learn their scent.

Two more knocks bounced around the room. Groaning, he sat up. “Who is it? I was asleep.”

“Journeyman Lebuin, please, your breakfast.”

Breakfast? I didn’t order any food. I thought it was another mage.

Reaching out with his mind, he released the inner locks on the door. An immaculately dressed servant opened the door while balancing the tray of food.

He is well dressed. He looks quite respectable in the Guild uniform. And that is a very tidy uniform.

Closing the door behind him, the servant moved to the side table and put the tray down. Handing Lebuin a cup of dark fluid he said, “Sorry it isn’t hot anymore. I have been circling for a mark, waiting for you to answer the door.”

“I can warm it up.” Lebuin used magic to heat the cold cup of arit.

Circling for a mark? That doesn’t make any sense. I know I am not fully awake yet.

“My Lord, Ditani, what are you doing here? I don’t recall seeing you for more than a year.”

Ditani smiled. “At least, you remember me. Gezu wasn’t sure if you’d remember a servant.”

Lebuin’s back stiffened at the snide comment, the familiar use of Magus Gezu’s name, and the easy, familiar way Ditani spoke to him. “I can have you dismissed for that comment.”

Chuckling, Ditani made a painful-looking smirk. That made Lebuin even more irate. “Wouldn’t it be most difficult to dismiss someone who doesn’t work for you?”

The majority of his conscious thoughts stopped on that comment. Taking a deep drink from the hot arit to give himself time to recover, Lebuin recalled Magus Cune’s last statement. ‘I placed a rather large bet you could complete the quest with a less-than-upstanding, but influential, friend of mine.’

Staring at the empty cup of arit, panic struck him.

Lords, did I just drink poison? Would he strike me so fast, and in the Guild?

Looking at Ditani closer, he saw what he had registered almost unconsciously earlier — the uniform was immaculate. It had been maintained in pristine condition. Further, it fit Ditani extremely well, far better than most servants’ uniforms fit. With them being standard, the Guild bought them in quantity in various sizes, and the servants could pick and choose the closest fit. They rarely took the time to correct the fit. Ditani’s had none of the normal signs of wear or stains. Obviously not new, it had been precisely tailored to Ditani’s form some time ago. Would an assassin take the time to tailor a uniform?

Ditani stood watching Lebuin.

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He doesn’t seem malevolent. He looks worried.

Lebuin felt more awake as the arit flowed into his system. Ditani’s eyes had deep bags, as if he hadn’t had much sleep, if any. His complexion was also far whiter than would be normal, especially for a Karakian.

No, he isn’t an assassin; he is scared and worried about something. He dresses well and takes care of his clothes. Maybe I can help. “Well, if you aren’t a Guild servant, then you might as well sit down and tell me why you are here.”

Ditani glanced around, and Lebuin pointed to a chair, which slid a few feet over to Ditani. He sat, paused, and then like a cork popping from a bottle of chantrose, he burst out, “I don’t know who to trust. I am not even sure if anything is wrong. He has only been missing since yesterday morning. Still, he said he’d meet me, and he didn’t. Then he didn’t make the appointment. When I checked the room, he wasn’t there. I had to seek help. So I came here. I don’t know why, but I stopped at my cousin’s place to get one of my old uniforms. When I got here, everyone was talking about how you had nearly killed Magus Cune and were going to advance. I wanted to talk to Varni to get help. But she died just after I left with Gezu’s last letter. Dead — first Gezu, then Varni is dead. It can’t be coincidence. I found Magus Crawstu, but she was talking to Magus Cune, and I heard them say that with Magus Gezu dead, there was none left to shelter you, leaving you in the dark. I fled, and then I didn’t know who to trust. But I remembered Gezu and Varni saying they liked you. They had to, with the notes and all. With your new status, I thought you might be able to help. But then the ceremony was announced, and Councilor Nillo ordered me to fetch you in the hall. He just stopped me in the hall and asked. Can you believe that? He didn’t even notice who I was or that I had been gone. After that, I couldn’t get you alone....”

“Lords, stop. Calm down, Ditani.” Lebuin selected a glass of juice from the tray and floated it over to Ditani, who gave it an apprehensive glance. “Here, drink this and relax. I need to get dressed, and then we’ll go through all of that again, except slower and with more detail.”

Nodding, Ditani plucked the glass out of the air with a grateful smile and a shaking hand. He sipped some of the juice and sat quietly, watching as Lebuin stood up and stretched.

He is spinning faster than a top. Just give him a few minutes to calm down. He must have been thinking he’d get murdered for sneaking in here.

He moved to the two armoires and opened them wide. Grabbing his brushes, he stepped to the basin and poured some water into it. He didn’t bother warming it up, letting the fresh cold water help rinse the remaining cobwebs from his mind.

I’d better do a rush job, but not too fast; he looks like he is starting to unwind.

Tilting the shaving mirror, he cleaned his teeth, brushed his hair, trimmed his beard, and corrected his bangs.

Lebuin then examined his outfits.

I need to look dignified, but not too formal. I have to go shopping.

His eyes were drawn to a beautiful pair of gray trousers. After slipping into them, he pulled out a maroon silk shirt with silver embroidery, loose sleeves, and long stiff cuffs. Over that, he put on a sleeveless doublet of brushed suede, dyed forest green, with gold and silver geometric patterns embroidered along the center line. To that, he added a belt, into which he placed his utility knife and small pouch before securing it in a looped fashion.

He selected complementary tall riding boots, pulled them on, and arranged his trousers for best effect. Finally, he put everything away where it belonged and took the light gray samite and ermine cloak from the hanger. As he put it on and fastened it with the artifact from his trial, he watched while the incantations began their work on his clothing. He smiled as small bits of dust fell to the floor in the sunlight. Turning, he admired the results in the mirror.

I still look like a well-dressed skeleton. But at least a good night’s sleep has removed the haunted look from my eyes.

Feeling clean and presentable, Lebuin closed the armoires. He stepped over to Ditani, who was still tense, but had shifted to a more comfortable position and had drunk most of the juice.

Good. He appears more relaxed now. But he needs some sleep. He’s about to drop.

He wasn’t sure why he cared so much. Sitting down on the edge of his bed, he said, “You look a little better. Why don’t you eat?”

Realizing that it would make Ditani nervous to eat in front of a mage, he decided to adjust course. “I mean, please join me in finishing off these biscuits and fruit you were kind enough to bring.”

To emphasize the point, he flexed his always-active telekinetic incantation to bring the side table with the tray to sit between them. He took an apple from the top and bit into it. Ditani took an apple, but instead of biting it, he held it in his shaking hands for a few minutes, seeming out of place. “You mentioned someone was missing. Who exactly is missing?”

Ditani looked at him as if he had missed some vital clue. Then he sighed. “Magus Vestul is missing. We came here to meet with a duke. I am not sure which one. Magus Vestul only called him ‘Duke’ when he talked about him or sent him messages.”

Nodding to encourage Ditani to keep going, he took another bite. Ditani bit into the apple and chewed slowly. “Magus Vestul sent me out to get a special gift for this duke. Apparently, he has a taste for very old sharre.”

“Interesting and expensive. Aged sharre is difficult to find. Did you get the sharre?”

“Yes, we had ordered it weeks ago, before coming here. He was supposed to meet me at the inn, but he never came. I went up to our room, but without the key, I can’t open the door. I knocked several times with no answer. When the time for the meeting came, I went, expecting to find Magus Vestul there.” Taking another bite, Ditani chewed and swallowed. “At the duke’s residence, I wasn’t allowed to meet him. I offered my apologies on behalf of Magus Vestul and delivered the gift. I was fed an excellent early dinner alone. When Magus Vestul still had not come, I was escorted out and asked to help find him. So I went everywhere I could think of, but no one had any knowledge of where he could be. No one had seen him since the day before.”

Lebuin took a few nuts from the plate and popped them into his mouth, savoring the flavor. “Then you came here to see if any Magi had seen him?”

“Yes. Magus Vestul’s missing the meeting has me worried for him, and I’m afraid that he was doing something dangerous. I felt I should try to be nondescript, so I went and got one of my old uniforms to blend in. When I got here, I found out Varni was dead. Vestul had asked me to help Gezu and Varni for a time, but when Gezu died, Varni stopped their work and sent me back to Magus Vestul with their notes. Vestul had planned on stopping to see Varni while back in Llino, so he didn’t know she was dead. To discover Varni dead was too much. Then I got pulled into your ceremony.”

“Magus,” he emphasized the word, “Gezu died of heart failure in his sleep, and Magus Varni died later, also of heart failure. There was nothing anyone could do by the time either was found. They were both old, and their deaths were not suspicious.”

“I would accept that if Magus Vestul wasn’t missing.” Ditani straightened, his eyes pleading.

If I assist him I might be able to coax him into my service. He knows how to dress well, he is experienced with mages, and I bet he knows things that will come in handy.

“Well, I can do anything I want now, and Magus Vestul would certainly have some good ideas for my Journeyman quest. I need to speak with the councilor first, and then I will help you look.”

Ditani practically leapt over the table to clasp Lebuin’s arms. Tears began to show in the corners of his eyes. “Thank you, Master Lebuin, thank you. I really need your assistance. I don’t know what to do.”

Standing up, Lebuin grasped Ditani’s arms in his hands. Giving his best warm smile, he said, “You’re welcome. I’ll be back. In the meantime, you can stay here and rest.” He pointed to his bed. “Why don’t you lie down and take a nap while I attend my meeting? Then we’ll go out and see if we can find Magus Vestul together.”

He really is scared. Is it that dangerous outside these walls?