As the man sorted through his books, Oz tipped forward, watching the colorful titles flash by. “Mister, you’re a traveling merchant? We’re traveling bards, me and my sister.”

“Oh, you are? How delightful! Can you tell me a tale?” the man asked, distracted.

Oz shook his head. “I’m still too young to be any good at it.”

In his head, Fflyn raged. How young do you think I am? Stop acting like a baby!

Shh. It’s all part of the plan!

Ugh. This is the worst part of being possessed.

“Pity, more’s the pity,” the man muttered.

The horse stood there placidly, quietly chewing its bit. The man cursed and dug into the books again, searching deeper, for something at the very bottom of the bag.

“Mister, isn’t this town a little quiet?”

The merchant paused, looking over the book he held, then glanced over his shoulder as an afterthought. “Hmm? Oh, no, no. Quite ordinary. Or, well. In the last ten years, it’s quite ordinary.”

“Really?”

“I see you haven’t come near the Lafayne Region before,” the man said. Tucking a selection of books under his arm, he turned and offered Oz his hand. “Rougaine Smorgas, merchant. You can call me Rouge.”

Oz took his hand. “Call me Sian!” It’s the second half of Ossian. A nickname of all time, for sure, but it’s good enough for this.

Straightening, Rouge gestured at the dark valley before them. “A strange disease has beset Lafayne. Several of the other regions have quarantined them off, completely shutting them away. Very few people enter, and almost no one leaves. Save a few brave merchants such as myself, I doubt anyone has seen the inside of the region for years.”

Oz’s brows furrowed. “But wouldn’t they need food, after being quarantined for so long? All you’re carrying are books.”

Rouge shrugged. “A very self-sustained region, to be sure. It seems they value entertainment over new foodstuffs, since they always insist they have enough.”

“Then a bard like my sister should be beloved,” Oz said, nodding.

“Indeed. In fact, I thought you already knew, to be headed this direction,” Rouge commented.

Oz shrugged. “I’m just a kid. My sister does all the thinking. Maybe she knew.”

How stupid are you going to make me?

Fflyn, calm down. It doesn’t matter if this guy thinks we’re an idiot.

I care! It matters to me!

Oz sighed at Fflyn. No wonder you made a terrible assassin. Assassins can’t have this much pride.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

Hey! Most of my sectmates were far more proud than me. You have no idea.

Keeping his thoughts to himself, Oz raised a brow. And suddenly the Black Blades are far less intimidating.

Rouge flashed a set of four colorful books and smiled. “But let’s get back to business. Don’t you want to learn some magic, to protect yourself and your sister?”

Oz nodded, making his eyes sparkle as much as possible. He reached for the books.

Chuckling, Rouge snatched them back out of his reach. “Nuh-uh. I’ll need to see some coin first.”

“Oh.” Oz turned away.

“You don’t want these manuals?” Rouge asked, tapping them with a knuckle.

“I can’t pay for them. No point worrying about it.”

Rouge snorted. He leaned in. “What if I give you a little taste? Just a quick browse. See for yourself if this is the real deal or not.”

Oz pouted. “How will I know?”

“Trust me. Even one page, and you’ll know that these manuals are the real deal.” He waggled the books in front of Oz.

Oz swiped. At the same time, he pushed off the ground, giving the swipe more reach than it appeared to have. His fingertips brushed across all four books, and as they did, he scanned all of them.

Rouge jumped back, pulling the books out of Oz’s reach. “Whoa, whoa. Don’t get too excited! All in due time, all in due time. Which one do you want to read? Remember, you only get the first few pages.”

He spread the books before Oz once more, this time showing their covers. Moonlit Night, The Tree of Life, Strong of Heart and Body, and Furnace of the Sky.

Oz pointed at random. “That one!” It doesn’t matter which one I pick anymore. I’ve already scanned all of them, and from a quick perusal, they’re all in plain language, with no fey tricks to reading them.

Rouge looked at the cover and smiled. “Good choice. A strong heart and body to help protect your sister. Indeed, it should help you on your journey.”

Leaning in, he held the pages open. “Just the first two pages. From that much, you should know if it’s worth your coin or not.”

Oz leaned forward, a hand on his chin, pretending to drink in the words. In his head, he read the versions he’d scanned. His brows furrowed in earnest confusion.

These books… they all exist in the library! They’re all real manuals. Completely legitimate, above-board manuals! Actual cultivation techniques!

What on earth are they doing in the hands of a mortal?

People are willing to kill to get in my library! Mostly kill me, but still! If they’re willing to go that far just to get their hands on another sect’s manuals, surely they’d notice if some mortal book merchant was just handing out actual manuals willy-nilly down here!

Rouge pulled the book back. “So? What did you think?”

Deadpan, Oz looked the man in the eye. “I can’t read.”

Rouge gaped at him. “You… what? Why’d you ask about the books, then?”

Oz turned away, leaving Rouge to stare. He turned back to the books he’d just scanned, comparing them word-by-word to the ones in the library. The process took longer, since he couldn’t skim meaningless passages or speed-read through the stuff that didn’t matter. He had to read and double check every single word, ensuring nothing was even a letter out of place.

No… no. There are discrepancies. Small ones. A few words missing here, a few added here, a tweak to the diagram and a smudge on the picture at a vital moment. With this, you might be able to manage a few low-level spells or open a single meridian, but the alterations will prevent you from ever going further.

Oz continued scanning, thinking to himself. And it isn’t a mistake, either. There’s no smudges or omissions at random. They’re all strategic. Intentional. These manuals were deliberately altered.

Whoever has spread these manuals, has done so, with purpose. Not to find new mages, but to prevent new ones from ever appearing in the Lafayne Region and its surrounding area. It won’t stop everyone, but it will limit the number. Limit it enough to keep some secret suppressed, perhaps? Limit it enough that whoever is responsible can gatekeep the rest?

Oz shook his head. Too far ahead. Let’s focus on the mystery in front of us.

Aisling returned. She nodded at Oz. “I’ve secured lodging. There’s a stable on the edge of town that will take us.”

Rouge grinned, stepping forward. “Ah! Madame. I’ve been chatting with your younger brother, and he said—”

Aisling ignored him. “Is there anything else you want to do in town?”

Giving Rouge an apologetic look, Oz shook his head at Aisling. “No. I think it’s time we turned in.”

“Follow me.” Not once looking Rouge’s way, Aisling walked off.

Oz waved goodbye and followed her, off toward the edge of town.