Iskander smirked again and raised his hands in mock defeat.

“Grasd Vranik,” he said, looking at Jaxine. She shook her head almost furiously, but he calmed her down by putting his hand on her shoulder. “Does that name tell you anything?”

“We were only given the last name—Vranik,” Florencia said.

“Because that’s the only name I gave Derakleon,” Iskander said and suddenly turned serious and his spirit began to burn. “He was in Odel.”

Florencia’s attention was immediately drawn, and her eyes darkened alongside Iskander’s. “Odel?” she asked, voice filled with concern. “Was he involved with Odel?”

“He was,” Iskander replied.

“What happened in Odel?” I asked, out of curiosity. It seemed that I was the only one who did not know what they were talking about. Iskander turned his bitter eyes toward me as if insulted that I didn’t know what the incident at Odel was. I returned a faint smile to disarm him but left the question hanging.

“They call it the tragedy of Odel,” Jace said, and Iskander’s and Jaxine’s faces betrayed a pain. “I’ll explain later, but it wasn’t good.”

“It wasn’t good…” Iskander mumbled, and I saw his knuckles turn white as he tightened his grip around the glass.

“No. What happened in Odel wasn’t good. Vranik was involved, and I found a reliable rumor that he escaped to Lienor some years back. More precisely in Scorro. I gave Derakleon a vague lead, just in case, and journeyed here with Jaxine.” Iskander smiled, but without warmth or humor. “Sounds like I gave him more than enough information. I didn’t expect you people to show up so quick.”

“Just how involved was he with Odel?” Florencia asked.

“I don’t know,” Iskander replied. “It’s not like I can interrogate anyone about it, and those who can talk, well, they went far away or will not talk about this to anyone. Especially me.”

“Grasd orchestrated the entire thing!” Jaxine almost shouted with conviction, and Iskander had to hold her shoulders again to calm her down.

“No!” Iskander stopped the young woman quickly. “We don’t know that! He was involved, that’s all we know.”

“I know enough,” Jaxine said and leaned back, pulling her collar high over her chin, and hid her fists into the sleeves of the sweater again. “He did it. And he’ll pay.”

“If Vranik is the one who planned what happened in Odel, or even had a part in it,” Florencia said. “Then this is a very serious matter!”

Iskander nodded and said: “I know. You have to do lots of interrogations, gather proof and investigate. Could take years before he gets what he deserves.”

“What he deserves?” Jace repeated, and Iskander smiled bitterly again at what he had just said.

“That’s why you only gave the Acrisius Order some of the information that you gathered—” Jace continued, but Florencia stopped him with a gentle nudge and a look.

“Me and my associates will begin an investigation tomorrow morning,” Florencia said. “I have access to the mayor, the city guard, and everyone else who I might need to interrogate. I hardly think you have the same means, Iskander. How about we work together while we’re here?”

“We work alone,” Jaxine said through her knitted collar.

“But we can’t refuse the offer from the hero of Maarden,” Iskander said.

“Is that what they call me over there?”

“No,” Iskander said. “But what you did there was heroic. The Acrisius dimwits don’t understand it, though.”

Florencia smirked again, and said: “So, what do you say?”

“Fine. The guards were already bothering us, and I’m tired of bullying them off my ass,” Iskander said. “And you have those fancy medallions to get access anywhere. I guess it’s easier that way.”

Florencia smiled victoriously, and crossed her leg, resting her foot against my calf.

“We heard of some strange rumors,” Iskander said then. “Something that happened in southern Lienor. In a place that I can’t pronounce that well, you have the strangest names. Vene… something like that. What’s that about? Derakleon tells me that’s the only thing the Acrisius Order is talking about.”

Jace looked at Florencia momentarily, asking her with raised eyebrows, but she shook her head. Jaxine was watching the entire time and didn’t even blink.

“I can’t talk about Veneiea that much,” Florencia said. “The investigation is still underway, but it’s, uh, comparable to Odel.”

“Damned it,” Iskander said. “It’s getting worse everywhere. Odel, Veneiea, then the shit that’s going on in Rielde and Limy! It’s all going to hell.”

“This is exactly what I’ve been trying to warn everyone for years,” Florencia exclaimed, her voice rising in frustration and drawing the attention of a few patrons close by. “Every year, it’s just a little bit worse everywhere. A little bit more awful and I feel like we fall ever more behind with our understanding. And now we have what happened in Veneiea, and Odel those years ago. It’s clear to me where things are heading, and no one is listening!”

Her words were met with somber approval from everyone until Iskander spoke up: “We should’ve followed what Worthorp did. They take the threat seriously over there. They learned from Rielde and acted. Heck, maybe even overreacted, but who am I to judge? But in Szell, all our so-called nobles and proud counts who we grovel to, care more about their precious reputation and hoarding gold and their fucking fancy costume parties, instead of addressing the actual danger.”

“What did Worthorp do?” Florencia asked. “I’ve never gone that far west.”

“Jaxine and I did some work there many years ago. The king got involved personally and made the priority of the army to fight against those… monsters. They increased conscription, enforced strict rules and curfews, and gave no mercy to those guilty. It worked pretty damned well.”

“We even got to see him in person!” Jaxine hastily added, her excitement clearly shining in her bright grey eyes.

“The king of Worthorp?” Jace asked, his voice also filled with wonder.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“Yes, it was glorious,” Iskander said. “We only saw him for a moment, because two rogue mages from Szell couldn’t be in the same room together with him. But I saw his face. I saw the determination to take bold actions. The results speak for themselves.”

“I’ve never seen anyone wear that much gold,” Jaxine said. “He had his entire court there, along with his guard and a hundred soldiers! And they all had those dark red and black capes and helmets with those… feathers or whatever it’s called, and their armors were so shiny.”

That was the first time I saw Jaxine actually be animated, and her reserved appearance hid a powerful mind. I was certain of it.

I had never heard of Worthorp before. Jace never mentioned a word about it during our entire journey here, and I wanted to know more. But this wasn’t the place or time to do so, and it would’ve been rude, so I stayed silent. I thought I’d ask Florencia later, but only if I had the energy for it, and I was beginning to feel exhausted.

“So,” Iskander said after downing the third glass in one large gulp. “The west is holding, the north is turning to shit. How’s the south?”

Florencia shifted in her seat and sipped from her half-empty glass, her movements graceful and very measured, before saying: “I guess the latest news is the great fire in Castieltoch. The entire region is in shock. So much history was just wiped out in a few days. That was quite a shock to hear.”

“We heard some rumors about it, but it’s too far from where we usually travel,” Iskander said quietly. “It’s like everything is just falling apart.”

“It’s not that bad—” Jace said, trying to offer a glimmer of positivity, but his words were met with a frigid glare from our two new acquaintances, and he fell silent.

“And it’s Lienor who has to bear the burden of Stotor failing,” Florencia said, with a higher tone than usual. “Lottie—”

“What?”

“The eastern border city with Stotor,” Florencia specified. “It’s overrun by refugees from Flor and Oade. The stories those refugees tell are just… incredible. They say that the entire peninsula has gone insane. Thousands are fleeing to Lienor or up into the mountain passes.”

“I can’t believe most of these rumors,” Jace said with conviction. “It’s all too fantastical.”

“Who knows what can and can’t happen nowadays?” Iskander asked rhetorically. “Can you imagine? An entire city in flames…”

We sat in silence for some time.

With nothing to do and not wanting to intrude on their conversation, I decided to indulge in more of the Szell wine. Initially, the robust and very earthy notes were not to my liking, but by the third glass, I found it to be rather enjoyable. And Iskander was generous enough to refill my glass whenever it was empty.

The four of them continued talking some more about Stotor this or Worthorp that, but I couldn’t help but let my mind wander.

I thought about the banners and the symbols that I saw hung everywhere in Scorro, which gave me shivers. First thing tomorrow morning, I wanted to look at them, just to see whether they looked like the symbols I saw in Veneiea.

Then, with a loud bang, the doors of the tavern creaked open.

A trio of rough-looking men burst into the room, bringing with them a blast of frigid air that seemed to go entirely unnoticed by everyone except for me. The hair on my arms and neck stood, and I shivered with a piercing cold.

The men walked unsteadily, one with a heavy limp, and they were bent over, their faces obscured by deep hoods. I saw two constantly wiping their runny noses with the sleeves of their tattered coats. The barkeep took half a step back, his shoulders tightening and expression turned nervous and uneasy.

The three men approached the counter, and with gravelly voices, they demanded the strongest bottle of liquor the barkeep had.

As the men drank, their raucous laughter filled the tavern. Quickly, even the previously loud table celebrating their successful harvest quieted down, and a young couple got up and left. The cold had me, and my attention was on them entirely. I turned away and saw that Florencia kept talking with a fascination with Iskander about their latest travels and findings, finally happy to share her frustrations with someone else. But Jace, on the other hand, also had his attention away, focusing his unblinking eyes on the three hooded men.

I saw the other patrons nearby nervously sipping their drinks and whispering to each other, avoiding looking at the three haggard, who seemed to absorb light as they seemed darker than everyone else. Then they became even more rowdy, and one shouted slurred words to the other, and a fight was breaking out.

This was the last straw for the barkeep, and he finally demanded them to leave. I was surprised to see that, like wounded dogs, the three limped away, slamming the door closed as the last one stepped outside.

“This place is wrong,” Jace said, his eyes now scanning the room after everything had calmed down.

“Yes,” I agreed. “And those symbols I saw outside made my skin crawl. I want to take a closer look at them tomorrow.”

As if on cue, Florencia announced she felt tired and suggested we retire for the night. Iskander downed another two glasses of wine, finishing the bottle, and nodded. We got up and headed towards our room, having left the empty bottles on the table.

“When shall we meet?” Iskander asked while passing the bar counter where the tired and sweaty barkeep was washing some plates with a damp and soapy cloth.

“At ten, in front of the tavern,” Florencia said, and Iskander and Jaxine agreed.

We made our way to our tiny, cramped room.

Under normal circumstances, the room was much too small for us two, but that night, I did not care in the slightest. Anything would’ve been better than the carriage we were stuck in for two nights. My legs were sore and my feet ached from wearing my boots for almost an entire day straight—we had made a few stops, otherwise Jace would’ve gone insane, as he said it.

The hard leather of my boots had dug into my heel, but the pain wasn’t unbearable. I couldn’t wait to take them off, though. They still needed a few more weeks to break in fully and become comfortable enough to wear.

“That’s enough of that,” Florencia said, as if releasing pent-up tension, and breathed out loudly. “You know, Jonas, it’s fun to act as Warden Regalla, but after all those years, it gets tiring.”

“I thought you enjoyed it! You looked so effortlessly in charge.”

“Of course it’s effortless,” she said and took off her boots and trousers, finally massaging her feet and calves. “I’ve done it for fifteen years. It felt amazing to have people look up to me and take my word as truth. To walk into a room and instantly be the most important person there. But lately, I’ve grown tired of it all. It wasn’t until Rasker that I finally accepted that I’ve had enough.”

“Why is that?” I asked, also taking off my boots and trousers. It felt liberating.

“I don’t really know,” she said. “Maybe it’s because I’ve done this for so many years. Or maybe it’s the weight of every decision is on me, all the time. But right now, I don’t know.”

“Didn’t you say that you love the Lodge’s work?” I asked, massaging my feet with a dry towel, truly hoping it was a damp one.

“Oh,” Florencia said, as she took a seat beside me on the bed, resting her chin on my knee and clasping my leg. “I never want to quit working for the Lodge. But not as an authority. The early years were the best. Then, I could just travel around with no burden of responsibility. Now, everywhere I go, I represent the Lodge and its reputation.”

“Those early years must’ve been nice,” I said, trying to be sympathetic. But in reality, I didn’t truly understand what she meant.

“They were,” she said dreamily. She sank onto the bed, her arms extending out to her sides as she closed her eyes. “Come, Jonas, let’s sleep. We have an early start in the morning. I want to look around before we meet Iskander and Jaxine.”

“What did you think of them?” I asked.

“Hmm,” she mumbled, eyes already closed and lips curved upward. “Not much, if I’m honest. I’ve come across people like that many times. They suffer greatly and then turn to seek revenge. If they’re wise or lucky, or both, they turn away from that path before it consumes them. But I don’t sense that they’re smart enough to do that, especially Jaxine. She’s set on vengeance with her youthful energy. That’s a dangerous combination.”

“And Iskander?”

“Same vengeance, but older and more bitter. I think he’ll end up as a drunk in a bar somewhere,” Florencia said with absolute certainty.

“I would never have guessed you thought that way,” I said.

“Well, of course I wouldn’t show it. I can’t really do my job if everyone around me knows what I think about them. Most people already heavily distrust mages, sometimes for a good reason. Could you imagine how they would treat me if they thought I was that haughty? “

“So, you think everyone is stupid?” I asked.

“What? No! But I’ve seen people suffer purely because they’re so… dense. Why can’t they just calm their emotions and calmly think things through? I understand that sometimes they can’t, but they could try.”

“Oh, why oh why couldn’t everyone be as smart as you? You truly are the smartest person in the world. I hope to one day possess your wisdom!”

“Mmm,” she mumbled and giggled again. “If you stay by my side, maybe I’ll imprint some of my deep wisdom upon you. But come, let’s sleep. But not before you take off that damned shirt.”

I did not oppose her.