"Cremate your corpses! By mayoral decree, all dead bodies must be turned in to the fire pits within six hours of discovery. Cremate your corpses!"

Magdala tore her eyes off the largest man-made structure in all of Markosia to tug on the nearest sleeve. "What was that? What did he say?"

Her uncle Lord Kalan turned to her, frowning. "What?"

"What was that announcement about?"

He waved away her question. "Something unimportant I'm sure. Hurry along. We must get to the estate as soon as possible."

Still curious about the announcement, Magdala returned to following him. She looked up at the giant wall that spanned from the Gulf of Axem in the east to the Ilyon Sea in the west. In the middle of the Golden Era, when the Soura Queendom was still young, hordes of wailing cadaverous creatures had flooded over the border between southern Soura and the Vanurian counties, slaughtering and ravaging settlements as they went. At the cost of many lives, the greatest mages of the age had used magic to cut giant slabs of granite and lay them against fifty-nine red sandstone pyramids, creating a barrier between Soura and Vanuria. At the center of the Southern Line was the largest pyramid, which housed the only gate to Vanuria for hundreds of prinwirs and the main garrison for Soura's defense. Lying at that pyramid's base was the town of Walton where the merchants, farmers, and artisans who supported the garrison lived. At the top was Lord Kalan's destination, Walcrest.

Magdala's feet twinged. To reach the top they'd have to climb so many stairs. "I'd rather fight that tree again."

"That would be... less than ideal."

"Yes, obviously... oh..."

Dwayne, his dark brown skin glistening with sweat, rolled up the magical treatise he'd been reading. It was unfair that he looked so refreshed even after walking out in the hot sun for hours.

Her heart beating hard, Magdala coughed softly. "I just don't see what the big rush is."

Dwayne rubbed his chin. "You don't understand-"

"Maggie, come see!" Nodding an apology to Dwayne and hitching up her rifle case, Mei grabbed Magdala's hand and pulled her to a grey wooden building that stood just off the main road. She plucked something off a table and shoved it into Magdala's face. "Look!"

It was a human skull covered with strange runes.

"Is- Is that real?" asked Magdala.

Mei nodded, her eyes glowing while she examined the skull. "First human one I've seen."

"What are you doing with that?" Mei's brother Huan plucked the skull out of her hands and dropped it back on the table.

Magdala gave the skull a skeptical look, her eyebrows drawn together. "It's... probably harmless."

Mei leaned in closer, her eyes tracing the runes. "It's just a skull. We all have one."

Magdala laughed. "I'm not sure Huan does. That would imply he has something useful in his head."

Huan glared at her. "I know nobles don't."

Mei's eyes still hadn't left the skull.

Magdala sighed. "Well, let's buy it for her. Where's the shopkeeper?"

Huan scowled. "Don't bother. I'll get it."

Mei placed her hand on Huan's shoulder, her eyes now looking at the rest of the items on the table. "It's fine. I'm fine."

Magdala's face flushed. "With whose money?" she asked Huan. "I'll buy it. It's just a skull." Just a piece of a human body. Nothing to worry about.

Huan stepped up to Magdala. "That's not the-"

"This is not progress." Lord Kalan walked up to them with Dwayne in tow. "We are in a hurry."

"What are these?" Mei picked up a set of glass beads.

Dwayne tensed, his eyes taking in the items for sale. "Those are prayer beads. I haven't seen these since..." His eyes caught on the skull. He recoiled. "These are Vanurian. If these are real-"

"If they aren't, then Mother will be quite angry." A little girl appeared, dragging a stool behind her. "She chose these items carefully after all. She's quite proud of her collection." After placing the stool behind the table, she clambered onto it and adjusted her dark blue cape with its bright red lining and beamed at all of them.

Magdala, Dwayne, and Huan all drew back from her.

The girl's grin didn't waver. "Wow, you are all very dusty. Would you like something to drink?" She raised a bottle filled with a bright green liquid and offered it to them.

Magdala's stomach flipped, and her eyes escaped elsewhere to a small pile of leather bound books with the symbol of a tilted cup embossed in silver on their covers.

Lord Kalan pushed the drink away. "No, we are not stopping here. I swear-"

"You have a Book of Phons!" Magdala grabbed a book off the teetering stack, opened it, and winced. It was entirely in Vanurian.

The girl caught her expression. "I'm sure my mother has one in Souran."

Dwayne's lips curled. "That book is full of hate and lies. It's not worth reading."

Magdala huffed and held the book up. "I've never even seen a Book of Phons before. It's the primary religious text for millions of people, and they don't teach us anything about it in school."

Dwayne looked away. "The things they do in the name of that thing are all anyone needs to know."

"What things..." Magdala noticed Dwayne's clenched jaw and shallow breathing and remembered. Dwayne had been a Vanurian slave before Lord Kalan had bought and freed him. To him, Vanurians were not a curiosity; they were a painful reality. Her cheeks burned.

Lord Kalan turned away. "I'll be walking to the estate now. Don't bother to follow." He marched off, muttering under his breath.

Before following his master, Dwayne turned to Magdala. "Just... Just remember. We need people, not words." He hurried after Lord Kalan.

Huan scoffed. "We need money, not people."

Magdala rolled her eyes. "And we wonder if you have anything in that head of yours."

Mei sighed, her eyes back on the skull.

Magdala smiled, patted her friend on the back, and pulled out her purse. "How much for the skull?"

The girl turned to her. "An earl."

Magdala's mouth fell open. "What? That's robbery!"

"My mother says no haggling."

Magdala pointed. "What about the book?"

The girl considered. "Translated or not translated?"

"Translated."

The girl's grin, somehow, widened. "2 earls."

Magdala grit her teeth. "That is absurd." She looked into her purse. After weeks of traveling with her lord uncle and his party, she only had a couple of counts left from the money her parents had given her. When Huan peered into her purse, Magdala snatched it away. "Excuse you."

Huan stretched. "Are you sure you don't want to haggle?" he asked the girl.

The girl's grin tilted while it considered the question. "Maybe if you tell me where you just came from."

Huan rested his elbows on the table. "We just came from Yumma, this ancient city out in the middle of the desert. We saw some things."

The girl's grin disappeared, and she leaned in. "Mother told me about that place. It's full of ghosts, right?"

All three travelers stiffened. If ghosts included animated suits of armor, giant ice otters, and a tree that created small magical worlds, then she was absolutely right.

Huan shook himself and managed a smile. "Yeah, it's full of ghosts. We didn't get to see them though. If we had, I don't think they would have let us sleep."

The girl leaned back, her chin high. "I'm too old to believe in that stuff."

"Smart girl." Huan wagged a finger at her. "You had me going."

Dwayne reappeared with a book burdened donkey in tow. "You get what you want?"

Mei shook her head.

Huan nodded. "Yup." He grabbed his sister's hand and pulled her away from the table. "You want anything else, Maggie?"

Magdala scowled. "Only my friends may call me that." She took one last look at the far too expensive book. "Yes, we're done here." She gave Dwayne a half smile. "So you convinced my lord uncle not to leave us behind?"

He shrugged. "I, uh, mentioned that I didn't think he'd survive your mother's wrath if she found out you'd been left behind." He glanced at the still pale Lord Kalan. "Seemed to work."

***

Emperor's tits, I'm tired.

"Wow." Magdala stopped to stare.

Huan looked up from the path and scowled. A fortress had been built into the giant red pyramid that towered over the town. Anywhere else, it would have looked imposing with its ten wir high walls and dozens of soldiers, but standing beneath that monstrosity behind the pyramid, it looked minute. Huan's fingers itched, remembering scaling the wall of Han Luo fortress, and for a moment, cold mountain air blew through him, and fear soured his tongue. Huan shrugged away the memory. These walls weren't made of white stone, he wasn't high in the mountains, and he wasn't in Tuqu.

Nevertheless, his mind kept making the comparison. This fortress's red walls were lower and easier to scale, but there were far more guards manning them, their eyes glaring down at the people below. Worse, the guards were dressed in the same mottled brown and red armor, colors that made Huan's eyes slide away from them. If the Tuqu guards had been that alert and that hard to find, he wouldn't have been able to steal Mei's rifle for her.

Or be stuck with Tiger. He slid his hand into his bag and brushed his fingers against the etchings on the Vanurian skull he'd stolen, reminding him that things could be simple again. He just needed an opportunity.

Lord Kalan pushed both Huan and Magdala forward. "We do not have time to stop and lollygag. Keep moving."

Another thing that Han Luo fortress had lacked: a moat. While walking over the drawbridge, Huan looked down into the deep ditch that was full of clear lifeless water. In this heat, it looked inviting, but his employer had other ideas. Lord Kalan urged the party past a line of carters, porters, and couriers who glared and muttered as they passed. One woman spat, her saliva hitting Huan on the cheek. Nostrils flaring, Tiger stepped forward, a hand already on Huan's sword, but Huan forced a smile instead and bowed. Still, the woman shrank away from him.

Huan wiped the spit from his cheek. "It's a hot day, ma'am. Don't waste water." He turned and quick-stepped away before she could respond. Rejoining the party, he swallowed a sour taste. Since he had willingly put on Tiger's mask in Yumma, the beast had gotten bolder, and in the back of his mind, it paced, growled, and waited. I just need to-

"Huan." Mei's cool hand took his hand away from his sword.

Huan started and let out a breath. "It's nothing. It's just like everywhere in this kingdom." He squeezed her hand.

Mei nodded, a stiff motion that brought her shoulders up. "Okay."

She's worried. Great. Still holding his sister's hand, Huan caught up to Dwayne and Lord Kalan, who were approaching the guards at the gate. Dwayne's mind was elsewhere, probably trying to figure out how to make that "wand" they were always talking about.

Huan nudged him. "Why are we here?"

Blinking, Dwayne returned to the real world. "I have no idea. He's mentioned this place before but... he doesn't talk about it much." He glanced up. "I don't think he liked it here."

Huan forced his scowl into a smile. "Ah, good, surprises. How long will we be staying?"

Dwayne's dark eyes met Huan's, assessing his expression. Huan really hated that the Wesen mage had seen Huan in a most desperate moment back in Yumma, and that it had given him the key to read Huan like an open book.

"I don't know." Dwayne's eyes flicked to the tattered blue scarf that concealed Tiger's mask. "Will you be okay?"

Huan gave Dwayne a rakish grin. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Even though this place is a dump. What am I supposed to do all day?"

"You are our bodyguards."

"Hah! We should get a raise after Yumma."

"I'm sorry, sir. You're going to have to wait in line." A guard held his hand up, his expression blank under his helmet.

His partner, a tall young woman who was still fresh from whatever training camp spawned such creatures, pretended like she wasn't listening, but Huan caught a furtive glance. The guard who spoke was probably her commander. He had the larger insignia.

Ignoring both guards, Lord Kalan kept walking.

"Sir, get in line." The guard intercepted the noble mage, placed his hand on Lord Kalan's chest, and pushed him back.

Dropping her pretense, the other guard gestured for the next person in line to wait and joined her partner. Dwayne rushed forward, apologies and explanations spilling from his lips.

Weakling.

Huan rolled his shoulders and dropped his hand to his sword, but Lord Kalan's raised hand stopped both him and Dwayne in their tracks.

The noble mage drew himself up to his full height and took a wide stance, his feet planted firmly in the ground. This was the man who'd faced down a dragon, not the man who whimpered when Dwayne woke him up in the morning. His hand disappeared into his cloak and reappeared with two rings, one gold, one silver.

The older guard's eyes slid past the silver and caught on the gold. He saluted. "Sorry, milord, didn't recognize you." He nudged his partner, who rose into a sharp salute as well.

Huan didn't recognize the silver ring, with its three squiggly lines meeting in the middle and hint of blue, but he did recognize the crest on the gold ring. It was the same crest that was pressed into Huan and Mei's passports.

A triangle over a line. Huan glanced up. No, a pyramid in front of a wall. Why haven't I seen that ring before though?

Dropping his hand, the first guard said, "Corporal Taylor, escort milord to the garrison commander at once."

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Corporal Taylor saluted again, her hand making an audible clink against her helmet.

Lord Kalan shook his head. "That won't be necessary." He pulled out a letter and handed it to the corporal. "Take this to her. Oh and these two as well." He gestured to Mei and Huan.

Huan sputtered. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Ah... sir..." Corporal Taylor tried to hide a grimace behind a polite blank expression. "There's rules about foreigners in the garrison."

"I'm sure there are," said Lord Kalan, "but this is an order from the Guardian of the Wall. If your commander has a problem with it, they can discuss it with me at the estate."

Corporal Taylor sagged. "Yes, sir."

"Good." Lord Kalan glared at his niece and his apprentice. "Now, let's go."

Magdala pulled her eyes away from the marvel of the fortress, and she and Dwayne fell into step behind the noble mage.

"Wait a second." Huan jumped in front of the three mages. "We've traveled a very long way and-"

Lord Kalan's glare burned Huan where he stood. "Huan Ma, I am in a hurry."

Huan stood his ground. "Why are you sending us to the garrison commander?"

The glare didn't waver. "For training. We'll be here for some time, and it has come to my attention that both you and your sister lack training in the martial arts."

Huan bristled. "You saw us in action at Yumma-"

"And I was not impressed." Lord Kalan closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. "I expect you to earn what I have given you. Now, Dwayne, Magdala, come with me." He advanced, forcing Huan to move out of the way.

Huan watched them go, his jaw clenched and his hand tight on his sword. As he passed, Dwayne gave a small nod, which Huan did not sneer at. He did growl at Magdala's smirk though. Lord Kalan's niece was insufferable.

Mei's hand landed on his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

Huan deflated. "Yeah, yeah." He dredged a smile up, pasted it onto his face, and turned to the guard. "Corporal Taylor, if you please."

As the corporal led them deeper into the fortress, Huan retreated to his thoughts and away from the walls closing in around him. This is ridiculous. He knows I took down that damn mantis thing, practically by myself. If I wasn't there, Dwayne would be a pile of meat. And has he seen Mei fight? There's no way-

"Ahem. Mr. Ma, was it?"

Huan looked up. After walking into a nondescript stone and wood building, they'd arrived in an office, which had tapestries depicting various battles with strange eldritch creatures covering the walls. While Mei inspected the rugs, trying to figure out which striped or spotted animal had been hunted to make them, Huan focused on the woman leaning against a huge wooden table, which was covered with a map of the entire Southern Line from east to west. Between the map, her simple metal armor, and how unfazed she was by two unknown and armed people entering her presence, Huan knew she wasn't someone to mess with. Even Tiger was wary of her.

Huan bowed deep. "I apologize. I was not paying attention."

Behind him, Corporal Taylor tried to escape the room, but the commander motioned for her to stay, then cut open Lord Kalan's letter with a dagger. She read it, her lips motionless and her eyes darting quickly over the page. When she finished, she looked up and reexamined the foreigners a noble had ordered into her base. "Corporal Taylor."

The guard saluted.

"Go up to Walcrest and tell our prodigal Guardian this: my garrison is not a daycare for foreign brats." The commander threw the letter on the table. "He'd better have a better explanation than the nonsense he's written here."

"Yes, ma'am!" Corporal Saundra saluted again for good measure and fled from the room.

When the commander stepped forward, Huan held out his hand. "I'm sure that-"

"Quiet." The commander circled them.

Mei kept up her study of the room, now focusing on the tapestries.

Huan seethed. "Ma'am, I-"

"I said quiet." The commander finished her inspection then returned to the table and leaned against it. She pointed to Mei. "She has discipline, probably self taught. I'd like to see what she can do with a sword." She looked behind Huan and Mei. "What do you think?"

Huan's hand tightened on his sword as he looked behind him.

Closing the office door, Sir Marcus smiled. "It's good to see you two again. You seem well."

Huan's eyes dropped to the space where Sir Marcus's left arm had been, and an invisible hand clenched his heart.

Sir Marcus patted Huan on the shoulder then stood next to the commander. "I suggest scout training. I've seen her in action, and I doubt she'll have much to learn from us skill wise."

The commander tsked. "Self taught means she won't know how to work in a team." She considered. "Take her and Corporal Taylor and make a small unit. It's about time that your whelp of a squire finally got a command."

Sir Marcus's dark brown eyebrows raised. "Oh, you think Taylor's ready?"

The commander scowled. "Don't ask stupid questions. I trained her myself, and she's ready to serve on Lord Gallus's personal guard. He on the other hand..." She pointed at Huan. "Lacks discipline, has issues with authority, and is currently scheming."

Huan's head jerked back.

Sir Marcus's hand came up to his beard. "I've seen him fight. He has courage."

The commander scoffed. "Or he's just stupid and overconfident. If he was a raw recruit, I'd send him out west for six months until he got all that out of his system."

"I'll take him then. Supervision of Nathan's unit too."

The commander ran her right hand along the edge of the table. "Fine. I know you like to take on special cases. Do what you will."

"Thank you, ma'am." Sir Marcus smiled at the Li siblings. "Congrats, looks like we're going to make you two into proper soldiers."

Huan pasted a smile back onto his face. "Ah, thank you. I'm looking forward to it."

***

"This- hoo- is part of the defenses, right?"

"According to what I've read, high ground is very important in castle and fortress design. After all, holding it gives you a defensive advantage."

"Hah...Hah..."

"What about- hoo- what about having to climb it? Is there an advantage to having massive thigh muscles?"

"Strong thighs are necessary for horse riding."

"Hah.... Hah..."

"You okay, sir?"

"Hah... Just... keep climbing... I'll catch up."

"You two are surprisingly out of shape."

"Is it- hoo- really so surprising that we encounter stairs so rarely?"

"Well, you and my lord uncle have been all over the place. Surely you've-"

"You may remember -hoo- forests and plains- hoo- lack stairs."

"Ah."

Sweat pouring down his face, Dwayne finally climbed the last step and took a break, massaging his aching thighs. At the start, he'd tried to count the number of steps but had had to stop after a couple hundred. He straightened up and looked at Lord Kalan's estate, which had high walls, a small drawbridge, and complete lack of visible stairs. He nearly cried from relief.

Magdala tapped him on the shoulder.

Dwayne bit back frustration. "What is it?"

Magdala smiled at him, only a little out of breath. "Look."

Dwayne followed her finger. "What? Oh, wow!"

He could see everything, the garrison with its soldiers marching around, the town with its citizens preparing for the night, and the brightly colored merchant tents that circled the city. Beyond civilization, scrubland stretched as far as they could see, shining gold in the setting sun. Dwayne was standing on a man made marvel made of thousands of blocks laid by human hands and magic. He sank to the stairway, unable to take his eyes away.

Magdala joined him. "It's impressive, right? The legends say the wall, the garrison, all of it was built in one night."

Dwayne's jaw dropped. "Really?"

Magdala grinned. "Well, I think it probably took a bit longer than that. Even my mother isn't that powerful." She looked down at the view. "We're sitting over the only gate in the whole Southern Line. If the Vanurians want to break through, they have to do it here."

The word "Vanurian" now invoked conflicting images of Odette protecting him underground, of inspectors staring down his throat, of sailors looking the other way. It would be a long time before he fully shook the idea that Vanurians were all cruel monsters. "I hope-" Magdala's attention made him falter. "I...uh hope... They don't do that." He cursed how awkward he sounded.

Magdala turned her face away quickly, her hand going to her red hair. "Yeah, um... You know, I never said congratulations."

Dwayne blinked. "What for?"

Magdala pointed to the collection of vials on Dwayne's belt. "You were right. A Ri mage can perform Qe magic."

Dwayne grinned. "Now we just need to find some Ri magic components, and you can prove the reverse." He stood up and offered his hand. "We should get started immediately."

Magdala took his hand and pulled herself up. "I'd like that." She smiled.

Dwayne's insides wobbled in a not unpleasant way.

"Hah.... Hah..." Lord Kalan, his usually pale face ruddy and covered with sweat, finally ascended the stairs.

Dwayne and Magdala let go of each others hands.

Magdala coughed. "Lord Uncle. This is just shameful. What if my father caught you struggling to get into your own estate?"

"I am lord here. What he thinks does not matter." Lord Kalan took several deep breaths and then straightened up. "Onwards."

"Is there an easier way?" Dwayne fell into step behind his master with Magdala.

Lord Kalan nodded. "Yes, but this way is best for newcomers." A wistful smile appeared on his face. "It's the way my master took me when I came here for the first time."

"Was that back in the Golden Age, lord uncle?"

Dwayne gave a lopsided grin. "It would explain why it took so long for him to climb the stairs."

Lord Kalan glared at his two charges but stayed silent, leading them to a dropped drawbridge that led to the outer wall of the Walcrest estate.

While they crossed, Magdala continued her history lesson. "This was made in the Golden Age too. You can tell because they used nujayny, which is pretty rare nowadays. Shame this wouldn't stop a modern army."

"Why not?" asked Dwayne.

"They'd just build their own bridge. It wouldn't take them long, and they'd have the estate within hours."

Dwayne smiled. "Ah, but the estate is still on the high ground."

"Quiet, you two." Lord Kalan walked up to the dropped portcullis and banged on the bars, rousing a guard dozing in a chair in front of them. In case appearances were deceiving, Dwayne rushed forward, already thinking of appropriate phrases to placate the guard, but the guard blinked, peered at Lord Kalan, and laughed.

"Lord Barty, you've finally come home!" She stood and pulled Lord Kalan into a hug.

Lord Kalan stiffly allowed it. "It has been a while, Marie."

Marie sniffed. "Ah, and I'm guessing that you haven't showered since we last saw you." She spotted Dwayne and Magdala. "Who are... oh, you're Lord Gallus's eldest aren't you, milady?" She bowed.

Magdala curtsied in reply. "Lady Magdala Gallus, daughter of Lord and Lady Gallus."

Marie raised an eyebrow. "What's the daughter of the Water Sage doing with a reprobate like Lord Barty?"

"I'm under his tutelage."

Marie nodded sagely. "Ah, that makes sense. He'll teach you all the things you shouldn't do so you can do all the right things instead."

Lord Kalan scowled. "It hasn't been that bad. Are you going to open the gate?"

Marie brightened. "Oh, yes. Reggie! Open the gate! Lord Barty's home!"

Two faces appeared above the wall.

The right one started. "By the cup, it is him! Just wait there, milord. We'll get the gate open soon enough." He nudged his partner. "Oi, you, get the steward!"

While the portcullis rose, Lord Kalan frowned. "Steward, what steward? I don't remember hiring a steward."

Marie's smile went stiff. "Your lady sister insisted. She was real angry when she came by a couple weeks ago and everything was a mess." Her eyes flickered over to Dwayne. So..." Marie's smile disappeared. "...you've entered into the dark trade have you, milord?"

Dwayne gritted his teeth and stepped forward. "I am his apprentice Dwayne."

Marie's jaw dropped. "Oh my, I'd heard a rumor from the cook who has a nephew out at Yumma, but I hadn't thought it was true."

Lord Kalan patted Dwayne on the back. "He is my apprentice. Treat him as such."

Marie bowed, deeper than before. "Of course I will, milord. I'm glad that you've not stooped to such deplorable practices."

With a clank, the portcullis completed its rise, and a young man stepped across the threshold. He was dressed in a rich brown jacket and leggings with a crisp white shirt and shiny black boots. His dark brown hair, which was tied back, was the longest Dwayne had ever seen on a Souran male.

The young man bowed properly, his hand to his chest, his knees bent, and his face deferential. "My lords and lady. My name is Rodion Galkin, and I've been employed by Lady Iona Gallus to serve as steward here at Walcrest." The man's accent was clean, lacking any hint that he'd been anywhere but the capital Bradford.

Dwayne's jaw clenched while he waited for the man to make the same assumption that everyone did, if not with his words, than with his eyes.

Instead, Rodion rose and gestured for them to follow him. "Welcome to Walcrest. I regret to say that we haven't had time to restore it to its full glory, but progress is being made."

Dwayne felt lightheaded. This was the first time he'd been treated as if he belonged. Embarrassed, he looked around as the steward continued to talk. The courtyard they were passing through was framed by three red stone walls and the giant pyramid. In the back of the courtyard, ensconced in the shade of the Southern Line sat a manor that was covered in glass windows and grand columns, which was a more modern style than either the garrison below or the pyramid behind. Its storybook proportions belied its status as the lynchpin of Soura's southern defense. Dwayne had seen the Southern LIne before from the deck of a ship carrying him and a hundred other slaves to Adhua.

"By the cups, I would love a bath." Magdala's commen brought Dwayne back to the present. "It's been ages since I've had a proper one."

Rodion's eyes twinkled. "I will arrange one for you all."

"No need," said Dwayne, "I can do it myself."

"As you wish, sir."

The steward opened both of the manor's doors, and Dwayne's eyes nearly fell out of his face. Real red carpet covered the wide gold banistered staircase that connected the foyer to the floors above it. On the walls hung paintings of stern faced men and women, each performing some great magic, like making boulders fly, redirecting rivers, or forcing ships to race ahead of a storm. At the top of the staircase on the third floor were two golden doors, which were decorated with a mosaic that depicted mages lifting mountains, cutting them and then leaning them against pyramids. After a long moment, Dwayne forced himself to take a breath.

Among the three travelers only Lord Kalan was unaffected. "You need to attend to your other concerns first." He stepped in front of Dwayne and Magdala. "Magdala, take some time and review your schoolwork. I expect you to have created a study plan within the hour. Dwayne, come with me." He turned to the steward. "Rodion, was it? Thank you for your service."

Rodion's face stiffened.

"I expect you to continue your work while in my employ," continued Lord Kalan. "I will draw up the papers as soon as I am able."

Rodion smiled, revealing straight white teeth. "Ah, yes, thank you, my lord." His eyebrows drew together. "Oh, there's some news from-"

Lord Kalan waved it away. "I'm sure there is, but my apprentice and I need to do something first. Find my niece some suitable quarters. Come, Dwayne."

Rodion bowed. "Understood. My lady?"

He and Magdala went left, he with a final bow to Dwayne, she with a questioning flicker of her eyes.

Dwayne gave a tiny shrug and followed Lord Kalan up the red carpeted stairs. "Where are we going?"

Lord Kalan kept climbing. "I need to register you."

"What?"

"You'll see."

They reached the second landing, and the older mage swung open the golden doors, revealing a study the size of two peasant houses and filled with dozens of books.

Itching to pull every book off the shelf and read them, Dwayne scanned the shelves, and his eye caught on one particular book: On the Pre-preparation of Magick by Victoria Yonder. He pulled it off the shelf. "What's this?"

Lord Kalan turned away from the back of the study and peered at the cover. "Material that we will get to in time. It's not important."

"Not important?"

Lord Kalan sighed. "These..." He gestured to the treasure trove of books. "These are nothing. We're not here for mundane and common texts."

Frowning, Dwayne tucked the book into his satchel, stepped around two sofas and a shrouded desk, and joined Lord Kalan at the back of the room where a black door towered over them like a shadow cast by bright light.

Lord Kalan placed his hand on the door. "Hmm... Yes, yes, it has been a while. I'm here now. I have someone to introduce you to." He whirled around and grabbed Dwayne's shoulders.

Dwayne stiffened. "What are you-"

"Stand..." Lord Kalan moved Dwayne to just in front of the door. "Here."

Blinking, Dwayne tried to figure out what was special about this spot and glanced down. He now was standing in a circle carved into the red stone floor. The circle was made up of runes, which looked familiar, like the ones in Yumma. "Sir, I-"

"It will be clear soon." Lord Kalan turned back to the door, placed his hands back on it, and resumed muttering to himself.

With a hum, the door came alive with a faint iridescent glow. Dwayne tried to step out of the circle.

Lord Kalan didn't look back. "Don't move!"

Dwayne stopped, chills rolling down his spine while Lord Kalan continued his conversation with the door.

After too long, Lord Kalan turned around. "We're ready. Give me your hand."

Dwayne wanted to ask who "we" was, and when he didn't move, Lord Kalan grabbed his hand and pricked it with a needle.

"Ow!"

When Dwayne's blood dripped onto the circle, the door hummed a soft pleasant tune, as if savoring the taste. Then the sound of a hundred paper sheets being crumpled filled Dwayne's ears. "Sir, what is happening?"

Lord Kalan didn't let go of Dwayne's hand. "Just wait."

The crumbling resolved into words, dry and fluttery. "Dwayne of the Wesen. Dwayne of the Ri. The Queen's Own Collection of Magical Tomes and Scrolls accepts you as adjunct Librarian. May you seek the light in Cueller." The door slid open, revealing a dark maw.

Lord Kalan let out a breath and released Dwayne's hand. "Good, good. Now, come with me. It's time for you to become a real mage."

Dwayne stepped back from the door. "No, what is this? What is that?"

Lord Kalan's hand came up and then dropped. "This is Soura's greatest secret. When the Yaniti Empire fell, our predecessors plundered its libraries and stored their contents in a great many smaller libraries all around the land. That knowledge led to some great and powerful works. My niece said that the Southern Line couldn't be built in a day? It was built in an hour."

Dwayne's eyebrows raised. "What? How?"

"You'll learn how." Lord Kalan leaned against the doorframe. "After a century or so, it became clear that, while Soura greatly benefited from having such great magics out in the world, our power alarmed both the Ri and the Tuqu Empire who threatened to use their own secrets to destroy us. In response, Queen Helene, the monarch at the time, ordered her mages to seal the knowledge away at the urging of the church."

Dwayne glanced at the open door. "All that is through there?"

Lord Kalan nodded.

Dwayne gulped, clenched his fists to stop his hands from trembling, and stepped into the darkness. When Lord Kalan joined him, the door slid closed and the room sank.

Dwayne shrank into a corner. "What is happening?"

Lord Kalan chuckled. "It's a lift. It's taking us down to the very lowest level of Walcrest."

After a long long drop, the room slowed to a halt, and the door opened again. Dwayne stepped out onto a small island in a lake that was lit with thousands of blue, green and white stones. A floating bridge connected the island to a stone platform a half dozen wir away and where dozens of tall slabs lay in shadow.

Lord Kalan led the way onto the bridge. "The day came when the last mage of the Golden Age was about to die, and the secrets of that time along with her. She, as a proponent of the plan to seal away the secrets, was content, but Queen Helene's granddaughter Adelaide would not have it. Instead, she appointed the last Golden mage Royal Sorcerer, and with her next royal decree ordered her to create this, the Queen's Own Collection of Magical Tomes and Scrolls."

They reached the stone platform, and the lights brightened revealing the slabs to be bookshelves, three times as tall as Dwayne and filled with more books than he'd ever seen before in his life. Dwayne stared, his mouth open.

Lord Kalan sat down at an ancient wooden table and gestured for Dwayne to sit in the only other chair. "Welcome to the Deep Library."

Dwayne frowned. "Deep?"

Lord Kalan smiled. "Its official name is not very mysterious." He gestured to the whole collection. "This will all be your responsibility."

Dwayne returned to marveling at the collection. "I have no problem with that."

"That also means that you are my heir," his master said, "and the next Lord of Walcrest."

Dwayne blinked. "Sorry, what?"

Lord Kalan scratched his temples. "Magdala's father Lord Gallus is currently inspecting the wall and will arrive here within the week. You are to arrange a party for his arrival."

Dwayne sat down. "You just said 'heir'."

"It'll be a taste of your formal introduction to the nobility and preparation for your introduction to the queen when we go to Bradford in three months."

Dwayne gripped the table. "Sir, I can't do this. I don't know how."

Lord Kalan raised an eyebrow then pointed at the nearest bookshelf. "Qeit." A book pulled itself out of the bookshelf and slapped into Lord Kalan's hand. He checked the title then slid it across the table to Dwayne. "That's the book my master handed to me when I became adjunct Librarian. Read it."

Dwayne looked at the title.

The Responsibilities of a Noble Mage by Eritrea Armsford.

He grimaced.