I stood against the raised balcony, arms draped over the stone railing.

Below me, the banquet was in full swing. Men and women dressed in opulent finery mingled together. A violinist played a measured tune from the corner, and servants carrying silver platters of meat, cheese, and fruit paced the room at regular intervals.

Lord Blackthorne and Dacon stood at the head of the room, making conversation with the city’s upper echelon. The third servant of the night swept up the steps to offer me one of many vintages of wine.

I politely declined.

“Is the party not to your Taste Ser William?”

The voice was smooth and sultry, and I glanced around to see a woman in a tight and flowing purple gown standing beside me. She had high cheekbones and her face gave off a sharp, almost hawkish appearance.

“I’m afraid you have the advantage over me,” I said. “You are?”

“They call me many things, and not all of them kind. Though the name I answer now is Violet.”

I bowed my head.

“Violet,” I said. “To answer your question I find the party… distasteful. There is a war coming, and we have only days to prepare. Refugees are camped outside the walls between the Ork host and city garrison and we’re expected to drink wine and nibble on cheese.”

Violet seemed amused by my answer.

“Spoken like a true soldier. Though you are correct - at least in principle. The Lord Governor is a man who covets power.”

She gazed down at the gilded chair where the Governor, a round man with beady eyes, sat sipping from a goblet.

“He collects people like he collects extravagance,” she said. “If he sees something of merit, he wants to own it.”

“Does he own you?” I asked, turning to face her. The gentle probe that had been pressing at the corners of my mind halted and slowly withdrew.

The Mind Mage hesitated for a moment and then smiled.

“Forgive me,” she said. “That was rude of me. I often probe the minds of others without thinking about it. A poor habit, I’m afraid.”

“Doesn’t the Inquisition frown on the use of unsanctioned Mind Magic?” I asked.

She made a humming sound.

“What the Inquisition is… aware of my presence here, and has been for some time. They have sent more than a few representatives to try to recruit me. I am simply not a fan of their methods.”

“I didn’t know Mind Mages had a moral code.”

She smirked pushing away from the stone railing.

“Not all of us are willing pets of the God King,” she said.

This caught me by surprise, but I did my best to school my features.

“Some would consider that heresy,” I said.

“Perhaps.”

The silence stretched between us before she said.

“There are many of rumors floating around about you, Will of Blackbriar.”

I did my best to look bored even as my heart hammered.

“What kind of rumors? I’m afraid the one where I took down a basilisk with my bare hands is a bit exaggerated.”

She laughed.

“They say that you were early to manifest your gift and that your power might grow one day to rival that of the nobility.”

I glanced at her, looking for some kind of sign I was being mocked. But her face was somber and thoughtful.

“Many will not like that, I think.”

“How do you deal with it?”

The question seemed to surprise her. She studied the people below and smoothed her hands on her dress.

“You endure,” she said finally. “You find those that you can trust, and you forge alliances. Many will covet your power, and some will seek to take it from you. Never let them see how it affects you.”

Her words lingered in my mind for long minutes after she descended the stairs. I watched her make her way through the wealthy patrons of Ceris towards the Lord Governor. She bent low to whisper in his ear and he laughed merrily.

I glanced out the balcony window, seeing the moon high in the sky. It would be time to meet with the Winds of Autumn soon enough. I had my sword belted at my waist, though I wished I had thought to bring my chain mail.

I watched Lord Blackthorne speaking with the Lord Governor, his hands clasped behind his back. Lord Dacon seemed preoccupied with a young woman in fine clothing, who I could only assume was a lady.

If I wanted to sneak out unnoticed, now would be the time. I did a quick scan, noting the household Ceris guardsman standing at the base of the steps. He had his back to me, but I would have to be careful not to make any noise.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

I stepped back until my boot heels bumped against the wall. Lifting an arm behind me I reached my fingers for the latch.

“Wine Ser Knight?”

I nearly jumped out of my skin as the servant ascended the steps, holding out a tray of goblets.

“Uh, no thank you.” I recovered. The man bowed his head I waited until he had descended the steps before trying again. My fingers slid along the glass before finally brushing against the latch. I pushed upwards and heard it click as it came away.

I cast one last glance at the back of the oblivious guardsman before swinging a leg over the window sill and unto the terrace beyond.

The wind outside was cooler now that night had fallen. It stirred my hair and whipped my cloak out behind me. I closed the window as softly as I could crouch. Down in the gravel below, a patrol of two guardsmen tromped past, torches glowing in the night.

When they finally rounded the corner I gripped the sill, lowering myself softly to the ground. Getting back up was going to be a challenge, but I didn’t have time to think about that now.

I bent low, boots crunching on gravel as darted forward towards the entrance of the House of Refuge Gardens.

The glow of a torch announced the presence of a guardsman moments before he rounded the corner and I was forced to duck behind a set of exotic plants as he passed.

The moon was high in the sky now, and the moonlight cast strange shadows on the entrance of the hedge Maze. I cast one final glance before I stepped into the darkness. The scent of freshly trimmed leaves was strong. The soft grass muffled the sound of my boots as I walked, hand on my sword.

I reached a place where the paths converged and paused, studying each one carefully. Then I took the rightmost path. In the light of the moon, I could see several paces ahead of me. I loosened my sword in its sheath, and positioned my body sidelong, to make myself a smaller target.

My HUD opened and the Quest indicator appeared. It was pointing behind me. I stopped walking and slowly turned.

A figure stood only ten feet away, his face shrouded in shadow.

“Are you the Winds of Autumn?” I called. The figure didn’t answer. I spread my feet in a fighting stance and tried again.

“Who are you?”

“Do you always talk to yourself?” The voice was so unexpected that I had my sword halfway out of its sheath before I registered where it had come from.

A man was lying across of the top of the hedge, an arm propped beneath his head. His hair was the color of fire and his ears were tapered into gentle points. One boot draped idly over the edge as he turned to peer at me.

I glanced behind myself, looking for the dark figure but I saw nothing.

“There was someone else here,” I said.

The fire-haired man tilted his head and for the first time, I saw that his eyes were slanted like a cat's.

“There is no one here but you. I’ve watched your progress this entire time, Will of Blackbriar. That’s what they call you, isn’t it?”

I glowered at him, jamming my sword back into its sheath.

“You’re the Winds of Autumn,” I guessed. “And if you saw me why didn’t you reveal yourself sooner?”

He sat up, dusting off his hands and sending leaves scattering to the ground.

“That’s a thing they call me,” he admitted. His accent was smooth and lilting and reminded me of something back on earth. “My name is August. Though, those who still worship me, and you must understand they are very few, know me as the God of the Autumn Winds.”

I blinked at him.

“You’re a God?”

The doubt in my voice made him smile.

“Was a god, is much more apt. These days I am reduced to little more than a lord of thieves.”

“Right.”

I turned to leave and nearly ran into him. August was standing before me, tall, and wispy, his eyes dancing with amusement.

“Well don’t leave just yet,” he said. “You still have something you’re supposed to give me.”

I stepped back, keeping a healthy distance between us.

“Right now I have no reason to trust you,” I said. “Tell me now why I shouldn’t just leave and report you to the guards.”

August sucked on his cheek.

“Because the guards don’t know you’re here.”

I narrowed my eyes.

“You sent a message that if I was late you’d kill me.”

“Ah! I didn’t mean that literally. He laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m off to a bad start. Let me try again, William, I need something that you have in your position. For it, I’m willing to trade you two pieces of information. Do you accept?”

“How do I know the information will be of any value to me?”

August considered this.

“Because they are questions you’ve already asked me. Well, not in this timeline, but you have asked me in the past. I think. It’s complicated.”

“Timeline?” I rubbed my head.

“I’m pretty sure we haven’t met before,” I said.

August shrugged.

“We haven’t, not yet. Though the older I get, the harder it is to keep track.”

At my glare, he winced.

“Sorry, I’m not making any sense. You and I have yet to meet, strictly speaking. But we will meet in the future, and when we do you’ll ask me to tell you two things. The first is that you should trust your hunch about the City. The second is that the signs were correct. He is coming again, and the red moon will rise.”

August nodded as if proud of himself, and looked at me expectantly.

“What,” I said slowly “The fuck does any of that mean exactly?”

August shrugged.

“I don’t know really. You were very specific in what you wanted me to say back then.”

“Back then?” I thought you said we hadn’t met yet.

August nodded enthusiastically, green eyes glowing.

“Yes, Exactly.”

I let out a long exasperated breath as I stared at the blip on my Quest screen. The active quest was blinking at me urgently and I glared at it. It hardly felt like a fair transaction but If I wanted to unlock my next skill, I had little choice but to comply.

“What’s stopping me from just leaving with the book?”

I asked August. He frowned.

“Well nothing I suppose, but crossing a god wouldn’t be the smartest of ideas. You already have plenty of enemies. Or uh, at least you will.”

I folded my arms across my chest.

“I want something from you. I’ll give it to you, but only on my terms.”

Warm wind swept by me, blowing leaves in a swirl around my head.

“Very well,” said August. “Ask, and if it’s within my power, I will grant it to you.”

I considered this for a long moment. Then I nodded.

“If you’re a god then I want a boon. Give me a blessing, some sort of power and we have a deal.”

August regarded me for a long while, his cat eyes amused. Then finally he stepped forward. I tightened my grip on the hilt of my sword but the god only lifted his hand between us. Tiny purple balls of foxfire glowed at his fingertips. Slowly and without breaking eye contact he lowered them to my chest.”

At first, I was worried the fire might burn me. But as I watched the balls of fire went out one by one. A warm tingle ran through my body and I shivered involuntarily at the feeling.

Bonus Skill: Mark of the Wind. Your agility and overall attack speed is increased by 10% during battle

August stepped back.

“Satisfied?”

I nodded, rolling my shoulders to dissipate the odd tingling feeling.

“Alright,” I said. “You kept your end. Now I’ll keep mine.”

I reached into my inventory and drew out the metallic box. The top was smooth with no markings or carvings on its surface. The material was dark, the kind of black that sucked all light from around it.

August held out a hand and, after a moment, I placed the box into it.

He held my gaze and nodded once, before smiling.

“Until we meet again, William.”

And then, he simply blinked out of existence. I stood for a moment staring at the dark spot in the hedge maze where he had disappeared. Then I turned and jogged back through the maze. I took only one wrong turn, but it took me several precious minutes to backtrack to the entrance of the maze.

I made a quick scan for guardsmen and then darted back towards the palace. I was about to scale a tall oak nearby when I caught a glimpse of the sky. It was bright, lit with the orange glow of morning.

I cursed myself. Had I been gone for so long? How would I explain my absence to Lord Blackthorne? But even as the thought flooded my mind I began to smell the smoke.

And that was when the alarm bells began.