Callus tossed the crystal ball into the air, allowing it to vanish into storage. He caught his breath and wiped his eyes. The boy in his charge never failed to entertain. He regained his composure, took a large gulp of his wine, then turned his attention back to his guests. Two men sat around the small table with him, each with a drink of their own. His guests were themselves, mature men, though something about the way Callus carried himself seemed to suggest a greater number of years had set into his bones.

The man sitting directly opposite him raised an eyebrow. The gesture was unnerving on his angular face, since the wide smile never faltered as his expression shifted. His long black hair was tied tightly into a braid behind his head, save for a thick strand that seemed to stick out from his fringe and tickle his cheek. His eyes were wide and wise, nearly always facing directly forward like any other predator. The cloak he wore was maritime and ornate, embellished with gold thread and inset jewels. The Mad King Surdin never failed to present an imposing appearance.

"You’re growing soft, old man," he said, prodding at Callus.

"Don't be ridiculous," Callus snapped, slapping his hand away. "The boy is a chore, and nothing more."

"You’re putting a lot of effort into your chores," the other man added in a raspy voice. He fidgeted with his cuff uncomfortably. Skuurah the Snake Wizard was always uncomfortable away from his bar. Even in a place as secluded as the Merlin's tower, he felt the presence of others to be exhausting. In his bar he could focus his attention towards his alchemy. Here, he was forced to pay attention, lest he offend the sensitive powers that he sat among. He barely spoke on such occasions, though when he did, the entire room would be drawn to his words with intense intrigue. His sickly green hair and scales surrounding his face were enough to keep people paying attention.

"I have no choice in the matter. Besides, if I don't keep an eye on him, he might make me look bad," Callus defended.

"Are you implying that you ever looked good?" A tinny and pitchy voice said from the table. Callus looked down at his glass to see the yellowed smile of a dirty old man sitting next to him in its reflections.

"You’re too hard on the boy, he deserves to know he's being tested," said the reflection of Le-Shade.

"What would you know? All of your students are insane," Surdin said.

"They don't start that way," Le-Shade laughed. "They never thank me for it either, ungrateful turds."

The four men often met to drink and play chips. It was a tradition to meet in the Merlin's tower once a month, since Callus was bound to remain inside Tavern buildings. This meeting was at the ordinary time, in the ordinary place. They drank their regular drinks, and Callus ate his regular cheeses. The one thing that differed in this meeting, was that they actually had something to talk about.

"So why keep it a secret anyway?" Surdin asked. "His trial I mean, it's no secret Bellemie is a nutter."

"I don't want him to go at it like he's cramming for a stupid test. If the boy is truly capable enough to carry a wizards medal, he'll prove himself naturally," Callus said, before taking a mouthful bite of burrata.

"Doesn't entirely explain why we're getting involved," the mirror on the wall said, Bellemie Le-Shade appearing on the glass.

"It's not my choice," Callus said, holding up his hands. "I was told to bring you in. He has a plan for the boy, I expected his trial to last longer than this personally."

"You mean Quinn?" Surdin asked.

"Why would you say it out loud, you fool," Bellemie chastised the Mad King. "Do you want him here?"

"Saying his name doesn't summon him, you crazy pidgin fucker," Surdin snapped at the mirror.

"You’re damn right it does," Callus added. "He just doesn't come when you say it because he doesn't want to talk to you."

"On the contrary," a polite voice spoke from the doorway. "I'd like to talk to all of you actually."

Quinn Fletcher stepped into the room and adjusted his glasses. His tattooed face held a kind expression as always, and he nodded politely at the men.

"Told you," Bellemie barked. "Now we're all in trouble."

"Not this time Le-Shade," Quinn said, stepping into view of the mirror. "Though I will be talking to you about your new guest later on."

"Forget I said anything," Bellemie chuckled, looking away from Quinn's eyes.

"I'm here for a few reasons," Quinn said, addressing the room. "Primary among them, is that I'll be going away for a short time, and I need you three to help keep an eye on things."

"Why would you trust any of these men with the Tavern?" Skuurah interrupted, nearly showing a hint of emotion.

"Thank you assassin, but I think I know how to conduct my business. For instance, I need you to make sure these men don't use my Tavern to the wrong end." Quinn said sternly.

"I will also need you to all make sure the boy learns how to use his gift properly before I return. Le-shade, Skuurah, you two should be able to see to that well enough."

"Like hell they will," Surdin snapped, slapping his palm onto the table. "I know that gift better than anyone, and I can teach him to use it better than this crackpot," he said, pointing at the mirror. "Besides, he's one of mine, I know how he thinks."

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

"One of yours?" Callus scoffed. "How in the world would you know if he's your blood? You root like a whore with tuition, half the world would have your blood and none of them can do what he does. The boy is my apprentice, I should be teaching him."

"I may have the best bedside this side of Bardmire, but I've counted my children, and I've only had two hundred. I know he's one of mine the same way I know I can teach him to use his power," Surdin said, tapping his temple. "I can see things the rest of you can't, just like him. I'd also like to meet the little scamp. From what I've heard, he's got some familiar traits."

"I'll say," Skuurah spoke up again. "He has a good price on his head after what he pulled on the bookseller. One of mine have taken the job, should be interesting."

He went back to picking at his nails, never changing his expression.

"I remember my first assassin," Surdin said, smiling blissfully into space.

"I don't care how well you know him," Callus snapped. "He's my apprentice, so I'm doing it."

"Surdin is right," Quinn said, taking back the room's attention.

"Usually," Surdin added.

"He knows how to use it, and the rest of us don't. It's the most obvious answer. Besides, I want you to focus your attention elsewhere for a moment Ratter," The tattooed man said, looking at Callus.

Callus glared at him. "What's that then?" He asked with a scowl.

"I need you to find someone, put your sneaky little scrying trick to a good use for once."

"Oh… Who do you want me to scry on?" Callus asked, a hint of excitement sneaking into his tone.

"I want you to find your old friend, the priest," Quinn said calmly.

"And I need you to go fuck yourself," Callus said, screwing his face up in disgust.

"I need to know where he is. I don't need to remind you that you have to do this."

"But here you are, reminding me," Callus groaned. "Fine then. I'll find the Slav bastard," he relented. "I don't know why I'm bothering though."

"He has something I want," Quinn said simply. "He's hiding from me, and I don't have the time to spend on it."

He turned his attention to Surdin. "How are you going with the preparations for Tane-Kontelsta?"

"We started last week," the Mad King said with pride. "The first guard from Grendill arrived early, so we kicked it off with some capture competition. Son-Gonkiruun took the title as always," he clarified, his face a depiction of satisfaction.

"Good. You need to ensure this tournament will be one to remember."

Surdin raised an eyebrow at him. "Something I should know about?"

"In time," Quinn said, waving his hand. "I'll be bringing some guests along. More than anything, I need you to be sure your ventures are in order before I return."

"If it involves my land, I think I should know," Surdin declared. As he spoke, the tension in the air grew palpable, while he asserted his power in childish frustration. The Mad King was known to launch into unpredictable behaviours, it was in his name after all.

Quinn had been dealing with the significance of the men around him for longer than half of them had lived, so the effort on Surdin's part did little to intimidate him.

"It will be to your benefit, I assure you," the tattooed man said, raising his hands to settle the Mad King. "If it were up to me, I'd tell you more. For now though, there's too many directions the next red sky may take us in, so I need you four to be patient."

Callus rolled his eyes. "You’re not being mysterious, you know. All of your secrets just serve to piss us off."

"You know my secrets, old friend. The coming days aren't for me to share. I answer to the same force you do," Quinn defended earnestly.

"You mean the clock maiden, don't you?" Surdin asked, prompting another groan from Le-Shade.

"Are you trying to invite all of the guards today?" The mirror scoffed.

"You can relax Bellemie," Quinn chuckled. "She is otherwise occupied right now as well."

"Surely you can give us something. We'll find out while you're gone anyway," the Snake Wizard said, gesturing at the men around the table. "Do you really think Ratter will stay away from your forbidden magics after telling him the maiden isn't watching?"

"You dirty snitch," Callus responded with venom. "I don't tell your patrons what you put in their drinks, so you should keep your scaley nose out of my business."

"That has already occurred to me," Quinn said with a smirk. "My apprentice will be keeping an eye on that. If you play with the clock while I'm away, I'll know."

"Which means she will know," Surdin added.

"Ah yes, the new apprentice…" Callus moaned. "Just what the world needs, another boot licking rule follower."

"I thought you'd like this one. There's not many of your people in this world, you should be sticking together."

"I didn't leave that place because I'd miss it," Callus scoffed. "Besides, she's not from my era. They all got boring after the nineteenth century."

"That's a shame," Quinn frowned. "I was hoping you'd be willing to teach her a thing or two."

"Babysit the babysitter… not likely," the old man said, rolling his eyes again.

"I didn't say you wouldn't be teaching her," Quinn said, the smirk returning. "I said I hoped you were willing to."

"You’re a bastard. You think that you're clever, but you're just a bastard," Callus complained, slumping into his chair.

"I'm grateful nonetheless, old friend," Quinn said, looking to the doorway. "It's been… pleasant," he looked back to them with a polite smile. "But I must be going now, Must not keep the lady waiting. You know how she feels about people wasting her time."

He turned, and left through the same door he entered from, without another word.

The four men sat in silence for some time, just watching the doorway. Eventually, Surdin looked at Callus, and raised an eyebrow. Callus held up a finger, and closed his eyes. They waited for some more time, until Callus broke the silence.

"He's gone," he said, with a sigh of relief.

Bellemie let out his breath, and panted.

"Surdin, you're an idiot," he said through gasps.

"Were you holding your breath?" The Mad King laughed. "It's just Quinn, he's harmless."

"And I'm the Kir of a city of redheads," Skuurah said flatly.

"Congratulations," Bellemie said, smiling wide at the Snake Wizard.

Callus put his face in his palms, and tried to wish away their stupidity, though to no avail. As great as the men around him were, they were still victims of time. It's not age that takes the toll, it's the things that pass by. All of them had been through their own hells, and it killed him inside to know he couldn't tell them what came next.