Maurice had been right, when Cass returned to her reading she felt much better. With her anxiety somewhat reduced, she found the books to be absorbing. All of the books she had been reading had been more about systems than magic. According to Hall this was basic training for a mage, often they would spend years studying before being taught to handle magic. Today she was reading a book about magic items and glyphs.

Normal magic would make small changes to natural forces to create an effect, but there was a limit to what could be done with it. To overcome these issues, mages would painstakingly use their magic to create crystallized structures that replicated systems found in nature.

Glyphs functioned much the same, but were applied to living creatures. According to the book, glyphs could enhance all kinds of physical phenomena, but they had several issues. First, they could not be applied to mages. According to the book, the magic in a mage's blood would overcharge the glyph and the mage would die either from magical exhaustion, or overheating due to the magic feedback. Additionally, though it was theorized that it was possible, no one had created a glyph that could absorb mana.

But the mage’s here and Cass were exceptions to that. Normally, glyphs were applied to exceptional individuals, often in a military force, and then charged by a mage. The glyphs would grant the soldier their effects until the charge ran out. With a glyph drawing mana from the air, a mage would not need to apply the charge to the other glyphs.

But why create a soldier like that? And was that their goal for her? Cass raised her hand and touched the collar at her throat, they had called her a weapon, but Cass had to wonder if she could do as they asked. Life had taught her to run, fighting was too dangerous for her. Cass had never had the food to waste energy on fighting, nor the health and safety to risk breaking a limb.

The next day, Cass decided to take a risk. Gathering her courage, she approached the door to her room, intending to talk to the guards outside. Hearing them talking outside, she decided to press herself against the door and listen. They had never spoken while Hall had been here, but without his influence they seemed far more relaxed.

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“Well now,” That voice seemed very familiar to Cass, but it was muffled by the door. “They sent the bastar’ the bastard to the south to deal wit’ the bastards in the south. I was thinkin’ it makes sense.”

“Usually you thinking would scare me,” the other guard spoke much more clearly.

“But I have to admit I agree this time. The girl might be gutter trash, but still…”

“Nah, I dun’ care abou’ her.” The other guard laughed, “Considerin’ I pulled her outta that cell wit’ Rat, she was screwed eithe’ way. Only a matte’ of how.”

Pulled her out of the cell? Cass tried to remember his name, Tinus, perhaps?

“Still, I wouldn’t have thought the southern territories would have the balls to rebel, though I suppose it hasn’t got that far yet.”

“Intereste’ inna bet?” Tinus asked greedily.

“Much as I would like to take your money, you wouldn’t pay up.” The guard brushed off the request. “Anyway, I hear Hall is returning soon. Let’s not give anyone reason to report us to him.”

“Bah,” Tinus spat. “Who would? Anyway, why shoul’ we bother guradin’ some gal?”

“Lord Evans gave the order, that’s why.” The other guard clearly did not like Tinus all that much, just put up with him as a coworker. “Why Lord Evans wants her is beyond our understanding, a noble mage is above being questioned.”

That killed the conversation, and Cass slowly stepped back from the door. To some extent, she was relieved. She had been bracing herself to talk to the guards, but had learned what she needed to know from their gossip.

There weren’t many older people on the streets, but the few that survived more than four decades would sometimes talk about the rebellions in the east. The Empire crushed the rebels, but between conscription and famine, the slums of Tyine were a ghost town by the end of the wars.

Cass did not understand the motives of Lords, they were as above her as the heavens above the earth. But she was being made into a weapon, and her owners had enemies, it did not take a genius to understand her purpose here.