Sally had never travelled with a caravan, and thought them a big waste. They always lost something during their travels, whether it be lives, livestock, resources or, most often, all of the above. It was a very un-Circuit like way of doing business, but she could understand that it was a cold calculation of profits and loss.
What these people had done was straight off-the-wall and, in very Circuit-like fashion, they had paid the price.
That she almost paid the same price with her own stupidity was ignored, for now.
4. City of Light, City of Magic! – July 22, Year 216
With the sun done setting, the city of Cardinar became all the more visible despite still being miles away.
Before Sally could see the walls, a multicolored haze appeared over the horizon, a kaleidoscopic rainbow of magical light. The city of Cardinar did this every night, a not inexpensive thing to do. It was one of the things the city famous for, and was tied into its other claim to fame: the Grand Circuit chapter headquarters of the Arcanist’s Guild.
It made for a grand display of prosperity and magical power, an invitation to all weary and harried travelers. A dazzling sign of civilization after travelling de desolate and hostile wastes of the Circuits.
It had left her mentor less than impressed. When they visited during her first year as a junior Warden, Niall had remarked that they were recent thing, and a sign of a decline of the Circuits’ autonomy. The Arcanist’s Guild was, after all, a thing of the far South, of the League of Independent Cities, formerly known as the League of Light, and before that as the Swords of Saint Leucothoe.
‘Recently’ for him had meant ‘about two decades ago’. Before that, Cardinar was famous for being the front-gate to the Anteer cities, and was consequently the premier military power of the Anteer cities, despite being the smallest of them.
Niall had known that proud city, but Sally hadn’t, let alone what it had meant for the ‘autonomy’ of the Circuits. She thought that the addition of magical power only helped it, but she was known to have a relatively positive approach to magic, regardless of negative encounters with some of its practitioners.
In opposition to her mentor, Sally had been impressed.
At the time it had practically been her first look at a large-scale display of magic – and what a display it was! She’d been entranced and excited like a girl ten years younger. It had made her remember why she wanted to leave her Villa and run the Circuits in the first place; to travel the wide world and experience all it had to offer.
The Villas weren’t known for their magical prowess, shunning the practice almost entirely. It was one of the reasons her brother had left for Cardinar in the first place, to pursue this passion for the arcane. It was something she could empathize with.
Through the years, her feelings had soured toward the display. Seeing it again reaffirmed that feeling and made her empathize more with Niall’s point of view. It was a frivolous thing, it served no real purpose and, worst of all, was a beacon to all the malignant forces lingering within the Red Wastes beyond Lake Prior.
The symbol – rather than the magic itself – felt disrespectful, like an attack on what it meant to be a Warden and the Circuit as a while stood for. They – the Wardens, the Villa, the cities, every Circuit community including Cardinar – had struggled for generations to make a safe place, to survive and thrive in the harsh and blighted deserts of the Circuits. And now, with a bit of foreign wealth and foreign expertise, they threw it away and blasted light across the sky to attract the very forces their ancestors died against.
It felt cheap. Expensive, yes, but cheap all the same.
Besides, she had seen what such an amount of magical power could be twisted into, by will or by accident. Even if her outlook on magic was more positive than most, it was still a thing to be wary of. Something to be treated with care and respect. Otherwise, someone would inevitably screw up or abuse it for themselves, and everyone else would have to deal with it.
By the time she had walked the last miles to the city, the lightshow had thankfully stopped and the glow had settled to a less-intense orange-white of streetlight.
The walls of the city were, much like the city inside it, of local quarry, and thus a simple light-brown sandstone. The men and women guarding it – four of whom she saw, standing by the gate – were more interesting by comparison.
Unlike the Grandies in their army fatigues, the Cardinar guard were colorful and, for lack of a better word, ornamented. The black berets on their heads had a small metal bird on their front, with a tiny red gem for an eye. The steel cuirass they wore bore elaborate motifs and, although the wear and tear had made most of them fade already, looked recent and with purpose beyond decoration. The red robes worn underneath them had small symbols made of gold thread on their hem. Their rifles were made of a plain, bone-white wood and a silver barrel etched with geometric patterns.
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
It was a new look for them compared to four years ago. To Sally, it made them look overly ornamental, but she doubted this impression was correct. There was likely some magical or mystical purpose to it all.
As she walked to the gate, the guards kept an eye on her, but didn’t stop her. She’d thankfully arrived before the gate closed for the night, but only just. She was the only and maybe last person to enter this city this late.
While Cardinar was the smallest of the Anteer cities, it was densely packed. Most buildings had two stories to them and some went up to four or five stories high. The illuminated streets leading from the gate to the central plaza were lined with brightly lit stalls, shops and stores for both personal and larger commercial purchases.
Behind the buildings to her right were the caravan grounds. This late in the evening they’d undoubtedly be filled with caravans looking for a safe place to pass the night, but she could only catch rare glimpses of them through alleys.
Behind the buildings to her left were residences and farmland. The former were becoming increasingly tightly packed together, while the latter slowly decreased accordingly. The city’s prosperity meant that more and more people wished to live there, requiring more buildings, decreasing the amount of farm land inside the city walls. This increased the demand for trade, allowed for more people to focus on producing goods to sell to the increase in traders, which would allow the city prosper and more people to live in it, decreasing land, etcetera. A feedback loop that would inevitably drive people up the wall. The city walls, to be exact.
There were still many people wandering the street this late in the evening, looking for places to eat or already purchasing provisions for tomorrow. But the streets were built wide, so she didn’t have to maneuver or shove people around to get to the central plaza.
The central plaza itself was just that: a large, open circle where the major streets met. The street to her left went to the eastern gate – she’d arrived at the northwestern one – while the street she’d walked continued to the docks, churches, industry and filtration plants surrounding the shores of Lake Prior. The road to her right passed led to and beyond the aforementioned caravan ground, ending at the only hill in the city, on top of and surrounding which were the military and other government buildings.
From what Niall had told her back in the day, the city had about two thousand permanent residents – almost all the Villas combined! – and played host to up to a thousand more traders travelling the Grand Circuit. She imagined it had only increased these past years.
It was no surprise, then, that the plaza was a chaotic mess of people running to and fro, animals dragging carts and carriages – both filled and empty ones – with groups patrolling guards keeping an eye on everything.
Thankfully, Sally didn’t have to cross it; her destination was to her direct left.
Lining the plaza between the main street and the road to the eastern gate were the three largest buildings of the city: the Arcanist’s Guild, the Red Bazaar and the Circuit Runner’s Guild. The Arcanist’s and Circuit Runner’s Guilds were built tall with five stories, but compared to the Red Bazaar looked small. The Red Bazaar meanwhile was less tall at three stories in height, but could comfortably fit both guilds twice within its bulk.
Sally went opened the door and went inside the Arcanist’s Guild. The interior was very closed off and simple: a waiting room of chairs and tables on both sides, and a large desk with a single clerk at the center. The rest of the compound was hidden from view by walls and doors.
A little bell jingled and the clerk – a gaunt, middle-aged bald man wearing black robes – looked up.
“Welcome to the Cardinar branch of the Great Leagueran Arcanist Association, Grand Circuit chapter. How may I help you?” Despite the man’s stern and somber appearance, the rehearsed lines and rough voice, the man’s tone was kind and sounded genuine. A good skill for a receptionist to have.
Sally walked to the desk.
“I’m looking for my brother, he’s supposed to be some kind of mage here?” She was never quite clear what he did; the break from the family had been thorough and her visit from four years ago had been a short and cold one. “Goes by Caldwell. Palters, maybe.”
The man stared at her for a second, oddly judging.
Did I say something wrong?
“I do know of a Caldwell, he’s a sorcerer associated with the Guild,” the man emphasized. “You say you are his sister?”
“Yes? Sarah Olivia Palters. Or Sally, if he mentioned me by that name.” She replied, not expecting the pushback. “I’ve been here before, about four years ago. Don’t you keep a registry or record or something?” They certainly seem the type to keep track every little thing.
His gaze made her twitchy, hands itching towards her holster subconsciously. She certainly wasn’t planning on using it, but she was strangely on edge. Maybe it’s the magic?
“Mister Caldwell certainly did mention you, and your family – but nothing positive, I assure you. Now, is there a reason behind this unexpected visit? If not, the door is right behind.” The judgement clearer now, and would be understandable if it weren’t for the circumstances.
“A reason? You think telling him his sister survived that genocide isn’t reason enough?” She asked, part of her surprised and part of her getting increasingly angry.
Wasn’t it good news he still had at least one family member left, despite the split? Surely Caldwell wouldn’t be that spiteful.
“What?” The clerk blinked, leaning backward and hostility fading to incomprehension.
“What ‘what’?” She leaned in, venom on her lips. “The Erling incursions, the death of two Villas, the Palters name, nothing rings a bell? You been living under a rock or something? The city guard- hell, members of your own guild were mobilized to deal with it! What do you mean ‘what’?”
A moment of silence reigned over both of them, the dampened noise from the plaza softly filtering in.
The clerk scratched his cheek, embarrassed. “He never did say his family name. Nor that he was from the Villas.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not surprised.” She calmed down and leaned back. A wave of depression snuffed out whatever indignation she’d felt.
Another moment of silence, then the clerk cleared his throat.
“Yes, well, unfortunately, he is not here.” The clerk said, tone much softer than before. “Left quite a while back, not long after your visit if I recall correctly.” The man said before reaching into his desk, grabbing some paper and dipping his pen in an inkwell.
She repressed a sigh and crossed her arms. Nothing can ever be easy, can it.
“Well, where is he now?” She asked, sneaking a glance at the man’s writing.
“Lovesse,” He put a final dot on the paper card, “here, this should help when you get there.” He handed her the card, before diving back under the desk, looking for something else.
She looked at the card. It seemed to be some kind of pre-penned proof or statement of legitimacy, signed with ‘Mage Arlan Jaamsh, Administrator Arcanae Cardinar’.
“Thanks,” She murmured and put the card in her pocket.
“And if you would, could you do me a favor?” Arlan rose back up from under the desk and handed her a scroll-case along with a letter. “Could you deliver this to him? I meant to send it by runner, but had yet to find the time. It is something he’s been wanting for some time now.”
Sally contemplated the request for a second. He hadn’t made a good impression on her, though she could admit it was through no fault of his own. Perhaps in return for giving her that card?
“Could help you reconnect?” He said, seeing her hesitate.
“Fine,” she said. She whipped her shoulder bag to her front, opened the zipper and pushed it forward. Arlan deposited both items in the bag. “Thanks for the card.” She turned around and headed for the door.
“Have a safe journey. And give him my regards.”
She gave the man a thumbs up before stepping outside, the noise of busy people greeting her. She still had a number of things to do, but for now, she just wanted some rest.