Akai finished giving orders to one of her employees and turned to face the students. “There will be twenty men waiting for us when we leave here. They will help with anything we need.”

“We?” Yaric asked.

“Optics,” Akai answered honestly. “Centurions get bundled together; I want to make sure I’m not associated with any of the troublemakers. Best way to do that is to help put a stop to their plans.”

“Criminals,” Lauren corrected firmly. “People are having their homes and businesses destroyed, and it’s not by some troublemakers.”

Akai nodded in reply, looking thoughtful.

“Let’s go! We have lots to do today.” Li Na was already making for the door, dragging Sankar along with her.

Many gamblers watched the procession with interest, particularly when they were met by a large group of security that simply fell in behind them.

“We aren’t going to try and stop you from following us, but be warned, you are not with us. You have no authority to do anything,” Sven said, making their position clear.

“I know. I’m just here to provide information and additional hands if necessary.”

Lloyd caught up to them outside the door. “It’s confirmed. Naphtha was used in the other arson attacks. A location spell puts that bottle as the only other source within range,” he added, pointing to the bottle in Yaric’s hand. “What are all these people for?”

An unusually large crowd was gathered outside, making it easy for Sven to explain what Akai was doing. Her employees had evidently been spreading the word as well, which was cause for concern. It was possible that Leandro would be warned. Either way, Sankar was still muttering curses under his breath as they made their way to the estate, guided by Akai and her guards.

“Ow,” Sankar shouted.

“You need to watch your mouth, or you’ll get another one.”

“Lina, you can’t just hit him.”

“I didn’t just hit him.”

“Stupid crazy bi… Ow!” Sankar shouted, after Li Na cuffed him over the head again.

“What’s with this kid anyway?” Li Na asked. “I know he’s just the idiot they sent so they wouldn’t be caught, but he’s like one of those villains in a kid’s story. Constantly threatening everyone and telling us all about his big plans. It doesn’t matter that we don’t actually need him to put a stop to all of this, we could have used him if we didn’t have everything we need.”

“He’s not like a villain,” Lauren replied. “He’s being used just like everyone else. And he doesn’t believe he’s wrong.”

“I’m not!” Sankar protested. “Those squatters have no right to… Ow!”

“See? He’s been lied to. Most of this is just because he’s angry.”

“Yeah, how does a kid get so angry?” Li Na asked, turning back to Sankar.

“I can help there,” Akai interrupted. “He’s grown up as a Centurion. That means he’s lived with ridicule his whole life. Sankar has only ever really seen those people as outsiders who make fun of him.”

“It can’t be that bad. Most of the people we spoke to would never laugh at a kid for working to retire,” Li Na protested.

“Most, maybe. But if it’s even five percent? One in twenty mock him his whole life, and he can’t really tell who is in which group?”

“I’ve seen people make jokes before,” Lauren admitted. “But it’s never been about retiring or working for a century. It’s always been about Centurions who never talk about anything else.”

“Maybe,” Akai acknowledged. “That doesn’t change anything for a child. And we’re taught that way. You think we’re retiring early, but we’re not. Most humans work their whole lives, which is a career of what, fifty years? We plan to work double that. If we want to retire well, we need to capitalize on every single year. It’s hard to stay motivated to put in that much effort over such a long period. So the goal gets mentioned constantly, as a reminder and to provide motivation. We’re deliberately taught to have it constantly on our minds just so we can have a chance at success. Many fail.”

This time it was Lauren’s turn to acknowledge a point. “I’d never seen it from that view. None of the elves I know are Centurions. Actually, I think most are against it.”

Akai sighed. “They’re not really against it, it’s just a philosophy. The problem is humans and dwarves are very conscious of it, and I bet those elves have been asked if they’re Centurions before, probably many times. A small number of Centurions also behave badly, creating a bad reputation for all of us, one that even manages to impact other elves like those friends of yours. I can understand how we can inconvenience them.”

“Well I like it!” Li Na declared. “No working, just enjoying life, that’s how it should be.”

Akai smiled, but Lauren was quick to point out Li Na’s mistake. “They’re called Centurion’s Lina, not retirees. Because the focus is on one hundred years of earning money by working extra hard.”

“Yeah, well, no one is perfect.”

“We’re much better than your stupid… Ow!”

“He has a lot of anger for someone who gets teased,” Lauren admitted.

Akai gave her a sad look. “I was always taught that there were misunderstandings between myself and the others, and that I shouldn’t blame them or I’m doing the same thing. Knowing what we do about his uncle, I think it’s most likely that he’s been taught outsiders are the problem and the cause of all his problems. He’s been raised to be angry at…”

“I was just told the truth! Those people deserve… Ow!”

“It’s easy to convince people that someone else is to blame for all their problems,” Sven said. “People in power use it all the time, especially if they’re the ones causing all the problems. You know the bad economy and broken infrastructure we have? It’s not because I’m mismanaging it and embezzling money, it’s because those different people over the border are targeting us, we need to pull together and resist. Same if it’s just natural causes. Your problems aren’t just bad luck and a few mistakes. You’re the target of a plot, and you’re suffering because you’re the victim of a crime. It’s an exceptionally easy lie to believe if it makes someone else responsible for any problems you experience. Now make that person a young kid as well.”

“Sounds like lots of people are at fault,” Lauren conceded, to which Akai nodded.

“I’m not!” Li Na pointed out, cuffing Sankar again.

“Ow!”

“Either way, please go easy on him. I doubt they meant for him to be directly involved in starting the fires, so if anyone got caught, he wouldn’t be implicated. But he’s obviously been enjoying starting the fires personally, and they’re going to blame him for everything that happens now.”

It didn’t take much longer to get to the private road leading to the estate. A large gate sat across the road, but the gate was already open, and the single guard said nothing when they entered, making Yaric concerned. Nothing happened however, not even when they entered the exquisite gardens on the way to the opulent building at the end.

“Please note that this estate is protected under the laws of the Kingdom,” the servant at the front door said immediately upon seeing them. “Furthermore, we are still within the boundaries of Lekton, and as such fall under their jurisdiction.”

“We’re here to see one Leandro Iwamoto,” Sven announced. “As official students of Lekton on Academy business,” he added after the servant stood waiting for clarification.

It wasn’t necessary in the end, as Leandro had evidently heard of the large group and decided that he should investigate. A small entourage surrounded him.

“I am Leandro Iwamoto, master of the estate. What can I do for Lekton Academy?” he asked, having overheard Sven’s explanation.

“We’re here regarding the recent attacks on businesses and farms along the river.”

“I’ve heard about those, a horrible business. I’ve even made one or two offers to those who may want to leave,” Leandro replied, believing his offers may have looked suspicious and brought the investigation to his door.

“We weren’t aware of the offers, so thank you for informing us,” Yaric replied. “We’ve also been informed that you are aware of your position within Lekton’s boundaries, putting you within the city’s jurisdiction. Both have been noted.”

Leandro frowned.

“Your nephew was caught committing arson,” Li Na declared, marching around the group of people and pulling the guilty party with her, closely followed by his accomplices.”

“Caught committing arson, or found near a fire? There’s a big difference.”

“Both. Caught running from the fire with all these bottles,” Li Na stated with a grin.

“Bottles of whatever kind are not proof that he started the fires, miss,” Leandro replied condescendingly.

“Nope. It wasn’t. Not until spells were used to prove the oils and stuff were used to start the fires.”

Leandro struggled to keep a sneer off his face. “You four are barely old enough to be Novices, let alone Apprentices, are you telling me that you know such magic?” Leandro asked, showing a surprising amount of knowledge in the process.

Lloyd cleared his throat loudly.

“And you are?”

“High Wizard Chen, of Lekton Academy.”

Leandro looked like he’d been sucker punched.

“Yeah, he ‘knows such magic,” Li Na added, imitating Leandro’s voice at the end. “Besides, Angry Boy confessed.”

“He did?” Leandro’s friends were now muttering amongst themselves behind him. “Well, he is just a child. I would like to request that we be allowed to handle his punishment.”

“His crimes involve the destruction of a lot of property, with the help of these people,” Yaric replied, gesturing to Sankar’s accomplices, “who I believe we will easily be able to confirm as your employees. This isn’t something that you can simply handle.”

“No, of course not. And yes, they are my employees. Or rather, were. They may have even been responsible for leading my nephew astray. Either way, he is impressionable and prone to conspiracy.” Leandro looked reluctant for a moment, but after a brief pause, he added, “Do as you must.”

None of the arsons took that announcement lightly, least of all Sankar.

“This is your fault!”

“We were doing what we were told!”

“You can’t leave us!”

Leandro shook his head sadly. “It would seem that they expected to be shielded from the law. I will have to increase security as it is clear to me that they will seek revenge in some way.”

“No need,” Yaric said, before turning to face Lloyd. “Can you do it from here?”

“Of course.” Lloyd reached out his hand for the bottle of naphtha.

Staring into the bottle, he raised a drop into the air and released his spell, never once closing his eyes or seeming to put much attention into casting. Two beams of light shone from the suspended droplet, one down into the bottle, and one into the wall at the end of the grand entrance hall.

“What is this?” Leandro asked, pointing to the glowing blue line going past his shoulder.

“Evidence of a crime,” Lauren replied. “More than enough for us to search the place.”

No one objected when she followed the light inside, followed closely by the others. They had to search rooms to find where the light passed through, going through door after door, but the light was easy to follow once they found the first one.

“How is the light going through walls?” Yaric asked Lloyd quietly.

“It’s not. I just made the air passing between the shorted path emit light. The whole line is making the light.”

The path eventually brought them outside to a large garden, where the beam met the wall of a small, very secure-looking building on the other side, though this time very low to the ground. Leandro looked worried.

“I must mention that we keep important business information in there, private information.”

“No one will touch anything not related to the investigation,” Lloyd assured him, though Li Na raised her eyebrows.

“Business stuff is kept out here, and not in that mansion place?”

The padlocks fell away as Lloyd approached, and the door swung open just as they arrived. Inside the ceiling was made of glass, illuminating the room, while the beam led to some barrels stacked in the corner. A large table was strewn with schematics and building plans.

“This is naphtha,” Lauren confirmed, checking the barrels.

“And the issue is?”

“Naphtha was used to start the fires, and no one else has any. It’s expensive.”

“Ah, so my nephew stole from the storehouse. I suppose I may be liable for a fine,” Leandro sighed.

“What as all this naphtha intended for?” Lauren asked casually.

“Oh, uh… I’m not really sure.”

“When we look into who bought it, whose name will we find?”

“Well, mine, of course. I just don’t remember what it was for.”

“All the normal uses require very small quantities,” Sven mused, staring at the drawings on the table. “You don’t own any properties on the river, do you?”

“No, though I made some offers as I mentioned earlier.”

“These drawings are for properties on the river. All of them. This one even includes some kind of boat club where the current docks are.”

“A man can have dreams.”

Most of Leandro’s entourage were looking even more concerned than Leandro, some were outright scared.

“Let’s cut the crap,” Li Na declared. “You must have guessed that Angry Boy told us about your plans to take over all the land and build a resort. Now we…”

“We are doing no such thing!”

“Now we have abnormal quantities of the same chemical he used to start the fires, sitting in a room full of building plans for a resort, just like he claimed. How do you think this is going to go?”

“I think my name will be dragged through the mud when you present all this evidence for trial, but it will likely never be fully sullied, as you have no actual proof as to who is responsible for this, since everyone living their earned life has access. It could be any of them, and we’ll likely never know who. Unfortunately, I think you’ll find that no one will be punished if you can’t prove guilt. Well, Sankar will be punished.”

Lloyd stepped forward to speak, but Yaric beat him to it.

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“This is technically our job done, so Lekton will take over as an official city investigation to find out the specifics of who did what. It might be difficult, but they have an enthusiastic young witness who can point them in the right direction. Centurions who started burning down neighbors’ houses and businesses so they could build a private resort for themselves and others like them – it’s going to be the talk of the city. I’m sure the pressure on them will be intense -I doubt it will take long before convictions start coming in. It certainly won’t go away, not with all the victims here.

“But as we explained to Sankar outside, there are two things to consider. One, you attacked neighboring farms and businesses, so you’re looking at having your rights to own land taken from you. You’ll never experience true retirement, not the way you interpret it anyway. And two, they will be under pressure to get results. Saving them time would likely result in a reduced sentence for whichever one of you chooses to cooperate first. It’s probably the only chance you have to keep your land and live the rest of your life as you expected to.”

Lloyd smiled, having intended to say something very similar.

The other elves were looking between each other, some still fearful, though now afraid of their friends, while others looked accusingly from one elf to another, as if they were about to be betrayed.

“I wonder who will be first,” Li Na teased loudly.

Sven began gathering up the drawings, while Lloyd helped Lauren by lifting the barrels into the air and having them float behind when they left. Leandro didn’t say another word to them, instead choosing to stand to one side with the other elves and have an angry-looking discussion.

They were still arguing furiously when the students left, ignoring around them to continue shouting at one another.

Akai was waiting outside the front door with her people, trying to be as inconspicuous as she could. Only then did Yaric realize that while she had been very open about her desire to be seen by the people around her business, she likely didn’t want to be noticed by Leandro or any other Centurion on the estate.

Her guards took over escorting the arsonists and carrying the drums, which Akai made sure was very visible to all on the way back. She even locked everything inside her business while guards were fetched from the city.

It took over an hour to get enough guards organized, but the official in charge, Theodore, looked very eager to prosecute the case. He even had the foresight to bring another official, an elf, to keep the fact that the guilty party was well-known Centurions from becoming too much of an issue. Shanta was not a Centurion herself, but that didn’t make the gesture any less effective, and she seemed as eager to prosecute as Theodore did, if not more so. Many humans and dwarves had a poor view of Centurions, even though it was usually undeserved, but they seldom seemed to know that only a small minority of elves lived that way, and often treated all elves as if they were Centurions.

The rest of the day was spent handing over the evidence and filing an official report. Every single event had to be recorded, along with their entire investigation and everything they had found. Sankar gave all the evidence he could once it was confirmed that they wouldn’t be looking to take away his right to own land, so long as he cooperated fully. His accomplices were promised reduced sentences as well, so long as they could provide useful information.

Yaric and the others arrived back at the Academy just after dark, even after using the carriage again.

“Well done you four. For a first and last chaperoned investigation, that wasn’t bad.”

Li Na grinned.

“Unfortunately I had to interfere too much, so I probably won’t be allowed to do this again. At least not officially. But you better get your report filed. Just use your copy of the official report Theodore made, it’s completely valid and includes everything. And have a good night.”

Lloyd waved and walked away, heading for his own residence. The others were less enthused about the paperwork, but Lloyd’s suggestion was accurate, the official report was accepted in seconds and the entire process was completed in two minutes.

No one said much that evening. The city’s investigation would have to be completed before anyone knew exactly who had been involved, and a trial would determine what the restitution and penalties would be, and that would likely take several weeks.

Still, there were a few questions the next day, as there always were after they came back from an appeal. The incident with the skathári left most of the class desensitized to things like catching teenagers after they set fire to a barn, so it wasn’t too bad. That changed as word spread within the city, until it became a massive scandal that everyone was talking about. It soon spread within the campus grounds as well, making their entire class interested in the subject.

Just three weeks later they were called to testify. Someone had turned, giving the officials everything. A small courthouse had even been set up near the docks, as most of the victims would find it difficult to travel back and forth. Yaric suspected that they also hoped to discourage spectators from within Lekton proper.

They recounted their experiences on three separate days, simply repeating what had been in the report and occasionally confirming individual identities against those present. Even Lloyd had to testify once.

The fourth time they were called to attend it was simply to observe. The victims were to be awarded damages, and Yaric and the others waited eagerly to see what Corey and Lucy would receive. The judgment was quick.

“Full value for all items damaged, in addition to the punitive damages,” the judge ordered, before going through each item one by one and listing the amount to be received. It was the maximum possible recompense. Corey seemed to be shocked, as he sat with a wooden face throughout, simply thanking the judge once he was done.

The rest of the victims were just as quick, leaving Yaric and his friends with nothing to do by lunchtime.

“Let’s go visit Lucy,” Lauren suggested. “I want to see how far they’ve got with repairing everything.”

“You kids go,” Lloyd suggested, shooing them away. “I have to stay to answer questions with the judge.”

“Race you there!” Li Na shouted, already running.

It didn’t take long to make it to the farm, where several slightly charred planks surrounded fresh wood. The damaged planks had been replaced, leaving an odd-looking circle of black around the new planks, though obviously the equipment like the plow still lay shattered and broken. Barely three hours had passed since the money had been handed over, after all.

Lucy looked downcast when she opened the door.

“Ah, it’s you four. Thank you for trying to help us, your effort meant a lot,” she said softly, putting on a brave smile.

Lauren was having none of it. “What’s wrong? Didn’t you receive the compensation?”

“Oh yes, thank you.”

“So you can fix the farm now?”

“Well… we received compensation for the value of the equipment that was destroyed. It covers the cost of those items if we had to sell them, not if we had to buy new items to replace them, so no, unfortunately we still won’t be able to get the farm running again, not as things are.”

“I’m sorry ma’am, but there’s something you’re not telling us. Where is Corey? Is he okay?”

Yaric could hear the concern in Lauren’s voice.

“I just don’t want any of you to think less of us. You see, we’re going to lose the farm, and we have nothing else. We’ve discussed it, there isn’t anything we could do… at least this way, there’s a chance.”

“This way?”

“My husband is trying to get the money we need. It could work. And he isn’t going to risk anything we aren’t already going to lose.”

Yaric felt himself get jerked backward by his belt. Li Na pulled Lauren back as well.

“Come on, we need to go,” she insisted, pulling them toward the road.

Lauren looked back at Lucy and waved, shouting, “We’ll be back soon!” before Li Na could drag her too far.

“What are you doing?!” she asked, whirling angrily at Li Na.

“We need to get to the gambling den! Corey’s betting the farm.”

----------------------------------------

Corey was seated at a dice game, an intense look of concentration on his face. Security intercepted Li Na when they tried to approach, pointing to the sign on the table that said ‘Private Game’. A small placard stating the rules and rewards had a note in front of it that simply stated, ’10 coppers – 10 rounds – Private’.

Every few rolls Corey would place another ten copper coins on the table, keeping the table private and the game going. Yaric and the others could do nothing but watch.

The gambling wasn’t entirely one-sided, as Corey won several rounds, but Li Na swore soon after Corey bet the maximum ten silvers and lost.

“Those dice were loaded. He keeps switching dice. I bet he only cheats to make sure he wins the big ones.”

“So we just have to call security then.”

“Nah, he switches immediately after every roll, we’ll never get them here in time. It’s normal anyway, meant to make sure no one thinks anyone can have an advantage from a particular set of dice.”

“How can specific sets give an advantage.”

Li Na shrugged. “People are weird.”

Lloyd found them after an hour, at which point they explained what had happened. Lloyd looked regretful, but he pointed out that it was their choice. Even with the cheating.

The dealer who owned the table had cheated four more times already, only when the bet was big, but the numbers were in his favor. Corey had also lost all of his original money already, prompting him to put up his farm to continue. Guards had been summoned and a value set, and they were now blazing through game after game, with Corey slowly losing everything.

Every time he started coming out ahead, he’d start making bigger bets. And every time he started making bigger bets, he would lose the next roll and Li Na would curse under her breath.

It took another two, long, agonizing hours, but Corey eventually ran out of collateral. He stood up with an empty expression on his face and started for the door, ignoring their calls. Sven stepped in front of him to get his attention, only to have Corey sidestep around him and continue walking, his dead-looking eyes not even noticing who it was.

“Lina?” Yaric asked, reading through the large list of rules put up all around the gambling den while he did.

“Yeah?”

“Those loaded dice. Is there a way around them?”

“Yeah?”

“Can you do it?”

…

After waiting in silence for several seconds, Yaric turned to look for her, only to find her glaring at him like he was stupid.

“Go get the same table and start playing,” he said, making Li Na switch to an instant grin.

Lauren walked closer and lowered her voice. “What’s going on?”

Yaric looked between her and Sven for a moment. “I need whatever money you have on you.”

Both handed over a leather bag. Yaric took them and added his own, before turning to Lloyd. “Do you think you could get this changed for us?”

“Changed into what?”

Yaric explained what he wanted and went to join Li Na.

“Two evens,” she said confidently, throwing her dice.

Two and six.

Li Na carefully added another ten copper coins in front of the owner of the table, making sure their private game would continue.

The game continued for another fifteen minutes, and Li Na was definitely ahead, even though she tested with a large bet and immediately got a set of loaded dice. Only this time, she immediately stated she would roll a one and four, which she did, earning herself a large payout. The look on the table owner's face when she made her call made it clear that he knew she would roll exactly that even before he lost.

Reading the rules again, Yaric noted the payouts for each bet.

Predict odds and evens: Double your bet

Predict exact sum of dice: Triple your bet

Predict exact numbers on dice: Five times your bet

Li Na made a massive score, though only relative to her bet. She was still betting copper coins, nowhere near the maximum per roll.

Bet limit: 5 Silver

That is until Lloyd returned with their bags. And another bag, which was just a small sack of flour only half filled. Even Lloyd looked confused and awkward holding that.

Opening them, Yaric found exactly five silver bars, and not a coin more. There likely hadn’t been enough, so Lloyd had probably added the difference to get them exactly five bars. Yaric placed them on the table with a flourish.

“Sorry kids, max bet is five silver coins.”

“No,” Yaric retorted, pointing at his rules, “it’s five silver. This is five silver.”

Li Na’s eyes grew wide.

The owner snatched his own card, reading it carefully. “No reasonable person would believe this means five silver bars,” he replied.

Without breaking eye contact, Yaric pointed at the wall on his left. “All games are to be played by the rules as stated. All rules are as stated, no interpretations allowed. All parties must stick to the rules at all times.”

“Do we have a problem here?” a security guard asked, approaching the table.

The owner squirmed slightly, looking very uncomfortable.

“His rules state the max bet is five silver, we bet five silver,” Lauren explained, pointing between the card still in the owner's hand and the five silver bars on the table.

The security guard raised his eyebrows. “Really, Ralph?”

“Who even carries silver bars?”

The security guard didn’t reply, instead repeating his previous question. “Do we have a problem here?”

“No, no. Everything’s fine. The bet is valid.”

Ralph still didn’t look very comfortable, but he also didn’t look very worried. Placing a cup with two dice on the table, he turned back to Li Na. “Make your bet.”

“Two odds,” Li Na declared, rolling the dice. The lack of reaction on Ralph’s face made it clear that either Li Na had messed up, or he wasn’t willing to risk using loaded dice in front of the security guard.

Two five’s. Ralph’s eye twitched.

“All good?” the guard asked one final time, looking between Li Na and Ralph.

“Yeah.”

“Yesss…”

The guard walked away while Li Na made a show of taking ten more copper coins from her own bag and securing another ten rolls on top of those she still had left. Then she tapped the five silver bars still sitting on the table. “Same bet.”

Ralph glanced sideways at the retreating guard and placed another cup on the table, scooping up the previous dice in seconds.

Li Na picked up the dice and shook them vigorously. “Two and four,” she declared, throwing as she finished.

Yaric knew instantly that she’d bet right, as Ralph’s entire face was completely expressionless except for his eyes, which widened in shock as he heard her bet.

Two and four.

“Same bet.”

Li Na bet odds on the next four throws, only winning once. Still, she was far ahead. Then came another cup that made Li Na change her bet.

“Double threes.”

This time Ralph couldn’t hide his shock, even though he shouldn’t be able to know what would happen before the dice stopped rolling.

Li Na smirked triumphantly, once again up another twenty-five silver bars.

After that, the game went back to betting on both being odds. She technically had only a one in three chance of being correct, but Li Na still edged up higher and higher over the next twenty minutes. Then Ralph tried again.

“One and four.”

All the blood drained from Ralph’s face as Li Na earned another twenty-five silver bars. His eyes narrowed accusingly.

“You’re cheating.”

“Oh, let’s check!” Li Na replied excitedly, snatching up the dice she had just thrown with one hand and raising her other, trying to get the attention of a security guard.

“No! No, it’s fine. I was wrong,” Ralph quickly said, holding out his hand. He was sweating now like he’d spent all day running. “What do you want?” he asked weakly.

“I want to roll dice,” Li Na explained sweetly.

“I know you know. What do you want?”

“Well, you did cheat a poor farmer out of his farm.”

“That farm is worth more than you’ve earned.”

“So far… And you cheated.”

“I nudged the game along, so what?”

Yaric leaned over Li Na’s shoulder to interrupt. “So you took a desperate man’s farm from him, cheating to make sure he lost everything.”

“Do you have any idea how he and his wife are doing right now? What they’re going through?” Lauren asked angrily, leaning over Li Na’s other shoulder.

“It’s a gambling den. He came in here knowing what would most likely happen. He chose to play under these rules.”

“He did,” Sven acknowledged from behind everyone. “And you chose to let him keep going even when it was clear that he was betting everything he had. You chose to take it all.”

“Same bet,” Li Na smirked, tapping the bars.

“You can’t,” Ralph whispered, his voice pleading with them. “I can’t even sell the farm for anything near what it’s worth.”

“Same bet.”

Ralph’s hand shook as he handed over another cup.

Li Na shook the dice for several seconds. “Double twos!”

This time Ralph looked puzzled, but his eyes grew wide when the dice came to a stop.

Two and two.

“But…” he began spluttering.

Li Na added another ten copper coins to the side of the table.

“That,” Yaric declared, pointing at Ralph.

“What?” Ralph’s voice was shaky and weak, and his face had taken on a sickly-looking tinge.

“That’s the answer to her question. That’s how Corey and Lucy feel right now.”

“Look, you can have the farm, so long as you agree to stop playing. No more rolls.”

Ralph sounded desperate, and even Lloyd was smiling now. His student had got an innocent man his farm back. Well, not exactly innocent. He had chosen to gamble everything, and he probably would have lost it even if he’d ended up at a table that didn’t cheat. But he also had lost the farm to a cheat. This at least reset the score.

“No.”

Lloyd’s smile dropped. He stared at Yaric, surprised by his refusal, and shocked by his next words.

“That isn’t enough.”

“How much then?”

“Don’t act so wounded, losing the farm you won through cheating is just losing the hours you spent cheating. It doesn’t cost you anything. And you cheat everyone who comes to your table, not just desperate farmers.”

“So how much will this cost me then?”

“Lina, if you ignore all the cheating, where are you now?”

“Up eight bars,” she smirked. “And some coin.”

That was drastically less than the hundred or so bars she was officially owed, particularly since she could just keep going.

Yaric started whispering with Sven for a few seconds until Sven waved his hand uncertainly and quietly mumbled back, “Around eleven.”

“Four more,” Yaric said, turning to Li Na.

“Fine. Same bet.”

Ralph handed over more dice, and this time Li Na lost. They played fourteen rounds before Li Na sat back triumphantly, having called ‘odd and even’ on the last roll and winning.

“Twelve bars ahead now.”

Yaric looked at Ralph. “The twelve silver bars Lina won fairly, and the farm. And we never play here again. Unless,” he hurriedly added, “unless we catch you cheating again.”

Ralph looked sick, but he nodded tentatively. Seeing the agreement all around, Ralph waved the security guard back over.

“Please take these kids to see Mistress Akai, I need her to cover my bet while I fetch the balance.”

The guard scowled. “I warned you, Ralph.” He waved over more guards. “You will be escorted while you fetch our money.” Then he turned to the students in a much more friendly manner and asked them to follow him.

Li Na scooped up their five original bars and all her coins before getting up to chase after the guard, grinning as if she’d just won the house. Which in a very real way, she had.

Yaric took the sack of flour from Lloyd and Lauren snatched the farm’s title from Ralph, then all four followed the guard up to the office.

Akai was shocked to discover why they were there.

“Really? And this was all above board?”

“No, it wasn’t,” Yaric admitted. “But we put a stop to the cheating and even earned twelve silver bars.”

“You mean I did.”

“Whose money did you use?” Lauren asked Li Na.

Ignoring them, Yaric explained a little further. “He has a few pairs of loaded dice; we can tell which… Lina can tell which they are. I doubt he’ll be using them again though.”

“Still.” Akai looked angry, but not at the students. She gave a knowing look to the security guard who’d brought them up.

“Just so you know, we came to an agreement, he’s lost a lot of money over this. He hasn’t exactly gotten away.”

“Maybe, but I’m more concerned about cheating in the future,” she said, watching her assistant count out twelve silver bars. “Would you like a bag?”

“I have one,” Yaric replied, dropping each bar one by one into the sack, until it looked like it might rip along the seams. “Thank you!”

“No, thank you. That’s twice you’ve helped me avoid a potentially embarrassing, and costly, uh, misunderstanding. I won’t forget it.”

“It’s just our job,” Lauren explained.

“This was your job.”

“Ah…”

“It was adjacent to it,” Sven clarified.

They quickly said their goodbyes and rushed out into the courtyard, making for the door as quickly as they could. Lloyd joined them at the door, looking very worried.

“What are you four doing?” he asked as they started up to the road. “I’m glad you got that couple’s farm back, but all that extra money? You know you don’t need it, right?”

“We didn’t do anything wrong,” Li Na protested, snatching the heavy flour sack from Yaric.

“No, legally everything was… well, it was very grey actually. But I’m more concerned about why you did that. Even if it’s perfectly legal, and you took money that had essentially been stolen. You need to understand that many wizards fall into that trap. If you start looking to make money for…” Lloyd trailed off, looking around. He’d turned right at the road, to head back to the Academy, but the students hadn’t followed.

Looking back, they had turned left instead, heading away from home.

“Where are you four going?” he shouted.

“We have a farm to visit,” Yaric called back over his shoulder.

“And a title to deliver,” Lauren smiled, waving the papers above her head.

“We heard the farmers don’t have enough money to repair the equipment they need to run their farm,” Sven added, turning to face Lloyd but still walking swiftly backward.

“Yeah! We think they might need a bag of flour for the strength to get the farm going!” Li Na started swinging the bag until a small ripping noise made her grab the base in a panic. A small circle of white flour was flung into the air during last swing.

Lloyd stopped to watch them walk quickly away, laughing and occasionally shoving each other. Li Na got a face full of flour when the arc above her head came back down, causing even more laughter.

He couldn’t help but remember something he’d been told when he was a small boy, centuries ago. No one had even known he was an arcanist at the time, but the Mage who would one day be his mentor had still taken him aside after he’d been in a fight, the first real fight of his life. Also the first real beating of his life, but that was beside the point. Even after all these centuries, he could still hear the words like they’d just been spoken.

‘And Lloyd? I’m proud of you. What you did today… it was what a mage would do.’

“History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes,” Lloyd whispered, watching the four students walk off into the distance. “But… wizards. They’re definitely going to be wizards.”

Lloyd turned to the waiting carriage, whistling as he walked.