The Queen of Immergrun stood out among those in her court. Her necklace of jade, with a ruby centerpiece, matched the beauty of her radiant countenance. The rose gold crown that adorned her head was in sharp contrast to the rest of her outfit with its simplicity, but its shine could be seen from a mile off. Intricate patterns of green vines and dark red grapes decorated her white silk robes. Not even King Titus in all his glory was as decorated as this woman. Her throne, upholstered with fine silk cushions, matched her crown.

Johannes leaned over to Lucullus and whispered, “Whenever you’re before the Queen, you must remember to genuflect, and stay kneeling until she points her scepter at us and says ‘ansteigen’.” He leaned over to Aela and whispered, “Don’t expect Dasosan to ever be spoken in the high courts of Immergrun. You’ll have to translate for Lucullus. Speak to him in Altum, and to the Queen in our tongue; never do it in Dasosan.”

As the three reached the foot of the throne they were met with the Queen’s guards, who bade them to go no further. The Queen called out to them and planted the bottom of her scepter on the ground in front of her throne. Johannes quietly snapped his fingers at the other two, leading them in genuflecting before the Queen. He proceeded to introduce them to her as he made his opening statements. The Queen showed slight disgust at hearing Aela’s name, but remained cordial.

She ignored the Queen’s disapproval of her presence and continued translating for Lucullus as Johannes explained the reason for his companions.

Upon hearing of why Lucullus had journeyed from Lucium, the Queen stood up at once from her throne and pointed her scepter, saying, “Ansteigen.” She descended the steps of her throne and spoke in a loud voice, “Loben Sie die großen Beobachter!” That is, Praise the Savra.

They all stood up, and Johannes continued speaking with the Queen, but she requested to speak with Lucullus. He stepped aside and allowed Lucullus to come forward with Aela.

She handed her scepter to a servant, and called for another to come and translate Lucullus’s words. “Tell me, young Altum, are you the prophesied savior of the Savronites? The great unifier of the divisions?”

“Your people say that I am.”

She hesitated, and smiled. “Tell me this: have you been visited by a spirit three times?”

Lucullus stepped back. “How did you know?”

“My dear Altum friend, the prophecies from early in the First Era have foretold all things. From the very beginning, the Great Reconciliation was prophesied, and now I see the signs. The words of the prophets are being fulfilled.”

Lucullus’s darted over to Aela, and he mouthed, “What a strange people.”

“Johannes has done well to bring you to me. But now I must know… what did this spirit tell you?”

“No,” he declared while waving his hands and shaking his head. “I can’t reveal such things.”

She moved a few steps closer to him. “Why?”

“I have promised to do a great deed for my people, and to speak publicly on it would jeopardize everything.”

“Who in here would cause you grief or disrupt your efforts at all because of what you say?”

“I’ve seen Chaodites lurking in the highest places in my homeland. I know what they can do.” His expression turned grim.

Her smile faded as she returned to her seat. “I see. Since you are preoccupied with Johannes’s work, I will have to call on you later for questioning where no Chaodites lurk.” She dismissed her servant, and resumed her conversation with Johannes.

After some time, she dismissed the three, and had one of her servants lead them to the guest rooms to stay the night. They settled in, putting their gear by the bedside, and relaxing after a long journey back to the capital.

Lucullus tossed his boots on the floor and laid down on his bed. “That was quite strange,” he mumbled to himself.

“I heard the Queen mention a discovery from the Countess of Seegang,” Aela said. “Where exactly is it?”

“There’s a Diebstahl den in a small mountain in the Countess’s land. It’s really closer to a hill than a mountain, but it’s the tallest point in all of Immergrun.”

“I’ve heard of that place from my studies. Wolbung. I remember reading of the vast network of caves and tunnels under it.”

“That is precisely why the Diebstahl set roots there. And because of the labyrinth-like structure of this network, no one has dared to take it from them. They know the layout. But we’re not going in completely blind. Queen Gertrude has managed find some old maps from when that place was an active mine.”

“I have to wonder why it’s no longer a mine,” Lucullus added.

“There’s more than one reason for the Diebstahl settled there, Johannes answered”

“Settled?”

“It was a nice way to put it. The miners eventually abandoned it after so many involuntary tributes going to their wonderful neighbors. The casualties that often went with such tributes didn’t help either.”

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

“What sort of ore was being mined?”

“Silver. Potentially the greatest silver mine in the world.”

Lucullus narrowed his eyes. “And the whole of Immergrun accepted these barbarians taking such a place?”

“There was only so much we could do. Most men fit for combat were fighting in the Great Schism War, and before that our numbers were thinned in the Thalassan Wars. That was also partly to blame for the rise of the Diebstahl. When Alaric, my boss, formed the Kampfergilde, I gladly followed him. And our very efforts today and onward shall free Immergrun from the bonds of the Diebstahl.”

Aela walked over to Lucullus and sat beside him. “Shall we pray?”

He rubbed his forehead. “That might be a good idea. How did you know my symptoms were coming back?”

She giggled. “Did you forget that I can feel energy in the air? Usually I would wait for you to start rubbing your head, but I could feel your Pnevma growing more turbulent with each passing second.”

Johannes interjected, “Your college must have rigorous standards if you’re not a Mystic. There are some Mystics in Immergrun who aren’t nearly as spiritually aware as you are.”

She got up from the bed and prepared a spot on the floor to kneel. “My youth keeps me from such things.”

“Your youth?”

“I am a few months from being nineteen. It takes several years at the college to be given the rank of Mystic. Even the greatest of our Mystics didn’t earn their title until they were twenty-five. I have also yet to master a branch of Mystiko.”

“You Areasites have many strange rules for Mystics.”

“The Rigmatites don’t allow women to be Mystics,” she retorted.

“That practice was made void after the Thalassan Wars,” he responded, slightly agitated.

She knelt on the ground, and motioned for Lucullus to join her. “Praise Aeras.” She put her hands together. “If you would like to join us in prayer, you are welcome to do so.”

“I need to send a letter to the boss, and inform him of our target. Perhaps another time.”

“If you insist.”

Together, Lucullus and Aela went through their routine list of prayers, adding extra repetitions of Cicero’s prayer. They began their prayers at the start of the hour, and spent what remained of it in meditation, with Aela guiding Lucullus through it. Sweat formed along his forehead as some of his painful memories resurfaced. He recalled the events of his life and examined whether each displayed a particular virtue, or its opposing vice. Though he struggled to maintain such mental focus, Aela said prayers for him, that he might gain mental fortitude and patience.

Shortly after the meditations, they sat by the bed and talked to pass some of the time. Lucullus opened his flask and took large gulps of water from it. “How does Pnevma work?”

She looked at him curiously. “Did Cicero not explain it?”

“Only a small amount. I understand the idea, I think. But if my Pnevma is increased by pious acts like prayer and meditation, how are the Chaodites so strong? Why do they reach great power so much easier and quicker than a Savronite?”

Johannes briefly perked up from his writing at hearing such a question.

She smiled. “I can tell the meditations have helped you greatly, Lucullus. I’m not a theologian, but I’ll do my best to explain it.” She took a deep breath. “Power in Mystiko is determined by the flow of Pnevma. It is often compared to a river flowing to the sea. This is an accurate comparison, though imperfect, but to look at just Pnevma would be too narrow of a view. Not much is known about precisely what gives the Chaodite his power, but it isn’t Pnevma. What is more likely is that the spirit of Chaodis takes their soul in exchange for great power. Of course, they still must practice. And I’m certain Chaodis demands prayers and other things in like-manner to him. But such a power would be entirely from Chaodis.”

“How does Chaodis get his power?”

She shrugged. “As I said, I’m not a theologian. I know how it works for us in the physical realm, but the beings of the spiritual realm may have different rules to ours.”

“It would seem that being holy is the key to mastering Mystiko, at least, if you’re not a Chaodite.”

“Don’t be so easily fooled by appearances,” Johannes interjected.

“If prayer and meditation are required for increasing one’s flow of Pnevma, and these are pious acts, wouldn’t it mean that anyone who has become a Mystic would be very holy?”

“I don’t know how it works with Aerasites, but in Immergrun one is not counted among the holy simply for having great Mystiko. Remember what Aela said: practice. You need not be holy to practice a skill. Pnevma may grant a greater potential for your power, but natural talent and practice are both still factors. I have seen some powerful Mystiko users in my day, but so many are still slaves to their passions. They could destroy an army of men without the need of a sword, but they couldn’t deny themselves even on trivial matters.”

Lucullus looked at Aela.

“Why do you think the college, even after seeing Cicero’s letter, so begrudgingly allowed you to use the archives? Why do you think we keep our knowledge under such secrecy?”

“I just assumed it was because of my homeland, my race.”

“If we distrusted the Altum that much, Cicero would never have been admitted. Even though he is half Dasos, being Acredo means that he is also half Altum. He was raised in Lucium. Your homeland may have been a factor, but your race had nothing to do with it. All outsiders, even locals from the villages near the college, are kept out. They may approach the gates with letters and supplies, but we always have our people retrieve them. Cicero’s word was the only reason you weren’t turned away upon asking to enter the archives.”

Johannes added, “Chaodis is the greatest deceiver. Never assume every bright light to be a holy light. He can blind you with things other than his usual darkness.”

“It seems like Pnevma has little impact on Mystiko.”

“Those who have peace of soul, which can only come from frequent prayer and meditation on virtues, use Mystiko with little trouble even to the highest degree of its usage.”

“I’m only more confused.”

“I could attempt a powerful spell, one far beyond what you have ever seen me use. It may not even work correctly, but even if it does, it would leave me feeling a great weakness.”

“Weakness? Would it hurt you?”

She nodded. “It would be exceedingly painful. Others with greater pain tolerance than I could hide it to some extent, but it would still weaken them. Imagine traveling three days through the mountains completely fasted. With a turbulent soul, using powers of the spiritual realm will bring the body to ruin. These users are powerful, but what you don’t see is cost that follows.”

“From my understanding, greater Pnevma is like a spiritual food.”

“In effect, yes. The more you give to the Savra, the more gifts they will give you. If you feed your soul, then using powers from the spiritual realm will be easier than breathing. You, too, can benefit greatly from these spiritual exercises. The Savra may even bestow greater benefits to you than even the greatest Mystic.”

Throughout their remaining days at the Queen’s castle, they honed their skills. Johannes practiced his aim. Lucullus sparred with Johannes when he shooting arrows. Aela experimented with new spells, and practiced familiar ones. After the courier returned the castle with a response from Alaric, Johannes called Lucullus and Aela together, and set out for that dreaded mountain the next morning.