Chapter 5

“Great care must always be given to talented students of the Arts. On their backs will rest the responsibilities and duties of state, life, and law.”

—Anonymous, carved on the base of an eroded limestone statue. The figure portrays a young student holding a book with one hand and in the other, a strap attached to a cloth bag designed to carry a kinetic’s sphere.

Gazing at a moonlit painting, Natali felt cold air from the barely open window brush by her face. A chill went through her spine as she imagined herself standing beside the painting’s captain, battling through the lightning-swept sea with hundred-foot indigo waves.

In those moments, she thought of pulling the captain back into a warm cabin and peeling off his wet jacket. And shirt. She thought of stepping closer and giving him an embrace, a kiss, and undoing his belt.

She coughed, her throat dry. She needed water which was all the way downstairs. She sighed.

If only she could live in that sort of adventure of windswept seas and a gorgeous captain, that’d be the life instead of in a boring school. It would be a nice life having a strong man by her side, carrying important cargo, protecting him and herself with sorcery. She wished her father would teach her more often instead of sticking his head deep inside books filled with numbers—sheets and sheets of them. She vowed to never be like him—except for maybe his kindness and gentle heart.

She got out of bed to get a glass of water. Her thin physique was plainly visible under the small silk nightgown she wore. Her eyes sparkled in the dark room, flashing olive green in the moonlight. The moon shining through the window gave a ghostly pall to her face.

It could be hours until she finally fell asleep. She envied the ability of some to fall asleep quickly. The move from poverty to wealth had changed much about her life but not her insomnia.

Opening the walnut door, she walked across the threshold into the darkened hallway overlooking the foyer. In the house’s center was a tall lobby with an atrium reaching to the third story.

A grand chandelier, hanging from a great ceiling beam, reflected the barest glimmers of the light below as she looked down onto the foyer floor.

When her foot hit the cold wooden boards in the hall, she flinched away. She retrieved her slippers and put them on; only after that, did she step off the soft woven rug.

Barely a whisper came from the light-footed Natali as she made her way down the stairs. Voices echoed from the library off the main atrium, and a sliver of light came from the slightly ajar doors. She considered about bounding in and announcing herself but thought better of it.

Instead, she walked softly to the crack to listen. She first checked if she could see who was in the study, but they were seated too far to the right. She put her ear directly to the crack.

“—not worthy of any consideration at all. You have no assets.”

“But I do,” Falahgo—her father—argued. “They exist in me. I have a job and a high salary, and some of my expensive paintings and books can be sold. Especially those about sorcery.”

“Why didn’t you quit when you could?” the man said. “I don’t understand.”

“I did, I have, I just…,” Falahgo’s voice ran silent.

“Just, huh? Just bet on Casey, and Vales, and Belig, and who knows how many others. You make me very angry, Falahgo. You owe us. You’re lucky I’m an old friend of yours, or you would be… much sorrier than you are now.”

“Just give me more time.”

“It’s not mine to give anymore. It’s past that point. You must understand that they have decided to run with the course of action that I’ve announced to you unless you find a way for them to at least recoup the interest along with a large principal amount.”

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“I won’t make it in time,” Falahgo said.

“I don’t want to hear that. Don’t tell me that. You should have thought about that before you borrowed more money. Do you realize what you have done to yourself? They’d as soon kill you and liquidate this entire estate just to be done with it and never have to look into your weak eyes and mind again.”

“I just don’t know how to get the money that fast.”

“Then go to your friends, to your long-lost relatives, I don’t care. They want the money, and you must give it to them.”

Falahgo was silent.

The man continued, “Just find a way. They were joking about tossing that coin. If the coin landed with the Vox Square facing up, then they’d leak your poor personal choices to everyone. That one caused a stir—they wanted to bet on how fast you’d be demoted and sent to the Dale Region. If it landed on heads, well, I don’t think you want to know.”

Natali turned away from the doors and thought about getting her water. Her mouth was dry and the urge screamed at her to quench it. She started to walk away, but couldn’t deal with the thought of missing anything. She wanted to hear everything she could.

She crept back to her spot and once again put her ear to the crack.

She heard nothing at first and was about to run when she heard the man say, “They had to pay your bets out of their own pockets. It doesn’t matter about appearances anymore. They don’t care that you’re the city treasurer. You must get the money.”

“I will try,” Falahgo said, his voice soft and sad.

“Keep paying the interest. It will buy you time. We’ll expect a large principle payment three months from now in addition to the interest. Beg, borrow, or steal. We don’t care. Just get the money.”

“Thank you. That is very generous.”

Natali could hear footsteps approaching, so she rushed into the kitchen. She could hear them talking on the way out as the door opened and shut. She peeked out.

Her father had gone out with him. She ducked back into the kitchen and filled a glass with water before flitting upstairs. She hid in the shadows on the landing and looked down. The door opened and Falahgo walked through. He glanced around the lobby before locking it behind him.

He propped himself against the door. A small ball of light grew between his hands, then expanded to become a ball of flame. Natali smiled at her father, taking some comfort in his sorcery talent. She knew it was one of the few special things he had left in his life. His wife had died years ago, and it had left him a broken man who turned to gambling for escape.

She crept back into her bed.

Fear for Falahgo’s safety weighed heavily on her mind. Before she drifted off to sleep, she decided to pressure Falahgo for more information in a few days’ time.

* * *

Seff’s heart jumped when he saw Puugi holding the staff. Based on the age and staff, Seff guessed Puugi was a powerful sorcerer judge.

Thinking that the woman below should have at least mentioned that Puugi was an old sorcerer, Seff’s cursed her under his breath.

As fast as that thought materialized, it disappeared. He realized Puugi stared at him, waiting. Seff had to say something fast.

“Yes,” Seff said. “We need the papers on the boy who got away from the hanging. We need to know where he’s going.”

“I’ll handle that,” Puugi said. “You can go now.” Puugi waved a dismissive hand at him and turned away.

Seff almost attacked Puugi then, but he knew that Puugi may have shielded himself. Puugi would be on guard after the escape. Seff walked away, as if to leave, just like any other constable would have done.

While walking away, he wondered why Puugi wasn’t even alarmed that the building was on fire. True, Puugi could shield himself from the flames, and he could even help put out the fire, but he wasn’t fighting it. He was letting the station burn. One of the first things sorcerers learned was a squelch spell to put out the fires that they invariably set, either through carelessness or purpose. Also, it came in handy in keeping the large wood cities from burning down.

Seff retreated to the bath entrance, turned around, and started searching in earnest for the boy’s documents. He didn’t know how large the bath was, but it didn’t matter. He needed the documents.

He knew he might run into Puugi again, but then again, he might not. The two wands that he possessed held their five spells each. The ten spells were five lightning bolts, a physical shield, three spell shields and a fireball spell. Even if he saw the old sorcerer Puugi again, he had confidence that he could surprise the man and overwhelm him.

His head peeked around the corner of the bath where he had last seen Puugi. He was not there. It was empty. Seff carefully looked around, as he hurried from table to table. Each of the many tables could have the documents on them amongst the towels, so Seff checked each one.

He scoured the tables, tossing the towels onto the floor, but not finding anything.

Checking one of the two passageways from the main bath area, he saw nothing. He inched forward. He coughed. He saw three doorless rooms ahead. Seff knew the documents might lie in any. He stepped lightly to one and eased his head around the corner.

He saw nothing, but worried about the chance that Puugi might see him sneaking about. He shielded himself preemptively. He turned back and peeked into the second room. Nothing. He walked in to check the seats a little better than the first room. Still nothing.

Where were the documents? He stepped out of the room and literally bounced off of Puugi.

Puugi shoved him to the floor. Seff landed hard, surprised. He looked up at Puugi from the floor, and he saw Puugi smile.