Stella slept in the next morning, having spent most of the night practicing magic. She hadn’t managed to pull off the Locate spell, but she’d moved on to some other spells in the book and found better success. Now, she knew an unlocking spell, a fire spell, and a summoning spell. They were by no means all-powerful spells. The unlocking spell would only release simple mechanical locks, the fire spell yielded only a little ball of fire, and the summoning spell only worked on small objects that she could see.

When Stella rose, her hand went straight to the diamond at her neck. The night’s practice had diminished its power by half. She’d expected the energy to last longer, but she wasn’t too worried about wasting it. After all, she’d get to replace it later that day.

Later came sooner than she’d expected.

She went downstairs and found a table set up on the ground floor. It was laid with a large plate of meat, and scents of butter, spices, onion, and garlic wafted up from it. Maw was leashed up to the wall, eyeing the meal with bitter jealousy. Elrick sat in a chair at the table. He smiled and gestured for Stella to take the other chair. She took it immediately.

“You get your lesson early today,” Elrick said, handing her a bottle of hunger potion and a large sapphire, and Stella got started. “And if you finish your business in town before dinner time, I’ll give you another bonus lesson.”

“Before dinner?” Stella asked between bites.

“Yes, no need to wait for sundown to return. I do need you to pick up some more onions, though. I always go through them faster than I expect.”

That was perfectly agreeable to Stella. She’d much rather spend her time in the tower than waste it in town. Plus, this prepared meat tasted so much better than the raw livers.

Elrick let her eat most of it and deposit the energy in the sapphire. When about a pound was left, he took the sapphire and told her she could put the rest of the energy into her diamond. Those last few bites were the best thing Stella had ever tasted, and she wished the hunger potion would have allowed her to savor them. The energy nearly tripled the store in her diamond.

Stella tucked the diamond beneath her chiton as she left the tower, entertaining high hopes for a good day. Her mood was unchanged when she found Tarant sitting outside, frowning.

“What?” Stella asked. “Did you think Elrick had killed me?”

Tarant didn’t move.

“I know I’m a lot later than usual, but I just slept in. Nothing to worry about.”

Still nothing.

“Elrick’s started teaching me magic. Look at this.” She snapped her fingers, and a little ball of flames appeared.

Tarant looked up. “What did you mean when you said you couldn’t stand their faces?”

“What?”

“Yesterday, when you left the Well. You said you couldn’t stand the faces of the people waiting. What did you mean?”

Stella scoffed. “Oh, that? It was nothing. I wanted to get to my magic lesson, but you seemed like you wouldn’t let me go unless I didn’t want to be there. Simple as that.”

Tarant’s frown deepened, and he dropped his gaze. “You just seemed so sincere. Disturbed.”

“No, I was just confused. I saw that the people were afraid, so I thought they weren’t willing to go through with the ritual. I know better now.”

Tarant clenched his fists. “I saw their fear, too, from the first time I saw the ritual. I thought they were just scared because the Well was risky. It wasn’t guaranteed salvation. But then… I looked again last night. I watched their faces. What if they didn’t want to die at all? What if they wanted to stay alive?”

Stella rolled her eyes. “That’s crazy. Are you even listening to yourself?”

“No, it’s not crazy.” Tarant met her eyes with a determined expression. “I’ve studied all of the known nations of Dracon, looking for ways to prove Vulcan’s superiority. Do you know the difference between Vulcan and the rest of the world?”

“Happiness?”

Tarant shook his head. “Ignorance. Other cultures celebrate life. We celebrate death. Have you ever thought about the numbers? The only way our society can keep the population stable is by bringing in people from other places. The hunters are constantly roving the continent, spreading the word of Elrick’s power, only for the people to come here and die. It’s not a sustainable way of life.”

“Sustainable? Who cares whether it’s sustainable or not?”

“Just think. What happens if a militant nation notices us taking its people and decides to put an end to us? Or what if the hunters run out of people who will listen? Elrick would end up killing us all.”

“You should really think about these things before you say them, Tarant. What if Saturn hears you? You wouldn’t want him to eat you, would you?”

Tarant scowled. “You’ve changed.”

“You’re the one who’s changed. What happened to your devotion? Surely you can find a perfectly sound explanation for all this. Otherwise, you might end up like Abjectus.”

Tarant stood and started down the mountainside. “Don’t you have some shopping to do?”

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Stella followed. He clearly wanted the subject to change, so she asked, “Any news?”

“Tutelan went home. He got word that the gang had left his village, so he left to go back to his family.”

“He has a family?”

“A wife and three kids in Saiph.”

“I’d never have guessed. He always seemed so unconcerned.”

“He expected Elrick to fix his problem. He gave up his concerns, along with everything else that might have helped him solve the problem himself.”

Stella sighed. “Any other news?”

“Only that Cephaneia has fallen to chaos. Dein arrived safely home, but he and his younger brother disappeared shortly afterward.”

Tarant continued in his sour mood all day, even when they happened upon a new guy in town. Before, Tarant had always been ecstatic to meet new people. This time, it was Stella driving introductions.

“Welcome to Vulcan, sir. I’m Stella, apprentice to Elrick the Ineffable, and this is Mediet Tarant, a priest of Elrick.”

The man’s face lit up, and he bowed. “An honor, my lady. It’s truly an honor. I am Promitto of Alnitak. Perhaps you can bring the sorcerer my petition?”

“Perhaps. What is it?”

“Bandits, my lady. My village is plagued by bandits. I heard of Elrick from a story from Saiph, a neighboring village. They were harassed by a gang until one of their number gave his life to the sorcerer. Now, the gang is gone, and their village is peaceful. I’m hoping the sorcerer can do the same for my village.”

Stella inclined her head. “I’ll pass your request on to him. Enjoy your stay in Vulcan.”

“Thank you, my lady, thank you.”

Promitto left, and Tarant glared at Stella. “You’re not going to tell Elrick a thing about this, are you?”

Stella shrugged. “No difference whether I do or not, but neither is there a point in putting down his hopes.”

“Not even to save his life?”

“He came of his own accord. If he dies, it’s his own fault.”

“And the children yesterday?”

“They serve Vulcan now.”

“They could have lived their lives instead. They had so much potential.”

“That’s kind of the point.”

Tarant stopped. “What?”

Stella shook her head. “You wouldn’t understand. You don’t want to. That’s probably why Vatran never promoted you.”

Tarant dropped her bag on the ground and turned away. “You know your way around town. You don’t need me anymore.”

Stella rushed back up to the tower as soon as her list was complete, gratified to find a scene similar to the morning’s meal. Elrick had the table laid out with delicious-smelling plates of meat, a hunger potion, and a large ruby. It passed much the same, with Elrick letting her keep the energy from the last little bit.

When she finished, Elrick beckoned her into the cellar. “There’s one more thing I want to do for you tonight.”

She followed the sorcerer down the long tunnel to the meeting room and through the door below the dais, which opened into a familiar cellar: the fanatics’ prison.

“The fanatics and I have an understanding,” Elrick said. “If I run out of materials, or if I need a living person for any other reason, I can choose from one of these. Some are here because of their potential. Others are only here because their absence contributes to some request of one of their sheep. Occasionally, I’ll even get a hunter in here.”

“A hunter, sir?”

“The fanatics’ sons are all hunters for the first part of their lives, going about the continent looking for people to bring here. Once they fill their quota, they can get a different job. Some of them run town functions, like inns or farming. Others want to join the fanatics.” Elrick smirked. “But the fanatics don’t let anyone join their ranks unless I’ve burned them. So they bring the hunter to me. If I leave him alive and unburned, they put him here for a week or two, then present him again.” He frowned. “They only give him two chances, though. I let one slip through my fingers the other day. The prince and the father were too good to pass up. Still, it’s galling that those groveling snots got his energy.”

“Um, did you have a specific person in mind, sir? Someone you left for later?”

Elrick shook his head. “That’s not why we’re here. I can take my pick of these prisoners without the fanatics asking any questions. Whether I kill them or not isn’t the fanatics’ concern. I think it’s time I removed your mother from their power. What do you say?”

“Not to kill her?”

Elrick chuckled. “Quite the contrary. Come, now.”

Stella followed him down the hall. It was much noisier than the last time she’d been there. It seemed as if nearly every cell were full. The cell doors were wooden, but they each had barred windows. She peeked into a few of them. Most were ruffians, but she found Tutelan and Luna in cells near the end of the hall. Tutelan’s beard was dirty and ragged, and Luna’s hair hung in strings about her face. They were bound and gagged, but their eyes begged for Stella’s help. She turned away.

Stella’s mother was in the last cell. Elrick removed her chains and gag and said, “Come with me.”

“Not on your life,” Laurel hissed, her voice dry and cracked.

Elrick sighed. “Need I remind you that I could incinerate both you and your daughter on a whim? Don’t test my patience.”

Stella beckoned urgently, and Laurel grudgingly obeyed.

Elrick led them up to the potion room. “Welcome to your new home. You will be well fed and watered, and the skeletons will make you a bed. You are not to break anything or leave this floor. These skeletons will see that you don’t.” Two skeletons snapped to attention, eye sockets fixed on Stella’s mother.

“Wait,” Stella said. “You said you would set her free.”

“I said I would free her from the fanatics’ prison. If I gave her real freedom, they would just track her down and put her back in prison. Is she not the only leverage they have over you?”

Stella scowled, then nodded.

“That’s what I thought. This is better. She’s safe from the fanatics, you get to have each other’s company, and I get another helper.”

Laurel crossed her arms. “I’d rather risk the cult’s hunters than lift a finger for you.” She turned to Stella. “And you. You have dark energy all over you. What have you done? Have you forgotten everything I taught you?”

Stella’s face grew red, steam filling her ears. “I’ve done all this for you!”

“No, you haven’t. You’re not here for me. You’re here to find an easy solution. If I’ve taught you anything, it should have been that easy solutions never last long.”

“You think this has been easy?”

“Enough!” Elrick thundered. “I’m about to incinerate you both if you don’t stop talking.” He glared at them each in turn. “This was a mistake.” The two skeletons seized Laurel and marched her downstairs. Stella jerked toward them, but Elrick grabbed her shoulder, stopping her.

“Where are they taking her?”

“Back to her cell. I did not bargain for this drama.”

“But you promised!”

“She has time before her next presentation, and she won’t be among the ones I choose. If you want to save her from the fanatics, you’ll have to come up with a different way to do it. I absolutely refuse to listen to one more word from her, much less let her back into the tower.”

Fuming, Stella stormed off to the library.