Jeb walked through the door, unsure what he was going to see behind it. The light from the open doorway spilled into the dim room. Jeb stepped inside and the door shut quickly and firmly behind him.
As his eyes adjusted to the darker room, Jeb saw that it was set up comfortably. There was a thick carpet underneath his feet, and a number of chairs lined the walls. As Jeb kept looking, he saw that there was a single person sitting opposite him, on what Jeb could only describe as a throne.
“Are you Jeb Humdrum?” the person called, voice rich and smooth.
Jeb nodded.
The person smiled slightly, “do you speak?”
Jeb began to nod but paused halfway through the motion. “Yes,” he replied.
“Then I must ask you to confirm that you are Jeb Humdrum verbally.”
“According to my Status, I am Jeb Humdrum,” he confirmed.
The person nodded. “Inspector Francis alleges a number of offenses against you. The facts he alleges mostly boil down to the fact that you practiced Enchanting without belonging to the Guild and that you undercharged for repairs. Are those accurate?”
Jeb nodded. “Yes, though I-”
The person held up a hand, cutting Jeb off. “Given that you are wearing an Academy uniform, would I be correct in assuming that you are a student there?”
“I am,” Jeb confirmed.
The person sighed, seeming to release a heavy load of tension as they did. “That makes this so much easier. Were you aware that you are required to belong to the Enchanting Guild in order to practice the craft while within the Capital?”
“No,” Jeb replied.
“That is normal. I assume that you are not close to graduating?”
Jeb shook his head. “I just started my second term.”
The person held up a hand to their mouth, clearly just now realizing something. “I have not introduced myself! You can call me Magistrate Green. I represent the Enchanting Guild in matters of discipline.”
“It is nice to meet you Magistrate Green,” Jeb replied.
“The fact that you are enrolled in the Academy makes this all so much easier,” Magistrate Green continued, rifling through a folder. “If you fill out this paperwork, you will become a provisional member, which entitles you to practice Enchanting, so long as you make it clear that you are not a full member. While that does not protect you retroactively, the fact that you are an Academy student will absolutely shield you from any consequences of trying to help someone.” In a quieter tone, Magistrate Green continued, “which Inspector Francis should have known.” Louder, she said, “I apologize for the inconvenience. Do you need to borrow a pen to fill out the form?”
Jeb frowned slightly. “I don’t know that I want to join the Enchanting Guild, though,” he said.
“Oh?” she asked, voice calm. “Is there a reason that you are opposed to joining the Enchanting Guild?”
Jeb paused, trying to crystallize the nebulous distaste he felt. “To start,” he said after a long moment, “I don’t have any money to pay dues.”
“As a student member, your dues are covered.” It seemed as though Magistrate Green had expected that objection and was ready with a quick answer. “In fact, if you are struggling to pay your tuition, the Guild is able to provide financial assistance.”
“I don’t like that you restrict who is allowed to Enchant.” As Jeb thought, that was more of his issue.
“A common objection. Of course, anyone is welcome to Enchant for their own personal use. For those treating Enchanting as a profession, though, it is important that they be held to a high standard. I am sure that I do not need to educate you on the many ways that a faulty Enchantment can harm someone?”
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Jeb nodded, processing the information. Licensing who could Enchant for a profession still felt somewhat wrong on principle, but he had to agree that it was important to ensure that all Enchantments were safe. Having all Enchanters licensed did make sure that the average person did not get taken advantage of. He thought of another objection. “But how does that relate to paying dues?”
“The dues members pay serve a number of purposes. First, they help to take care of the families of Enchanters, on the rare occasions that one should pass before their time. In cases where there are legal disputes arising from work done, the Enchanting Guild provides legal representation to any members. As I mentioned earlier, we provide financial support to our student members. Those are simply the self-serving benefits of dues. The Guild, of course, also uses the income for any number of other projects. Dues are set low enough that no one finds them a financial burden, especially given that they do not increase without an increase in the minimum rate.” Magistrate Green seemed just as calm with these answers, as though she had given them by rote hundreds of times before.
Jeb couldn’t argue with any of those points, though the reminder that there was a minimum rate that Enchanters could charge reminded him of his final grievance. “Why is there a minimum fee for Enchanting? It seems priced high enough that most people cannot afford to have anything Enchanted.”
She nodded, smile fading. “I agree with the issues there. The minimum price does have the unfortunate effect of limiting who can afford an Enchantment. However, prices are set such that Enchanters can afford to make a living, even if they are taking care of a family and paying off loans from their education.”
“So the Enchanting Guild gives loans to students? That doesn’t seem like something that dues would be needed for.” Jeb was quick to point out.
Magistrate Green shook her head. “No, the payments we make for student members are not loans as such. We do require services to the Capital and public good for Journeymen whose Academy times we have sponsored, but they are still compensated. Not every Enchanter joins before entering the Academy, though. For many of them, the only way to afford tuition is by taking out loans.”
“But not every Enchanter has loans and a family,” Jeb continued to protest. “Why can’t they charge less?”
“The price minimums are set to protect Enchanters from social pressures,” Magistrate Green said. “The world is not always a kind place, and there are many in positions of power who would seek to use their influence to take advantage of others. Before we had price minima, it was a sadly commonplace occurrence for young Enchanters to be taken advantage of by unscrupulous yet influential people.”
The sound of the Magistrate’s voice slowly faded in the room. Jeb digested what she had said. The fact that the Guild would offer protection not just to consumers, but also to its members had not occurred to him. Now that he had heard it explained, though, Jeb found it difficult to voice any particular objections to the institution. Even his introduction to the Guild, though not ideal, was still a far cry better than his introduction to the Academy.
“Does that assuage your concerns about the Enchanting Guild?” she asked after a long moment.
Jeb nodded. “It does, thank you.”
“Does that mean you are planning to become a student member?”
Jeb nodded, and she passed him the sheet of paper with a pen. He started filling out the front page, writing his name and confirming that he was, in fact, enrolled in the Academy. Somewhat surprisingly, the form came with a box for the Remedial College in addition to the College of Enchanting. When he got to the next “mark here to confirm,” though, Jeb had to pause.
“I don’t have the Enchanting Skill,” he said, looking up at the Magistrate.
“That is common,” she replied. “Please note that the form has a link to the most common child Skills of Enchanting, and at least a few of their children as well. If you know what your Skill is classified as, you can always enter it into the box as well.”
“I don’t have an Enchanting child Skill either,” Jeb replied.
For the first time in the conversation, Magistrate Green looked at Jeb seriously. He hadn’t realized how casual her demeanor had been until now, but it felt as though she was staring deep into him, uncovering every piece of his identity. After a moment, he realized that the feeling was not some Skill of hers or a feature of her Class, simply the intensity of her gaze. “Do you mean to tell me that the work you did was done without the aid of a Skill?” she asked, tone oddly heavy.
Jeb realized that he did, in fact, have another critique of the Enchanting Guild. Why had they allowed such shoddy work to be performed? Still, he knew better than to respond with that. “No,” he replied, “I have what seems like a parent Skill to Enchanting.” At least, he thought to himself, it seems like that to me.
“Interesting,” she replied, pulling out another copy of the form. “I do not believe that there is a way for you to join the Guild, in that case. More to the point, I do not know if it would be in your best interest to join the Enchanting Guild if your Magics are not limited solely to Enchanting. I will look into whether the rules are explicitly Enchanting and any child Skill thereof, as the form implies, or whether by laws were written with the possibility of a parent Skill as well. If it is the former, I will petition to change the rules. Should it be the latter, or should my petition be successful, I will let the Dean know. I hope that whoever it is will be willing to pass the message to you, along with their own recommendation for your next course of action. Once again, I apologize for the less than warm way that you were introduced to the Guild.” She made a motion for Jeb to leave, and he left the Tribunal room.
Once he was back on the street, Jeb realized that he had not asked whether he was still allowed to Enchant.