It was dusk in Lem, and the warm summer air gave way to a soothing breeze that wound its way through the narrow streets of the capital. The café they were eating at faced one of the more popular thoroughfares, lined with similar restaurants serving as a portcullis of sorts to gambling dens, theatres, and bars.

Penny pecked away at her frosted cake while she watched evening-goers walk by in their nighttime attire. She was wearing her rust-colored robe, as usual, but her new friends were not. Aury was talking endlessly about academy gossip while Gelda nodded and smiled at appropriate times. Just engaged enough to show interest, but never adding anything to the chattery girl’s speculations.

“So Penny, you and Mr. Devil…” Aury said suddenly, giving Penny a playful glance.

“Zeek,” she laughed, “and we’re just friends from home.”

“I wish I had handsome friends,” Aury replied wistfully.

“Weren’t you saying how handsome the other candidates are just the other day?” Gelda said, eyebrow raised, as she watched Aury smirk.

“Nice to look at, but horrible at conversation. At least this Zeek guy has some charm. Have you known each other a long time?” Aury asked.

“Yes, we grew up in a small village so we played together as kids.”

“Oh? You grew apart then?” Aury pressed.

Penny smiled. “For a time, yes. Now that we’re in Lem together, we’ve gotten close again.”

“What led to this unfortunate growing apart, might I ask?”

“Zeek is…was the village delinquent. My parents are the quiet type. Grow up and find a nice husband, they’d say. Well, until all this,“ Penny explained, waving a hand at the buildings around them.

“Has your family come to visit since you left?” Gelda asked.

“No, we’ve written letters, but that’s it. Summer’s a busy time for a blacksmith. Horseshoes and farm tools need constant repair during the harvests. They’d like to come when the cold starts and the farmers start bedding down for the winter.”

“What about Zeek’s family?” Aury asked.

Penny paused. “He only has his grandmother. She’s spry for her age, but a week’s journey would be too much for her, I think. I doubt he wrote her though, they’ve always been an odd couple.”

“What happened to his family, if you don’t mind me asking?” Gelda said.

“No one really knows actually. One day his grandmother just showed up with a baby swaddled on her back. She never had children of her own, so it was quite the scandal in the beginning. She was already old when Zeek was a child,” Penny answered.

“A man of mystery, that’s exactly what I need,” Aury quipped, her lips curving upwards in a familiar smirk.

Penny began to frown, but caught herself and changed the subject. “What about you two? Are you both from Lem?”

“Aury’s from a village to the west, just a few days from here. I’m from Lem, and my family are all mages,” Gelda said.

“My dad was a cobbler and my mother was a seamstress, I’m the only mage in my family,” Aury added.

“Are you like Sirius then?” Penny asked Gelda.

“Not quite. My father’s Viscount Thers, he’s a light affinity mage like me. Mother was a crafting affinity until they married. Now she’s more noble lady, if you consider that a profession,” Gelda answered.

Aury laughed. “Noble lady is a profession in this city. And a good one, but not for us.”

“Not for you?” Penny asked.

“The kingdom discourages war mage candidates from becoming housewives. We’re seen as assets. You’ll be in the same category as a healer. The damned academy was very insistent we put a birth control spell at the top of our ‘to be learned’ list,” Aury scoffed.

Gelda maintained her placid demeanor. “It’s for the best, Aury. Besides, you can retire to be a noble lady if you wish.”

Aury rolled her eyes. “Sure, when I’m so old I look like a walking wrinkle and no one is interested in me.”

“That’s strange, I thought the kingdom had an interest in producing more mages?” Penny asked.

“Oh they do, just not war mages, for some reason,” Aury explained. “If I were a crafter, I could settle down with a family as soon as I finished school.”

“That’s not true, Aury,” Gelda chided, “the kingdom very much wants more war mages. It would just be unethical to let pregnant women ride into battle.”

Aury gave her a flat look. “Right, so if I could squirt out a baby and hop on the next wagon out of town like a man, it’s fine then.” Penny chuckled.

“Don’t encourage her,” Gelda said. “It’s a great honor being a war mage. The Goddess rewards those who defend Numera.”

Aury pinched her nose. “Don’t start being religious, it makes me feel queasy. I want to marry who I want when I want, no shame in that.”

Gelda clicked her tongue. “In time you will, don’t be difficult. And don’t get me started on your lack of piety. Bishop Sculk is always asking why you haven’t joined me for worship.”

Penny listened quietly as the two women bickered. Aury had no intention of being stoic about the war mage restrictions, and Gelda was confident in their wisdom. Penny managed to avoid participating in the conversation at all until Gelda made her. “Speaking of services, there’s a special one each Saturday for the mages, Penny. I haven’t seen you or Zeek there yet, would you like to join me next weekend?”

“Oh, I couldn’t volunteer for Zeek, he’s so busy on the weekends now with training. We’ve both been saying our prayers in private. We’d be delighted to join you once we’ve made progress with our first spells,” Penny lied, something she wasn’t accustomed to. Gelda seemed satisfied, though, nodding lightly before turning back to Aury.

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The rest of the evening proceeded as planned. They finished their dessert and found a cozy bar down the street for an after-dinner digestive. A few musicians played softly in the corner, insulated their conversation from passerbys. They spent the time talking about academy life and classes. There were no mages in the bar, which felt strange to Penny, having spent all her time in Lem with Zeek or Sirius.

As dusk turned to night, the streets grew quiet and the three women went separate ways home. Penny planned to stay at Earl Yenson’s home this weekend, and she was excited to see what progress had been made on their investigation. She was not, however, excited to have the earl pressure her into learning Zeek’s magic, but he would stop if she asked.

When she arrived at the manor, most of the lights were off and the moon was drifting high enough above Lem that it illuminated the streets. The front parlor room was quiet, but flickering shadows cast by the fire inside indicated an occupant. She found Lady Yenson waiting in an armchair, holding a small pillow and staring into the flames. Lady Yenson noticed her immediately and motioned for Penny to take a seat next to her.

“Spend the evening with those female candidates?” she asked, not breaking her gaze from the fireplace.

“Yes, my lady, they were kind enough to take me out to eat.”

“Aurora’s an energetic girl. Too energetic for my Sirius, unfortunately. Gelda, though…well, tell me what you think of her,” Lady Yenson asked.

“Duteous, intelligent, and beautiful. She seems nice,” Penny replied.

“But?”

Penny smoothed down her robe as she considered. “She has those qualities in that order. She places her duty and…religion…above any other considerations.” Penny could see Lady Yenson’s face pinch into a small smile.

“Smart girl. She’s dangerous, you’d do best to keep her at arm’s length.”

“Dangerous?”

“What you did not say, but noticed was what her priorities were. Duty to country and religion before all else. Her father’s the same way, and they have a close relationship with some of the bishops. I’m sure she asked you to attend a worship service, which is really just a front for their particular faction,” Lady Yenson explained.

Penny couldn’t help but notice the implication in Lady Yenson’s statement: religion was not to be trusted. Someone overhearing such talk would think it downright treasonous. Suddenly, she had a question that had nagged at her for some time.

“Did you know Hendricks?” Penny asked. Lady Yenson finally turned and looked at her with a warm smile that reached her eyes.

“One of the earl’s best friends, and a man Sirius called Uncle. I knew him well,” she answered.

“Is that why you participate in this investigation?” Penny asked.

Lady Yenson shook her head slowly. “No, I’m not like Irith, who thirsts for revenge. I participate because Sirius reminds me so much of Hendricks. Unfounded confidence in what they believe, bordering on stupidity. Hendricks probably had some influence on my boy with all his galivanting and storytelling. I participate because I see his future in Sirius.”

“What future?”

“A future where Sirius sees or learns something he shouldn’t, and instead of doing the smart thing and staying quiet, he does the right thing and speaks out,” Lady Yenson said as she picked up the pillow from her lap and slowly turned it over, examining each side.

“Do you think I should learn Zeek’s magic?” Penny asked.

“That depends, girl. What do you want in life?”

Penny ran her hands through her hair before answering. “A comfortable life with my family.” Lady Yenson didn’t reply at first, but Penny noticed her shoulders shaking. A moment later she was clutching the pillow to her stomach as a laugh escaped her mouth.

“Silly girl, if you wanted that, you wouldn’t be here right now. You’d run to the nearest guard and report us for treason, then spend your life living off the rewards. So tell me again, what do you want in life?”

Penny put her hand over her mouth and tapped her fingers while she thought. A comfortable life was what she wanted. A life where her family lived with her, and she had money and a nice home. A life where she could marry someone she loved, have a family, and do whatever she pleased whenever she pleased. But if she really thought about what she wanted, it boiled down to one thing.

“I want the power to do what I want,“ she answered.

Lady Yenson nodded once more, still staring at the pillow. “Then you have your answer. Learn the magic. Seize power. Become a force of nature yourself and bend the world to your will.”

“But there’s so many risks. So many chances to be killed or worse. Why subject myself to that?” “Why indeed? Plenty of mages live out their days in Lem, sipping on luxuries and traveling no more than the few streets necessary to find their workshop. Tell me, do you miss your life in the village?” Lady Yenson asked.

“I miss my parents, of course.”

“I asked if you missed your life, not your parents. Do you miss watching your father at the forge each day? Do you miss fetching water to quench horseshoes and plows? Do you miss staring at the few village boys available and wondering which will be yours?”

“No, I don’t miss that,” Penny said.

“Maybe you’re more like young Zeek than you think. I’d have thought you realized, when you packed your belongings and tried to flee the capital with him. A girl who wanted a quiet life would never have done such a thing.”

“You make me sound brash like Zeek,” Penny replied.

Lady Yenson laughed lightly. “Not at all. Women who become mages are different by nature, I’ve found. One day we’re just women, smaller and weaker than half the population. Accustomed to thinking that way. Then the next we have unimaginable power, capable of killing droves of men with a wave of our hand. Zeek’s brash because he’s always felt invincible, that’s a trait common among young men. You aren’t brash, you’re used to approaching issues from a different direction.”

Penny watched, eyes wide, as Lady Yenson waved her hand lightly towards the dimming fireplace, and the flames surged back to life. She’d never seen her use magic before, even though Zeek claimed she was a mage. In fact, she had no idea what Lady Yenson was capable of.

“Zeek said you were a mage, but I’ve never seen you use magic before. What affinity are you?” Penny asked while waving her hand to fend off the heat.

“Whatever do you mean, dear girl? I didn’t see any magic,” Lady Yenson grinned.

“But…the fire? I thought…” Penny stuttered.

“You must be tired from your evening affairs. Why don’t you retire to one of the guest rooms? I’ll have the butler fetch you when the earl returns,” Lady Yenson said as the grin turned into an improbable smile. Penny left the room confused, walking through the empty halls of the manor towards a room they’d set aside for her. She was certain Lady Yenson used magic, why would she pretend she hadn’t?

As she passed the earl’s study, she noticed the door was slightly ajar. Curiosity overwhelmed her and she peeked inside, hoping to find Zeek or the earl leaning over a map, but the room was empty. She walked inside, stepping over piles of books and empty ink wells. The fire in the study was out, casting the room in darkness, except for misshapen columns of moonlight that flittered through the curtains.

There was a map of the sewers on the desk, and overlaying it was a thin piece of paper with a rough layout of Lem. It was exactly what Zeek had mentioned to her before; they were investigating the sewer system and its connection to pure magic. She studied the map for a few moments, but she had no idea what to search for. If there was some secret hidden there, she lacked the knowledge to find it. Her mind was clouded from the day’s conversations, especially Lady Yenson’s prodding. She’d nearly drifted off in an armchair when a black beetle appeared in the room and flew in front of her.

She reached out to touch it, thinking she was still dreaming, and it unraveled into a nearly translucent sheet with onyx lettering floating in the air before her.

Priscilla,

Take the cube and run. We’ve run into an issue.

Yours always,

Turginet

Penny stood in shock for a moment before turning from the room and sprinting down the hall. Lady Yenson was climbing the stairs when they met, and she instantly focused on Penny when she noticed her wild hair and frightened eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

“A message of some kind came. Take the cube and run. It was from the earl. I don’t know…” Lady Yenson stopped Penny from speaking.

“Two doors in that direction is Sirius’s room, wake him immediately and meet me in the earl’s study. Talk to no one and take no detours.” Lady Yenson snatched up the skirts of her ornate dress and ran down the hall towards the open study.