Kayden, Ruth, and Sook were in another room down the hall from Sook’s lab. The room was empty except for a long desk that faced the wall. Against the wall was a metal sheet, shiny enough so that Kayden could see their reflections. There was a single person in the room, sitting at the desk. He rose when they entered.

“Elf,” he nodded his head respectfully in greeting. He was a younger, short man, dressed in the traditional Nikiphero suit, and had a bald head. “Is there anything you want me to show you?”

Sook seemed just as curious and confused as to what they were seeing as Kayden was. “Show us?” Sook asked.

“Arthur, if you wouldn’t mind giving us a demonstration,” Ruth said. “Maybe just give us an overview of the city.”

“Understood. I just finished compiling a report and am ready for another session,” he said and headed back to the desk to take a seat.

Kayden saw that there were pages of paper with writing on them. Ruth led them to stand behind Arthur who placed his hand on the desk, palms down, and closed his eyes. Kayden took a look over his shoulder at the papers and she saw from her brief inspection that they talked about the Palace of Commerce. Then she glanced over to another stack and saw that one of the Judges was mentioned. What was going on here?

Kayden didn’t have to wait long as the sheet of metal on the wall began to ripple with light and then changed so that it showed the city of Mitros. It was like they were looking down at it from the deck of a skyship. Kayden was still trying to understand what she was seeing, but Sook gasped as soon as the image appeared.

“Is this what I think it is?” she asked.

Arthur was no longer concentrating and simply sat back to wait for further instructions.

“What is it?” Kayden asked.

“This,” Ruth said, “Is an Ordov Window.”

“I knew it,” Sook whispered.

Before Kayden could ask what that was, Ruth explained. “It is a device created by Willem Ordov, a famous mage of Northcore. He was known for his power of divination. These make it possible for the right person to be able to peer through them at whatever or whomever they desire.”

“There’s only a few of these,” Sook said. “How did you get one? No wonder Nikiphero always seems to know things they shouldn’t.”

“We’ve only had it up and running for a few months. We obtained the Window years ago from the destruction of the High Tower of Ingbald. We haven’t been able to use it until recently.”

“So, what you’re saying,” Kayden said, “Is that we are looking at the actual Mitros as it is right now?”

“That’s correct.”

The implications of this were astronomical. “How much can you see?”

“Anything and everything,” Arthur explained at the behest of Ruth. “There are limitations, of course. The further away it is, the more power it requires. The edge of the city is my limit. I can not see anything beyond. Then it has to be a location I have actually been before so that I can set it up as a divination point. And there is no sound. Also, magic interferes with the connection so if anyone is using it or if it is in an area with lots of interference then the image is difficult to retain. Oh, and it’s not undetectable. It’s very hard to detect, especially if you aren’t looking for it, and nobody ever is looking for it because why would they, but there are those with high aura awareness who know they are being watched.”

Even with all those limitations, Kayden could see how this would be an indispensable asset for Nikiphero. They could see everything that their enemies were doing.

“How did you figure out how to use it?” Sook asked. “Divination uses spirit magic, and that is not a skill that many people can use. Ordov Windows are coveted for that specific reason.”

“That is why we have not used it until now. It was stored away in a vault for years. Arthur here was the one who turned it on. Why don’t you tell them the story.”

Arthur blushed slightly. “I used to work on guard duty over the vault. My grandmother was a mystic so I was familiar with spirit magic, but I had no idea that I had the gift as well. Anyway, I could sense the Window within the vault. It called to me. For years, I had no idea what was going on. I thought I was going crazy, but I couldn’t stay away from the vault. One day I had my ear pressed against the vault door trying to see if I could hear anything and Cassius came down for a visit.”

He chuckled slightly in embarrassment. “It wasn’t the best image in front of the boss, but after I explained myself, Cassius became intrigued and took me with him into the vault. That is when we discovered that it was the Window that was resonating with me. Even though Cassius had nothing to go on but my word, he allowed me to study it until I finally got it to work. Then he set me up here. Divining through the Window has been my job ever since.”

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“You’ll have to let me study you,” Sook said with ferocity.

Arthur glanced at Ruth. He was a very meek type of person. He didn’t seem like a fighter like the rest of Nikiphero. But that was how she supposed that he had ended up here. It highlighted how Cassius was able to see the worth of his individual men and place them in the positions that most suited them.

“It’s alright,” Ruth said to him. “Although Sook isn’t a member of Nikiphero, she will be working with us closely for the foreseeable future. So long as she doesn’t ask into our affairs, help her with whatever she needs.” She turned to Sook. “You understand the benefits of this, don’t you?”

“Obviously. I will be able to observe everything the competition is working on and incorporate it into my own research. All of the Academy’s secrets will now be mine to take.” Her eyes were wide with hunger and anticipation.

Ruth grinned. “Don’t get too excited. As Arthur explained, this is a delicate instrument and the slightest interference makes it hard to work, and the Academy is full of interference. Not to mention the many people there who have high aura awareness. In other words, we have to be very careful when divining the Academy. We can not allow anyone to become aware of what we are doing. But still, you are correct, this is an invaluable resource and it is the reason I showed it to you.”

Sook’s gaze had sobered somewhat but it was still extremely eager. “How often can I use it?”

“That is something you will have to work out with Arthur. He has things he is keeping an eye on for us, and he has to rest between uses, but so long as he is available, you can use him as much as you want.”

Sook turned to Arthur. “We need to set a schedule. There are already a few people that come to mind who I want to check in on.” Before Arthur could so much as respond, she turned back to Ruth. “Is there a way that if I gave you a list of names, you could find out their schedules so that we know when and where they are?”

“We already have a system in place for this exact purpose. We will scout out any potential targets you have in mind. Then we will get Arthur into any location that you want to scry on so that he can set up a scry point. Once that is done, you can watch anyone you want.”

“I’ll need some extra help. It’s not like I’ll be able to watch all the time, and I don’t think Arthur will be able to take detailed notes on things he has no understanding of.”

“Exactly what I was thinking. So you will agree to have a team?”

Sook frowned at Ruth who tried to look as innocent as possible. “I guess I can take on one or two assistants. If they are qualified like you say.”

“Good. We’ve already got some people waiting. You can meet them tomorrow and choose those that you want to keep as part of your team.”

Sook didn’t look too happy about that prospect then her eyes turned back to the Ordov Window and once again grew greedy. This was simply something that she had to take advantage of without a doubt. But she would need someone to watch it for her so that meant having at least one assistant to take notes.

“So Ruth has shown you the Ordov Window,” Cassius’s voice echoes inside Kayden’s head.

Kayden jumps slightly in surprise then smiles as she realizes that it is only Cassius. It must be time for their nightly chat. Usually, she is already in bed by this time so it must have gotten pretty late. There had been so much going on that she hadn’t realized how much time had passed.

Kayden excused herself from Ruth and Sook as they discussed setting up a schedule for the Ordov window and a possible list of candidates to spy on. She stepped out into the hall. There were still many people moving stuff into Sook’s lab but Kayden found a spot away from all the commotion.

“Hi. You can see where I am?”

“The bond allows me to see through the eyes of my sycophants if I expend enough energy.”

“You don’t think that is an evasion of privacy?”

“I’m sorry. I will only do so with your permission.”

“Thank you. So the Ordov Window came from Ingbald. Was it from that night?”

“The night your father helped High Tower? Yes. In the chaos and confusion of Ingbald’s tower’s collapse, Nikiphero was able to retrieve several powerful objects. It was truly an eventful night. The Window is without a doubt the best object we obtained, but we were unable to figure out how to make it work. Arthur is an invaluable asset for that reason. The intelligence he has provided is one of the only reasons this organization still exists, otherwise, even I have to admit we may have lost when we were setting up C&X. There were things that I could never have foreseen that Arthur caught. He is this organization’s secret weapon even though he may not look like much.”

“Is there a way to use him to figure out who killed my father?” That had been Kayden’s first thought when learning about the Window. Even the possibility of growing closer to finding her father’s killer filled Kayden with a mix of emotions. She remembered that night, watching her father die and then running after the killer. Anger and sadness filled her. An injustice had been done to her and she would get back at those responsible. Other concerns got in the way and distracted her—she had to train, she had to do her duties, she had to serve Nikiphero—but at the end of the day, this was her singular goal.

“We have our eyes on the police, but there are places that we can not get to in order to set up scry points. This city is a big place and there are many people to watch. And unfortunately, Arthur only has so much time in the day. ADOC for instance is a group we are completely in the dark about. No one can enter their headquarters without being thoroughly vetted. But our network of eyes throughout the city continues to grow and I promise you that we are growing closer every day.”

Kayden expected it had been something along those lines. She remembered what Arthur had said the limitations were, but she had to be sure. Even the possibility of obtaining her goal relit a fire inside her.

“If you do learn who it was, you will tell me?”

“Yes. The day we learn who killed Xolan is the day you will have justice for what was done.”

“I will be the one who does it. No one else.”

There was a pause then the words, “Of course.”