Violence sings a siren song.
With a flex of will, I silence it.
Struggling to contain my seething emotions at the thought of the ambush several storeys above us, I remain seated on the rocky floor and keep working on the glass cat for the [Metaphysical Mender] who fixed my core. I’m sorely tempted to set aside the animated animal and run upstairs to deliver a beat down, venting my fury on Saphora and her minions. Resisting takes far more effort than it should, which makes me wonder if I’m under some sort of compulsion or mental attack.
My mind is racing, flying through possibilities while I consider how to get my team home in one piece. I blink several times in rapid succession and force myself to focus on my work instead. I promised Shiphrah an animated cat, and I intend to deliver on my promise. Besides, there’s something about glass that centers me. Makes me feel normal.
I’ve missed that lately. Normality. Whatever that is. Then again, I’ve never been one to slow down and think. I fly into danger as if I’m desperate to make my life count for something. The irony is that I’m far more likely to die young, with my life’s work unfinished, if I keep putting myself in such terrible positions.
Yet it’s time to do it once more. I can’t ignore the threat Saphora poses. As much as I wish I could teleport my friends to the inn and face her down solo, life doesn’t work like that.
On the plus side, the repetitive work gives me time to think. I nudge Mikko when a plan crystalizes at last. “Trouble brewing upstairs. I know you won’t go back without me, but could you get everyone ready to go to the inn? Be ready for a fight.”
“What are we up against?” Mikko asks.
I scowl. “[Lady] Saphora is back. And she brought company. I’m hoping she’s just here for me, but I don’t want to risk putting you in harm’s way.”
“You’re right,” Mikko says, grimacing. “There’s no way I’m leaving without you. But I’ll see if I can convince the others to slip away. Give me a little bit to think up an excuse.”
“Thanks. Let me finish this cat on my own? I wanna talk with the siblings alone and then I’ll join you. Never got a chance to properly say thank you.”
He gives me a sad look, but he doesn’t say anything. From the way his eyes narrow, I know he’s suspicious of me planning something without him. Thankfully, he settles for a nod after a long, meaningful stare. He whistles with false cheer and heads back up the stairs, herding the others along in front of him.
Merciful heavens be praised, I think in relief when I sense the team getting ready above me. I don’t know what I did to deserve such an amazing brother, or what he said to Rakesh to get him to withdraw so abruptly—that man is committed to his research—but I owe Mikko.
“Ugh, forgot about the cat’s whiskers!” I yelp, turning my attention back to the glass in time to see the glass dribbling down the cat’s face. “Rookie mistake, Nuri.”
The former whiskers drip into tiny molten globs on the ground, leaving funny streaks on the cat’s otherwise ferocious little face. I haven’t stalled out in the middle of making something like that in ages. It’s a sign of just how agitated I am that I’ve forgotten the most basic truth: movement is everything.
Once I calm my frayed nerves, I use [Vitrification] on another rock to give myself more material to work with while I fix the poor cat’s whiskers. I levitate over the new glass batch I made, using the absolute authority afforded by the unfettered use of my [Arcane Domain]. I wonder if I would have gained much of anything by taking Melina’s [Object Manipulation].
Maybe I can help her develop a Domain of her own if we practice levitation while she controls time. Might be worth exploring later.
Previously, if I’d wanted to counteract gravity by controlling the world around me with my Domain, I would burn through all my mana and run dry after several heartbeats. I’m reminded of the time I punched the White-Banded Stoat when we encountered our first attack in the Barrens. It took fully half my mana to send the beast flying. Now, with my freshly upgraded core and seemingly-endless Capacity, I barely notice the cost. Without the practice when I copied Lady Evershed’s grand Skill [The Weight of the World: The Domineering Manifestation of Pride], I doubt I could do it so easily, but it’s a handy upgrade.
Come to think of it, Lady Evershed was probably also working with a nascent Domain. If she ever gets past her current bottleneck and pushes into the Second Threshold, she’ll likely develop her own sphere of control. She certainly has the fine mana manipulation and influence for it, but I don’t know what triggers the Skill. Maybe we can visit her after this is all done.
One more thing to add to the list.
Reminiscing how far I’ve come, I indulge in a wry smile and reshape the cat’s face to look like a miniature version of the Shadow Jaguars that I fought off with Ember’s help a few years ago. After the body of the glass cat for Shiphrah is complete, I lean against the cold, rough-hewn granite wall, sitting cross-legged and considering my next steps. I tentatively reach for one of my newest abilities, the extraordinarily rare Skill gifted from Avelina. [Adjuration of the Phoenix] might be themed after a mythical creature, but I’m fairly certain it will synergize well with [Glass Animation].
Even though I’m making a cat, not a phoenix, the Skill should improve the intensity of my mana if I draw on the link—and, far more important, it should also draw on the higher-order concept of rebirth if I’m right. Avelina only used it for fire, but as I grew more practiced with my Domain and more aware of what happened when she activated the Skill, I realized that she was touching on axiomatic truths without even realizing what she was doing.
The alien contour of the Skill structure feels cold to the touch, despite only activating it within my inner world. There’s no physical connection, only mana activation, but “cold” feels like the appropriate word anyway. As I pour an extra portion of mana into [Adjuration of the Phoenix], however, it explodes with overwhelming heat and potent concepts of life, not rebirth like I’d suspected.
Almost giddy with the sensation of wielding such a powerful new Skill, I fuse the effects with [Glass Animation], watching closely through my Domain as the power surges into the glass creature and gives rise to a lifelike feline. My mind can’t follow all the dizzying twists and turns of mana, but I try to memorize as much as possible so that I can describe it to Rakesh later. We’ve got to continue adding to our runic dictionary, after all.
The Skill completes, swirling and settling down in the center of the glass cat. I shout and leap to my feet, pumping my fist in victory.
Flicking its twisty tail in response, the cat quirks its head at me. It seems to smile, then jumps all the way up from the floor onto my shoulder in a single bound. The cat digs in a few times with its claws, like a [Baker] kneading dough, and nestles up against my cheek. Satisfaction fairly radiates off the cat. It rests a paw on top of my head while it licks its sleek black glass body with a dainty pink tongue. If not for the faint light shining and refracting through its translucent body, I would have sworn it’s actually alive.
“Whoa! Color is new.” I can’t help but exclaim over the look of the small jaguar, even though its behavior is stranger than anything else. I didn’t set out to change its appearance, but something about [Glass Animation] reacted strongly to the flow of energy through [Adjuration]. I’m not sure I followed what happened through the entire procedure; I’ll have to repeat it a few more times while explaining the runes to Rakesh and Melina so that they can document the unusual interaction.
I close my eyes, taking a deep breath while I draw in ambient mana, meditating and measuring the flow of energy into my core. Harvesting mana feels far faster and more effortless than I ever dreamed possible; I’m not just healed, I’m enhanced. I wait for another few minutes, ensuring that I’m mostly topped off, and walk upstairs to deliver the cat to a delighted Shiphrah.
“Rashad! Look! It’s stalking the falcon,” Shiphrah coos, clapping her hands together and bouncing in place on the tips of her toes.
“I can’t believe how real it looks,” Rashad says, staring at the cat. His eyes widen when the small jaguar pounces at the falcon, knocking it from the air and brandishing its needle-like claws. He lurches forward to shield his sister’s face with his arms, turning his head a moment before impact.
Instead of shattering against the hard tiles and spraying sharp glass everywhere, the falcon simply bounces. I pin down the cat with my Domain and separate the two creatures before they scratch each other, glaring at them sternly. I’m not sure if they have any self-repair ability, though I have a hunch that feeding them mana will restore them to their original, pristine condition. I’d rather not test that theory just yet if I don’t have to, though.
“It’s so cute!” Avelina exclaims. She rushes over to where the cat’s squirming on the floor, held in place by my Domain, and kneels down to pet the cat. Yuuni unwinds from her forearm, where it’s taken to coiling up like a thick glass bracer, and nuzzles up against the cat.
“They’re based on glass, but they’re resilient like flesh. I’m not sure I even know quite why,” I explain to the flabbergasted siblings. “I know there’s no way that I can repay you for your kindness, but I hope you enjoy your new friend. Please accept the cat as a token of my endless appreciation.”
“Oh, we do. We do!” Shiphrah replies, beaming at me. She nudges Avelina out of the way and scoops up the sleek glass feline, whisking it to her sitting chair. It doesn’t resist when she gathers it into her lap. She strokes its head and scritches behind its ears, lost in the novelty of having her own awakened glass companion.
I run my fingers through my beard and sigh. No more stalling. Time to confront the mercenaries assembled above. I clear my throat, giving Mikko a look. He nods and rounds up the team, who follows him outside to wait for me, leaving me on my own with Shiphrah and Rashad.
Once the door closes, I bow to the siblings. “I know you’ve already done so much for me already, but if I may—could I ask for one more favor?”
Rashad raises an eyebrow. “Speak, friend. The worst we can say is no.”
“Please look after Lionel. He’s given up so much for me, and I don’t know how else to repay my debt. He needs someone to train him. I strongly suspect that he’ll remain in Gilead with the Menders when we return home. I’d feel better if I know someone’s checking in on him.”
“We can arrange something! Our darling niece is well respected within the ranks. I’m sure that if I mention to Saphora what a nice boy Lionel is, she’ll be happy to look in on him,” Shiphrah says, smiling absently while she pats the cats on the head.
I manage not to flinch at Saphora’s name. “Thank you. Both of you. I owe you everything.”
Rashad rubs the back of his neck. He raises his eyebrows, a faint blush creeping up his cheek. “Think nothing of it. We were happy to help. Now, hurry along. Your friends will want to talk with you, I’m sure.”
I gesture for my falcon, which flits ahead of me, and bow again before I take my leave and stalk down the long, dim hallway. Inspired by Rakesh’s paper birds, I send my new falcon ahead to scout for me, trying to manually recreate the runes I recall Azariah using to scry. I don’t have the actual runes in my repository, so the images I get back from the bird are less detailed than what I can already see in my Domain, but it’s a start.
Eventually, I hope I can mirror what the falcon sees, displaying the view for my team through their own glass companions. I’ve got a long way to go to catch up to Azariah’s utility, but I haven’t forgotten my goal of matching his smoke’s versatility one day but with my glass instead.
The team seems to pick up on my tense mood when I rejoin them. Mercifully, no one speaks. We march onward, Mikko side by side with me in the front. With bated breath, I track the ambushers through my expanded [Arcane Domain]. My heart hammers in my chest when we draw even with the floor where Saphora lies in wait. I strain my perception, ready to seize the ambient mana and deliver blades of sharpness against my enemies from afar if the attack. Cutting through my fear is my wonder; I marvel at how easily the mana responds to my command now that my core is restored.
My nerves are as taut as over-tightened violin strings, ready to snap at the first screeching note. It’s almost a relief when Saphora emerges from her hiding spot in a wide hallway, intercepting us on a broad landing right between two different sets of stairways. At least I don’t have to wait for the showdown any longer.
Lionel recoils. He slides behind Mikko, who’s holding his glass hammer and taking a defense stance. His voice shakes when he speaks. “What are you doing here?”
“What! Can a [Lady] not visit her own castle?” Saphora mocks. “Or did you forget that I own these grounds? My Aunt and Uncle travel even more than I do, which makes me the proprietress.”
Marshaling my courage, I stride closer to the hallway where Saphora is waiting for us, flanked by her small army. “What’s your game, Saphora? I’m not in the mood to play.”
“You’re hardly in a position to make demands,” Saphora says. “But I am a magnanimous ruler. I’ll give you a chance to play along before my friends get impatient.”
“You don’t have any friends,” Lionel hisses, apparently gathering his courage. “You’re a monster.”
Saphora manages to look simultaneously sad and amused. “And here I thought I could count you among their number! I almost told you that I was here to check in on an old friend, but we haven’t known each other that long. Not yet.”
“Not ever,” Lionel spits out.
“I’ve heard good reports from Mender Uttara about you,” Saphora continues on in an intentionally blithe tone. “We’re going to get along great, since we’ll be working together in such cozy quarters!”
Lionel steps forward, his eyes smoldering. He works his jaw, staring down Saphora. “I’ll never work with you. You’re not a [Healer] at heart. You just enjoy holding power over people.”
“I do! I really do. See? You already know me so well,” Saphora purrs. Her smile disappears, and she jerks her head toward us. The double-wide doors to the hallway behind her fling open, revealing the ranks of her reinforcements.
Viewing is easier than ever. With the extra mana empowering the trick of perspective, I’m able to scan the group and read their Classes for the first time. Just over a dozen of the fighters are [Huscarls], probably in the employ of Saphora’s house. They share the same gray uniform, axes, and armor. The rest are a more eclectic smattering of [Mercenaries], [Soldiers], a [Mage], and a hidden figure who’s managed to obfuscate his Class. I’ll have to keep an eye out for that one.
“We’re not looking for a fight,” Lionel says. He edges toward the stairway on the other side of the landing, but a pair of burly [Huscarls] cut him off. They stand shoulder to shoulder at the foot of the stairs, blocking the way to the surface.
“Good. You won’t find one. You’re outnumbered and underpowered; struggle, and we’ll squash you like bugs,” Saphora declares, her confidence clear in both posture and tone. “Now come here. We’ll part ways, your friends will keep their mouths shut if they know what’s good for them, and everyone goes home happy. Simple and straightforward.”
“You can’t have him,” Avelina says, drawing her glass wand. Her eyes narrow as fire swirls all around her.
Ava, no! Not again.
Mana flows out from me in waves, overloading the mana lamps and hiding our team. The darkness swallows us whole. Undeterred, I march forward, relying on my Domain to guide me toward our enemies.
“I expected something more compelling. Let’s skip the pleasantries and speak a language you’re more well-versed in,” I reply, flooding my Domain with even more mana and increasing the pressure on her group. A handful of the fighters stumble and drop to their knees.
“You have such a talent for violence,” Saphora remarks sarcastically. She stands tall, appearing completely unaffected, though I don’t think she can see in the dark. She gestures toward a woman in flowing robes behind her.
“Don’t burn him too badly,” she says in an airy voice. “I still want to talk with him about a mutually beneficial arrangement.”
The woman steps out in front of the group. She’s the [Mage] I noticed earlier. Based on her Skill structures, I’m confident that she’s aligned with light and fire. Light blooms, harsh and blinding, confirming what I gleaned from Viewing her. The former doesn’t scare me much, and I doubt her fire can get through the shielding afforded by my [Greater Heat Manipulation].
Seconds later, I curse under my breath as the light grows stronger and stronger. The [Mercenaries] all put on pitch-black goggles, but I still see a few wincing under the harsh assault. I squeeze my eyes shut and pull my thick hood up over my head, further cutting off the growing light. Vision is unnecessary for what’s coming next, anyway.
The light grows in brilliance, shining straight through my hood and shut eyes. I cover my face with the crook of my left arm, pressing my arm tight against my eyes, and still see stars despite the cloth and flesh blocking the way. The dazzling radiance is painful even through my layers of defense. I clench my jaw and endure the pain in silence.
When the light fades, flames take its place. Instinctively, I move to snuff out the [Mage]’s casting, but I stay my hand. I smile in wolfish anticipation at turning her own power against her.
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Heat billows out, intense enough to warp metal, and I direct my glass falcon to fly far enough away to avoid melting in the furious onslaught. The rest of my attention is devoted to using every bit of mastery over thermal energy I’ve developed over the years, drawing in the scorching heat to create a zone of cold around my team as the fire builds and builds.
The [Mage] breaks off at last, panting from the exertion of manifesting so much fire for so long. She reaches for a wand at her side, likely to bolster her next cast, but I’m faster.
“Ill advised,” I snarl. With a contemptuous snort, I redirect the gathered heat back at the [Mage], engulfing her in a cone of pure agony.
Her garish light cuts out, plunging us into darkness once more. I watch through my Domain as Saphora frantically tries to heal the damage reflected on the [Mage], who’s writhing on the floor and screaming in pain.
To my surprise, I find myself pitying her. Chances are good Saphora simply hired her for a job, and she’s not involved in any nefarious plot against my friends or country. As my conscience pricks me, I draw away the excess heat energy, leaving her in a temperate sphere that will soothe her body. The diminishing damage allows Saphora to finish healing her at last.
More mana than I’ve ever used before, save for channeling outside sources, empowers my Domain to keep track of the armed [Huscarls] running forward. Each one activates a hand-held mana torch, illuminating the hallway to more normal levels. Their goggles are off again. They fan out to surround me, moving with precision that shows their training, and I make a show of drawing back in fear when they brandish their weapons at me.
“All right, all right! I give up,” I whine, lifting my hand in the air and trying to appear terrified. “What are you going to do to me?”
In reality, I’m shocked at how little I feel threatened by all of their posturing. With the overwhelming amount of mana in my core—my healed core!—I’m certain my Domain can crush them all into the floor before a single enemy gets close enough to hit us.
“That’s right, glassmaker,” Saphora calls out. “You can’t escape. Tell your friend to come along quietly.”
“What—what are you going to do to me?” I ask, licking my lips.
She scoffs. “Why would I care about you?”
I squint in the dim light of the sparse mana lamps. “You tell me. You’re the one who targeted me and hired thugs to catch me. Abyss take me, but that’s an odd way to show you don’t care.”
Saphora shakes her head. “Ah, ah, ah! I don’t care about you. I know you’re the ringleader, but as I said, your friend is of great interest to me. He knows some particular secrets that I want to make sure stay secrets. If you breathe so much as a word of what you’ve learned—well, let’s just say you’ll be the only one still breathing. If you want him to train with the Menders in peace, then you better bite your tongue and send him with us. Else I’ll activate every reverse healing Skill that I embedded in him.”
I snort. “All these theatrics just to ask me to be quiet? Nah. I don’t buy it. Why bring all this muscle with you if you’re interested in quiet blackmail?”
“In case you keep trying to play the hero,” Saphora says. She leers at me. “Go on. Make things fun. I’m begging you.”
I take a step forward before I even think about it, flexing my hand and dreaming about punching her in the face. The feeling of power is more intoxicating than I expected. An angry, arrogant part of me doesn’t even want to try to get her to tell me her plan. I would rather obliterate them all than get her to monologue. I grind my teeth, take a deep breath, and force that voice to be silent.
Something is playing on my emotions. Once again, I feel the resonance of violence deep in my soul. I need to get it under control before I do something I regret. I have no desire to repay the siblings’ kindness by leaving corpses in their research facilities. I take a breath, fighting off the rising feeling. Maybe it’s the sheer amount of mana coursing through me. Strengthening me. Changing me.
Belatedly, I remember that I now have [Lesser Resistance: Mental Strain] from Lionel. Feeding a touch of mana into the Skill brings almost immediate relief, along with a bit of embarrassment that I didn’t recall earlier that I received the Skill. I force myself to breathe deeply and count to ten before I reply to the deranged [Lady].
“What do you want?” I ask more calmly. “You must have a plan if you haven’t tried to kill us yet, not seriously. Perhaps we can help each other.”
She frowns, her face shrouded in harsh shadows cast by her house guard’s mana torches. “Kill you? I’m not going to leave such crude evidence. My poor Aunt and Uncle would be very embarrassed that they healed such a ne’er-do-well! I would have to spend double my time here consoling them over their undoubtedly terrible judgment.”
I blink. That’s not the response I expected.
Saphora lifts her chin. “No, I need you to deliver a message for me.”
I glance over my shoulder at Melina, but she shrugs, apparently just as surprised as I am. I turn back toward our nemesis, more intrigued than I want to admit. “To whom?”
“Tell your handlers that Gilead will soon be free,” Saphora says, stalking forward. Her eyes are cold and hard. “No more taxes from the capital. Densmore grows fat by preying on cities far from Modilaraon. The Menders are tired of the imperial thumb. We are a sovereign state. We reject the [King]’s rule. Leave us alone or suffer the consequences. We have inroads all over your country; we will not simply roll over if war breaks out.”
Rakesh snaps his fingers as details click in place. “That’s why you were trying to take over from the [Lord] of Mahkaiaraon. “You’re building political power and wealth.”
“Just so,” Saphora confirms.
“How many Rifts did you target?”
She grimaces. “You’re too perceptive, [Researcher]. No wonder the [Inquisitors] hired a craftsman to do their dirty work. Friends like you are smart enough to figure things out. I barely believed it at first that he was in their employ, but your [Healer] friend wasn’t lying. What’s his name—Leonard? Leo? No, don’t tell me. I don’t care.”
My fist clenches. “What did you do to Lionel?”
“Ah! Little Lio. That’s right. Sweet boy. And I already told you that I planted a Skill within him that reverses healing if I desire. That persuaded him to talk,” Saphora replies with a ghastly smile, as though they had a pleasant chat. “I can assure you that I’ll keep a close eye on him while he’s in my city. As long as you hold up your end of the bargain, no harm shall befall him.”
Her threats stoke the ember of anger in my chest. Her words ignite the coals. Rage roars to life and sweeps through me like a burning inferno. I growl at her. “Don’t even think about touching him. I’ll never trust you after the way you tortured my best friend.”
“Then we are at an impasse,” Saphora snaps, growing cold once more. “I’m afraid that I can’t risk you reporting on our activities.”
“Which is it? A fight or a message? You’re sending confusing signals,” I say.
“Keep up that attitude, and a note pinned to your charred corpse will do the trick just as well,” Saphora snarls at me.
“You know, I was gonna wait for this showdown until I’d tracked down all the members of your conspiracy,” I say as I gather my mana, circulating it around me and preparing to fight. “I wanted to bring you all to justice. Now? I don’t care about a mission. This is personal.”
I blast out my Domain, driving them all to their knees. Mana dances in the air, visible as silver and emerald threads of power. The full force of my presence presses down on all of them in an instant, surprising me with how potent the suppression field has become.
Out of the twenty-plus people in the ambush, only half a dozen are able to resist falling to the floor: Saphora and five of the [Soldiers] and [Mercenaries] to my right. I pivot to my left, staring down the lone straggler who’s fighting to stay upright under the relentless assault of my Domain.
Viewing takes barely a thought. The [Mercenary]’s Skills show a mixture of strength-enhancement, toughness, and endurance runes, which I now recognize thanks to the gift of Mikko’s [Greater Endurance]. Given his physical prowess, he’ll probably live through anything short of beheading. I seize a small portion of the mana in the air around him, connecting to the concept of sharpness and slicing into his skin.
He’ll survive, I tell myself harshly. He falls to his knees, screaming in agony. He drops his mace, which clatters onto the tile next to him, clutching at his neck as he bleeds. [Vitrification] turns the weapon into a rod of glass, and a pulse of [Greater Heat Manipulation] turns it molten in an instant. Pouring more mana into my Domain, I force the rod to wrap around his hands, melting flesh and burning a new set of manacles into place.
My new Skill [Quick Cool] anneals it right away, and just for good measure I imbue unbreakable concepts into the crude glass handcuffs. The [Mercenary] won’t soon break free, even with his strength Skills.
“Better heal him before he bleeds out!” I call to Saphora. “Or do you care so little for your allies?”
“Kill them!” Saphora shrieks, her face twisting into a snarl of anger at my taunting. To her credit, she struggles toward the injured man, pushing back against the oppressive weight of my Domain. When she crouches down next to him and puts a hand on his neck, staunching the bleeding, I breathe a sigh of relief and lessen the pressure a bit. I don’t actually want the death of strangers on my conscience.
While I’m momentarily distracted watching the tense healing take place, the five fighters to my right charge on some unknown signal. Although I can’t see them with my eyes, since I’ve turned to keep the snake Saphora in front of me, I can track them perfectly through my Domain. I snap my fingers, flash-freezing the hall and turning the tiles so cold that they slip and crash to the floor.
The stolen heat wells up in me. I vent it back toward them, eliciting roars of pain. As I prepare a follow up attack, the man whose Class I can’t read pulls out a small, pre-cranked crossbow and snaps off a shot.
Instead of firing at me, the single bolt hovers in the air for a moment, then splits into a dozen bolts as a high-ranking Skill activates. Shock ripples through me. Physicalizing mana is no easy feat. The arrowheads glisten in the mana-torch light, humming faintly as they resonate with sharpness. Another pulse of mana signals a second Skill initialization, launching the deadly projectiles straight at me faster than I can follow with my eyes.
My own mana surges in response, condensing in front of me at the speed of thought. Inspiration strikes me, borrowed from my brief time with Master Melidandri. I call on the mana in air in front of me, imbuing it with unbreakable.
The instant the mana hardens, all dozen deadly bolts explode against the invisible shield. The air is too ephemeral to hold such an elevated axiom, however, and the two concepts cancel each other out, shattering the hasty working. A shockwave shoves me back, which coincidentally saves me from the follow-up sneak attack: a throwing dagger that whistles past my throat with only inches to spare.
His eyes widen in distressed disbelief. “Impossible! H-how? You should be dead twice over.”
I tug on the ambient energy even harder, dropping the temperature sharply. None of the rest of my ambushers have ranged Skills or offense-oriented magic, as far as I can tell from a quick Viewing. I’m not in any great danger at the moment.
Anger mounting, I release a blast of my gathered heat straight at the man’s crossbow, which bursts into flames. He drops it with a yelp and takes off running, out of tricks and more interested in preserving his own life than winning the fight.
Lionel’s scream of agony distracts me from vengeance. I rush over to my best friend’s side, letting the attacker go. Veins stand out all over Lionel, pulsing black. One bursts, oozing unnatural sludge instead of blood. His body thrashes side to side, caught in what I can only describe as death throes.
Whatever treacherous sorcery Saphora cast on Lionel, it’s terrifyingly effective. He’s growing gray and shrunken in front of my eyes as his vitality drains away. I tremble, caught in my own inadequacy as I realize there’s nothing I can do for my friend.
Melina pushes me aside and casts [In the Blink of an Eye], surrounding Lionel with a bubble. His suffering seems to stop, momentarily, at least from the outside. His decay freezes in place. “I can’t hold him forever! We need to get to the Menders if he’s going to live.”
“Mikko! Get them out of here!” I roar.
Mikko charges for the [Huscarls] on the stairs. His hammer twirls too quickly for them to follow, sending them sprawling unconscious. My brother slams his hammer into its leather loop, throws Melina over his shoulders, and scoops up Lionel. He races up the steps.
No one else moves to stop my friends; their attention is focused on me as I burn with mana. The team rushes after him, ascending the stairs. I watch them through my Domain, praying that they’ll make it to the Menders in time to save Lionel’s life.
Spending mana like water, I leverage the full weight of my Domain, dragging the weapons out of the remaining [Mercenaries]’ hands. Exulting in the power of my unleashed [Arcane Domain], I draw the assorted weapons closer. So many quick casts of my Domain in such rapid succession is exhausting, but [Greater Endurance] proves its worth, keeping me on my feet despite the strain.
“Thank you, brother,” I murmur, grateful for him a hundred times over. I heave out a ragged groan of relief as my Domain confirms that they exited the building. They’re out of immediate danger, although I’m heartsick over Lionel’s precarious condition.
As for me, I charge into the fray, my vision tinged crimson as I finally give in to the crooning call of violence. Saphora should have cornered me before her Aunt Shiphrah restored my core. I shove down the burning temptation to kill them all, but wrath is inevitable.
Each time I activate my Domain like this to levitate objects within my sphere of influence, the mana costs seem to multiply. I’m draining through my prodigious reserves faster than I ever thought possible, given my now-enormous Capacity, but I’m able to hold up. The cost is worth it for the terror radiating off the would-be ambushers.
Once I pull assorted weapons within about twenty feet, I stretch [Vitrification] to its uttermost and bridge the gap to the weapons. Even though I can’t physically touch them yet, the Skill responds eagerly. I transmute all of the swords and axes into glass. My home-made Skill is tough to wield at a distance, but I’ve got mana to burn, so I overcharge it and push it past its limits.
[Greater Heat Manipulation] also sings at my impulse, melting the glass until all the transformed weapons are glowing from within. I crush them together with another application of my Domain, forming a huge ball of molten glass.
A savage grin stretches across my face as I flex my power, relying on the runes I’ve learned and the Skills I’ve acquired. I’m just getting started. I invoke two of the Skills I’m most excited to have inherited from Lionel, speaking aloud to savor their names on my tongue while I work. “[A Perfect Prototype]. [A Master’s Touch: Thirty Seconds of Greatness].”
The glass beast I have in mind to create has a chance to be the best one yet. The glass from the transmuted weapons I confiscated flows into shape at the impulse of my will. For good measure, I try to draw on [Adjuration of the Phoenix], but nothing happens. The link that leads out of my core to some mysterious, distant patron—presumably an actual phoenix—is inert. The mighty Skill might take days or even a full week to recharge from the feel of it. I’ll have to confirm with Avelina later, after I’ve subdued the [Soldiers] and [Huscarls] in front of me.
I switch plans on the fly, drawing on [Glass Animation] and [Artisanal Acuity] instead of Adjuration to create a glass version of the mythical Phoenix. Infusing the glass phoenix with as much mana as I can spare causes it to glow with fiery red flames. Even if the eponymous Skill won’t activate, the pressure rolling off the creature is shocking compared with the glass golems I’ve created before.
The phoenix opens its vicious, hooked beak and screeches in silent fury before darting toward the approaching [Soldiers].
“[Mage]!” one of them screams, turning and running away as fast as he can after the ranged fighter who left earlier.
I smile sharply at the title. Despite insisting to Azariah that I’m not a [Mage], I’ve stepped onto the path. I’m no longer resistant to the concept. I’m more than a simple [Glassworker], after all.
One of the other [Soldiers] turns and follows, leaving only a pair of fighters still standing as they struggle against the force of my Domain—other than Saphora, who’s still busy trying to keep the cut-up [Mercenary] from bleeding out.
Liquid fire trails from the glass phoenix’s wingbeats, sizzling and burning wherever the white-hot fire hits the tiles. Shrieks follow in its wake, driving back the remaining attackers and sowing mayhem in their midst. Disbelief rolls off them like a flood, mixed with dread so profound it’s almost overwhelming through the emotional link of my Domain.
“Surrender and live!” I boom out.
“Don’t listen to him! It’s just a trick,” Saphora screams, but her shaky voice betrays her. Her resolve is ebbing away like the sea leaving the beach’s embrace at low tide.
Growling, I stalk toward Saphora, who’s trembling on the tiles and barely able to lift her head under the force of my rage made manifest. The sheer amount of mana in the air is electric, causing sparks to fly and writhe like lightning. I’ve never seen so much mana outside of a Rift before; it’s curdling the air with its raw power.
“Dare to threaten my friend again, and I’ll turn you into glass,” I growl. “You’ve seen what I can do to transmute metal and stone. Imagine that’s your leg, or your hand. I’ll change you into a glass statute, one agonizing inch at a time.”
She whimpers, crawling backward away from me, but the weight of my Domain is too much for her to escape. I lean down and grip her collar with my right hand, lifting her up until we’re staring face to face.
“Swear that you’ll leave Lionel alone. Swear!”
“Please. Mercy,” Saphora begs.
“Swear!”
“Please. I, I can’t.”
“Swear!” I growl, “or I’ll shatter each section of glass. You can’t heal glass, can you? That’s the funny thing about the magic you wield. It seems so powerful, shaping human flesh.” I laugh bitterly. “You know how to deal with someone who can undo any damage? Transform the body into something else. I’ll vitrify your bones and crush them one by one if you so much as lay a finger on Lionel.”
“Mercy,” Saphora sobs, the words barely audible. She’s fighting just to open her mouth and squeak out the words. Her cheek muscles are shaking from the strain of speaking.
“Out of respect for your aunt, I’ll leave you alive.” I glare at her, flaring my mana and letting her feel the oppressive power contained within me.
Her eyes roll in her skull, but I slap her back awake. The rest of her fighting force isn’t so lucky; the entire squadron is unconscious, overwhelmed by the might of a true Domain.
I pull her upright. “Tell me who you work with.”
“I . . . I can’t! I’m oathbound not to reveal—”
“Names. Now,” I grow, releasing my Domain so that she can actually speak. “Or I will destroy you so utterly that not even the Headmistress herself can heal you.”
Collapsing to the floor, Saphora weeps. She shivers uncontrollably, all of her pride and confidence stripped away. As her sniveling grows quiet, she lifts her head and looks at me bitterly. “I’ll tell you, but you have to get me away from here. They won’t let me live if I sell the others out.”
“I won’t let you live if you don’t,” I snap. “But out of respect for Shiphrah, I will ensure that the three of you are safe when the storm falls on Gilead.”
It’s a baldfaced lie, but I don’t care. Let her think whatever she wants as long as I get my answers. I have no idea if I have enough pull with the [Inquisitors] to grant her immunity. But I don’t intend to find out; after what she did to Lionel, I swear to myself that she won’t get out of Gilead alive. I should kill her right here and now, but the thought of her Aunt and Uncle finding her body stops me short. They don’t deserve that kind of trauma.
Saphora gives me names. She speaks in dull tones, staring down the hallway at nothing. I expect her to try to fight her way free, or to use her insidious reverse healing Skills on me, but she doesn’t seem to have the will to struggle anymore—which is good, since I’m almost completely drained of mana.
I write down all the names, dutifully checking spelling and ensuring that I have all the information I’ll need for Rakesh to connect the dots. We’ll bring down the entire cabal, tearing out the rot from within.
And once it’s over, I’ll track her down and finish the job. I call over my glass falcon to get a sample of her blood. Its sharp talons are more than up to the task. I imprint on the bird the importance of always following her, no matter where she goes in the city, and it bobs its head in acknowledgement.
Meanwhile, my new phoenix circles, too proud to land on my arm, but still brimming with fire. To my shock, a faint mental connection opens from the creature. It assures me that if I’m in danger, it will protect me, since it’s strong and I’m weak.
I snap my notebook shut once Saphora is out of names. I’ve gotten as much information from her as I can. I snarl at her and stalk away, leaving her wrung out and terrified.
Breathing heavily, I stagger up the stairs and into the lush gardens back on the street level. After the heart-pounding fight in the darkness, emerging into the daylight and hearing the sound of songbirds feels almost wrong.
I find a towering tree and sit under its majestic branches, leaning back against the trunk as I enjoy a warm breeze on my skin. I’m completely drained, physically and emotionally and magically, and I need time to recover from the fight. My head is spinning, dealing with the pounding onset of a mana-deprivation migraine. Wielding my Domain like that took more out of me than I anticipated.
I close my eyes and put my head in my hand, trying to steady myself so I’m ready to walk again. I’ll head to the Menders campus soon and reunite with my friends.
“At least the worst is over,” I murmur, finally letting myself relax after the fight. I slouch against the tree, chuckling weakly.
Something shifts in my core.
My muscles go rigid, and I groan. I spoke too soon. Power surges through me, more than what I drew on during the fight, but it’s not my own mana. Panic grips me. Before I figure out what’s going on, I find myself spiraling, falling inward.
And then, nothing but darkness.