Aiela

The Mind Sphere might have been her favorite sphere of magic. The ability to warp others' perceptions to suit your needs was incredibly useful, and while not as rare as Oma's Time Sphere or even Lady Nora's Space Sphere, there were perhaps a few dozen human users of Mind Magic on the entire continent.

Far from all-powerful, Mind had a large shortcoming: In addition to being resisted by powerful mages like the other types of magic, the illusions could be thwarted by a sharp mind or a strong will, especially when you knew there was an illusion in the first place. Still, on the average person, it worked just fine.

"Get your healing water right here!" one of the men from the wagon called out. "Fresh from a spring of healing! Only two silvers each!"

That made her quirk an eyebrow. Healing springs were rare, and most were controlled by the governing body of the territory they belonged in. The nearest such spring was to the north, in House Carsten's lands, and she knew they guarded it well. That left a few possibilities: These men were either thieves who'd stolen the water somehow, or more likely, they were swindlers peddling fakes.

Aiela picked a middle-aged woman in the crowd who looked almost as skeptical as she did, striking up a conversation, "Hey, how do we even know that stuff works?"

"They gave out five bottles to demonstrate," the woman answered. "The lucky sods who got the samples got better in front of our very eyes."

Aiela hummed in thought. That quickly? That couldn't have been healing water, then. Healing water was just water with curative Nature Magic in it. Her own healing magic would take roughly half an hour to alleviate the poison's symptoms, like with Milly. For it to work so quickly, it must have been some kind of antidote, which had unfortunate implications for the party on the wagon. They arrived just in time to sell their products to the town while the townspeople were suffering from poisoning? A likely story.

Aiela elbowed and zapped (lightly, of course, and discretely) her way through the crowd to get a vial herself. The man in charge saw her, noticed her fine black dress amid the crowd of common folk, and smiled.

"Welcome, miss. Feeling under the weather, too?" he asked.

"Yes, since this morning," Aiela lied.

"Worry not. A vial of this water, fresh from a healing spring, will fix you right up!" he said.

"It's not terribly expensive, is it?" she asked. She would have batted her eyelashes but she'd never been great at that.

"Naw, it's a bargain! For only two silvers, you're practically just paying for the vial!"

He was right, actually. A graded potion vial ran about a silver each, less if bought in bulk. If they were really selling what they said they were, they were losing money with each vial. A genuine vial of Healing Water ran for at least five times that if she remembered right. As a mage she never really needed it.

"May I purchase three, then, for my family?"

"Of course, of course! Hey, girl! Three bottles!" the man called out. A girl with jet black hair tied in a ponytail and sun-kissed skin wordlessly obeyed, passing three vials over to Aiela from aboard their cart. Their eyes met for a moment, and Aiela could practically see a cry for help on her face. If Aiela hadn't promised Venza to be civil, she would have knocked the man out then and there. Besides, if there were any accomplices, they needed to be found, too.

Instead, she used a spell to make six copper coins look like silvers, and walked away with her purchase, casting one last glance at the wagon.

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Venza

"It's a curative tincture," Aiela explained, holding up a bottle. "Made from herbs common to Astamarr."

"So a potion that heals people?" Venza asked. Aiela had returned to her normal appearance.

"No, but it works well enough for mild poisoning of the stomach."

"That’s not enough to put them under arrest," Venza said, frowning.

"Are you sure? I'm positive they're also holding a girl against her will," Aiela insisted.

Venza's mouth curled into a frown. "How certain are you?"

"Eighty percent," Aiela answered. "But it might be a bad idea to do it now."

"What do you mean?"

"These are shrewd brigands we're dealing with," Aiela explained. "And who knows how many of them there are? If we strike now, the rest might get away."

"Then, the better option is to see where the contamination is coming from," Venza said. "And find out why the river is blocked. The sooner we unravel this plot, the better."

Aiela nodded her head in agreement.

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Venza cupped her chin in thought. "We should investigate the blockage first. If this was truly engineered by someone, they might still be there, or at least have left some clues as to their identities."

"Agreed, but who knows how far downriver the problem might be?" Aiela asked. "We can't walk the whole way. Shall we borrow horses from the stable?"

"Th-that's an option, yes," Venza answered, cursing herself for the slight quiver in her voice.

Aiela, with a barely concealed smirk, replied, "Are you certain? I'm decent on horseback, but as I recall, you seem to have some trouble with-"

"I'll be fine," Venza answered. "We even spent an entire summer with House Carsten learning how to ride."

"I'm aware," Aiela said, barely suppressing a smirk. "It's why I know how to ride."

Venza rolled her eyes.

"But perhaps we should take a carriage, instead," Aiela suggested.

"Of course,” Venza said, trying to hide her relief. “No telling how far we'll need to travel, after all. May as well do it in comfort."

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Like they'd asked, a pair of soldiers from the Grey Guard waited for them in the back garden, wearing their gray uniforms and wielding a spear each. Despite the number of benches available, the two of them had opted to stand.

"Ah, you two must be-" Venza stalled. Shit. She knew one would be Carver, but the other one's name escaped her. "The pair who were recommended."

"Yes, Heir Greyfield. I'm Marcus Roeder," the first young man offered. He had a short head of black hair and a stocky build.

Venza squinted her eyes, staring at him. For some reason, he looked familiar. "Do I know you from somewhere, soldier?"

“Yes, boss lady,” the young soldier smiled sheepishly. "You, uh, bloodied my nose last week. In the square."

Oh. A brawler from the market. Venza's mind worked as fast as it could for an appropriate response. "Ah, that's where. Sorry about that."

"Nothing to apologize for, Heir Greyfield," he answered quickly. "We were opponents. It was fair play." He grinned. "I'm just glad you held back, unlike you did last night with Russell."

"I don't learn anything from the fight if I go all out at the start," she explained. Roeder. Roeder. She would have to remember his name. Or it'd be embarrassing next time they met.

She eyed the second boy, signaling him to speak.

"A-and I'm Wilson Carver," the second boy, brown-haired and similarly built, added. Despite standing as tall as she did, he seemed to shrink from her presence. An odd reaction from the boy whose father had saved her life.

"You seem nervous," she observed. "I apologize for pulling you from whatever you were doing."

"O-oh, not at all!" Roeder said. "John picked us because he knew we would want to go."

“You did?” Venza asked, quietly wondering why that was.

"Cute," Aiela remarked, but didn't elaborate. She then inspected the two young soldiers. "You two are accustomed to using heavier weapons?"

"We are, Miss," Carver said. "Though we were instructed to bring spears."

"Because I'll be having you help us with some tests today," Aiela explained.

"Tests?" Roeder repeated.

Aiela looked to Venza. "I'll go retrieve my things from my tree house. You might want to get your weapon and armor."

With a flourish, Aiela left the three of them to wonder as she sauntered over to the once-empty plot Venza had convinced her parents to grant her. A tall, wide tree now stood in it, growing faster than any tree Venza had ever seen until about a year prior when it just seemingly ceased to grow altogether.

Aiela waved her hand in front of the tree, and a hole suddenly appeared in the dark wood, allowing Aiela access into the tree's hollow. A moment later, the wood seemingly reformed, swallowing the mage up as if she'd never been there at all.

"So it's true," Carver muttered.

"What is?" Venza asked. "Let's talk while we walk. I need to get my weapon and put on my brigandine."

Roeder and Carver gave each other a look before Carver responded. "We'd heard Miss Aiela was responsible for the large tree that practically sprung up out of nowhere."

"And that it could swallow a man whole," Roeder added.

"Ah, yes. Aiela's tree house," Venza said absently as they walked towards the front door. She hoped her mother was still asleep. "The first part is true, but the bit about swallowing is off. That part isn't actually wood. It’s a thick curtain of vines that are the exact same color. She uses them to keep pests out."

It was very similar to how Oma Mala had hidden her hut six years prior.

"If you don't mind my asking, Heir Greyfield," Carver began. "What goes on in there?"

"Aiela's research," Venza answered simply. "She calls it a tree house but it's more like a wizard's tower, albeit not a very tall one."

"You've been inside, then, Heir Greyfield?" Roeder asked.

Venza considered telling them to call her by first name, then decided against it. She would be ruler of these lands and people someday, after all, and these men would be her soldiers. A sense of decorum was required, as Vosmer would say. Maybe one day, if they served together long enough.

"A few times," Venza said. "Though I have not visited as much after I knocked over one of Aiela's bottles by accident."

Luckily, the bottle hadn't contained anything dangerous.