“Where does he even find them?” Taliser scowled. “It’s as if he has a place, somewhere he grooms them and brings them when they are of age.”

“Calm down, T,” Jaqueline said. “It’s not that deep.”

He sighed and took a seat on one of the comfortable couches in her room. She was right. It wasn’t that serious. But to bring one every year. The only other person that was this lucky was House nineteen, and his wasn’t every year.

He turned tired eyes at his old friend. Jaqueline was a dark woman with skin the color of blackwood and grey eyes that demanded every attention. Her equally grey white hair wasn’t natural. He remembered it being black until she’d dyed it to fit her eye color. When he’d asked why, she’d said it had an appeal to it. She’d been going for a look then, and the look had stayed for over ten years. As for her physique, it was an envy of female magi. She was well built. She had enough muscles on her to fill her out without taking on a masculine form yet she retained her luscious curves.

On more than one occasion he had considered asking her out, but he knew better. Jacqueline wasn’t looking for love, or a nightly frolicking. Like every other gold mage as powerful as her, she was looking for Barony.

Her hair was full and long, packed in one large and long braid that she now played with, grooming it with both hands. “So what did you think of this batch’s prospects?”

“Nothing truly unique,” he answered. “Oden’s an acceptable mage. If he keeps up he’ll be a formidable gold one day. His awareness and reia control are all he has going for him, though. Fentil’s a better mage. He has potential, but even at Iron he’ll do some damage.”

“Cause of his illusion magic?” Jacqueline asked.

He nodded. “I could only tell the difference with my gold eyes. Iron rank beasts won’t be able to tell the difference. He’ll skewer them where they stand. The only downside is if he can fight without a weapon.”

“You forgot his reia exhaustion.”

“That’s true.” He scratched the back of his hand. “He’ll need to pay more attention to his core. I can’t believe a mage that good doesn’t know when he doesn’t have enough reia for a skill.”

“Must’ve been his convergent skill.”

Taliser shrugged. It was true enough. Most Iron mages had issues calculating exactly how much reia their convergent skill would take from their reserves since it consumed the most as compared to their other skills.

“Do you think Jim will let us have him, though?” Jacqueline asked.

“Fentil’s Donovan’s prospect,” he corrected her. “Jim’s Oden.”

Jacqueline nodded, her expression forlorn. “I know what I asked, T. Do you think he’ll allow the adventure guild recruit him?”

Taliser opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted by the sound of the door to her office opening. Both magi turned their head to find their mountain of a guildmaster walk in.

“He will not,” Lucas said. “And even if he did, we would not recruit him.”

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Jacqueline’s brows furrowed slightly. Luke had always been one of the few people capable of inciting a reaction from her. Others only got her strict placid expression. It was not cold as ice. It was simply nonexistent.

“I can understand why he wouldn’t give the boy up,” she replied. “But why won’t we take him? He has amazing control, and a lot of power.”

“It’s that sword of his. It’s a menace.” Taliser shook his hand out. “I can still feel the impact of it.”

“But he’s no swordsman,” Lucas said, strolling into the room. His voice was its usual baritone, a rumble of sounds. He took a sit on the couch opposite Taliser and rested his back. “From what I got from Jim, his skill lies in the use of guns.”

Taliser turned to him, surprised. “Guns? Everyone knows how to use a gun. It doesn’t necessarily stand out.”

Lucas waved a dismissive hand. “Not like that. He made it sound like a specialty.”

“Like he wields it better than other mages,” Jacqueline mused, a thoughtful finger on her lips. “It would make sense if what Taliser is saying about his awareness is true.”

“It is,” Taliser protested. “I hit him from his blind spot twice and he still reacted.”

“But you haven’t answered my question, Luke,” she continued, as if Taliser hadn’t spoken. “Why won’t we take him?”

Lucas sighed as if the answer drained him of strength. “Because the boy is a pure core mage.”

She leaned forward from her seated position on her desk, focused assessing eyes on him. “I don’t see what the problem is there. He won’t be the first Iron mage to not have an aspect he’s leaning towards. He uses the sword. In time we can lean him towards sword reia. If he doesn’t like it, we can move him towards something else.”

Lucas shook his head. “I saw the boy’s core, Jaq. He’s a pure core user, through and through. He’s already cultivating it in that direction.” He looked at her so that she could see the certainty in his eyes. “His core is purer than a mage without an authority. Whatever he’s been doing, he’s constantly purifying it. It’s the path he’s chosen.”

“And Jim let him?”

“Jim has no intentions of advising him against it. He claims he did not place him on the path, but he has allowed it.”

“The boy won’t get past gold, then.”

“And if he’s constantly purifying it,” Taliser added. “That means every day he strays farther away from every aspect.”

“Someone needs to have a talk with that kid,” Jacqueline said.

“Agreed.” Taliser turned to her. “And I think it should be you?”

“Why?” she stretched the word, suspicious.

“Because Jim is less likely to press charges if it’s you. He’s always had a soft spot for you. And people just naturally listen to you.”

“You mean men just naturally listen to me,” she shot back. “I am not sex on a stick, Taliser.”

Taliser smiled. “Think about the kid’s future. He’s wasting it on a pure core.”

“One more insinuation out of you, Tal, and I’m going to—”

“That’s enough,” Lucas said. He didn’t raise his voice, but he’d never had to. “Taliser, stop sexualizing her. Jacqueline, as offensive as it may seem, most men do see you as sex on a stick. In this case should the boy see you as such, it would be to our advantage. Finally,” he raised a cautionary finger when Jacqueline opened her mouth to speak. “Finally,” he repeated. “We will do nothing.”

“You can’t be serious, Luke,” Taliser protested.

“I am. We. Will. Do. Nothing. Jim is a House, and Oden is a beneficiary of that House. Our personal feelings towards someone’s affinity does not trump the rules. They are there for a reason and they will be upheld.”

“And what if the boy comes to us?” Jacqueline asked calmly

Taliser could see her brain working out a plan already. He almost smiled. Unfortunately, Lucas had known her just as long as he had. He saw the workings all the same.

“If he comes to us, we will return him to his benefactor. Only when he officially cancels his contract with House fifty-eight will we be allowed to do anything.” He rose from his seat and stared at her. “And no one speaks to the boy first. If he does not come to you, you do not go to him. Is that understood?”

Jacqueline frowned. “Is that an order?”

“From a guildmaster to his adventurers.”

Her frown did not leave her face but she nodded. “Yes, Boss.”

“Good.”

With that, Lucas turned and left the room.

Taliser watched him until the door closed. “Why didn’t he look at me when he said it,” he whined. “I can rebel, too, you know.”

He folded his arms and burrowed deeper into the couch. It was too comfortable for his current displeasure.