I left the Iron Doublet in a daze. A master of spoken High Elvish, a creature older than any living elf, reduced to a common tailor.

I shook my head. This is what the Sanctifiers did. They stripped away everything that made us special and unique, leaving only what was useful to their goals. Reed was no different. No matter how much she bribed me or what she bribed me with, I would not be tamed.

And then there was the other uncomfortable truth: I and every other Landbound mage were enchanted. Shay’s explanation made sense. The tugging on my soul was my quintessence pulled taut, stretched across space and anchored in the earth beneath my mansion home.

What would happen if I died here? Would I join Cynthia and the others, or would the Dellends become my resting place? Those questions haunted me as we returned to our rooms at the Pit and prepared for tonight's party.

# # #

We arrived at the Lagos estate on horseback, with Dugan riding his horse and me borrowing Isla's white gelding. As we reached the gates, I dismounted with more grace than my first attempts but still clumsier than Dugan.

We followed Van Lagos’ advice and left Thor at the Pit. The ladies had adopted the boar as their unofficial mascot, and Thor loved the attention. It was for the best. He wouldn't be useful here, and we didn't want to reveal how we stored our supplies.

Located on the outskirts of Steeltown's wealthier Residential Quarter, the Lagos estate looked more like a fortress. The large structure was made from light grey sandstone and surrounded by mismatched stone walls and heavy black iron gates. Armed guards stood at the main gate and patrolled the grounds with lit torches.

I looked down at my phoenix-emblazoned jacket and felt naked.

We left our weapons at the Pit. It was one of the unofficial rules of the party. My only comforts were the belt sash around my waist and Dugan.

The doublet he picked out was tight around the arms. Shay removed the sleeves and gave Dugan a loose shirt to wear under his makeshift vest. He fidgeted with the silver chain that draped over his shoulders.

To my surprise, the guards let us pass without trouble, taking our horses to the estate’s stables. For better or worse, everyone knew who I was.

A patrol of guards led us to the entrance. The weathered wooden doors were open to let servants dressed in black and white rush into and out of the main building.

We followed a red velvet carpet through a wide stone hallway, occasionally passing rocks the size of our heads on round pedestals. The rocks ranged from deep blue orbs to angular, rainbow-coloured crystals. I was told these were lapis lazuli and bismuth. I didn't care.

The corridor ended in another set of large, open doors. Faint music and a chorus of voices spilled out of the estate's main hall. The braziers were lit with sweet-scented sandalwood, casting the space in a warm glow. Lagos guards lined the walls in patchwork leather while scantily clad servers floated through the crowd, carrying appetizers on polished silver trays.

The guests were varied, attempting to look like members of high society with varying degrees of success. The Inquisitor succeeded. Reed stood out in her all-black uniform, a silver sash running diagonally across her body, drawing attention to her hourglass figure. Outside of the sombre Guildhall, I had to admit she was beautiful in a domineering sort of way. She was leaning forward, talking to a deathly pale man in a wheelchair. I forced myself to turn away, spotting her opposite on the other side of the room.

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The plump, middle-aged woman rested on a couch with red cushions. She wore a white dress to match the flowers in her blonde hair. Around her were four similarly dressed teenage girls. If I had to guess, that was Lady Kateen.

My eyes flicked to the other unusual person at the party—a man a head shorter than Shay at six and a half feet tall. Where Shay was slender, this man was thickly muscled. I wondered if he could see through the mop of light brown hair that covered his eyes. He wore a brown jacket that was too short at the sleeves.

That had to be Tiny Tom.

Beside him was a shorter man with dirty blonde hair that receded into a widow's peak. He looked nervous, throwing shifty glances at the other partygoers. He was also dressed in brown. He must have been with Tom.

It was a lot to take in. I closed my eyes, massaging away the strain.

Finally, my eyes flicked to the one thing I wanted to avoid. A large, metallic sculpture levitating three feet off the ground at the hall's centre. At the sculpture’s heart was a large golden orb. Around the orb, thin rings of gold, silver, and copper rotated at a slow pace.

The sculpture was enchanted—just like me.

I was enchanted, and part of my soul was dead.

"Beautiful, is it not?"

I turned to see Van Lagos behind us, his smile wide as he looked me up and down.

"You clean up well, Jacob."

"So do you.”

It was true. Van Lagos wore a long robe of red silk over his white shirt and black pants. A few steps behind him, Finnick sneered at me.

Van Lagos pointed a thumb at his brother.

"He thought you wouldn't come, but I'm happy to see you.”

I nodded.

That made two of us. I needed to learn more about the fire that didn’t burn.

"I see the orb caught your eye."

"Yeah. What is it?"

Van Lagos shrugged.

"No idea. It came with the estate. I’m told the estate’s previous owner found it in the ruins underneath the mountains."

"You left an ancient, enchanted artifact in your home, and you don't know what it does?"

He waved me away.

"It's harmless. Besides, I told you we live dangerously in Steeltown. Enjoy the party."

The brothers walked past us to join the crowd. Finnick Lagos glared at me, giving me one more dirty look over his shoulder.

"What did I do to him?" I asked Dugan.

"Sssometimes existing is enough."

I smiled. I liked this new chatty Dugan.

"How do you want to play this?"

"Well, we bah… we barely ate anything t-today."

"True enough."

We cornered the first server we could find, grabbing as many appetizers as we could fit in one hand.

It wasn't long before an all-black figure appeared at the corner of my eye.

Reed.

"I see you visited our immortal tailor."

I turned to her. In the warm glow of braziers, she was less intimidating. Standing at our full height, I loomed over her, yet she still held herself with the same confidence.

"I did. He’s wasted in his position."

"Really? I think he’s right where I want him."

She turned Dugan.

"Can I talk alone for a moment?"

I gave him a reassuring nod.

He eyed us both before stepping back and looking for another server.

"What do you want to talk about?"

Reed smiled.

“Come.”

The Inquisitor turned on her flat heels and disappeared into the crowd.

I blinked for a moment and then followed her, weaving between the attendees until she stopped at a row of seated musicians and turned to face me.

"Good. You understand the nature of our relationship. I lead. You follow."

"I wasn't… Damn."

She got me.

"When I was dispatched for this mission, I was given two objectives: protect the Guild's investments and discover which mage was behind the incident at Miller's Hill."

"I told you it was me."

"Cute. We know it's the girl."

I fought to keep my face neutral.

She leaned in closer.

"That's a nice trick. Whoever trained you trained you well, but the facts are the facts."

"Castille and Dugan are known quantities to us. You, while unique, are not capable of what was reported. The girl is a mystery.”

She stepped closer, a malicious glint in her eyes.

“A mystery I want you to solve."