The Magic Brigades East Wing headquarters was the base of operation for Sasha Almatt. Unlike the other members of the Magic Council, already leaving for the next event in their job, she was in a box of regret, mad that the day was too young to escape. Rather than returning to her office, she went to her room, falling into an egg-shaped chair as she picked up a waiting bottle of wine. Popping the cork took little more than a flick, but she stopped herself from pouring it down her throat. Instead, she filled up the glass on the table beside it, sitting back after a long drag. She swirled it as she mulled over the meeting, seeing not just her pink eyes in its reflection, but also the half-elf boy. She took another sip and propped her feet up, leaning into the chair as words rolled from her mouth.

“Dammit Rien…” Her brow furrowed, and she placed a hand against it. “You could’ve defected quietly, you know? You could have disappeared into the wild, leaving us to find you later.” But that wouldn’t have been him. The meeting gave her reason to think about their past, and even at his youngest he would have done things the honest way.

He was honest to a fault. Whereas she wasn’t opposed to a bit of conspiracy. Could anyone say Sasha didn’t know where or whom Danson was? No, and she was supposed to work on keeping them separated. Except the two had not desired to live like that, and every moment Rien saved someone’s life, she moved the two of them closer. Rien? No, she couldn’t call him that anymore. Aloryn would have gone on saving lives forever, and she had a distinct feeling that finding Danson had not canceled the quest he was already on. She took another sip and smiled. The thought truly did make her nostalgic.

She first met the half-elf six years ago. Her predecessor had been buried only a month past, and she tried to make her new seat on the Council one that'd drive change. That started with talking to the Enforcers in the East Wing, making sure she got rid of any that were happy to take an elf's life. That had earned her no favors, but she did get a chance to see a few rolling heads. Only a quarter of those was literally rolling, but it put the rest of the Enforcers in line. Sasha would make you pay if you went against her orders, she doesn’t care how far your superstitions go back. Of course, that meant she was called in when a half-elf started making trouble. It would have been one thing if he stuck to robbing shops but he broke into a base instead, trying to sneak away with a bunch of supplies. Going quietly wasn't an option, and having already wounded some of the ranks, he had to either face her or be the first dead elf-blood since she took control.

“Some of my men are really angry about this.” A commander told her as she walked through the bridge gate. She tilted her head as she looked forward, righted it, then looked at him.

“Tell them I’ll hear their complaints if they want to bring them. I’ll even let them try to take my life.”

“Ma’am?”

“Commander?”

How old was she back then? Twenty-two? The commander looked like he had thirty years on her, and looked at her like he was a kid. She immediately liked the man. She didn’t care for subservience but she respected those who recognized power.

“Where’s the target?”

The gate was on the second floor; she heard something break below. Peering over the railing, she saw the young wild-haired blond standing on a table with a vase freshly broken on the floor. He looked at it with something of an apology, while one man fell to his knees like he lost everything. Another Enforcer approached in the distraction, getting an arrow in his thigh as the half-elf flipped away. Aloryn was an easily spry child, moving with the sharp agility of a cat who knew its playground. A few other Enforcers rushed him and he scurried around the room, stopping some with arrows at their feet, and others with arrows through their legs. They kept coming till he ran out, and he cut one man’s arm with a sword. She wondered if sparing his life made him such a problem—if going in for the kill would make the boy an easy finish.

Jumping from the second floor, she landed behind him. Before she touched the ground he was spinning, and the sword might have opened her stomach if she didn't catch it against her finger. His eyes widened and his blade glowed with magic. It was a shining sword spell, even though he didn't take the oath and he stabbed with the desperate need to kill. When her finger stopped it that time the blade broke into chunks. Black ichor oozed down from her fingertip, making his eyes bulge as a droplet rose. She flicked and it splattered against his head. His eyes rolled back and his body dropped, saved from hitting the floor only by her quick hand. She held him up like an animal and looked around the room.

“Well, don’t keep me waiting. I need an office, a bottle of wine, and some privacy.” The enforcers rushed to it, surprising her with how quickly they found the bottle.

Aloryn came to about an hour later. By then, the bottle was almost empty, and she seethed as she forced her body to sober. He looked around with arms flat on a table and glared at her as his eyes settled. The urge to attack filled them at once, but his arms could only twitch as he tried to move his hands. He looked at them and then back at her. What did you do to me? She swirled a bit of ichor in the air.

“Abyssal Blood Magic. I’ve been picking it up lately. There’s no use for blood magic in the Abyss Valley, but out here its pretty great. It doesn’t work that well against Spiritualist, but you can use blood seals in that situation. Did you know spells drown when you use abyss blood as a conduit? There’s so much utility to this.”

The boy bared his teeth.

“My position gives me access to information most people wouldn’t have dreamed of. If a civilian practiced blood magic it’d be cause for alarm, but when a Councilor does it, no one bats an eye.”

“Why can’t I move my arms?”

“Abyssal Blood magic.” She turned his arms over, revealing stains on his wrists. “They probably feel like iron right now, right? This sucks against Spiritualist but elves have no spirit magic capability. Even a half-Reza like you.”

“I don’t know what you want from me, but you’re not getting it. Just kill me already.”

“I want answers, and don’t worry about getting killed. We don’t do that around here anymore.”

“I’m an orphan. I don’t have any answers for you.”

She pulled a bag from under the table and emptied its contents upon it. Food spilled out, but so did a few bottles of elven medicine. At worse times, they used it to keep prisoners on the edge of their lives. Now they just had a surplus, which could honestly help a lot of people. The fact that Aloryn knew he could find some in the base was almost as telling as the amount he had taken. None of the Enforcers would have checked the stock with the kitchen ransacked. The bottles would have disappeared, taken away by a mystery.

“This stuff is pretty potent too.” Sasha looked at it. “I read some old reports from like, 110 years ago. They used it to keep an imprisoned elf alive long enough for his father to save him. They couldn’t get far in that condition though, and both were struck down after leading the Enforcers back to their hideout.” The boy’s face paled. “I read a lot of bad reports like that. The East Wing is pretty cruel to elves.”

“Saying that won’t get me on your side.” That was the first bit of honesty Aloryn gave her, shouting his mind from the top of the mountain. She remembered having to fight a smile. She respected honesty like that; respected strong emotions.

“That sucks because I’m speaking honestly and I want to get you on my side. I keep thinking about this medicine, and why a kid would go out of his way to get some. Someone somewhere must be hurt, and the longer it takes to get the medicine to them, the more they’ll be in danger.”

“I don’t have answers for you…”

“Are you sure?” She raised an eyebrow. “Because I saw a lot outside. You’re a half-Reza boy with agility most Reza would gag at. You’re good with a bow but even better with a sword. You’re a Spell Sword at that, and your Magic Calling is so good that you were able to call an Oath-based spell. That tells me you were trained by some pretty amazing people. The Spell Sword part really says a lot. Reza don’t waste their time with swords, even the half-elf ones.” Aloryn listened but gave nothing back. “So I have a theory that you don’t have to confirm but…there’s this guy named Edwin Caldwell who’s been getting pretty popular further East. He’s so popular that five women have already fallen at his knees to carry his child. He’s looking at a pretty luxurious life, and a noble was so desperate to get in good with him that they had enchanted prosthetics made for him. Caldwell got popular while me and my predecessor were outside the country. Apparently some violent elves took that as their moment, and Caldwell is the hero that stopped them.”

“That’s not what happen!” The boy roared. “He launched a sneak attack, using a small half-elf village as bait! He attacked all of them, and attacked us when we came!”

"He killed Dhan and Ysala, the Avadyn couple who have been trying to unify the elves for the past six years." Since the end of the siege in the Sun Lands. Aloryn shut his mouth tight, realizing his error. "Dhan and Ysala are known among the East Wing nobles. None of them like the idea of the Elven Kingdoms being united, they're trying to hide from their embarrassing subservience. It is ridiculously hard to dismantle all the Elf Killer programs they have out there, and some of those killers have been sent for my life since I banned unwarranted Elven deaths."

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His face softened. “Who are you?”

“Sasha Almatt.”

The look he gave in response told her he was taking her in. Her skin was tan and her hair brown. Her eyes were pink and round. If the boy knew the land he would have placed her as someone from the south, maybe from a family with strong Dark Land blood. She was an abyss born, so that would further confirm it. Sasha was not an Almatt in any regard to what people knew about that family. The Almatt were nobles with mostly northern blood. The Almatt's didn't go as far south as to have children with tan skin. There was of course the chance she was a bastard or adopted, but she was an Abyss Born, and the Almatt family were close with the Divines. Aloryn couldn't figure out what that meant. She decided to explain.

“There’s a popular tradition here in the East Wing, you know? It started all those hundreds of years ago when half-elves started appearing and the Kingdom’s promptly kicked them out.” She crossed her arms. There was a word for what the elves called half-humans. “Dhied?” She raised an eyebrow.

“It means unlawful.”

“That probably explains some things then, because back when the nobility around here bowed to elves instead of hanging them, they liked to do a terrible thing. The ones out further East used to keep Dhied as pets, parading them around at balls and things like that. They’d buy them for themselves, and buy them for their kids. The Dhied didn’t get a choice, it was either die out there or be fed as a slave.” Aloryn squirmed. “Well the rest of the nobility couldn’t let themselves be outdone, but they didn’t have access to Dhied or ways to make them. They needed something to be their pets though, so they collectively made these laws you know. If they aren’t human then they should not be punished as humans. Non-humans were monsters, by their justification, and that meant you could take a pretty monster to the ball if you caught one in a crime.”

“You’re a pet?”

“I was… The thing about this pet business is that it never would have worked to just make that law. They had to frame a lot of people, and go through every loophole. There was something like, if a non-human is in chains they are to be considered a criminal. And people saw that as their chance to make money. One group of those people went to the Dark Lands and started taking kids from the Abyss Valley. The previous Lord Almatt didn’t care for Abyss Borns, but he wanted to get his son a pet. Thane hadn’t taken an interest after all, and that was embarrassing for the older Lord, sitting as the most powerful noble in the East Wing.”

“But the old Lord died ten years ago, and didn’t Thane get killed more than a month ago. Shouldn’t you be free now?”

“Thane was a better man than his father. As someone without an heir in a dangerous position, he proposed that the Almatt family be turned over to the last living person baring the family name.”

“Oh!”

“The nobility hate it. They wish they had an Elf Killer strong enough to stop me. But that means you and I have something in common. So I have one question. Who are you?”

“My name is Aloryn. I was adopted by Dhan and Ysala after my mother died. I’m here because my brother, Dhanylo was injured in Edwin’s attack and has been getting worse…”

“Aloryn…I’ll help your brother and you, but I’m going to need a favor in return.”

“What!” The boy barked. “I thought you would help because we’re the same.”

“I will, but I need your help too. If you go back out there Edwin will finish what he started. You and Dhanylo ruin his fame, and serve as a light for people who still want the kingdoms to unite. I want you to serve under me, become my apprentice and change the way the world sees Dhied, like Xerva did for the Harragar.”

“You want the kingdom’s to unite?”

“I see it as a bonus. The East Wing can only get better with the kingdoms. Think of the unity between us, the kingdoms, and the Triumvirate.”

“I’ll do it!”

“That was easier than I expected.”

“If you agree with my parents, you’re not my enemy, and if Dhanylo is safe and comes too, it’ll be all right.”

“Great, but we have to do something about those names. The brothers Aloryn and Dhanylo will sound familiar to the people who want you dead. I can kill an Elf Killer, but can either of you?” Aloryn lowered his head. “So…let’s try Rien and… Danson!”

“Do… you know what Rien means?”

“I think it means something like bond, right? Call me cheeky, but I like the idea that you’re the bond that ties me to Dhan and Ysala.”

“Then why Danson?”

She shrugged. “If you pronounce Dhan like a human name, you could say your brother is Dhan’s son. So, Danson.”

The boy stared blankly at her, but she smiled. Later she would tell Aloryn that her story had not been as clean as his, but that moment ended with him seeing who she was. The rest of it was history, but that history made her sad. It made her a little frustrated too, thinking about what his defection meant for her plan. Still, he was the Hero, and even as a defector people would remember that title first. Suddenly, a knock rolled across her room.

“It’s open!” She said as she sobered herself up. A boy in burgundy pushed the door open, coming forward to stand with a sword in his hand. His white hair was in a bob, and his amber eyes shined with hope. This was Anai’s son, Adrian, and as he stood there proudly, Sasha’s heart broke. She had news to break to him, but first. “Hi, Adrian! I heard you got your sword!”

“Yes ma’am!”

“Ew! Don’t call me ma’am, just call me Sasha.”

The boy's jaw tightened. That wasn't a fight he could easily win. "I'm fourteen now, so you know what that means." It softened and he smiled. The Sword-finding tradition of the Anders was well known for how it provided them with their legendary blades. The white metal with its golden edge was said to speak to its wielder, and no one understood blades better than an Anders. An Anders with an Anders' sword always became a threat. Some of course were greater than others. Sasha wondered if Adrian would reach his mother's level.

“Yeah. Though I don’t really know what you guys have to go through. I hear getting the sword means you have to be strong yourself though.”

“You fight Anders himself!”

“Should you be telling me that?”

“It’s not a secret, and a normal person can’t beat him. No offense.”

Sasha wondered if she should attack the child. She wouldn’t kill him, just show him who was more normal than the other. She shook that thought from her head as the boy became tense. His awareness was sharp, he wouldn’t go down without something being broken.

“I see.” She said instead.

“That’s actually why I’m here. I actually got two swords.”

“Trying to beat your mom?”

“No. Anders gets stronger every time you fight him. I almost didn’t make it the second time.”

Then who’s the sword for? Except, Sasha already knew. Adrian always came to the East Wing when Aloryn was around. The boy trained to one day fight beside him, and with Aloryn gone her heart broke again. She wished Anai didn’t leave this to her, but she smiled nevertheless.

“I have bad news for you, Adrian. Alo—Rien left the Enforcers. He’s probably going to be deemed a criminal soon.”

“That’s all right! I know Rien is a good guy, and he deserves a good sword. My mom said he went to the Calm Lands, and I was wondering if you could have Havren deliver this sword to him.” The boy proffered it. Sasha’s heart swelled.

“Are you sure? You might have to fight him one day.”

Adrian shook his head. “I’m going to fight beside him!”

Sasha smiled. “All right, I suppose we can conspire together.” She took the sword. “I look forward to seeing how much good you two do together.”

Adrian beamed. "Thank you Ms. Almatt!" He waved as he rushed out of the room, giving her as much of a concession as he could currently manage.

She laughed to herself for a moment as the door closed behind him, stopping only as another knock came at it. Hiding the sword under the table, she said the same as before, and Dae Hyun proceeded into the room. This encounter made her immediately straighten up. It felt somewhat like a fight only minutes away from starting.

“Sasha,” He said with arms crossed behind his back. “I would like to make a deal with you…”