Jasper did his best to hide the immediate sense of revulsion he felt as the prince admitted he was a mind mage. While those powers might seem cool for Professor X, in real life, the thought of interacting with someone who could change your mind - possibly without you even realizing it - was downright terrifying. With someone like that around, could you even trust your memories?

It wouldn’t have been so bad if the fey charm hadn’t been broken beyond repair in the battle with Yas̆geh, but now Jasper had no protections left against the mental arts.

Despite his efforts, his unease shone through, and the durgu sighed. “I know you probably won’t believe me, but I can’t alter your thoughts. Kruvas̆, I can’t even truly read your mind. I just pick up on snippets, mostly whatever happens to be running through your mind while we’re talking. It’s more like eavesdropping than mind-reading.”

“Do you mind repeating that,” Jasper asked abruptly, preparing his truth spell.

“It’s more like eavesdropping than mind-reading?” the prince repeated quizzitively.

“No, the stuff about you being unable to alter thoughts.”

“I cannot alter your mind. I can numb your pain, eavesdrop on some of your thoughts, and launch a mental attack that might just leave you a drooling moron, but I cannot make you think or feel things you don’t want to do,” S̆ams̆ādur said with a touch of exasperation.

“He’s not lying,” Jasper reassured his party, although, personally, he wasn’t one hundred percent convinced the man was harmless. After all, if S̆ams̆ādur actually could alter thoughts, then perhaps the truth spell was nothing more than a fever dream the durgu had planted - but he knew down that road lay madness.

“So you’ve been reading our thoughts all night,” he asked the prince.

The man shrugged diffidently. “I’ve picked up a few odd thoughts here and there. Nothing that interesting.”

“You just lied,” Jasper shot back, having not stopped casting the truth spell, and the man cursed.

“Kruvas̆. You're still casting that bloody spell? You know,” he said with a bit of a sneer, “It’s a bit hypocritical to be so judgmental of a mindreader when you’re an inquisitor.”

“I’m not an inquisitor,” Jasper replied defensively, but he knew the man had a point. A truth spell was only slightly less invasive than mind reading, and one of his spells would straight up kill someone if it judged them guilty - a judgment based on a metric he neither knew nor understood. “But…I suppose I am being a bit unfair," he agreed. "From everything we’ve seen, you’re a good guy. Hell, we spent the last three days meeting people you’ve saved. If you say you can’t alter our thoughts, I’m willing to believe you. Truce?” He added, reflexively the man his hand.

The prince took the hand with a slightly puzzled expression. “Truce. Uh, do we squeeze or…”

“Never mind,” Jasper replied with a chuckle as he drew his hand away. “Old habits die hard, that’s all.” He took another bite of the durgū’s stew before continuing. “Out of curiosity, though, what did you see that was so interesting? Did you see my…”

“World? Nation?” S̆ams̆ādur filled in. “I couldn’t decide what - or where - I was seeing. I’ve heard of outworlders before, but normally they don’t come in pairs.”

“Oh, Erin?” Jasper replied, flicking a glance at the scout, whose head drooped against his chest in slumber, with a thin line of drool trailing down his tunic. “We didn’t come together. But when we ran into each other and realized we were from the same world, well - it’s nice to have someone who understands your references,” he said with a slightly forced smile, feeling a slight tickle of homesickness.

“So you’re not invaders from across the sea?” The man asked, his eyes narrowing with the focus that Jasper was beginning to associate with an attempt to read their thoughts.

Jasper had no training in mind magic, so he wasn’t certain if his efforts would accomplish anything, but he tried to let the man see the answer he sought. “No. We were ripped away from a place called Earth by a cult looking for sacrifices that people won’t notice.”

Disgust rippled across the durgu’s face at that revelation. “Gemlir’s legacy? Ugh,” he spat on the ground. “I hope you paid those bastards back.”

“We did,” Jasper replied grimly. A lull fell over the conversation, and Jasper’s thoughts returned to the question they’d been discussing before the prince had revealed he was a mind mage. “Do you think Sarganīl could be caught up in some sort of cult? Birnah is on the borders of Stryn after all, a province famous for its long, dark history of cultists,” he asked Tsia. “You’ve met him, haven’t you?”

“Not since I was a little girl,” the princess admitted. “He used to come to the palace fairly frequently with his daughter, Marāsselēn. Sarganīl never did anything to harm me, but he also made no attempt to hide his dislike for me - he saw me as a threat to his little darling’s heirs, so I avoided interacting with them as much as possible.”

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“Sounds like a dick,” Jasper huffed. “Any chance he's a cultist?”

She shrugged. “Anyone could be, but I kind of doubt it. Truthfully, I find it hard to believe he’d betray our kingdom. His family has been Birnah’s guardians for generations, and he worked so hard to get his daughter into the position of queen - and succeeded. His grandson will be the next ruler of Sapīya, so why turn on us now? My father wouldn’t be worried about it without good cause, but still...” She shook her head, clearly skeptical of the idea.

“So we have nothing to go on,” he sighed and turned back to the prince. “Any other leads?”

“Well…” the man hesitated a moment before continuing. “There might be a third party involved.”

“A third party?”

“As I told you, there was something off about Sarganīl’s mind. His hatred of our kind seemed...out of place. As far as I know, the durgū have never had any dealings with Birnah for good or for bad, so I was a bit surprised by the strength of his distrust.”

“Do you think his mind was altered?” Jasper asked, suddenly understanding why the prince, himself a mind mage, was reluctant to suggest the idea.

“I wouldn’t go that far,” S̆ams̆ādur demurred. “The man's probably a bigot. I saw no obvious signs of mental control, but...I did catch a fleeting glimpse of a rather strange memory," he admitted. "Sarganīl met with someone dressed in a simple brown cloak."

"That hardly seems odd," Jasper observed.

"While, their face was fuzzy, out of focus, and their words were a jumbled mess. I think the memory was altered.”

“Which might suggest the stranger was a mind mage,” Jasper concluded.

“Perhaps. That doesn’t mean we should assume Sarganīl's being controlled, though,” the prince was quick to point out. “Despite our reputation, most mind mages aren't strong enough to control someone. Altering memories is a fairly common ability,” he admitted, “but not outright control. If Lord Sarganīl is plotting treason, it’s just as likely that he contracted the mage to help him than it is that he’s being puppeted.”

Jasper stared at the fire for a few minutes, turning the details over in his head. “Perhaps…” he finally spoke up, “But what if Sarganīl is the one behind the Atrometos attacks. I know it’s a bit of a leap,” he added, as he noticed the doubt in the others’ eyes, “but stay with me for a minute. First, we think he’s been meeting with a mind mage.”

“Second, there’s the Atrometos’ sudden and uncharacteristic attacks on the outlying villages. While they may love violence and mayhem, it’s rare for them to strike this deep into the Empire, and especially to do so in such numbers - we’d already assumed that someone behind the scenes was paying them to do so, but what if this mind mage is involved somehow.”

“And third, Sarganīl has refused to do anything to stop the attacks. He’s pulled all his troops back into Birnah, claiming that he’s doing so to protect against an attack by Stryn, but it’s an awfully convenient excuse to let him sequester his troops where no one is watching.”

“That’s…a lot of guesswork.” The prince was slow to reply as he mulled over Jasper’s theory. “I’m not saying it’s wrong-”

“I still don’t think Sarganīl would betray the kingdom,” Tsia butted in.

“And maybe he isn’t,” Jasper shrugged. “Maybe he’s being controlled by a mind mage and is a victim in all this, but either way, I think we need to get inside Birnah.”

“On that, we can agree,” S̆ams̆ādur said. “I would have liked to send someone in sooner, but my men stand out too much. Even if we managed to smuggle a few men inside, it’d be obvious to everyone who saw us what we were. We did send a few people in before the gates fully closed, a small squad of Corsyths who accompanied us to Birnah, but we haven’t heard from them since.”

“I’m sure we can find a way in,” Jasper said. “Hell, we can probably just wait for night and fly over the walls.”

“Birnah’s old enough that there’s a good chance those walls will be warded,” the durgu pointed out. “I suspect you’ll have to find another way in.”

“Well, either way, I’m sure we can get in somehow.”

“And what about the villagers,” the prince pressed. “I don’t wish to abandon them to the Atrometos’ attacks.”

“If my theory’s right, then the mind mage might be out here, coordinating the attacks,” Jasper replied. “We’ll need to split up.” He glanced at the rest of his party. “As much as I want to be one to infiltrate the city, with my skin I’ll stand out too much.”

“I probably should steer clear of Sarganīl,” Tsia piped up. “If he recognized me, it might cause problems.”

Jasper hadn’t thought of that, but she raised a good point. Unfortunately, that left only the least experienced of their group - Erin - and Ihra to infiltrate the city. His stomach twisted at the thought of sending her into a possible trap without him, but she had already raised her hand.

“I can do it. With a little careful wrapping, I can hide my horns, and even if someone does notice I’m an elf, they’re not likely to care.”

“Are you sure?" he questioned. "I don’t want to send you off by yourself-”

“I’ll be fine,” she shot back, a slight chill creeping into her tone. “I can handle myself without a babysitter. Besides, I’ll have this one to help out,” she added, cuffing the sleeping scout playfully on the ear.

“Then I guess it’s settled,” Jasper replied unhappily. “We’ll continue to protect the villages, and keep an eye out for that mage - or any more of your father’s assassins -” he added in an aside to the prince, “and wait for your return.”

“Actually,” the prince cleared his throat. “While I have no doubts as to your capabilities, Lady Ihra, I believe I am correct in thinking that you have never been in the city before, yes?" At a nod from her, he continued. "Then why not take Asatâ with you? She's a native of the city, so I'm sure her aid will be invaluable.”

“You’re willing to give up your healer,” Jasper blurted out in surprise.

“Normally, I’d never think of it,” S̆ams̆ādur shrugged, “but I assume you’ll be willing to use your healing spell to help us out, won’t you?”

“Of course,” he agreed.

“Then I think we can spare her for a few days. In return, all I ask is that if you find Takklāta or her men you attempt to rescue them - unless, of course, it would risk your own liberty. I do not expect you to get captured on their behalf.”

“Sure,” Ihra agreed with a shrug, preempting Jasper’s response. “In return for her help, I'll be happy to look for them.”

“Then we have a deal.” The prince raised his empty cup of stew in a mock libation. “To your success!”