The snow was falling more heavily by the time they reached Agernon’s home—large flakes that were taking longer to melt when they hit the ground, as the temperature was getting colder. Nin-Akna’s tattooed copper skin was gaining bluish undertones. It reminded Felitïa of her time spent living on the streets before Elderaan had taken her in. She’d been so cold, dealing with frostbite because she didn’t have adequate winter clothing. There was no reason it should get that bad for Nin-Akna though; Felitïa just needed to convince her to put on some warmer clothes, and she suspected it wouldn’t be long before Nin-Akna would agree.

“I’ll take one of those shawls next time,” Nin-Akna said as they reached Agernon’s door.

“You can always toss it off if you need extra mobility,” Felitïa said. Unfortunately, they had left all the extra supplies at the inn, so Nin-Akna would have to put up with the cold for now. Agernon’s home would be warm though. He always kept a good fire going.

Felitïa took a deep breath, reached out, and knocked on the door.

“You’ll like Agernon, Akna,” Corvinian said.

“So you’ve told me,” Nin-Akna said.

Felitïa held back a sigh and knocked again. Nin-Akna had given Corvinian permission to address her without her honorific, but not Felitïa, and it bothered Felitïa more than she wanted to let on. It was Nin-Akna’s decision, but it was a disappointing one.

Felitïa had to knock several more times before Agernon’s familiar crusty voice came from inside.

“All right! I’m coming! Hold on! This better not be another blasted summons from the Council. If it is, you can tell Ezmelda she can—” The door opened a crack, and Agernon looked out. His irritation was replaced by shock, then pleasure and happiness. There was still a touch of irritation, though. “You’re late!”

Same old Agernon.

“Yeah, sorry about that,” Felitïa said.

“Ten months and two days to be precise.”

“I didn’t exactly have a choice.”

“Bah! There’s always a choice.”

“Yes, I had the choice of going with them willingly or going with them unwillingly.”

“Exactly my point. You had a choice.” He paused and cleared his throat. “Though I suppose you made the right one.”

“They told me they’d let you know what had happened.”

“They did. Several days later, after I was sick with worry. Anyway, you better get in here before that girl dies of the cold.” He opened the door wider. “And before you freeze my home.” There was a hint of a smile on his face, and the happiness and excitement from him was becoming infectious.

Agernon stood aside and Corvinian dashed inside, followed by Nin-Akna, then Felitïa.

The warmth inside was pleasant, but it wasn’t the only thing comforting about Agernon’s home. It was the familiarity. So little had changed since she’d first seen it as a girl. The same two chairs sat in the middle of the room by the same table, on which sat the battered deck of cards he and Elderaan had always used for their games. The vase of spills still stood on the mantle over the fireplace.

Agernon shut the door. “Give us a hug then, if you’re going to.”

Felitïa turned to him and smiled. The only thing in the entire place that had changed was the short, scruffy white beard he’d grown. She hugged him with one arm, the other holding the Staff out to the side. She did her best not to clutch his thin, bony form too tightly, but she also wanted to hold on forever and never let go.

She did let go after a few seconds, though, when his impatience started to grow enough to be noticeable against his feelings of affection. “I like the beard.”

He ran his fingers through the hairs on his chin. “Bah. I only grew it because it takes too much effort to shave these days. You try shaving with these wrinkles getting in the way.”

He was starting to show his age. Agernon had been old as long as Felitïa could remember, but he had never seemed to get any older. But it seemed time was finally catching up to him. His jowls sagged more than she remembered.

Agernon hobbled over to one of the chairs, his cane clacking on the hard floor. “What’s with the tigers, girl?”

Nin-Akna was warming herself by the fire. She looked up at the question. “They’re jaguars.”

“Fine, what’s with the jaguars?”

“The jaguar is the sacred animal of Ninussa. It represents leadership and power, particularly physical prowess.”

Agernon lowered himself slowly into the chair. “I suppose it must take quite a bit of physical prowess to endure the needles needed to put that much ink on you. I hope you don’t regret it.”

“Why would I regret it?”

“Heh. You’ll find when you get old, you start to regret a lot of things. But don’t mind me. I’m just a crabby old man. Now then, somebody going to introduce me to you? I know Felitïa, and I’ve met this fine young lad, but this is the first time I’ve laid eyes on you. I’d remember the jaguars.”

Felitïa blushed. “I’m sorry, Agernon. I’m just a bit overwhelmed with being back and all. This is Nin-Akna. Nin-Akna, Agernon.”

Agernon nodded. “A pleasure to meet you, Nin-Akna. Has Felitïa brought you to me because you have unexplained powers like the boy, or are you just the replacement for the other lad who was supposed to be my assistant?”

“I’m sorry, I’m not sure what you’re referring to.” Nin-Akna looked to Felitïa.

“Really, Felitïa?” Agernon snapped. “Haven’t you filled her in on anything?”

Felitïa sighed. “He’s referring to Meleng, and no, she’s not his replacement, just another friend.” She leaned the Staff against the door, and removed her cloak. “Meleng’s gone to Isyaria with Jorvan. He’ll join us in a few months.” She hung her cloak on a hook beside the door and took the Staff again. Lon crawled out of the cloak. Felitïa held out her other hand and let him crawl onto it and then her arm.

“A few months? Not much good that will do me. Oh well, it doesn’t matter. I don’t need an assistant anyway. What’s that?” He raised the end of his cane and pointed with it.

Felitïa held out her hand a little longer. “Something else I’d like you to take a look at.” Nesh finally emerged from the cloak and onto her arm. Felitïa then walked over to the other chair, sat, and laid the Staff across her lap. “It’s called the Staff of Sestin. It—”

“Yes, I’m sure it is. I meant that. And that.” He pointed his cane at Lon, who was now on her shoulder, and then at Nesh, still clinging to her arm.

Felitïa smiled and held back a laugh. “Oh! That’s Lon and that’s Nesh. They’re rats.”

“Yes, I know what a rat is. What are you doing with them, though? I have a hard enough time keeping rats out of this place without you bring two in.”

“They were gifts from someone very special to me. Don’t worry. They’ll behave.”

Agernon lowered his cane, but leaned in towards her, his eyes narrowed. “Really? What makes you so sure?”

“I’m good with rats. You know that. I looked after the ones at Elderaan’s for years.”

“Those ones were in cages.”

“Don’t worry.”

“I don’t want them making a mess.”

“They won’t.”

Agernon sat back in his chair. “Fine. What’s this Staff of Sestis then?”

“Sestin,” Nin-Akna corrected.

Agernon scowled. “Staff of Sestin then. It’s magical?”

“Yes, how did you know?” Nin-Akna asked.

Agernon grunted. “Felitïa wouldn’t bother me with it if it weren’t something unusual like that. Let’s have a look at it then.” He waved at Nin-Akna and Corvinian as he hooked his cane over the arm of his chair. “You two, make yourselves useful and go prepare some tea. You’ll find everything you need in the kitchen. Some biscuits too. Don’t eat them all before you bring them out.” He leaned towards Felitïa, holding out his hands.

Felitïa lifted the Staff. “Careful, it’s heavy.”

“Pheh, I’ll be fine,” he said, but his arm muscles strained as he took hold of it and she let some of the weight pass to him. He kept a grin on his face, though, as he slid it over to his lap. “Go on!” he snapped at Corvinian and Nin-Akna. “I’m thirsty.”

“You heard him, Corvin,” Nin-Akna said. “Go make us some tea.”

Corvinian looked up at her. “He said you, too.”

“Yes, but it only needs one. I’m telling you to do it. I want to see this.”

“But so do—”

“Doesn’t matter. I’m telling you to do it.”

“Fine.” Corvinian scowled and stomped off towards the kitchen.

Agernon eyed Felitïa and smirked. “I like her.”

Nin-Akna sat on the floor in front of Agernon. “Are you going to find out what it does?”

“Maybe. First, Felitïa’s going to tell me where she got it, and everything else she’s been up to for the past ten months and two days.”

“I can’t believe you’ve been counting the days that accurately,” Felitïa said.

“Pheh, doesn’t need counting. I know what day you were last here. It just takes some simple maths to do the calculations. Now then, you came to me before, telling me the boy was being chased by Volgs. Now, word is we’re going to war against them. I can’t imagine these are unrelated events. So I’ll tell you what I can about this little staff here once you tell me what the hell is going on.”

Felitïa nodded and launched into the tale. She’d expected this. Plus, she was getting used to telling at least a portion of it now anyway. It took awhile to tell, as she started from the moment she’d last seen Agernon and he interrupted frequently with questions. They’d finished all the biscuits and Corvinian had been sent to make more tea by the time she got through it all.

Agernon sighed and shook his head when she was done. “So, you went off and got involved in politics, did a shit job of it, and threw us into a war. Then you joined a revolution in Ninifin and left it in a worse state than it was when you got there. You’ve been banished from the royal court, you’re harbouring the rightful heir to the Ninifin throne, and Darkers continue to try to kill you. I always told Elderaan I’d regret testing you for magical potential one day.” He slid the Staff back towards her.

Felitïa grabbed for it before it fell on the floor.

Agernon took hold of his cane and rose slowly to his feet.

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“I know it’s a lot to take in,” Felitïa said. “And I don’t blame you if you don’t want to be involved. It could get dangerous. Probably will. I was just hoping…”

He glared at her. “And I thought that lad who was with you last time needed his confidence slapped into shape. Of course I’ll help you. I made my choice regarding you all those years ago. I’ll pay for it when I die, which I don’t intend for a good few more years yet.”

“Oh. Just, you pushed the Staff away and…”

“What happened to those telepathic powers of yours?”

“Nothing. They’re a bit quiet at the moment, I suppose. They do that once in a while.”

“I’m just going to take a piss. Old men’s bladders don’t work as well as they used to, you know.”

Corvinian laughed, and Agernon hobbled out of the room.

“I think he did that on purpose,” Nin-Akna said.

Felitïa sighed. “He definitely did it on purpose. If I weren’t so tired, I wouldn’t have fallen for it.”

“I told you he was awesome,” Corvinian said as he went over to the fire to retrieve the tea water, which was starting to boil.

Nin-Akna grinned. “Yes, you did, and I suppose he is.”

Agernon returned a few minutes later. Once he had had a sip of tea and a few puffs of his pipe, he asked Felitïa to place the Staff in his lap again. “Right, you say this thing talks to you?”

“If you call saying my name over and over again talking, then yes. I don’t think it’s working properly, and I was wondering if there’s a way to fix it.”

“Is it calling your name now?”

Felitïa shook her head. “It’s been quiet since we arrived.”

“All right, let’s confirm it’s magical first.” He began to run his fingers along the length of the Staff, tracing inscriptions along it.

“But we know it’s magical,” Nin-Akna said. “How could it not be magical?”

Agernon just grunted.

“Agernon likes to follow specific patterns,” Felitïa said.

“I haven’t got where I have in this world without being methodical, girl.” He nodded towards Corvinian. “Besides, I have already encountered one thing that is magical without being magical. I need to know if there’s a pattern in Felitïa’s life. So be patient. And quiet! I need to concentrate.”

His fingers continued to trace inscriptions from the bottom of the shaft all the way to the top. As he reached the serpent, there was a flash as an arc of energy crackled over Agernon’s fingers. He snatched his hands back and shook them out.

Felitïa!

Nin-Akna jumped to her feet. “Are you all right?”

“Just fine.” Agernon placed his hands back on the Staff. “That’s exactly what was supposed to happen, though I’ll admit it was more intense than I expected. There’s obviously a lot of power stored in this thing.” He traced his fingers along the serpent and over the eye sockets. There was another flash. He winced, but kept going.

Felitïa!

“It’s awake,” Felitïa said.

FELITÏA!

“And I don’t think it likes what you’re doing.”

“Doesn’t it? Tough shit for it.” More sparks of energy crackled over Agernon’s fingers, but he kept going. “You’re right about it being broken. The magical circuits aren’t complete, so they’re not working the way they’re supposed to. It’s the eyes. There should be something in the eye sockets.” He snatched his hands away.

“Supposedly, there were gems there once,” Felitïa said. “Can they be replaced?”

Agernon shrugged. “It would probably be possible to reconstruct the circuits, but without knowing exactly what they originally did, it would be difficult. It would take a lot of studying and a lot of time. First, I’ll have to find a way to insulate against its counter-attacks. They’re a lot stronger than anything I’ve encountered before.”

FELITÏA! FELITÏA!

Felitïa brought up the Room in her head and spun the walls around the Staff’s presence.

“You all right?” Agernon asked.

“It’s getting pretty intense with me, too.”

“I’m going to try just a couple more things for the moment. That all right?”

She nodded. “I’ve blocked it for now. It always breaks through in the end, but you should have a bit of time. Even if you don’t, I’ve put up with a lot from it. I can put up with a bit more.”

He grunted and resumed tracing his fingers over the feathered serpent and within the eye sockets. Sparks crackled again. “Mostly mentalism magic. Not surprising given what you’ve told me about it.”

“Just mostly?” Felitïa asked.

He nodded. “A bit of enchantment. That’s to be expected. You can’t make something magical without at least a little enchantment. But there’s more. That’s strange. I don’t recognise that one.” He snatched his hands back again and sucked on one of his singed fingers. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Could it be elementalism?”

He shook his head. “Humans may have lost the secrets of elementalism, but I know how to recognise it when I encounter it.” He placed his hands back on the Staff. There was another zap. “That was elementalism.” Another zap. “That’s conjuration.” Zap. “Another one I don’t recognise.” He removed his hands again. “You say you found this in the basement of a temple?”

“Basement isn’t exactly the word I’d use, but...yes?”

“This Staff must be impossibly old.”

“I don’t understand,” Nin-Akna said. “What’s happening?”

“There are ten disciplines of magic, girl.” Agernon placed one hand back on the Staff. “But most of those have been lost for thousands of years. Humans only retain knowledge of three. The Isyar retain a fourth. I’ve identified all four of those in this staff, plus two more I don’t recognise.”

“I think the Volgs might retain knowledge of necromancy,” Felitïa said. “Could that be one?”

“Maybe, but it doesn’t account for the sixth.” He traced his fingers along the Staff again.

Felitïa!

“There’s a seventh.”

Felitïa!

More arcs crackled at his fingertips. “Eight.” Agernon scrunched his face tight, and small strands of smoke rose from his fingers. “Nine.

FELITÏA!

The walls of the Room shattered.

FELITÏAFELITÏAFELITÏAFELITÏAFELITÏAFELITÏAFELITÏAFELITÏAFELITÏAFELITÏA!

Felitïa doubled over. Nin-Akna and Corvinian rushed to her. Her head felt ready to explode.

“Ten!”

Agernon pushed the Staff away and it clattered onto the floor. He clutched at his hands.

The Staff went quiet again.

Nin-Akna and Corvinian helped Felitïa off the floor and back into her chair.

Agernon jabbed a finger in her direction. “That Staff stores powers from all ten disciplines. It’s impossible!”

Nin-Akna bent over and picked up the Staff. “Couldn’t it have just been made a long time ago?”

“Oh, it almost certainly was, but you’re not understanding my point, girl. Imbuing an item with magical power isn’t easy. You always need some enchantment, like I said, so power from two disciplines isn’t so unusual. Three is not unheard of, but when it happens, they’re usually only minor, simple powers. I’ve never even read about anything containing more than that. All ten?” He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter how old it is. Even at the height of their civilisation, a hundred Isyar wouldn’t have had the power to put something like that together.”

“But it’s here,” Nin-Akna said. “It exists.”

“No shit, and that terrifies me.” He reached for his pipe, took a few puffs, and slid back in his chair. “There’s no way in hell I have the skill to rework those circuits. The only way to repair it is to find the original gems from the eyes.” He waved a finger at Felitïa again. “But that would be ridiculously dangerous. If that thing gets repaired and your enemies get a hold of it, there’s no telling what kind of powers it might have. If you have any sense, Felitïa, you’ll take it out into the middle of the wilderness somewhere, dig the deepest hole you can, and bury it forever.”

Felitïa closed her eyes, and sighed. She began rebuilding the Room’s walls. “I can’t. I have to know what its message for me is. Besides, do you really think a deep hole will be enough to hide it? If it’s as powerful as you say, my enemies will find it in the end. It’s safest if it stays with me.”

“So what are you going to do with it?”

“I thought I’d store it at the Hall of Knowledge. That way, I can be separate from it at night and actually get some sleep. Once I’m rested...I don’t know.”

They were all silent for a moment. Agernon took several more puffs from his pipe, then said, “Don’t trust Ezmelda with it. She sold you out too easily last time. Leave it here with me. I’ll need it close at hand anyway if I’m going to study it.”

Felitïa smiled. “You’ll study it then?”

Agernon chuckled. “That thing is the most remarkable, most powerful, and probably most valuable item in the entire world. If you’re not going to get rid of it like a sane person should, then you’re damned right I’m going to study it. I can’t let something like that pass out of my sight. Could do with your friend Meleng’s help though. You say he’s coming here after Isyaria?”

Felitïa nodded.

“It’ll be months though,” Nin-Akna said.

“Studying that thing’s going to take months anyway. You, boy.”

Corvinian perked up.

“Want to be my assistant?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Good. I’ll make do with the boy until your lad gets here. If I’m going to study the boy anyway, I might as well put him to use.”

“Have you heard from Drummor at all?” Felitïa asked.

Agernon sneered, but sadness and regret flowed from him. “Not a word. I don’t expect I will, either. The boy can have his old room. I’d offer to let you stay here, too, but that would keep you in close proximity to the Staff, and I need you rested. In daytimes, I’ll need you here with the Staff while I study it. You’ll want to be rested for those.”

Felitïa nodded. “That’ll be fine. Just give me a couple days before you start.”

He smiled. “That’s fine. Take as much time as you need. I’ll start with the boy.”

“My presence here isn’t likely to go unnoticed. I’ll probably receive another invitation to Lord Belone’s palace.”

“Pheh. That’s to be expected. You do what you have to. Just keep me informed of it. And the Hall of Knowledge?”

“I should still check in there, even if I’m not going to store the Staff there. I need their books. Ezmelda did what she did because she was forced to. I don’t hold it against her.”

Agernon scoffed. “You’re a lot more forgiving than I am.”

Felitïa smirked. “It’s just who I am.”

“Yeah, soft.” He scowled at her, but the scowl slowly turned into a smile, and he laughed.

She smiled back.

“Right, we have a plan—the start of one, at least. You’d better get going if you want to visit the Hall of Knowledge before dark. Before you go, though, clean up after your damn rats. One of them just took a shit on my floor.”

“Oh gods, I’m sorry.” Which one was it? One was clinging to her back. She did a quick check of presences in the room. It was Nesh. “Lon!” The rat peered out from under her chair and scurried onto her foot. “Corvinian was feeding them biscuits earlier. I should have stopped him.”

Corvinian groaned. “I’ll clean it up.”

“Thank you.” Felitïa picked up Lon, carried him over to her cloak, and placed him in the hood. She prodded Nesh to get him to climb her back where she could grab him as he came out from under her clothes. She placed him in the hood with Lon, then donned the cloak. “Coming, Nin-Akna?”

Nin-Akna nodded and joined her.

“Thank you, Agernon,” Felitïa said. “I really appreciate everything.”

“Think nothing of it. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Felitïa nodded. “Tomorrow. Look after him, Corvinian.”

Corvinian looked up from brushing Lon’s mess into a pan. “You bet!”

Nin-Akna opened the door and shivered as cold air swept into the room.

“We’ll go by the inn first and pick you up a shawl,” Felitïa said. “It’s not that far out of the way.”

Nin-Akna stared at the floor. “Thanks.”

“Bright and early!” Agernon called after them as they headed into the blowing snow.