“That’s the thing. There isn’t a guarantee. But bear in mind that I’ve paid you handsomely, given you access to part of my home, and so on. Trust requires an element of faith. So I’ll be more clear. Please, work with me, serve the Tower, and help me save people from those who would trample them in their lust for power.”, Ilthur said.

“I don’t see the problem.”, Cody said with a shrug.

“Exactly. Money is money. And the deal is quite sweet compared to the Academy. So we’re going to the capital, boss?”, Thequen said. If they were going to Volport, that would put Thequen in range of the debt collectors once more, for better or worse.

“Correct. Pack your things. I’ll be doing the same.”, Ilthur said as he put one hand on the armrest and struggled to his feet, his arm shaking as he pushed.

The day passed uneventfully. Thequen and Cody found some old sacks in the storage room which they used as their personal bags. Thequen’s meager belongings and a couple choice books were all he packed. He spent the rest of the day hauling all the books that had accumulated in his room back to the library and re-shelving them haphazardly, wherever they would fit.

The next morning was the first time Thequen had stepped outside the Tower in over a week. Ilthur walked ahead of Cody and Thequen and led them to the end of the passage that led outside. Thequen had of course walked this way before, and seen the door, but he had no interest at the time in stepping out into what he assumed would be the freezing cold of a mountainside with only his current clothes. “Why are we going outside?”, Thequen asked.

“I wanted you both to see the Tower up close before we leave, so that it leaves a firm impression in your minds.”, Ilthur said as he pulled open the door. Daylight filtered into the dimly lit hall and immediately a cold gust of wind caused Thequen to shiver. A little scattering of snow blew in through the doorway. The trio stepped outside.

Having grown adjusted to the ever present dim magical lighting on the inside of the Tower, Thequen was momentarily pained by the brightness of the sun and the snow, in addition to shivering with chill. With Ilthur in the lead they walked about thirty paces away from the Tower, then turned around. Thequen noted that there was only one path up to the cliff they were on, a narrow winding thing off to his right, which was certainly not wide enough even for a horse-drawn cart to traverse. Then he looked up, taking in the Tower from the outside for the first time.

The Tower was a large, imposing thing, a rectangular block of impressive stonework that stretched up high into the sky, though it was not quite as tall as the surrounding mountains. The corners were worn smooth and the lines of the masonry sagged a little in some spaces. The top was crenelated, but a portion of that had crumbled and fallen away. It seemed no attempt had been made to repair it, and from this distance it looked like the uppermost floor was probably missing part of its roof. “It’s something isn’t it?”, Ilthur said with a smile.

“How did you get all the stone up here? The pathway must have been much wider? Or is it possible to move that much mass with magic?”, Cody said as he stroked his chin with one hand. He seemed immune to the chilly air, despite his shirt leaving his forearms exposed. Thequen continued to shiver.

“Half right. One of the original Tower Mages made it, supposedly, with a firm knowledge of a few types of magic and a great expense of crystals. But let’s get gone before we freeze. Please stand close and don’t interrupt me.``, Ilthur said as he withdrew a small oval-shaped white crystal from a pocket of his robe. Cody and Thequen stepped in next to Ilthur, shoulder to shoulder as a pure white circle drew itself in the snow, barely visible atop the powder. Ilthur’s incantation finished and suddenly they were elsewhere.

They stood in a dimly lit alley, morning light splashing and cutting through the shadows as the sun continued to rise. Thequen’s ears popped and he felt momentarily dizzy. His nose was filled with the smells most common to a densely populated city in the morning. The scent of sewage mixed with the smell of unwashed humanity, with just a hint of the smell of fresh baked bread from somewhere nearby. He groaned and leaned on the nearby wall of a building.

Stolen novel; please report.

“Welcome back to civilization, eh?”, Cody said as he clapped Thequen on the shoulder.

“Ugh.”, Thequen groaned.

“Indeed. We’re in the Crafter’s Quarter of Volport. Now, I trust you can both handle yourselves as grown men, hmm?”, Ilthur said.

“More mysterious business?”, Thequen said as his dizziness started to fade.

“Tower business. I need to travel to each, and see if it is intact, and who else is still alive. For better or worse.”, Ilthur said as he leaned on his staff with one hand and dug around in his robe with his other hand. He withdrew his hand and held it out. In his palm were two clear glass orbs, no bigger than a marble, and alongside them were two small white mana crystals.

“I don’t really uh, do magic outside my specialty.”, Cody said as he eyed the items.

“Just take them, a pair for each of you. Surely one or the other of you knows the rune for sending, yes?”, Ilthur said as Thequen took one of each item and put them in his belt pouch.

“I do.”, Thequen said. Cody nodded.

“The orb is tied very loosely to the Tower, and to Susan. Simply place a white crystal to the orb, incant and write the rune for sending, and very briefly you’ll be able to communicate with her. Only for dire circumstances or important discoveries, of course. They should work regardless of whether you have the talent for white.”, Ilthur said.

“Got it.”, Thequen said.

“And what are we supposed to be doing, exactly, while you’re gone?”, Cody asked. He took the offered communication orb and the mana crystal from Ilthur.

“Lay low until my return. Listen to people talk. Look for signs of any new religion among the people. Pay attention to that and follow whatever happens. Be suspicious of any miracles.”, Ilthur said.

“Do we get any money for expenses?”, Thequen asked. If he spent enough time in Volport he was bound to run into Rulf or one of his associates again, and it would be best to have even a partial payment on hand when that happened.

Ilthur grumbled under his breath and reached into his robes once more. He withdrew a fistful of coins and divided them loosely between Thequen and Cody. “There. Survive on that and if it runs out, figure it out.”, he said. At the mouth of the alley people started to appear, walking back and forth along the main road as they started their days. A short young boy peered around the corner as money changed hands and coins clinked. Thequen glared at him and he disappeared back around the corner, out of sight.

“Thanks.”, Cody said. Thequen pocketed his share of the money.

“Good. Then I’ll be off.”, Ilthur said.

“How are you going to find us when you come back?”, Thequen asked as Ilthur started to incant. This process went much faster than when he’d moved all three of them. In just a few syllables it was over, and a small circle rapidly closed around Ilthur’s feet.

“Hang on to those little communication orbs--”, he said. Then the circle completed. It disappeared, and so did Ilthur along with it. Cody and Thequen were now alone in the alley.

Thequen sighed. At least he felt okay now and there were no lasting effects from this latest teleportation. And they had the benefit of being in familiar territory, somewhat. He hadn’t been back to Volport in about half a year, not since he’d been picked up by the 3rd Arcane, recruited right out of the front gate of the Academy as he finished his first and only year there.

“So what now? I don’t really have anywhere to go-- can’t wander back into the Academy dorms without being on the roster.”, Thequen said with a shrug. Any kind of room they’d rent by the day would probably eat their limited funds fast. So it meant either find somewhere cheap, or find some sort of work to help expenses. There was plenty of work for any kind of Mage to be had, Thequen assumed, but he had no idea where to start looking. Regardless, the first step was to get out of the alley. He headed toward the main road. Cody followed along behind him, the narrow space too enclosed for them to walk side by side.

“I got a place we can go for starters. Paid it up before I signed on with Cardon. My dad’s shop. Loft’s better than nothing.”, Cody said. Thequen slung his sack over one shoulder as he got out of the alleyway. To anyone passing by, Thequen guessed they just looked like a pair of cleanly dressed day laborers, meager possessions carried in their bundles. The blue tabards of the 3rd Arcane meant nothing here-- just another big poorly made shirt among many in the crowds.

The Crafts Quarter of Volport was not the part of town which Thequen normally frequented, but Cody seemed to be very familiar with it as he took the lead. They snaked through side streets and occasionally someone would nod, raise a hand or mutter a hello to Cody and he’d return the greeting, barely slowing his pace. Eventually he came to a stop in front of a dusty old storefront. Above the door hung a wooden plaque with a picture of an anvil on it. The large window adjacent to the door held empty, dusty wooden shelves, presumably for displaying goods for sale. The front door had a padlock on the outside. Cody stopped and stared at it for a moment.

“Problem?”, Thequen asked.

“That’s not the lock I left on the door. Someone’s broken mine off and changed it.”, Cody said as he glared at the lock.