The local restaurant proved more to be a vendor’s stall with seating in the alley, but the food also proved to be excellent.

Not as good as Lilyanna’s cooking, if Soriya was honest with herself, but hot, tasty, and ready to go. She smiled to herself. Truly street food is a universal thing. I must tell Lilyanna we found the McDonald’s of this world. She smiled happily, biting into her hamburger.

Daniyel was cautiously picking through the strange sandwich.

“Why do you call this a ‘burger’?” he asked curiously.

Soriya took another big bite, grateful that her mana pool was largely fueled by calories. Around bites of food, she explained.

“It’s the place it’s from. Hamburg, it’s a city.” She took a deep gulp of the potent local brew to wash it down and sighed happily.

The cook in the back eyed her strangely. “Excuse me miss, that sandwich is called a ‘spyral’. Downtown food. I’ve never heard of this ‘Hamburg’ place. And the booze is lowtown fiz.”

Soriya rolled her eyes and flipped her fingers at him dismissively. “It’s a hamburger because I call it a hamburger!” She turned back to Daniyel. “So that’s why I call it a hamburger, it’s the name I use for it.”

Daniyel nodded thoughtfully, chewing as though the fate of the world depended on his opinion. He finally swallowed and said “It’s good. Perhaps a bit on the greasy side, but good.”

The cook at the back scowled at them, hands on hips. “You want high grade food; you don’t come to the downtown! You go uptown!” He pointed towards the sky above. “You get what you get down here! You going to insult my food, you can just bugger off!”

Daniyel held his hand up towards the man. “Peace, cook. I said your food was good, and I meant it. I will come here again, when next I pass this way.”

The cook scowled at him. “What’s somebody who talks like that doing down here anyway?” he growled, and turned away, obviously not expecting an answer.

Soriya gave a sheepish smile, then called out “We’d like three of these to go please, and a side of your noodles.”

The cook grunted, but swiftly delivered three paper boxes and a large waxed paper bowl, taking Daniyel’s money.

“Where would a good place be for a materials shop?” Asked Daniyel, before the cook could turn away.

The cook paused, then eyed them both carefully. “Would these good be… second hand?” He asked cautiously.

Daniyel looked confused and Soriya laughed delightedly, clapping her hands together. “Oh I knew the downtown was the best place!” She turned to explain to Daniyel. “He’s asking us if we want a fence! If the goods are stolen!” She smiled brightly turning back to the cook. “No, they’re not stolen, but we have no issue selling to a fence.” She leaned forward on the counter, her chin resting in her cupped palms, smiling.

The cook was clearly affected by her smile, and Soriya felt a little guilty thrill. Yep, still got it. Not as good as Lilyanna, but still got it.

The cook cleared his throat and provided directions. He chewed on his cheek for a bit then added, almost grudgingly “You can probably get better prices if you go uptown.” He jerked his thumb skyward again.

Soriya nodded agreeably. “Probably, but they won’t sell as quickly, and we’re less likely to be cheated on useful items. Besides, the most interesting things show up in places like this.”

Heading back to the inventor’s lodgings, Soriya was in a slightly giddy mood from the copious quantity of alcohol she’d had to drink. She hung on Daniyel and sighed.

“Do you really have to go tomorrow?” she muttered, clutching at his arm.

Daniyel looked down at her soberly. “Of course. It was… it was nice to spend time with you miss Soriya-”

“Soriya! Just Soriya!” She wagged her finger at him. “Or Grand Witch Soriya if you must!”

Daniyel smiled tolerantly. “Very well, Grand Witch Soriya. Let us get you home, I think both of us have had enough excitement for tonight.”

The rest of the walk was spent in companiable silence.

When the duo returned to the lodgings, Lakshmi was deeply asleep and sprawled out like a starfish on the bed, Eshaan was yawning repeatedly, but perked up quickly at the smell of food.

The rest of the group tucked into the food, with Holly asking curious questions about the spyral, but before long the food was gone, and Soriya and Eshaan had joined Lakshmi, snoring like chainsaws on the beds.

Holly smiled tolerantly at them, then looked up at Daniyel. “Ah, to be young again.”

Daniyel smiled quietly. “You are already young, Mistress Holly.”

Holly blushed lightly, and slapped him on the arm. “Flatterer.”

He ducked his head to her, and smiled. “I merely speak the truth as I see it.” He gestured to her. “You may rest easy. I will guard the door, and waken you when the airbus arrives for our transit. My training allows me to take the night watch with no ill effects. I will waken you quickly if there is a disturbance.”

Holly yawned once and then nodded. “I believe I will take you up on that then.”

The lights were turned out, and the room descended into a ‘silence,’ the subdued roar of the snoring teenagers providing background noise to compliment the sounds of the downtown street outside. Through the night, Daniyel’s face was illuminated in the darkness by the flashing green, red, and blue lights, his solid back guarding the room door.

The next morning, exactly as promised, Daniyel woke them up. With much grumbling on Lakshmi’s part, Daniyel provided the others a small lump of cash.

“Necessary for the price of transport in the city.” Daniyel explained gravely. With that, Soriya headed to the first day of the Scholar’s Competition, and Holly and Eshaan lingered in the downtown to sell off the various odds and ends they’d collected through adventuring at the ‘not-a-fence’ shop the street vendor had recommended to Soriya.

From the look on Lakshmi’s face as she trudged to the waiting airtaxi with Daniyel, one might have thought she was heading to her own execution.

The airbus to the Competition was surprisingly busy, and Soriya spotted several inventors clutching small packages and gadgets close to their chest. She felt a slight stab of jealousy watching them, thinking again of the lesser place that the symposium’s lectures held than the inventions.

It certainly explains why all the locals call it the Inventor’s Competition, instead of Scholar’s. She thought grumpily.

Casually fending off offers of assistance to the ‘lovely lady’ she arrived at the grand hall of the Competition, checking her map carefully.

Sometimes it’s a pain being pretty. She thought, as she turned down yet another offer of assistance. There were at least several female inventors present in the crowd. I don’t think I could take it if I had to deal with the sexism in addition to the ‘lesser’ presentations. She thought. This is not going as I had hoped.

She gripped the map in her hands, and headed towards the Symposium section of the presentation hall.

En route, she saw a knot of people gesturing and exclaiming in excitement, as an Ancients’ relic was slowly wheeled into the main hall. Oh yes… the prize of the competition, to examine the relic for the crown. I wonder where it was? She stopped dead overhearing a snippet of gossip.

“…did you hear, saintess candidate awakened the relic!”

“…heard she was a noble…”

“…presented to the crown in a day’s time!”

“…church has been seeking…”

Oh Lily, what have you done now?! Soriya thought with frustration and a touch of bitterness. She stopped, looking over at the crowd and biting her lower lip. My whole plan to win the competition so we could examine the relic… She pressed her lips together. I don’t have time to ask. I need to get to the Symposium! I can still do this! It’s part of the plot! I’m one of the heroines, I’m supposed to win the competition! She thought angrily.

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She strode past the chattering knot of people, feeling the faint echoing hum of the artifact in her bones as she passed by it.

The Symposium lecture hall was bright and airy, and there were already several distinguished looking men and women chatting quietly in the chairs. Soriya double checked the packet of papers in her hands, then nodded to herself as she strode in.

The usher at the entrance looked at her in surprise, and not a small amount of appreciation as she approached.

“Can I help you, miss? This is the Symposium of the Scholar’s Competition; the Inventor’s Hall is back that way?” He said hesitantly.

Soriya gave him a bright smile which she was pleased to note made his knees wobble a bit.

“I’m aware. I’m here to present my dissertation.” She showed him the forms and ID that the secretary has given her.

His eyes got large as he looked from the ID to her and back. “W-well certainly! Of course we’re happy to have you, Scholar Soriya.” Soriya watched with pleased amusement as the boy’s brain short circuited, trying to bridge the gap of “pretty girl” and “presenting at Symposium” in his mind.

Well, might as well use it. Soriya thought. “Excuse me, but on the way in, I heard something about a saintess?” She said.

The usher’s eyes got big and he nodded excitedly. “Oh yeah! You hadn’t heard?! It’s all the talk! Last night there was a huge pillar of holy light from the cathedral! They say that the saintess awakened the artifact that was brought from the mountains, the one that will be presented to the throne! She’s to be presented to the throne herself, at the opening ceremony of the competition! The king and the princess herself are supposed to receive her!” His eyes got a little misty. “They say she’s super pretty… uh...” he stumbled to a halt. “I’m sure you’re just as beautiful, miss. I mean-”

Soriya cut him off before he could embarrass himself any further. “That’s alright. You’re sweet to say so.” And as it happens, I know I am. Just as pretty, that is. She thought. “When will the presentation occur?”

“Oh! Ah, the formal opening of the Competition is at noon, though of course the Symposium’s lectures happen all day.”

Soriya checked her papers again. Hm, good, I have that spot free. My first presentation is in two hours. She tsked to herself. Lily, you do make things interesting… how am I going to rescue you now?!

Soriya smiled sweetly at the usher and thanked him again, then made her way to the chairs and sat down.

I wonder if there will be cranks at these lectures? … I wonder if they’ll see me as a crank? She sighed. Of course they will, I’m 17. But I’m still right. She gripped her sheaf of notes tighter.

Soriya drew increasingly quizzical glances from the other members of the Symposium, which she supposed was only fair. She gritted her teeth. It reminded her entirely too much of her old life.

Fortunately for her nerves, once the lectures started, they were extremely interesting. Theories on the foundations of magic, on the nature of elemental charges, on the properties of elementals and the sapience of elemental creatures. What really engaged her was the part at the end of the lecture, where the audience was allowed to ask questions about the lecture’s thesis. She had to swallow down a lump in her throat when she realized that she was going to be in the hot seat, with the other researchers questioning her thesis.

Like a PhD defending her research project. She nodded to herself. I can do this! My thesis is sound, and backed up by experimental evidence. Admittedly, the ghost ship is hard to cross examine…

Someone sat down next to her, and a familiar and utterly loathsome voice said “You can’t do it, you know.” With a tone of listless weariness.

Soriya’s head snapped to the side and she stared in horror at her shadowself. A pale middle aged woman, her lank black hair hung to her waist, her large dark eyes looking haunted and empty. She was wearing the robes of the church of the crystal dragon.

“You won’t be able to stop us, you know.” She continued, listlessly. “You don’t know half of what you pretend to know.”

Soriya jerked backwards, clawing for Diaboli. The woman turned to her, and Soriya felt a chill creeping over her, a paralysis of horror and helplessness settling into her from those dark dead eyes.

“You can’t even kill us, not as you are. It wouldn’t work. Do you imagine that Deacon doesn’t already know why you’re here? We’ve already won. That stupid pink haired girl has already given us the key we need.” Shadowsoriya continued. “While you’ve been play-acting the witch, Deacon has given us what we’ve always needed.” She leaned forward, her cold clammy hand on Soriya’s. “Truth. We were never meant to be a main character. Rejoice. Now we have the position we deserve.”

Soriya’s trance of horror and revulsion was broken by the calling of her name. She jerked upright to see the usher calling her name for her presentation. She felt a hard lump crystalize in her, the pure hate in her for her former self distilled into something cold and pure and sharp.

“You are not me.” She spat. “I reject everything you claim we are. We’re going to rescue Lilyanna right out from under your nose.”

She stood up and strode towards the stage to give her presentation.

Her voice trembled and her hands shook. She wanted to kill Shadowsoriya. Her hate warred inside her with practicality. What good is it to kill her here, if I’m just going to be arrested!? Lily. For Lily’s sake I… I can’t…

She drew a deep breath, and tapped her notes on the podium. The crowd of elderly scholars looked at her curiously, and she felt as though she was sitting for her college exams again. She swallowed down the boiling anger, and drew on her carefree witch persona she’d worked so hard to cultivate.

“My thesis is on the nature of souls, and the interactions with World Soul, and the echoes a soul leaves in the Wake.”

The disbelief and dismissal in the eyes of the scholars was fuel for her, a familiar cocktail of anger and righteous indignation. Somewhere in the middle of the lecture, her shadowself silently left the auditorium, and Soriya felt the cold grip of helplessness leave with her.

As she’d expected. The scholars didn’t believe her. But they hadn’t left. When her presentation came to an end, she felt a brief chill as heavy silence hung in the air.

Are they even going to ask me questions?

And then the first question came. Heavy, amused, mildly bored, the scholar’s lined face proclaimed him supremely tolerant of an amusing crackpot, which slowly transformed into a serious frown as she responded to his question with a sharp incisive answer.

The crowd stirred quietly, and another question lanced out at her. Soriya felt herself start to sweat. She fielded another question, and another, and another, the questions growing more and more penetrating, sharper and sharper, probing for a weakness in her thesis, seizing on any perceived weakness. Her answers were sharp and clear, and she answered each question with examples and practical demonstrations.

It was a sharp shock when the auditorium filled with the soft chime of great bells, marking the noon hour.

The artifact! Lily! Soriya blinked, realizing she’d been talking for more than two hours!

“I’m so sorry ladies and gentlemen. I have a prior engagement. Please forgive me.”

She dismounted the stage, and several scholars surrounded her, some shouting angry questions at her. Poor things, I must have punctured a pet theory of theirs. She thought, not at all kindly. But the elder scholar who asked that first question of her, pressed a card into her hand.

“When you have time, I should very much like to continue our dialogue. Please contact me.” He said sincerely. Soriya briefly glanced at the card in her hand, noting the man’s name, then tucked it away. She smiled at him, and said “I appreciate it, Professor Sen. I look forward to correspondence with you.”

An aura of clear disappointment spread over the hall as she took her leave. This time the looks Soriya received were not dismissive. Instead, a mix of resentment, interest, and thoughtful calculation marked the scholar’s faces.

Soriya felt a broad smile creeping over her face as she headed out of the Symposium and into the main hall.

I can do it. She thought triumphantly. I am right. I’m the witch of Breezewood. To hell with that shadow of me. She can dry up and blow away.

Entering the main hall was a scene of controlled pandemonium. Inventors had booths displaying their creations all up and down the concourse, the bronze gold ancients’ artifact taking pride of place in the near center. The smell of elemental crystal discharge was everywhere, and was far stronger than when Soriya herself created the things. It was, in short, a tinker’s paradise.

Soriya’s lips twitched in thought. A pity that Lakshmi isn’t here… though I guess she will be shortly? Gods, no wonder she wanted to dye her hair and run away. The one event of the year that she would gladly engage with, and she’s tuck being a figure head. It’s still odd that such a powerful mage would want to mess with tinker tech though.

She shrugged mentally. Not nearly as odd as a reincarnated mage who has a passion for firearms.

Soriya squared her shoulders and went looking for some answers. She found them very quickly, barely without asking. The talk of the imperial princess arriving was all the rage, and the mingled excitement and curiosity of the rumored saintess pushed things into a fever pitch.

“…supposed to be in less than an hour!”

“…heard the princess had vanished!”

“…saintess will be greeting her highness personally!”

The roiling sea of gossip did provide Soriya with answers she wasn’t looking for though. One that put some of her speculations into a different light.

“…so it’s such a tragedy that the princess is a dead stone!”

“… her brother is so much more promising.”

“…heard she’s good with tech?”

“That’s just her father keeping her busy.”

Soriya found her nails digging into the flesh of her palm as the pieces fell together.

So. The princess has no magical talent. A family ‘blessed by the gods’ and our Lakshmi can’t cast a single spell. She nodded. We have something in common then, princess.

Since she had a bit of time, she went hunting for a food stall vendor. She found one on the broad plaza outside the building along with several other food stall vendors. After securing herself another ‘spyral’, overpriced of course, she took a walk to the edge of the platform, looking out into the canyons of the city. The hum of airtaxis and skybuses flying overhead filled her ears.

Soriya was amused to note that the spyral had made itself a home in uptown after all.

“Burger, uber-alles” Soriya giggled to herself as she bite into the greasy food.

Her attention was abruptly snared by a humming, thrudding sound overhead, followed by a crash of elemental energy washing over her that she could feel even at this distance.

Two giant… air barges… Soriya supposed would be the word… was flying overhead. They slowly approached the Inventor’s Competition Hall. One was decked with so much white and gold that Soriya was instantly sure that it was owned and operated by the Church, but the other was hung with red and black and gold banners and bunting that she recognized… or rather, her other memories recognized… as the Imperial crest. She couldn’t help but feel impressed. This was a major event, clearly. The ‘opening ceremony’ she supposed.

She huffed, crossing her arms. “Damn it, Lily! You had to go and ruin this whole scene for me. If this keeps up, I’ll be forced to ask Eshaan for advice!” She crumpled the empty wrapper of her spyral and tossing it into a waste basket, she headed back into the inventor’s hall to see if she could figure out how to properly play this plot out.

Hm, I hope Eshaan has better luck selling our loot than I’ve had getting a palatable burger here. Come to that, when I offer Lily her burger, I should see if Lakshmi wants one as well. I wonder if she’s ever tried to supersize anything besides explosions?