I sink my own magic into the stone in front of us, searching for what Kalanthia had spotted. Her senses are far better than mine – it takes a bit of work from the large nunda before the object is close enough for me to detect.

  It’s a stone box and Kalanthia is right – it’s leaking power. I’m not sure if it’s mana or Energy, but whatever it is seeps into the stone around it, sticking out like a sore thumb among the earth-magic. Though, admittedly, it’s not the only thing that sticks out, so I’m not sure I would have assigned it any importance if Kalanthia hadn’t pointed it out. Faded remains of enchantments and wards litter the rubble, their own magic broken but not yet dissipated.

  Finally, the rubble making way for its emergence, the box is pulled out of the mess and laid on the ledge between Kalanthia and me. Looking up, I see a number of my Bonded gazing down at us curiously.

  I grin as I turn back to the box, almost rubbing my hands together with excitement. Of course, getting all of my Bonded back alive is the most important victory here, but I’m not going to refuse a bit of loot following our successful rescue.

  Unfortunately, my initial excitement is checked slightly. The box itself is heavily enchanted and one of the vaguely familiar runes has something to do with explosions – I don’t want to use brute force and cause it to explode in my face! Largely because even if I can make it through an explosion unscathed – after a bit of healing – the contents might not.

  “I’m going to take this up to the top,” I tell Kalanthia. We need to get an expert on the job.

  Do you require aid?

  I eye the distance between me and the top of the rubble pile, then shake my head.

  “It should be fine, thanks.” Then I give her a sideways look. “As long as you don’t mind me breaking up your ledge a bit.”

  She gives a head toss which is her version of a shrug.

  I am not attached to it. With that, she leaps fluidly out of the pit. Left behind, I step right next to the box and sink my magic into the platform below it and my own feet. Under my direction, it shudders and shakes, and cracks away from the rest of the platform around it. Slowly, it inches upwards, crawling up the wall like a particularly slow elevator. Using Earth always tests my patience, but we get to the top of the rubble-pile in the end.

  “Hunter, I need your rune expertise to stop me blowing myself up,” I call cheerfully. The samuran, currently luxuriating in the feeling of sun on her scales, sits up at my call.

  Runes? she asks eagerly. I smile in her direction.

  “Runes,” I confirm. No further convincing is needed. She hurries over and starts inspecting the box, clicking incomprehensibly to herself as she jumps from one side to the next. Both interest and confusion pour through the Bond between us.

  It’s a complex enchantment, she tells me after a few minutes. More complex than I’ve ever dealt with.

  “Do you think you can get it open? Without it blowing up,” I clarify. Uncertainty comes from Hunter’s side of the Bond.

  It is hard to say. I will try to interpret the sequences with explosive runes to determine how to avoid them, she decides. Oh, I’ve missed this!

  “And I’ve missed you,” I agree quietly. Blue, green, and a hint of pink flick through her spikes as she glances back up at me for a long moment. And then she turns back to her work.

  “Ah, milord?” The quiet voice makes me turn my head sharply. The girl – Alyna – is standing not far away. Her head is down, and she looks to be on the brink of fleeing.

  “I thought I told you to stay where you were,” I say with a hint of sharpness – not enough to actually send her running, but enough to express my dissatisfaction with her disobedience.

  I’ve heard what my companions have said about her – willing to help in small ways, but too afraid of Dexil to help them escape. Not until the writing was clearly on the wall. But she did help – perhaps if she hadn’t, they would still have been in chains when Dexil made it down to the basement. Without the distraction of the battle, the teleportation circle may have activated just that little bit earlier. So I am a little grateful – but not enough to balance out the fact that she directly contributed to their suffering by her inaction.

  Since she’s obviously Loran’s friend, I’ll wait until he wakes up before deciding what to do with Alyna. But in the meantime, if she won’t obey my orders, I’ll have to tie her up.

  “Ah, ye did, milord,” she admits with a slight tremble to her voice. “But…I can help.”

  I raise an eyebrow.

  “You have the code or password or whatever it is?”

  Alyna shakes her head.

  “Nay, but I don’t need one. I…that’s what I did for the boss…Dexil. Broke through enchantments.”

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  I narrow my eyes at her. She trembles a little more but doesn’t otherwise move. I can’t see her eyes through the fall of her hair.

  “Look at me,” I order. She hesitates, and then slowly raises her head. Fearful light brown eyes – almost amber in colour. A slightly dusky skin tone which is similar to my own. Blonde hair – unusual considering the rest of her complexion. And young. I don’t think she’s a Classer which means she’s actually the age she looks – barely more than a teenager. “Why are you offering to help?” I ask, allowing my voice to gentle slightly. “And keep looking at me,” I instruct as soon as she starts to lower her gaze again.

  “I…” she swallows. “L-Loran thinks you are a…good master.” She swallows again, as if there’s a lump in her throat. “An’...I know what waits for me at the courthouse. I…I was hopin’....”

  “That if you make yourself useful enough, I might buy your service contract?” I finish. She nods silently.

  I observe her for a moment longer – she doesn’t look like she’s hiding anything or lying. And so far, she hasn’t tried to run. If she’s truly resigned herself to being sentenced to slavery, angling for a decent master is the most logical thing to do. “Alright, consider this a job interview, then. Get into the box without destroying the contents or hurting either yourself or Hunter. Comment on what you’re doing or observing as you do so.” Hunter will enjoy that.

  “Yes, sir,” she agrees, then hurries forwards as soon as I step aside.

  She bends over the box, murmuring as instructed to Hunter who is indeed fascinated by the new knowledge. While I wait, I touch the Bond with Rory – he’s coming closer but is still a good way off. I have a feeling he’s dragging his feet as much as he can. Well, if he doesn’t come soon, he’ll have to join us at the manor. Before then, I need to figure out what consequences there should be for him running away.

  While I consider the matter, Alyna proves her worth rapidly – it’s only a few minutes until there’s a loud rumbling sound and a door to the safe appears in the side of the box. It’s the side facing the pit so I quickly turn the box so it’s facing me instead. A minute more and Alyna looks at me nervously.

  “Milord…do ye wish me te open it or-or de ye wish to open it yerself?”

  “Is it likely to explode on me?”

  “No, sir. The enchantments are all deactivated.” I nod and step forward. She takes the hint and moves a little away from the box, though not, I notice, far enough away that she won’t see what’s inside. I briefly debate whether to tell her to go back to sit beside Loran, but decide that she might as well see the fruits of her labours. It’s highly likely that she’ll be Bonded before we leave this city, anyway.

  I hold my breath as the door cracks open. Whether it’s luck or an aspect of the magic, the hinges are to the side rather than the top or bottom so the door opens smoothly.

  Inside is a space that’s approximately fifty centimetres square. And while it’s not packed to the gunnels, my eyes glitter at what’s revealed.

  Ooh, shiny, Lathani tells me, abruptly peering over my head. One paw shifts past me to poke at the contents. The bag she’s poking at shifts and falls over, spilling the golden coins within.

  “Oi,” I tell her playfully, elbowing her. “Paws off the treasure.”

  Can we see what’s inside? Smith asks eagerly.

  Yeah! Markus go on, show us the hunt’s reward! Iandee adds – when I look back, he’s almost dancing on the spot. Apparently treasure is enough to overcome his exhaustion. And everyone else’s apparently – all of my Bonded are crowding around me except for Loran, and that’s probably because he’s still knocked out.

  “Someone go and make sure Loran isn’t left alone and then I will,” I tell them sternly – Iandee and Catches-leaves exchange a look and then both descend the rubble pile towards him.

  Once they’re back, bringing Loran’s unconscious form with them, I pull the items one by one out of the box. I take advantage of handling them to cast Inspect Item. The more I retrieve, the more my inner Markus dances.

  Coins are the least of it – though I notice Alyna eyeing them even if no one else seems interested. I quickly funnel them into my bank-account-linked pouch to remove the temptation, counting them as I go.

  Interesting to me but not anyone else, there are a number of scrolls that are identified as single-use enchantments of various types, though they all seem to be area-of-effect – entangling vines, shield, darkness, mist, forget-me and more concerning, suggestibility. There are other scrolls present that appear to be letters and records. Unfortunately, a quick skim through them doesn’t reveal anything I can use against Torrent – everything seems to be disguised with initials and code names. I’ll keep them and look at them in more detail later.

  There are also a good number of beast Cores – mostly Tier two, though there are two Tier threes as well. Always useful to add to my stores. They catch the most attention from my companions and I have to promise to make sure they will all have a stone to absorb later tonight to make some of them – Lathani and Trouble – shut up.

  It’s the last nine items in the box, however, that really make me excited. Six of them are Skill stones which is impressive enough. Three, however, are Class stones. Specifically, according to my Inspect Item, two Thief, and one Warrior Class stones. I quickly tuck those away before someone gets the bright idea to absorb them.

  For my companions who have Evolved, I have no idea what absorbing a Class stone might do. Actually, I have no idea what it might do to beasts full stop. And I’m not keen on Alyna grabbing it and giving me a bigger problem to deal with. Distribution will require careful thought.

  When the last item is brought out of the box, a mixture of disappointment and satisfaction rolls around the Bond network. I recognise it as how I felt after opening all my presents on Christmas – disappointment that there were no more to unwrap, but glee at all the new toys I had to play with. I do take the box – I’m strong enough to lift it off the ground, and even if the enchantments are broken, which they might not be, one never knows when a reinforced stone box might be needed.

  “Alright, I think we’re done here,” I announce after it disappears from my grip. “Unless you sense anything else, Kalanthia?” I’m not the only one looking at her hopefully. But she shakes her head.

  Nothing powerful enough to be worth digging for.

  “Well, thanks for finding this one,” I tell her, reminding myself to be grateful about that. “Is everyone ready to go? Lathani, would you mind if I tie Loran to your back? Or perhaps Ivor can carry him?”

  “No need, master,” a hoarse voice says. I whip my head around to see Loran approaching from behind me, stumbling slightly as he shifts around Orion. He reaches out to steady himself on the deri’s shoulder – the wolf-like creature stays completely still for him.

  “Loran,” I breathe.

  “I’m here, master.” His voice trembles and his eyes are lowered. As soon as he reaches arm’s length from me, he sinks to his knees and bows his head, placing his palms on the ground. Apprehension spears me through our Bond.

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