David

  We reached the gates of the Mage Cathedral at midmorning. As last time, the sun beat down on its white walls with such force that the entire campus looked as if it had been carved from polished bone. I squinted against the glare, silently wishing for a few more hours in bed.

  Even with stamina that should’ve outlasted any mortal, I felt drained. The night with Allira had begun with a back rub and escalated to a massage of other parts of her marvelous body. Marlena wasn’t much better; she woke me early by nudging me before sunrise to start her day right.

  Erica was with us this morning, of course. She looked annoyingly fresh, guiding us across the open grounds with her usual quiet efficiency.

  North of the main administrative building, an airship made an uneven landing, its hull shuddering as it touched down harder than usual. I paused, watching it settle awkwardly.

  “Allyson,” I said, turning to her. “Remind me to take a look at that vessel before we head back to the tower. Something’s off with it.”

  “Yes, master,” she replied.

  Even at this early hour, the campus was bustling. People stood in long lines, argued over paperwork, and hurried through side doors, clutching satchels and scrolls. Some even looked like they were buying tickets. The only things missing were a vending machine and the smell of burnt coffee. Honestly, I’d kill for a cup of burnt coffee right now.

  Erica led us to a quieter reception desk at the far end of the hall, where a young woman in neat robes sat behind a thick ledger.

  “Excuse me,” Erica said politely. “Could you inform Arch Mage Veralt that Earl Robertson and his party are here?”

  The clerk blinked, looked up at me, then quickly nodded. She muttered something under her breath and walked down a side corridor.

  Erica turned to me. “My lord, Robert will inform the Arch Mage of your arrival.”

  “Thank you,” I said, glancing around. “Wish there was a chair I could collapse into.”

  The clerk returned sooner than expected, this time with another mage in tow, young, nervous, bowing too quickly.

  “My lord,” he said, “the Arch Mage is expecting you. Please follow Harlen, he’ll escort you to the office.”

  “Yes, of course. Lead the way,” I said, straightening up.

  We followed the young mage down a wide corridor, sunlight pouring through tall windows, then climbed the grand staircase. The marble steps had been polished smooth by centuries of hurried boots. We reached the third floor and stopped at the hall’s far end.

  The door opened into a spacious conference room with tall arched windows that offered a full view of the landing yard. The same airship we’d seen earlier sat outside, its hull still settling as passengers began to disembark. Many of them were clearly unhappy with their trip. Given how they’d landed, I don’t blame them.

  I felt several others enter the room behind us. When I turned, I saw Arch Mage Veralt walk in, flanked by a few others. Among them was Samual. We moved toward each other instinctively.

  “David, it’s good to see you again,” he said as we clasped hands. “How are you and your family this morning?”

  “I’m doing well, Arch Mage,” I replied as Allira and Marlena also agreed.

  “You’re here for what we discussed?”

  I nodded, then glanced toward Allira and Marlena. “Yes. We came to take a look at that book, you mentioned. We have another topic we want to discuss with you.”

  “Of course,” Veralt said without hesitation. “I expect this is what we discussed last time.”

  “Yes.”

  “Arch Mage, sir… what exactly are you agreeing to?” Samual asked from behind him.

  “It appears Earl Robertson holds information about the existence of a true Arch Mage. In Vaelthorn, if my memory is correct,” Veralt answered calmly.

  “That’s a myth,” another mage muttered from the back. “No one could possibly reach that level of power. And if they did, why remain hidden?”

  “There are many reasons,” Allira said, stepping forward. I noticed that she was holding Marlena’s hand. “And when that person decides to step forward, all of us will be at their side.”

  “Arch Mage, may we have a moment in private?” I asked.

  Veralt nodded and gestured for the others to leave. Samual was reluctant, but gave in and was last to leave the room. Once the door closed, I turned to Marlena.

  “You ready, sweetie?” I asked softly.

  She exhaled, rolled her shoulders, and gave a short nod. We’d talked about this on the way here. If she wasn’t ready, we’d have found another path.

  Marlena whispered an incantation under her breath. I felt the hairs on my arms stand on end as power built in the room. It was everything was being pulled toward my lovely mage. Veralt’s reaction was immediate; his posture froze, his eyes wide, as she rotated one hand and summoned a ball of fire, then another of water, and a third of earth. With a grin, she began juggling them. Show-off. I love her.

  Before the spells could dissipate, Veralt remained frozen, staring into the space where the elements had danced. Allira pulled out a chair for him, and I guided him into it.

  _____________________

  Arch Mage Veralt

  I didn’t realize I was holding my breath as I took in the sight before me. Before me stood a mage... no, something far beyond that, juggling three spheres of different affinities. Fire churned with violent heat. Water flowed in a serene, impossible balance. And the third… the third was just wrong. It was a solid ball of rock. The ball shifted in color and composition as it rotated. The spheres turned. Slowly. Deliberately. And then, impossibly, all three oriented toward me. I froze. There was only one explanation. One classification whispered in forbidden texts and dismissed as myth. A true Arch Mage stood before me.

  Not a ceremonial title. Not a rank granted by council or royal decree. This was someone who did not channel magic through the world but commanded it. Compared to her, I was nothing more than a reed in a storm, bending and pretending I was in control. I felt the power she was harnessing. It was as if the mana all around us were being pulled toward her. Marlena smiled. It was calm. Gentle. Almost indulgent. David stepped beside her and slipped an arm around her waist, grounding the impossible in something terrifyingly human. There were stories in the archives of mages who could bend magic like this, but those were only stories. Here before me was a mage actually doing it. My heart was racing. I could feel it.

  “May I…” My voice came out as little more than a whisper. My throat was dry, and it was hard to speak in her presence. “May I see your markings?” Marlena hesitated for a moment before stepping forward and rolling up her sleeve. There along her arm scrolled bright lines of brilliant gold.

  She had been hiding. Wrapped in the robes of a high water mage, already a terrifying rank, while wielding more magic than anyone in this building. Than anyone I had ever encountered.

  “May I…?” I asked again, my eyes fixed on her arm. She nodded faintly and extended it toward me. I reached out, then stopped. My fingers hovered inches from her skin, trembling as the air between us compressed, dense with restrained power. Sweat rolled down my spine. Every instinct screamed that if I crossed that last inch, the atmosphere itself would react. I couldn’t touch her. Not because she forbade it, but because the world had decided I shouldn’t.

  “A miracle…” I whispered. “I never thought I’d witness someone like you in my lifetime... You know, Arch Mage Robertson, you're wearing the wrong colored robes...” I smiled as I caught her also chuckling. Then a knock echoed at the door, sharp and mundane, shattering the moment.

  _____________________

  David

  “What color would that be?” I asked as Allira, and I embraced the embassed Marlena. When the door slowly opened.

  “Arch Mage?” Samual’s voice came through. “Are you alright? There was a surge…”

  “Yes,” Veralt said, quickly wiping at his eyes. “Actually, I’m better than I’ve been in a long time. A very long time…” He looked around the room. “Tea, anyone?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “Samual, bring tea. And some snacks. Yes… Snacks would be good.”

  Samual nodded and motioned to a few others who scurried out to fulfill the request.

  Veralt turned back to me, slowly getting his composure again. “Gold, if I remember correctly. If the stories are correct, the Arch Mage wore Gold. Signifying all affinities. David, does this individual need anything?”

  “Actually, yes,” I said. “Before we return to Vaelthorn, they asked me to retrieve a few books.” I pulled a folded list from my coat pocket. “I don’t know what’s on it… I just wrote down what they gave me.” I handed the list over. Veralt scanned it, then passed it to Samual.

  “There are a few basic Air affinity tomes listed,” Veralt noted. “So they’ve started experimenting in that spectrum.”

  “Seems that way,” I replied. “Where would I find those books?”

  Samual was already reviewing the titles. “Some of these are stocked in the student store, but the rest are in the upper-tier archives. Access requires a professor’s approval.”

  “How much would they cost?” I asked, pulling out twenty gold pieces and setting them gently on the table. A few of the mages blinked in surprise at the sudden flash of gold. “Not enough?” I asked, reaching for more.

  “No, no… that’s more than enough,” Veralt said quickly. “Your friend is fortunate to have you doing their shopping.” He looked at Samual. “Go ahead and collect the books for the Earl, please.”

  As Samual nodded to some of the other mages, Veralt turned back to me. “Now, if I remember correctly, you asked about two things… one was the restricted library. The other… monsters?”

  “Yes,” I confirmed. “I’ll need the cores and about three dozen Griffin feathers. The rest of the bodies can be sold or studied.”

  Several of the mages nearby exchanged confused glances. Samual, however, was grinning.

  “You took out that shadow demon?” he asked.

  “Yes. And two others.”

  Samual looked to Veralt. “We’ll need a large room.”

  Veralt just nodded, sighing like a man who had expected this.

  Tea and a tray of snacks arrived. Ten books were carried in shortly after and placed carefully on the table. Marlena reviewed the list and checked off each title. The stack was correct.

  “Would you like them delivered?” one of the mages offered.

  “No, my husband will carry them,” Marlena said as she gathered the returned coins and passed some of them to Allira. “Here. Spending money.”

  Allira smirked. “As always.”

  With that business settled, Veralt stood again. “Now then… about that library?”

  We all stood to leave the room, and in a flash, I stored the books in my storage. Several of the mages were shocked as the books disappeared in a burst of light. Following the Arch Mage, we climbed a few more flights of stairs and reached the topmost floor of the administrative building. At the end of the corridor stood a plain door, but I quickly recognized the heavy ironwork on it, indicating it was a vault.

  “That’s an interesting vault,” I said, watching Veralt reach out and unlock the door.

  “Yes, it was put in three centuries ago,” he said, then instructed a couple of the mages to pull the door aside. I stepped up to the door and began examining the operating mechanisms from the back. I moved it on its hinges easily, watching the gears turn. This drew stares from the mages gathered around, since it usually took three of them to do what I was doing alone.

  “Arch Mage, if you will, wait a moment. It seems our husband found a new toy,” Marlena said, watching me count the teeth on the gears and linkage assemblies. I had to stop myself when I realized I was mumbling numbers and ratios.

  “Is this normal?” Veralt asked.

  “Very,” Allira added, grabbing my arm. “Let’s go.” I looked up and felt a little embarrassed.

  “Sorry about that. Very good workmanship,” I said, stepping back. Veralt laughed as he entered the large room beyond the doorway.

  “We’re not even in the room, and he’s already fascinated by the door,” he chuckled. “Now, the section we want is over there…” He pointed to the shelves on the far right. We passed rows of scrolls and arrived at a shelf of old tomes, all covered in thick layers of dust.

  “Now, that book was here the last time I saw it. It had a red cover… Ah, here it is.” He reached out and pulled down a good-sized book. “In this book, they describe the core rings.” He handed the book to me.

  “Thank you,” I said, rubbing some of the dust off to reveal its title. ‘Markings, Designs and Magical Interactions.’ “Interesting title…” I started flipping through the pages.

  “You can read that?” Veralt asked.

  “Yes, it’s just written decoratively. Some of the gilding is worn off…” I looked up and saw his puzzled expression. He handed me another book from the same shelf.

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  “What’s this one?” he asked.

  “Oh, that’s a trigonometry book,” I said, still flipping through the markings book.

  “And this one?” He passed me another.

  “That is a recipe book, ‘Sweet Desserts and Tea Parties.’ Seraphina would love to see what is inside it. Why do you ask?”

  “We’ve never translated these. They’re old,” Samual said, as I handed the recipe book to Allyson.

  “Master, these are written in our language, the language of the Engineers,” Allyson said.

  I looked at the cover again. “That’s why you have never been able to translate them.”

  Then it dawned on me. Why would mages speculate about mage core rings and their colors? Looking at all the books on this shelf, I began to wonder whether they were all written in the same script.

  “Arch Mage, are all of these…” I gestured to the shelf.

  “Yes, they are,” he replied. “I shouldn’t be surprised you can read them, given your class. But I still am.” He watched me examine each title.

  “You said you remembered the book not for the text, but for the symbols of the rings?” I asked.

  “Yes. The illustrations. I didn’t understand the words, but the diagram of the core rings stuck with me all these years. I always believed they held some deeper connection.”

  I nodded, scanning the shelf until I stopped at a particular one. I reached up and pulled down an old, dust-covered book. The title stood out, ‘Multidimensional Storage.’ My heart skipped a beat. I’d never figured out how my armbands stored items, but this book might offer a path forward. This could be priceless. I handed both the book and the marking book to Allyson. “Allyson, hold on to both for me. Don’t lose them.”

  “Yes, master.”

  “Something special?” Marlena asked.

  “Yes. I’ll explain shortly,” I smirked. “Now, do you have some paper? We can go through these books and sort them for you, Arch Mage.”

  It didn’t take long. I read off the titles as the mages scribbled notes and tucked slips into each book. Most turned out to be diaries or basic math instructional texts. One book on shielding caught my eye, and I passed it to Allyson. The rest were children’s and recipe books, and I kept asking Allira and Marlena if they or anyone else would be interested in their contents.

  “So Arch Mage, what will you do with them?” I asked, looking at the fifty or so books now cataloged.

  “I’m not sure. We thought we had something special…”

  “You do. Someone took time and care to write these. Now, those three books…” I pointed to the ones Allyson held. “I’d like the chance to study them. One is about shielding. The other is about multidimensional storage,” I said.

  “Shielding?” Veralt asked.

  “Not the kind a swordsman uses. I mean mine… like the blue flash when I’m hit. Samual, do you remember when I fought that Shadow Demon? You thought I was dead. That flash… that was my shield.”

  Understanding dawned on Samual and both of my wives. “Yes,” Samual nodded. “I barely saw it. That does explain a lot now…”

  “This book explains how to use that technique. The other covers storage devices,” I said, flipping through the shielding book to show the complex formulas.

  “You understand this?” Veralt asked, leaning over to look closer.

  “Yes,” I said, not looking up from the pages before me. “It discusses the reflective principles of subatomic particles and heat dispersion…”

  “Wait, atomic? You mentioned that weapon…” Samual spoke up.

  “The one from the vault, yes,” I replied to him. ”Where I’m from, that would be a weapon of mass destruction. But the principles behind it… Those can be harnessed for other uses. Like shielding.”

  Samual looked at the books on the table. “So what do we do with them now, Arch Mage?”

  “David, if I gave them to you, what would you do?”

  “I’d place them in the Tower’s libraries, that’s where my assistant, Ava, is currently indexing everything. I believe knowledge should be shared. Once they’re sorted and translated, open the libraries to all visitors.”

  “I agree. David, please take these books and add them to your collection,” Veralt said.

  I thanked him, and in a flash, the books vanished into my storage… including the three Allyson had held.

  “Multidimensional storage…” Veralt whispered. I just grinned.

  Leaving the administrative building, we followed the Arch Mage to a clearing near the airship. A small group of mages was waiting. Where one stepped forward. “Arch Mage. You mentioned monster corpses? Where are they?”

  Veralt turned to me and chuckled. I joined him. “Please, everyone, stand back…”

  Once there was space, I pulled all five corpses from storage. Veralt and I started with the Griffins.

  “These two, one attacked us in the north, and the other went for me while I was with the Orcs,” I said, hearing Allira huff behind me.

  I glanced over and immediately regretted it; her smirk told me she knew exactly where my mind had wandered. I could still picture the outfit she’d worn that day, more ornament than armor, cut high at the thigh and laced down the sides as if meant to distract rather than defend. And Marlena? The way those straps barely…

  “Don’t even start,” Allira warned, that smirk deepening.

  Marlena caught the exchange and tilted her head. “What’s he picturing?”

  “Us. In those Orc envoy outfits,” Allira said with a mock sigh, then added under her breath, “No surprise. He nearly walked into a tree trying to imagine me in that outfit.”

  Marlena raised an eyebrow, amused. “When?”

  I cleared my throat, fighting the grin. “We can talk about that later. Right now…”

  I turned back to Veralt, trying to recover some shred of composure. “I’d like their cores, and at least three dozen feathers. Wing feathers, mostly.”

  A nearby mage examined them and lit up. “They’re fresh, like they were just killed.”

  “What are you going to do with feathers?” Marlena asked, eyeing the wings.

  “I would like to try some fletching,” I said.

  “With Griffin feathers?” Samual asked, stunned.

  “Yeah, why not?”

  “You’re using a ten-thousand-coin feather for an arrow?” a mage asked. I shrugged.

  “Gotta learn somehow. I am planning on using goose feathers at first.”

  I moved on. “This one’s Torga, a Demon Night Stalker, level 122. Tough fight. We ended up battling in the dark. A horrible cat-and-mouse game between us. She lost…” The serpent’s chest bore a deep slash. Everyone around me looked at me in confusion with the reference. “It was a back-and-forth fight…” They started to understand.

  “Its scales are solid. Might make good armor,” one mage murmured. "How in the Gods did you kill this thing?"

  “I have a very sharp sword..." I paused for a moment. "You don’t normally see creatures like this?” I asked. Veralt shook his head. “Okay, next… this little buddy ruined a moment with Seraphina. We were talking about family…” I exhaled through my nose. “…and this one decided to ruin the moment.” I tapped the corpse with my foot. “Shadow Demon, level 130. Fast. Slippery. He’s the one who injured Samual and killed Mage Woodwarde.” Glancing over at Samual, I can see him reliving it.

  “Pet of that guy…” I pointed to the last body. “General Getyin. Formerly of the Fourth Army. Level 176. Big pain in the ass. Wouldn’t stay down. Kept on going on about eating me… Took everything we had to make sure he stayed very dead.” Marlena agreed with a quiet nod. Everyone stared in shock.

  “You killed these?” Veralt asked.

  “Yes. The Shadow Demon, Marlena, helped distract it; I landed the final blow. The same applied to the General; Allira did the same.”

  Veralt was speechless, just taking it all in. “You want the cores and some feathers. Sell the rest?”

  “Yes. That would help fund the Princess’s schooling.”

  “More than that,” he laughed. “You could pay for several students just with the Griffins.”

  I looked back and spotted Erica with Allyson.

  “That’s perfect. I also need to put Erica through school,” I said.

  “Vaelthorn? When I last checked, that’s about ten thousand a year per student. It’s not an inexpensive place to attend. It is the best of the four kingdoms.”

  “So, roughly forty thousand total?”

  “My family couldn’t afford it, so I had to join the military just to attend…” Allira said.

  “Same here, sister. Two years in the mage core just to pay my bill.” Marlena commented.

  He nodded. “You’re sitting on thirty million here. At least.”

  “Well, the Princess has expensive tastes,” Allira quipped. I just shook my head.

  “Is there anything else, Arch Mage? I noticed something off when that airship landed,” I said, turning toward the vessel now being serviced.

  “Issue?” Samual asked, perking up.

  “Yes, and since they’re our concern now, I’m now inclined to take a look,”

  “Earl, thank you for your visit,” Arch Mage Veralt said as he shook my extended hand.

  “Anytime, Arch Mage. We need to do tea again sometime soon.” He smiled as we shook, then I headed for the airship.

  Standing under the nose of the vessel, I examined its structure, which had the same design as the airship we’d visited a few days ago.

  “What do you think?” Allira asked as she joined me.

  “It looked like a power loss. Dropped harder than it should’ve at the last few feet,” I said. “Allyson, is the core in the same location as the last?”

  “Yes, master. Starboard side panel,” she confirmed, pointing it out.

  I moved to the panel and began to open it. A mage approached hastily, trying to intervene. Allira stepped in front of the man.

  “I wouldn’t interfere.” Is all she said. The mage, I think he was a mage, stopped.

  “What are you doing? Stay away from that!” he snapped, attempting again to push through Allira.

  “Would you stop?” Allira said, brushing him aside.

  “I’m stopping him from…” he started, but by then the panel was open, clattering aside to reveal the core nestled within. It was nearly black, secured by a crude mess of wood and twine.

  “Allyson, what’s the core’s condition?” I asked.

  She knelt, her eyes glowing faintly blue as she peered into the housing. After a moment, she stood.

  “Master, the core holds approximately a tenth of one percent charge. It’s nearly depleted.”

  “Thought so. Thanks for confirming.”

  I turned to the same mage, who was now sheepishly trying to get around Allira.

  “Would you just stop?” I said, moving the panel further out of the way. “Where was this airship headed?”

  “It was bound for Vaelthorn, but without power… It’s scheduled for decommissioning.”

  “So I leave you alone for five minutes, and you’re causing problems again,” Veralt said dryly behind me.

  I turned, grinning. “Apparently, someone was going to scrap this without notifying me?”

  Veralt sighed. “Yes, well… the decision hadn’t circulated yet. I came over the moment I saw where you were heading. And yes,” he added for the mage’s benefit, “the Earl’s the new owner. That decision of this airship’s fate is his now.”

  “Him?” the mage asked incredulously.

  “Yes, him.”

  “What are your plans, then?” Veralt asked me.

  “Give me a second,” I said, crouching before the exposed core.

  I reached inside without hesitation and touched the sphere. Gasps echoed around me, and some in the growing crowd clearly weren’t familiar with me. I felt the familiar tingle rush down my arms as the system interface appeared before me. This time, I noticed the blue glyphs and markings on the backs of my hands again.

  ?

  Power Core

  1 of 5000 Power Units remaining

  Menu:

  1.Add Power Units

  2.Remove Power Units

  3.Remove Dependent

  4.Add Dependent

  5.Shutdown / Restart Core

  ?

  I selected 1) Add Power Units, and the system prompted me for an amount. I entered 500, leaving myself a solid buffer of internal reserves and the armguard stores. A surge of power drained from me, noticeable but manageable. Then the readout updated.

  ?

  Power Core

  100 of 5000 Power Units remaining

  ?

  The core shimmered with amber light. As I withdrew my hand, I heard it faintly, just a whisper: ‘Thank you.’ I smiled.

  [DING]

  [10,000 Arcane Integration II XP Gained]

  [Level Up - Arcane Integration II – Level 27]

  310 XP Until Next Level

  [Skill Update]

  Arcane Integration II — Passive Effects Unlocked

  ? Multi-Threaded Arcane Cognition (Passive)

  You may now maintain up to three active arcane integrations simultaneously.

  Mental strain from sustained links is significantly reduced.

  ? Arcane Load Balancing (Passive)

  Incoming and outgoing arcane energy is automatically distributed to prevent overload.

  Backlash, instability, and the chance of catastrophic failure are reduced.

  ? Foreign System Compatibility (Passive)

  Resistance when interfacing with ancient, incompatible, or non-native arcane systems is reduced.

  Partial handshakes with sealed or restricted systems are possible.

  ? Sustained Link Optimization (Passive)

  Mana cost of sustained arcane links decreases over time.

  Maximum efficiency bonus reached after prolonged integration.

  ? Passive Diagnostics Enabled

  Linked systems now provide continuous low-level feedback.

  Power flow, damage states, and instability are detected intuitively.

  ? Engineer’s Presence (Passive)

  Engineer-origin constructs and systems respond more efficiently when operated by you.

  Activation and synchronization costs are reduced.

  [Notice]

  Some integrated effects may not be fully observable at the current Engineering level.

  [Warning]

  Arcane Integration may cause unexpected interactions with:

  ? Relics

  ? Divine systems

  ? Black-listed skills

  Further disclosure restricted.

  [Congratulations]

  [2,000 Engineering XP Gained]

  [Class Level Up – Engineering → 41]

  8,250 XP to next level

  [Stat Points Available: 8]

  Allocate Now? (Y/N)

  I blinked. A translucent menu unfolded in my mind’s eye, quietly humming. Runes shimmered around the edges, waiting for my touch. I quickly allocated eight points into Intelligence, bringing it to an even 58. I felt like a fog cleared, and I could remember more.

  “That’ll get it to Vaelthorn,” I said, gently closing the panel. “We’ll fully restore it there.” Everyone was staring.

  “Engineering magic,” I said with a grin to the Arch Mage. “No big deal.” He started to laugh. A deep belly laugh.

  “Nothing surprises me anymore with you or your family, David.”

  I turned to the mage who’d tried to stop me. “Are you the pilot?”

  “Y-yes, sir.”

  “Good. You’re still flying today. Ten days to Vaelthorn, right? When you arrive, find me.” He nodded, wide-eyed. With that, I slipped my arm around Marlena’s waist and started walking away.

  “Arch Mage, tea after the King’s meeting in five days?”

  “Sounds good, David. Very good,” Veralt replied, heading back toward the administrative building. For us, it was off to the practice grounds.

  “Sweetie,” I said, glancing at Marlena, “Allira and I will be working with the soldiers for a few hours. What do you want to do?”

  “Erica and I were thinking of shopping, then meeting you back here,” Marlena replied.

  “Perfect.” I stopped at the entrance to the grounds and turned to her, wrapping her in a brief hug and kiss. Then I reached into storage and pulled out a small pile of gold coins.

  “Here. Is this enough?”

  She leaned up and kissed my cheek. “More than enough,” she said with a wink, before linking arms with Erica and heading off.

  “Well, just the three of us again,” I said, pulling Emerline from storage as I turned to Allira and Allyson. “There should be two in this group who could make good bodyguards for Theresa. I prefer at least two women for this case. It seems that there is this rule that no men are allowed in the women’s dorms,” Allira nodded, already scanning the grounds.

  “Would two from this squad do, or would you prefer tall scantily dressed green women…” she teased with a sidelong glance.

  “Would they stand out too much in the academy?” I replied with a laugh.

  _____________________

  The throne room of the Demon Lord was a cavernous space carved from obsidian and crimson stone, lit by rivers of molten lava that ran through deep channels in the black marble floor. Columns, twisted like tortured souls, rose to support a vaulted ceiling etched with ancient runes that pulsed faintly with red light. The air was thick with heat and the scent of brimstone, making it feel more like a forge than a palace. Along the walls, massive iron braziers burned with black fire, casting flickering shadows across the grotesque murals of conquest and torment.

  At the far end of the hall, raised on a dais of jagged stone, sat the throne itself, a monstrous structure forged from bone and darksteel, decorated with the skulls of fallen kings and bound by chains that still faintly rattled with trapped magic. Demon Lord Rannakon lounged there, his glowing eyes half-closed but alert. Two of his consorts knelt at his feet, massaging them in silence, dressed in little more than silk strips and the arrogance of immortality. Into this hall of dread, the creature crawled, trembling.

  The lesser demon knelt before the throne, its mandibles chittering in fear. It dared not look up. It had barely survived the rift collapse. Perhaps if it remained still, the lord wouldn’t…

  “Where is General Getyin?” came the Demon Lord’s voice, low and cold like the promise of death.

  “I… I don’t know,” the lesser demon stammered. “I was sent back on his order. He had encountered a wall, he said he was about to break through… and then…”

  It paused, trembling, then continued with a whimper, “The rift… it exploded. When I returned, the gateway detonated. The blast threw me across the chamber…” It trailed off again, unable to finish, as it lost control of itself, whimpering and curling lower on the ground.

  “Take this useless scrap away,” the Demon Lord growled in disgust.

  The guards seized the trembling creature and dragged it from the chamber.

  “Thorith. Where are you?”

  A thin, sharp voice answered from near the edge of the throne room. “Here, my lord.”

  “We’ve lost two armies. Two. To the engineers. Where are my remaining generals?”

  “I’ll fetch them at once, my lord,” Thorith said, bowing and quickly retreating.

  The Demon Lord leaned back on his throne, gazing out through the tall, black-glass windows overlooking his domain. The crimson sun blazed above the twisted landscape, bathing the jagged terrain in harsh, blood-colored light. Two of his scantily dressed consorts knelt at his feet, massaging them in silence. Soon, the heavy doors swung open.

  Five generals entered, their presence undeniable even from across the vast room.

  First came General Jazramil, the dark siren, gliding silently through the air with her ever-watchful aide close behind. She lowered herself gracefully and knelt. Then came Xorgoron, the massive bull-like general, his hooves cracking the stone floor as he stomped forward. Ogthathas the wraith and Bolmaron the skeletal warlord followed together, eerily silent and alert. Finally, Kolvaxen the serpent slithered in, coiling into position at the end of the line.

  “As you summoned, we have answered,” they said in eerie unison.

  The Demon Lord’s gaze swept over them from his throne. “We have a problem. In the last few months, we lost two entire armies to the engineers. I want answers. I want solutions.”

  The room was silent for a breath.

  “Sire,” Xorgoron rumbled cautiously, keeping his head bowed, “are we certain engineers caused these losses? With respect, my lord.”

  “A fair question,” Rannakon said, reclining slightly. “Thorith, explain what we know.”

  Thorith stepped forward. “Yes, my lord. When Varkreth was killed, the rift was destroyed by a device. Witnesses on this side saw the explosion because the object was placed inside the rift itself. Regarding Getyin’s forces, the only survivor claims they had just breached some sort of wall when he was struck. Immediately afterward, the rift collapsed. These signs are consistent with interference.

  “Speculation,” Jazramil said coolly, her voice like smoke.

  “Yes, General. But consider, only once before has a device destroyed one of our rifts. It was crafted by one of them.”

  “Then perhaps,” Kolvaxen hissed, “we need to confirm exactly what we are dealing with.”

  Rannakon nodded. “Wise. Yes, we’ll find the truth. All of you, deploy your spies. The next time a rift opens, we’ll send them through. Find these engineers or whatever they are. Discover what they’ve built… and destroy it.”

  He rose, pulling his two consorts to their feet beside him.

  “Thorith, inform me the moment the next rift opens. That should be during the next full cycle.”

  “Yes, my lord.”

  The Demon Lord turned and walked out of the chamber, his consorts following close behind. The remaining generals stayed kneeling until the doors shut behind him.

  Thorith faced them. “You heard his command. When the rift opens, we find these engineers. We don’t fail him again.”

  He bowed and left the room quietly, leaving the generals with their thoughts and plans.