Dryston was unusually hurrying along his daily stroll, this was owing to the deluge that fell upon the city like a fierce waterfall, his cloak and hat bore the brunt of the weather and he was lucky enough to own clothing that kept the warm in.

  He barely noticed the people on the street going about their day which usually brought him some measure of joy, for now there was just the rain.

  A sudden splash next to him saw a recognisable horse drawn carriage, black and slick in design and an insignia upon the door, he looked up into the smirking face of his cousin Damon.

  ‘Can I offer you a lift, dear cousin’ he said looking up into the dark grey skies ‘I’m afraid all indications say it is going to get worse from here'

  He nodded and the door was swung open, he grasped his cousins forearm and was drawn into the carriage, a decadent display of black stained wood and pure red velvet with golden embellishments.

  He was brought up and guided to the side where his cousin usually sat, Damon had no stomach for facing backwards while travelling forwards.

  Damon sat next to his cousin and introduced the hitherto unseen passenger across from the pair.

  ‘Drystan, you of course know our council member Corvinius Corvus’ Damon introduced.

  ‘Of course, Master Corvus, I do not believe we have been formally introduced’

  ‘I suppose not, I have neither the time or the inclination for formalities’ Said Corvinus, looking down at the proffered hand of Drystan.

  ‘Corvinus, isn’t one for shaking hands either, thinks things can get passed on’ Damon smiled

  The old man nodded leaning forward ever so slightly into the light, Drystan could now see that the man had a salt and pepper beard neatly combed down to a point, a set of fierce eyes encircled by the bags that come with age and many a sleepless night. He was not quite master Galen, the healers age who maybe had another twenty years on him. Although with magic, who could be sure.

  ‘Young Master Damon here has been petitioning me for you to have more involvement in matters of our fair city and its interests however before you can carry my favour I wished to take your measure’

  ‘Aslong as its not my inseam’ Drystan chortled ‘Did Damon tell you about the time he…’ Dryston stopped at the wide eyed expression his cousin was shooting him.

  ‘Ahem, never mind, apologies Master Corvus, so how would to like to take your measure?’

  ‘You have spent time with the other council members, yes?’ he asked

  Dryston nodded.

  ‘Well what do you make of them?’

  ‘Well Master Galen is a fine enough fellow, as far as I have seen he is kept busy with the healers temples and takes in the orphans of the city’

  Corvinius nodded and gestured for him to continue.

  ‘And Mistress Scarlet..’

  ‘The Harlot’ snorted out Damon

  ‘Quite’ said Corvinus, ‘please do continue.

  ‘Well she certainly has a head for business, she’s a fan of the arts and culture.

  ‘And is that all you have grown to know of them?, what is your opinion of them regarding the wellness and running of the city?’

  ‘Well Master Galen always tends to err on the side of caution in matters of state, he approaches things from the angle of what is best for the people. He is well loved among the populus owing to the education and apprenticeships that he offers to children of no importance.’

  ‘And thus is he good for the city?’ Corvinus asked sternly.

  ‘I would say so, so easy is it to forget the human element when making choices over the general populace, yet..’

  ‘Yet what?’

  ‘Sometimes decisive choices or action is required, Galen much like in his field, sometimes seeks to treat and heal a festering wound risking death rather than lop of the appendage and ensure the patient lives’

  Corvus nodded again ‘continue’

  ‘The are elements of this city that are a disease and he allows it as it is the path of least resistance.

  ‘And Scarlet?’ Corvinus asked

  ‘She is very hard to read, slippery almost’ Drystan stopped as Damon sniggered.

  ‘She can turn a profit and has the tenacity to act when action is required, unfortunately her businesses have brought her into entanglements with a less than savoury lot, I fear that these entanglement would have a detrimental effect on the choices she makes in the governing of our city’

  Corvinus silently nodded rubbing a ring on his finger ‘And me?’

  ‘Truth be told we haven’t had much in the way of dealings Master Corvinus, from what I hear you keep to yourself and your studies, you are the most successful mage guild leader in many generations, you much like Galen run educational schools for children, like the one Tim attends’ he stopped himself from speaking anymore and noticed a faint glow from the ring Corvinus was wearing.

  ‘And his sister Emie of course’ The old man said ‘Both promising individuals so I’ve heard’

  ‘Yes, I drop in on them time to time to oversee their well-being’ he said without a thought.

  ‘Strange, you would take such an interest in them, who are they to you?’

  ‘Just some children I gave a few coins to, but then that led to them being abandoned and I feel somewhat responsible for them’ He put his hand to his mouth

  ‘It’s a new design from my guild, I call it a truth seeker ring, It envelopes a small area and compels people to tell the truth, still not perfected but useful enough as this little demonstration goes’

  Corvinus plucked the ring from a wizened finger and held his palm outstretched with the ring sitting still in the centre.

  Drystan made to take the ring slowly but the old mans hand clamped shut and withdrew.

  ‘You can have a turn but we haven’t still finished my questions regarding the council members, what do you think of your cousin here?’

  Damon frowned at this, ‘I thought we were going to just find out about the other councillors’ said Damon

  ‘You don’t want to know?’ said Corvinus.

  They both looked to Drystan who had turned rather red in the face.

  ‘I love my cousin as though he were my own brother, he makes silly choices sometimes as do we all, he has an excellent palette for wines and I often defer to him because they mostly taste the same to me.’

  Corvinus raised an eyebrow ‘But?’ he ventured

  ‘He sometimes doesn’t carry the best choice in friends and has been led astray before, he is half as clever as he believes himself to be and the same could be said for his importance’ he cupped his hand to his mouth and looked sorrowfully to his cousin ‘He is my cousin and I love him dearly’

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  Damon simply smiled back, don’t worry dear cousin, we all hold things back, you should have heard what words I brought forth about you’ he playfully punched his cousin in the shoulder.

  ‘And finally what do you know of me?’ announced Corvinus cutting through the playfulness like a hot knife.

  ‘I know you run the guild of mages, you mostly keep to yourself, it was a surprise that you joined the council as guilds have largely stayed out of state politics as they require as much attention as a small city’

  ‘And why do you think I did join the council?’

  ‘Power’ Drystan said with a start ‘No man is ever satisfied with having the level of power he does, its mans curse to always want more’

  ‘You are a very well read individual I can see that, but do you have what it takes to make the tough decisions? Can you act decisively? Be the blade that amputates the limb?’

  ‘I…, I…, I... don’t know,’ his head dropped

  Corvinus glanced over at Damon who was looking disappointed.

  ‘I do know that I want what’s best for this city and its people, I want it to prosper and be a beacon upon the world.’

  Corvinus nodded and once again held out the ring to Drystan,

  ‘Here keep it, in the game of politics, the truth is a powerful weapon to wield’

  Drystan looked down at the ring, an amethyst dome engraved in minute runes.

  ‘Can I trust you?’ said Drystan

  Corvinus smiled and under no visible strain said ‘you can trust me as much as any of the other councillors’

  ‘You didn’t answer the question’

  ‘I did and I didn’t, when you get good at politics you don’t have to lie to avoid the truth’ he smiled a toothy grin.

  ‘I believe we are near my stop so I bid you councillors a good day and I do hope to see you in a more active role in the council, don’t disappoint me now’

  With that the old man moved with a swiftness that defied someone of his age, made his way out of the already open door, turned and bowed.

  ‘Councillor’s’

  ‘Master Corvinus’ the pair returned.

  As he turned the door closed quickly without slamming and the old man was greeted by his underlings as they made their way to the guild front doors.

  Unlike the buildings around it, the guild hall was not made of wood or sandstone but a chilling black onyx blocks with pure white mortar that seemed to ripple in different colours.

  ‘I don’t know how they can be in there, all those colours mixed with the black gives me a headache’ said Damon ‘Well dear cousin, it looks like you gained his approval by the skin of your teeth, your probation may be getting lifted and you can step up as a full member of the council.’

  ‘Are you sure im ready?’ asked Drystan

  ‘Of course not’ said Damon suddenly looking down at a glowing ring ‘ But whoever is, I certainly wasn’t’

  ‘We really need to talk about some upcoming cases and the way best we can rule in our favour’

  ‘You mean the cities favour cousin’

  ‘Can we give the ring a rest, if the guild hall gives me a headache, that thing gives me a migraine’ said Damon

  Drystan took off the ring and looked at his cousin ‘what did he mean I could trust him as much as any of the other councillors?, does that mean I can trust him a lot like I do you or that I shouldn’t trust anyone’

  ‘Buggared if I know, I had that ring for a month and ended up more confused by conversations with him than when I didn’t have the ring’

  ‘I think ill keep hold of it for now anyway, im guessing he gave it to me for a reason’ he ticked the band into his waistcoat pocket.

  Speaking of councillors we shouldn’t trust shall we pay a visit to Scarlets quarter and sample in some of the delights, I’ll pick the wine of course’ he winked at his cousin.

  ‘Yes, ha ha of course’ he smiled

  Corvinus made his way into his office, he prided himself on having a relatively small room, the last guild master had the largest office which was now a research lab while he simply to an old clerks office packed with his own tomes and collections of parchment containing runes and glyphs. He’d often thought the old master was compensating for a lack of raw talent with the show of a room.

  This was his room, tucked away in a quiet corner where he could get on with his own learning and experiments, away from the prying eyes and loose lips. He sat at his desk with a sigh and opened a tome bound in leather and began to make notes.

  An efficient knock at the door let him know his second in command was in attendance.

  ‘Well don’t stand out there waiting on my account Weasley’ Corvinus said

  The door opened and walked in a squat little dwarf, small even for a dwarf, his head popping slightly over the height of the desk, a stout physique and burly bearing the only thing he was missing from your average dwarf was a beard, he only had a thick orange finely combed moustache.

  ‘Guild master, there are a number of situations that garner your attention, the fellows down in the experimental runes department have yet again detonated a small area, the transfiguration room has still yet to be found and …, is something bothering you sir?’ Asked the dwarf.

  ‘Oh no, Bicram nothing, do you perchance have the list of attendees to our classes from the healers temple?’

  ‘Not on me my lord, I am sure I have it on my desk though’ the clerk said

  ‘Whenever you are ready, Bicram’ he said looking nonchalantly through a tome sat up on his desk open.

  Bicram quickly scurried out the door and returned at a run grasping a piece of parchment holding it out to the guild master.

  Corvinus, did not move his head but simply looked from the paper held outstretched to him and then down at the table. Bicram quickly put the sheet down on the desk and stepped away.

  ‘As I said my lord there are a number of situations requiring your attention…’

  ‘Bicram I require the room, please do not let me detain you from your duties’

  The dwarf bowed over half his height, disappearing for a moment under the desk edge, reappeared, turned and left.

  Once the door was closed Lord Corvus lifted the parchment and with a wisened finger traced down the list of names until he found the one he was looking for.

  ‘Timothy Smithson’