It wasn’t that she expected great answers, but this was, like, the inverse getting answers; they’d answered questions she hadn’t asked. And what did it mean that her aors had nothing to do with it? She hadn’t known they could have had something to do with it. Were the Vil elders right? Were they something to be worshipped?

  Still, she supposed the pilgrim was right. It did narrow things down. Hopefully her brother could provide some answers.

  9. Reunion at Lovesse – August 1, Year 216

  During the rest of their jourheir pace had slowly recovered. The over thirty miles they had left to travel was done in about three days, thankfully without interruptions or attacks. It was m by the time they arrived at Lovesse.

  Lovesse was rger than Cardinar, but only in a teical se was located in the mountains – on a mountain, build on a cliff with not-so-gentle ine toward its gate. The sides and back of the city was a drop of a five huo a thousa, depending on where you fell. Its perma popution erhaps only a quarter of that of Cardinar at around five to six-hundred people. Like Cardinar, it was being increasingly densely packed due to its growing prosperity.

  But that was only one part of a city; the city proper, taining its perma residences, guild and pany buildings, and the city’s administration. Down at the foot of the mountain, hugging the cliff, was the rest of the city. It was a far rger and spaced out-part, without any perma buildings: the caravan grounds.

  As the name implied, this was where travelling caravans came to rest. While there were no perma buildings, it was certainly packed. There were market stalls made mostly of wood – unlike Cardinar, wood was iive abundance here – and many, mas set up by travelers and caravans. There were also a number of stone wells, improvised stables and posts with animals leashed to them.

  But the caravans weren’t the only people here to trade. Besides them there were traders and people from the so-named Drover s. They lived in the southwestern part of the Grand Circuit, south of the Gold, and made their homes in the mountains there, much like the Vils did in the north and northwest.

  In many ways, these mountain peoples were the mirror image of the Vil peoples.

  Both were small, family-oriented unities sharing a single surname. But where the Vils sisted of a single rge building to house them, the Drovers were wholly nomadic, carrying their entire unity on their back daily.

  Both were more rural thaies, mrarian and pastoral, and wholly self-suffit. But where the Vils farmed and herded sheep and goats, the Drovers hunted and herded cattle.

  Both were known for their strength at arms, respected by outsiders for their toughness and skill at surviving in the harshest enviros. But where the Vils focused on firearms, grenades and other meical forms bat, the Drovers focused on bow and arrow, spear and magical forms of bat.

  Very uhe Vils, who relied on traders to e to them, Drovers sold their goods directly to the Gold Circuit cities of Lovesse, Bridgers, Corton and Gadeon. Also uhe Vils, the Drovers were known for their use of horses. Not just any horse, Drover horses could ehe Circuits’ heat and even drink from the various poisonous rivers. Not one of the many varieties of specialized paimals from the caravans could boast of the tter.

  The caravanners and Drovers intermi the caravan grounds of Lovesse. Beside them were people from Lovesse itself, desding from their mountain stronghold every day to sell their goods – mostly sisting of food, clothes and, of course, ons and ammunition.

  Sally and Lucy had arrived halfway through the m on the first of August. They ighe hustle and bustle of the caravan grounds, instead opting to ght to Lovesse proper.

  The road up the small mountain was a long, steady ine, easily navigable but – at least for Lucy – a hurdle heless.

  “The Loveese must have calves of iron,” Lupined.

  “Ah, a real ftnder woman, aren’t you? You should e visit the Vils sometime. That’ll teach what ‘rough terrain’ really means.” Sally said mirthfully, engaging in the Vilyet cultural practice ing about how tough they were pared to the Anteeri.

  Luly huffed and rolled her eyes in response.

  “Yes, yes. If you’re so tough, why don’t you just carry me?”

  Sally, feeling pyful, took it as a challenge and charged Lucy, lifting her up and throwing her over her shoulder like a sack of yams.

  At least, that was what she attempted to do. But the woman was taller than her, and Sally not as deft at throwing people over her shoulder with only one arm. So instead, the charge and throw unbahem both and they ended up in the dirt.

  They both ughed, Lucy calling her an idiot and a brute and other such things. Then, when their antics got them weird looks from the people going up and down the mountaihey ughed even harder.

  All joking aside, they did eventually make it up the hill aered Lovesse.

  X

  The yout of the city of Lovesse was much less structured than that of Cardinar. There was but a sie with a single main road leading to the fort around which the city had formed. The rest of the city was either a maze of narrow alleyacked with residences, or homes with small gardens and sometimes rger farms attached to them.

  Lining the main road were a number of shops mostly meant for the city’s inhabitants – the caravan grounds served as the city’s main market for everyone else. For the rest, it filled with guild halls, businesses, workshops and, the closer to the fort you got, ser residence.

  One of these buildings was, of course, the local hall of the Arist’s Guild, Lovesse chapter. It was smaller than the headquarters in Cardinar, being only two stories tall, although it was slightly wider and longer. It was, however, less crowded by other buildings; it had empty nd surrounding it, which was enclosed by a low stone wall and an iron fence serving as a gate.

  Sally stood in front of said entryway, nervous aant to enter. In Cardinar, she’d powered through her trepidation with retive ease, but her versation with the clerk at the reception – Arn, if she recalled correctly – had told her that Caldwell had held on to his, admittedly justified, rese of her and her family.

  “Are you sure you don’t wao e with?” Lucy asked. She had offered to apany her multiple times.

  “No, it’s fine.” Sally turo look at her, seeing Lucy gaze back at her with worry. “No, really, it’ll be fine. Just some family drama, you know? Besides, there’s no family left, so the drama must’ve gooo.” Sally joked with a stiff-looking smile.

  Lucy faced her with mild reproad clear . Even though Sally said it herself, the joke was in poor taste and fell ft even to her.

  “Just- I o do this alone, okay? Besides, I’ve brought a gift with me, so he ’t be too mad.” She said instead, shaking the letter and scroll-case in her hand.

  “Well, if you’re sure? I’ll be at the Dekantist shrine if you need me. Hopefully, their water is up to snuff.” Lucy said, affeg an gerated look of disdain.

  Sally ughed. “I’m sure. Go, I’ll see you ter.”

  Now alone, Sally took a deep breath and pushed the fee aside.

  The grounds at the front of the Arist’s Guild sisted of an impressive, well-maintained garden. It was divided in two by the main gravelly path to the door, with two stone in the middle of each se. A path of sand wound around them and through both ses, with wns of grass – green grass! A rarity in the Circuits – c the rest of the ground. At the edges were flowerbeds, filled with flowers of all colors, and a colle of various cacti in their own separate, more sandy areas. Here and there, betweehs and on surrounded by grass, were a couple of small, artfully trimmed trees barely reag waist-high. She estimated the garden was about four hundred square foot in total.

  All in all, it was a more weling sight than wheepped into the Cardinar guildhall.

  Still, the garden was isoted from the rest of the pound. Outside of the mairahere was no other way into the building, nor did the road lead to the back. It rettier and more inviting, but equally closed off entry to the Arist’s Guild.

  This impression tinued wheepped into the foyer. It was much smaller than that of the one in Cardinar, with a single wooden bench immediately to the right of the doorway. The foyer was at most around te long and pletely enclosed, without gaps, obsg the inner yout of the rest of the building.

  To her immediately left, behind a tiered wooden desk was, of course, this Guild’s receptionist. This woman was youhan the one in Cardinar, likely around Sally’s own age, and instead of bck robes wore simple brown ones.

  “Greetings! Wele to the Lovesse branch of the Great Leagueran Arist Association, Grand Circuit chapter. How I help you?” The womaed her with a simir line as Arn in Cardinar did, but instead of a trained and professionally distant – if genuine – kindness, the woman seemed eid almost excited to see her. Slow day, maybe?

  “Yes, hi. I’m looking for Sorcerer Caldwell?” She’d remembered the title Arn had given, and deliberately obscured their retionship for now. “I was told in Cardinar he was supposed to be here? Ehm…” Sally put the scroll-case between her legs and pushed the letter forward. “Here, I have a letter from the clerk, Arn Jaamsh.”

  “Ah, very good!” The clerk took the letter and g it for a sed. Then, she searched around her desk for a small pad upon which she id it dowering on fag the device. Two lines of purple fshed briefly, one going from left tht and the other up and down, observable through the letter’s paper.

  Nothing happened, and the clerk he woman deposited the letter into the obscured middle shelf of her desk before fag Sally again.

  “The authenticity is firmed. I presume you’re here for a delivery?” The woman said, looking at the scroll-case. Sally nodded. “Great! Then, follow me. Sorcerer Caldwell should be in the backyard.”

  The clerk left her desk and pushed open the door – It wasn’t locked? Seems strangely x – motioning Sally inside.

  The inside of the pound was, well, very pie the stoerior of the building, the inside was mostly wood barring its walls, and arsely decorated. The first floor had an open yout, with a set of stairs along the right wall going up and down. On the left was a bar or kit of some kind along with a number of tables and chairs in the viity.

  It seemed like a nice pce to sit, very sic with a nice view of the garden through a rge, gss window. Which was odd, because she certainly couldn’t recall seeing one from the other side. No one was sitting at the tables to enjoy it, likely because they’d already finished eating breakfast.

  For the rest of the first floor, there was a lounge area with a couple of cushioned couches and with a betweeable.

  And that was it. She kind of expected more, sidering the air of secrecy the Guild seemed to like.

  “Say, are you a runner? You’re not the usual courier headquarters sends.” The clerk asked, making versation.

  “Sort of. It’s more that I was on the way to Lovesse and Arn asked for a favor.” Sally replied.

  “Ah, I see! You’re here for another job then?” The clerk turo her, opening a door.

  “Mix of both, actually. Mostly here to visit family. My brother moved here retly.” Sally replied as they stepped out of the building and into the backyard.

  The backyard of the Guild was less decorative than the front ohere atio stretg some distance from the building with wooden tables, chairs and cushioned benches here and there. The yard itself was divided in two areas: one workspace to the left, plete with target dummies and workbenches, odd metal tools and strange gssware; the rest out front and to the right was ay field of grass – uhe front, looking much less green – with a well and a shed of some kind.

  “Oh, how ’s always good to visit family whenever- ah, there he is.”

  And there he was indeed, sitting at a table by himself – not that there was anyone else to sit with, the patio was just as empty as the interior. He was, in fact, the only other person she’d seen in the Arist’s Guild beside the receptionist.

  “Master Caldwell, you have a package from the Cardinar headquarters.”

  “Finally!” Caldwell excimed with a put-upon sigh. “I was w if Arn had pletely fotten about-”

  Caldwell raised his head from the paper-den table, eyes fixing on her own.

  “Sally?” Her brother said, voi disbelief.

  They’d always looked simir, Caldwell ahey were practically the same height at five foot two, preferred to wear their hair short, had the same upturned brown eyes and the same squarish face. If it wasn’t for the clear seven-year age gap, they might’ve passed for twins when they grew up.

  Though time and distance had clearly ged the man. His hair was lohan hers now, and he wore it parted and to the back. He wore small, round wire-frame gsses as well, though these might just be for reading. Though the dark red robe hid most of it, she could tell that the broadness and muscuture he used to have ba the Vil had left him. His face had a slightly sharper look than hers did now and he looked paler than she remembered.

  Still, anyone could see they were siblings.

  “Hey Cal,” She said, “Got a package for ya.” She waved the package in her hand and tried for a smile, but it was likely a stiff one.

  Cal looked at her for a sed in a daze. He remained motionless, before pushing back his chair and standing up. He walked up to her, a shakio his walk.

  Sally remained motionless, refusing to let the smile falter. She didn’t know what to do, how to act, what to say beyond the opening ‘clever’ remark. Their st meeting wasn’t good, their whole retionship hadn’t been good past the age of he fond memories she did carry, special as they were, were also very much far in the distant past.

  So, as Cal approached, she simply stood, hand raised with the package in her hand like a statue, brag. But for what? A sp, a shout, a cold gaze or – aors forbid – even a hug? Anything could happen, ahoughts rarely defaulted to optimism.

  So when Cal did pull her into a hug, she was surprised. Too surprised to return it before he put some distaween them again in order to examine her.

  “Gods, you’re alive! I thought- the whole Vil is- What-” He started, eyes darting around before fog on the figure beside them. “Yaling, could you...”

  “Of course,” The clerk – Yaling, apparently – said with a great smile and slightly wet eyes, befoing bato the building. Apparently, the ents were enough for her to figure some things out.

  Cal just stared at her again for a sed, smiling broadly, before jolting into a.

  “e, sit, sit!” Cal went and dragged his chair to a table not littered with papers, gesturing towards the other for her to sit on. “Ah, should’ve asked her for a drink. Wait here, I’ll just-”

  “Don’t have to get up on my at,” Sally said, putting her bag on the ground and taking a seat. She put the package oable. “Got some water right here.” She pat her bag.

  “You kidding? I need a drink. Be right back.” And off he went.

  Sally rexed into the chair, jittery nerves calming and the knot iomawinding. It was good that he was happy to see her. She hadn’t looked forward to a frontation. Sally went t and grabbed her teen, just in time for Caldwell to walk back outside, carrying a rge, corked bottle and a small gss. He sat himself down in the chair and poured himself a drink she didn’t reize.

  He took a sip and she did the same. For a moment, they simply stared at each other, Cal with broad smile full of teeth and Sally with a small one, lips closed.

  “It’s just- It’s s good to see you! When I heard what had happened, I was one of the volunteers, you know? Part of the Guild that joihe coalition against the Erlings. When I saw the wreckage of our old home...” A haunted look entered his eyes. “Gods, it was awful. And so thh, so… deliberate. hought those demons could do such a thing.” He took another sip of his drink.

  That’s cause they aren’t, she didn’t say. He likely already knew and was just venting.

  “But you…! How did you survive? I went searg for any Palters out there, but only found two: a Grandie soldier, and another as part of a Merkahn caravan.”

  “There are more Palters?”

  “Well, those two, but if there are more, they’re probably more like me. You know how it is, very few that leave the Palters do so on good terms.”

  A wry smile appeared on both their faces.

  “You visited the Vil?” Sally asked.

  “You didn’t?” He replied, then huffed. “No, of course you didn’t, even when you were small you were never great at frontation.”

  She scoffed. What did he know? She was great at fronting things, preferred to do it head on. Hell, she made a career out of it.

  “Yes, physically,” Cal said, readihoughts. “Very brave and all, but emotionally? Nah. You just get angry before st off.” He took another sip of the drink.

  She shook her head. “People ge, bro.” Hadn’t she just had a heart-to-heart with Lucy?

  He scrutinized her for a sed, before shrugging. “If you say so. But anyway, how did you survive? And why…” He hesitated for a bit, gesturing at her and around him.

  Sally guessed where he was going. “Why did it take so long?” odded at that, leaning forward in attention.

  So, she told Cal the same story she’d told Lucy. From the iigation to the pnning, the scouting to the discovery, the ambush and ter-ambush, the final stand aually, to waking up in the once-dry riverbed flowing with water.

  Having already told it once, she found it came easier than before, and with less pain, less struggle. Or perhaps it was the person she was talking to that made the difference? Probably both, she decided.

  When she finished, Cal stared at her with disbelief. “You came back from the dead? Six months ter?” He trailed off, leaning bad dragging his hands over his face.

  Sally shrugged. “Lucy said it had something to do with the water.”

  Cal’s eyebrows went up and eyed her with a questioning look. “Lucy?”

  “Woman I’ve been travelling with. Part of a deal to bee a runner. Around the time I got this.” Sally gestured at the scroll-case.

  “Hm. And she knows about this… how, exactly?” Cal asked, leaning forward and looking at her with suspi.

  Sally blushed and looked down. “Well… The same thing happened a couple of days ago.”

  “The same thing- You died again?! How?!” Cal shot up, nearly pushing the table over in his haste.

  “We entered a Demon, a true one.” Sally hastily expined. It was odd how embarrassed she felt, even though she shouldn’t be. I haven’t even done anything wrong! She thought with indignation. She straightened her bad gripped the table with her hand, ready to jump up and start an argument. “Was not like I had choice or anything, shit just happens. What, you think we went out looking for the Kispan Dalqa?” She gred at him.

  Cal returhe gre, before sighing i.

  “Okay, so… She said something about water being the ‘ected’?” His gaze sharpened somewhat. “How’d she figure that?”

  “She did some kind of water-ritual. I didn’t uand it,” she said. Seeing him waiting for further expnation, Sally eborated. “She’s some kind of high-tier holy woman, a Dekantist. She said that me ing to in a river or in water was signifit. Symbolic. She poured some water, recited somethiioning their Prophet, the ke, the World-Warden, the Palters and Water Spirits.”

  “The Palters?”

  She snorted. “Surprised me too.”

  But he didn’t look surprised. He looked ptive.

  “What she did was to try and uncover sympathetic ties through,” Cal said. “Her choi ties are rooted in faith-based symbolism – the whole ritual was – but the idea behind it is anything but religious. It is the same thing arists study and explore, albeit on a rger scale. It is, effectively, the basis of all magic.” Cal had begun pag around by this point.

  “The ritual itself… She tried to see if it was a blessing from a higher being, a Lake Priift, or a tent power in your – our – blood. But why water?” He turo look at her.

  “Cause I was revived in it?” Sally said, unvinced.

  “The first time, maybe, and while often signifit-” Sally barely held in the snort, “-the sed time didn’t involve water, did it?” Sally shook her head.

  Cal tinued pag around for a sed, deep in thought and muttering things she couldn’t hear.

  Then, his gaze soward the scroll-case and he practically dove for his seat, cmbering to open it, fiddling with the metal csp at the top. When he succeeded, he pulled out not a scroll, but a rolled-up stack of individual papers and immediately set to devour them.

  Sally was surprised by his frantic behavior. It seemed unlike him, but what did she know? One enter four years ago and childhood memories from near a decade past. Perhaps he was just like this, now. People ge, she thought, her words ing back to bite her.

  “You know,” Caldwell startled her out of her thoughts. “I’ve been wanting these papers for months, almost a year now. Wahem even ba Cardinar, before the Erlings. You got them from Arn, right?” She nodded. “Do you know what these tain?”

  She shrugged. “Why should I?” Where’s he going with this?

  “Because it details several findings about oddities in the Circuits.” He stood up and begun pag again, this time with papers in hand. Seems he had a hard time sitting still. Odd thing for a mage, she thought.

  “Lake Prior, the poison rivers, the ibals, the dead tree at the ter, ive sympathies, the quantity of demons, the Circuits themselves, the Dakh Hiyn…” He muttered, progressively getting harder to hear.

  Only half of these meant anything to her, and even then, she didn’t find any e. Nor did she care about finding one, except: “What does that have to do with me?”

  Cal looked at her again. “Maybe nothing, but resurreg twid a e with water, and then bringing the notes I’ve been waiting on for months here…”

  “A ce?”

  “No, a pattern.”

  Or you want there to be one. She believed Cal was reag for something, and was now involving her in it. Then again, maybe she was treating overih twice a bit lightly. It felt important, sure, but to be included as ‘an oddity of the Circuits’ was a bit much.

  “Say, is your friend here? I want to talk to her.”

  A friend… the thought struck Sally. It was an odd one. She hadn’t had many friends – acquaintances, colleagues and family, yes, but not friends. She travelled too much, rarely staying still in one pce for long. She preferred an outdoor lifestyle, so she’d never had to ce to build many friendships or other deep es.

  To call a woman she’d so retly met a friend was odd, especially since she was also her t, but she found the idea f. Was making friends always this easy? That could only be answered if Lucy thought the same, of course.

  She smiled at the thought.

  “Sally?” Cal interrupted her thoughts, looking at her oddly.

  “Wha- ht. I could go get her? She said she was visiting a Dekantist church or something.”

  “Ah, the shrine. If you could that’d be great. It’s he old fort on top of the mountain.” Cal barely finished before walking bato the guildhall. “Now, to prepare-” The door closed behind him, cutting him off.

  Sally sat there for a moment, blinking. Then, she released a deep sigh and took a st sip from her teen. She twisted the cap ba and put the teen in her bag. Standing up, she slung the bag over her shoulder a, giving a nod to Yaling on the way out.

  My brother’s turrange, she thought, walking down main street. He was much different from the loud, troublemaking and stantly angry teen she remembered.

  Then again, he did choose to bee a mage. Most likely, he’d always been strange and she just didn’t know it.

  accope