Sally had ravelled with a caravan, and thought them a big waste. They always lost something during their travels, whether it be lives, livestock, resourost often, all of the above. It was a very un-Circuit like way of doing business, but she could uand that it was a cold calcution of profits and loss.

  What these people had done was straight off-the-wall and, in very Circuit-like fashion, they had paid the price.

  That she almost paid the same price with her own stupidity was ignored, for now.

  4. City of Light, City of Magic! – July 22, Year 216

  With the sun doing, the city of Cardinar became all the more visible despite still being miles away.

  Before Sally could see the walls, a multicolored haze appeared over the horizon, a kaleidoscopic rainbow of magical light. The city of Cardinar did this every night, a not inexpehing to do. It was one of the things the city famous for, and was tied into its other cim to fame: the Grand Circuit chapter headquarters of the Arist’s Guild.

  It made frand dispy of prosperity and magical power, an invitation to all weary and harried travelers. A dazzling sign of civilization after travelling de desote and hostile wastes of the Circuits.

  It had left her mentor less than impressed. When they visited during her first year as a junior Warden, Niall had remarked that they were ret thing, and a sign of a dee of the Circuits’ autonomy. The Arist’s Guild was, after all, a thing of the far South, of the League of Indepe Cities, formerly known as the League of Light, and before that as the Swords of Saihoe.

  ‘Retly’ for him had meant ‘about two decades ago’. Before that, Cardinar was famous for being the front-gate to the Anteer cities, and was sequently the premier military power of the Anteer cities, despite being the smallest of them.

  Niall had known that proud city, but Sally hadn’t, let alone what it had meant for the ‘autonomy’ of the Circuits. She thought that the addition of magical power only helped it, but she was known to have a retively positive approaagic, regardless of ive enters with some of its practitioners.

  In opposition to her mentor, Sally had been impressed.

  At the time it had practically been her first look at a rge-scale dispy of magic – and what a dispy it was! She’d beeranced aed like a girl ten years younger. It had made her remember why she wao leave her Vil and run the Circuits in the first pce; to travel the wide world and experience all it had to offer.

  The Vils weren’t known for their magical prowess, shunning the practice almost entirely. It was one of the reasons her brother had left for Cardinar in the first pce, to pursue this passion for the are. It was something she could empathize with.

  Through the years, her feelings had soured toward the dispy. Seeing it again reaffirmed that feeling and made her empathize more with Niall’s point of view. It was a frivolous thing, it served no real purpose and, worst of all, was a bea to all the malignant forces lingering within the Red Wastes beyond Lake Prior.

  The symbol – rather than the magic itself – felt disrespectful, like an atta what it meant to be a Warden and the Circuit as a while stood for. They – the Wardens, the Vil, the cities, every Circuit unity including Cardinar – had struggled feions to make a safe pce, to survive and thrive in the harsh and blighted deserts of the Circuits. And now, with a bit of fh and fn expertise, they threw it away and bsted light across the sky to attract the very forces their aors died against.

  It felt cheap. Expensive, yes, but cheap all the same.

  Besides, she had seen what su amount of magical power could be twisted into, by will or by act. Even if her outlook on magic was more positive than most, it was still a thing to be wary of. Something to be treated with care and respect. Otherwise, someone would iably screw up or abuse it for themselves, and everyone else would have to deal with it.

  By the time she had walked the st miles to the city, the lightshow had thankfully stopped and the glow had settled to a less-intense e-white of streetlight.

  The walls of the city were, much like the city i, of local quarry, and thus a simple light-brown sandstohe men and women guarding it – four of whom she saw, standing by the gate – were more iing by parison.

  Uhe Grandies in their army fatigues, the Cardinar guard were colorful and, for ck of a better word, ored. The bck berets on their heads had a small metal bird on their front, with a tiny red gem for ahe steel cuirass they wore bore eborate motifs and, although the wear and tear had made most of them fade already, looked ret and with purpose beyond decoration. The red robes worn underh them had small symbols made of gold thread on their hem. Their rifles were made of a pin, bone-white wood and a silver barrel etched with geometric patterns.

  It was a new look for them pared to four years ago. To Sally, it made them look overly oral, but she doubted this impression was correct. There was likely some magiystical purpose to it all.

  As she walked to the gate, the guards kept an eye on her, but didn’t stop her. She’d thankfully arrived before the gate closed for the night, but only just. She was the only and maybe st person to ehis city this te.

  While Cardinar was the smallest of the Anteer cities, it was densely packed. Most buildings had two stories to them and some went up to four or five stories high. The illumireets leading from the gate to the tral pza were lined with brightly lit stalls, shops and stores for both personal and rger ercial purchases.

  Behind the buildings tht were the caravan grounds. This te in the evening they’d undoubtedly be filled with caravans looking for a safe pce to pass the night, but she could only catch rare glimpses of them through alleys.

  Behind the buildings to her left were residences and farmnd. The former were being increasingly tightly packed together, while the tter slowly decreased accly. The city’s prosperity meant that more and more people wished to live there, requiring more buildings, decreasing the amount of farm nd ihe city walls. This increased the demand for trade, allowed for more people to focus on produg goods to sell to the increase in traders, which would allow the city prosper and more people to live in it, decreasing era. A feedback loop that would iably drive people up the wall. The city walls, to be exact.

  There were still many people wandering the street this te in the evening, looking for pces to eat or already purchasing provisions for tomorrow. But the streets were built wide, so she didn’t have to maneuver or shove people around to get to the tral pza.

  The tral pza itself was just that: a rge, open circle where the major streets met. The street to her left went to the eastern gate – she’d arrived at the northwestern one – while the street she’d walked tio the docks, churches, industry and filtration pnts surrounding the shores of Lake Prior. The road tht passed led to and beyond the aforementioned caravan ground, ending at the only hill iy, on top of and surrounding which were the military and over buildings.

  From what Niall had told her ba the day, the city had about two thousand perma residents – almost all the Vils bined! – and pyed host to up to a thousand more traders travelling the Grand Circuit. She imagi had only increased these past years.

  It was no surprise, then, that the pza was a chaotic mess of people running to and fro, animals dragging carts and carriages – both filled ay ones – with groups patrolling guards keeping an eye ohing.

  Thankfully, Sally didn’t have to cross it; her destination was to her direct left.

  Lining the pza between the main street and the road to the eastern gate were the three rgest buildings of the city: the Arist’s Guild, the Red Bazaar and the Circuit Runner’s Guild. The Arist’s and Circuit Runner’s Guilds were built tall with five stories, but pared to the Red Bazaar looked small. The Red Bazaar meanwhile was less tall at three stories i, but could fortably fit both guilds twice within its bulk.

  Sally went opehe door a ihe Arist’s Guild. The interior was very closed off and simple: a waiting room of chairs and tables on both sides, and a rge desk with a single clerk at the ter. The rest of the pound was hidden from view by walls and doors.

  A little bell jingled and the clerk – a gaunt, middle-aged bald man wearing bck robes – looked up.

  “Wele to the Cardinar branch of the Great Leagueran Arist Association, Grand Circuit chapter. How may I help you?” Despite the man’s stern and somber appearahe rehearsed lines and rough voice, the man’s tone was kind and sounded genuine. A good skill for a receptionist to have.

  Sally walked to the desk.

  “I’m looking for my brother, he’s supposed to be some kind of mage here?” She was never quite clear what he did; the break from the family had been thh and her visit from four years ago had been a short and cold one. “Goes by Caldwell. Palters, maybe.”

  The man stared at her for a sed, oddly judging.

  Did I say something wrong?

  “I do know of a Caldwell, he’s a sorcerer associated with the Guild,” the man emphasized. “You say you are his sister?”

  “Yes? Sarah Olivia Palters. Or Sally, if he mentioned me by that name.” She replied, not expeg the pushback. “I’ve been here before, about four years ago. Don’t you keep a registry or record or something?” They certainly seem the type to keep track every little thing.

  His gaze made her twitchy, hands itg towards her holster subsciously. She certainly wasn’t pnning on using it, but she was strangely on edge. Maybe it’s the magic?

  “Mister Caldwell certainly did mention you, and your family – but nothing positive, I assure you. Now, is there a reason behind this ued visit? If not, the door is right behind.” The judgement clearer now, and would be uandable if it weren’t for the circumstances.

  “A reason? You think telling him his sister survived that genocide isn’t reason enough?” She asked, part of her surprised and part of her getting increasingly angry.

  Wasn’t it good news he still had at least one family member left, despite the split? Surely Caldwell wouldn’t be that spiteful.

  “What?” The clerk blinked, leaning backward and hostility fading to inprehension.

  “What ‘what’?” She leaned in, venom on her lips. “The Erling incursions, the death of two Vils, the Palters name, nothing rings a bell? You been living under a rock or something? The city guard- hell, members of your own guild were mobilized to deal with it! What do you mean ‘what’?”

  A moment of silence reigned over both of them, the dampened noise from the pza softly filtering in.

  The clerk scratched his cheek, embarrassed. “He never did say his family name. Nor that he was from the Vils.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m not surprised.” She calmed down and leaned back. A wave of depression snuffed out whatever indignation she’d felt.

  Another moment of silehen the clerk cleared his throat.

  “Yes, well, unfortunately, he is not here.” The clerk said, tone much softer than before. “Left quite a while baot long after your visit if I recall correctly.” The man said before reag into his desk, grabbing some paper and dipping his pen in an inkwell.

  She repressed a sigh and crossed her arms. Nothing ever be easy, it.

  “Well, where is he now?” She asked, sneaking a g the man’s writing.

  “Lovesse,” He put a final dot on the paper card, “here, this should help when you get there.” He handed her the card, before diving bader the desk, looking for something else.

  She looked at the card. It seemed to be some kind of pre-penned proof or statement of legitimacy, signed with ‘Mage Arn Jaamsh, Administrator Arae Cardinar’.

  “Thanks,” She murmured and put the card in her pocket.

  “And if you would, could you do me a favor?” Arn rose back up from uhe desk and handed her a scroll-case along with a letter. “Could you deliver this to him? I meant to send it by runner, but had yet to find the time. It is something he’s been wanting for some time now.”

  Sally pted the request for a sed. He hadn’t made a good impression ohough she could admit it was through no fault of his own. Perhaps iurn fivihat card?

  “Could help you reect?” He said, seeing her hesitate.

  “Fine,” she said. She whipped her shoulder bag to her front, opehe zipper and pushed it forward. Arn deposited both items in the bag. “Thanks for the card.” She turned around and headed for the door.

  “Have a safe journey. And give him my regards.”

  She gave the man a thumbs up before stepping outside, the noise of busy people greeting her. She still had a number of things to do, but for now, she just wanted some rest.