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 ancestors had nothing to do with it? She hadn’t known they could have had something to do with it. Were the Villa 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 journey their 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 morning by the time they arrived at Lovesse.

  Lovesse was larger than Cardinar, but only in a technical sense. It was located in the mountains – on a mountain, build on a cliff with not-so-gentle incline toward its gate. The sides and back of the city was a drop of a five hundred to a thousand feet, depending on where you fell. Its permanent population was perhaps only a quarter of that of Cardinar at around five to six-hundred people. Like Cardinar, it was becoming increasingly densely packed due to its growing prosperity.

  But that was only one part of a city; the city proper, containing its permanent residences, guild and company 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 larger and spaced out-part, without any permanent buildings: the caravan grounds.

  As the name implied, this was where travelling caravans came to rest. While there were no permanent buildings, it was certainly packed. There were market stalls made mostly of wood – unlike Cardinar, wood was in relative abundance here – and many, many tents 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 clans. 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 Villas did in the north and northwest.

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

  Both were small, family-oriented communities sharing a single surname. But where the Villas consisted of a single large building to house them, the Drovers were wholly nomadic, carrying their entire community on their back daily.

  Both were more rural than the cities, more agrarian and pastoral, and wholly self-sufficient. But where the Villas 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 environments. But where the Villas focused on firearms, grenades and other mechanical forms combat, the Drovers focused on bow and arrow, spear and magical forms of combat.

  Very unlike the Villas, who relied on traders to come to them, Drovers sold their goods directly to the Gold Circuit cities of Lovesse, Bridgers, Corton and Gadeon. Also unlike the Villas, the Drovers were known for their use of horses. Not just any horse, Drover horses could endure the Circuits’ heat and even drink from the various poisonous rivers. Not one of the many varieties of specialized pack-animals from the caravans could boast of the latter.

  The caravanners and Drovers intermingled at the caravan grounds of Lovesse. Beside them were people from Lovesse itself, descending from their mountain stronghold every day to sell their goods – mostly consisting of food, clothes and, of course, weapons and ammunition.

  Sally and Lucy had arrived halfway through the morning on the first of August. They ignored the hustle and bustle of the caravan grounds, instead opting to go straight to Lovesse proper.

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

  “The Loveese must have calves of iron,” Lucy complained.

  “Ah, a real flatlander woman, aren’t you? You should come visit the Villas sometime. That’ll teach what ‘rough terrain’ really means.” Sally said mirthfully, engaging in the Villayet cultural practice of bragging about how tough they were compared to the Anteeri.

  Lucy only huffed and rolled her eyes in response.

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

  Sally, feeling playful, 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 unbalanced them both and they ended up in the dirt.

  They both laughed, 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 mountainside, they laughed even harder.

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

  X

  The layout of the city of Lovesse was much less structured than that of Cardinar. There was but a single gate 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 alleyways packed with residences, or homes with small gardens and sometimes larger 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, some larger residence.

  One of these buildings was, of course, the local hall of the Arcanist’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 land 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 and hesitant to enter. In Cardinar, she’d powered through her trepidation with relative ease, but her conversation with the clerk at the reception – Arlan, if she recalled correctly – had told her that Caldwell had held on to his, admittedly justified, resentment of her and her family.

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to come with?” Lucy asked. She had offered to accompany her multiple times.

  “No, it’s fine.” Sally turned to 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 gone too.” Sally joked with a stiff-looking smile.

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

  “Just- I need to do this alone, okay? Besides, I’ve brought a gift with me, so he can’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, affecting an overexaggerated look of disdain.

  Sally laughed. “I’m sure. Go, I’ll see you later.”

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

  The grounds at the front of the Arcanist’s Guild consisted 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 section. A path of sand wound around them and through both sections, with lawns of grass – green grass! A rarity in the Circuits – covering the rest of the ground. At the edges were flowerbeds, filled with flowers of all colors, and a collection of various cacti in their own separate, more sandy areas. Here and there, between the paths and on surrounded by grass, were a couple of small, artfully trimmed trees barely reaching waist-high. She estimated the garden was about four hundred square foot in total.

  All in all, it was a more welcoming sight than when she stepped into the Cardinar guildhall.

  Still, the garden was isolated from the rest of the compound. Outside of the main entrance, there was no other way into the building, nor did the road lead to the back. It was a prettier and more inviting, but equally closed off entry to the Arcanist’s Guild.

  This impression continued when she stepped 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 ten feet long and completely enclosed, without gaps, obscuring the inner layout of the rest of the building.

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

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

  “Greetings! Welcome to the Lovesse branch of the Great Leagueran Arcanist Association, Grand Circuit chapter. How can I help you?” The woman greeted her with a similar line as Arlan in Cardinar did, but instead of a trained and professionally distant – if genuine – kindness, the woman seemed energetic and almost excited to see her. Slow day, maybe?

  “Yes, hi. I’m looking for Sorcerer Caldwell?” She’d remembered the title Arlan had given, and deliberately obscured their relationship 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, Arlan Jaamsh.”

  “Ah, very good!” The clerk took the letter and glanced at it for a second. Then, she searched around her desk for a small pad upon which she laid it down, lettering on facing the device. Two lines of purple flashed briefly, one going from left to right and the other up and down, observable through the letter’s paper.

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

  “The authenticity is confirmed. 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 lax – motioning Sally inside.

  The inside of the compound was, well, very plain. Despite the stone exterior of the building, the inside was mostly wood barring its walls, and was sparsely decorated. The first floor had an open layout, with a set of stairs along the right wall going up and down. On the left was a bar or kitchen of some kind along with a number of tables and chairs in the vicinity.

  It seemed like a nice place to sit, very scenic with a nice view of the garden through a large, glass 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 between them table.

  And that was it. She kind of expected more, considering 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 conversation.

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

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

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

  The backyard of the Guild was less decorative than the front one. There was a patio stretching 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, complete with target dummies and workbenches, odd metal tools and strange glassware; the rest out front and to the right was an empty field of grass – unlike the front, looking much less green – with a well and a shed of some kind.

  “Oh, how nice! It’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 Arcanist’s Guild beside the receptionist.

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

  “Finally!” Caldwell exclaimed with a put-upon sigh. “I was wondering if Arlan had completely forgotten about-”

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

  “Sally?” Her brother said, voice in disbelief.

  They’d always looked similar, Caldwell and her. They 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 changed the man. His hair was longer than hers now, and he wore it parted and to the back. He wore small, round wire-frame glasses 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 musculature he used to have back in the Villa 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 second in a daze. He remained motionless, before pushing back his chair and standing up. He walked up to her, a shakiness to 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 last meeting wasn’t good, their whole relationship hadn’t been good past the age of nine. The 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, bracing. But for what? A slap, a shout, a cold gaze or – ancestors forbid – even a hug? Anything could happen, and her thoughts 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 distance between them again in order to examine her.

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

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

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

  “Come, 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 account,” Sally said, putting her bag on the ground and taking a seat. She put the package on the table. “Got some water right here.” She pat her bag.

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

  Sally relaxed into the chair, jittery nerves calming and the knot in her stomach unwinding. It was good that he was happy to see her. She hadn’t looked forward to a confrontation. Sally went to her bag and grabbed her canteen, just in time for Caldwell to walk back outside, carrying a large, corked bottle and a small glass. He sat himself down in the chair and poured himself a drink she didn’t recognize.

  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 so good to see you! When I heard what had happened, I was one of the volunteers, you know? Part of the Guild that joined the 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 thorough, so… deliberate. Never thought 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 searching 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 Villa?” 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 confrontation.”

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

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

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

  He scrutinized her for a second, 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?” Cal nodded at that, leaning forward in attention.

  So, she told Cal the same story she’d told Lucy. From the investigation to the planning, the scouting to the discovery, the ambush and counter-ambush, the final stand and, eventually, 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 later?” He trailed off, leaning back and 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 become 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 suspicion.

  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 encountered a Demon, a true one.” Sally hastily explained. 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 back and 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 glared at him.

  Cal returned the glare, before sighing in defeat.

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

  “She did some kind of water-ritual. I didn’t understand it,” she said. Seeing him waiting for further explanation, Sally elaborated. “She’s some kind of high-tier holy woman, a Dekantist. She said that me coming to in a river or in water was significant. Symbolic. She poured some water, recited something mentioning their Prophet, the lake, the World-Warden, the Palters and Water Spirits.”

  “The Palters?”

  She snorted. “Surprised me too.”

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

  “What she did was to try and uncover sympathetic ties through,” Cal said. “Her choice in 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 arcanists study and explore, albeit on a larger scale. It is, effectively, the basis of all magic.” Cal had begun pacing around by this point.

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

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

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

  Cal continued pacing around for a second, deep in thought and muttering things she couldn’t hear.

  Then, his gaze snapped toward the scroll-case and he practically dove for his seat, clambering to open it, fiddling with the metal clasp 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 encounter four years ago and childhood memories from near a decade past. Perhaps he was just like this, now. People change, she thought, her words coming 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. Wanted them even back in Cardinar, before the Erlings. You got them from Arlan, right?” She nodded. “Do you know what these contain?”

  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 pacing 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 cannibals, the dead tree at the center, negative sympathies, the quantity of demons, the Circuits themselves, the Dakh Hilayn…” He muttered, progressively getting harder to hear.

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

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

  “A coincidence?”

  “No, a pattern.”

  Or you want there to be one. She believed Cal was reaching for something, and was now involving her in it. Then again, maybe she was treating overcoming death 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 place for long. She preferred an outdoor lifestyle, so she’d never had to chance to build many friendships or other deep connections.

  To call a woman she’d so recently met a friend was odd, especially since she was also her client, but she found the idea comforting. 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- Oh, right. 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 near the old fort on top of the mountain.” Cal barely finished before walking back into 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 last sip from her canteen. She twisted the cap back on and put the canteen in her bag. Standing up, she slung the bag over her shoulder and left, giving a nod to Yaling on the way out.

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

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