"Four vials for basic stabilization," Valentina muttered, scribbling the number on her already overstuffed parchment. "Plus at least five for the more complex patterns..."

  "Don't forget the emergency reserve," Vyxara admonished in her head. "You know how Faustus likes to play dirty tricks."

  Valentina sighed and added more numbers to her list. The soft glow of the Essence lamps in the library made the ink shimmer pleasantly.

  "Twelve vials," she finally said tonelessly. "Minimum."

  "And how many do you have?"

  Valentina opened her worn leather bag and counted her remaining supplies. The small glass vials clinked softly against each other. "Six. And most of them aren't even properly concentrated."

  "That won't be enough," Vyxara said. "Not for a tie-break against Faustus. He won't be able to rely on the help of his Eye of Deceit, but with so little Distilled Essence, we don't even need to compete."

  "I know." Valentina let her gaze wander through the library. Faustus was sitting at one of the large tables with his lickspittles, surrounded by mountains of expensive books and – she realized bitterly – dozens of Essence vials. "Barnaby might sell me some again..."

  "And are you keen on what he's going to ask for in return?" Vyxara's voice dripped with sarcasm. "More 'favors' under the counter? And Professor Horne is getting more... demanding as well."

  Valentina shuddered at the thought. "What other option is there?"

  "You know what I would suggest."

  "No." Valentina shook her head vigorously, which earned her a stern look from Matilda Ravencroft. The librarian walked up and down between the shelves with her arms crossed like a guard dog. "This is madness," Valentina whispered quietly.

  "Is it though?" Vyxara sounded amused. "The university has more than enough supplies. There are hundreds of vials sitting around in their Essence storage, while poor students like you have to sell themselves to get some. Do you think that's fair?"

  "Fair or not – a break-in into the Essence storage? That's not like Faustus' pigsty. If they catch us..."

  "They won't," Vyxara interrupted her gently. "With my help and your skills? Impossible. Besides, you know the old saying: if you don't get caught, you haven't stolen."

  "That... You just made that up."

  "Maybe." Vyxara chuckled. "But the point remains. You need the Essence. The University has more than enough. And you have the skills to get it."

  Valentina stared at her list. The numbers seemed to mock her.

  "Where... where exactly is the storage? Do you know?" she finally asked, barely audible.

  She felt Vyxara's satisfaction radiate through her consciousness. "In the west wing, under Professor Emberfell's lecture hall. And the best thing is – we have a lecture there tomorrow morning. The perfect opportunity to take a closer look at everything... or rather, to take a closer listen."

  ~

  The next morning, Valentina entered Professor Emberfell's lecture hall with considerable nervousness. The large, semi-circular room quickly filled with students, who sat down on the wide wooden benches.

  "Right below us," muttered Vyxara. "The Essence storage should be right below us now."

  Valentina nodded imperceptibly and activated her Essence Listening ability. Immediately, the sounds around her became crystal clear. She could hear the scratching of each pen, the nervous drumming of fingers on wood, even the soft snoring of a student in the back row.

  "Good morning, Val!" Innogen dropped onto the bench next to her. "You look tired. Been in the library till late again?"

  "Hmm," Valentina murmured absently. She tried to direct her perception through the floor. There – a faint echo of footsteps, the rhythmic jangling of keys...

  "Attention!" Professor Emberfell's sharp voice cut through the room. "Before we begin the lecture, I have an important announcement to make regarding the tie-break."

  An excited murmur went through the hall. Valentina forced herself to split her concentration – part of her awareness remained on the sounds beneath the floor, while she tried to listen to Emberfell at the same time.

  "His Grace, Duke Cosimo Greystone himself, will be present at the tie-break."

  The murmur turned into a veritable tumult. Even Innogen gasped in surprise.

  "Quiet!" thundered Emberfell. "Yes, the Duke wants to get a personal impression of the two finalists. That means, of course, that the requirements will be correspondingly demanding. And of course this also means that we expect all students to present themselves and our university from their best side."

  Out of the corner of her eye, Valentina saw Faustus straighten up in his seat. Despite his recent humiliation in the Red Swan, he radiated an almost obscene self-assurance.

  There was a new sound under the floor – the creaking of a heavy door. Valentina concentrated harder. Two men were talking...

  "...relieve them again in four hours," said a deep voice.

  "Alright. And remember to check the rear passage as well. Last week someone tried to get through the old shaft again..."

  The voices moved away. Valentina hastily made a mental note. Four hours per shift. A shaft in the back corridor...

  "Valentina!" Emberfell's voice snapped her out of her concentration. "Perhaps you would like to explain to us how the resonance patterns of Leb and Viur Essence behave when the pressure is increased?"

  Valentina switched over immediately.

  "The resonance patterns reinforce each other," she replied hastily. "But only up to a certain point. Then a kind of feedback begins, which..."

  "Very good." Emberfell nodded appreciatively. "At least you seem to have engaged with the material, despite your apparent absent-mindedness. Well, as I was just explaining..."

  Valentina exhaled with relief. She waited a moment until Emberfell had turned away again, then activated her Essence Listening once more.

  She spent the next hour soaking up every sound from the storage beneath her feet like a sponge. Two guards. Four-hour shifts. A shaft, presumably with added security. And somewhere down there were hundreds of vials of Distilled Essence...

  "That's it for today," Emberfell finally announced. "Don't forget – the tie-break is in three days' time. Everything has to be perfect for His Grace."

  The students streamed out of the hall. Valentina deliberately stayed seated a little longer, ostensibly to organize her notes. In reality, she was listening to the last sounds from the basement.

  A guard coughed. Keys jangled. A door was opened and closed.

  "Well?" asked Vyxara, amused. "Heard enough?"

  "Maybe." Valentina slowly packed up her things. Her head was buzzing with all the information – and the possibilities it presented. "But we need more details. Especially about this shaft..."

  "Then we should probably bring up the old cellars of the university at lunch," suggested Vyxara. "I bet your friend Crispin knows a thing or two about that. He's so enthusiastic about history..."

  Valentina nodded imperceptibly and left the lecture hall in the direction of the dining room, where Innogen and Crispin were already waiting for her. Between the steaming bowls and mugs lay open books and notes – like most students, they used the lunch break to study. Even though Valentina was mainly focused on the tie-break, most of the students were already preparing for the end-of-year exams, which would not be long in coming either.

  "Duke Cosimo himself," Innogen said, shaking her head as she picked listlessly at her stew. "I still can't believe it. He rarely leaves Duskenshire except for important parliament sessions or... well, his particular amusements."

  "What do you mean?" Valentina asked, sitting down next to Crispin.

  Innogen leaned forward conspiratorially. "Oh, the Duke has certain... preferences for the fine arts. Especially for young female artists, musicians and scholars, if you know what I mean. He likes to play the generous patron – completely unselfishly, of course." She rolled her eyes. "He has a lot of bastards. Mother says the Duchess tolerates it as long as he remains discreet and doesn't spend too much money on his... 'patronage'. After all, it also benefits the duchy – Duskenshire now has a reputation as a center of art and scholarship, not only as a trade hub."

  "And what does that mean for our tie-break?" asked Valentina.

  "Oh, he'll make a big show of it," said Innogen. "The jovial, scholarship-loving duke who personally takes an interest in the development of young talent. He loves a big show almost as much as he loves a big banquet and big… uhm… anyway, I think that's saying something."

  "So he's basically like most nobles,” murmured Valentina.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  "Concentrate," Vyxara admonished. "Take the conversation to the cellar."

  "Speaking of wastefulness," Valentina said casually. "Do you know how much Distilled Essence the university is hoarding? In the old cellars under the lecture halls..."

  "Oh, they're fascinating!" Crispin immediately brightened. "The cellars date back to the time of the first Malandrine lords. They say they were originally built as an escape route in case of a siege. There's even an old shaft that..."

  "Crispin," Innogen interrupted him with a laugh. "Not another one of your history lessons."

  "No, leave him alone," Valentina said quickly. "That's really interesting. What kind of shaft?"

  "Well, according to legend, it used to lead to a secret exit outside the city walls. But it was closed more than a century ago – too dangerous after several collapses. Today, the university only uses the cellars for storage. At least the upper level. Further down, much of it is walled up, in danger of collapsing or has long since collapsed."

  "This is indeed practical for storing Distilled Essence," Innogen added. "Professor Veilford once mentioned that the constant temperature down there is ideal for Essence storage."

  Valentina nodded thoughtfully. "How do they guard all this?"

  "Oh, very strict," Crispin said eagerly. "Two guards around the clock, reinforced doors, Essence traps... Mistress Ravencroft once told me they haven't let anyone down without special permission since the great theft five years ago."

  "Theft?" Valentina pricked up her ears.

  "Yes, someone snuck in at night and stole several dozen vials. They never caught him." Crispin lowered his voice. "But since then, the guards have been patrolling the back corridors too. The old shaft is now completely bricked up."

  "Interesting," purred Vyxara. "So a break-in is not impossible..."

  "Whatever," said Innogen, closing her book. "We'd better concentrate on the tie-break. Val has to win! I'm sure it'll be spectacular with the Duke watching."

  After dinner, Valentina strolled seemingly aimlessly through the corridors of the west wing. She kept stopping, studying tapestries on the walls or pretending to massage her aching calves. In reality, she memorized every detail of the surroundings.

  The main entrance to the cellar was at the end of a poorly lit corridor with a junction in front of it. A solid oak door, reinforced with iron hinges. Two guards stood in front of it, both armed. Valentina briefly activated her Essence Listening and heard heavy footsteps behind the door – at least one more guard was patrolling inside.

  She turned a corner and 'tripped' over her own feet. Her books flew through the air.

  "Are you alright, girl?" One of the guards came to her aid.

  "Yes, thank you." Valentina smiled sheepishly as she picked up her things. "These damn uneven tiles..."

  The guard nodded in understanding. "Be careful. The old part of the building is a bit dilapidated in some places."

  Valentina thanked him once again and moved on. After the next corner, Vyxara already spoke up with a smug comment: "Excellent acting performance, little Weaver. And by the way, we've seen that the guards do leave their post when the opportunity presents itself..."

  Valentina spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the area around the cellar. She found one more door leading to the storage deep in the cellars – not guarded, but with no way to open it from the outside.

  By the time the sun went down, she had a pretty good overview of the situation. Now she just had to develop a plan.

  "This is going to be really exciting," whispered Vyxara happily.

  ~

  Back in her small attic room, Valentina spread out a rough floor plan of the west wing on her bed, which she had drawn on one of the largest pieces of parchment she owned.

  "So," Vyxara began businesslike. "Let's summarize what we know. Two entrances, one guarded. Two guards per shift, shift change every four hours."

  "There's one at midnight," Valentina murmured, marking the guards' positions on her sketch. "That would be the best time. The night guards are tired, and most of the professors are asleep."

  "Good thinking. What about the Essence traps?"

  Valentina leaned back and rubbed her tired eyes. "Complex patterns around all the doors. Probably alarm patterns, maybe a few offensive patterns as well. But that's not the main problem."

  "Which is?"

  "The guards themselves. Even if we manage to get in unnoticed – they patrol inside too. And there are hardly any hiding places in the corridors."

  "Hmm." Vyxara sounded thoughtful. "What about the old shaft your friend told you about?"

  "Bricked up", she said. Valentina rummaged through her notes. "But... he said they're patrolling the back corridors now, too. That means..."

  "...that the other door leading there can theoretically be used," Vyxara completed the sentence. "Otherwise a patrol back there would be pointless."

  Valentina bent over her sketch again and drew feverishly. "If the shaft was here... and the corridors run like this... yes, then the other door would lead to here somewhere."

  She marked a point on the edge of her map. A soft knock on her door made her flinch.

  "Val? Are you there?" Innogen's voice.

  Valentina cursed under her breath and hastily stuffed the drawings under her pillow. "Just a moment!"

  She opened the door a crack. Innogen stood in front of it, a worried expression on her face. "I just wanted to see if you are okay. You weren't there for dinner..."

  "I'm sorry, I... I've been busy." Valentina forced herself to smile. "Preparing for the tie-break, you understand."

  "Sure." Innogen hesitated. "If you want, I picked something up and brought it to my room..."

  "Thanks, but I'm really tired. Tomorrow?"

  After Innogen had left, Valentina took out her notes again. Her friend's brief visit had thrown her off balance.

  "Concentrate," Vyxara admonished. "The plan."

  Valentina nodded and began to draw up a timeline. "So. We leave the tower just before midnight. The guards change at midnight, so that gives us a small window of opportunity..."

  "We need a distraction," Vyxara interjected. "Something that will lure at least one of the guards away."

  "An 'accident' perhaps? A toppled shelf in the library..."

  "Too obvious. The guards aren't stupid – after the last break-in, they'll be extra careful with something like this."

  Valentina chewed thoughtfully on her lower lip. It had become dark outside. She lit a candle and studied her notes in the flickering light.

  "What about the Essence patterns themselves?" she finally asked. "The alarm patterns are complex, but if we don't disable them, just... redirect them?"

  "Interesting." Vyxara sounded appreciative. "The patterns remain intact, but give false signals. That could work. But the time factor..."

  "We have about three hours until the next changing of the guard." Valentina began jotting down times and waypoints on a fresh parchment. "One hour to get there and reroute the patterns. One hour in the cellar itself. One hour for the way back."

  "Tight," commented Vyxara. "Very narrow. What about escape routes?"

  Valentina drew several routes. "The main route leads through the north wing back to the tower. If something goes wrong, we can avoid it through the kitchen – the staff are asleep at this time of night. And in an absolute emergency..." She pointed to a spot on her map. "...there's access to the roofs here."

  "Not bad." Vyxara sounded satisfied. "You've learned a lot in the last few months, little Weaver. But what about the physical barriers? The doors, the locks... Do you trust yourself to do that?"

  "I haven't forgotten the pattern for the trick you taught me to open Faustus' door." Valentina jutted her chin slightly. "If you help me again, I'm confident we can open these doors too."

  "Very good." Vyxara literally purred with satisfaction. "When are we doing it?"

  Valentina checked her notes again. "Tomorrow night. The longer we wait, the greater the chance that something goes wrong in the last minute."

  "Brave," commented Vyxara. "But you're right. The perfect plan is useless if you hesitate too long to implement it."

  Valentina nodded grimly and began to burn her notes in her washbowl. She didn't want there to be anything left in writing. Tomorrow night she would either have enough Essence for the tie-break – or be kicked out of the university.

  "Don't worry," Vyxara whispered in her head. "It'll be a piece of cake."

  ~

  The next night, shortly before midnight, Valentina crept through the dark corridors of the university. Her soft shoes barely made a sound on the stone tiles.

  "The guards?" whispered Vyxara.

  Valentina activated her Essence Listening, expanding her senses as far as she could, allowing her perception to fill the room. The nightly silence intensified to crystalline clarity. "Two at the main entrance," she murmured. "They're talking about the upcoming shift change. No one at the other door, they probably only go by there during patrol."

  She slipped from shadow to shadow, all her senses tense. The soft snoring from the bedrooms, the distant howling of a dog in the city, the... Footsteps? Valentina hastily pressed herself into a window recess.

  Matilda Ravencroft walked past, a pile of books under her arm. The librarian didn't notice her.

  "Go on," urged Vyxara. "The timeline is tight."

  Valentina waited a moment, then scurried on. The entrance to the cellar was now directly in front of her, at the end of the dimly lit corridor. The two guards were already yawning.

  She retreated into the shadow of a pillar and began to weave a complex alarm pattern at the fork in the road. The Essence threads shimmered briefly in the darkness, then became invisible.

  "Finally," grumbled one of the guards. "Here they come."

  The replacement was approaching. Four men were now standing in front of the door, exchanging reports, handing over keys. Valentina held her breath.

  "Now!" hissed Vyxara.

  Valentina's fingers moved in precise patterns. The Essence threads around the door began to vibrate, imperceptibly changing their structure. It was as if she was undoing a complex knot and tying it again – only the knot was made of pure Essence.

  The guards noticed nothing, they weren't Essence Weavers after all. The old shift said goodbye, their footsteps echoing in the corridor.

  Valentina waited until the new shift started their first routine patrol. Then she slipped out of her hiding place and towards the door. Her fingers trembled slightly as she performed the movements she had learned.

  The lock gave way with a barely audible click.

  It was pitch black inside. Valentina carefully felt her way forward, letting her Essence Listening explore the surroundings. Heavy shelves on the walls. A musty smell. And somewhere in the distance, the steady footsteps of a patrolling guard.

  "To the left," Vyxara instructed her. "The storage room for the Essence must be in that direction."

  She found two more locked doors and opened them using the same techniques. The Essence patterns in here were more complex, more aggressive. One wrong move would not only trigger an alarm, but would probably also have very unpleasant consequences.

  Then she finally stood in the Essence storage. Rows upon rows of glass vials glittered faintly in the light of the dim Essence lamps. The Distilled Essence inside pulsed like trapped starlight.

  "By all the flames of the Martyr," Valentina breathed. "So much..."

  "Hurry up," warned Vyxara. "Take only the best. And watch out for the protection patterns."

  Valentina began to stow carefully selected vials in her bag. She had to carefully remove each one from its own Essence net. Time passed. Sweat ran down her back.

  Then, she finally had more than enough vials, at least 20. Time for her masterpiece. The trick that would ensure she wasn't caught.

  She raised her hands and began to weave Lieht Essence, feeling the familiar tingling sensation as she formed the shimmering strands into geometric patterns in the air. The pattern was delicate, requiring the utmost precision and leaving no room for error.

  Slowly and deliberately, she guided the threads in curved paths, as if she were spinning an invisible web of gold threads. The Distilled Essence, which she applied generously and which made this feat possible at all in the first place, strengthened the fabric, making it stable and supple.

  Then she added a touch of Schate Essence – just enough to mimic the shadow of the room light, blurring the edges and fooling the superficial glances of untrained eyes.

  The dark, volatile strands swirled like smoke around the golden lines she had woven earlier, adding depth to the pattern. She had to concentrate, because Schate Essence was difficult to work with, especially in such small quantities.

  With each run of her fingers over the invisible threads, the illusion solidified. On the shelves, exactly where the vials she had packed had stood mere minutes earlier, Essence images now materialized, mimicking the exact weight, shape and shine of the vials.

  A fleeting tremor ran through the pattern as she adjusted the final details, but Valentina corrected it with practiced fingerwork.

  She took a step back and looked at her work. The illusion was perfect. The vials still seemed to be there, as if they had never been moved.

  It wouldn't last forever. At some point the Distilled Essence would wear off and the pattern would dissolve. But if nobody tried to take these vials from the shelf until then, nobody would notice anything.

  "What a wonderful job! Once you have your Master Weaver license and are allowed to sell your skills, you'll be a rich woman," Vyxara praised effusively.

  A sudden noise wiped the self-satisfied smile off Valentina's face.

  "...strange," she heard a voice through the wall. "The door to the main corridor felt different."

  "What do you mean by that, Professor Veilford?"

  Valentina's heart skipped a beat. Why hadn't her alarm pattern warned her? What was Professor Veilford doing here now, at this time of night?