Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.

  Janine sat outside the captain's office in the Citadel, her nervous finger-tapping on the armrest of her chair interrupting the rhythm of the clock above her head. I'd never seen her so nervous, although I suspected the after-effects from the ales and ciders from the night before pyed a role as well. The magic shop had a potion for hangovers, but when customers describe its fvor as somewhere between 'rotting vegetables' and 'fish left out in the sun', Janine decided to deal with the consequences on her own. If we were steeling for combat, maybe I could have done something, but I'm not useful for headaches.

  But I knew she was still enthralled by the possibility of what the captain might offer her, under it all. As was I! With these new powers at my disposal, I wanted a chance to rise to more challenges for my champion—at least, something that pushed my limits more than hammering nails. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to be part of the town's restoration, but becoming a carpenter's hammer is far from the extent of my potential. Even the Py'riel's rotting wood felt too easy for a relic of my caliber. In a way, I agreed with Rufel's words yesterday: we could deal with the Py'riel problem, though I wouldn't let a barbarian like him wield me for such a purpose. No, Janine and I could handle it, and then we could go on more adventures, testing our strength against hardier foes, until... I had to dial back my own ambitions, I realized. In combat, the moment we find my limit is the moment I fail my champion. Still, we had an opportunity to do more good in a way that nobody else could for our home, if everything went well with Galen.

  Not a moment after the clock hands reached the top of the hour, the office door swung open, with the stoic captain waiting behind it. "Denholm. Come inside."

  Galen motioned her in before returning to his desk, shuffling some papers around. "Let's not draw this discussion out too long, I have a lot of other work today. Mayors for the other towns in the Berin range are expecting an update on our test efforts with the Py'riel, and I suppose I should thank you for giving me a success story to add to these letters. On that night, did you see any Py'riel that stood out from the others? One that was rger or directed how the others attacked?"

  Janine furrowed her brow, reflecting on the dozens of Py'riel that we'd cut to shreds that night. "Nothing that stood out, no. Their sizes varied, but none of them appeared to be in charge of the group."

  "Hm. Unfortunate. That would have saved us all some trouble in this. Tell me about what you did see, then."

  Galen jotted some notes in a journal as he listened to Janine's complete report on that night—the attack, the ineffectiveness of the portcullis, and the success we shared in neutralizing the Py'riel's magic from spreading, keeping most of Quinn's Peak intact. When Janine ran out of details, the captain kept writing for a good while longer, almost as if he'd forgotten we were still in the room.

  "Sir, can I speak freely?"

  A sigh punctuated the scraping sound of the captain's pen across the page. "When do you not?"

  "It's just, it felt pnned," Janine said, "the way they showed up after you'd gone. It's like they knew the town would be vulnerable during the week. I know I said I didn't see any sort of commanding Py'riel in the group, but that kind of timing can't just be coincidence, right?"

  Galen set his pen down and csped his hands together, resting his chin on his hands in thought. "I couldn't say. Alone, they seem as mindless as they are aggressive. But Warren's report agrees with yours. Considering that I also trust my scouts to give me accurate reports of Py'riel locations, I can't rule out that they'd devised a strategy to divide our forces. You bought us some time, but they'll return to full strength eventually, and if they really can pn sophisticated maneuvers? It complicates things for me, Denholm. A few of my top Passguards have decided to resign, and now we have to deal with an enemy that's more complex than we'd thought."

  "A few Passguards, sir? Not just Rufel?"

  "Rufel wasn't really a surprise," Galen said. "It's not been in his best interest to stay for some time now. After his theatrics from st night, I decided that there are better ways to solve a few problems at once, and that required his removal from duty. He'll be on his way out of town soon. But we're losing one more; Warren intends to retire. It's his recommendation that you be assigned as a Squad Lead, which I would never normally consider for a new recruit no matter how talented they are. To be fully transparent, the mayor will like the idea of the 'Hero of Quinn's Peak' taking a more active role in the Passguards, so this is partly to lessen the blow of our recent outing. But I also can't ignore that you are a capable Passguard, the rest of the town has certainly been keen to remind me. So, the role is yours to accept."

  Squad Lead? Being in charge of Passguards while on patrol? What an opportunity for Janine! Leaping to a leadership position without having gone on a single patrol seemed surprising, but Warren wouldn't suggest it if he didn't think she was capable of the responsibility.

  Janine tried to maintain her composure at the news, but her eyes betrayed her excitement. "Yes, sir! I won't let you down."

  "We'll see about that." Galen reclined in his chair, crossing his arms. "Because there's one condition, one I'm still not sure you're ready for."

  "A condition? What do you mean?"

  "I need to know that I'm making a decision based on you—not on a magic relic. Here's my offer. From this day forth, I won't compin about your possession of a relic, so long as when the first snow arrives, you participate in a single winter patrol exercise without it. This is not negotiable, it will prove to me that you remain a capable leader and fighter in the off-chance that your relic becomes lost or broken or whatever else. Warren will shadow you, that will be his st patrol so he can ensure you can handle a leadership role. Once you return home, you can do as you please, you can use your magic sword to hunt down every st Py'riel if that's your preference."

  I should have expected as much from the captain. He couldn't just admit his mistakes about how he characterized me as a corrupting influence before, he had to maintain his vendetta against me, the catalyst that saved an entire town, in some microscopic way. Still... even I had to admit he made a good point, especially after everything we overheard at the tavern. Other Passguards were great without a relic like me, so if Janine could prove the same, there'd be no question who deserved me. The captain didn't speak with any malice, his threatening aura absent that day as he presented his most rational proposal concerning me to date.

  Janine frowned, holding me in her hands as she often did when faced with a difficult decision. "I don't know. I don't feel comfortable entrusting the Viridian Sphere to anyone else. Leaving it with my uncle or cousin puts them in danger, I don't know if they could defend themselves with the relic like I can."

  "Very well," Galen said, turning in his chair to look out the window behind him, which overlooked the training grounds and all the other structures embedded into the impenetrable stone walls of the fortress. For a moment, I thought the captain would retract his offer and kick us out, but he had another idea in mind. "How about a proposal: we're building a vault under the Citadel to secure everything of importance in Quinn's Peak. It will be ready by the time your first patrol takes pce, I'll make sure of that. We're going to install a Siren's Soundlock ward on the door, which as far as I know is resistant to any form of physical or magical bombardment, so nobody can force their way in. To top it all off, I'll let you set the lock while you are gone. Your neckce will be perfectly safe there."

  A couple days in a vault... it sounded dull, but manageable. As long as Janine didn't leave me in there any longer than necessary, I'd endure the quiet for her.

  Janine struggled with the offer longer than I did, as it represented the first time in a half-dozen years that I'd be beyond arm's reach for her. But I knew which conclusion she'd reach.

  "I'll do it, sir."