Things had calmed down a little in Beacon, a fact that eased Phynis’ fears. There had been combined surprise and elation at the sudden disappearance of slave brands throughout the city, as well as a degree of disappointment and near-despair from the comparative handful of people whose brands Sistina hadn’t yet claimed. After the news had circulated that it was nearly losing the dungeon permanently that had caused it, as well as the production of the golems that defended the city, opinions had changed significantly. Near-panic had ensued, and it had been difficult to calm the populace down.

Once everything had calmed a little, Phynis had been surprised by what happened afterward. The remaining people with the slave brands continued to approach Sistina to have their brands claimed, partially for the same hope of freedom, and partially to defend the city. The dryad’s entrance was now fortified and heavily guarded as well, which comforted Phynis significantly. A far greater change had been with a large number of the residents. Many of those who’d taken minor positions instead began attending classes held by Phynis’ guard to train as soldiers, including Isana Dayrest. The former brothel workers were a surprisingly large portion of the volunteers, and seemed to be exceedingly vehement about their training.

Also increasing were the number of people attending the classes held by Cortin and Nora, with only a handful of people training with Kassandra herself. The handful in question included Desa and Farris, but at the moment Phynis was more interested in the classes held by the two survivors of old Everium. She was even more determined to learn magic after the attack on Sistina, and Desa was too busy to train her. It wasn’t something Phynis was willing to wait on, though, even though it put a significant crimp into the amount of time she had to herself, Sistina, and the Jewels.

“The simplest, most effective combat spell available to a mage is a fire bolt. Even most accomplished magi fall back on it, as it’s not just quick and easy to cast, but its structure is so robust that you can throw almost any amount of mana into the spell to increase its power,” Cortin explained, tapping a diagram of lines on the chalkboard with his pointer, as well as the words inscribed below it. “I must stress that this spell is intended to hurt others. Do not cast it unless you have a clear target and are certain that you won’t hit an ally, because it isn’t something that most people can survive easily. Also, the reason why I taught you a water shield spell first is because it’s most effective against a fire bolt.”

“Why don’t we see a water shield used more often, then? I’ve mostly seen light shields used,” one of the other students, a young human man with light red hair, asked.

“Because water shields, while more effective in some ways, take several times the mana of a light shield to maintain, and aren’t noticeably more effective in most cases,” Cortin replied, nodding to the young man. “A very good question, Liam.”

“If we can’t cast it unless we have a clear target, why are you showing us the casting method while indoors?” This time the speaker was a dawn elf woman. Phynis thought the young lady had been a mage’s apprentice before this from what she’d contributed during the classes, but she wasn’t certain.

“There are a couple of reasons for that, but here’s one that I decided was most important. This lets you study the spell without casting it. On the other hand, if anyone starts casting it indoors, it also tells me they don’t need to be attending my classes,” Cortin said dryly, looking over the classroom coolly as he continued. “And so I am perfectly clear, I am not joking. Try to cast this indoors, and if it’s not in self-defense you will be expelled. Especially you, Your Majesty. I heard about your light spell.”

Phynis blushed as the other students looked at her, most of them giggling. It had taken them a few classes before they’d grown comfortable enough to treat her almost normally, but slowly they’d come around. After a moment she cleared her throat and replied, “I had no intention of doing so, Cortin. I’ve long-since learned my lesson about casting spells carelessly.”

“Excellent. Now, then…” Cortin began only to pause at a knock on the door. The door opened to reveal Albert, and Cortin raised an eyebrow at the man. “Yes, Guildmaster? What may I do for you?”

“I apologize for interrupting your class, Master Birchwood,” Albert replied with a nod, glancing toward Phynis as he continued. “As for the reason, I’m afraid I have important news which I need to see Her Majesty about.”

“If you’ll excuse me, I’ll speak with Master Windgale outside so that we don’t interrupt too much.” Phynis rose from her chair, glancing at the guard in the corner.

“Of course. Come back soon, I intend to explain the casting in detail,” Cortin replied, falling silent as Phynis left the room.

As she moved toward the door, Phynis felt a pang of sorrow as she realized that many of the other students were surreptitiously watching her, worried. They must be afraid of more bad news. Come to think of it, that was probably another reason why Cortin was teaching them combat spells. The fire bolt wasn’t too complicated, but it was significantly more complex than a light spell or starting a fire. It was also just a bit different from the fire bolt spell she’d been studying on her own with Topaz over the winter, which bothered Phynis somewhat.

Stepping into the hallway, Phynis crossed her arms, the guard outside nodding to her as the woman’s partner closed the door behind them. Looking at Albert, she asked patiently, trying to suppress frustration with the man. “What is it, Master Windgale? You’ve kept me waiting for a while for information concerning the attack.”

“That’s exactly why I’m here, Your Majesty. The situation turned out to be more complicated than we thought, especially since the captive has turned out to be immune to the spells we have to interrogate her. We still have a few alchemical solutions to that, but they aren’t done yet, and even they aren’t guaranteed to work,” Albert replied, his voice forthright as he looked Phynis in the eyes. “I promise, I haven’t been stalling. The problem is that I had to wait until the Guild Headquarters contacted me to tell me what happened to the aetheric disrupter. They weren’t dawdling, but it was in archived material, which took some time to dig up.”

“I see. What did they have to say, then?” Phynis asked, her temper cooling somewhat.

“The aetheric disrupter was not stolen, but was believed lost eighty-four years ago. It was assigned to a group who volunteered to attempt to slay the Road to Hell, to disastrous results. Half the group was slain in the attack, and they were forced to risk ripping open a rift to another plane of existence to escape. The disrupter was believed lost,” Albert explained, but scowled as he continued. “The leader of the group was the grandmaster ranked mage, Ulvian Sorvos. The method we use to figure out who the disrupter was assigned to is a secret, so doubtlessly he believed that we wouldn’t figure it out.”

“That bastard!” Phynis hissed, her eyes narrowing as she clenched her fists. “I expected as much, but to have it confirmed like this…!”

“Agreed. What he’s done is against all Guild rules, and undermines everything we’ve done for centuries. I promise, we would have done everything we could to stop him had we known,” Albert told her firmly.

Meeting his eyes, Phynis took a moment to calm herself and force her hands to unclench. “So what is your Guild going to do now? You’re at least partially responsible for what happened.”

“What I’d like to do is to promise the full weight of my Guild to hunt down Sorvos. Unfortunately, I can’t do that. The nature of the Guild rules prohibits me from forcing them into a fight like this, though I can authorize them to actually participate in the conflict between Beacon and Kelvanis,” Albert replied, running a hand through his hair as he let out a breath of frustration. “You’ll have my support as well, but the problem is what I learned about Ulvian. He was a powerful mage even then, and none of us are his equal here. Oh, we might be able to beat him if the entire Guildhouse descended on him at once, but that’s no guarantee. That means I’m waiting for the other Guildmasters to prepare a strike team to deal with a traitor of his power. It could take as much as a month for them to find the people, then they have to get here.”

“I see. So, you’re saying we’d have to wait for something like three months before your Guild can properly contribute to killing Ulvian?” Phynis asked, considering the situation as she chewed her lower lip.

“Approximately, yes. I’m sorry it isn’t more, Your Majesty, but there’s only so much I can do,” Albert apologized, shrugging helplessly.

“It is what it is. If your Guild helps even slightly, though… we should be able to hold off Kelvanis for that amount of time. Maybe we could even start making a dent in their territory,” Phynis mused, then shook her head firmly. “Regardless, it’s good to actually know what’s going on. Thank you, Master Windgale.”

“To be perfectly fair, I should thank you for not overreacting, Your Majesty.” Albert bowed deeply, holding the pose for a moment before straightening respectfully. “I couldn’t have blamed you if you had. What occurred was horrible, even more for you considering how close you and Sistina are. On a personal note I’ve found speaking with her to be fascinating, as we’ve never been able to study how a dungeon feels about our delves into them.”

“Heh.” Phynis giggled softly at that, smiling as she asked, “She told you that she finds watching people challenge the dungeon to be entertaining?”

“Yes. Yes she did.” Albert let out a soft sigh and shook his head. “That caused mixed feelings, at least for me. Even so, it’s been fascinating.”

“I’m glad to hear it. Now then, since there doesn’t seem to be anything else, I’d like to get back to the lesson,” Phynis told him, giving him a slight smile. “If you’ll excuse me?”

“Of course! I hope it goes well for you, Your Majesty,” Albert replied, bowing his head. As she turned to re-enter the classroom, the human turned to leave.

Stepping back inside the room again, Phynis gave the other students a reassuring smile as she sought out her seat. Cortin paused only a moment before continuing his explanation of the gestures required for the fire bolt spell, and the need for precision to keep from hurting themselves or others. The care he was putting into the lesson was reassuring to her, at the least.

* * *

“Phynis, there you are!” Desa spoke in obvious relief as the Queen entered the palace again, and her tone caused Phynis to stop in place, blinking.

“Yes? Is something the matter?” Phynis asked, setting down the small bundle of books that she’d brought back from her class. “Also, I finally received a response from Master Windgale about the disrupter. I’m not pleased, I must say.”

“Of course not. He came to see me after you, and told me he’d get together soon to see what support they could provide. No, what I have to tell you is a bit more important than that. I got a message spell from Vara’Sel, and it’s important,” Desa stressed.

“What did they have to say?” Phynis asked, straightening slightly. They hadn’t been getting too many messages from Sifaren since the message stones had been delivered, almost as if her mother was afraid to use them for anything but the most important issues. Unless things had dramatically changed, that was still the case, and Desa’s attitude certainly reinforced the perception.

“Word has been received that Diane and Jaine Yisara are going to be in Westgate in eight days for the dedication of the new temple of that religion of theirs. Someone also deliberately leaked that the Archon himself will be in attendance as well,” Desa explained, grinning as she continued. “Slaid and Vendis are going to attempt to infiltrate the city and assassinate the Archon while rescuing the former princess and queen.”

“Wonderful!” Phynis’ eyes lit up for a moment, but then she frowned. “Are they confident of success? When I spoke to the Guildmaster earlier, he didn’t think much of their chances of taking on the Archon in battle. He’s at least a grandmaster ranked mage, after all.”

“I… well, I’m not sure, to be honest,” Desa replied, frowning. “I didn’t hear about that part. The Archon hasn’t shown much of his power directly since taking the throne. Perhaps…”

As Desa’s voice trailed off, Phynis waited for a moment, then a minute. Finally she asked, “Perhaps what, Desa?”

“Oh, I was just thinking. May I have permission to speak with the Guildmaster and Kassandra? If they have any items or ideas on how to deal with him, I’d like to know. In fact, if you’re willing, I’d like to ask for volunteers and attempt to assist Vendis,” Desa replied, her eyes bright as she grinned. “If we can take the snake’s head off, it might be enough to finish this war. I wouldn’t count on it, but every little bit helps.”

“I…” Phynis was about to protest, but she paused, thinking Desa’s request through. It wasn’t as if Desa was trying to attack without planning, after all, and if they could kill the Archon? He was probably the lynchpin of Kelvanis. He had no declared heir, and Justicar Hall had been the one designated to choose the next Archon if he did die, and Hall was dead as well. Likely as not Kelvanis’ Adjudicators would start fighting for the position, even with the High Adjudicator alive. So at last she sighed and nodded. “I can see why you want to try, Desa. I’ll allow it, but only if you think you have good chances of success. I don’t want to lose you.”

“Great! I’ll go speak with them right away!” Desa grinned more, adding, “I have no intention of dying, Milady. I’d far rather put him out of our misery and come back to report in.”

“Good enough. Be careful, Desa,” Phynis murmured, and watched Desa grab a jacket and all but run for the palace entrance.

Suppressing a sigh, Phynis felt mingled hope and terror. Hopefully Desa would find a better way to confront Ulvian in talking to the other two magi. Still, she had dinner to attend to.