“Hey, you waited.”

I turn as Alana exits the Caster Hall, the blonde wearing a cheerful, cocky smile. It dims as she takes in my own expression, turning into her usual serious frown in scant seconds. She rushes forward, grabbing my arm. "What happened?" she asks, blue eyes hard as steel as she asks for a target on which to unleash her well-meaning concern.

It does a bit to ease my foul mood. Grabbing her hand with my own, I pull her away from the building with its constant stream of people and too many listening ears. She doesn’t protest, which shows how worried she is. Embarrassingly, really. I intended to hide my state from her, only speaking on my interview after some time to process everything and there is a lot to process.

I could spend several days picking apart the information itself in heated debates with my succubi without touching on the pit of snakes that is my emotional response. The way I felt after hearing that decree, I could have rode to Summer Spire and stormed the castle to tell the king what I think of it, which I still have half a mind to do. The unreasonable half, but at the moment, it’s making convincing arguments.

Maybe a tiny part of me is glad to have failed in fooling her, so I can bathe in her blatant care.

When I’m sure we won’t be easily overheard, I release her hand and slow down. She keeps pace with me, waiting patiently for me to talk but her eyes demanding my haste. It makes me chuckle and I linger in my affection for her, letting it combat my ire. The last thing I want is for me to misplace my anger toward her.

“How did your interview go?” I ask with cheer that I only have to force a little.

She gives me a look. “Lou…”

“You first, Alana.” I want to listen to her before I get worked up again.

She huffs. “Fine. I was interviewed by three instructors. One to represent casters, one to represent knights, or foundation I suppose, and the last one to represent crafters. They asked me what I’m interested in. I told them I have plans for my future. They thanked me, I thanked them, we said goodbye. Now, tell me what has you so upset.”

I shake my head at her clipped tone. “If you’re going to insist.” I take a deep breath, consciously moderating my tone. “My interview was a bit special.”

“Hmph. Why am I not surprised?”

I reflexively smile at her dry tone. “Aw. I think you’re special too.”

“That’s not…oh, forget it.”

Heh. “I had representatives from the caster and the summoners along with two more interestinggroups. The first being the interrogators.”

“Whoa, wait a moment.” Once again, she grabs my arm, bringing us to a stop. Her eyes are wide as she stares at me, trying to see behind the mask covering my resurging anger. “What do they want with you? Are you in some kind of trouble?”

“No trouble.” At least, not yet. “My elementals. They have the mental affinity which means I have the mental affinity. You remember Miss Talia? Ah, Umphrieltalia.”

“The woman who administered our test.”

“Yeah. She has the mental affinity and has a connection to the interrogators. She was given the job to ask their questions, judge my answers, and offer me a position amongst the illustrious truthseekers of the crown right then and there.”

The hand on my arm tightens, to the point I imagine it’d be painful for anyone who hasn’t trained their body. Alana tries to control her expression but she’s even worse than me. Her anxiety is clear as the sun in the sky. “…did you accept?”

It’s my turn to give her a look. “Alana, please. Do you think I have any interest, any interest at all, in gallivanting around the kingdom hunting down the scum of our fair society? I have far, far more important things to do.” I scoff.

“I don’t know. You seem to have a second affinity for trouble.” Despite her words, she breathes a sigh of relief and the tension in her brow eases.

“You joke, but I might consider it.” I grit my teeth reflexively. “They wanted my answer as soon as possible so of course, I quickly refused. It’d be rude to waste their time when they have thieves and murders to track down. Hate to be a distraction on their mind while they’re violating someone’s thoughts in the name of justice.”

“Lou,” she says carefully, knowing I’m stalling. I give her a rueful smile.

“Once I refused, Miss Talia, under orders I stress, informed me that the crown intends to announce a decree that will ban the summoning and contraction of select elementals deemed a danger to the realm, I suppose. Succubi will be amongst them. Summoners found with said elementals will be detained until their contract is severed.”

“…shit.”

“Watch it! Saints can’t be talking like that.”

She punches my shoulder but it lacks its usual force. “So, it’ll be against the law for them to be here?”

“Ah. We need to brush up on your summoning.” My voice becomes strained as I force myself to remain nonchalant. “Forming a contract with an elemental involves binding our mana. It is not something that can be altered or reversed, by anyone. ‘Voiding a contract’ as they so eloquently can only be accomplished by the death of one of the parties involved.”

She sucks in a sharp breath, eyes wide with shock. Then they narrow as she scowls. “You’re not going to let them die,” she says with finality. “Geo and Bell. They’re people. Summoners aren’t going to sit by and watch people be slaughtered. The crown has to know that.”

“You give summoners too much credit,” I say sadly. “Who wants to be detained indefinitely or, worse, be executed? The good summoners, the ones who do the art proud, won’t forsake their partners, no, but they’ll be the minority. Easily ignored or branded as crazy people endangering the kingdom for their own greed. A threat that needs to be dealt with.”

“Saints damn them.” She drops my arm. One hand goes to her waist where her sword usually rests as she bows her head. I don’t have to see her face to know she’s brooding, ruminating on the dark thoughts I’ve put in her head. I give her time, staring at the sky as I fight my own dark thoughts.

She draws my attention when her head suddenly snaps up. “Wait. If they want to recruit you, you need your elementals.”

I clap slowly. Maybe a hint sarcastically. “Someone give that girl a gold crown. Yes, I would. They’d be thrilled. Succubi are one of the best users of the mental affinity summoners have documented from their many forays into the many realms, after all. Should I work for them, they will spare Geo and Bell.”

Now that I think of it, there are plenty of other interesting elementals that would be very useful for the crown or a pain if they can’t be controlled. Is this stupid decree away to pressure the lot of us into service?

“That’s extortion…” Her mouth gapes open in disbelief. “They using innocent lives to…” She trails off, shaking her head. “They can’t do that. It’s against the law!”

I hold back a laugh. “The law is about to change.”

“It’s not right!”

“As you say but that doesn’t change reality. Either I make myself useful or I make myself gone.”

“This isn’t right,” she reiterates, anger taking the place of disbelief. Her shoulders are tense and her hand flexes at her side. “This is an abuse of power. The king isn’t a tyrant who can do whatever he wants. There’re the nobles and even the Hall! If he tries something like this—”

She breaks off as I pull her into a hug.