***Tirnanog, Mount Aerie***

***Astra***

Iv's impromptu introduction to the clan's convoluted government system was interrupted when Etan entered the office. He rubbed his face as if something had caused him a lot of trouble and now he was at a loss of what to do.

He was followed by my grinning partner and his guards with Winston taking the lead. The guards filed into the room like a group of chastised kids, but their eyes glared daggers at Magnus's back.

I gasped when I took in their state.

They looked... like shit. Their clothes were torn and they had more than a few scratches and bruises. One was holding his arm as if it was broken. It looked like someone had beaten them to a pulp.

“Magnus!” I immediately went to my partner and checked him over. One of his eyes was swollen shut and his mad grin revealed a missing canine. It looked bad and probably hurt, but it was nothing that wouldn’t heal within a few days. Only the tooth would take time. “What happened!?”

“Big bro, you look like someone used you as a punching bag,” Iv's blunt comment came from behind me.

“They tried,” Magnus proclaimed proudly. “But they couldn't catch us!”

“Forgive me.” I shook my head. “But you look like they did catch you. And who exactly you are talking about?”

“The Patels.” Magnus clicked his tongue. “Just getting a few hits in doesn't equal being caught.”

“Patels!?” I exclaimed and couldn't help but cover my mouth with a hand. How the hell had Magnus come across the third’s elders when he was supposed to get to know the little people?

Winston cleared his throat. “Elder Teresa, I and my compatriots politely-” One of the other guards poked Winston in the side before he corrected himself. “And wholeheartedly, even vehemently, request to be taken off guard duty.”

Teresa looked at Etan. “What did he do?”

“He killed one of the Patels' advisers.” Etan waved his hand, seeming helpless. “I tell him to find a way to deal with the Patels and he goes off and murders one of their advisers!”

Etan was screaming by the end, working himself into a rage.

“Correction,” Magnus raised a finger. “I threw him out of an elevator when he tried to mindfuck me. It was self-defence.”

“We barely escaped the Patels!” Winston added, exasperated. “Couldn't you have waited until we left their strata? Maybe throw him out of the carriage on the way home? You deliberately waited with your retaliation just to pull the elevator stunt!”

“How should I have known their elders are ultra-fast with those wings of theirs!?” Magnus muttered. “They are like oversized hummingbirds on drugs. Besides, throwing him out of a carriage wouldn't have had the same...” He paused, searching for the right phrase before his face lit up with a grin. “Impact!”

“You could have asked!” Winston pointed out. “And stop it with the stupid innuendos!”

“Oh, quit complaining! Didn't I play bait while you guys ran away? Fine guards you are.” My partner huffed.

“Because none of us would have been fast enough to escape!” Winston shot back before he muttered, “It wasn't supposed to get violent!”

Magnus waved the matter off. “Well, now we know I can run faster than they can fly.”

“In a confined tunnel at least,” one of the guards pointed out.

“With a mile head-start,” another added.

“And they still got a few good whacks in!” the third finished.

“You are supposed to be on my side!” Magnus complained.

“In any case!” Etan bade all of us be silent with a gesture. “We have to write a letter of apology to the Patels for killing one of their servants. He was valuable since he had a mindflayer mutation.”

“And I tell you,” Magnus added. “You don't have to apologize. What they were pissed about was me getting their cards bloody. Have a new deck of cards made for them and it will be fine. Bruce was yelling about it the entire he was chasing us out of the living quarters.”

“Cards?” I asked, not understanding anything. It was hard to make any sense of this. “You met the Patels... and you played cards with them?”

I darkly remembered the third’s elders were running a gambling establishment for the clan's cruder society. But why would playing cards be important?

“Yeah,” Magnus tried to explain. “You see, when I threw that mindfucker, I was aiming for their playing table which had all those expensive cards on it. Handmade, beautiful artistic work! It was a knee-jerk reaction. Now that I had time to think about it, I am sorry about the cards. In my defence, I didn't truly believe I could throw the guy farther than I trusted him. Which wasn't far at all. Bruce wasn't the lightest ass. But turns out, I have no business using the saying anymore. Now I know, I can throw people pretty far if they piss me off.”

Etan covered his face again. “He just isn't taking this seriously. Why aren't you taking this seriously!? You killed someone for shits and giggles!”

Magnus raised a finger. “You are right! I am not taking this seriously, but I didn't kill him for 'shit and giggles'. I killed him to make a point because I am sick of people using psychic abilities on me. The first time I went out, the church tried to convert me into a sheep. Then I had a friendly visit with one of your associates and instead of being a polite host, he had one of his minions try to wrap me in a creepy friendship version of a mental spring roll. And from what I puzzled together, they intended to lead me back to you on a proverbial leash! Like a poodle! To embarrass the entire strata! Weren't you the one who said I shouldn't allow this family to be disrespected? Well, they certainly disrespected me and they tried to disrespect you!”

“That's the only reason why I haven't twisted your head off already!” Etan threw up his hands. “But the more I think about it... maybe I should teach you a lesson!? Maybe getting chased out of a strata wasn't enough!?”

I glared at dad. “You will do no such thing! If they tried to manipulate Magnus, then they had it coming! Imagine what would happen if they did such a thing with me. I bet Mom would be knocking down their door. In any case, if Magnus's story is true, then the Patels don't even have the right to bring this before the Council.”

I turned to face my partner. “I hope he really had a mindflayer mutation? Just in case they produce the body?”

Magnus showed me the back of his hands and wriggled his fingers, drawing my attention to the whiter than normal fingernails.

“Without a doubt. I don't understand why people would be stupid enough to try such a thing,” Magnus mused. “No hesitation or scruple. It's like they think they are Kenobi or something.”

“Because it's effective and works on most people,” Teresa pointed out. “It's a closely held secret, but the more manipulative mindflayer mutations are extremely powerful – aside from the unreliability in what you get. You could become a strategic asset to your strata, or cripple your development. And as long as psychic abilities aren't overused on a person to the point of them gaining immunity there is little that can be done about it.”

Teresa leaned back in her chair. “The average person is completely defenceless. Not everyone gets the benefit of Thalia's skills. Having a friend who is the clan's most powerful psychic pays off. I bet you gained more resistance to mental manipulation during that one month of permanently being exposed to her ability than most psychics can overcome in weeks.”

“You are saying Thalia trained my resistances by messing with my mind while I wasn't aware of it?” Magnus sucked on his swollen lower lip and looked accusingly at me, correctly deducing that there was only one person who could have asked Thalia to do so at the time.

“Don't look at me like that. I've hinted several times that her skills are classified.” I forced myself to smile and slapped his arm. “And... I asked her to. Normally, she doesn’t train people to resist her best weapon. So say thanks.”

He considered me for a few more moments, probably intentionally leaving me smouldering for his retroactive approval, before he gave his answer. “Thanks.”

My smile turned genuine upon hearing that. Sometimes, it was better to ask for forgiveness rather than permission. Judging by his reaction to anything trying to mess with his mind, I figured my partner had a slight aversion to mental manipulation. One which went beyond mere moral considerations.

“Wait, wait, wait, wait!” Iv spoke up. “Thalia has mind-magic tricks up her sleeve and nobody told me!? Wha-”

Martha grabbed Ivona by the upper arm and pulled her out of the office. “Little people like us should know when they've stumbled in on sensitive information and leave the room without drawing attention. Believe me, not knowing certain things is sometimes a blessing.”

Winston and the other guards looked at the Math teacher who had just proven to have more sense than anyone else.

They looked back at Teresa, then at Etan, and then slowly filed out of the office without saying a word.

Etan went over to a cupboard next to the entrance and retrieved several bottles with strong liqueur from it. The booze was concentrated enough to ensure there was no genetic material to worry about, and probably strong enough to kill a normal human.

Then he started mixing.

Nonetheless, now that my immediate concern for Magnus's safety abated, I felt indignation rising to the surface. Hadn't he promised me this wouldn't happen!?

I drew in a deep breath and squeezed Magnus's arm to make sure he wouldn't get away. “It would still be nice if you told us the entire story from the beginning to the end. I am still somewhat confused on how you ended up with the Patels when I vividly remember you on your knees, promising me you wouldn't do anything stupid. Just getting to know the third's general population. Certainly not having a meeting with the Patels!”

I punctuated my warranted question by poking my index finger at a large bruise that was developing on my partner's neck. The idiot, if he had allowed me to accompany him, none of this would have happened!

“Ow! Ow! Stop it.” Magnus tried to swat my hand away, but I was the faster one between the two of us. And poking a bruise didn't require power to hurt.

“I give up! I am sorry! It wasn't planned, so don't give me the fault! They practically abducted us for a meeting. It was either going with them or fighting in the streets,” he babbled and I stopped, satisfied for the moment.

Magnus sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose. Once he had recollected himself, he launched into a lengthy explanation of what he had been up to and how he had ended up as the Patels’ 'invited' guest.

Once he was done, Teresa's forehead had developed enough wrinkles to represent her actual age. “I am not happy about you killing the adviser, but what is done, is done,” she mused. “It could have been handled more diplomatically, but it's preferable to you bringing him in here and embarrassing the entire family.”

Etan turned and looked at me like he would look at a molerat which had somehow managed to break the door down and drag something unpleasant inside. It was quite obvious he was blaming me for Magnus’s existence.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. “Then let's give them a proforma apology to make up for their loss. It's not like the clans aren't used to the concept of wergeld.”

“Which still leaves Magnus woefully lacking regarding the task I've set for him,” Etan pointed out smugly.

“A task which was intended for me to fail,” Magnus shot back unashamedly. “Let’s be honest here, you set me up.”

“I did no such thing!” Etan exclaimed. “This was your chance to prove yourself and you failed!”

Magnus spread his hands as if he intended to take any punishment Etan desired to deal out. “I thought you are at least thrice my age and had all this time to get smarter. Am I supposed to believe you gave me a task that I am certainly not equipped to solve? No matter how much you might want to justify it, my knowledge of the clan and its people is simply not comparable to an elder’s, someone who leads one of the larger political factions! If you send out a soldier, it’s your job to make sure the soldier’s task is within the realm of his abilities! The Patels picked me from the streets when I was doing nothing more than getting to know the strata, which means you failed either intentionally, or you vastly underestimated the danger the Patels pose.”

Then Magnus pointed a finger at Etan. “The only other explanation I can come up with is pettiness because my appearance messed with your plans for Astra! Tell me, was it your position? The power? Or is it simply the bullheadedness of old age that made you complacent?”

The next moment the hairs on the back of my neck stood, and Magnus ducked as something flickered through the air right where his head had been a moment before. My partner rolled away, keeping low to the floor.

Two steps brought me right in front of Etan and I slapped him as hard as I could before I managed to process what I had done.

Dad simply took it, he only raised his hand to his cheek in disbelief.

“That’s quite enough!” Teresa got up from her seat and glared at us. “I will not see something like this again within my own family! Etan, sit down. Magnus, stop provoking him. And Astra…”

I raised an eyebrow at Mom.

She pursed her lips, thinking. “You have to slap him harder the next time he behaves like a child.”

Magnus got back to his feet and corrected the jacket which was part of his third strata costume. “At least it’s out in the open now. I was getting sick of playing nice with someone intent on hating me.”

Etan snorted, but he went and sat down at Mom’s office table.

“Etan,” Teresa began. “Explain yourself. This isn’t like you.” She reached across with one of her filaments and took the glass with alcohol from her partner.

“I’ve been working on our alliance with the Moras for years! Years!” Etan gestured at me and then at Magnus. “And then she ruins it all by bringing him into our house. If the alliance would have worked out, we would be part of a power block that could have decided the clan’s policy for decades to come. Instead, we are now split down the middle, unable to make important decisions when the Thich are on the move.”

Mom stayed dangerously calm and collected while she glared at Dad. The more time passed without her saying a word, the more he seemed to shrink in on himself.

At last, she spoke very silently. “I know how much time and effort you invested in your alliance with the Mora. Sadly, you completely forgot how our daughter would feel about being paired with someone like Hector. I also wasn’t pleased about Astra’s decision to present us with facts, but we have to respect it. In the end, the only ones to blame are you and me. Killing her partner by forcing him to expose himself to danger won’t change anything. You should have tasked a shadow with the executive power to extract our people, should the Patels try to take them in.”

Instead of meeting anyone’s eyes, Etan focused on the wall. “I probably should have.”

Teresa pressed her lips together, something which I knew her to do when she wanted to say more. She would likely have a sterner word with Dad once they were alone.

Finally, she sighed. “So, you playing games with Magnus, probably means you see no sure fire options to break up the voting tie.”

“No,” was Etan’s only reply. “The various parties are currently set in their decisions as far as I can tell. The Thich’s attack has polarized the council and I don’t see it changing.”

“Actually,” Magnus spoke up. “I've come quite a way in understanding the third and its relationship with the other stratas. I am ready to take them down a notch. And for that to happen, all I need are the funds to hire a handful of thieves, and a few dozen of your finest for nought but a day.”

Teresa raised an eyebrow and turned her attention away from her mollified partner. “Hiring thieves?”

“Yes,” Magnus spoke enthusiastically. “We need some hard evidence not only for their poaching but for them gathering intelligence from all the stratas!”

Etan's expression fell further, something I hadn’t believed possible. “Did Bruce ring your bell too loud when he chased you out of his strata? The third is the clan's spy group if there ever was one. You don't walk in there and steal information from people who make it their business to steal information.”

Magnus shook his head as if pitying a student. “That's why we don't steal information from the third. We pay the third through a middle man to steal information from all the other stratas. Preferably from their buddies who are against war. Then, we make sure the information is somewhere where it implicates the third. Additionally, we make sure we know what to tell the other stratas when it’s time to pull the rug away from all the corruption. To distract the Patels, we meanwhile use their propaganda machine to stir up a little trouble.”

He raised a hand to stop Etan from interrupting. “And before you complain about the impossibility of such a task, let me take care of it. Sometimes, all it needs to ignite the fire of revolution is a spark. That’s the problem with leaders who rely on programming their people with propaganda.”

“You realize,” Teresa mused, “If this fails, the chance of rescuing your second sister with the clan's military support will be gone. How old is she? About to go on her recruitment trip once the winter is over? If the vote ends in the negative, you will be delayed for a year at the very least and they will partner her off to someone from the Thich.”

Magnus balled a fist and looked at the ground. “I know that. But you know your people best. I was told the two groups are currently stuck in their opinions. I would have to spend weeks getting to know every elder to verify your claim, so I have no choice but to believe you. Unless you have a better idea, we have to take risks to bring someone around. Even if throwing dirt isn’t my preferred way of influencing a vote.”

“Sounds more like you are trying to ignite a civil war,” Etan muttered.

“I am just working with what I have,” Magnus pointed out. “If you have a better way, then be my guest and do it. Or make me aware of whatever information I am missing. It's not like you've given me an easy task.”

“If we hire these thieves, they could break our neck if they run to the Patels,” I pointed out not wanting another altercation between Magnus and my Dad.

“That's why we need the middle man. I've talked to a lot of people while I was out, and if I can say one thing, then it's that the general citizen who works for the third isn't particularly loyal to the Patels. They are loyal to what the Patels give them.” Magnus rubbed his fingers together in the universal sign for money. “Find someone skilled who isn't in the Patels' inner circle and pay them appropriately. Make it look like the Patels or some other party is outsourcing work.”

Etan chewed on his inner cheek while he thought. “It could work. In theory.”

Magnus nodded. “Meanwhile, I am going to visit the other stratas which voted against war. It may give me some additional understanding and I bet the Patels will have their eyes on me now. Visiting other stratas would only be in line with what I told them about my intentions.”

“Please,” Teresa begged. “Just don't kill more people because they used a psychic power on you. All the elders are interested in you and Astra, but they will take offence if you make killing their subordinates a regular thing.”

I turned towards my mother and narrowed my eyes. “It sounds like you've spoken about us. Which is suspicious, given we should be no more or less interesting than other potential paired heirs.”

Mom tilted her head and gave me the look. “Your speed isn't something which can't be achieved through other mutations. What we are interested in is electricity. You are well aware of our people's energy problems. Some of the other elders harbour hopes this power might grow into something usable. Currently, we have hundreds of people's worth of manpower bound with maintaining the old tech. Making a new power generator from scratch will cost our best and brightest approximately a month of their time. Time during which they could craft other things necessary for survival. If the zipper mutation develops into something which can maintain our energy needs, fostering a sizeable population with this ability might allow the clan to expand in other fields.”

I wasn’t sure how I felt about this line of thinking, but the logic behind it was sound. It wouldn’t be the first time for a clan to cultivate a certain mutation if it made survival vastly easier for the general population. In any case, it was more of a long-term plan with an uncertain future.

So I simply nodded in reply.

Teresa sighed and gave Etan another glare before she returned her attention to us. “It might be best if you call off any more trips. At least for today and tomorrow. I’ll have another word with Etan – in private. Then we will organize an official statement for what happened with the Patels. And then we will look into the best way to employ someone from the third to steal something for the third…”

She bit her lip and looked at the ceiling. “This plan is so convoluted, I can’t believe I am doing this. It’s never going to work, but we might as well try rather than having the clan twiddle its thumbs while the Thich gear up for another war.”

Then she clicked her tongue and looked at us. “Why are you still here? Don’t you have something better to do?”

Wordlessly, I turned Magnus towards the exit and had us make an expedient retreat. It was best to get out of dodge for the word-lashing Etan had in store for himself.

Once we were outside and the door was closed, I let out an exasperated sigh. “What a shit show.”

Magnus laid an arm around my shoulders. “I would say, it went exactly as planned.”