“What do you mean, he vanished?” Corec asked as they returned to the inn. It wasn’t the same inn he’d stayed in the last time he was in town, since he hadn’t wanted Katrin to meet Betta. “He got lost in the crowd?”

“No,” Katrin said. “He disappeared, right in front of my eyes. I was watching him the whole time.”

“Magic?” Shavala suggested.

“It must have been.”

“Are you sure it was the same type of rune?” Corec asked.

“How would I know? But it looked the same, except that it was red.”

“I wonder what he meant by another one so soon,” Corec said. “Maybe this is happening to more people? He didn’t say anything else?”

“No, nothing else. He just laughed at me again, then disappeared.”

“Why do you think he was laughing? Was he just surprised?”

“I don’t know. With my luck, my mark means something rude.”

Corec grinned. “That could be it.”

“If he showed you his sigil, he must have wanted you to know,” Shavala said.

“Unless he’s just as bad at hiding it as I am,” Katrin replied.

“Perhaps we should stay in the city longer after all, and try to find him,” Corec said.

“If we’re not going to talk to any other wizards here, I’d rather move on. I don’t know how we’d look for someone who can disappear.”

“That’s true.”

When they got back to their rooms, they found Bobo waiting for them. His eyes immediately went to the girls’ runes.

“No luck?” he asked.

“No,” Corec said. “We’ve got a couple more ideas, though. I thought you were going to be at the library all day?”

“I’ll go back later, but I found some things I thought you’d want to know right away.”

“Like what?”

“Well, I started by searching for binding sigils, but that seems to be an elven phrase. The library has some elven books, but I can’t read the language. In the other sources I found, it appears binding runes is the more common term.”

“The wizard already told us that,” Corec said.

“Oh.” Bobo looked disappointed momentarily, but then he brightened. “I did find one other thing. I copied it down for you.” He handed over a sheet of paper.

Corec read it out loud. “The Chosar learned to create runes like those that shone brighte uponne the browe of the wardens’ bondemates.” Looking up at Bobo, he said, “Why is the spelling so strange?”

“Languages change over time, and this was written a thousand years ago. The Eastern language was still being consolidated from the languages that came before.”

“I couldn’t understand what you said,” Shavala said.

Bobo quickly translated it to trade tongue for her, since her Eastern wasn’t as strong.

“What does it mean?” Katrin said. “What are the Chosar?”

Bobo hesitated for a moment before speaking. “I’ve only seen the name a few times. It seems to refer to an ancient tribe of people, from thousands of years ago.”

“Does that really tell us anything, though?” Corec asked. “We already know they’re binding runes. What does it matter how long it’s been since people learned to make them?”

“I thought it was curious that binding runes are based on some other sort of rune that was placed on someone’s brow. From what I’ve read today, they can be put anywhere, so is it a coincidence that yours are in the same spot?”

Katrin said, “I thought it just meant the Chosar learned to make binding runes from these other people, the wardens. Not that it was something different than a binding rune.”

“I suppose it could be read that way, but wouldn’t you be interested in learning more about the wardens, just in case?”

“What else did the book say?” Corec asked.

“It was a scroll, and that was the only useful part. It was a translation of a translation, discussing the wisdom of the first peoples. The paragraph before it was about crop rotation—quite advanced for its time—and the paragraph after was about fishing. The rest of the scroll didn’t mention anything about wardens or runes, and there were only a few other references to the Chosar.”

“First peoples?”

“The people who came first,” Shavala said. “The ones who learned how to control the elder magic.”

“What, like elves?”

She didn’t reply.

Bobo said, “If you look far enough back in the history books, it doesn’t talk about the different races. It refers to them by their tribes, like the Chosar, and we don’t know what the different tribes were. When an author is talking about everyone, not just a specific group, then it’s the first peoples. Or sometimes the Ancients—which obviously isn’t what they called themselves.”

Corec nodded. “Are you going to look for other references to wardens this afternoon?”

“Yes. It can’t hurt to know more.”

“I suppose, though if they’re as old as you say the Chosar are, it seems unlikely to be helpful. Did you learn anything else?”

“Well, I discovered that the legends of The Dead God first originated amongst the dwarves. I’d never heard that before.”

Corec stared at him, unable to figure out what the dwarves or The Dead God had to do with anything.

Bobo shrugged expressively. “Not all lines of inquiry meet with success. I think I’ll need another day to search for information on wardens and binding runes.”

“I guess we could stay in the city one more day.” Corec looked at Katrin. “Maybe you should tell him what you saw, in case it helps?”

“Oh?” Bobo said. “What did you see?”

#

“Ahh, you’ve returned,” Deshin said. “How can I help you today?”

“I have some more questions,” Corec said. He’d come to the bookshop alone that morning, after Bobo had headed out for a second day at the library.

“I’m happy to help in any way I can, but I must admit I’m not an expert on binding runes. I’ve never actually cast a binding spell myself. I have a book on them somewhere.”

“I’m not…” Corec started, then paused. He hadn’t come for information on the runes, but perhaps it would be helpful. “Could I see it?”

Deshin strode over to a shelf standing against the left wall and ran his finger along the spines of the books. “No, no, close but no, no…yes.” He pulled a small, leather-bound tome off the shelf and thumbed through the pages. “Let’s see…binding runes, their uses, and…how to create them. Oh, dear—this really should have been locked in the back room. No harm done, I suppose.” He handed the book to Corec. “I’m afraid it’s not cheap, though. Twenty silver.”

Corec jerked in surprise, almost dropping it. Books were expensive, but half a gold? Bobo’s horse had cost less.

Thinking, he said, “I didn’t actually come here to ask about the runes, but I’ll buy the book if you can spend some time answering questions about my magic.”

Deshin cocked his head to the side. “I’m happy to try, but I may not know all of the answers.”

“I understand.”

“Let’s go in the back so we can sit down. If I hear the door open, I’ll need to come out here to attend to a customer.”

They returned to the small room from the day before.

Corec spoke first. “You said I’m not a wizard. What am I?”

Instead of replying, Deshin said, “Could you cast your mage light spell again?”

Corec summoned one of the small, silvery balls of lights and sent it to hover above their heads. “I can do a couple other things, too.”

“Other spells?”

“I don’t know if they’re spells,” Corec said. “I’ve always just thought of them as things I can do. I can make a…sort of shield, for a brief time.” He concentrated, and felt his mind shift in the way that told him the barrier was in place. “You can’t see it now, but try to touch me.”

Deshin reached out to poke Corec’s shoulder with a finger. He didn’t appear surprised when the shield shimmered as it blocked him.

“You didn’t hit it very hard,” Corec said, “so you can probably touch it another time or two before it disappears. Or, if nothing hits it, it’ll go away on its own in a few minutes.”

“Anything else?”

“Just one other. It helps me run when I’m wearing my armor. Otherwise, I can’t move very fast in it.”

The wizard nodded. “Those sound like spells to me. And they sound like… How much do you know about the four types of magic?”

“Just the names. And Shavala—who was with us yesterday—has told me a bit about elder magic.”

“Each type of magic comes to its bearer in a different way. The elder magic makes itself known whether you want it or not, but it’s more…primal. If an elder mage wants a light, he’ll summon fire. And the shield you showed me doesn’t seem like elder magic either. For divine magic, well, if you were a priest, you’d know it. Priests get their magic from blessings. If a priest has been given the blessing of healing by his god, then he can use healing magic. As for demonic magic, we can’t really study it, because only demons can use it. I think we can rule that one out. Which leaves arcane magic.”

“Like a wizard, right? But you said I wasn’t one.”

“Wizardry isn’t the only way to access arcane magic, just the most common. I’ve heard stories of people who learned to cast a spell or two without any training and without knowing the words, but they’re rare. Most of them are never able to go beyond that, but a few have managed to keep teaching themselves more. They generally can’t learn anything too complicated, though. A binding spell, for example, requires a lot of preparation. You can’t just…think about it and make it happen.”

“Could I learn to cast spells the normal way?”

“I don’t know,” Deshin said. “You’d have to have a knack for it first—most people don’t—and then it might take you years just to learn how to summon your mage lights that way. Or it might go faster since you can already do it.”

“How do I find out?”

“You’d have to apprentice with an experienced wizard. An apprenticeship usually lasts for ten years.”

Corec laughed. “I can’t do that. I guess I’ll keep going as I have been.”

“Well, if you want to try something else, I do have another book…”

#

The smell of the ocean and the cries of the seagulls grew strong as Katrin and Shavala approached the harbor.

Katrin checked that her hood covered as much of her face as possible. “Let’s not take too long here.”

“You don’t have to stay with me,” Shavala said. “I know you don’t want anyone to find you. If we’re leaving tomorrow, I want to see the ships first, and the sea.”

“Then you’re coming with us?”

They’d never discussed whether the elf girl would continue traveling with them. She didn’t seem to mind the blue mark on her head, and unlike Katrin, she had her own money and knew how to live off the land.

“It seems like I should,” Shavala said. “At least until we know what’s happening. Are you sure you don’t wish to return to the inn?”

“I can’t let you walk around the city alone!”

“I’m doing better now. I went out last night while you were sleeping.”

“Last night?” Katrin asked. “By yourself? In the dark? I didn’t hear you leave. What if you were mugged?”

“I didn’t bring my belt pouches. I had nothing for anyone to steal.” Shavala cocked her head to the side. “Do you mug people?”

“What? No!” Katrin hated talking about that part of her life. “I picked people’s pockets sometimes, but I tried to only steal from people who could afford it.”

“How did you know if they could afford it?”

“Sometimes I didn’t,” she admitted.

They turned the corner, and the docks district appeared before them. Sailors walked in loud groups while full wagons passed steadily back and forth, children laughing as they ran between the traffic. A line of taverns and inns spread to the right while the merchant houses had offices and warehouses to the left. Beyond all the activity was the harbor itself. The docks closest to shore were reserved for small fishing vessels, which could maneuver in shallower water, but it was a clear day so most of those boats were out to sea. Farther out, docked in the distance, were half a dozen large cargo ships.

“Oh,” Shavala said, as she stared at them. “Where are the sails? I thought they were big.”

“You see the tall things sticking up? Those are the masts. When the ships are docked, the sails are furled and wrapped around the mast. If we stick around for a little bit, we’ll see ships coming in under sail. Maybe not one of the big ones, but at least a fishing boat or two. We’ll have to get closer for a good view, though.”

They headed in that direction, avoiding the main thoroughfares with the heavier traffic. As they walked, they passed a boisterous group of seaborn who’d apparently been diving recently, since their hair ranged from blond to white. They each carried a mesh bag full of lobsters. Walking among the group was a solemn man with a staff-spear braced over his shoulder. His skin had a faint bluish tinge, and darker swirls of blue and purple ran from his neck up to his temples. His ears were slightly angular, though not as pointed as an elf’s, and his eyes scanned back and forth as if he was looking for threats.

After they’d passed, Shavala whispered, “Was that a demonborn?”

“No. He’s stormborn, I think.” It had been several years since Katrin had seen one, since they rarely left the Storm Heights. She wondered how he’d come to be working with a gang of divers.

Shavala glanced after them, but the group was soon lost to sight. The two women continued on their way, walking out onto one of the piers that provided docking space for the smaller boats. At the end of the pier, they stopped to watch the activity. A few fishing vessels came and went, but they stayed until one of the large cargo ships set sail. They waited and watched while it left the harbor.

Once it was gone, Shavala sighed. “I thought it would be…more…”

“Exciting?” Katrin suggested.

“More like a bird. But the wind just pushes against it and it goes?”

“Well, it’s more complicated than that. They have to be able to move the sails around to catch the wind at the right angle. Otherwise, they could only go in whatever direction the wind is blowing.”

Shavala cocked her head to the side. “Wouldn’t it be easier to tell the wind which direction you’d like it to blow?”

Katrin blinked in surprise. “I…don’t think there are enough wizards around that people can just hire them for things like that.” Sometimes the elf girl said the strangest things.

“Perhaps someday I will be on a ship so I can see it close up.”

It was past noon by then and the weather was warming up, so they headed back to the inn. As they left the docks district and returned to the city center, Katrin noticed a street vendor selling women’s hats. She stopped to look them over.

“What about this one?” Shavala asked, holding up a straw cloche hat with a brim.

Katrin lowered her hood and tried the hat on. “Does it work?”

“I can’t see your sigil at all, just your eyes. Do you want me to buy it for you? I remembered to bring my coins today.”

“How much is it?” Katrin asked the vendor.

“Four copper,” the man said. “My wife makes them. It’ll last for years as long as you carry it by the brim and don’t get it wet.”

She’d made five copper the night she’d sung for the trading caravan. “I have enough,” she told Shavala, and handed over the coins.

As they walked away, she put her hood back up, carrying the hat in her hand.

“You’re not going to wear it now?” Shavala asked.

“Once we leave the city. Until then, the hood hides my face better.”

She heard a noise then that sounded out of place. She couldn’t tell what it was, but all of her senses were tingling the way they used to when she’d accompanied Barz and the other thieves on a job. Then it came again, footsteps that were just a little too regular—not moving away or getting closer, but steadily behind them.

Rather than look back, she grabbed Shavala’s hand. “We should move faster.”

“Why?”

“I need to hear something.” She led the elf onward, gradually increasing their pace. When the noise of the street allowed, she could still hear the footsteps following them at the same distance.

“What are we doing?” Shavala asked.

Katrin kept her voice low. “Someone’s following us.”

Shavala started to glance back but Katrin jerked on her hand. “Don’t look. We’ll duck into that alley, then try to get out of sight before whoever it is turns the corner.”

Unfortunately, it wasn’t a real alley. The buildings on either side had been constructed against a tall stone wall that surrounded the grounds of some other structure. The only way out would be back the way they came, or climbing the wall—and she wasn’t dressed for climbing.

She turned back around, hoping the footsteps had just been footsteps, but a man stood at the mouth of the alley. Someone she knew.

He ducked down to get a glimpse into her hood. “Well, I thought it might be you, little Katrin. Not so little anymore, are you?”

“What do you want, Torse? Why are you following me?”

“I’m just wondering what my old friend’s little sister is up to. How is Barz, anyway?”

Katrin forced herself to calm her breathing. Perhaps Torse only wanted to talk. “He’s in prison.”

Shavala glanced back and forth between them. She hadn’t been carrying her bow or quiver while walking around the city, so the only weapons they had were her little belt knife and the dagger that Corec had insisted Katrin carry.

“Ahh, a pity,” Torse said. “I’m sure Dallo would like to speak to him as well.”

“Dallo doesn’t care about us,” Katrin said.

“That’s true. He certainly wouldn’t waste any effort trying to find you. But then, it didn’t take me any effort, did it? You just walked right back into town. He wasn’t particularly happy when you left. You owe him a lot of money.”

“I don’t owe Dallo anything. Barz worked for him for years, and gave him almost everything he made. Our debts are clear.”

“I don’t think Dallo sees it that way. I imagine he’ll be interested enough to kick a few silver over my way when we go talk to him. Where have you been, anyway? Where’d you find yourself an elf, and what are those things on your heads?”

Katrin thought quickly. “The elves taught me how to be a wizard. That’s where the blue marks come from. We’re both wizards, so don’t think you’ll be taking us anywhere.” She ignored the look Shavala shot her.

Torse considered that, but only for a moment. “You’re no wizard, and you’re not as good of a liar as you think you are. Why are you so worried? Just pay Dallo back what you owe him and you can go on your way.”

“You think I’m not a wizard?” Katrin said, pushing every bit of strength she could into her bardic talent. She’d never attempted it before without music. “Let me tell you a tale of the time I went to the elves.”

Torse blinked rapidly. “What…stop talking!”

“They taught me a story about a human girl and an elven girl who got caught in an alley by a thief.” She pushed harder, more than she’d ever done while performing to a crowd.

“I…stop…”

“But luckily, the human girl was a wizard, so she cast a spell, and the thief just stood there, not able to move or speak.”

Torse’s mouth opened but no words came out. His eyes stared blankly, not focusing on anything.

Katrin grabbed Shavala’s hand again and they carefully edged around him. “Hurry,” Katrin said. “I don’t think it’ll last very long.”

Once they reached the street, they started running, taking the next turn, then another, as they tried to find a roundabout way back to the inn. Katrin’s old memories of Tyrsall started to return as she recalled the uncomfortable thrill of being chased through the city by a group of guardsmen.

“I didn’t know you could do that,” Shavala said once they’d slowed to a walk.

“Neither did I,” Katrin said, panting. She felt very tired suddenly, and it had been a long time since she’d had to run anywhere.

Shavala was breathing easily. “I could have helped, you know. I just didn’t know whether you wanted to hurt him.”

“I didn’t want to hurt him. Well, maybe just a little bit, but nothing serious. How would you have helped?”

The other girl didn’t reply.

#

Bobo didn’t return to the inn that night until after supper had been served, so Corec waited for him to get something to eat before questioning him.

Corec had spoken with Deshin for most of the morning, then spent the afternoon buying supplies. It would take him, Katrin, and Shavala sixteen or seventeen days to reach Four Roads. By the time they made it back to Tyrsall, it would be autumn. After that, they’d be heading to Circle Bay, which was six hundred miles away by the South Road. If the rainy season started, the trip would be unpleasant. Going by ship was an option, but he wasn’t sure how much it would cost.

Katrin and Shavala had spent the afternoon at the inn, after a trip to the docks that morning. Katrin had showed him a hat she’d found that hid her rune.

When Bobo was ready, everyone gathered in the girls’ room.

“Did you find anything?” Corec asked.

“It’s what I didn’t find that’s more interesting,” Bobo said.

“What do you mean?” Katrin asked.

“Well, you know that I spent yesterday afternoon looking through all of the books about binding runes to see if I could find anything else about wardens.”

“And you didn’t,” Corec said.

“Yes, yes. So, today, I looked for wardens and only wardens. The catalog showed three sources for the word—not including the one I found yesterday, I might add. The problem is, all three were missing.”

“Missing?”

“Gone. They weren’t where the catalog said they’d be, and the librarians couldn’t find them. They were quite perturbed.”

“Then you didn’t find anything at all?”

“Sometimes the absence of information is more telling. Why are those three specific books missing? Did someone steal them? If so, why?”

“Or maybe someone just put them back in the wrong spot.”

Bobo deflated. “That could be, I suppose. But all three of them? It seems important.”

Corec nodded. “Maybe it is. Anyway, thank you for trying. You know we’re heading out tomorrow—I was thinking, you and Rose seem to get along. Maybe I won’t sell her after all. You can go ahead and keep her when we leave.”

“Actually…” Bobo said.

Corec had a sinking feeling. “Yes?”

“I thought I might come with you when you leave.”

“To Four Roads? Why? A man with your skills should be able to find work here easily. What are you going to do in Four Roads?”

“To be honest, I’m looking for something.”

“Looking for what?”

“I’m hoping I’ll know it when I see it.” He didn’t explain any further.

Corec sighed. “I can’t keep paying your way. I’m going to run out of money.”

“I can help with that,” Bobo said. “I spent four hours this afternoon copying and translating a scroll for the librarians. They paid me three silver. Then I sold half of my burn salve for another twenty. Twenty-three silver should be enough to cover what you’ve spent on my food and lodging, and then some. I can’t pay you back yet for Rose, but I will. I’ve got all the ingredients I need for a salve that fights infections, and almost everything I need for one that helps soothe pain.”

“Oh.” Corec wasn’t sure what to say. On the road, he’d gotten used to thinking of Bobo as mostly useless, and it felt odd to be suddenly confronted with evidence otherwise. “All right. I’d appreciate that, and you’re welcome to come with us.”

“Excellent!” Bobo said, smiling.

“I bought supplies this afternoon,” Corec said. “Enough for three people to reach Dalewood, where we can restock, but if Shavala’s willing to continue helping us forage and hunt the way she has been, we should be able to stretch it enough for four. We’ll need to camp out, though. We can’t afford to stay in inns as often as we have been. Maybe just in Dalewood and Four Roads.”

“Just when I was getting used to real baths again,” Katrin said, wrinkling her nose. Once they’d returned to the West Road, they’d alternated nights in inns and nights camping.

“Back to bathing outside for a while. But since we’re still here, I’ll pay for baths again tonight.”

They split up then. The inn had two bathing rooms, so Bobo and Shavala went first.

Katrin stayed behind. “Earlier today, I ran into someone I used to know.”

“Was there a problem?” Corec asked. “Did she knew about your bounty?”

“He, and he didn’t mention it, but he’s still trouble. The people that Barz and I used to work for here aren’t happy that we left.”

“Do they know how to find you?”

“No, we were able to get away. I just thought you should know.”

Corec nodded. “We’ll have to watch out for them, but we’re leaving early tomorrow, so hopefully it won’t be a problem.”

He realized he was staring at her again. He’d seen her glowing blue rune so often, it had started to seem like it was part of her, not detracting from her beauty at all. She was wearing a dress rather than a riding skirt—the blue dress she’d worn the first time he saw her. He wished, once again, that he’d spent some time learning how to talk to girls that weren’t tavern whores.

She hadn’t replied, so to make conversation, he said, “So, Four Roads, then back here, then on to Circle Bay. We’ll have to watch out for your friends here, but at least we’ll be able to get your penalty paid off so you won’t have to worry about being arrested.”

“Thank you.” She looked like she wanted to say more, but didn’t.

“I’ve been thinking about how to get to Circle Bay. You came here by ship, right? Do you know how much it cost?”

“No. Felix handled that. It’s much faster, though. I went by the South Road last time, and it took a month. But we were walking, so it won’t be as bad with the horses.”

“I guess we have some time to think about it. If Bobo starts pulling his own weight, we might be able to afford passage on a ship.”

“I was surprised you said he could come with us,” she said with a grin. “I thought you were trying to get rid of him.”

Corec laughed, and double-checked that the door was closed so no one could listen in. “I never have any idea how I’ll feel about him from one moment to the next, but I guess if he’s going to insist on making himself useful…”

Katrin snickered. “I kind of like him, but then, I haven’t been the one paying for everything.”