Chapter 22: Investigation

Arcane let the memories she had spent the last hour indulging in wash over her. Those had been the best, and the worst, times of her life; a childhood she even now had trouble escaping. To say it was the best of times, it was the worst of times would be an egregious understatement, the phrase a complete failure in trying to capture the immensity of the universe in which Arcane had lived.

The cyan haired girl who had lived a life of infinite length and infinite depth raised her hand, her eyes no longer seeing the backs of closed lids, nor the stone walls of the crude and primitive castle that surrounded her, nor even the blue sky above. She saw around her eight faces, identical in form, only differentiated by the color of their hair and the shape of their smile.

Too soon, the illusion vanished. Arcane saw her hand outstretched to touch the stone ceiling above her, feeling the hard, cold stone that seemed such a perfect metaphor for reality. Slowly letting her arm fall, she lay there unmoving, looking at the stone above her. Sitting up, she found the library below her to be empty of people, except only for a motionless Annabelle twirling a quill between her front paws. Arcane looked down at the red furred catgirl for a long time, her face inscrutable and her thoughts her own. Finally, she stood and jumped down, slipping out of the library to head for a bed somewhere in the castle. She was tired; for some reason, her mind did not rest well during her dreams.

Behind her Annabelle watched the back of the cyan haired girl, having just noticed that she was within the library. Staring at the retreating back, she remembered the words of her father.

‘Do you trust that child?’

‘She shows neither concern for reward nor punishment, royalty or commoner, cultivator or mundane.. It is disconcerting.’

‘Someone without desires, without limitations, is dangerous.’

‘Tread carefully… Do not let emotion blind you.’

‘That girl cannot be trusted.’

Annabelle watched as Arcane disappeared into the hallway towards the royal quarters, considering. Finally, she whispered to herself into the much darker room.

“Who are you, Arcane?” She asked herself, the words soft but clear in the hide filled room. “Can I trust you, or should I listen to papa’s fears? I want to believe in you; you saved us when there was no benefit to doing so, you seemed so normal in Tidewalker port, you protected me from the faceless. But… Papa is right. I don’t know anything about you; you seek no reward, don’t care about nobility, disregard cultivation. I don’t know anything about your desires, I don’t know what your limitations are.”

Annabelle took a deep breath, shaking her head to herself in the growing darkness as the light of the torches faded, their fuel exhausted. “Arcane… If only you would tell me something, give me some way to reassure papa, to prove you are on our side. I wish I could make this easy for both of us, I wish I could just ask you straight out what you want, why you are here. But I can’t. I can’t do it, I can’t betray you like that, can’t show that I don’t trust you, despite all you have done for me. That would be dishonorable. Yet that only leaves me with the choice of an even greater dishonor… but one that avoids showing it.”

At that Annabelle smiled at herself, chuckling slightly. “Huhuh… I think I’m becoming more ruler like, as papa would say. Caring more about my image than my honor, more about perception than my friends. Don’t worry, Arcane… I’ll make sure you don’t notice a thing, and if you are my enemy… I will grant you mercy. So, please… don’t think worse of me for this. I’ll bear enough guilt myself for the both of us.”

Annabelle looked to the main door, which slowly opened to reveal Jasmina and Deadridge. The latter bowed and left, closing the door securely behind him, and the former walked to stand right in front of the king’s table, bowing deeply when she got there.

“What would you ask of me, your highness.” Jasmina asked, kneeling and bowing her head before Annabelle.

“Jasmina… you are the only one I can trust with this.” Annabelle said, standing herself and walking to right in front of Jasmina, letting the other keep her head bowed so she wouldn’t see the complicated expressions that passed across the princess’s face at what she was about to do.

“Your wish is my command, Your highness.” Jasmina expressed her loyalty, remaining bowed.

“I hope so, my friend. I wish for you to tail the girl who came with us from the Great Desert, Arcane. I wish to know everything she does, what she likes, what she dislikes, where she spends her time, everything. I can only entrust this to you, my friend.” Annabelle commanded, her voice constantly falling in volume as she continued until it was barely a whisper at the end.

“I hear and obey, your highness.” Jasmina replied, showing nothing of what she herself thought of this order.

“Jasmina… I order you not as the Rose Princess, but as Annabelle. Even with that, will you still accept?” Annabelle asked, beckoning for Jasmina to raise her head. Holding her lips tightly, Annabelle waited while Jasmina slowly stood up and met Annabelle’s eyes.

“Even so, I will obey. For you, your high… no, Annabelle, I will do whatever it takes to uncover that girl’s mysteries.” Jasmina declared, before smiling. “I am also curious, you know.”

“Thank you.” Annabelle said, inclining her head the slightest fraction. Jasmina bowed more deeply again, then turned and marched out of the room, disappearing into the hallway. Once again left alone and in silence, Annabelle whispered to the darkness around her. “What am I doing?”

Arcane slept dreamlessly, the wards around her mind preventing her from being tormented either by ancient memories of times long gone or concerns about the present. Finally, the dawn light piercing the east facing window of the ornate room she had occupied woke her from her slumber. Stretching, she twisted her lithe body to ease the stiffness of her sleep. Settling back down into the bed with her muscles refreshed and ready to greet the coming day, she sighed while facing the ceiling above her.

Idly, she traced the patterns of cracks and spider webs that marred the otherwise smooth stone. Raising her hand to follow along a particularly jagged example, she sighs and forces herself to sit up.

At the far side of the room is a polished pane of some reflective material, perhaps some crude metal. In it, Arcane notes that she can see herself, and fixes her gaze on the person in the mirror.

A young girl looks back, with long hair falling almost across the closed lids of her slightly slanted eyes. The color is lost, but Arcane fills it in mentally: a bright, unnatural cyan that would scream poison in a world that made sense. She continues to examine her own hair, brushing it out with her hand and admiring the perfect smoothness, the complete lack of any tangles or knots that would plague most females of any species (and many males, for that matter). Letting her hair fall down again, she brings her delicate hands up to her smiling face.

Symmetry was once considered the preeminent requirement for beauty, and Arcane was an example of how far that premise could go. Her skin was flawless, of course, but more than that every cell and pore on one side was matched by the other. The tiny bones under her chin, the slight blush along her cheeks, the rounded ears tucked back against her skull; every aspect was proportioned according to a golden ratio, giving her an artificial, almost inhuman appearance. It was only made stranger by her sealed eyes and oddly colored hair.

Arcane let her hands fall, looking over her face as a whole. Each individual aspect was placed perfectly, to be sure, but the overall effect was not the perfect beauty that allured all who saw it her ancestors had imagined. She was pretty, to be sure, but beautiful? Arcane didn’t think so. Her evaluation only fell further as she traced her gaze down her petite body, perpetually childish with little more than a hint of the curves of an adult woman. The perfection of each individual aspect was maintained, of course, with symmetric limbs, smooth and hairless skin, subtle muscles with just the right amount of fat according to the research of years of human science, but the whole was somehow less than the sum of its parts.

Arcane sighed again and turned to the side, letting her feet fall to the floor and pull her out of bed. Taking the dress she had hung from the bedframe and letting it fall over her head, Arcane let an undetectable vibration clean her body of all foreign entities and slapped her face a couple of times to welcome the new day.

When she stepped out she was surprised to find a guard there, leaning against the wall and hurriedly pushing himself off to stand at attention as she stood in the doorway.

“Good morning, my lady.” the guard said, staring stiffly in the other direction. “Her highness has ordered me to inform you that she will be remaining in the castle today, and that you are free to do as you wish.”

“Okay…” Arcane replied slowly, taking a half step back before deciding it was better just to be done with this. “Thank you for telling me. Um… You’re dismissed?”

“Yes, my lady!” The guard snapped a salute and marched off down the hallway. Arcane watched him go, stunned by the turn of events that led to her having her own guard (albeit only a few minutes) and unsure how to proceed. Then she shook her head to clear it.

If she was free to do whatever she wanted (sanctioned by the princess; technically she was always so free) Arcane wanted to go explore town a bit more and maybe wander through the forest on its outskirts. A walk would do her good, and she might find a greater variety of fruit than just various types of apples. Not that she didn’t like apples, of course, but variety was the spice of life. Thus, she set off for adventure in this new country, marching with determined footsteps and waving her hand in a mockery of old entertainment she had enjoyed.

Far behind her, a pair of elfbeasts were peeking at her back and watching her antics. One was Jasmina, the blond haired confidant of the princess, and the other was the guard who was previously stationed outside Arcane’s room.

“That good?” the faux-guard asked, glancing at Jasmina while he spoke in a whisper.

“It was perfect.” Jasmina smiled back, nodding thanks to the faux-guard. “She never suspected a thing.”

“This is okay, right? Her highness won’t get mad?” He added, suddenly looking nervous.

Jasmina shook her head. “Of course not. She herself instructed me to do this, and that she didn’t want the girl near her today.”

“Great! So, what now?” The faux-guard asked, his mind apparently at ease with the new information.

“Now, my dear Lord Coleus, we follow her to see what she’s up to.” Jasmina said with a cunning grin, the watching Lord Coleus mirroring her after a brief interlude.

The two stealthy dashed from pillar to pillar, keeping Arcane’s back in sight the entire time. Every once in awhile the girl would stop and look around, possibly unsure of which direction to go in this massive castle. When that happened the pair of tails hid even more deeply, waiting with bated breath until the girl made a choice of path.

They engendered several odd looks from maids or butlers, who were cautioned to silence by hasty gestures from Jasmina or Coleus. Many rolling their eyes at the strange antics of the pair, a set of newly reunited betrotheds without many rumors about them in the capital, the servants continued on their way without seeming to tip off the steadily walking Arcane if they passed her. During one of the intervals Coleus dropped his spear off with a passing guard, holding a whispered conversation in a side corridor while Jasmina kept an eye on Arcane. From the perspective of the pair, the girl was laughably easy to tail, especially as she was supposed to be able to disappear into thin air whenever she wanted.

“This is easier than I thought.” Coleus expressed that very sentiment while they watched Arcane request directions from a very confused guard, who kept scratching his head and pointing in the same direction insistently.

“It will get harder once we get outside.” Jasmina warned, her paw making a motion to warn against overconfidence.

“Just leave it to me! I’m a great tracker, too.” Coleus bragged, patting himself on the chest.

Jasmina smiled back and went back to watching Arcane and the guard, the pair having concluded their discussion with the guard still very confused. Exchanging a glance, Jasmina and Coleus dashed forward to intercept the guard before he could return to his rounds.

“Another lost fool… Oh, Lady Jasmina and Lord Coleus, Sorry for not seeing you there.” the guard said, his face going red as he bowed deeply.

“Don’t mind it.” Coleus replied magnanimously.

“Yeah, just tell us what that girl just now was asking you.” Jasmina ordered, keeping an eye on the retreating back of Arcane further down the hallway.

“Huh? Oh, her. She wanted to know how to get out of the castle, but didn’t want to go to the main entrance on the other side. She kept asking if there was some sort of closer way out or something… can you believe that?” The guard laughed, and Coleus nodded his thanks as he and Jasmina dashed off to continue to pursue Arcane as she made her way deeper into the castle.

“Asking about secret entrances to the palace, definitely suspicious.” Coleus said, narrowing his eyes at the girl’s back. “You were right -Ouch! What was that for?”

Jasmina had slapped the back of Coleus’s head while he was nodding, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. “Not really, you idiot. She walked this way for several minutes only to be told she went completely the wrong direction; anybody would be frustrated there wasn’t a closer entrance. Also, you pointed this way when you told her to do whatever she wanted, you moron.”

“Oh… Yeah.” Coleus said, nursing his bruised skull. “There wasn’t any need to hit me, though.”

“It made me feel better.” Jasmina shrugged, not minding it.

Coleus glared at her and followed as she took off after Arcane again, who seemed to be muttering something under her breath. Probably complaints about her directions, Coleus imagined. All in all, this was the most time he had gotten to spend with his fiance since the marriage was announced, and it was the first time she had asked for his help. Even if it was to trail a seemingly harmless girl, he would do his best to live up to her expectations. If only she would stop hitting him so casually, of course…

Arcane found the exit to the castle, eventually, and the pair of noble elfbeasts followed her outside, standing straight and no longer keeping themselves out of sight while lazily trailing behind her. It had worked in the castle, where there were not too many people to see them, but out here it would be far more suspicious to hide behind pillars or corners while peeking after their target.

“-Or so you say, but what if she recognizes us?” Coleus asked, hiding his face as Arcane turns to the side and looks around a bit.

“We’ll be fine. There are a lot of elfbeasts here; she can’t possibly identify us in this crowd.” Jasmina replied, ducking behind Coleus. “Besides, it’s no problem if she recognizes you.”

“Um, yes it is.” Coleus growled, turning around so his back faced the girl they were following. “I don’t have a guard’s spear anymore in case you haven’t noticed.”

“Guards don’t carry them all the time, do they?” Jasmina asked, looking around him at the once again moving Arcane and urging him to keep walking.

“Yes they do! It’s basically their job, you know.” Coleus rebutted her, looking around and pointing out a pair of patrolling guard carrying spears. “See? All the time.”

“Oh, just say you were off duty or something if she asks.” Jasmina said, pretending to examine something at a nearby stall while watching Arcane stand on top of a stone pedestal and look around the market.

“What’s she looking for?” Coleus wondered as Arcane made another circle around the market with her gaze, obviously not finding what she was looking for.

“Slave food or something, probably.” Jasmina answered while toying with a few gilded stones. The merchant they were pretending to patronize swallowed nervously and peeked at his own pouch at the sight of gold in her paw.

“Seriously? I thought that was just malicious gossip.” Coleus exclaimed, scratching his head sheepishly.

“Not at all. She really does prefer it.” Jasmina said, tossing one of the gold stones to the merchant and taking one of the better stone blades in return. The merchant tried to count out enough of his own stones for the exchange, but Jasmina just waved him off and wandered away with Coleus in tow, following the meandering path Arcane took through the market.

“You overpaid by at least eight times for that blade, you know.” Coleus told Jasmina, rolling his eyes. “It was worth four coppers at most.”

“Who cares? Not like money is important to us, is it?” Jasmina replied, examining the knife and putting it into her pouch.

“You’re right, but blazes was that shopkeep surprised.” Coleus agreed, laughing.

The two trail after Arcane a bit more, who seemed to have given up on the market and was heading in the opposite direction from the castle. The two following her weren’t quite sure where she was planning to go, there not being much in terms of markets in this direction.

“Where to now, I wonder?” Jasmina muttered, glancing to the side where Arcane was walking on the next road over.

“You sure we don’t want to be closer?” Coleus asked, raising his paws when Jasmina glared back at him. “It was just a suggestion.”

“It’s a lot less crowded here.” Jasmina explained.

Coleus looked around and eyed several poorly dressed elfbeasts skulking in a nearby alley. “Yeah, tell me about it.”

“So we have to leave more distance to not be spotted.” Jasmina continued as if it was obvious, ignoring Coleus’s concerns.

Coleus dropped back and exposed a well honed knife on his belt, as well as letting the nearby skulkers get a glimpse of his tier six cultivation. Those who were approaching paused and decided to seek easier prey elsewhere, clearing the street so the pair were walking down it alone. “I completely agree.” Coleus said, pleased with the success of his intimidation tactic.

“You fool! What if she noticed that?” Jasmina growled, less than amused by his antics.

“You said she’s not a cultivator! How would she notice?” Coleus demanded.

“How should I know?” Jasmina complained, glancing to the side and looking to where Arcane was supposed to be. Seeing nothing there, she looked forward again, satisfied, before remembering that she was supposed to see something and stopping instantly.

Coleus nearly tripped over her, instantly complaining at the sudden change in speed. “Hey?! What’s the big idea here?”

“She’s gone.” Jasmina replied.

“What?”

“She’s gone.” Jasmina repeated, turning abruptly and racing back to the side alley she hadn’t seen Arcane in and dashing through it to the other street.

“Blazes… wait!” Coleus called after her, chasing behind and somehow catching up just in time to peek around the corner above Jasmina’s shorter form.

They are both treated to the sight of Arcane sheathing one of the glass swords she carried in the sheathe on her back, surrounded by groaning elfbeasts in ragged clothes with several broken stone knives lying all around them. Seeming unconcerned with the carnage she had just created, Arcane knelt down next to one and started poking him while saying something unheard by her tails.

“Blazes…” Coleus said, looking over the remnants of the one sided battlefield.

Jasmina snorted. “Of course it was. That’s a high class artifact she carries, and none of them were even at the fourth tier.”

“Even so… Blazes, she’s impressive. I thought artifacts didn’t get that strong.” Coleus repeated, eyes still wide with awe.

Across the street Arcane obtained what she need from the would be robber, nodding and brushing off her hands as she stood and set off in a different direction. Both Jasmina and Coleus recognized it as the shortest way to the edge of the city, exchanging a glance at that realization.

“She’s going to the forest?” Coleus stated as if asking a question. “Why?”

“I don’t know, probably trying to find some slave food or something.” Jasmina replied.

“You can find that in the forest?” Coleus wondered, thinking.

Jasmina shrugged again. “How should I know? Let’s go.”

The two hurried after Arcane, walking side by side now instead of one after another. It is doubtful they even noticed the change, but ahead of them a certain cyan haired girl with far more spatial awareness than the two could ever imagine smiled at how cute the couple following her were acting. Not minding their frankly amateur attempts to tail her, Arcane thought about what she heard from the bandit and the people in the market about the forest and plotted a path that would lead her over a stream and next to a rumored cave in search of any potential ingredients with which to prepare her own meal this evening. She wanted to cook something special, if only because she felt this was going to be the last time she had a chance for a while.

Not knowing about the thoughts of their target, Jasmina and Coleus continued their futile efforts to be stealthy as they followed her to the edge of town. Cultivators were fundamentally unsuited to stealth, especially against someone trained in the detection of energy, as they were required to possess large reservoirs of energy to qualify as a cultivator. Merely refraining from releasing that energy did not make it go away or hide it; thus, to Arcane, those two with their above average cultivations had shone like beacons in the surrounding field of sparks. She had at first been curious about why she was being tailed, but remembering Annabelle’s conversation with her father and recognizing Jasmina’s energy she had come up with a reasonably good guess as to what had transpired.

Arcane found the edge of town and paused there, tilting her face to the sun and feeling the warmth of the golden light and the chill of the forest breeze. Far behind her, a certain pair watched her antics and wondered as to their purpose.

“What’s she doing?” Coleus muttered.

“How should I know? Anyway, how do we follow her in the forest?” Jasmina growled back.

“Leave that to me.” Coleus said, displaying an expression of confidence. “Tracking is my speciality.”

“Right…” Jasmina agreed hesitantly.

Arcane let her head fall and took a few steps into the forest, lightly walking over the fallen leaves and rotted wood that made up the forest floor. Jasmina and Coleus followed, Coleus carefully instructing Jasmina on how to walk through the forest soundlessly.

“And now you… Ah, watch out for that dry wood. It’ll snap if you step on it and… Woah, be more careful. Try not to break anything if you can help it.” Coleus instructed, dividing his attention between following the slight traces Arcane had left in the forest and Jasmina’s clumsy attempts to sneak in the wild.

“Would you shut your blazing mouth and keep an eye on her?” Jasmina demanded, frustrated. “I’ll catch up soon.”

“I won’t lose her trail. C’mon, let’s get going.” Coleus disregarded that suggestion, shaking his head scornfully. Jasmina sighed and continued to attempt an acceptable forest trek under the strict tutelage of Coleus.

She soon got the hang of covering her feet in a layer of cultivation, allowing her to move soundlessly enough to satisfy her fiance, after which their pace quickened noticeably and they were able to catch up to Arcane. The bright cyan girl stood out in the dull colors of the surrounding forest, her hair alone enough of a guide for the amateur pair of trackers. They kept their distance, remaining in sight of their target but believing themselves invisible to her. Their conversation sputtered in the silence of the forest, lacking the cover the sounds of the city had provided. Thus they trailed along behind her in silence, watching Arcane and occasionally each other.

Arcane first wandered through the forest running her hands over every flowering plant she came across. Most did not lead to fruit, though she collected a few berries into her spatial pockets and several stalks of something akin to spices. Unfortunately being far north of the tropics their variety was limited, but Arcane believed she would be able to make something of them. Seeing her sniffing at grass, though, the two elfbeasts exchanged a worried look and saw in each other the same confusion that they themselves felt: what did this girl think she could do with grass, of all things?

The forest soon opened up, the towering trees being replaced by long grass and an open plain through which wound a brook. Arcane walked over to the crossing, a set of fallen trees lashed together by a few vines and ropes in impromptu style. Testing it with her foot, she found it stable and worked her way across.

Jasmina and Coleus, though, had yet to leave the shadows of the forest.

“What now?” Jasmina asked in a low tone.

“She’s probably heading for the bridge. If we wait a few minutes we can get across the plain and catch up to her.” Coleus answered, thinking ahead.

“You’re sure?” Jasmina confirmed.

“Normally, yes, but if she wants some of this grass… we’ll wait a bit longer.” Coleus replied after seeing Jasmina’s face grow hard. She nodded in agreement and the two continued to wait.

Once Coleus felt enough time had passed they raced out into the plain and bounded across the bridge, ducking into the cover of the forest beyond. Hiding behind trees Coleus started tracing his eyes over the ground for footprints while Jasmina held her breath and peeked in every direction.

“She went this way.” Coleus announced, pointing in a certain direction.

“How can you tell?” Jasmina wondered, seeing far too many footprints in the mud surrounding the bridge’s end.

“I don’t know anyone else with oval paws.” Coleus explained as if it was obvious, pointing to clear ovular shapes that lacked the four toes and one pad of elfbeast paws. Jasmina nodded, and the two set off once again in pursuit of Arcane.

The next few hours were the same. Arcane wandered through the forest, grabbing random fruits, a few vegetables she recognized, spices wherever she could find them, and occasionally just a good view of the area. Coleus and Jasmina exchanged short conversations whenever she went out of sight, teaching each other about their own talents. Jasmina was an able leader and good decision maker, while Coleus’s set of skills made him invaluable to the pursuit. The earlier aggression dissipated, replaced by a sense of camaraderie as they went through mud and insects together.

The last place Arcane went was the summit of a hill, one where the trees cleared out of the way and gave a splendid view of the Rose city and its surroundings. She stood there on the peak, looking down on the civilization of the elfbeasts without moving, while Coleus and Jasmina were treated to their own view from far behind her.

Smiling slightly to herself, Arcane stopped declaring her presence and seemed to vanish from sight for the two elfbeasts.

“What?” Coleus shouted, running forward to look down the hill. Seeing nothing, he turned to Jasmina with an apologetic face.

Jasmina emerged more slowly from concealment, eyes scanning every which way including over Arcane herself several times. “How did we lose her?” She asked in a soft voice, shaking with uncertainty.

“I have no idea. Even the best trackers can’t disappear like that… does she have some sort of invisibility or something?” Coleus wondered, scratching his head and looking across the route back to town.

“Maybe… I don’t know. Her highness is going to be so disappointed…” Jasmina cried.

“Don’t worry about it.” Coleus said forcefully. “If she says anything I’ll back you up.”

“Oh, Coleus…” Jasmina smiled, walking over to stand beside him. Paw in paw, they looked down at the Rose city spread out before them, illuminated by the setting sun. “It’s beautiful.” She whispered.

“So are you.” Coleus said back, looking not at the sunlight but at his betrothed beside him. But when she turned to smile at him he averted his eyes and blushed, pretending to examine the scenery.

“Thank you.” Jasmina said, squeezing his paw and leaning against him. “You know, I think this fiance thing is going to work.”

“You’re not… mad, anymore?” Coleus asked, looking down at her.

“Not at all.” Jasmina replied, smiling back.

Invisible and undetectable Arcane floated in the air beside them, watching the couple and the sunset on the horizon. The sky seemed to light on fire, brilliant oranges and reds forming a perfect backdrop to the happy couple. Her work done, she floated away and started her trek back to the city itself, where she would find a few cooking implements to make her treasured meal.

It did not take her long, the sunset just finishing as she returned to the roof of the castle and started cooking. A burning coal formed the base of her stove, made of shaped stone and a small fire. She mixed all the ingredients she had obtained into a bowl of water, which she quickly boiled and stirred frequently even as the sun descended. A few more things were added: the meat of the sand dragons, fish from the ocean, ground spices she kept for herself, a trace some oily liquid. Leaving the pot to stew, Arcane leaned back and watched over the world, seeing Jasmina and Coleus arriving back in the city in the distance. They separated at the castle gate, Jasmina heading in to report after a brief discussion with Coleus. He seemed about to wait outside, but Jasmina called something and waved, leading him to walk off with a certain bounce in his step and a trace of worry in his ears.

The city started to fall silent. The merchant stalls were packed away, the furnaces of the chefs and the crafters faded into darkness. The last of the hunters returned, hanging up their spears and bows and greeting their mates or parents. Hugs and scratches were exchanged, welcomes home and joyous reunions. Others waited at home, still, for the last few to finish up. Children were put to bed by their parents, who themselves headed for sleep soon after. Youths, not yet adult, but no longer children, snuck out to meet with friends or were caught by their parents and returned to the nest.

Soon after the activity fell into silence, only a few dedicated scribes still working by candlelight, Arcane judged her pot to be finished and set it on the ground in front of her. She took a pair of sticks she had found and arranged them in her hand, using them to reach down and pluck a few pieces from the frothing stew. Blowing to cool them, she lifted the sticks to her mouth and took her first bite of the laboriously prepared meal.

It wasn’t good, to be honest. The spices were blander than she had thought, their flavors not surviving the boiling process, and the meat was far too tough. The sauce was too thin, the vegetables too few, and the fruits lacked any trace of sweetness. Even so, Arcane smiled as she ate every last piece of it.

Folding the pair of sticks and bowing her head to the empty pot, Arcane patted her stomach in satisfaction and stood up on top of the castle roof. The various tools she had used vanished with a gesture, leaving only a slight glow from the single coal she had left behind. Looking at it, Arcane picked the burning ember up with her bare hands and blew gently to brighten it. When it turned a pale orange, she drew back her arm and cast it into the sky. Like a shooting star, it blazed through the air for a bit before going out, the fragile piece of charred wood unable to withstand the air’s resistance and breaking into countless tiny sparks that soon burned themselves out. Watching, Arcane made sure every last spark had dissipated before it reached the ground and then whispered to herself,

“A shooting star… make a wish, Arcane.”

With the darkness returning, she turned away from the city and vanished into the castle, returning to the same room she had used before. Idly, she wondered if she would have another visit tomorrow from a guard, real or fake. Doubtful either way, she decided just before she went to sleep, falling asleep almost instantly on the soft bed in the royal estates.