Malia smiled in amusement as the kid pulled a literal list of questions from his pocket. I guess I can’t give him too much guff for it, after seeing him trying to improvise. Thorough and thoughtful is always better. He paused for a moment, eyes scanning the list, before his face set in determination.

“Who do you work for?”

She snorted, and gave him a half a smirk. “The Hesling Estate. I’m a guard there. You may remember the uniform?”

He gave her a scowl, and she could see his fingers crumple the edge of the stack of papers. Okay, not in the mood for jokes, got it.

“I don’t work for anyone, kid. I work with a group of like minded individuals, but it’s not any kind of employment. Think of it more as a group of people with similar goals, who coordinate so that they can help meet those goals.”

He relaxed slightly, his frown replaced by a look of determination. “Okay, but what goal is that?”

She steepled her fingers on the table, contemplating her answer for a moment. “That seems like a simple question, but it isn’t. The general goal is to make the situation in the city for the common people both more stable, in a way that is beneficial for everyone. In practice, there are a lot of ideologies at play, and it can get murky on what the best way to accomplish that is. As a general rule, we’d like to see a loosening of restrictions on runes and inscriptions, as well as a voice for the people helping to guide the city.”

His look of confusion seemed to grow as she went on, and he started furiously taking notes. “Okay, wait, so there isn’t any kind of structure to your group, just individual members?”

“Sort of. There is an internal group that takes in the needs of all of the members, commune, and help coordinate an action plan spread across the group to accomplish overarching goals. It’s very complicated and relies heavily on mutual trust. Usually that involves a compromise that works best for everyone.”

“How many members do you have? That seems hard to pull off with any kind of large group of individuals.”

“I’m not exactly sure. Dozens at least, from some of the operations I’ve seen, but we try not to interact as a group too much to avoid notice.”

“That sounds very… messy.”

“It is, and it’s been my experience that occasionally wires get crossed, or someone decides to act without consulting with others. Unfortunately, it’s the only option I’ve found that doesn’t depend on the good will of a group of people with no incentive to give up power.”

He paused in his notes to look at her. “What is it that you want from them?”

The question caught her off guard, although it shouldn’t have. Of course he wants to know what’s in it for me. How else will he determine if our goals align? How much to tell him? “I’m trying to make sure that the changes the city is seeing stick, and that they spread to everyone. Even now, there are those who aren’t seeing the benefits, and those who have had them taken away.”

He seemed ready to ask more, but he met her eyes and suddenly looked away. She made an effort to relax, attempting to adopt a more jovial visage. “Go on, I doubt we’re through your list yet.”

He coughed slightly, then turned back to his list. “Isn’t what you’re doing dangerous?”

“Of course it is. We might live in a peaceful city, but power isn’t held through peace. Change isn’t accomplished without risk. Aren’t you willing to take risks to accomplish your goals? I’m assuming that’s why you were in that library.”

He shifted uncomfortably, and she gave him a hard look. Crap, I really hope I didn’t badly misread this one. “Before we go on with these questions, I have to ask, kid. No, I have to ask Deilan. Are your goals worth risk? Are you willing to face danger to accomplish what you believe in?”

He shrank into himself, looking unsure. She continued to watch him, giving him time to process. Finally, he straightened and gave her a nod. She stared into his eyes, and was relieved to see a resolute light staring back. “Good, then we understand each other. Next question?”

He shuddered slightly before continuing. “Why me?”

“I don’t understand the question?”

“Why did you decide to take this risk on me, instead of arresting me? Aren’t I dangerous to you right now?”

She laughed slightly, leaning back in her chair. “Oh, that one is easy. You weren’t much of a risk when I sent you on your way. What were you going to do, say you broke into the library and found me already in there? No, you weren’t a risk, and if you hadn’t shown up tonight I would’ve been in the clear. If you did come, it meant you were interested enough that I could work with that.

“I asked Lethel about you after you left, you know. Said I saw a dejected kid leaving the interview room and asked what it was about. He said you had a lot of passion, and a surprisingly robust fractal rune, but not a lot of tempering. I see you the same way. You showed a lot of passion, and a willingness to take risks for what you believe in, but not enough tempering to use it yet. I can respect that. We all have to start somewhere, and this is a good place for you.”

He stood at that, and began to pace. She gave him a moment, knowing that he was taking in a lot. I can vaguely remember my introduction to this. I wish I had had a nice dinner as a preface, rather than a cold cell. Kids these days don’t know how easy they have it.

Eventually he settled back down into his chair and picked up his list. He began to read through his notes, and she let him pretend he wasn’t trying to settle his nerves.”What would you want me to do?”

“How do you feel about breaking into noble houses and stealing their secrets? Maybe fighting your way through their guards and kidnapping young ladies as hostages?”

He froze at that, knuckles going white. The chair he was on began making a creaking noise, and she realized that he was shaking. Gods, right, no jokes.

“Relax kid, I’m joking. I was going to bring you in as a house courier. You’d be running messages around the city, and picking up tidbits. Occasionally I’d have you run messages for me or someone else, or copy a message you’re carrying. That’s down the road though, you’d start just doing the normal courier job, and training you.”

He perked up at that, regaining his earlier curiosity. “Training me in what?”

“Well, for one thing not giving away everything you’re thinking with your body language. You’ve never been good at cards, have you?”

He turned red at that, shaking his head. and she gave a small chuckle before continuing. “I’d also help you with your fractal, and utilizing it to meet your ends. Part of that will be learning restricted runes, and when you can safely use restricted runes. Getting caught using them will not end well, I can promise you that.”

He nodded at her, his attention focusing to an almost disturbing degree at the mention of restricted runes. “So you know them? Well enough to teach them?”

She sighed, sensing that this would be a problem. “Yes, I know some, both legally as a guard and what I’ve picked up along the way. I also have an idea of why they’re restricted. Trust me, some of the reasons are pretty good.”

His excitement dimmed slightly at that, she was relieved to see. Good to knock some caution into him early on. I’d rather not find out he was caught experimenting with something new in the middle of the city, or worse that he hurt himself or someone else in the process.

“I’ll teach you, but you have to trust that I’ll teach you at an appropriate pace. Take risks, but don’t take stupid risks. Any other questions?”

He nodded at her, slipping back into a thoughtful look. He glanced down at his paper before meeting her eyes again. “When will I meet the people you work with?”

She opened her mouth, but he cut her off with an exasperated sigh. “And not the people at the manor.”

She chuffed out a breath at that, too shocked to laugh. Okay, maybe he does have a sense of humor. “Eventually, when you have learned more about how to comport yourself, and I’m comfortable with your ability to contribute to the cause with wisdom and aplomb.”

He gave a strange look at that, but she met his gaze without flinching. He shrugged, deciding to move on. “This one is bugging me. Why the Hesling Estate? From what I understand, they’re fairly middle of the road, part of a block that isn’t particularly swayed one way or the other on the council in regards to the new developments in the city.”

She smiled wide at the question, pleased that he brought it up. I knew he had a good mind under all those blushes. “That is a good question, and one that almost answers itself. They aren’t currently swayed one way or the other on this topic. If someone could change minds here and in a few other key houses, even a little, it would shift the entire council. Easier to move the middle than push the extremes.”

He seemed to consider that answer for a while before finally nodding to her. “I think that’s all I have currently, although I’m sure once I go over my notes I’ll have a dozen more.”

“That’s fair, do you mind if I take a look at them, see if I can catch anything you missed.”

“Yes please,” he said, passing over his notes. She began flipping through, giving the notes careful thought. Not bad. Neatly organized, easy to understand the thought process behind it, and clearly labeled where ideas connect. He has the right kind of mindset for this.

She abruptly stood, holding the notes up to a candle on the chandelier. Deilan gave a wordless shout arm raised to stop her, but she waved him off as she dropped the stack into the pot on the table.

“One thing I think you missed is that this is a secret organization. Rule number one is that you don’t keep notes that anyone can find.”

He slowly lowered his arm, mumbling something that may have been assent. She nodded at him, heading for the door.

“Come by the Hesling Estate tomorrow morning. I managed to convince Lethel to advocate for your hiring as a courier, and you start tomorrow. If anyone asks, I tracked you to your house through your name and academy records.”

She opened the door and stepped through, turning back as Janis hurried over. “One last thing Deilan,” She said, fixing him with a serious look. He glanced uncertainly between her and Janis, who was currently gathering dishes from the table.

“What’s that?”

“New guy always buys dinner.”

With that, she turned and left the restaurant, leaving him spluttering.

The alleyway had been harder to find at night, even with the relatively recent street lights scattered throughout the district. She had gone down three wrong alleys before she finally spotted the stone that she had pulled Caspien’s arm down into, still marked with a slight ripple where she had failed to return it to its original shape. She made her way to the familiar door, and walked in without a knock. The same musty odor greeted her in the hallway, somehow enhanced at this late hour. Would it kill him to hire someone to clean the place? I bet he keeps it that way for the ambiance.

Calamir sat on the same chair as before, giving the illusion that he had never left. He smiled as she entered, giving a small bow of his head. “So, Malia, how did your dinner go with your potential protégé? Is he ready to join the cause? Fight the good fight?”

She nodded slightly, taking the seat across from him. “He’s ready to join, but I’m going to ease him into it. He’s still painfully young and idealistic, ready to change the world with his ideas. I can’t remember ever being that innocent, and I think I envy him for it.”

Calamir tittered at that, lifting a hand to his mouth. “Sure you do. How much did you actually tell him? Enough that someone should keep an eye on him?”

She shook her head slowly, considering her words. “No, he’ll be fine. I told him enough to interest him, but not so much as to scare him. Broad strokes about our good intentions and desire for change. I’d like him to see the city for what it really is before we really get into specifics. Once he’s seen the real Lesivar, he’ll be ready to understand where we’re coming from and be able to make an informed decision. Even if he decides not to join us from there, I think he’ll ‘fight the good fight’ in his own way.”

Calamir leaned back languidly, his normal smile fading to a thoughtful expression. “If you’re sure, I’ll trust your judgement on this one, as will the committee, I’m sure. Take him under your wing and teach him how to fly. Maybe how to walk too, from what you said about his physical interview. Just don’t lose sight of your goals in the process.”

“Of course not, although it would make it easier to plan for those goals if you would stop being so damn cryptic. Do you have any word on time constraints?”

His smile returned at that, a merry glint in his eyes. “What’s the point of joining a secret society if I can’t be cryptic? Just be glad I didn’t make you memorize a secret knock to get in. Although I have been considering counter-phrases. But no, no deadlines that I’m sure of. Just vague whispers and a feeling in the air. It feels like the game will be shifting soon. Please be mindful.”

She sat in silence for a few minutes, letting that sink in. She wished she had more information to work with, but Calamir would have given it to her if he had it. I think. All she could do was continue as she had been, with the new wrinkle of a trainee. It would be a pain at first, but she could already see the huge boon he could be as a partner in the long term. With him, she might actually be able to pull off her plans.

Hopefully it’s enough to make a difference. I don’t want to lose our city.