Jano sat with a cup of wine. The deep red liquid was rippling slightly despite him trying to keep his hands still. He couldn’t stop thinking about the two shadowy figures.

“I still can’t believe you made them. The illusions. It looked so real.” He said.

Darrel sat opposite but he was transfixed on the package which Jano had been sent to fetch. He looked up as he spoke. “Well they wouldn’t be much good if they didn’t now would they?” He said.

Jano sighed. “Suppose not” he answered, before shifting to be slightly more upright once more. Darrel gave him an odd look.

“Are you okay?” The Mage asked.

“Yes.” Jano said. Enough time had passed between the question and his answer for the Mage to know it wasn’t quite the truth, but he didn’t have the energy to say any more.

The Mage went back to his package, feeling the weight in his hands. Jano couldn’t make out what it was, though even if he had seen it clearly, he probably wouldn’t have any better idea. Darrel inspected it some more, then put it back in his robes.

“Do you know why I sent you on that little journey?” He asked.

Jano gave him a bit of an odd look. “You said it was a test... to make sure I wouldn’t immediately give you up.”

Darrel nodded as he spoke. “Anything else?”

Jano felt very on the spot all of a sudden. His mind went blank and he shifted as he tried to rack his brain.

Darrel chuckled. “It was also to see that you could be trusted to deliver something without being told what it was and without checking it yourself. That’s why the first thing I got my shadowy assistant there to do was to check the condition of it. If you had opened it or tried to take it, I would know I couldn’t trust you. And I’d probably burn down your house or something. As it is, you can continue to work for me.”

Darrel yawned and Jano made the mistake of seeing it happen. Soon enough he was yawning as well. Darrel watched, amused. “Am I keeping you?” He asked as he chuckled away to himself. “Natural reaction. As sure as night follows day. If you watch a yawn, soon you’ll be yawning. I’m sure someone once told me that. Or I’ve just made it up.”

Jano smiled, allowing himself to laugh a little. “Is this your house as well? Jano asked, rubbing the egg slowly disappearing on his head. He looked around once more. Now that the Mage had dispersed his illusions, the house had a slightly more cosy feel than the other one, as though it might even be lived in. Slightly frayed colourful blankets adorned the comfy fabric chairs. A table stood behind Darrel, with an elaborate lamplight on the wall behind.

“Yes, it is.” He examined the house as though he hadn’t been here in quite some time. Though Jano had the opposite impression. “I have quite a few properties here in the Middle, as well as other properties throughout the City. That’s not uncommon amongst Mages. After all, who do you think all the rent gets paid to? If things go well, I might consider loaning you the use of one.” He stroked the wall as though it hid something of great value behind it. He then put his hand into the lamplight and conjured a small flame to rekindle the dying light.

“Are you a fire Mage?” Jano asked. He still couldn’t get the shadowy figures out of his head. He had no idea Mages could do things like that. Darrel smiled and he held up his arms and examined his robes.

“You mean these old things? Well, yes. And no. If I told you the answer to that, you’d be a wanted man.” He laughed. Jano wasn’t going to repeat the question.

“Anyway, you probably want to be heading home. It is late after all. Unless there’s anything else?”

Jano shifted uncomfortably. He glanced anxiously at his wrist, the purple X shifting as though projected onto his skin from a candle. Flickering. Dancing on his skin.

“Of course - I had a nagging feeling I’d forgotten something!” Darrel draped a small bit of brown paper across the wooden table behind him. Jano hadn’t really paid much attention to it after it had suddenly appeared when the illusions fell, but it was oddly extravagant. The feet of the table were snarling dragons and the table legs had notches and shapes in the style of scales and feathers. Jano shuddered as he stepped closer.

“Let’s draw up another Contract and get you some power!” He laid the brown paper on the table. Large black writing had been scrawled onto it already. There were runes outlining the document, glowing softly as Jano continued to approach.

“This might look a bit different to the one you’ve signed with the Emperor’s representatives and the one from the Lesser Court which limits your power. We have to bypass theirs and given my extensive powers, I’ve figured out a workaround.” Jano glanced at him, with a curious look. Darrel had a beaming smile, he’s obviously very proud of himself, Jano thought. Two Contracts? How does that even work?

Jano examined the document. It did look different, now that he’d pointed it out. It didn’t have the same standard format. It was similar, but there was something which was just a bit off. “Is that allowed?” He asked. Darrel’s smile grew wider, he’d obviously been expecting the question.

“If you apply the Emperor’s mandates strictly, then no, no it isn’t. But if you take a more rounded view…” he smiled at Jano. “Then probably not. But, that’s not exactly a firm no, now is it?”Jano looked a little uneasy at the thought of it. He was already in enough trouble, barely scraping by as it was. If he was caught doing something against the mandate of the Emperor, life could get even worse. He hesitated.

“Just read it and see how you feel. But remember, I’m not trying to do anything too underhand here. If you do some tasks for me, I’ll give you some of my power and you’ll be a Class Seven once more. Admittedly yes, they are some slightly shady tasks. But still.” He said, his face serious.

Jano picked up the document. He skipped over the preamble; it was largely written in language he didn’t understand anyway. He couldn’t stop glancing at the glowing runes at the edge of the paper. They certainly weren’t a part of the document he signed with the Lesser Court to limit his power.

Clause I: The undersigned agree to enter a contract for the sharing of Magical essence.

Clause II: The Provider offers to the Client a share of his power, subject to the following limits.

Clause III: The Client shall not do anything to harm the Provider, unless by doing so he shall save a greater harm coming to pass.

It went on in a similar manner for a little while.

Clause XI: The Provider shall have the absolute right to remove the Shared Magical essence at their discretion.

That was the clause which Jano had been looking for. If he signed this document, he would get more power and he wouldn’t be on the bottom rung of society. But he would also be totally dependent on Darrel.

Darrel stood over his shoulder. “I won’t take away your power without it being absolutely necessary. You might not trust me, but I promise that.” He said.

Jano thought it over while reading the rest. “The Shared Magical essence shall not be used for improper purposes.” Deliberately vague, he thought.

In reality, if he didn’t sign this he would continue to eke out a living. He didn’t really have a choice. Not really.

“How do I sign?” He asked.

“Of course.” Darrel handed him a quill, with a hollow tube running through the middle and a circle at the top. “This one can’t be signed with ink.” He said as he pulled out a small knife. He made a motion of cutting his finger and squeezing it onto the circle.

“Well this is different.” Jano said, almost involuntarily.

Darrel smiled. “One of the little quirks of working around our dearest Emperor.”

Looking at the paper, Jano could see that Darrel had already signed it. Dried blood was crusted onto the page, in fine lettering. Jano tried to read the signature, but he couldn’t make it out.

Dispelling a brief second thought, Jano cut his finger and squeezed. A hiss of pain rang through his hand as the sharp blade cut his skin. He signed the paper, worrying slightly that his signature looked crude next to the elaborate flowing signature of the Mage.

He felt his insides start to hum with a low vibration. It began to grow louder. A light shone in his mind, as though a heatless flame had been lit. His body started to tremble. The vibrations become real motion. His teeth chattered. The edges of his fingers and toes were now freezing. He hadn’t missed this feeling.

The Mage fetched a blanket and draped it over Jano’s shoulders and arms. He was now shaking much more violently. The light in his head grew brighter. He clenched his jaw too tight and his jaw cramped. Black spots began creeping into his vision. He shut his eyes, but that was worse. He opened them once more, and regretted it. Black spots took up much more of his vision than before. He dropped to the floor shaking.

Slowly but surely, it began to stop. He was coming around, coming out of it. He tried to unclench his jaw a little, but it continued to cramp.

After what felt like a lifetime, he sat up and pulled the blanket across his torso. The cold remained even if the shaking had stopped. He glanced at his wrist. The number morphed and twisted, as though it was going through the same thing he had just been through. It swirled and pushed across his thin forearm. Finally it settled, a purple ‘VII’ replaced the ‘X’ he had become so accustomed to seeing. He felt a small jolt of excitement burst through him as he saw it.

Jano looked up to Darrel, who was smiling once more. “That’s a bit more like it now isn’t it?” He said. Jano lay stretched out on the floor. Exhausted.