Jano’s breath quickened as he approached the metal covering set in the stone floor. He had moved it and put it back in place many times before, but this time felt different.

If what Nara said was true, and it probably was. There were pods of Mages out searching the City. Presumably for the person he was off to meet.

He stood close to the covering, and surveyed the narrow street. There was nobody around. It was a long forgotten area in the Commercial District and attracted the smaller businesses due to the lower footfall. There was barely anyone here during peak trading times, never mind when the District closed.

He drew on his power and moved the metal covering. He climbed onto the ladder and felt the cold metal slide past him as he rushed to place it back. They usually waited until they were at the bottom of the ladder to place it back. He didn’t want to take that chance.

He rushed through the paths below the City in the darkness. He had passed with such wonder the first few times he had come this way. He kept flicking rushed glances over his shoulder. His feet sloshing in the water, which seemed more shallow than usual. Though the smell was still just as bad.

He quickly found steps and headed down towards the entrance to the large stone dome. The attractive yellow stone drew his mind away from the situation for a brief moment. It looked so regal, it was hard to believe it wasn’t still used.

He saw a man standing in the middle of the Dome and for a second, he thought it was a trap. He was dressed in plain clothes, a long cloak and a thick woollen cap. “Jano, thank the gods.” He said.

His face looked tired, with grey circles under his eyes which hadn’t been there the last time he had seen him.

“How are you?” He asked, his voice casual but not naturally so.

“I’m fine, Nara visited last night. But I’m sure you know about that.” He replied. “Have you been watching us? Where have you been?” Why didn’t you say anything? You could have told me you would disappear! Jano wanted to say a whole lot more, but he chose not to.

Jano realised that Darrel’s body language was different, he looked more rigid and less relaxed than before. It looked as though he was a man on the run, he thought.

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t risk you both being caught up in things. I thought it might blow over but….”

“Then the Emperor came?” Jano offered. He was surprised at himself for being so forward. But he wanted to get the information. He needed to know what was happening, that Alsace was safe. That Darrel was safe.

The Mage smiled at that. “Precisely.” He walked closer to Jano now. “I see that Nara has filled you in quite nicely. I hoped I wouldn’t have to involve you again, but I’m afraid that last little foray into the University wasn’t quite as fruitful as I’d hoped.”

“What’s going on? Why is the Emperor after you? Is it as simple as the break in?” He asked again, surprised at his own confidence.

“Yes. And no. Yes he’s returned to the City. No it’s not as simple as the break in.” That didn’t answer Jano’s questions and he intended to pick him up on it. He took a breath, he didn’t want to appear rude, however friendly he thought they were. Darrel could kill him in an instant. And he tried to remember that. Just as Jano was about to ask a question, the Mage butted in.

“Did Nara tell you I was an outsider to the City?” He asked, his face more concentrated on Jano’s now, as though looking for any small change in expression. Any hint of a lie perhaps.

“Yes. She said you had told her what lies beyond the City walls. That the Empire isn’t what we’re told it is.” He answered, watching the Mage’s face just as intently.

“Well that’s also not entirely true. I came from within these City walls. From the Slums in fact. Back then, things were different, we didn’t share magic with the Emperor. There wasn’t one. I had a great magical talent and was educated at the University. Then, as I was being prodded and moulded by the Archmage, things went a bit south and I had to leave.” He explained this all as a matter of fact.

This, Jano didn’t believe. “The Empire has been in place for almost a hundred years….” he said. Darrel smiled and cut in.

“Yes. I know, I’m old. Don’t I look it?” He said

Jano shook his head. How? Surely not. Why? “You can’t be that old. You’d be dead. People don’t live longer than fifty, sixty years.”

Darrel waved his concerns away and he didn’t offer anything further. Jano decided to change tack.

“So why come back?” He asked.

“That is an excellent question, but a loaded one. One I don’t have the time to answer here. But I promise you an answer. I need you to do something for me. For the City. I will not ask it as a business relationship, though you will be rewarded handsomely. I would ask it as a friend.” He put his hand on Jano’s shoulder.

Jano felt a sharp spring in his stomach at that. It was ridiculous, but he did nonetheless. “Before I say yes, what do you need?” He asked.

The Mage’s smile withdrew and his face grew dark. “I’m sorry to ask this. But with the Emperor returning, I have no other way. I need you to break into the Palace and return with the Sceptre of Mjadin.” He asked.

“The ceremonial sceptre?” He asked, knowing the answer what the answer would be. It was a gift from the other major City in the Empire, it symbolised harmony in the Empire and was used in many processions and events.

“That’s the sort of sharp thinking I’ve come to expect from you. And it’s one of the reasons I’m asking for your help. Obviously coupled with your uncanny knack with stone and other materials.” He finished the last bit under his breath.

“Why do you need that?” He asked, knowing it was unlikely he would actually get an answer.

“The sceptre itself is useless. But there are a variety of gems on there which I need. Have you ever heard of the Ledger?” He said.

Jano thought hard, but he couldn’t recall anything. “Should I have?”

The Mage looked briefly hopeful, and then after Jano spoke, he shook his head slightly. “It is the central artefact which allows you all to share some of the Emperor’s power. It’s what all of the contracts bind you to.”

Jano shifted uneasily. “What do you want with that?” He had never heard of an artefact which linked them all to the Emperor, but he couldn’t understand why anyone would want access to it.

The Mage looked at him with a sharp gaze, as though he had asked a question he shouldn’t have. The aged face changed and the expressions softened. Jano looked hard at the Mage, but he was still stood some distance away. Something seemed off, but he couldn’t quite place what.

“As I’ve said, I’ll explain this all to you, I promise. But we need to get you in and out while everyone is distracted by the Emperor arriving. Hopefully he isn’t already in the Palace.. Unfortunately that means that time is rather of the essence.”

Jano looked at the Mage a bit wild eyed. Well, yes. That would be ideal, he thought as he imagined the Emperor finding him and ripping him apart with the flick of his little finger. So far, he hadn’t had any reason not to trust him. But this was taking direct action against the Empire. He would be killed for this if he was caught. Or worse.

“Why is the Emperor visiting the City? Is it all to find you?” Jano asked. Still teetering on the edge of disbelief and inaction. He had what he wanted. His powers back, a chance at a vocation and his wife.

The Mage sighed and then smiled weakly “Yes, I’m pretty sure it is.” He waited a second, looking to his robes and surveying Jano. “Though I am hoping that he doesn’t yet know that it is actually me he’s looking for.”

Jano took some time to process the information. Who had he contracted with? Who was Darrel really? If the Emperor had made a point of coming to Qursa to deal with him personally.

As Jano was thinking, the Mage stepped a little closer. “I should mention that if I get caught, there’s a good to fair chance that you’ll stop sharing my magic and you’ll lose the small slice of life I’ve watched you carve out.”

The Mage’s voice had increased in volume and pitch and his facial expressions were one of those of someone bargaining, not demanding. It looked odd to Jano. He imagined going back to his previous life as a Class Ten. The idea of that was bad enough, never mind if the Emperor was about to make their lives worse.

“If I help you, I need you to protect Alsace. If anything happens to me. She needs to be safe and cared for. And I better be generously rewarded if I pull it off.” He said.

Darrel smiled. “I will do my best. If you pull this off, then you won’t be dead, or enslaved any more than you currently are. So that’s something.”

Jano grunted. “That’s not exactly what I had in mind.”

“I promise. You will be well rewarded, in one way or another.”