Kalia felt as if death had come to rest in her brain. Sunlight streamed through the curtains like daggers in her eyes, and she wanted nothing more than to retreat beneath the covers. But the small glimpse of her surroundings made her force her eyes open against the protest of her body.

This was not her room.

Her mind slogged through fragmented memories of the previous day: a stroll through the market, Llain dancing across the rope, watching the alchemists set up their fireworks— then nothing. If she didn't know better she'd assume Llain had got her drunk. The nausea and dull ache throbbing in her head reminded her of the one time she had allowed the other squires to take her out for a drink. It was an adventure she had no wish to revisit.

The bed called her back to the soft embrace of sleep, but Kalia knew she couldn't afford to rest any longer. A new day meant new tasks. She didn't think she was ill— as much as her body tried to convince her otherwise— and an absence would be a mark against her at a time when she needed to show her worth to the temple.

A soft tapping at the door interrupted her thoughts, and only a moment passed before the door opened. Kalia clutched the blankets to her chest, but realized belatedly she was still mostly clothed from the night before. Her chain and halberd were nowhere to be seen, but trousers and tunic were still present— if not quite as clean as she was used to.

An ebony-skinned woman ducked through the doorway with a tray of food, and Kalia's stomach growled audibly as the tray was deposited on a side table next to the bed.

"Oh, good. You're already awake," the woman said with a bright smile. "The boys said you might be hungry after all the troubles, so I whipped up a snack."

Kalia smiled back, eyes growing wide as she wondered what constituted a meal compared to the snack in front of her. One plate held slabs of meat, steak and sausage and bacon nestled together and swimming in greasy juices; the next held what looked to be a dozen eggs with fresh herbs lying delicately on top; half a loaf of bread, some sliced fruit, and a large pitcher of water rounded out the tray and Kalia had to force herself not to begin shoving the food into her mouth with her fingers.

"I appreciate it a lot," Kalia said over another growl from her stomach. "But I'm not sure what time I—"

"Oh your friend said you'd be in a rush, but I insist," she interrupted. "You're no use to anyone running about on an empty stomach. If you'd prefer to eat downstairs with the others—?" She let the question hang in the air, and Kalia gave a small nod. "Right. Well come get it while it's still warm. I think that cute little Llain will feel better seeing you, too. He's been up half the night worried sick over you."

As quickly as she'd come the woman disappeared back through the doorway with the tray swinging precariously. The sound of footsteps on the stairs echoed in the hall, and Kalia set to getting ready. A splash of cold water from the basin by the door, boots on her feet with mechanically practiced motions, her hand reached for the mail that wasn't there and Kalia shook her head to focus. It still felt like her head was filled with sludge, but the promise of food and maybe some watered-down ale drove her feet down the stairs.

Kalia took the steps gingerly, vertigo making her grip the rail more tightly than normal. Her legs were struggling to keep her upright by the time she made it to the ground floor, but she had made it without falling down or heaving so she counted it a success.

A large room opened up before her. A long, curved bar top took up one wall of the expansive dining room. Tables and booths filled most of the remainder, with several fireplaces opposite the bar lit to fight the chill morning air. The barkeep nodded a hello as he noticed her presence, and Kalia saw Llain look up from his conversation with another man at a table nearby. The ceiling towered twenty or thirty feet above her, but looking up into the hanging lights brought on a wave of dizziness. Kalia closed her eyes and clung to the banister for support as Llain rushed to her side.

"Who let you out of bed?" Llain asked. "Look, you can barely stand up straight."

"'M fine," Kalia mumbled. "Just a little nauseous. What exactly—" her words faded into a shrug. "Food," she managed to say.

Llain shook his head with a frown. "Come take a seat. I'll tell Camilla to bring your tray back out. She wanted to keep it warm in case you went back to bed."

He led Kalia to a table and she slid down into the chair as Llain drifted away. She could hear him talking behind her with the woman who'd woken her and the barkeep. The sound of mixed laughter grated against Kalia's ears. Her head sank to the table in front of her, arms providing a cushion as her gaze drifted to the old man sitting across the table.

He hadn't said a word since she sat down, although his eyes had fixed on her instantly. The pipe in his mouth produced a steady stream of smoke, and Kalia glared at him as it drifted to settle on the table between them.

"Rude," she muttered.

"Elbows on the table," he replied with a smile. "And you have the temerity to call me rude. Perhaps our definitions of the concept differ."

"Don't feel good," Kalia grumbled. "'S your excuse?"

"I am old and set in my ways," he said. "Perhaps you can glean a lesson from your body's pain. You wrung your spirit out like an old rag trying to quench a volcano. But I see no reason to make exceptions for you when there are—" he glanced around the empty bar, "a multitude of alternate seating options for someone with a delicate nose."

Kalia sat up straight as he talked. His words had brought back more memories of the previous day. The blank sky and the silver snakes that had torn into her skin like parchment— she could remember the feeling of violation as the evil magic ripped through her armor even as she fought against it. Kalia suppressed a shudder as she looked at her hands for evidence.

"No. No marks," the old man said thoughtfully. "I already checked as much as your friend would allow." He bobbed his head to Llain as he brought back the tray of food Camilla had offered Kalia upstairs. "Llain seemed to feel disrobing you would be a tad improper."

"I still can't believe you expected any different, Wallamir" Llain retorted as he took a seat. "You and your friend still have some explaining to do about all this," Llain gestured vaguely toward the ceiling, "and that doesn't start with groping unconscious girls."

"All in due time, boy," Wallamir responded. "We can start with helping Kalia feel better. I have much to do today, and her company will ease the process along." He leaned across the table and held a palm up next to her.

Kalia flinched away, but Llain shook his head. "Just trust him," Llain said. "As much as he seems like an ass, I'm pretty sure he means well. He and his friend both helped out last night, and if he wanted to do anything questionable he already had plenty of opportunities."

She rolled her eyes, ignoring the smug smile Wallamir shot toward Llain. Kalia rested a hand in Wallamir's palm and he rested his other hand on top of hers. He had a collection of gaudy rings on display, and Kalia swallowed back a comment on how ugly they seemed against his pale skin.

"You have yet to be trained in the use of magic, correct?" Wallamir asked. "That question is rhetorical, of course. Even in the temple, the first lesson in wielding power is how to avoid exerting your heart's fire to the extent you did last night. A mistake only a novice would make, and one that few survive to make twice."

Kalia continued eating to avoid saying something unkind. Wallamir's droning voice was beginning to grate on her in a way that reminded her of the high priest. It was the voice of a man who knew he was better than you, but sensed you were too slow to realize. Llain seemed to want her cooperation, though, so Kalia would play along until she could read the situation better. A transparent gem on Wallamir's hand began glowing with a soft, white glow and Kalia raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Magic of the mind," Wallamir murmured. "More delicate than most, but it has always been something of a specialty. And that should be enough for now," his words coincided with a flash of white like lightning that filled the bar, and Kalia suddenly felt better— but that seemed like too light a word.

The room grew brighter, the fog in her mind clearing in the breeze that kicked up from the table. The food she had been mechanically shoveling into her stomach suddenly burst with flavor, and the rush of energy made Kalia feel like she'd just gotten a full night of restful sleep. It was as if she'd been sleepwalking for weeks or months and suddenly she'd been thrust into the light of day.

"Oh," was all she could say.

"A temporary fix," Wallamir said with a satisfied smirk, "but useful for our purposes. Your body will finish recuperating over the next few days, the spell merely delays the fatigue your body is under and spreads it out over time. As a warning, I would recommend against spell work until you learn to control yourself. Painful as that was, it could have been worse."

With the energy came memories of the day before, small notes to fill in the blank spots that had lingered tantalizingly out of reach. The silver snakes had been painful, but a memory of the web filled her mind. It had been familiar in a way that left her uneasy. The priests said she had a capacity for magic, but they hadn't begun training her to use it. Wouldn't, until she passed through her squireship into knighthood.

Yet it had been effortless. The temple talked about how difficult it was to master the powers Izael gave them, but Kalia felt the pool of energy within her still. It would be no more difficult than dipping her toes in the bath to submerge herself in the flow of magic waiting there.

Kalia nodded as she mulled through her thoughts, a grudging appreciation forcing her lips into a smile. "I appreciate the help," she said. "And the advice, I guess. But I couldn't do nothing while someone died."

"Evidence suggests the curse is temporary at worst, and I have yet to see any fatalities," Wallamir responded. "But we can discuss that more later. I need you to accompany me while I try to learn more about what happened last night, as an active parti—"

"No," Kalia interrupted. "I'm sorry, but I've got to get to the temple. I was on a task for the priests yesterday, and I have to report what happened and what I saw."

Wallamir stared at her for a moment, brow furrowed in a way that made Kalia feel like an impertinent child. "As I was saying," he continued. "As an active participant in last night's events and a member of the temple, you should be able to get me in to the Trust. I was recently reminded Izael's vaults are a trove of arcane lore, and it is my hope they might share what they know about the incident."

"Oh," Kalia said meekly. She was growing tired of Wallamir rolling over her words, but couldn't think of a polite way to shut him up. "I can introduce you to the clerics in charge," she decided. "But that's all I can really do to help you. I don't have access to the Trust unless I'm assisting one of the priests."

Maybe she could pawn Wallamir off on the clerics and be rid of the old man. Her mind was already fixed on other things. She had missed the dawn matins, but hopefully Emery would be understanding and only give her a light punishment.

"Hmm," Wallamir replied. "A problem, to be sure, but not an insurmountable one. In the worst case I doubt the seals can keep me out for long."

"You can't—" Kalia started. "I won't allow you to break in!" She dropped her voice to a loud whisper, glancing around as if afraid Emery or one of the priests might be waiting around the corner to punish her. "Regardless of what you think you might find there, the temple has rules for situations like this."

Wallamir pinched at his nose and muttered under his breath. "Consider it motivation to ensure I have no need to do such then," he spat out. "I need to retrieve a few items. Say your goodbyes and be ready to depart." Wallamir motioned toward Llain and turned abruptly away from the table.

"Kalia," Llain said quietly as Wallamir left the table. "You should know before you go," he paused for a moment and Kalia grew concerned at the uneasy look on his face. "It's not great out there. Wallamir— he's just trying his best to help. That magic ripped through the city like a plague, and we were lucky enough to avoid the worst of it, but—" his voice trailed off and Llain shrugged.

"Dad?" Kalia asked worriedly. "Did you hear—"

"That's my first stop today," Llain answered quickly. "One of Wallamir's friends knows Karyth from way back, and I told him you'd be worried until we knew for sure. Luckily that old grouch doesn't leave the house much." Llain chuckled, and Kalia felt a smile tugging at her lips. "Probably hasn't even noticed anything happened"

"I'll leave that to you then," Kalia said with a grateful nod. "If it's as bad as you say, then I need to go to the temple more than ever. They're probably swamped with people asking for help, and Wallamir seems questionable at best."

"Right," Llain said. "We'll catch up later, just— stay safe out there."

Kalia smiled, the innocently earnest look on Llain's face almost causing her to laugh. But she knew he would take it wrong. As much as he wanted more from their relationship, he had accepted his place as a friend, and she did her best to treat the compromise delicately in return.

"You too, Llain," was all she said.