We returned our books to their places and set off, making our way out of the library and onto the road again. Horse-drawn carriages and trams passed by us as we walked. The day was noticeably less sunny than the previous days, looking like it was gonna rain.

We walked in silence until Hana broke it with a question.

“You said you were going to tell us about Iztarr.”

If Kelia had been unhappily quiet before, now she was upset. Hana, for what it was worth, didn’t notice it at all.

“It’s bad news.” Hana replied, giving me an odd look. “If Iztarr goes down, that means a domain is up for grabs.”

“But who is Iztarr?” I asked, slightly confused as usual.

Hana answered. “He’s the god of High House Shadow. If a god falls from their throne, then this means that other ascendants can make a play for it. The magic users that use and occupy the domain often have a lot of control in which ascendants can successfully make a play since magic is a two-way stream but the realm of Shadows are a home to a set of treacherous and conniving beings. They might be willing to allow some of the more meaner ascendants a chance, depending on how they play their cards.”

“What’s the connection with Percival?” I asked.

“Giaos must be worried he will interfere. The battle over godhood is already a super delicate matter.” Hana said, drawing out ‘super’. “The most powerful entities in the world will all be gathering together so you can probably piece together what happens.”

I could feel Hana’s worry radiate off her without even looking at her. “Do you think Percival’s plan involves taking advantage of Iztarr’s fall?”

It was Kelia’s return to respond. “Dunno. Can’t say.” And that was the end of that. Of course, Hana wasn’t very content with that response so she tried to get Kelia to say more on the matter.

Kelia and I walked in silence the rest of the way, Kelia refusing to give into Hana’s pestering. I stayed slightly back and watched the two. Hana’s voice rose by an octave everytime Kelia made a point to ignore her. Kelia, it seemed, was unperturbed, not ignoring Hana out of spite but something like a mix of worry and protectiveness.

We made it to the house in question. It was in a part of the city that was significantly more spacious than the oppressively clustered buildings of the city’s center. Green grass surrounded the house, freshly manicured, and a fancy fence protected it all. We move towards the gate, finding it unlocked.

Kelia pushed in and we followed.

“What’s the plan?” I said. I hadn’t even thought of anything. It dawned on me that we were nonchalantly walking up to the house of someone who was potentially part of the group that had just threatened me. “Wait, what the hell are we doing?” I stopped in my tracks watching Kelia and Hana walk towards the door.

“Wait!” I hissed quietly, hoping that the house’s occupants wouldn’t hear me. “This is dangerous!”

Hana turned around to look at me. “How else are we gonna get any information? Plus Kelia is here.” She spun back around and caught up to Kelia. Apparently that was enough reassurance for her, all the annoyance at Kelia’s silence suddenly having dissipated.

I chased after them but made sure to have Kelia stay in front of me. She knocked on the door.

It took a minute but eventually someone opened the door. An older man with a carefully-sculpted pointed beard and a frock coat-vest combo that absolutely screamed don’t-fuck-with-me wealth. He had an annoyed expression on his face, like he was expecting someone else and instead got us.

“What do you want?” He said harshly.

Kelia spoke up for us. “Are you Latem?”

His eyes narrowed. “Yes, that's me.”

“We were hoping to talk about your connection to l'Assemblée de Monarchique.”

My blood froze. This was exactly what I was hoping wouldn’t happen. If there was one thing we had coming in, it was that we had the element of surprise. This Latem guy didn’t know we were coming to investigate the secret mage group.

He shifted forward slightly and his brow furrowed deeper than it already was. “Excuse me, who are you all exactly?” The question was not an inviting one. He scanned our faces and then his eyes landed on me. Before Kelia could reply to his initial question, he spoke up again.

“Boy, step into the light.”

Fuck fuck fuck.

I stepped forward.

“Closer, boy. My eyes are aging,” he barked.

I looked at Kelia, hoping she would do something but she just nodded. I took another step forward, putting myself in front of both Kelia and Hana.

His eyes ran over me, up and down. “What’s your name, boy?”

“Griffin,” I said, realizing how utterly stupid it was to reveal my real name. What an idiot.

The man reacted subtly. I couldn’t exactly place it. Maybe it was a twitch of his hand or the slight turning of his head. Whatever it was, I felt it but only for the briefest moment, like a flash.

“Step forward even more, boy. I think I recognize you.”

I knew something was wrong at that point yet I listened, instinctively, and made another move towards him. I was close enough that I could see the wrinkles on his face. A faded scar cut through one of his eyebrows, giving him a sharp look.

That's when he made his move. I was almost seeing it in slow motion, him slipping his hand into his pocket, pulling out a wickedly curved knife. His hand reached out and grabbed my shoulder, me stuck in place like a statue, frozen with fear.

He pulled me in, time slowing down even further, knife glinting in the light as he drew it in towards my stomach.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a hand moving behind me. In a flash, time returned to its normal pace and, suddenly, Kelia was zipping past me, having grabbed Latem’s knife hand. She spun three hundred sixty degrees, gripping the hand tightly, and used her back to throw Latem into the and slam him into the ground, face first.

She set her foot onto his elbow and snapped his arm, like it was a twig. Latem’s knife was in Kelia’s hand, placed against his throat.

“Now, you’re gonna answer our questions.”