It had been an exceptionally long night. When Galia had told Uli and the recently revived Odd about her encounter with Rootstrider they had reacted with confusion and surprise.

“Learning outside of the classroom structure? That’s…really dangerous!” Odd had whispered vehemently as she tore off a hunk of crusty bread to dip in her third bowl of stew. Uli had said that Odd had been eating non-stop since he got her back to the Tower. They had taken over their usual table in the dining hall and the ever-present Rose had provided them with a late lunch without complaint. “We’re not even supposed to be practicing magic outside of class or the practice halls, I mean you saw what happened.”

“Who says?” Galia asked, thumbing through her Meridraste’s looking for passages that outlined what Rootstrider had mentioned. The dense and convoluted text was going to make it difficult to work out what she needed.

“Everyone!” Odd exclaimed. “They’re always telling us how dangerous spellwork is.”

“Yeah, but who has actually said where and when we can practice magic?” Galia asked, looking up. “Aside from kicking us out of our rooms when we destabilized the spells in here, did Master Amneris actually say where we could work on magic?”

“No, he didn’t.” Uli said with a frown. “He suggested the practice halls, but that’s as far as it went.”

“Master Horngrym hasn’t taught us any of what you were talking about, though.” Odd frowned, defensive.

“She hasn’t taught us much of anything.” Galia muttered. “So far she’s only made the Fotya variant the only spell we must learn, she didn’t say anything about experimenting.” She brightened as she found the passage she was looking for. “The elemental forms look like they all build off the schima for the firebolt. We could do this.”

“I don’t know…” Odd said, doubtful.

“It won’t be like practice.” Galia said, holding up one of the quickspell books. “We just put the notation in here and so long as we get the formula right and our Core has enough mana then the spell works!”

Odd too the spellbook and turned it over a few times. “Fine, but for second derivative nevma it’s going to take some work, get me some paper and then go and see if you can find a copy of Marco Aridalus’ Travels. It’s got a pretty reliable High Malconian primer in the appendix.”

“Hang on.” Galia said, frowning. “Who put you in charge?”

Odd blinked slowly behind her optics. “You did when you decided you needed nevma derivations and High Malconian runic notation. I’ve seen your notes from our beginning spellwork classes. If you don’t mind, I’ve already suffered mana burn once this week, I’d rather not self-immolate due to a feedback loop.”

Galia’s mouth dropped open and she looked at Uli, who shrugged. “You’re kinda sloppy on your notation. I was going to ask if you needed help with balancing equations since you don’t seem to really have a good grasp—”

“I get it!” Galia snapped, bewildered. “I’ll see if I can find you the books you need.” She pushed back from the table and stood.

“Oh, and if you see Rose, could you ask if she has any more bread?” Odd said as she flipped through pages with a practiced hand and started digging through her bag for a pen and a notebook.

Galia couldn’t help laughing. “Sure, I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

They had stayed at the table through dinner and well into the night. Earning measuring glances from the brown-robed Journeymen. Odd had really gotten into the work once she’d managed to get past her initial nervousness. It became like a sort of game for her, puzzling out how the nevma worked within the boundaries of the spell notation, which rune to use in which situation—Malconian runes apparently had multiple meanings and uses, adding to the complexity.

It was well past midnight when they finally committed their spells to the spellbooks. Firebolt, and two variants: ice and lightning, a variant that used earth to hold the target in place, and then finally the Shield spell that Master Horngrym had given them.

“That’s all I feel safe doing right now.” Odd said, yawning and rubbing her eyes. Her sunburn had faded, but she still looked flushed and more than a bit woozy.

“You did great.” Galia said, putting a hand on Odd’s shoulder. “If I’d tried this on my own…I really don’t know what would have happened.”

“Mana burn, recursive power feedback loop, and possible morphic field destabilization.” Uli yawned. “Just going by the mistakes I caught.”

“A real credit to my family name.” Galia chuckled ruefully.

Odd blinked again, confused. “You were the one who figured out we could actually do this. Without your insight I would have been able to put up one shield, and maybe fired off an overpowered firebolt that would have mana burned me into unconsciousness. Now I feel like we have a chance.”

“She’s right.” Uli said, patting his spellbook fondly. “Don’t sell yourself short.”

“Well.” Galia said, gathering up her things. “I’m going to grab what rest I can. We’ve got Horngrym’s class in the morning and then I guess we head down into the storerooms.”

“Hooray!” Odd sighed. “Class, then death!”

***

An insistent tapping woke Galia from a sound sleep. She opened one eye and groaned to see that it was still dark. “Whoever it is, go away!”

The tapping continued, more firmly, as though this was going to go on until she got up and saw what they wanted. Galia let out a sound of exasperation then moved her fingers with practiced ease. “Fos!” The cheery magelight popped into being. The rooms had not been provided with alchemical lights and candles or lanterns didn’t seem to work, another oddity of the Tower. Galia threw off her blanket and shivered at the sudden chill, her room was always so cold no matter the temperature outside. The tapping continued unabated as she pulled on a dressing gown. “Just a moment, I’m coming.”

Pulling open the door she blinked in surprise. Klos filled the doorway, and the hallway beyond. The massive guardian was hunched over with one hand poised; he had been tapping with one of his blocky fingers. Klos stepped back slightly, as though embarrassed, the rune on his forehead glowing brightly in the dim light of the hallway.

“Klos?” Galia asked, confused. “What are you doing up here? How did you get up here?”

“I think that’s my fault.” A strained voice said from somewhere behind Klos, causing the stone guardian to turn his head in a decidedly irritated fashion. With a great rumbling of stone on stone, Klos brought forward his other arm. Hanging with his feet slightly off the ground, robes gathered in one of Klos’ closed fists, was Galyn. Her brother dangled in front of her, looking quite sheepish.

“Galyn?” Galia furrowed her brow. This was far too much to take in this late at night.

“Sorry for the late hour. I really didn’t mean to bother you, but your guardian wasn’t too happy about me just walking in.” Galyn laughed, shakily. Klos lifted the boy a bit higher and his runes took on a deep orange hue.

“Easy Klos, I’m sure he didn’t mean any harm.” Galia said. “Whatever he was doing here in the middle of the night?”

Klos’ runes dimmed into a more mollified purplish tone, but he did not relax his grip on Galyn.

“I didn’t think it would be a big deal. The other guardians allow Journeymen to visit their archives.” Galyn said, giving Klos a dirty look.

“KIos is a bit touchy.” Galia said, looking up at Klos with what she hoped was a friendly smile. “Even Master Horngrym is a bit careful around him.”

“I am aware.” Galyn sighed. “Listen can you let me down? You can see my sister will vouch for me, like I said.”

Klos looked as dubious as a pile of stone could manage, then turned a questioning look at Galia.

“It’s all right, Klos.” Galia said, unable to resist a mischievous grin. “You can watch the door and if he comes out without me, then you can pummel him.”

The guardian turned again to look at Galyn, runes flashing all the way to red, then he dropped the Journeyman on his ass. Klos then took up a guard position by Galia’s door, head runes affixed on Galyn, arms crossed. Galia giggled realizing that Klos looked impatient, only her brother could make a stone look like it had better things to do.

Galyn got to his feet and dusted himself off. After shooting an annoyed glance at Klos, he gave Galia one of his winning smiles. “Good morning, sister, you’re looking exhausted.”

“Late night working on a project, then some idiot set off the Tower defenses and dropped my name when he got caught.” Galia said, giving Galyn a level look.

“Oh don’t do that.” Galyn winced.

“Do what?”

“You’re giving me the ‘mom’ look.”

“I am not!”

“It’s the same look she gave me when I’d come home late.” Galyn said. “Can I come in? Since the big stone boy isn’t going to let into the Tower archives, I have a favor I want to ask.”

Galia rolled her eyes. “Fine, come inside and tell me why you woke me up at…what time is it anyways?”

Galyn brushed past her. “Naesa set about an hour ago, I think.”

The third moon had set, which meant that dawn was only about two hours away. So much for sleep tonight. Galia closed the door and then sat down on her bed, arms crossed, giving her brother a stone-faced look that Klos would have admired.

Pulling up a chair, Galyn frowned at her. “You’re doing it again.”

“Yeah?” Galia asked. “Does it look like I’m pissed off that my brother has been avoiding me for a month and then only comes to visit when he gets caught breaking into my Tower?”

“That’s fair.” Galyn said, rubbing his eyes. He looked at least as exhausted as she was. “Again, I’m sorry. Like I said, the other guardians don’t seem to mind Journeymen in their Towers. Once you’re a mage of Osterlan knowledge is supposed to be freely shared.”

“Maybe Klos just doesn’t like you.” Galia said with a snort.

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Galyn scoffed. “They’re just constructs.”

“If you say so, you’re a Mage of Osterlan.”

“I said I was sorry.” He said, voice getting tight. “I’ve been busy.”

“In the restricted section of the library?”

“How did you know—”

“I was there today to pick up some pretty unhelpful scrolls from your friend Horngrym.” Galia said, looking away, she could feel her anger simmering in the pit of her stomach. “She’s trying to kill me and my friends you know.”

Galyn winced. “Yeah, that happens.”

“That happens?” Galia parroted. “You say that like it’s normal Galyn!”

“I meant to tell you, I just got—”

“Busy.” Galia said, flatly. Galyn remained silent. “Douglas said that she and dad were plotting to take over the Towers, depose Master Rathwin.”

“Clearly a cat would know our father’s sinister plans.” Galyn said, bitterly.

“Are they?” Galia asked, getting her answer when Galyn winced again. “And they’re very good friends?”

Galyn sighed, rubbing his temples.

“Does mom know?”

“Know what? That dad and Horngrym work closely together? That Rathwin’s cat likes to gossip? She knows how politics goes here, and that’s all it is, politics.” Galyn finally answered. “Sometimes you have to make alliances.”

“I see.” Galia said, dubiously.

“Why do you think we lived in Peracost?” He asked, looking up at her with a mixture of sympathy and annoyance. “Mom wanted you and me away from all this. But, dad’s a mage of Osterlan. A Master Wizard, that comes with a lot of strings attached.”

Galia just looked at him, eyes wary.

“It’s complicated.” He wouldn’t meet her eye, keeping things back again.

“Fine, keep your secrets.” Galia said, turning from him, feeling the tears begin to well up and not wanting him to see them.

“I wish I could tell you more, Gal.” There was a tinge of regret in his voice, but she ignored it.

“What was the favor you needed?” Galia asked. “The one you dragged me out of bed for and effectively ruined what was left of my night.”

“There’s something in the Changes archives that I need.” Galyn said, voice becoming more stable when they were back onto something that he wanted. “It’s an amulet, maybe the size of your palm. It’s got an emerald in the center and High Malconian runes carved into the face.”

“What’s it for?” Galia asked, turning to focus on Galyn again. “And why can’t you ask Master Rathwin?”

“It’s for dad.” Which answered both questions.

“And why should I help our apparently traitorous father and my brother who is actively covering for him?” She snapped.

“Because dad’s missing, all right!” Galyn barked back, finally losing his cool. “He was leading an expedition into Thornglade Forest and no one has heard from him since.”

Galia blinked, Garrett tended to go on long expeditions into the wilderness, but no one ever thought that he was missing before. “Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

Galyn shrugged, but anger and frustration were still plain on his face. “Because dad pushes for change, so do I, so does Horngrym, believe it or not. Your Master Rathwin is the Master of Changes, but he’s the most hidebound of the lot. Garrett Amneris disappears beyond the Shield Mountains, suddenly things get a lot easier for him around here.”

Galia shrank back, confused, Galyn continued, standing up and starting to pace in the small room.

“Dad has been looking for Malconian artifacts, but the bulk of the Old Empire was in the west, in the Pactlands. That means dangerous expeditions without much support.” Galia knew about the Pactlands, the places once ruled by the Silent King and his minions. She didn’t know that people actually went there.

“What could he possibly find there?” Galia asked, even more confused.

“He’s been looking for the pieces of the Imperial Scepter. The Malconian Emperors were powerful magic users, far beyond even our best Masters today.” Galyn shifted into a lecture mode, gesturing with his hands excitedly. “The Imperial Scepter served like a staff or a wand for the Emperor. During the fall of Malconia and the rise of Draenos the Scepter was shattered. Seven pieces, scattered after the fall of Orus Malcos.”

“Why would dad want pieces of a broken artifact?”

“Because it might be the key to ending the war with Draenos. The Silent King only rose after Malconia fell. It took every wizard in the Grand Alliance to bind him and the Sorcerer Lords. Nothing we have done in five hundred years has managed to banish the Drae permanently. If we had the power of Old Malconia…dad thinks that if we can construct the Imperial Scepter then he and a few others might be able to end the Shadow Pact and banish it from our world forever.” Galyn was getting a gleam in his eye, excitement, hunger. “Think of it! No more creatures boiling up from the Underlands, no more Draenos, no more Sorcerors and Warlocks. No more endless battles at the Palisade Pass, it would finally all be over!”

“And you need this amulet from the archive, why?” Galia leaned back against the wall, trying to keep a good distance from her brother. She’d never seen him this worked up about anything.

“The amulet is also an artifact, Malconian, one of the few good bits of Changes workmanship out there.” Galyn chuckled but had the decency to look abashed when he caught her glare. “The magic is too complex to go into, I barely understand it, but it acts like a compass guiding one to the parts of the Scepter. If I can track down the one in the Thornglade then maybe I can find dad. Then together we can put this thing together. Maybe then we can finally go home and end all of this. Dad can take over Osterlan from Rathwin, Horngrym would support him. Then together we can all figure out how to use that power to end the Shadow Pact.”

Galia stared at him. “You really think that is how it’s going to go?”

“Why wouldn’t it?” Galyn asked, nonplussed.

“One, we don’t know if this Scepter even really exists.” Galia began ticking off on her fingers. “Two, Thornglade is…no one knows what’s in Thornglade because no one has come back from an expedition to Thronglade. And three, even if you all succeed you really think that Horngrym is going to roll over and let dad take the position that she’s been here, coveting and working to take for who knows how many years?”

Galyn sighed. “Maybe I was getting a bit ahead of myself. Dad and I have been working on this plan for…it feels like forever, and with him missing…” He slumped a bit. “At the very least, I need that medallion to help find him.”

“Why don’t you talk to Master Rathwin?” Galia asked.

He made a face. “Rathwin and I don’t get along.”

“He wouldn’t do it to help dad?”

“Rathwin and dad get along even worse.” Galyn said slumping back in the chair. “It’s the old Tower Wars stuff, Rathwin knows that dad is after his Towers, it doesn’t matter why to him, he’s just going to fight against it.”

Galia considered this. “And this is the only way to get dad’s whereabouts?”

“If I had a map or any other leads I wouldn’t have come back to the Towers.” Galyn shrugged.

“So what do I do, tell Klos to let you into the archive?”

“It’s a little more complicated.” Galyn said. “If Klos is barring me from the archive then he’s not going to let me in with an apprentice’s say-so. He’s also not going to let you go down there and bring up an artifact to hand to me.”

“So what do we do?” Galia didn’t like where this was going.

Galyn leaned forward. “I heard that Horngrym is sending you into the storerooms tomorrow.”

***

“Are you all right?” Odd asked, snapping her fingers in front of Galia’s eyes. Her sunburn had faded to a slight flush, but the coloring seemed to accentuate her owlish appearance. Those big eyes were looking highly concerned. “We need everybody focused for the…you know.”

Galia shook her head and blinked a few times. She hadn’t slept after Galyn had left her room that morning. Vague recollections of breakfast, Uli chattering over something head looked up about something he’d looked up regarding Dyre Gnawers, then Horngrym’s class. The Destruction Master had been going over how to use nevma derivatives to alter characteristics of combat spells. The woman had had a smug smile the entire time. It was as though she were gloating over going over information that would help Galia and her group right before sending them into danger.

“I’m fine, just didn’t sleep well last night.” Galia reassured her.

Odd frowned, did she suspect something? Her friend started to say something, then thought better of it, shaking her head. “I’m just worried; do we know if this is something we have to do?”

“Douglas said that Horngrym can give us any orders not countermanded by Rathwin. If we want to study here, I’m guessing that yes we have to.” Galia replied. They walked across the grounds in silence for a few more moments. Their target was a small outbuilding not far from the Tower of Changes. The day was gray and overcast, threatening a storm at any moment, and giving everything a cold, damp smell.

“Can we do this?” Odd asked quietly, not looking at Galia. “I was useless at the firebolt, I don’t know if I’m going to be any better when we’re being attacked by man-eating giant rat things.”

Galia looked at Odd, she looked as haggard and drawn out as Galia felt. “I think we’re going to do better than anyone expects. We’re ahead of the game, you helped with that.”

“We didn’t even get a chance to test anything.” Odd bit her lip. “It’s all theory, guesswork.”

“It’s going to be fine.” Galia said with more conviction than she felt. She felt uneasy, not only were they putting themselves in danger, they were also helping Galia do something that she wasn’t sure was right. All to help a father who had been largely absent in her life. “I mean we know that Uli can do combat magic at least.”

“Yeah.” Odd chuckled, then frowned again, quirking her head. “Did he ever tell you who he learned from?”

“Uli’s pretty private.” Galia shrugged.

“Yeah, just weird that we know these snippets and any time we get into a deeper conversation he clams up.” Odd made a face. “It’s a mystery, and I don’t like people being mysteries.”

“He’s just shy.” Galia said. “Besides you don’t volunteer all that much information about yourself.”

Odd let out her distinctive braying laugh. It had startled Galia every time at first, but now it made her smile. “I know, but that’s because I get distracted. I’m a magpie, ask me a question and I’ll start to answer and then go off on a tangent about the fundamental underpinnings of Vanan art theory because something made me think of triangles!”

“That sounds like every conversation I’ve had with you.” Galia laughed.

“You’re no open book yourself.” Odd prodded. “Like why your brother was in the Tower last night?”

Galia winced. “You noticed?”

“Klos was knocking on your door for almost five minutes before you woke up enough to answer it.” Odd said with a meaningful look over the tops of her glasses. “It was hard to miss.”

“He needed help with something for my dad.” Galia said after some hesitation.

Odd nodded but looked thoughtful, “Something in Changes?”

“It’s not important.” Galia waved off the question, trying not to let her nerves show.

“If you say so.” Odd frowned.

“There’s Uli.” Galia said, relieved to have something else to focus on. Uli was coming around the side of the building, but he wasn’t alone. The tall paladin, Charity, was with him. She was in mail and wore her swordbelt, her shield hung over her shoulder by a strap. Imposing was a word to describe her, and Galia felt her stomach do a little flutter.

“Who’s the big girl?” Odd asked.

“She’s one of the Paladins of Rasander.” Galia said.

“What’s she doing here?” Odd asked as they got close enough for Charity to hear them.

“Why don’t you ask her yourself?” Charity asked with a slight creasing of her eyebrows.

Odd blinked and thought for a moment. “All right, what are you doing here?”

“She was waiting when I got here.” Uli said, his voice was steady, but he looked a bit nervous.

“I thought I’d lend a hand.” Charity said with a shrug of her impressive shoulders. “I heard you talking to Rootstrider. Gnawers are tough, especially if they’ve been nosing around anywhere there’s magic. Not something you should be sending apprentices in to deal with.”

Charity met Galia’s gaze and for a moment there was that quirk of the lips, the hint of a smile she’d seen on the paladin before.

“Oh, good.” Odd said with an immense sigh. “Because I was pretty sure we were all going to die.”