The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.

- Leo Tolstoy

In the evening Iseret stood on a tall building in the merchant quarter. Wind whipped around her tousling her hair and cloak. She wore her armor and the khopesh. A charm on her hip supplied badly needed warmth. ‘The cold is troubling. Without magic, we could not properly function in the colder climes.’

A sparrow shot from the whirling snow and light rain. Lights distorted by the weather shone from below her, painting the sky in a canvas of cloudy grey.

“Meet me at the ‘Golden Cockerel’ as soon as you are able.” The message was repeated once and then the sparrow tilted its head while runes began to appear on its feathers glowing and then fading away as the construct lost cohesion.

Iseret nodded to herself. A good choice. The cockerel was doing brisk business with mercenaries, they would not stand out too much.

She spread her arms and summoned the breath of the wind to carry her from the roof. And as light as a falling flake, she danced among the snow falling towards her destination. Safe in the embrace of the great goddess.

The Golden Cockerel was a large Tavern in combination with stables and an inn. It catered to mercenary companies, adventurers, and merchants. As always the atmosphere was rowdy. Vanessa sat at a table and inspected the food she had ordered. At first, there were some ‘concerned’ people trying to prevent her entry which she dissuaded with judicious application of a bit of mind magic. She always forgot that she looked like a teenager and not an older one at that.

Iseret entered and looked around. Vanessa was very easy to find. Many looked at her from time to time and chatted. Some laughed. At least her face was concealed by an illusion and looked like a normal elf as if that was not a contradiction in terms. If one did not count those that hid their more obvious features there might be a handful in the most populated regions on any given day.

Vanessa looked up as Iseret slid into the seat in front of her. “You made good time I see.”

“Greetings.” Iseret nodded a greeting. “You wanted to talk?”

“Not here, I reserved a room, let’s go.” She stood up, righted her cloak, and gestured towards the stairs in the back.

The room they entered was small and the reek of old smoke had long since seeped into the rafters. A single shuttered window did little to improve the ventilation. Seating themselves at the singular table Vanessa threw a sheaf of parchment on the table and sighed. “A right mess this is. He has his grubby paws in very many illegal operations. But there are some who stand out from the lot, either in importance or in the influence it gives him.” She separated two pages and pointed.”This guard captain is firmly in his pocket and could be worth ‘replacing’, and then there is this gambling hall. It makes a lot of profit. If we shut it down he will be hurting. And best of all, If we do some or all of that he will have to react and we can thin his troops a bit.”

“Aren’t you a bloodthirsty one?” Iseret looked faintly amused. “I concur. The captain would be easy but could bring attention from the upper quarters even as it is unsure where that attention would fall. It could even be to our benefit. The casino is a safe bet.” She grinned. “It would hurt them and rile them up.”

“So the casino?” Vanessa looked thoughtful.

“I would recommend the captain,” Iseret said with a smile.

“Are you just being contrary or does this serve some purpose?” Large green eyes flickered with annoyance.

“We would get used to each other and without much risk. Call it a trial run.”

“That is...actually not a bad thought.” The small vampire nodded. “Now?”

“If we don’t need more time it would be a waste not to act.”

Both nodded and stood up.

Sometime later near the docks in the district of Northbank.

The man was in his late forties still well-muscled but with the beginnings of a paunch. Saggy jowls with an uneven beard and a steadily receding hairline framed eyes that had seen too much and been left jaded. He raised the smoking bundle of paper-wrapped herbs and drew a deep breath. His armor was scratched and well-used. Some rivets were missing. The cloak proclaimed him one of the dockyard guards in service to his majesty King Vilander.

Meaty thuds came from the alley in his back but the sound and the whimpers that accompanied them merely brought a smile to his lips.

In the alley, two guards held down a large man in the attire of a merchant or shop owner. He seemed to be close to unconscious blood ran from gashes on his face and head and his eyes were swollen and puffy. A third took a step back and wound up a strike with the truncheon he held in his hand before landing it with a crack on the upper leg of the merchant.

“Don’t be daft, you will kill him if you continue like this. Where is the fun in that? You have to do it carefully.” One of the guards holding the man scolded.

“My hand hurts from hitting him and my throat is dry. It’s not funny if they don’t scream anymore.”

“You are one sick bastard.” The guard that had been silent until now said half-admiringly. “But I also think he learned something tonight. What use is the money he kept for himself now? It won’t pay for new teeth.” He snickered.

A small figure walked down the road and the captain looked up before throwing the rest of the burning mess in his hand to the ground where it sizzled in a puddle before going out. “What are you doing here so late at night? It’s well past curfew already.”

The figure raised its head and an inhumanely beautiful face looked up at him, cold blue-green eyes regarded him silently.

“An elf? Probably an Ulsolm sympathizer or spy. I think we will have to be extra careful and take you back to the tower.” He grinned before taking a step forward while calling back over his shoulder, “Krager. Come over here.”

As he turned back the figure was standing directly before him and before he could say anything a cold sensation lanced through his chest. And while he was trying to understand what was happening the cold began to spread and darkness closed in from the sides of his vision as his hearing grew faint. The last thing he saw was a hand with claws of black ice dripping with a dark fluid. A thin tongue lapped at the fluid between small canines, very white in the pale illumination of the glow lamps.

From the alley, she heard a surprised exclamation, then the sound of something tearing, a thud, then silence again.

Iseret walked out of the alley shaking her khopesh free of the blood clinging to it.

The shopkeeper was out cold. “Mh. That is not according to plan. I hoped he could be a witness and point Orpen's Gang in our direction.” Vanessa looked dissatisfied.

“I think it went better than expected. Not only did we remove the captain, but we also lanced a boil festering in the side of this city.”

“Strange sentiments for someone in your position.”

“When my heart is weighed against the feather I might be glad for all such moments where I did not only do wrong.” Iseret’s eyes were unreadable.

“I think we will leave it at that for tonight. Tomorrow, same room, Golden Cockerel?”

Nodding her assent Iseret sheathed her sword and looked after Vanessa’s departing form, before hurrying away through the night. As she left the docks she heard the alarm bell ringing from the Northbank Tower. ‘That was quick.’ A fleeting smile curved her lips.

Maximilian held his head. A dull pounding made him grit his teeth. He and Alea had not been close for years. He was learning in Graufurt how to be the heir or he was in the Academy studying there was not much time left for leisure or family. Yes, he had sent a present for birthdays and the major holidays but other than that? It was all for her benefit too he reasoned.

He visited about once a year and he loved her. At least that was what he told himself. But he had so much to do and his sister was...an invalid. Someone to be protected. Once she had been THE prodigy of the family and everyone had fawned over her. He had been jealous, why shouldn’t he be. But that had turned to pity as she lost her sight and more so after the death of her parents. She was strange and withdrawn after that even as he had tried to reach out to her.

He had been very glad to leave her to Elaide and he had been even more thankful for all the distractions afforded him through his work.

Alyssa and Mireille were a godsend. Both were talented in their own way and with proper schooling, they would be truly powerful assets. But most of all they kept his sister company and alleviated his guilt.

She had gone to a brothel. He could not wrap his head around it. And then the small vampire girl. He had a vague impression of what that meant. Once he had been in the company of a teacher and together with some soldiers they had cleaned out a corrupted graveyard. There had been a wight mage. So he had thought, ‘What about it?’ The wight had fallen quickly to the light magic wielded by the military mages. The book lying before him was titled ‘Creatures of Myth and Legend and their Impact on Modern Margrinar’ The content of that book was enough to let him lose sleep.

“Mr. Brache?”

“Yes, young master?”

“Please acquire the services of some mercenaries, the three brothers we last employed should be good if still available. And I want you to keep an eye on Alea as long as she is at the academy.”

“I will make the necessary preparation. Please excuse me.”

Did he do the right thing? As long as she is in the academy nothing much could happen, of that he was relatively sure. Graufurt went through difficult times at the moment and he would be damned if he did not see the opportunities presented him by the association with the Reborn and Vanessa. So he did what he always did in regard to his sister. He waited.

The next morning.

Mr. Glames looked them over. “I hope you are recovered from yesterday’s test because today we will be going over the different tenses in Allisairian. And after that, we will study the hundred-year war with the mer-folk. And before I forget. The results of the test will be posted on the noticeboard at the mensa for lunch. Look forward to it!”

Soft whispers and chatter filled the air as students discussed the announcement.

“I will have silence. You can talk at lunch to your heart's content but not during my classes.”

Mireille looked a bit green around the nose.

Alyssa leaned towards her and whispered, “Do you feel unwell? Should I take you to the infirmary?”

“Ms. Miner. Please come forward and write down all tenses for ‘To be rewarded with wisdom’ and ‘To act with caution’.” He clapped twice. “Don’t tarry, we don’t have all day. There is a lot of content to cover for today!”

Alyssa got up and with the look of a sacrifice walking to the blood-stained altar went to write on the blackboard. Mireille gave her an encouraging smile which only looked slightly forced.

At lunch, there was a big group of students blocking the board before the mensa.

Mireille and Alyssa, Alea was left to guard their table, fought through the throng, and looked at the results.

“Thirty-three. Not good but not that bad either.” Alyssa looked dissatisfied. “I will have to study more for the next test.”

“Forty-eight.” Mireille tonelessly announced.

Some students looked at her and snickered, some laughed openly.

“That is...bad.” Alyssa did not know how to sugarcoat the result.

“And it means I have remedial lessons on Saturday. As if I did not know that would be coming.” Mireille looked despondent.

“Did you spot Alea’s result?” Alyssa was still looking over the parchment.

“You are not looking in the right spot.” Mireille pointed at the upper part of the list.

“Sixth?! Really?” Alyssa looked surprised.

“She is always studying or reading and she had a tutor and she did listen to that tutor. And she is really intelligent.” Mireille began to list her points.

“Stop that.” Alyssa smiled and swatted Mireille's hand. “Let’s get back to her.”

As they got back they saw Alea sitting uncomfortably while a few students were trying to talk to her.

“Nice going Alea!” Mireille grinned. “You are sixth in class!”

Alea looked up and relief was written on her features. The students that were just talking to her looked at the two girls coming near and excused themselves. The looks they threw Alyssa, in particular, left no doubt as to why they wanted to leave so quickly.

“I am very glad that you are here at last. What took you so long? How were your results?”

“I got thirty-three, Mireille got…”

“Forty-eight.”

“What?”

“I don’t like to repeat that.” Mireille sat down heavily and stabbed her fork into some noodles.

“Forty-eight.” Alyssa supplied.

“I don’t like if anyone repeats that.” Mireille tried for a stern expression but failed and had to smile.

“You don’t seem much affected?” Alea questioned.

“I had a lot of time to prepare myself for something like that. It’s not as if I was not aware of my lacking academics.”

“Why don’t you study more then?” Alea asked seriously.

“I can’t. I simply cannot focus for so long. Yes, I probably could do better. Other than grandma who insisted I learn to read and write there was no one who gave a flying f...ahem.” She coughed embarrassedly. “So I have some catching up to do.”

Alyssa looked approvingly and stroked her back. “Don’t put strange words into Alea’s head. And I can and do sympathize. My mother taught me a lot and the books were mine to read after her death but that is not nearly enough to do well here.”

“I know very well what you nearly said. It is not as if we did not have servants.” Alea snorted. “We should study together, perhaps Lucille is interested in a study group. Her being in our dorm would make things a lot easier.”

“Do you think Vanessa is okay?” Alyssa asked.

“Naturally.” Mireille leaned back. “Can’t think of a thing that would really hurt her in the city.”

“That is a bit naive. There are a lot of powerful people here.” Alea answered.

“What about Maximilian? Has he said something?” Alyssa tried to steer the conversation into safer waters.

“If it is like before he will hire some more guards and perhaps even assign his bodyguard to watch me. I’m not worried. But we should refrain from going into the city until this is resolved.”

“Makes sense even as I find that thought stifling.” Alyssa sighed.

And then they were off to their afternoon classes.