On Ira, there were multiple Gateway complexes, so Purattu arranged for carriages to take them through the city. He had Kashtiliash and Xerxes ride with him, then had the other nineteen mages divide themselves as they saw fit between four additional carriages.

Once on the streets, Xerxes peered out and saw that the city was, disappointingly, very much like the other cities. He’d expected this higher starisle to have gigantic buildings plated with gold, or at least something like that. Granted, the city did seem to be bigger, and there were a few more towers and temples than back home.

“Not impressed?” Purattu asked.

Xerxes quickly wiped a frown from his face that he hadn’t even realized had appeared. “Well…” he said.

“Ira’s a shithole,” Kashtiliash said.

Purattu barked a laugh. “Well, that’s indeed what a lot of people say. Supposedly the last four or five kings in a row have been morons who care more about amassing harems and going hunting than running a government. Just wait until you see Ku-Aya and Sin-Amuhhu.”

“You’ve been to Sin-Amuhhu?” Xerxes asked reflexively, and immediately regretted it, as he remembered Purattu had openly stated he was jealous of their group for being assigned to a college there.

“No,” Purattu said, his nose flaring slightly. “But I’ve heard a lot about it. It’s definitely a step up from where I was raised. And compared to where you two come from, it’s like heaven compared to hell.”

Trying not to think about what Purattu’s words implied about Mannemid, he looked back out at the city. The streets were packed. There were armed soldiers on patrol, rich folk with attendants holding parasols over them to shield them from the hot sun, beggars crouching in alleys, and street performers at all of the big intersections.

After a few minutes passed, Purattu said, “Forget about the sights for a moment. I brought you two with me because, well, I like both of you. It was a surprise to find people who study the Epitome in less— lower starisles, and that’s why I put you in charge of the others. I’d hoped to do a bit of training with you while we traveled, but there was never time.

“Anyway, once you get to the Sin-Amuhhu Institute of Military Magic, don’t expect any special treatment. They’ll assess you almost right away, and then use the results to split you into different groups. Some of you will end up as company officers who command both fellow mages and Unsighted troops. The rest will be put in with the regular troops.”

“I guess it’s better to be an officer?” Xerxes asked.

“Yes,” Purattu said. “If nothing else, the pay is better, and I know both of you had hard lives growing up.”

Kashtiliash stiffened.

“Hey, hey,” Purattu continued, “it wasn’t meant as an insult. You want to know one thing that pisses me off? It’s those shithead mages from rich families who use money to get ahead in the world. I hate people like that.”

Kashtiliash seemed to loosen.

Purattu sighed. “It’s true I come from a family with money. But my dad—he’s Unsighted by the way—he grew up poor. He worked hard to get his fortune, and he forced me to do the same as a mage. I earned my way to where I am now, but not everybody is like that. Anyway, I have a proposition to make. Even though I haven’t been to Sin-Amuhhu, I know it’s a wild place. There are rich fools there who would make me seem like a beggar. The cost of living is insane, and you’ll only have a stipend of two shekels a month from the Institute. That won’t do much other than buy you a few extra meals on your days off. So I’d like to offer each of you a loan.”

Xerxes’ eyes flitted to Kashtiliash to gauge his reaction. The bearded mage was looking at him for the same reason.

He looked back toward Purattu. “A loan? Not… a gift?”

Purattu pshawed. “Gift? Are you kidding me? I wouldn’t insult you that way. I’m talking about a loan. No interest, at least not the money kind. You can pay me back after you graduate, or after you return from your first major mission and get paid.”

“What’s the catch?” Kashtiliash asked. “There’s no way you’re just going to give us money out of the kindness of your heart.”

“Of course not. You’ll owe me. A favor, I guess. I don’t know, I haven’t really thought it through that deeply. The thing is that I can afford this and I want to do it. Help the two of you. And later on, when you’re High Mystics, I’ll have two friends. In my belief, friends and allies are a lot more important than gold and silver.”

Xerxes and Kashtiliash again exchanged a glance. Xerxes hated the way Gandash threw money around, but somehow this offer from Purattu felt different. It wasn’t him flaunting his money, nor him pitying them.

“How much?” Xerxes asked.

“Fifty shekels,” Purattu said.

Xerxes nearly choked. His father barely made thirty shekels a month, at least before the Abhorrent invasion. Who knew how things might change with Gandash’s father as the new Head Mage. In any case, his father and mother had nearly drained their savings to give him forty shekels of spending money upon leaving Mannemid, and he had considered that an enormous sum.

“I can’t…” Kashtiliash said, but Purattu cut him off.

“Don’t be dumb,” the High Mystic said. “This isn’t charity, it’s a business deal. Use it to invest in a new sword. Better armor. Spell components. Whatever. The point is that I help you get an edge, and later on down the line, you help me. Consider it the start of an alliance. When I become the Head Mage of Ku-Aya, I’ll hire the two of you as advisers. And with that power base, we’ll take on Sin-Amuhhu. Eventually, the entire Great Reef. One day, we’ll all be Anunnaki!”

Xerxes chuckled, and a moment later, Purattu joined him. Even Kashtiliash let out a snort that bordered on laughter. The idea of the three of them taking over an entire major portion of the starsea was almost completely ridiculous. And even more far-fetched was the idea of them becoming immortal Anunnaki.

“Well?” Purattu asked. “Deal?”

A short silence followed, which was broken by Kashtiliash. “Deal.”

Xerxes grinned. “Deal!”