Xerxes tried to jerk free from the hand on his shoulder, but its grip was so tight it felt like steel.

“Calm down,” the voice said, and he turned his head to find the masked figure standing behind him. Dark eyes were visible through the mask. And Xerxes could tell this person was roughly the same height as himself. Other than that, it was impossible to tell anything about the figure. Gloves covered his fingers. The hood of his cloak was deep. All Xerxes could tell was that this person was a man and that his voice was familiar.

“Who—?” he managed, but the voice interrupted.

“Do not speak my name aloud. I’m Archon Shabadras, and I’m communicating with you mentally. Nod if you understand.”

Xerxes hadn’t noticed it before, but now he realized that the voice wasn’t reaching him via his ears. It was just there. In his mind.

He nodded.

“Sorry for the dramatics, but I wish to speak with you in private. Follow me.”

The Archon passed him with a swish of his cloak and began walking in the same direction Xerxes had originally been heading. Xerxes followed. At the next intersection, Shabadras turned right, then ducked behind one of the tarps separating two vendor stalls. They squeezed into another aisle, then through more tarps. Around a corner.

Finally, they emerged into a stall that sold items such as brooms and brushes. It was empty, and the outward-facing side of the stall was closed off, as vendors often did when they closed shop for lunch or the night.

Archon Shabadras held a finger up to the lips of his mask. Then he reached under a table and into a box, from which he pulled out a bundle of cloth and another bronze mask. He handed them to Xerxes.

“Put them on,” he projected.

Xerxes unfolded the cloth to find that it was a cloak. He threw it open and put it over his shoulders. He slipped the mask on, then pulled up the hood.

“This way,” Shabadras said. The Archon led the way through another labyrinthine path of vendor stalls and side aisles. Eventually, they reached one of the main thoroughfares, whereupon Shabadras led the way straight toward a building with a veneer of bronze statuary, and a sign that read Bronze Bull.

Hold on, Xerxes thought. Isn’t that… a brothel? There’s no way he’s taking me to….

That was exactly where Shabadras was leading Xerxes. When they entered the front of the establishment, the Archon headed to the side, up a staircase, and into a back room.

Once inside, he closed the door, then put his hand against it for a moment.

Xerxes saw melam flowing, and then sensed a change in the air pressure around him.

At that point, Shabadras threw his hood back and took his mask off.

“Go ahead and do the same,” the Archon said.

Xerxes complied.

The room was most definitely… a brothel room.

A massive bed occupied the far end, plush with silk sheets and numerous pillows. Erotic paintings festooned the walls, and perfume hung in the air.

What the hell is going on? Xerxes thought.

“Have a seat,” Shabadras said, gesturing at a sofa off to the side, flanked by two chairs. “I apologize for the suddenness, but you’re a hard man to pin down.”

Eying the Archon, Xerxes lowered himself onto the sofa.

“I needed to talk with you off-campus, but you’ve been quite studious over the past few weeks. I’m not complaining. But it made things difficult.”

Xerxes was still confused and somewhat leery. “Why… off-campus?”

“Safety.” He gestured at the door. “There’s a spell formation at work that will give us privacy. As for the venue—” He looked around as he took one of the chairs, then his brow furrowed. “Oh, this is sort of an odd setting for a first meeting. I didn’t really think about it, as we have safe meeting locations set up in a variety of places that we hope our enemies wouldn’t think to look for us in.”

“Enemies?”

“The Eternal Father Cult. And the Abhorrent.”

Everything from Mannemid came rushing back. The attack on the bridge. Bel’s death. Ninsunu’s betrayal. He blinked. “You said that ‘we’ have safe meeting locations. Who do you mean by ‘we’?”

“Good question. I represent a faction in the Mage Parliament that, for centuries on end, has been entrusted with keeping an eye on the cult. Now that the Abhorrent have launched an invasion, and the cult is more active than ever, it stands to reason that we’re taking an active role in keeping the empire safe.

“It’s for that reason I went to these lengths to talk with you in private. But first, I want to make sure that our conversation remains confidential.” He pulled out a strip of parchment and a small cauldron. “Please read this blood oath. If you agree to sign it, mark it with blood and then we’ll burn it to seal the oath.”

Xerxes took the parchment and read it. It bound him to confidentiality regarding his meeting with Shabadras, as well as any subsequent activities tasked him by the Archon. He didn’t ask what would happen if he refused to agree to it. He signed it, then handed it back to Shabadras, who burned it.

“Good,” the Archon said. “With that out of the way, let me explain what I have in mind for you. Simply put, I want you to infiltrate a local cell of cultists with the goal of identifying the leaders in the organization. Whenever we bring in a new class of students, they target them for recruitment, and it’s too perfect of an opportunity to pass up.”

It wasn’t anything Xerxes had been expecting this meeting to touch on, but on the other hand, it wasn’t surprising. “Okay. But… why me?”

“Two reasons. First, you were endorsed by High Mystic Purattu from Ku-Aya. Second, you’ve had dealings with cultists.”

“I suppose I have.”

“Of the entire group in the current student body, a mere handful have ever encountered a true cultist. And you’re the only person who killed one. Another of those with cult experience has been selected to partner with you. The two of you will work together to worm your way into the ranks of the cult. Find out who the leaders are. And report back to me.

“I know you might be worried about the danger. And thus, I’m willing to offer you a bit of a reward. Identify the leader of the Eternal Father Cult on Sin-Amuhhu, or at least someone connected directly to that person, and I’ll personally endorse you for an officer commission.”