AA3 32 - Elements (Patreon)

The next few hours slipped by swiftly, ending with them finding a single reference in the oldest of the books to a conversation that Bronagh had had with a monster hunter about unusual activity.

Reading that had sparked the Keeper’s memory to an extent, but unfortunately, the person in question had died a few years back. 

“I think this will be all we can accomplish today,” Bronagh said, putting the thick book she had been searching through onto the table. “This hunting angle has given me ideas, but it will take time to find the relevant texts and read through them. Come back in a week or two. I might have more for you then.”

“Thank you, Keeper. That would be most appreciated,” Verdan said, getting to his feet with a wince as his back twinged in protest. A few hours hunched over the table had done him no favours.

“It’s the least I can do,” Bronagh said, her expression turning serious as she met Verdan’s gaze. “The fact that my daughter hasn’t come back with blood on her axe tells me that none of our staff have the poison in their rooms. I hope that means that none of them were involved, but that will mean we must question where exactly it came from.”

“I’m sorry that there isn’t more I can do to assist,” Verdan said with a touch of frustration. He knew that he’d likely saved her life, but he couldn’t help feeling like he’d come in, shaken up everything, and was now leaving them to deal with it.

“Nonsense, you’ve done enough.” Bronagh reached over and pulled on a discreet section of rope she’d previously used to summon a servant. “I’m feeling a bit worn down, so I’ll take my rest now. Once you’re back, I should have more for you.”

Verdan nodded his thanks, noting that she was looking quite pale once more. It was nothing that some rest wouldn’t cure, though. His healing had seen to that.

Bronagh instructed the servant who answered her summons to escort Verdan back to his companions before settling back into her chair and closing her eyes.

Verdan stepped out of the library and shut the door as quietly as he could. “Make sure she rests for at least a few hours. After that, she needs to eat a hearty meal this evening. Can you pass that on?”

“I’ll make sure the staff all know,” the servant said with a serious expression. “For what it’s worth, you have our thanks for helping her. None of us know the full details, but we can guess enough to realise your efforts.”

Verdan gave a neutral smile and a nod, not wanting to confirm or deny anything while Maeve was still investigating.

They reached the dining hall a few moments later, and Verdan relaxed a little as he saw that his companions were perfectly fine.

Barb and Mangus were playing some sort of dice game with a pair of burly Kranjir guards while Kai was sat off to one side, meditating.

Verdan could feel the Aether shifting around Kai, with strong ripples flowing out each time the Sorcerer took a breath and inhaled some of the energy.

Verdan stopped and stared, his attention shifting entirely to Kai as he watched the process repeat several times. He’d seen Kai meditate and cultivate the Essence he used in the past, but it had never looked like this.

“Verdan?” Barb’s voice snapped Verdan out of his thoughts, and he flushed a little as he realised he’d been standing there staring at Kai.

“Sorry, I was in my own world there,” Verdan said, doing his best to ignore the curious looks he was getting. “We’re all done here, so we’d best head back now.”

“Got it, I’m ready to go,” Barb said, grabbing her dice and standing up from the table, Magnus following suit a moment later.

“Are we heading back to the inn?” Kai asked, rising smoothly to his feet from where he had been sat. It seemed that he was aware even when meditating.

“Yes, that’s probably for the best,” Verdan said with a nod. A lot had happened since they arrived. Taking some time to relax in the inn would be more than welcome.

“I’ll escort you back,” Magnus said, giving the door that Verdan had come through a lingering glance before grabbing his axe and following Barb over to the door.

“So,” Kai asked as they left the Bark family Hall and moved into the city proper. “Did you find anything?”

“Yes, but nothing that I wanted to find,” Verdan said, pausing to make sure there was no one close to enough to overhear. “It turns out that the Keeper was being slowly poisoned. Her daughter was tearing the place apart looking for who was responsible when I left.”

“Will she be okay?” Kai asked, glancing back the way they’d come with concern.

“In the short term, yes,” Verdan said, hesitating a little before continuing. “It doesn’t solve the issue of how she was being poisoned, though.”

“Don’t get too involved in this,” Kai warned, his eyes narrowing slightly. “We’re not here to get sucked into local politics.”

“Oh no, I have no intention of getting caught up in this,” Verdan said, shuddering a little at the very idea.

Verdan had taken a liking to Keeper Barkstar, and he was glad he’d been able to spare her from such a nasty poison, but that was as far as it went.

He was doing his best to stand by the oath he’d sworne when he became a Wizard. To shoulder the responsibilities that came with the power he wielded.

Fighting back against the Weeping Death had been one thing. Hobson’s Point was his new home, after all. They were outsiders here, unfamiliar with the history of what was happening.

No, Verdan would follow his sense of duty and morality on a case-by-case basis, but he would avoid the larger issues.

Kai studied Verdan’s expression for a long moment before nodding slightly. “Good. In that case, I have a favour to ask unless you have plans this evening?”

“I think I can squeeze some time in for you,” Verdan said with mock seriousness. “What do you need?”

“I wish to push forward my cultivation of wind. It lags behind my understanding of fire, but the little I’ve been able to accomplish with it has been important.”

“A sentiment I can only approve of,” Verdan said, nodding along as Kai spoke. “What can I do to help?”

For a long time, Verdan had been a generalist Wizard, not specialising in anything, and that had served him well. It was true that his spells lacked the force of a specialist, but finding the right spell for the right situation suited him better than a brute-force approach. 

“I was hoping you had a relevant Word that you could use while I meditate to help me focus on the element.” Kai gave Verdan a meaningful look to make it clear just what sort of word he meant.

“I have something similar, yes. It won’t resonate as well as with fire, though.”

“Why not?” Kai cocked his head to one side curiously.

“I don’t know the Word for wind, only for air. While it will be similar, the concept will be different enough to be noticeable. Well, I assume so based on everything I’ve been taught.” Verdan frowned distractedly, wondering just how much of his studies were no longer valid.

So much had changed. So many things he’d have thought impossible had been made real.

“I see,” Kai said with a thoughtful expression. “I’d appreciate it if we could still try. Even knowing how different my element is to the general concept of air would be worthwhile.”

“Speaking of meditations, I noticed a change in what you were doing earlier. I could see the Aether moving around you.”

“Ah, I thought it made a difference, but it’s good to know for sure,” Kai said, the corner of his mouth twitching up into a smile as he saw Verdan’s intent expression. 

“What did you do? Did you change your method?” Verdan asked, trying to recall everything Kai had told him in the past about how he cycled his Essence.

“In a way.” Kai had an amused look on his face that only grew as Verdan motioned impatiently for him to explain. “I remembered some comments you’d made in the past about your ‘gathering spiral’ and tried to make something similar. It’s little more than extending my control over the energy I breathe in at this point, but I’ll work on it.”

“Interesting, so you’re not forming a pattern with it yet?” 

“No, I don’t think my control is as fine as yours, or Dirk’s for that matter.”

“That’s just a matter of practice,” Verdan said encouragingly, though he knew it wasn’t quite that easy. Improving Kai’s Aether control would be a long, hard road, but it was doable.

Besides, Kai was as stubborn as they came.

“Looks like we have company,” Barb called back to them as they entered the courtyard where the inn was located. 

Two young-looking boys were waiting at the entrance, each carrying a satchel with what looked like a family seal on it.

The closer of the two had a blue shield on his satchel, the symbol of the Mac family, but the other had a black stag for his satchel.

It took Verdan a moment before he placed the emblem as the one on the woman with the elaborate caelin who had been with the Thane.

The two boys straightened as they saw the group approaching, each of them pulling out a scroll case.

There was a brief moment of tension between the two before the one with the black stag emblem stepped back, letting the Mac family messenger approach first.

“Wizard Blacke. Keeper Macstan has sent this message to you,” the young boy said, nodding respectfully to Verdan as he passed over the scroll case. “He asked me to wait for a response, either verbal or written.”

“Thank you,” Verdan took the case before looking over to the other boy, who stepped forward and offered the one he was holding.

“Wizard Blacke. Keeper Corstan has sent this message to you. He has also asked that I wait for a response, either verbal or written.”

Verdan looked down at the two scroll cases with a somewhat bemused expression before looking back at the two messengers, who were eyeing each other warily.

“What were you saying about staying out of the politics,” Kai whispered, his eyes crinkling with suppressed laughter.