The dawn found Raith restless, and with a few hours to kill before meeting the team he decided to make a stop first. The moment he stepped into Vandamir’s shop Raith felt the last bit of tension from their adventures drain away. As much as he loved his family, this place had always been his refuge. He smiled as a familiar voice floated out from the back.

  “I’ll be with you in a moment.”

  Crinkle ran to greet him almost immediately, hugging his leg and then jumping back as Veil appeared to examine the fellow daemon. The two creatures excitedly gesticulated then took turns chasing each other around the shop. Vandamir emerged a moment later, cleaning his glasses on with his shirt, and brow furrowed as he watched the little creatures dart around.

  “Another daemon? Now where in the world…” the gnome put his glasses back on and froze at the sight of Raith standing there with an stupidly enormous grin.

  “It’s good to see you, sir.”

  Vandamir returned a warm smile and clasped his hands in front of his chest.

  “Mr. Quirric! Please come in and sit down while I put on some tea. I daresay I’ve missed you around the shop these past months. And you found a daemon, how delightful.”

  He bustled off to prepare the tea, and Raith settled contentedly into his familiar chair. The two sipped tea while Raith recounted the tales of his adventures. The old gnome only interrupting with a few appropriately timed exclamations. When the tale was through, Raith offered another smile.

  “I have need of your services, sir.”

  Vandamir set down his tea and raised an eyebrow questioningly. Raith stood clear of the chairs and reached into his satchel with a heave, pulling the enormous tome he’d recovered from Tarn to crash onto the floor of the shop with a woomph of air. The gnome shot to his feet.

  Vandamir reached out to place a hand reverently on the book, and Raith knew an invisible flurry of [Skills] were being fired off. When he was done, Vandamir slowly opened the book to the first page, read it, then slammed it shut.

  “Wait.” Rushing to the window, he pulled the blinds and turned the open sign to closed before locking the door and returning the prize. He read the first few pages of the book, eyes welling with tears, then closed it gently.

  “Where did you get this?”

  Raith explained his [Duplicate Book] skill and the ruins they found within Tarn.

  “So I thought you could help me sell it. For generous commission, of course.”

  “Do you know what this book is, Mr. Quirric?”

  Raith frowned. He’d read it, but was a bit disappointed in the contents.

  “Poetry?”

  “Not just poetry, young man. These are penned by the Goddess of Poetry, Saladonia herself.”

  “So it’s worth a lot?”

  The gnome gave him a disappointed frown.

  “I would like to say that no price can be placed on such a treasure, but that is not the case. Are you in any particular hurry to be rid of it?”

  Raith knew the question wasn’t soley about the time it would take to find a buyer.

  “Not at all. Take as long as you need with it. In the meantime, I’ll leave it here under your care, if that’s alright.”

  Vandamir gave him a grateful smile.

  “Now, Mr. Quirric. You will have to help me get this into the back room.”

  ***

  Struggling to get the book into the back of Vandamir’s shop proved to be more involved than Raith had initially anticipated, particularly clearing out a space in the cluttered workroom. By the time he arrived at the Adventurer’s Guild, the rest of his team was already seated around a table in the back corner sipping on cool tea and impatiently awaiting his arrival.

  The guild hall was strangely empty, and Raith, recalling their last encounter, crept through it nervously looking around for the famous Guildmistress in fear of another dressing-down. He made his way to the table unmolested, glancing at his friends.

  “Where is everybody?”

  Tolliver set down his drink and wiped a dribble from his lips with one finger.

  “Either on quests or hiding. Given the foes arrayed against the kingdom at the moment, the quests are quite dangerous as we prepare for the possibility of war against the formorians. And Weavers help us, the Templars. Those brave enough and strong enough have taken [Quests] to aid the kingdom. The rest have fled somewhere safer in hopes this will all blow over soon.”

  Raith nodded, then looked to Thea, who was flexing and unflexing her new hand, staring off into the distance.

  “How are your parents?” he asked.

  She jerked herself from whatever reverie her mind had been in and met his eyes sadly.

  “I’ve never seen them look so tired before. They’ve gone and promoted my father and he's absolutely furious.”

  “That seems like it would be a good thing,” said Tolliver.

  Thea gave a wry laugh.

  “You wouldn’t say that if you knew my father. The defecting Templars have all fled to their stronghold in Faranor and overthrown the Eidolon. They’ve brought a modest contingent from other factions from the Order of the Loom as well, who hope to ally themselves with the true giants when they’re freed from their towers. My father’s running the Beckhaven Order while the Archive has been called to the capitol. So what…”

  She broke off, eyeing Zinny and Tolliver bickering quietly.

  “Am I boring you two?”

  Zinny turned to face the group.

  “Tolliver keeps going on and on about these fancy cyclops lightning arrows, like he wants the cyclops to be our archer. But you’ve already got an archer.” She whirled back to poke a tiny finger in the [Mage]’s face “If you want lightning arrows, I’ll make lightning arrows. You’ll see.”

  Tolliver just shrugged helplessly.

  Thea gave the pixie a reassuring smile.

  “It’s alright. You’re our archer. It would be impossible for us to sneak around with a cyclops lumbering beside us anyway.”

  This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

  Mollified, Zinny crossed her arms over her chest and sat down in a huff. Raith moved to what he saw as the most pressing matter.

  “So I think our first order of business should be getting the key into the MerScale’s Bank,” she said. “That way they can get it into an undersea vault and out of the giant-kin’s reach as fast as possible .”

  “I agree. I’ve been nervous as a faun carrying this thing around. It’s silly but I can’t shake the thought some formorian paragon is going to jump out at any moment to take it. The sooner I’m rid of it, the better.”

  “Well, it’s agreed then. First stop, MerScale’s Bank. Then let’s go check out these estates of ours.”

  Tolliver got a bit of an odd look on his face at the mention of their houses in the Noble District.

  “What?” Raith asked.

  “Well, just don’t get your hopes up too much. They’ve been abandoned for a long time It’s been a while since I passed down that way, but let’s just say they’re not in very good shape.”

  “Alright, well, we’ll see when we get there. First, let’s get rid of this artifact.”

  The mid-morning streets of Beckhaven had heated up into a semi-crowded hustle and bustle. They worked their way through, and Raith couldn’t help but overhear the whispers, points, and stares. At first he thought they were all about Zinny and her curious mount. But then he realized, after looking around to see she had disappeared, that it was the Myth Seekers they were excited to see.

  Growing increasingly uncomfortable the further they traveled, Raith’s eyes darted around nervously. It was only by trying to avoid eye contact with the curious citizens that he noticed, with his keen [Hawksight], they were being followed.

  He spotted a man leaping from one rooftop to another, then peeking over the ledge of a roof as they proceeded. Without looking directly at his companions, he murmured, “We’re being followed.”

  “Where?” said Nyhm.

  Raith used his eyes to gesture upwards toward the rooftops to the left.

  “Up there.”

  Nyhm carefully did not turn his head in that direction but gave a very subtle nod.

  “Zinny, are you here?” Raith asked.

  “Yes, Captain.”

  He nearly jumped at the voice coming from right next to him.

  “I want you to go take a look at who that is up there and come back and report when you have a good description.”

  She didn’t say another word, so he presumed she went off to examine their spy. She soon returned and described the man following them.

  “He’s very ugly, even for a human,” she concluded.

  Tolliver groaned as she detailed the man's features.

  “That’s one of my father’s men.”

  We really don’t need this shit right now.

  Fortunately, just up ahead were the bank doors. Whatever the Archduke’s spy might want, they should remain unmolested on a busy, crowded street and be safe once they got inside.

  They entered the cool, aquamarine marble halls of the MerScale’s Bank and went to the closest employee.

  “We have a very rare and valuable artifact that we need secured and brought to a vault at the main branch.”

  The man’s eyes widened at this.

  “There will be a fee, of course. It will go out with our next trip in a month’s time.”

  I don’t want this thing in the city for a whole month. That gives the fomor way too much time to figure out where it went.

  “Can we pay a little bit extra and have you go earlier?”

  He shook his head.

  “I’m afraid not. We have very strict security protocols for those transports, and the teams who are involved are not currently available.”

  Shit.

  With a nod to Thea, she produced the horn and they turned it over. They watched as it was put into the vault, not looking away until the door was securely closed. The moment it shut, Raith heard the gentle whoosh of the entrance door. Everyone jerked their heads around to catch the barest glimpse of another figure slipping out just before them.

  “Did any of you see who that was?”

  Nobody had, but someone had been watching this whole entire exchange.

  ***

  “I told you,” said Tolliver flatly.

  The group stood in the middle of the street, Raith supposed it was their street now, though it looked as if the city itself had forgotten it. The houses that lined both sides weren’t quite ruins yet, but they were well on their way. Overgrown yards tangled with vines and thorny bushes, a little patch of wilderness reclaiming its prize right in the heart of Beckhaven. Paint peeled from cracked shutters, ivy climbed high up the walls, pulling away chunks of plaster that crumbled to the cobblestones below. A lone shutter dangled from a single rusted hinge, swaying in the breeze like it might crash down at any second.

  “I kind of like it,” said Thea, hands on her hips, a smile tugging at her mouth.

  Tolliver made a disgusted sound in his throat.

  “How do we even begin to repair all this?” asked Raith, stepping forward to take in the full extent of the decay.

  They walked down the block, surveying house after house, each one in the same sorry state. Tolliver took wing, his form dissolving into a leathery bat that made a quick circuit of the neighborhood before reappearing and shaking his head grimly.

  “It serves little purpose to soften the blow,” he said. “Restoring these residences to their former glory will be an expensive undertaking. Years of neglect, intricate craftsmanship…the cost will be steep.”

  “Why is yours the smallest?” asked Zinny, fluttering closer.

  The [Mage]’s cheeks colored faintly. “My father likely had a hand in that. No matter, none of these are livable at the moment.”

  “Why don’t we just fix up one and live there for now?” offered Nyhm.

  Raith raised his eyebrows. That was actually a good idea and Thea was already nodding in agreement.

  “I’ve got no problem with that. This one here in the middle is the biggest by far. Why don’t we start with it? Once we’re settled, we can spread out and repair the others.”

  “That sounds like a solid plan,” said Raith. “Anyone object?”

  No one spoke, though Tolliver looked slightly uneasy. Raith gave him a moment to voice what was on his mind, but when nothing was forthcoming he shrugged.

  “Alright then. Let’s see what we’re working with.”

  The gate was so rusted it took both Raith and Nyhm straining together to pry it open. The path beyond was buried beneath knee-high weeds and curling vines. Raith wished for a sword just to hack his way through. Only the large paving stones hinted at the walkway beneath. On either side of the double doors sat two massive stone planters, their soil long dry, home now only to a few restless insects.

  He tried the door, expecting it to be locked, but it swung open with a groan and a puff of dust.

  Raith ducked with a shout as a bird burst out from the darkness, streaking past their heads into the daylight.

  They stepped inside, their boots echoing in the hollow silence. Sunlight slanted in from high, grimy windows, illuminating a grand double staircase that curved upward on either side of the entrance hall. Two doorways branched off toward what must have been parlors or sitting rooms, and a corridor beneath the balcony led deeper into the house, likely toward kitchen and dining areas.

  Cracked tiles lined the floor. A few windows were shattered, but surprisingly, many remained intact. Thick cobwebs draped from the rafters. Bird nests and dust coated everything. The place was vast, far larger than anything Raith had seen growing up, though for the Noble District, it was merely average.

  Tolliver hadn’t exaggerated, restoring this would be a monumental task.

  They explored quickly, finding a basement below that had clearly once served as an alchemical laboratory. When they confirmed there were no squatters or lurking dangers, they regrouped in the entrance hall.

  “So,” Raith said, glancing toward Thea, “while we’ve got some privacy, why don’t we identify those relics we found along with the horn?”

  Thea wasted no time. She knelt and laid out the artifacts carefully on the dusty floor. Raith picked up a wand, tracing its runes with his fingers.

  “This one’s… intricate,” he muttered. “Almost impossibly so. It’ll take me a while. These runephrases are far more complex than anything I’ve seen even your pouch.”

  Tolliver reached into his satchel and drew a familiar wand.

  “I’ve recharged my wand of identification. Allow me.”

  He went down the line, murmuring words of power as each item flared briefly with color. When he finished, he passed the tiny scrolls around.

  ‘Delandria’s Eye: A scrying tool of great power.’

  That sounds incredibly useful. Especially since we now have a home base. He glanced around at the dilapidated building. Or at least we’re working in it.

  ‘Netherwand: Peerless magical facilitation for creating and controlling undead.’

  “I think we should sell this one. No one on the team is a necromancer. Tolliver, would you mind using your Mage Guild contacts to see what kind of price we can get. I don’t trust that Dahbi is offering us the best deal.”

  Tolliver inclined his head.

  ‘Wand of Gilted Runes: Layers five rune phrases. Lends greater strength to counterspells.’

  Now the [Mage] raised his voice uncertainly.

  “I don’t wish to be greedy, but I would be unbelievably grateful to receive that wand. The most powerful staves I am aware of offer five layers. To find such a thing in a wand is unheard of.”

  Raith patted him on the back.

  “We’ll get it priced out to make sure everyone gets a fair share, but you can definitely keep it.”

  Raith paused as he read the description of the intricately carved puzzled box.

  ‘Gamora’s Golem Menagerie: Different configurations summon different powerful constructs to fight for the bearer of this artifact.’

  We’re definitely keeping that.

  ‘Band of Peace: Once per day, enables wearer of this ring to become ethereal. Cannot affect anything nor be affected, including with magic, [Skills] or items. Can move at ten times normal speed in any direction, including through the air or solid objects. Lasts for 300 heartbeats.’

  “Alright, this is some good loot” said Raith, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “We’ll sort out who gets what in a bit. While I’ve got everyone here, there’s something I want to show you. Thea, let’s get that mirror out.”