I left Julian's office behind, wandering through the halls back to where I had left Flynn. My brother was standing right where I had last seen him, eyes closed and energy flowing around his body. I recognized it as his gathering technique, which I suspected somehow drew all light mana in the surrounding air towards himself.

  Flynn must have sensed my approach, as his eyes snapped open. He turned towards me, but the smile on his face waned as he caught sight of my expression.

  "What's wrong?" Flynn asked when I came within earshot.

  "Not here," I replied, shaking my head.

  Flynn frowned, then nodded once. "Alright."

  The banquet continued, and I knew it would do so for hours yet, but my good cheer had long since vanished and my date had returned home. A small part of me wanted to see if I could track down Amelia and the others for...I honestly wasn't sure why. To have a conversation? It seemed an idiotic idea, but I couldn't help the impulse.

  Instead, I made for the Academy's entrance, Flynn following just a second later.

  Together, the two of us walked past small groups of nobles and Academy students. As we did so, more than one muttered under their breath, some sounding scandalized or offended, others curious, and others still I might call respectful or even afraid. Clearly, word of our little demonstration had spread.

  We reached our carriage without incident or interruption, which was a small blessing in and of itself. The moment the door, I held both of my arms out in front of me, palms up and fingers spread.

  "Go ahead," I said, leaning back and trying to relax.

  A chain of golden mana ensnared my arms, wrapping them from wrist to elbow. Flynn held the end of this construct in his left hand, an orb of light floating in the palm of his right, ready to neutralize me if the need arose.

  "What's your name?"

  "Vayne Sion," I replied, the name still sounding strange to my ears.

  "When were you born?"

  "I'm not sure the precise date, but I celebrate on the first day of the new year," I said, pausing before adding, "Although celebrate seems a generous term."

  "What type of magic do you find most interesting?"

  "At the moment? Mental magic. Overall, I'd say Forging."

  "Hmm, alright. What's your favorite food?"

  "I'm...not sure I have one? Maybe fresh-baked bread?"

  "You don't sound sure. Are you not?"

  "I haven't really considered it."

  "Well, try."

  The two of us carried on like this for a long time, Flynn asking questions as I answered. Many of them were easy, requiring only a second's thought, but that was the point. If I had to pause to think about how we met, it could indicate mental tampering.

  We had spent weeks theorizing ways to catch any hints of mind magic, which wasn't an easy problem to solve. It was a subtle school, one I had no real experience in countering, but I had come up with several hypotheses.

  Foremost among my theories was that extensive mental changes might cause secondary effects. This could cause changes in memories or personalities above and beyond what the mage intended. Therefore, the best way to check was to question the possible victim, watching for any notable changes or inconsistencies. And we would do that if and when one of us mentioned an agreed-upon phrase that sounded innocent enough if heard by others.

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  After fifteen minutes of questions, Flynn leaned back. He hadn't released the construct yet, but seemed to be pondering what to say.

  Finally, he asked, "If you could, who would you pursue in a relationship, Amelia or Vesper?"

  I glared at Flynn, who had schooled his face into a blank mask. He seemed the portrait of stoicism, but under my withering glare, he cracked a grin.

  "As it turns out, 'scowl angrily' was the answer I had expected," Flynn commented, flicking his hand and breaking apart both of his spells.

  "Wonderful," I said, rubbing my wrists. "I passed, then?"

  "I didn't notice any real changes or abnormalities, so yes. Plus, you were only gone for ten minutes. Now, what happened?"

  I spoke quickly, moving through my early worries about an unnatural compulsion against pursuing mind magic, and my likeliest culprits. Flynn seemed surprised, but remained silent as I continued with my concerns about meeting the Archmagus and how those fears had vanished when we actually talked with one another.

  Finally, I revealed that Julian was her son and spoke about my brief meeting with the master. As I did so, Flynn's eyes widened.

  "So that's why you wanted me to do all of this. You weren't worried that Alexandria messed with your mind. You were worried Julian would," he said. "Like he already did once."

  "I would've had you test me regardless, but yes." I let out a low breath. "I wasn't sure if he had until...well, he admitted as much."

  "Why?"

  "Not sure," I replied. "Julian said I needed to trust him."

  "Do you?"

  It was such a ridiculous question that I simply stared at Flynn.

  "Vayne, we didn't exactly meet under the friendliest of circumstances. As I recall, I threatened you, you insulted me, and we both spent quite a bit of effort trying to undercut one another over a book. But I trust you, and I'd like to think you trust me."

  "We met as rivals, not a master and apprentice," I countered. "And when push came to shove, you shared a secret that I doubt you'd tell most people. Most importantly, you never fiddled with my mind."

  "I'm not saying you should forgive or trust him. I don't think I would, personally. But he knows his mother better than we do, and if we said you shouldn't take her deal, maybe he's got a point."

  "You don't think I should take her deal."

  "Do you?" Flynn asked, not answering one way or the other.

  "Training for the two of us, along with Vesper, in exchange for a single, unbounded, magically reinforced favor. Not the best offer, but it might be the only one we get."

  "Sure, but she could make you do anything."

  Technically, that wasn't true. Magically sworn oaths weren't ironclad and had several flaws, not the least of which was that broad promises tended to have the weakest effects. Moreover, a savvy mage could work around the terms, which was often easier when there was so much leeway.

  Something as broad as "Do me a favor at some point in time" had a wide berth, but therein lay the problem. I had no idea what Alexandria would demand of me, and the notion that an Archmagus wanted something of me at all put me on edge.

  It was possible she wanted leverage over me. I had never hidden my intentions to get more powerful, and I was already strong enough to defeat eleven fifth-year apprentices. The addition of a mind palace on top of my existing abilities might make me too great a threat.

  Or maybe she really did have some favor in mind. Alexandria had decades of experience both in magic and in navigating the machinations of the nobility. Who knew what plans she might have in motion, and where I might fit into them?

  "I'm not sure we have another option," I finally said after a long pause.

  "We could counter her offer. Maybe we can demand more information on what she wants if I throw myself into the oath as well. Two Sions are better than one, I'd say."

  "Maybe, but that assumes she actually wants something out of it. We can't dismiss the possibility that she intends to hold this oath over me, in which case, having you unshackled would do more good."

  "What about escaping the oath?" Flynn asked. "You've got to know a way to do that."

  "Yes. In this case, killing the other party involved," I said with a humorless smile. "Would you like to take that gamble?"

  "Need I remind you that we're planning to use a ritual designed to raise the Founders to untold heights?" Flynn replied, but I could tell he had no confidence whatsoever in our chances against the Archmagus.

  I didn't say anything, turning options over in my head, and Flynn sat forward, interlocking his fingers as he leaned his elbows on his knees.

  "The way I see it, either we take her deal and hope we can handle whatever problems arise from it, recruit more mages to get the full complement of seven, or try to figure out how to make mind palaces on our own," Flynn said. "Unless you have another idea."

  "Not at the moment, no."

  Flynn nodded a few times. "Then I say we refuse Alexandria's deal."

  I looked up, and Flynn smiled. "I know you think we should take the risk. You downplayed the possibility, but I'm sure you're considering every way you can think of to get out of an oath or kill an Archmagus. Some of them might work, but I'm not sure I like our odds."

  The inside of the carriage fell silent. I agreed with Flynn's assessment, and I hated myself for it. I did want to take the risk regardless, hoping that I could find a way out of the magical oath that I hadn't considered. Maybe I could just leave behind Ferris, putting as much space between myself and Alexandria to ensure she could never collect on my promise?

  But that didn't really explain why Julian cautioned me against working with his mother. What did he know that he couldn't tell me? Could I even trust his word regardless of what he told me?

  "I know what I need to do," I said aloud, breaking the tense silence that had fallen over us.

  Flynn raised an eyebrow, and I continued, "I need to talk to Sigmund."

  "Your martial combat instructor?" Flynn asked.

  I nodded. "He and Julian have been friends for years. If there's anyone alive who can tell me what my former mentor might have been thinking, it's Sigmund. More importantly, he's the kind of person to say what he means regardless of how I might take it."

  "Are you sure you're in the right mindset to—"

  I grabbed the door, pulling it open and stepping out of the still-moving carriage. Flynn continued speaking behind me, but his words blended together as I drew mana from my half-refilled core, casting a single Flicker Step and leaping away.

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