Sig and I drank and talked well into the night, though our discussions never ventured back into anything important. He might have made pointed comments about my relationship with Amelia, or lack thereof, but seemed to have no actual interest in prying.

  Instead, we discussed the finer points of combat, magical and otherwise. Sigmund wanted to know more about my duels and had what I might call "constructive" criticisms to levy, ranging from my tactics to my choice in spells to how I might better conserve energy in future battles.

  I had assumed Sig wouldn't have much insight, as it had been years, if not decades, since he actually fought a battle using magic, but many of his ideas held at least some merit. Still, I had come to realize that we differed in several fundamental ways, not the least of which was our philosophy on unorthodox strategies and tactics.

  Sigmund favored boring but practical skills above all else. If he were a magic instructor, he'd be the type to recommend mastering the fundamentals, such as mana control, proper incantations, somatic gestures, and gathering power while in motion.

  These had a role, but my duels against superior foes such as Flynn had shown me they had limits. There would always be someone better than you, which begged the question of how to fight those uneven battles.

  Many nobles would have you try your best and lose with honor and dignity. I disagreed. Honor and glory were cold comfort to the dead, and that was what lay before those who sought to fight fairly.

  We argued for some time over that difference in opinions before Sigmund finally decided to turn in for the night, though not until after extracting a promise to visit again soon.

  I returned to my room and managed to steal a few hours of rest before sunrise. When I awoke the next morning, I felt mentally and physically refreshed, but still uncertain of what to do next.

  Fortunatus had already left when I finished bathing, but Flynn waited for me in our sitting room. He held a book in one hand, barely looking up as I entered.

  "Good news," Flynn said with a faint smile. "We've been barred from the Academy."

  "I believe you and I have different meanings for the word 'good'," I replied, sitting across from him.

  "It is considering we learned as much as we could from their Archives. By my reckoning, they did us a favor taking so long."

  I shook my head. "There was more we could glean from their resources, still. Not much, but Alexandria is turning the screws. Cutting off other options to try and push me into a decision."

  "Have you made one?" Flynn asked, finally looking up from his book.

  "No," I said after a brief pause. "The best choice is going to her with another offer, but frankly, I have no idea what kind of offer she would accept."

  "Hmm." Flynn nodded a few times. "And your meeting with...whoever you met with didn't give you any ideas?"

  "No. Sigmund was of little help at best."

  "Your old mentor? I would've assumed you ran off to the Ollais home," Flynn commented with a sarcastic grin.

  I glared at him, and his smile faded before he continued, "We can spend a few more days here, particularly if you can get Vesper to join our endeavor, but no more."

  "I know."

  Flynn paused, then said, "What about having your old mentor train us?"

  "The one who has already messed with my thoughts?"

  "Of course, but try and set that aside. We know Julian knows mind magic. We know he should understand how to create a palace, the same as his mother, and we can surmise he did so without succumbing to any of the pitfalls."

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  I stared at him, then forced myself to pick up where Flynn had left off. "True enough...and he'd be less capable of digging through our minds unnoticed than his mother."

  "Exactly. And he'd have less political or social power than his mother on top of that. She can make demands that he couldn't...at least in theory."

  "All true, but Julian has proven himself untrustworthy. Alexandria hasn't."

  "In your heart of hearts, do you really believe she would've done differently if you had crossed her path?" Flynn asked.

  I couldn't disagree, but rather than say as much, I remained silent. After a few seconds, Flynn began speaking again.

  "I'm not saying we trust Julian. We shouldn't. Instead, I say we extract some promises from him. Assurances he won't fiddle with our minds the way he already did with yours. And we use what he did to you as our price. He wronged you, and now he needs to set that wrong right."

  Flynn's idea had some merits, but it raised another possibility in my mind. I turned it over for a long time, trying to think how to make it a reality. After nearly a minute of uninterrupted silence, I stood and looked down at my brother.

  "Try to think how you might convince Julian to train us. You're the more persuasive of the two of us, and I have more confidence you could manage it than I."

  "Obviously," Flynn shot back with a laugh. "But what're you going to be doing?"

  "I'm going to go and make sure we have a third participant for our ritual," I said, before walking from the room.

  I reached the Ollais home in less than an hour, stopping just once along the way to make sure I didn't arrive too early. The same servant as before greeted me at the front door, and I was led to her quarters to meet with the darkness mage herself.

  Vesper had changed into the simpler robes of a healer once more and sat reading by the window. Her face was unreadable as she closed the book and set it down as she rose to greet me.

  "Good morning, Vesper," I said, smiling.

  "Vayne," she replied, nodding once.

  She didn't return my smile, and I had a good idea as to why.

  "Please accept my apologies for not escorting you back home last night. It wasn't my intention, and I promise not to make it a habit," I said, inclining my head towards the woman.

  When I straightened, her expression hadn't changed for the better. If anything, she looked angrier than ever as her face twisted into a scowl.

  "I don't care that you didn't make sure I got home, Vayne. I can handle myself. What I didn't appreciate was my date for the evening making a spectacle of himself, only to vanish in the middle of a duel. I had no idea what happened to you."

  I realized then what the problem was, and kicked myself for not grasping it sooner. It was so obvious now.

  Vesper's master had died, and she had presumed for a long time that I shared that fate. Now, after we had just started to get to know one another, I disappeared after doing my best to insult a dozen nobles. For all she knew, some aggrieved master had decided to teach me a lesson.

  I walked closer, stopping only a few steps away from her before bowing at the waist.

  "I'm sorry. I had my reasons for doing what I did, but that is no excuse for putting you through that. Not after..."

  I trailed off, shaking my head as I straightened again. There wasn't much else I could say, and certainly nothing that would make it better.

  Vesper examined me for a long time, her face softening. She let out a low breath, then said, "Can you at least tell me why? What did you hope to accomplish, besides making a fool of so many apprentices?"

  "I needed to draw the eyes of someone much stronger than myself," I replied.

  "And did you?"

  "Yes," I nodded. "Unfortunately, I can't tell you much more. Not without certain promises."

  Vesper nodded. "And that's why you're here? To extract those promises?"

  "No, I'm here to see you because I had a nice night with you," I replied. "And I'd like to have another."

  Her cheeks colored. "Oh."

  After a few more seconds, Vesper cleared her throat. "That would be agreeable. But since I brought it up, I've made a decision on your offer."

  I wanted to indulge and dig into the more personal matters at hand, but pragmatism won out. "Which is?"

  "I'll join your family," Vesper said. "But I have conditions."

  "Name them," I replied.

  "First, you'll tell me everything. You've danced around what this offer entails, and I'm not going to walk in blind."

  "Reasonable. We can discuss specifics later."

  "Wonderful. Second, I will retain my independence. I am a friend and ally, not a servant, and I refuse to be treated as one," Vesper said, her eyes sparking as if daring me to say otherwise.

  I found myself smiling again. "I wouldn't dream of it. Is there anything else?"

  "Yes, there is," Vesper replied. She paused for a few seconds, and I felt her mana rise. "I already told you once that I plan to bring those who killed my master to justice. They are a blight upon Ferris, selfishly murdering a good person to advance themselves."

  I nodded. "I remember."

  "Then my third condition is simple," Vesper said, stepping close enough that I could smell her perfume and see the burning in her eyes. "You're going to help me."

  For a moment, I wasn't sure what to say.

  "You...want my assistance with this? The last time we discussed this, you implied that I might have something to do with the murder."

  "I said that if you did, I'd bring you to justice as well," Vesper replied. "But I'm now sure you didn't. I can't think of any advantage it brought you, and I don't believe you have it in you to do such a thing. Based on what I've seen, you'd be more likely to make a fool of yourself in public than scheme like a coward."

  She was wrong, but I found the half-insulting, half-praising comment almost endearing. So, I smiled rather than say anything to the contrary.

  "Very well. I need to discuss these conditions with my brother, but I doubt he'll have any objections."

  "Are you not a Sion?" Vesper asked, her voice tinged with sarcasm.

  "I'm new to nobility. I spent my entire life learning to defer to others, and old habits die hard," I shot back, earning a genuine smile.

  I realized then that she hadn't stepped away. She stood just a few feet away from me, and I could close the gap just by leaning forward. Vesper seemed to realize the same, and the air suddenly grew taut as a drawn bow.

  For a moment, I considered it. Then, I let out a low breath and stepped away.

  "Apologies, but I have one more stop to make today," I lied, my face hot.

  Vesper's own cheeks looked pink, and she nodded once. "As do I. I'll wait for your message, then?"

  I nodded, then bowed once more before making a quick and somewhat uncertain escape.

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