I went back up to my room and sat on my bed for a while. Eventually, I went and washed up and then stopped by Master Glimmerblade’s rooms. He was sitting in his reading chair and had been patiently waiting for me.

  We spent around half an hour at the store and were visited by a few neighbors. We had awkward conversations that people have at times like this. A Watch sergeant passed by and asked us to move along, as this was still an active crime scene. I didn’t actually take anything out of the store; it just didn’t feel right.

  I was glad that Sniffer had not stopped by. I worried about “returning to the scene of the crime” and what it would look like. But Master Glimmerblade told me not to worry. He also told me that he would apply a ward that would prevent anyone from entering to keep things safe. We would leave a note to the marshall so that if he wanted back in, all he had to do was let us know.

  “He won’t like that,” I said.

  “True. But he will just have to deal with it.” My master replied firmly.

  My master convinced me to go home and check in with my parents. I had another panic moment thinking that I forgot about them, too. But he assured me that the university was untouched by the invasion. Very little made its way that far south or got across the bridges as far as he knew.

  I spent an hour with my parents, but I just couldn’t keep talking about what had happened. I needed a distraction.

  After hugging them both tightly, I returned to the Enchanter’s Guild and my rooms. I sat down with Master Draconis’s book, Counterspells and Undetection. I was aware of three mage counterspells that were found at the Second, Fourth, and Sixth Spellbooks. These were the spells that most mages used, if they bothered to learn them at all. But Master Draconis made it clear that Wizards had refined this field of magic, and there was a Counterspell option at all seven of their Marks, or levels.

  I learned a great deal. He was not only a gifted wizard, but a gifted writer and teacher as well.

  A wizard counterspell cast at the same level as an attacking spell had a better-than-average chance to work. If it was cast at a level below an attacking spell, there was a slight chance it would work. And if it was cast at a level above an attacking spell, it was nearly assured of working.

  In reading through the several introductory chapters, I was able to grasp the fundamentals of the counterspell magics and how they linked or joined with the offensive magic to unravel it from within. It was a fundamentally different approach than the generalist mage approach that tried to meet a spell head-on with brute force to cancel its effects.

  After an hour’s reading, I had a choice to make. The Wizard’s Counterspell did not require learning the lowest Mark first, progressing upwards in order of power. I could skip right to the highest spell I was capable of casting, which was a fourth-level spell. I had the points to use on it if I desired to use them.

  I needed three points for the three minor potions I would learn from Master Alexander tonight if all went as planned. That left me six points remaining thanks to my recent adventures. But there were also other spells that I could use them on, such as Davon’s book on magical runes, and the sage book he lent me, with some very useful options. And then there was my new enemy, Master Drammult’s book Charms and Their Uses. I was certain there would be a number of excellent options in there, and it would also teach me more about him. And finally, there was Master Glimmerblade’s masterpiece on magical wards. There would be many things I could learn from that tome.

  I knew that there was also more that I could learn from the Damascus book, but I couldn't bring myself to read Ancient Dwarven right now.

  So, did I use my points on a bunch of first level spells, a powerful fourth-level Counterspell, and potions with two open points remaining, or some combination in between?

  My instinct was to learn a new and powerful offensive spell since I would run out of magical rings in prolonged combat, like I discovered today. I also discovered that Mage Blast was a good spell to learn to understand how area-of-effect attack spells worked, but it was not as strong and useful as I had previously believed.

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  I could seek out one of the masters and see if I could learn a strong, offensive spell. But given what had happened, it would be difficult to convince a mage that their time was better spent teaching me a spell than all that had to be done to make the city safe again. I was a new journeyman and hardly a high priority for their attention.

  Of course, the second-best thing to using a powerful offensive spell would be to prevent its use on me. A Third or Fourth Mark Counterspell could do that for me. I had two powerful mages in as many days advise me that defense and preparation should be an urgent goal.

  I decided.

  I opened the book to the appropriate chapter and spent the next three hours mastering its concepts to align a fourth Mark Counterspell in such a way that I could use it to defend myself and others. It was the most powerful spell I could hope to learn right now, and it fixed my mind so completely that time passed quickly, and soon enough, it was time for me to depart for dinner.

  But I now had a tool I did not have before.

  The AL whispered into my ear. Enchanter Gwydion successfully learns the Fourth Wizard Mark spell Counterspell IV. That leaves you five points remaining.

  I departed feeling a little better but still with a loss in my heart. Dinner with my friends would help cheer me up, but it was just going to take time for me to deal with Sundance’s loss. My immediate future seemed clear, I would go on guild journey with my friends. But the goal of coming back and sharing a shoppe with my former master seemed to leave me without purpose and also confused. But I knew my head needed to be in the game, and so I decided that I would see through my plans for lessons with Alexander and take things one step at a time. It was an unusual day and far from what I had expected it to be. It was both far better and far worse than I could have ever imagined.

  I was the last to arrive for dinner at the Double D. Thankfully, Simon and Steven arrived early and claimed a large table. The place was packed, although there was far more drinking than eating. The living were celebrating their lives and mourning their losses.

  Some appetizers were already on the table, and everyone had something to drink, ranging from Simon’s water to Biff’s favorite ale and Adriana’s white wine. Adriana met me with a hug before I made it to the only empty seat at the table. I teared up but gave her a warm hug back.

  I started to sit, but Biff stood and raised his mug. “A toast to Sundance and absent friends!”

  The others stood, raised their glasses, and we had a moment of silence before sitting back down and drinking. I was sure that we had each suffered losses of friends today, and that helped to center me. My friends were also hurting. It wasn’t just about me.

  I raised my glass of lemonade, my own favorite drink and something that I got teased about regularly from Biff, and said, “And to present friends. I am so very thankful for you all.”

  “Hear, hear!” Biff cried out and followed it up with a loud belch.

  Wilma shook her head. “Pure class, Biffy, pure class.”

  He looked surprised. “What?”

  Others laughed, and it broke the tension.

  It was not a celebration dinner. Not in the way I think we had all planned it to be today. But it was a thanksgiving meal, and for that we enjoyed each other’s company.

  We also did not talk a lot about going on guild journey. I think we were all still wondering what lay in store for us over the next couple of days. Things were also complicated by Sundance’s murder. I shared what I knew with the group, and there was a mixture of outrage at how I was treated by the marshall and bewilderment at the murder. They all knew Sundance and his well-known kindness and generosity.

  A conversation about who could have done this horrible crime was short-lived since none of us had any good ideas. True, I had a suspicion about a questionable commission that he had recently taken that he refused to discuss with me, but even still, that seemed far-fetched.

  But it was all I had to go on.

  I hesitated to say anything, but when Biff pressed me for any idea at all, I realized that he also loved Sundance and had been around as long as I had with him. I couldn’t lie to my best friend, and maybe he knew something that could build off of my suspicion.

  So, I said, “I really don’t have any good ideas, but there was one thing.”

  I had the attention of the table.

  “Sundance had received a private commission not too long ago.” I thought for a moment. “A tenday and three to be exact. He refused to discuss it with me. I know it was an expensive commission for someone important. I suspect it involved a gem and perhaps something more. But other than his deliberately keeping me at a distance from the commission, I don’t know anything else.”

  Wilma asked, “So you don’t have any idea who might have been paying Sundance?”

  I sighed. “No. All I have is an impression that it was someone important who could not easily be turned down. I have no idea what guild he or she may have arisen. It could be a rich tradesman or even a mage. I just don’t know.”

  Bido asked, “Why do you think it may have had something to do with a gemstone?”

  I looked at him. “Sundance had made an offhand comment that he didn’t want my help with this commission despite my special talents. I just felt he meant gemstones since there was nothing else I could do that he could not do better than me around jewelry making or repairs.”

  “Well, that’s something, at least.” Steven stated and then asked, “Did you share that with the marshall?”

  “Not yet. I was pretty confused, and my emotions were all over the place. By the time it came into mind, he had already started suggesting that I may have been involved, and that set my mind to other places.”

  Biff belched again. It was loud enough that people around us stopped their conversations and turned to look at him. A few even raised their glasses as if to honor his achievement.

  Wilma looked embarrassed and slugged him in the shoulder hard enough that he actually spilled a little of his ale.

  “Hey!” He shouted. “What was that for?”

  The rest of us just shook our heads, and the room went back to its own business.

  The next hour or so was spent with each of us sharing our own stories about the Deathlight. In addition to the park and barricade, a lot happened in the Round and in the graveyard.

  Steven was especially proud of our protection of the Bishop as well as the accomplishment of his classmate, Brother Paternus, who, along with our companion from last night, Quartz, had been the ones to defeat the Necromancer.

  At the end of the meal, we departed the Double D together, but each went his or her own way; everyone except for Biff and Wilma, that is. They wandered off together toward the park.

  The ringing of the large wall clock in the Double D sounded behind me, and I realized that I needed to hurry if I was to make my appointment. I shook hands or hugged everyone before doing a little speed walking down the diagonal. I didn’t have very far to go since his shop was very close to the tavern.