“Then, with that point settled, I will call an end to the meeting. What is next for me, Jon?”

  “You meet with the Council president and members in five minutes.”

  The Duke sighed.

  “My liege,” I said.

  “Yes, Commander?”

  “I hate to ask, but may I have-” I was going to ask for five minutes of his time, but he didn’t have it. “Two and a half minutes of your time for a personal matter?”

  He looked at me hard for a minute and then said, “You can have five.” He called out to Jon, who was just leaving. “Let them know I will be five minutes late.” He motioned to the minister, “Martha, are you able to join me at this session? It could get a bit clamorous, and I could use your calming effect.”

  “Of course.” She replied and made her way out with Jon.

  The room cleared.

  “What can I do for you, Gwydion?”

  “I’ll be brief. The Gray Master came to me with a proposal.”

  “Ah.” He replied. “Yes, his proposals can sometimes get sticky. What did he offer and what does he want?”

  “I see you know him,” I replied.

  “Yes, we have encountered each other on several occasions. Always worthwhile, never easy or pleasant. What has he dragged you into?”

  “He came to me and said that we both know there has to be a spy or spies in the city and that a group of wealthy, powerful, and panicked people could ally with anyone who promised them sanctuary. Whether true or imagined, a number of these people with wealth and influence could harm themselves or others by making rash decisions.”

  “I agree with him so far.” The Duke said. “Does he know who the spies are?”

  “He said he does not, and I tend to believe him.”

  The Duke considered my words. “I do as well. His position of power and privilege would not be better under an infernal master or the goblins than he has it now. What else did he say?”

  He said that there are too many of the wealthy and foolish to watch, but he had a better alternative.

  “Of course.” Said the Duke, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

  “He offered me money.”

  “Which you don’t care about. But he offered you something that you do. Did he threaten someone you care about?” He asked.

  “No. He offered help with the siege. Significant help.”

  “How?” The Duke asked.

  “By providing a list of people who wanted teleport rings out of the city. In return, they provide undisclosed resources that we can use to defend the city.”

  “Hardly noble.” He stated with a frown.

  “But worth consideration,” I replied.

  “Who?” The Duke asked, wanting to know who the Gray Master had in mind.

  I handed the sealed roll of parchment to the Duke.

  “He did not share names with you?” He asked as he inspected and then opened the envelope.

  I replied. “No. Stories only. He wanted me to give you the list; he knew I would not just agree to the money.”

  He looked at the names, a frown forming on his lips. “How much did he offer you?”

  “Ten thousand gold from each. He said there were twenty-two names on the list.”

  He nodded. “Two hundred twenty thousand gold. That is tempting wealth even for you.”

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  “Not as much as you might imagine, but yes, it is a lot of gold,” I replied.

  “What examples of assistance did he share?”

  “He hinted that there was a food merchant with a warehouse of food that he would donate to the city, an apothecarist with a huge supply of healing balms and antiseptic lotions, weapons, raw materials, things like that,” I said.

  “They want a way out of the city if things go bad and praise for their donations if things go well for us.” He stated.

  “Yes,” I said. “That is the essence of the offer. You figured it out a lot faster than I did.” I admitted.

  “Things like this disgust me, and yet I am faced with decisions like this far more often than my father ever suggested that I might.” The Duke replied.

  He took his pen, dipped it in ink, and drew a line across one of the names. He initialed the bottom of the page, picked up a nearby candle, and poured wax onto the bottom of the page. “This wax is not as thick as my official wax, but it will do.”

  He let it cool slightly and then pressed his Ducal ring into the wax to seal his signature.

  The Duke handed me the letter after fitting it neatly back into the envelope. “We are in this together. You will show an unknown increase in funds for two hundred ten thousand gold from an anonymous source into a new account at the bank, which you shall name, “Ears Academies.” As the executor of a new trust, you have control of the funds and will answer only to your board, which will consist of my son, my daughter, your former master, and the Majordomo. Four is an uncommon number because of the possibility of deadlock votes, but it is how I have asked it to be established. Do you agree?”

  “I do.”

  “We will play these dark games and try our best to turn them to something made to shine in the light.” He reached out and clasped my arm to his.

  “What of the name you crossed off?” I asked as we both stood.

  “That, I will handle. There is more to that one than meets the eye. Tell the Gray Master to leave it to my own devices. For the others, I agree to the terms. Meet with the Majordomo, I suspect he is waiting for you anyway. He has heard you plan to go to the capital, and he has a request.”

  He raised his hands and shrugged. “Before you ask, I have no idea what he has in mind. But he mentioned it to me, and it falls in line with the plans of the Gray Master. Let’s hope that we are not being played for fools and we have not just given escape to our enemies.”

  I exited the war room and found the Majordomo and Wizard Draconis waiting for me by the archway to the atrium that exited onto the courtyard.

  We fell into step together.

  “How did your meeting go with the Duke?” Isaac asked.

  “Better than expected, unsatisfactory in other regards.” And I shared with them both our entire discussion.

  We made it back to the Archmage Tower by the time I finished. Isaac had steered us in that direction.

  Wizard Draconis said, “You really don’t do things by half, do you, boy?”

  We entered The Tower and stood in the main atrium together.

  “Would it make any difference if I said things like this just seem to happen to me?” I asked.

  “No, it would make me feel worse, in fact.” The wizard replied sourly.

  “Do either of you want to see the list?” I asked.

  “Did the Duke ask you to give it to either of us?” Isaac asked.

  “No, he said to give this to the Gray Master, but he knew we would talk about it.”

  Isaac shook his head. “Then no, I think I’d rather not know. An odd thing for a mage to say, but it might be best if I didn’t.”

  I recalled the Duke’s parting words. “Oh, Isaac, I understand that you want to ask a favor of me in the capital?”

  Wizard Draconis made a tsking sound, “You are going there on top of all this?” He asked me.

  “I have some things to pick up, and I suspect after my morning meeting that the list may grow larger.”

  “Yes, well, I’d like to add to your list.” The Majordomo said. “There is something I would like you to fetch for me from the Sage’s Guild. A small box. I will give you a letter of introduction.”

  “Of course,” I replied.

  I was curious but knew better than to ask what was in it. If he wanted me to know, he would tell me. But I did ask, “Is it dangerous?”

  “Yes, but not to you. Please do not open it; it could prove unfortunate. It is locked and sealed, so there is no chance of an accident.”

  “Okay,” I replied.

  “So, you will need some SUS rings, then?”

  “Yes, twenty-one limited teleport spells to the Capital,” I said.

  “So, they have nobody they wished to take with them. Not a strong endorsement of their characters.”

  “No, it isn’t,” I agreed. “And I will need rings to get me there and back with a group. I might need more than one trip.”

  I will give you two rings of limited group teleportation to the Capital. You know how it works; we have already talked about it. I will also give you two similar rings back here to the central fountain. I will need four gold rings and twenty-one silver rings. Make it twenty-three, I will make an extra ring to the capital for you and one back again to the fountain.”

  “I’ll send those over after I get back to the shoppe,” I promised.

  “Wait here a minute, and I will write up the letter for you,” Isaac said as he walked toward the spiral stairs that started to move upwards like a drill bit into an opening in the ceiling. I had not noticed it could do that the last time I was here.

  “I never quite have gotten used to this tower, and I have seen some unusual magic over my lifetime.” The wizard said.

  “Any advice, Master?” I asked the war wizard.

  “About what, lad?” He asked, a twinkle back in his eye.

  I waved around. “About any of this.”

  “Stay true to yourself, do what you know to be right even when it is hard, and protect the innocent.”

  “That sounded more like something I could find in a cookie,” I said, a little frustrated.

  He laughed harder than I had ever seen him laugh before. It ended in a coughing fit.

  Isaac returned with an envelope for me and a glass of water for the wizard. As the wizard drank and then choked on another bout of laughter, Isaac asked, “What is all of that about?”

  Master Draconis waved to me to answer.

  I said, “I asked Master Draconis for some advice.”

  Isaac tilted his head down, “And?” He prompted.

  “And he gave it,” I said.

  His eyebrows went up, “And?” He prompted again.

  “And,” I began, searching for the right words. “And I expressed my appreciation for the advice.”

  The old wizard spat water out of his mouth and nose with another burst of laughter that was highly uncharacteristic for someone of his stature.

  Isaac was surprised, but a twinkle began in his eyes as well.

  I sighed. “Maybe I should go. I’ll send an irregular along momentarily with a note and the prepared ring blanks.”

  I departed with more chuckling and laughter from the wizard. Laughter was a wonderful sound, but it lost a bit when it was directed at you, even if it was not mean-spirited.

  My guard accompanied me back to the shoppe. They had kept a discreet distance in the presence of the two master mages, but now they circled me like I was the Duke himself.

  This was to be my new world.