“Just one. As a sign of good faith, will you accompany us to the library and assist in its dismantling? Many books will be taken to the Shoppe, others to The Tower, and the remaining burned if they hint at darkness. Your recent familiarity with the library in identifying those tomes would be appreciated. No books will be left in the tower at our departure.”

  His shoulders slumped. “Not ideal, but yes, of course, I will assist however you request.”

  I turned to Isaac. “We are short on time. Let’s gather the apprentices and all the Patron’s guards and make those selections. We will need to inspect all the chambers as well, confiscate anything that could be helpful for our war efforts, and return to the city and report to the Duke.”

  Isaac looked hard at me. “You trust him?’

  I turned to Alexander and said, “I do not trust him, no. But I believe I understand him and, with a fair degree of confidence, count on him to fulfill our requests. If he were one of them and had the ability to teleport, he would be gone.”

  Isaac turned back to Alexander as well. “The darkness can be very persuasive and patient. Most predators are. We will assign the Inquisitors to watch over him. Their zeal for this work is unprecedented among the guilds.”

  We checked with Adriana and determined that all the apprentices were as healthy as could be hoped, and while they were tired, hungry, and still frightened, the sight of the clerics and the Majordomo gave them confidence to assist us in our plans. I would have them inspected by Bella on our return and either add to the growing number of alchemists in my service or imprison them. I sincerely hoped for the former.

  The apprentice section of the library was filled with books, and they all received only cursory glances. That entire section was to be removed to the Shoppe.

  Bella, can you please ask Bido to arrange for three or four carts to be brought to the tower? Have one cart filled with empty crates; the others can be just empty carts. Have a Watch escort for each wagon and have them all come at the same time. Please let Bido know it is urgent and to go to Jonathan if there are any delays. If none can be found, ask Conjureres to make them and locate horses to pull them.

  Yes, Gwydion. She replied.

  The carts arrived along with the guards an hour later. We used the crates for magical and valuable contents in the masters’ rooms, which for the most part, came back with me. Other crates were used for books that either Alexander or Isaac believed were too powerful or dangerous to be shipped to the Shoppe at this time. In general, Isaac used a rule of thumb that all Fifth Orbital spells and knowledge were to go to The Tower along with books on subjects such as poisons, longevity, and mental or coercive magical effects.

  I didn’t argue. We were going to create a new guild, of sorts, and they were in a far better position to make those calls, given an utter lack of masters on our team.

  When we were alone, Isaac said, “I’m not sure if the Mage Council will buy the creation of a new guild under your supervision. This may all fall apart after the expediency of war ends and the threat departs.”

  “I understand. I’m not exactly sure what I am looking for here or what I’d like to build, either. It is just a pressing feeling that we need to get away from this tower, soon.” And I unconsciously placed my hand on my sword.

  Isaac nodded and replied, “Then we will deal with tomorrow's issues later. Today is challenging enough. Also, you will be pleased to know that we found a stash of magical gems, crates of empty potion vials, and a sizeable collection of personal potions among the masters’ rooms. Most of the ingredients were missing, but I’d bet that they and all the other materials are already in your lower lab.”

  I smiled. “We did make a good haul earlier. It might be helpful for you to stop by and ensure that any potions that represent the books getting confiscated also find their way to The Tower.”

  “Good suggestion. I’ll see to it after we meet with the Duke. I’ll accompany you back to the Shoppe after those discussions.”

  The carts were loaded with several thousand books. No books were destroyed. Isaac suspected that the dark volumes involving necromancy, infernal, and shadow magic were located in the Necromantian and went up with the necromancer since all his materials were likewise destroyed in the flames.

  “He had quite a little library of darkness in there,” Isaac admitted.

  The tower was not completely emptied, but we did give it a good search in the limited time available. All its furniture, as well as non-magical personal and communal goods, were left abandoned. We had a city to prepare for the horde’s siege, and while this was very important, it had a limited window for action.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  The uppermost floor was the quarters for the guildmaster, and it also had a small lab along with furnishings that were not as resplendent as other mage guild halls, but were still quite luxurious. We decided to remove as much of the useful lab equipment and crafting stations as possible for my shoppe until later decisions for their disposition were made by the Mage Council.

  There were rooms enough for forty masters and double that for journeymen and apprentices. There was a common level for cooking, dining, and pantry storage, along with an area for exercise and training. Another level, a bit lower, had elaborate labs for the use of masters, and a level below it had many crafting stations for apprentices and journeymen. The permanent labs we left as is, although we did remove some of the more valuable equipment. It was the apprentice crafting stations that we did remove, and because they were designed to be semi-portable, they boxed themselves up nicely and all fit in one large cart stacked on top of each other.

  When the last of us exited, Isaac sealed the tower door. “It is not foolproof, but it will keep out mundane treasure seekers.” He said as we walked down the stairs. “The magical word needed to open it is ‘yellow’ in case you need a quick entrance later and I am not around.” He informed me when we walked to the carts together, with only Biff nearby to overhear.

  We walked beside the lead cart and made our slow way back to the city. The carts were laden, and the road was not in the best condition.

  “There are still a lot of undead in Undercity,” Isaac remarked.

  “Yes. We took out several thousand, I believe, but we estimate that there are at least twice that number remaining.”

  “Our resources are spread out very thinly.” He observed. “And as we absorb more people from the outlying farms, it will be strained even more. At least most of the recent refugees are also bringing food and supplies with them. The rangers were able to get word to the outlying farms and villages and were able to organize a timetable for them to bring as much with them as possible that could be useful for city defense and siege as possible.”

  “Every little bit helps.” I agreed. “Oh, that reminds me. Just a sec, I need to ask Bella something.”

  Bella, can you check with Daniel and make sure that each member of the Undercity team receives a 500 gold piece reward? Mark it under the 10 gold per confirmed undead head. There is no way to know the actual numbers, but that seems fair.

  Yes, Gwydion. I’ll let Daniel know.

  Thanks, Bella. Please also draw up a list of the names of the brotherhood members who assisted, and see that each also gets a 500 gold piece reward. I added. And could you please also let Red know that I’d like him to work on ideas for us to access more exploding arrows? We ran out way too fast. This will be an issue when the goblins arrive, and we need a way to replenish ourselves both on the city wall ramparts and when mobile. Summoner Shallot’s spells may be a good starting place for discussions.

  After a pause, she replied. He said he is up to the challenge.

  Thanks, Bella.

  You’re welcome, Gwydion. She answered.

  “Everything ok?” Isaac asked.

  “Yes, I just had some thoughts about the attacks that could help when the goblins arrive, and I wanted teams to start thinking about them.”

  “I’m sure the Duke will ask, how do you think it went?” He asked.

  “We were underprepared for the vast number of undead we encountered and the innovation and power of the necromancer. But I’d say we improvised well, and we have come a long way since both the Deathlight and the goblin sneak attack.”

  “The Duke is referring to the sneak attack as the goblin incursion. It sounds better and doesn’t plant seeds in people’s minds that more sneak attacks are forthcoming.” He explained.

  “I guess I am a bit more of a straight talker,” I replied.

  “It sounds like you know the power of words and have used them well against your adversaries. Words can work for you or against you. Building morale is equally as important as trying to diminish your enemy's morale.”

  “I see your point. Thanks, Isaac.” I conceded.

  We walked along silently for a little while.

  “So what are your next plans?” He asked.

  “Debrief the team, work on filling some holes, and add infernal attack and defense ideas to the list. And shadow, too, now that I think about it. And dragons or other airborne attacks. With so many undead below us, they certainly will be used in the coming war, so we will need to add ideas around that aspect also. There is at least one unaccounted-for necromancer out there, too.” I added.

  “Yes, I will have some people looking into that.” He glanced at me sideways and continued. “So, were you tempted to stay the Gray Master?”

  “Wow, that came out of nowhere,” I said.

  “That is not an answer to my question.” He stated, but far more kindly than he had with Master Alexander.

  “No. It is a world of darkness and sadness. They are useful to us, and we are useful to them. For now, at least. With wealth and power comes compromise and enemies and more darkness and more sadness. My cup is pretty full with what I am trying to do. I am more tempted to strike out and join an adventuring party than settle down and rule some Undercity realm.”

  “It’s a good plan.” He said and then added, “After the horde is defeated.”

  I laughed. “Are you recruiting?”

  He laughed. “No, those days are over for me. But they did form a lot of who I am. And I’d like to think that in some small ways, I made a difference. Many of the monsters out there seek out the weak and vulnerable on the fringes of civilization. It was rough, dangerous, uncomfortable, dirty…” He paused in memory.

  “You paint an appealing picture,” I said sarcastically.

  “And I wouldn’t have traded it for anything.” He added. “Joining a trusted group advances you in power, knowledge, and morally, too. When you face evil, true evil, you want to do something to stop it. It opens a whole world to you that the sheltered mages never fully realize. It clouds their perspective and diminishes an urge to help others.”

  This was a lot more personal than he had ever shared before. I thought to myself.

  He respects you and your decisions, Gwydion. He started being interested in you, then intrigued, then impressed, then he actively liked you, and now he deeply respects you. For someone as isolated as he is and much older than you, it is a rare honor he bestows upon you. Bell replied.

  I looked over at him. “I sincerely appreciate all that you have done for me, Isaac. I don’t just mean the gems and the amazing sword for which I am deeply grateful,” we both smiled at that, “but just taking time with me. You have to be so busy and distracted that it is a kindness, and I just wanted you to know I appreciate you and your advice. Even when I chose to plunge into the Undercity against your best judgment. I am in it pretty deep, and the tide seems to be taking me further out to sea.”

  “Learn to swim.” He said with a grin. “As rough as it is now, wait for the wind and waves to kick up. And lots lurk in those depths.”

  I held up my hands. “Okay, moving on to a less terrifying metaphor,” I said.

  “You started it.”

  “Adriana got me hooked on sea metaphors,” I said, looking at him out of the corner of my eye.

  He rolled his eyes, refusing to acknowledge the pun.

  After a minute more of walking, he said, “Thank you, Gwydion. Your words mean more than you know.”