“What does that mean?” Torvald asked. Bernt had found him and several of the others gathered around a table to hear Nirlig drunkenly regale them with the story of how he’d lost his two missing fingers. The way Bernt remembered it, the goblin hadn't thought it was very funny when his father had dragged him back to safety, but he supposed enough beer could take the edge off of anything. They'd been laughing when he came in, but the mood had sombered up quickly when he brought the news about Teres.

  “It’s bad business.” Ksuwa grumbled around her cup. “Big demons never came for us, up in the wilds, you know? It’s because we don’t live in cities. Probably looks like a tasty beehive to a bear. You'd think humans would have learned from the last time.”

  Ina, who was sitting next to Nirlig, elbowed the older woman to shut her up, but she just rolled her eyes and took another swig.

  “Well, it sounds like they caught them early,” Emata said, ignoring the goblins, “so the enemy didn’t get the element of surprise. They might be poorly positioned, too, and vulnerable. The garrison alone has over ten thousand soldiers, and the crown guard is another three thousand elites. Honestly, the generals in Teres are probably thinking about counterattacking more than simple defense. It's the best time for it.”

  Bernt swallowed, digesting that. “Isn’t that insanely dangerous? I thought we stayed out of the Depths for a reason.” It was better than having their capital get overrun or besieged, but this would still be a bad development for the Mages’ Guild. If Besermark was already invading the Depths by the time talks started, there would be no status quo to defend. Iriala’s directive to him – to keep Besermark from committing to a full-scale war that would inevitably gut the entire Mages' Guild for a generation – would be pointless.

  The Invigilation couldn’t drag Besermark into a massive subterranean war if they were already in one. What was he supposed to do at that point? They still didn't know if they were actually fighting the entire Empire, but did that really matter now? The part that was beneath them was attacking. He needed to ask Iriala for advice.

  Emata shrugged. “We have a disadvantage down there, compared to them. But that doesn’t mean we can just let them dig right under our cities. Soldiers get sent into unfavorable conditions all the time – it’s part of the job. The Duergar were stupid to try to reach us where we’re strongest. Impatient. Maybe they got overconfident after Loamfurth. As long as we don’t overextend, our forces should be able to punish the Duergar pretty severely for that.”

  “Damn.” Torvald sat back and glanced at Bernt and then Nirlig. “Do you think they’re going to make Josie go and fight?”

  Bernt shrugged. “The Solicitors aren’t technically obligated, since they’re not a chartered guild… but they’ve got to be pretty angry about the damage the Duergar warlocks are doing to their reputation. I mean, the Invigilation is already being reactivated – how long until they start purging Beseri warlocks again? People are scared already. I’d be surprised if they didn’t try to get involved somehow, and Josie’s the only one who has fought them before.”

  “She'll be fine,” Nirlig said. “They'd probably want her in an advisory role, or something. Can’t be worse than getting pinned down in the Undercity.”

  Whatever happened, they weren’t going to be able to do much about it. They needed to get to the Peaks. By the time they finished the talks, whatever was going to happen at Teres would likely already be over. The others continued to speculate, but Bernt excused himself and headed to bed – they weren’t staying in the city long, and he had a busy day at the library ahead of him tomorrow.

  ***

  “Do you really think they’re going to let me in?” Uriah asked tiredly as Bernt led the reluctant hydromancer down the street toward the Mages’ Guild tower. “I don’t think they’re going to make an exception just because you’re there.”

  “It’ll be fine,” Bernt argued, opening the door. “I didn’t even see a librarian when I was here yesterday. Nobody asked me for any guild identification, either.”

  “Doesn’t mean I won’t get fined if they catch me.” Uriah grumbled. But he came anyway. Bernt had already had this conversation with him once, when he convinced him to come along over breakfast. They were only going to be in the city for a single day, and they would be able to go through a lot more material together than if Bernt had to do it alone.

  Like yesterday, the library’s doors stood open, though this time the desk by the door was properly manned by a brown-robed man. He glanced up from a book he was reading as they entered, then did a double take.

  “Oh, hello!” he greeted them, eyes growing round when he noticed their gray robes. “Visitors from afar – and Underkeepers at that, incredible!" He stood up and gave a tiny bow. "Head librarian Kain, at your service. Where are you from? Did you come to look at our new section on underkeeping? I didn’t realize that word would have already gotten around, it’s only been a month!”

  Bernt blinked. “I… you have a section for Underkeepers?” He did want to see that, actually.

  The librarian nodded energetically, closing his book. “We do! First one in the entire country. I worked with Archmage Gren – he heads our local branch – to put it together earlier this year. Are you looking for work? I can introduce you. Delightful man. He operates out of the basement here – there’s an entrance out back, behind the tower.”

  “No, thanks,” Bernt stopped the talkative man with a raised hand. “Maybe we’ll drop in later, but we’re not looking for work right now. We came down from Halfbridge. I was hoping you’d have some local research on the Phoenix Reaches that our own library doesn’t have copies of. Ideally anything on exotic pyromantic materials.” He nodded over toward Uriah. “And my friend is doing some research on sorcery, especially any theoretical texts, and maybe anything about hydromancy that could be relevant to that.”

  “Hmmm, yes... yes. A lot of interest in that kind of stuff lately.” The librarian stood up, peering at Uriah curiously. “I heard some crazy wizard worked out how to do sorcery through an investment procedure – somebody out of Halfbridge. You know him?”

  “Ehm. I do, yes…” Uriah said uncertainly, exchanging a glance with Bernt, who raised his right hand, letting the sleeve fall back to reveal the faintly glowing lines of the sorcerous investiture under his skin. He smiled sheepishly.

  “I was trying to fix some spiritual damage to my mana network. It worked, but… there were side effects. My name is Bernt.”

  Kain leaned forward, examining Bernt’s arm as if he was trying to memorize the pattern. “Well, well. Now that’s very interesting. Strange. Can you cast normally?”

  Bernt shifted uncomfortably. “Not quite. It’s more limited in what I can do with it. We’re trying to work out if I can use it to help my friend here. If you could point him to anything that might be of use, we’d really appreciate it. I’d be happy to tell you about the sorcerous investiture while we do that…?”

  “Right! Of course.” He turned around and led them down the stacks toward where Bernt had been looking earlier. As they walked, Bernt gave Kane the condensed version of how he’d created his sorcerous investiture, the limits it placed on his casting and the difficulties involved with mastering its use. The librarian took them to a section vaguely labeled “Monsters and Beasts” and, without hesitating for a moment, selected four books off the shelves. He held them out to Uriah. The top one, Bernt could see, was called Elemental Anatomy.

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

  “These are probably your best bet for learning something about the nature of sorcery. They’re mostly research notes from wizards who messed around with monsters and the odd elemental that accidentally wandered out of the Phoenix Reaches. I can’t really speak to their accuracy or usefulness – it was never a very rigorous area of study here in Besermark.”

  “Yeah, okay. Thanks.” Uriah took the books, eying Kain as if he still expected the man to demand a sample of his mana and throw him out. When that didn’t happen, he sat down in a comfortable chair that had been strategically placed into a nearby corner and opened the first book. The librarian didn’t even seem to notice, continuing to ask Bernt about his experiences with sorcery so far as he led him back the way they’d come.

  “Do you think you could put together your notes on the subject for me? I’m sure our local Wizards’ Society would be delighted to see them, and I’d make sure they credit you in any research they publish based on your work, of course.”

  “I… sure, I don’t mind,” Bernt replied. “But I don’t really have time to copy everything – I didn’t use heavy paper for my notes, so duplicating them isn’t a great idea.” He should have considered this earlier. With Besermark at war, sorcery needed to be developed as quickly as possible, both to bring burnt out war mages back into the field, and to ensure that the Mages’ Guild wasn’t decimated in the conflict. “Could you contact Magister Pollock at the Halfbridge branch? He’s my mentor, and he was involved in the project. I wouldn’t be surprised if he understands what I’m doing better than I do. He just prefers for me to figure things out on my own.”

  Kain grinned. “A wise man. Knowledge does not a scholar make! It’s about inquisitiveness, rigor, and that sweet, sweet moment of clarity when everything comes together and suddenly makes sense – the breakthrough.” He took a deep breath as if savoring a smell and then sighed contentedly.

  “Right…” Bernt replied, “I suppose.”

  Arriving at the pyromancy section, Kain quickly pulled out a handful of books, including two with covers and spines that were entirely blank. Was he using a spell to locate them?

  “Here are research notes on known pyromantic materials of the Phoenix Reaches by our own local wizards. I’d refer you to the actual researchers, except that the Illurians haven’t let us enter the Reaches in about thirty years. Those who are still around mostly aren’t in the city – they travel to wherever their interests lead them.

  Bernt thanked the man, who nodded and excused himself as he settled down to read. Hopefully, he’d have enough time to drop by the underkeeping section as well. Who knew what kinds of useful tips and tricks he might find?

  ***

  Iriala tapped nervously at the letter on her desk as Ed double checked the chalk markings on the floor of her office against a heavy book that he was holding open in one hand.

  “This feels crazy,” she said. “And not the fun kind of crazy, either. Are you sure this is a good idea?”

  “It’s going to be fine.” Ed grumbled. “Morons can pull this off. Cultist morons.”

  “Sure, but your Duergar isn’t that much better than mine,” she retorted. “What if you’re misreading something?”

  “Doesn’t matter, and you know it. The summoning circle is in demonic glyphs, not Duergar. The book just includes a bunch of repetitive sycophantic chanting to Varamemnon, which is obviously not relevant or necessary in our case. I know how this works… well enough, anyway.”

  “I know, I know,” she griped. She couldn’t help it if breaking century old taboos put her a little on edge. “But what if you get the wrong demon?”

  Ed scowled. “Can’t really think of one we can’t kill between the two of us – not one that could squeeze itself into that little circle, anyway. Besides, you’re the one who said we needed to do something. You want to just leave it alone, instead? Because I won’t. We could transform the entire war with this. Besides, I’m not going to sit on my hands while one of my people gets hunted down – not when I can do something about it instead.”

  “Yes, you’re right.” Iriala conceded, glancing down at the letter again. Ed had told her all about his time in the hells. Putting it all together with Bernt’s end of the story had given her an idea – she just hadn’t thought they’d need to begin implementation so quickly. Ideally, they would have cooperated with the Solicitors on this, but neither she nor Ed fully trusted Radast. He’d stuck to the letter of his word, sure, but he hadn’t played it straight with them either. He was a frustrating ally, and an asshole. Besides, they could always bring him in later, if needed.

  Ed dug a small bundle of dried herbs from his pocket and inspected it for a moment. He pursed his lips and, coming to a decision, brought it over to her desk. She could see what he was thinking, but she didn’t stop him. They’d had this conversation before, and it wasn’t worth it.

  Holding it over the wooden surface, the old idiot cast a quick cantrip, and the part of the bundle he wasn’t holding fell, minced into tiny bits. Then he grabbed a generous pinch of the mess and packed it into his pipe.

  Lighting it, he puffed on it for a moment and smacked his lips experimentally.

  “I think that smokes pretty well,” he opined, peering into the bowl of his pipe. “Not bad.”

  Iriala just rolled her eyes and gestured back toward the circle.

  “Don’t be like that, Iri.” Ed grinned. “You have to get your enjoyment where you can.”

  Turning back to his work, he began a low chant. As far as she could tell, he was just saying Jori’s full name over and over again, using slightly different inflections each time. As he did, she could sense him direct a small stream of mana at the circle, activating it. Most warlocks – those who weren’t mages – would use some of their blood instead, but that was ultimately just a less efficient way to transfer mana.

  There was no dramatic light show or noise to signal when the summoning worked. One moment there was nothing, then a better than waist-high imp was standing there. A slight sulfurous smell tickled Iriala’s nose. She hadn’t evolved again since the last time she’d seen her but she seemed… older, somehow. Still, there was no mistaking her Underkeepers’ robe, or the sharp-toothed grin she flashed at Ed as soon as she saw him.

  “Hi Ed!” she looked around, and then dipped her head toward Iriala a little more warily. “Great mage. No warlocks today? Were they angry that you gave me the supplies?”

  Ed snorted. “Radast will keep his opinions to himself if he knows what’s good for him.” He nodded toward a small crate of paper-wrapped packages that he’d brought with him. “I brought you some more, actually – went and found that cabbage wrap vendor you told me about down by the docks.”

  Jori’s head snapped to the packages and she pounced on them, digging out a slightly soggy-looking one, her eyes gleaming. She barely bothered to tear it open before inhaling the contents.

  “Ohhh, yes!” she sighed around a mouthful. “That’s the stuff. I should introduce these to the others.”

  That was… not normal. Iriala raised an eyebrow at Ed, who just shrugged and smiled.

  “Right, anyway. We didn’t just summon you to give you a care package,” Iriala began, picking up the letter in demonstration. “It’s come to my attention that a bunch of demons are prowling around Besermark, presumably hunting our expedition.”

  Jori nodded awkwardly as she devoured the last of the spicy cabbage wrap. “And Bernt specifically, yeah. Tallash was in on it, but we killed him. My cousins told me that there are two others – a hag and a shade. Bernt already knows – I told him all about it.”

  “Yes, I understand you’ve managed to reestablish contact over your familiar bond.” Iriala said a little stiffly. “I’d like to see if we can learn something from these pests. You see, when Ed came back from the hells and told me his story, I realized that your combined effort there might actually have given us another way to fight the Duergar – provided that we can get your cooperation. If this plan turns out to be viable, your support might prove to be of critical value to the crown.” She paused for emphasis, looking at the imp over the rims of her glassed. “The kind of value that you may be able to leverage to your advantage in any potential negotiations for that support.”

  The imp finally faced her fully, her red eyes fixed on her intently. “What do you want?”

  “Well, we still need to convince Bernt and his friends to hunt down one of these higher ranking demons. But if he agrees to that, we want you to kill it over on your end.”

  Jori blinked, looking back and forth between the two archmages. “How is that supposed to help you fight the Duergar? It's one demon. I can’t fight Nuros’ entire army, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

  Ed blew out a cloud of herbaceous smoke and smiled slowly. “No, but I can help you kill some pretty high-ranking ones, maybe. We just want to see what the thralls do when the head gets cut off. The ones that aren’t your cousins. It should throw them into chaos, right? They won’t have any further obligation to Nuros or his tentacle monster boss. So, we'll try some of the lower-ranked ones as an experiment. And if that works, we can try Nuros’ direct lieutenants.”