Tala went to each cargo-slot and asked the head servant to do a headcount and compare it to their rosters. Something had her extra nervous, so she asked a secondary servant to watch the one she’d tasked for any odd behavior. Never hurts to be sure.

Rane had been in the first cargo-slot she’d begun the process in, and she’d sent him to Mistress Odera.

Less than ten minutes after she’d opened her eyes in the wilderness, inexplicably away from the caravan, Tala’s mage-sight screamed a warning. With a thought, Flow was in her hand in the form of a sword. She spun, lashing out even as she called out a warning.

“Incoming-!” Her call cut off for three reasons.

First, her mage-sight registered the aura: Reforged. The being before her radiated a perfectly controlled, deep blue aura, clearly a bit more purple than true blue. It didn’t radiate out from him, but instead, was held precisely at the surface of his skin almost like a badge of authority or office.

Second, the person was obviously human. Her mage-sight held that up before her mind in a way that seemed like it should be unable to be faked. The very magic within him felt human. The gate blazing forth was a fairly strong indicator as well.

Third, the man perfectly countered her actions. One hand caught Tala’s own, holding Flow at bay. More importantly, his second hand rested against her lips, rendering her unable to continue making sound.

“You are for humanity, yes, Bound? You are not corrupted?” His voice was soft but thrumming with power.

Rane vaulted from the wagon behind Tala, somehow utterly silent in his sudden assault, Force already whipping towards the newly arrived Archon.

The Archon’s lips quirked, and Tala saw a section of inscriptions on the man’s bare neck flicker to life.

Rane froze mid-air, wrapped in a uniform, dim glow. At the same time, three quarrels jerked to a stop in a perfect cluster, hovering three feet from the man’s back.

The man’s smile grew. “Impressive response.”

Mistress Odera walked up to the edge of the roof, surveying the scene below and sighed. “Reforged, please forgive these young ones.”

The Archon released Tala’s hand and lips, stepping back and to the side. “No harm was done, and their reactions do them credit.” He shifted his shoulders, and the spell-forms still active on his neck altered slightly, causing Rane to slowly drift down and lightly settle onto his feet. The bolts dropped from the air.

“Tell the guards to stand down, please. I don’t wish to waste metal or time continuing to counter them.”

Tala cleared her throat, sheathing Flow but remaining ready. “Stand down!” She met the new arrival’s gaze. He had not been at her raising, but she’d been told that most of the more powerful had not been. “I am human, yes.”

His eyes snapped to her, narrowing. “That is not what I asked.”

She swallowed involuntarily, fighting the urge to take a step back at the intensity. “Uhhh…ummm…yes? Yes, I am for humanity?” What does that even mean?

Mistress Odera began climbing down. “They are newly raised.”

The man grunted. “So, you’ve not yet faced an arcane…” His voice faded. “No. I definitely sense the lingering feel of a Revered.” He grinned widely. “Though, it was practically Honored, when it left.”

Tala frowned. “What?”

He gave a half smile. “You have advanced mage-sight? Yes? Good. That is an arcane whose aura is blue, fading back to green.”

“Isn’t that Reforged and Paragon?”

“For humans, yes. Arcanes function differently. No gate, different advancement.” He shrugged. “But I’m not here to educate you.”

That was…surprisingly informative, even so. Tala frowned. What’s his game?

He looked to Mistress Odera, now standing on the ground near the wagon. “Mistress, you are lead protector for this caravan: Mistress Odera, correct?”

“I am.”

“You are a Forbidden, correct?”

Mistress Odera took a deep breath, then nodded, her eyes remaining fixed on the man. “I am.”

“Good, having to temper my words for a usual non-Archon would have been…wasteful.”

She grunted, giving a slight bow. “As you say. Thank you for coming.”

“I am Master Xeel. A powerful arcane was detected near here; we had to respond.” He shrugged. “Tell me what happened.”

‘We’ had to respond? Are the Archons monitoring the whole of the human wilds, or is it just because we are so close to Bandfast?

Mistress Odera shook her head. “We don’t know. No one remembers seeing anything, but we’re missing close to a quarter hour of time, if I’m right in my guess. We are still doing a headcount, so I can’t swear no one is missing. Mistress Tala, here, was thrown from the wagon top. She was on watch, and woke up over there, with no memory of being attacked.” She pointed to where Tala had been.

The Reforged nodded, glancing that way and seeming to take in the entire scene. “Quite a bit of lingering power, there.” He turned back to Tala. “How did you survive?”

“No memory.” She cocked her eyebrow. “We did just say that.”

Xeel snorted. “Let me rephrase. Why would an arcane leave you alive?”

Tala felt a chill. Something to do with blood…? Xeel’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t comment. Tala shook herself, then responded. “I honestly don’t know.”

Rane stepped forward. “Mistress Tala has bent most of her magic toward survivability.” He glanced to her, motioning for her to expound.

She sighed. “I also use a complementing power that reinforces me. When I came back to consciousness, over there, my reserves of that power were nearly dry.”

Xeel frowned, looking more intently at Tala. She felt her iron-salve warm under the force of his mage-sight, if just slightly. Finally, he grunted. “Is that ending-berry power?” He barked a laugh. “That must’ve made them rusting furious.”

Tala cocked her head. “Why?”

He grinned. “The first humans to successfully rebel used ending-berry power to stand up to the arcane enforcers that were sent after them. Most of us can’t use it, these days, but it will be interesting to see how you turn out. Did you build your entire schema around using them?”

That’s a bit rude to ask, but I suppose it’s relevant. “Well, I sought my power based on the mythos, yes. Though, I didn’t know that ending-berries were the basis, at the time.”

“Ahh, fascinating.” He scratched under the right side of his chin. “Might get you in trouble in the forest, depending on how much you rely on that defense.” He hesitated, glancing towards Mistress Odera. “But we are getting off topic.” He sighed. “If there is no memory of the encounter, it was likely a Conceptual Guide.” He spat to the side. “I’ll need to examine each of you for programming.” He grimaced in an almost child-like way. The face he made reminded Tala of one of her brothers being told to clean up a particularly odorous mess. “I’m guessing you have quite a few passengers?”

“More than two hundred.”

Xeel sighed, again. “Well, I’ll see to the mundanes first. You three last. That sound good?”

Tala felt herself relax. Good. I can take a minute to get my thoughts in order... She frowned. Wait. That doesn’t make sense-

Xeel’s hands were suddenly on either side of her head, light flooding from his palms, locking her in place.

She gasped, arching before the influx of power. There was not damage being done, nothing for the ending-berries or her defensive inscriptions to resist.

In less than three seconds, Xeel had stepped back, spinning and throwing out hazy beams of light, which caught Mistress Odera and Rane. Xeel had directed one hand at each. Magical light, Xeel’s power, swept through the two much more quickly than it had through Tala.

“You two are clean. I apologize for the little lie. I needed to catch you off guard, and having you expect me to examine you later was sufficient for that.” He turned back towards Tala. As he did so, Mistress Odera and Rane looked her way as well. “You’ve had a chunk ripped out of your short-term memory, if I interpret the lingering effects correctly.” He seemed hesitant. His eyes flicked towards the other Mages, but finally, he grunted, shaking his head. “There seems to be something else, lingering. An older effect, put in place at least a month, maybe a month and a half, ago.”

Rane frowned and Mistress Odera pursed her lips.

That timing would place her at the Academy, or newly arrived in Bandfast…right? Maybe, it was right after I left, on my first contract? “What are you saying, Master Xeel?” She felt oddly disconnected, like she was in a dream.

“I’m saying that you’ve crossed paths with an arcane before this evening. It’s hard to tell them apart at times, but I would bet that it was the same one.”

“What…?”

Rane stepped closer. “What do you mean?”

“There’s nothing wrong with you, Mistress Tala. There is nothing lingering within you, waiting to activate. You are as changed as you will ever be, barring another encounter. You are human and for humanity.” He smiled consolingly. “That said, two encounters with the same arcane in so short a time means that you might see it again.” He sighed. “We’ll try to keep a closer eye on your routes, but we can’t guard you night and day.” He shrugged. “Not much else we can do, right now.”

“So…I’ve been altered?”

Xeel shrugged again. “Nothing so overt. You might have had a memory added or removed. Your personality, or thought process, might have been slightly shifted, or you might have had your magic nudged one way or other. Though, given your choices,” he grinned widely, “I would say that no arcane pushed you towards your specific spell-form schema or ending-berry use, at least not intentionally.”

“That’s something at least.”

“Now, I do need to examine the rest of the caravan. After that, I’ll stand guard, tonight, to make sure it doesn’t return, but tomorrow, I have to deal with that crystal attuned fount.” He scratched the side of his own head. “Well, and any arcanous beasts that have gone through it.” He grimaced, but it passed quickly.

Mistress Odera bowed. “Thank you, Master Xeel. Taking night-watch is a kindness, and I’m glad that our report reached the proper eyes.”

Xeel nodded slightly. Then, he glanced to Tala. “Tell your…friend that he can come out, and that his attempts to watch for an opening are pointless.” He had a twinkle in his eyes as he said the last.

Friend…? Oh! “Terry.”

Terry appeared beside her, his head level with hers, his eyes fixed on Xeel.

“You’re a big one, aren’t you?”

Terry hunkered down slightly and let out a thrumming whistle. Tala rested her hand on his neck. What’s going on?

Xeel held a casual stance, but he was clearly focused on Terry, probably more than he had been on any of them since he arrived. He tsked. “Huh…I thought we’d expunged that particular fount.” He frowned, his mage-sight clearly active. “No… you aren’t a new one.” His eyes moved to Tala. “Is he in your care?” The question was firm and felt like it had a depth that Tala couldn’t begin to understand.

“He is with me…yes? What’s going on?”

His eyes returned to Terry. “Some arcanous abilities are too dangerous to allow to linger. Like the one you encountered earlier today.” Xeel tilted his head towards Terry. “If I’m reading his magic and age right, he is a remnant of another such. My understanding was that we expunged them all.”

Terry hissed.

Not good. Tala slipped her hand over to the other side of Terry’s neck and pulled him sideways against her.

He jerked slightly, then twisted his head to look at her, a query clear in his eyes, along with pain. “He is with me, my partner. Is that going to be a problem?” What do you want of me, Terry? I can’t help you kill him.

Xeel hesitated, then shook his head. “No. It should be fine. If he were a true menace, he’d have been noticed and hunted down decades ago.”

Or he’s good at hiding and escaping. “When were the arcanous animals and fount…expunged?” She did not like that word used for those who had been like Terry.

Xeel seemed to take a moment to consider. “A hundred years?” He frowned. “No… it was near Manaven, waning… two hundred? Give or take.”

Tala let out a long breath. “Two hundred years.” And hundreds of miles… has he moved with humanity? Staying near our cities? Why? She stroked Terry’s feathers. “Are you alright?” Terry gave her a long look, then blipped to her shoulder, curling up and snuggling against her neck.

Xeel grunted. “I’ve work to do. I’ll take up watch in half an hour. Please plan to sleep then, so my time isn’t wasted. The forests have been more active of late, and you’ll want to be well rested for that part of your journey.”

Each of the Mage protectors nodded in return. “Thank you.”

* * *

Tala woke in a cold sweat. The dreams were back.

She sat up with a groan, both from her own lips, and the metal frame of her new bed. Why won’t these leave me be?

Terry wasn’t in her room, and she was utterly alone in the dark.

Cursing quietly to herself, she stood, buckling on her belt and locking her door as she headed outside.

All the guards were sleeping; Xeel was on guard-duty, and everyone was taking advantage.

Where is Terry? He wasn’t in the common space, and she didn’t see him when she pulled open the door, exiting the cargo-slot.

It was deep night, somewhere between midnight and dawn.

Tala walked outside, her bare feet crunching on the snow and frozen grass. It wasn’t unpleasant, not yet, so she didn’t pull her shoes from Kit.

“Couldn’t sleep?”

Tala spun, finding not-Xeel standing behind her. Oh, it looked like him, but Tala’s mage-sight told her that the form was made purely of light, so looks were all it had. Well, and sound. “Illusion?”

The image shrugged. “I’m on the wagon-top, if you prefer face to face.”

She looked up to where the man was standing, looking the other way…fifteen feet away. “You could have just said something.” She addressed the man, not the image.

“True, and you could be less suspicious.” The illusion continued to speak.

She hesitated. “Do you mean I shouldn’t be so suspicious of you, or that I should act less suspicious?”

“Both.”

Tala glanced back and forth between the illusion and the man on the roof. “Can you…not do this? It’s really odd.”

The not-Xeel vanished, and Xeel looked down at her. “You could just climb up. I did offer you that.”

Tala huffed but did as he suggested. When she reached the top, she looked around, taking in the surrounding, white landscape. “Winter’s a bit early, this year.”

“Not too much earlier than average. Isn’t the Academy farther north?”

“Yes, but it’s an island.”

“Ahhh, right. I often forget how much the ocean affects local weather.”

“So… Seen anything interesting?”

He shrugged. “Most arcanous beasts prefer the daytime.”

I know some striking, avian exceptions… “So, it’s safer at night?”

He hesitated. “You know… no? Those which do roam in the dark hours tend to be more dangerous, but they are also usually better at picking weak targets. So, caravans are probably safer at night…” He shrugged. “So…yes?”

“That’s not really an answer.”

“Worthwhile questions rarely have a single, simple answer.”

Tala grunted.

“So, why are you up? You could sleep another couple of hours, at least.”

Nightmares. “Don’t need as much sleep anymore.”

He gave her a long look, then turned his attention back to their surroundings. “So, have you decided whether or not you want to continue to hurt everyone around you in your quest for adventurous death?”

Tala spun on him. “Excuse me?”

He held up a slate. “It’s boring for the moment, and you seemed interesting, so I read your file. You do dangerous things, then let others dig you out or cover for you. Seems to work out well for you, across the board.”

“That’s hardly fair.”

“Oh? Maybe not, then. It is probably less-than-accurate to say you want to die, but you do seem to have a hard time grasping how your actions will affect those around you.”

“You seem very free with your opinions.”

Xeel shrugged. “I have perspective, and a lack of care for your feelings.” He smiled her way. “Please don’t mistake my words for distaste. Many of your accomplishments are quite impressive. You just aren’t great at the wise application of your…ideas.” He nodded. “Yes, you need to better temper your ideas in the fire of reason.” He snorted at himself. “Rust me, I’m getting old.” He shook his head. “All that to say: Mistress Odera will be good for you.”

“You know her?”

“Hmmm? No. I read her file, too. Her interesting-ness is less…densely packed, but that is a feature of a long life, I suppose. The woman who campaigned to get the two of you paired knew what she was about.”

Woman? Lyn… She had no reason to believe it had been Lyn, but it fit. “So, do Archons just wander the wilds, showing up after the danger is passed?”

He frowned at her. “You’ve encountered another Archon in the wilds? That wasn’t in your file.”

“I guess I didn’t tell anyone, after the fact.”

“This was when you were snatched from your last caravan?”

“Yeah.”

“Who was it?”

“What?”

“Who was the Archon that you met?”

“She just told me to call her Mistress.”

“Like…the title?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s a bit…arrogant.”

Tala chuckled. “Yeah, that’s what I thought, too.”

“She didn’t return you to your caravan. That would have been noted. What did she want?” He sounded like he was trying to sound casual, but Tala felt an intensifying of his focus at the question.

“She wanted me to serve her. Offered to buy out my contracts and all that.”

Xeel grunted. “She must have liked what she saw. Maybe, she saw herself in you.” He raised an eyebrow towards her.

“Yes, yes. I’m arrogant.” Tala rolled her eyes.

“Do you disagree?”

Tala hesitated. “No?” She sighed. “All through the Academy, I asked questions others said were worthless, and did things in ways that were ‘idiotic.’ ”

“Your choice of almost purely defensive inscriptions, and your propensity for iron?”

“Among other things. ‘Gravity isn’t meant for precise targeting, Tala.’ ‘Why do you want to be protected from a knife? If someone’s that close, you already failed. Why can’t you just accept the consequences of that failure?’ And on, and on.”

“Ahh, yes. You showed them.”

Tala glared at the man, then threw her hands up. “Why am I even talking to you?”

“Because you couldn’t sleep, and in all likelihood, you will never see me again, after tonight. I am a safe sounding board.”

“Oh?”

“Or so you would think.”

Tala grimaced. “My file?”

“I excel at recall and note-taking.”

Tala flopped down, causing the reinforced wagon to rock. “Why do you care?”

“Because you have the makings of either a great asset or incredible liability for humanity.”

“And you care about humanity.”

“Dear child, that is the only thing I care about. Those who had other concerns are gone.” Something in the way he said ‘child’ had none of the condescension that she’d felt when others addressed her that way. It had the flavor of a grandparent, bending down to pick her up after a fall.

Well, I might as well ask him some things. He seems much freer with information than most. “You are moving from blue to violet. What does that mean?”

Xeel hesitated at the sudden change of subject, then shrugged. “I am in process of re-forging my soul.”

“I don’t know what that means.”

He smirked. “Nor should you.”

“Wait, Blue is ‘Reforged.’ Shouldn’t you be done?”

“That refers to the Reforging of the body.”

“Which you also won’t explain.”

“Which I also won’t explain.”

Tala rolled her eyes. “Why all the secrecy? Why not just tell people?”

“If I explained how to reforge one’s soul, would you attempt it?”

“…No?”

He gave her a long look.

“Fine, that’s fair. But, I’m hardly standard.”

He laughed. “You are not as special as you might think. Much of what you have done is precisely why we’ve set up things as we have. You’ve been lucky; you’ve gotten some good advice along the way; and you’ve built yourself specifically to mitigate the fallout from your bad decisions, at least on yourself.” He gave her a pointed look.

“I never mean to cause anyone else difficulty.”

“Do you think about others at all?”

“Yes?”

“I believe you.”

She glared. “You’re a rusting wonderful person.”

“I’m glad you think so.”

Tala really didn’t know what to think of Xeel. He seemed, at the same time, to care way more than he should, and not at all. “Why are you really here?”

“To deal with the crystal fount and respond to an arcane.”

“But why you?”

“I was available, and of a power with the detected threat. We sometimes send groups, when only lesser Archons are available, but it doesn’t usually end as cleanly.”

Tala thought about the fight she’d witnessed at a great distance. “Are…are we losing?”

Xeel gave her a different long, long look, then shook his head. “No, not in the sense that you mean.”

“Then, in what sense are we losing?”

He snorted a chuckle. “Do you really want to know?”

“Of course.” Yeah… maybe I don’t…

“I don’t think you do.”

“Just tell me.” His seeming reading of her thoughts was getting irritating. Or I’m just not that hard of a person to read…

He smiled knowingly. “Do you know how many Archons humanity has?”

“Oh…slag…no?”

He laughed at that. “Fair enough. I’m not sure I could put an exact count to it either. But that’s not the point. For every human Archon, there are at least ten with that power from the other, nearby races.”

“Then…how?”

“How does humanity endure?”

She nodded.

“Most don’t care about us.”

“Then…why does it matter?”

“Because they would care, if we struck back against those who would oppress us. Hence, the wilds.” He gestured around himself. “They struggle to endure in such low-magic zones, so we armor ourselves against those truly hostile to us and endure.”

“That sounds…exhausting.”

“Truer words, my dear.” He let out a sigh, and Tala truly looked at him for the first time.

He was taller than her, with a solid build, but not a bulky one. His close-cropped hair was blonde-gray, with his face clean-shaven. He lacked wrinkles but something about him still almost screamed out the years that he had lived. His presence was heavy.

His Mage’s robes were a simple dark-brown, and he wore a plain copper band around his left ring-finger.

“How long?”

“Have I lived?”

“I was going to ask how long you’ve been fighting, but either works.”

He smiled at that. “I became Bound, and joined the fight…” He seemed to consider. “I think it was nearly sixteen hundred years ago.” His smile softened. “We’ve come so far, since then.”

Tala’s eyes widened. “How?”

Xeel shrugged. “Once one is Refined, aging ceases to matter, and if you don’t die in the fight?” He smiled. “You simply persist. One day, I’ll meet my match, and die defending humanity, but whether it’s in a day or a millennia?” He shrugged, again. “We’ll see.”

Tala was plucking at her elk-leathers, contemplating. The fight was important. Arcane encounters were notable. She should tell him. It’s not worth it. Not really. I should just leave him be.

“What is it? It’s not like we’re being circumspect, here.”

“How sure are you, as to the timeline of my previous encounter with the Arcane?”

“Fairly, why?” His tone once again conveyed an intent focus on her answer.

“Because, if you were right, then I was either at the Academy, or in Bandfast.”

Xeel stared at her for a long moment.

She did not like his silence. She felt the need to fill the void. “That…shouldn’t be possible, right?”

“No…no it should not.” He gave her a long look. “How sure are you?”

“The first time I entered the wilds, in my life, was thirty-six or thirty-seven days ago.”

“That is in the window of my estimate…” Xeel shook his head. “I’m more willing to believe that the signs have faded more quickly than average, than that an arcane was within one of our cities.” He tsked. “Still, we can’t discount the possibility.”

Tala watched the ancient Archon as he processed through what she’d said.

Finally, he smiled. “Thank you for making sure I noticed that. Your file showed your activities in general, but I didn’t connect those two things, specifically.” He shook his head, once more. “You’ve given me much to think about.”

Tala stood. “I’ll leave you to it, then. Thank you, for answering so many of my questions.”

He waved her off. “I’ve never liked the secrecy we’re forced into. I’m glad I could highlight some things that you should know.” He gave her a firm look. “You are a key member of this caravan. Every action you take affects everyone in it. Please don’t forget that.”

She nodded, feeling that settle down on her shoulders, really, for the first time. This isn’t just a place to make money, Tala. These people are counting on you. Your pay for the work matters, but only if they survive.

With that added burden, she climbed down the ladder and went to check around the wagon for Terry.