Verdan watched with mixed feelings as the Disciples of Adamar carried Kurgane’s body off to be buried. The caravan was almost caught up with them, and there was no time to waste, so Vaijon had decided to simply bury him and move on.

  Considering their original worries over what would happen when Kurgane died, that seemed a strange choice to Verdan. Vaijon insisted that it wouldn’t be an issue, though, and that all the burials and mourning for those lost would be held once they’d won.

  Regardless, it wasn’t Verdan’s decision to make. What mattered was that Kai had come through more or less in one piece, and that meant that Silver remained in command.

  That also meant that they would be staying on their current path and not trying to use the shortcut. It would take them another day or so to reach the turning west, at which point they’d know for certain if Verdan was right.

  For his part, Verdan had no doubt that he was right, there was just too much that didn’t add up otherwise. Still, it would be a weight off of his mind when they had the evidence in front of them.

  Sighing, Verdan looked over the burnt duelling circle and shook his head. It was such a waste. For all that Kurgane had deserved everything that had happened, his magic would have been far more useful against the Cyth.

  “Worrying about something?” Vaijon asked, walking over to join him.

  “Reflecting on how much more we could do if we just stopped fighting each other,” Verdan said, staring off into the distance as he thought back to the civil war he’d experienced. This was only a shadow of what he’d seen back then.

  “True, which is part of why my Sect exists,” Vaijon said, tapping one finger against a vial on his belt in an absent motion. “We’re neutral, which gives us the room to act in this way. I’d have preferred to fight on Silver’s behalf myself, but we do too much good with our neutrality to risk it.”

  Verdan nodded, thinking of who else could arbitrate a fight between Sorcerers and coming up with only a handful of ideas.

  Taking a deep breath, Verdan pushed all that aside and turned to the Elder. “Kai used his Parada at the end. It was a powerful ability, can we rely on all your people being able to do the same?”

  “Soul magic, Parada as you call it, is variable. The first and foremost teaching of Adamar was that we should only strive to define our own power. He said that seeking to define the powers of others on their behalf would only lead to frustration.”

  “Hah, he wasn’t wrong there,” Verdan said, smiling slightly as he remembered the countless Wizards who’d driven themselves half-mad trying to quantify Parada. “So that is all Kai, then?”

  “Yes, but it will grow in time. We all have our sett powers, but they are far from restrictive. My own magic breathes stability into my creations, allowing me to prepare before fights. When I first realised what I could do, I saw no path forward.”

  “I doubt Kai has that issue,” Verdan said, gesturing with one hand to the burnt battlefield.

  “No, but I suppose what I’m saying is that there will be potential for him to learn new ways to use it. Regardless, we’ll be there to help him learn. Especially now.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Vaijon frowned, seemingly confused by the question, but after a moment his expression cleared. “I’m sorry, I forget that you aren’t a Sorcerer. Kai demonstrated Projection when he created those shaped air attacks. They were more than a clever use of Manipulation.”

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  Verdan thought back on what he’d seen for a moment before nodding. “True, I can agree with that, but what does that mean?”

  “It means that Kai is a dual-element Elder now, like me. There aren’t many of us, so any Sect with compatible teachings will want him.”

  “Including the Disciples of Adamar?” Verdan asked, arching a brow in Vaijon’s direction.

  “Perhaps,” the Elder said with a sly smile. “I had already offered him a position, thanks to his use of his soul. Now, though, I should be able to offer more.”

  “Well, I hope you find some common ground. It would be good to see more of a reliable Sect up here.”

  “We should talk more about that once this is over,” Vaijon said, glancing meaningfully over at the remains of the duel. “I think my Sect having a presence within your city would be good for all involved.”

  Verdan nodded before glancing over to the approaching wagons and the rest of the army marching alongside them. “A discussion for another time.”

  Vaijon nodded and moved off to take care of some other business, leaving Verdan to walk back to his wagon.

  Silver’s people would take care of the horses that had been used, which left Verdan with a task he was dreading.

  He had to tell Natalia that Kurgane was dead, and he had to tell her what he’d heard when Kurgane pulled out the potion.

  It sounded like Kurgane had deliberately caused the fire that killed Natalia’s family. No doubt she’d had her suspicions, but Verdan doubted that this would be a pleasant conversation.

  Jogging over to their wagon, he swung up onto the side and placed his staff into its usual resting spot before taking his seat next to Natalia.

  “So, what was all that about?” The alchemist asked, keeping a rough watch on the trail ahead as she glanced over at Verdan.

  “We needed to make a decision about how to proceed, and then Kurgane used that as an excuse to challenge Silver for leadership of the alliance.”

  “Gods above, what happened?” Natalia’s eyes were wide as she reached for a nearby satchel. “Does anyone need healing?”

  “No, no healing needed,” Verdan said, hesitating for a moment before pulling out the blue tinted bottle that Kurgane had thrown aside. It had survived the final clash between the two Sorcerers, so he’d taken it.

  “That bottle…” Natalia froze as she stared at the blue glass. “That looks almost like what we used to have, back before the fire.”

  “I think it might be,” Verdan said gently, passing her the bottle as he explained exactly what had happened.

  -**-

  “So he’s dead then,” Natalia said softly, her gaze turning distant as she stared out ahead of them. “I can hardly believe it.”

  “I watched them take away his body myself, he won’t be hurting anyone again.”

  “It just seems so strange.” Natalia’s voice was faint, and Verdan had to strain to hear everything. “I was so scared that he would do something. That he would try to hurt one of us, and now he’s just gone. Just like that.”

  Shifting as close as he could, Verdan wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. There wasn’t anything he could say, but he could be there for her.

  “I’d always known that something happened that day, my father was too careful for it to have been an accident. Not one as bad as that. Even so, I never dreamed that it would be something so petty, so pointless. It just doesn’t make sense.”

  “You’ve not spoken much about them,” Verdan said softly. “What were they like?”

  The question seemed to draw her out of her reverie, and Natalia began to speak, telling Verdan stories from when her childhood and before the city began to struggle.

  -**-

  They stopped late in the evening, having pushed as far as they could during the day. Even with everything going on, they still needed to try and make up their time catching the Cyth.

  Fortunately, the extra time gave Natalia chance to talk about her family and her life growing up in Hobson’s Point. It had been good for her to get it all off her chest, and she’d seemed tired but rejuvenated when she went to bed.

  Unfortunately, Verdan’s work hadn’t finished quite yet. When Natalia turned in, he’d instead gone to find Dirk and Magnus before heading to the horse constructs and working on their Sigils.

  Verdan’s apprentices had been working on the Sigil he gave them, and surprisingly, Magnus had made more progress than Dirk.

  Verdan felt a little ashamed of how surprised he’d been at that, but he was used to Dirk being the exemplary Wizard and taking to everything with ease. In this case, though, Dirk was making average progress while Magnus was leaping forward.

  Magnus still struggled with projecting his spells past his body, an oddly similar issue to what Kai had been struggling with, but if he took to Sigils well, that wouldn’t matter.

  “Here, you work on this next set,” Verdan said, gesturing to the final grouping of Sigils along the construct’s back. “Dirk, watch carefully. I want you to be doing the same tomorrow.”

  “Yes, Master,” the two Kranjir said in unison, Magnus moving forward with a fine chisel to work on the horse while Dirk looked on with clear envy.

  Hiding his smile, Verdan moved on to the next horse and got to work. He’d check Magnus’s Sigils once they were done, but hopefully, they’d be able to speed this process up.