Abyssal Road Trip - 321 - Devious (Patreon)

Amdirlain’s PoV - Material Plane - Quil Tris

Livia asked questions for an hour until Amdirlain received a warning about Jan’era’s return. “Back to managing my disguise.”

“Enjoy,” drawled Livia, her concern clear.

Amdirlain reappeared in the bedroom and deactivated the illusion before she changed into a clean blouse and loose pants. Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Amdirlain emptied some Ki into a crystal and started cycling. After days of practising under pressure, it was simple for Amdirlain to complete a few hundred loops before Jan’era entered the building.

When Jan’era arrived at the apartment, she called out and he followed her response to the closed bedroom door. “Afternoon; got a moment?”

“Come in,” replied Amdirlain, taking in the absence of tension in the red-furred female’s form.

“I should apologise for misunderstanding your claim of Jal’krin as your composer,” said Jan’era as she leaned against the door frame.

Amdirlain shook her head, her whiskers lifting at the remembered embarrassment. “It’s fine. I’ll remember to choose the words I use more carefully. If I say anything you find strange or inappropriate, can you do me a favour and clarify the situation?”

“I’ll certainly be doing that,” confirmed Jan’era. “Law keepers said you could have someone look at the contract this afternoon or in three days. Otherwise, we can call around to other stations.”

“Is this how most people handle contracts?” asked Amdirlain.

“Most people have the Class skills or can pay accredited advocates. The law keepers provide a common service for those without contacts or funds. If the contract review doesn’t take too long, we can likely catch Jal’krin’s mum and sister at the dance studio. He mentioned you wanted to meet them, and they or someone they know might guide you to adjust your movements.”

Amdirlain shrugged helplessly. “Is it safer for you to introduce me?”

“Much safer. To forewarn you, while his parents are calm, Jul’iane is presently unhappy with Jal’krin. His playing keep-away has only made it worse, and she’s likely to blow up the first time she sees him,” cautioned Jan’era.

Wincing, Amdirlain nodded in understanding, her ears drooping against her skull. “So much for my idea of working with them.”

“We’ll see if they even feel they can help. If nothing else, you'll get introduced on neutral ground.”

Amdirlain gave a surprised snort. “Really? If I were them, I wouldn’t see a place I go to train regularly as neutral ground.”

“Non-pride ground is always neutral ground,” advised Jan’era. “Plus, you could be the conduit for them to ease back into talking with each other. If Jul’iane catches any regret or distress in his scent, it might flatten the bristles between them.”

“When will they be there?”

“Jul’iane’s out of school in a couple of hours,” Jan’era replied, and she motioned for Amdirlain to follow. “Let’s get going. While we’re likely to be there early, if the appointment before yours finishes up quickly, perhaps we’ll get in to see a contract reviewer early.”

Though more extensive, the law keepers’ station followed the same pattern as the town’s to Amdirlain’s senses. The entry was a reception area with groups waiting for the six blue-clad law keepers handling inquiries and paperwork. Beyond the wall behind them, Amdirlain’s mind found a space that was an open area of desks with a fortified lift that led to secured cells below ground. Following Jan’era’s cue, Amdirlain stepped to the side and waited, but she remained the focus of many, even when they were at the counter. Noting the source of their continued distraction, one of the law keepers motioned Jan’era and Amdirlain forward and got the reason for their visit.

The male law keeper who came out to collect them for the contract review took them up a flight of stairs opposite the inner exit from the reception area. The path initially followed the building’s outer wall before it doubled back to reach the next floor where a row of interview rooms ran above reception. Sitting them down in the first open room, he brought up some standard entertainment contracts and started through the clauses. After reading each clause, he asked Jan’era about its financial impact or other third parties interested in the contract. As he checked through another clause and started the same questions, Jan’era gave him a broad smile.

“Law keeper, I thank you for your concern and diligence. Have you heard of the recent memorial plaza event?” asked Jan’era as her frustration at the number of questions grew. "The contract view is for Am's benefit, not mine. Please ensure there isn't anything that would disadvantage her."

He took another look at Am, who smiled innocently, and got on with the processing.

“If you’re happy with the review, sir, can we sign it now?” asked Amdirlain at the end.

“Why the rush? I thought you’d have many offers to review,” asked the law keeper.

“As you pointed out, the terms are generous, and I like her and the rest of her pride that I’ve met. I don’t think it’s fair to keep Jan’era's studio waiting overly long,” replied Amdirlain, and she tested the effect of turning her Charisma up slightly. His attention didn’t waver, and Amdirlain heard the same Power at work that Wha’sin had displayed during their meeting and nodded happily.

Her apparent cheerful eagerness had the law keeper sitting back in his chair. “We can provide witnesses if you want to sign it here. Has your advocate reviewed it?”

“He has and understands my reasoning,” acknowledged Jan’era.

The law keeper nodded and tapped the document on the table. “Then I’ll focus on advising Am about these commercial terms.”

When they left the building, they had two signed contracts and a receipt from the law keepers for lodging a copy with the city’s archives on Am’s behalf.

“Make sure you call the archives in three days and confirm it has arrived,” Jan’era said while walking along the street to the apartment.

“Yep, because it’s our safety net,” confirmed Amdirlain.

Jan’era’s tail swished momentarily, and she gave Amdirlain a relaxed smile. “I won’t lie. I didn’t expect you to sign with us. Considering your talent, I thought a bigger studio would sweep you up before you even reviewed the contract with someone.”

Giving her a mischievous smile, Amdirlain laughed. “Thought they’d blind me with flashing numbers?”

“Something like that,” agreed Jan’era. “The bigger studios can line up more locations in a performance chain than we can. They have the deep pockets to pay all the booking fees and performance insurance and not blink.”

“I figured that. The checklist you described made their lack of flexibility obvious, so I figured the repeat part would scale quickly,” admitted Amdirlain. “It is standard negotiation—maximise discussion about your benefit and their problems while you also minimise mention of your problems and their benefits. Don’t let the customer think about who they like better or if your downsides are a bigger problem to them.”

“Yes, well,” coughed Jan’era.

“You also gave me a very generous offer, so I’m not put out,” continued Amdirlain. “Shall we go meet with Jal’krin’s sister?”

“That’s the plan,” agreed Jan’era.

Most of the trip through the late afternoon traffic, their side of the road was lightly populated, allowing them to make good time. The variation in the vehicles continually surprised Amdirlain, and Jan’era occasionally snickered when Amdirlain rubbernecked to check another vehicle they’d passed. The shop fronts in the areas they moved through started to change from decorative signage to simple names stencilled about the door, and panels that displayed promotions sat on the sidewalk.

Finally, Jan’era pulled into a three-story parking structure in the middle of a group of shops and a building with a group of leaping Catfolk painted on the side.

The painted building was the one Jan’era led her to, and before they moved past the entryway, Amdirlain reviewed the themes of the dancers within. They ranged from young children to those in their later teenage years. The only non-dancers were all adults, a scattering of instructors, other staff, and some parents watching lessons. Following Jan’era’s lead, she headed along a corridor past doors on either side that opened into two halls catering to different age groups.

At the top of a broad flight of stairs, Jan’era entered a large dance hall that ran the length of the building. Along its length was padded matting that looked like a gymnastics routine floor. Only a few dancers clad in crop tops and pants that blended with their fur flowed through leaps and rolls. The grace and speed of their movements were eye-catching, even though the expressions of many seemed dissatisfied, with stops and starts as they practised sections.

As Amdirlain slipped into the hall, Jan’era nodded to a tortoiseshell-furred female at the far end, who was mid-way through enacting a vicious leap. Claws extended from her toes to rake the air, and she retracted them a moment before landing and using her momentum to transition into a fluid shoulder roll. The motion of her hands leading her rise let Amdirlain picture shadowy foes getting hamstrung. Amdirlain caught gestures that spoke to her of blocks and attacks among the flurry of other artistic motions. Each move tapped into an anger that thrummed through her muscles.

“Del’krin’s here, but she looks tense,” murmured Jan’era. “Her leg might be painful today, so keep that in mind if she growls about anything.”

Moving quietly along the mat’s edge, Jan’era ignored the teachers and parents going quiet behind them. She finally sat beside an older brown-furred female who hadn’t taken her gaze from Jul’iane. Her only acknowledgement of their presence was an instinctive ear twitch at the sound of the pair sitting down.

Amdirlain watched in silence. Though Amdirlain caught flaws in Jul’iane’s balance on some landings, she didn’t stop moving aggressively. The final backflip would have cleared at least two metres and, as she landed, Jul’iane lashed her claws out to either side, an expression of unfaked rage in place as she froze facing them.

“Cool down, have a drink and a break, and we’ll go over individual sections; that quality won’t get you a scholarship,” Del’krin said, her tone clipped. “You’ve got the hand motions down, but you need to ensure you use the momentum from every leap, not choke it out.”

Following her mother’s instruction, Jul’iane rose from the crouch, and a mask of calm slipped into place while she started some light stretches.

“Del’krin, I’m glad you are here today. Jul’iane’s moves have improved,” Jan’era offered.

Del’krin nodded. “She is good, but she needs to aim higher than good. Are you going to introduce the girl that smells faintly of Jal’krin?”

“This is Am. She’s been guesting with Jal’krin, but I’ve moved them both into the place I’m using,” explained Jan’era. “We just registered Am’s studio contract with the law keepers.”

“If you registered her contract, why is Jal’krin also at your place?” interrogated Del’krin

“I’ve hired him to do freelancing composing for some of Am’s initial songs,” explained Jan’era, softening her voice to avoid it carrying in the hall. “It was Am’s idea so he could make amends.”

Her words caused some of the tightness in Jul’iane’s shoulders to ease as she paced about, stretching out her arms and legs.

“Del’krin, mother of Jal’krin and Jul’iane,” replied Del’krin, her gaze now fixed on Amdirlain and her ears tilted forward. “Am is a concise name.”

Amdirlain smiled and chose a reason from among the theories in Jan’era’s thoughts. “I left home before I earned a deed name.”

Jul’iane approached and took a water bottle from her mother, eyeing Amdirlain curiously.

“Your pride are nomads?” enquired Jul’iane quietly, and her hesitation warned Amdirlain to project calm to further mitigate her Charisma.

“No, just not local,” advised Amdirlain. “Blackcliff pride is far to the south.”

“Odd pride to take their name from a landmark,” remarked Del’krin.

“My pride is very odd indeed,” acknowledged Amdirlain, and she smiled at the strange mix in her life.

A dragon, two immortals, immortals in training, ex-demons, former deities from the maze, angels, and one Anar.

“You were projecting your Charisma strongly just then. I don’t think I’ll need to worry about my son taking advantage of you. From what I felt, it’s more likely you’d take advantage of him. Did you talk him into offering the couch?” questioned Del’krin.

“I’m sorry, I’ve been having issues with my Charisma of late,” confessed Amdirlain. “Originally, Jal’krin intended to advise me on entering various musical competitions. He thought my stage presence and voice would make me a sure thing; then Pal’tran introduced me to Jan’era.”

“After Am blew up the caster ratings with her performance at the Expedition 4329 memorial,” added Jan’era.

Del’krin looked at Jan’era blankly and then clicked her fingers. “I heard something about that. Then it got buried in all the commentary on the lakefront and the Spellclash manor being destroyed. Most folks on the base are more interested in sources of trouble than singers, no matter why they sing.”

“That’s understandable. It sounded unimaginable from what the news readers on the audio receiver were saying,” allowed Amdirlain. “I find it strange that most everyone seems so calm about it.”

“The undead lurk below us, and death is a conduit failure away,” Del’krin replied casually. “Yet whatever acted at the lake and the manor seems to take care to keep most involved parties alive. What brings you to see us today? I take it this isn’t a social visit.”

“Jal’krin suggested I speak to you and Jul’iane. It came up in a discussion about choreography and movement coaching,“ replied Amdirlain.

“Amdirlain could do with general movement advice,” Jan’era said. “I’m not sure who to send her to speak to. The best ones I know are on contract, and she needs more advice than the others can provide.”

Del’krin, not having watched Amdirlain’s approach, frowned. “What’s the issue?”

“Since Jul’iane is having a break, Amdirlain, could you walk to the far wall of the hall and back again?” asked Jan’era. “Please?”

Giving a clueless shrug, Amdirlain got up and carefully did what Jan’era had requested, keeping out of everyone’s thoughts.

“Moonless night,” hissed Del’krin in a whisper to Jan’era before Amdirlain was halfway across. “How old is Am?”

“Sixteen,” reported Pal’tran.

“Find them and put a bolt between their eyes; no teenager should walk that way,” growled Del’krin.

Yeah, I needed to go with at least eighteen. I didn’t think to check my cover story, but it wouldn’t have mattered. My lack of control around the Catfolk ears and tail means I couldn’t pass for an adult.

When Amdirlain turned back to them, she saw Jul’iane’s gaze on her, memorising how she moved. Her mother tapped her shoulder and told her to tend to her stretching to avoid cooling down too much.

When Amdirlain returned to a conversational distance, Del’krin nodded thoughtfully. “What movement Skill do you have, Am?”

“My record had a few, and then they combined into Agile,” offered Amdirlain. “I also had a Skill for dancing, but it also got absorbed with some others. I’ve started to learn the plain Dance Skill separately.”

“Why are you looking to learn it separately?”

“My old Skill was good for dancing in a freestyle, improvisational fashion. I was glad to get it combined, but the new Skill gives me more trouble. I wanted a Skill to let me plan out particular dances and repeat them precisely, and I gained a plain Dance Skill,” answered Amdirlain, hunching her shoulders meekly.

“What was the original version of your Skill? What did it combine into?” asked Del’krin, and she stared at Amdirlain’s hunched shoulders and continued. “I’ll need to know if I’m to give you useful advice.”

“You’ve got a cross look already,” noted Amdirlain, glancing at Jul’iane. “Can I whisper just to you?”

When Del’krin nodded, Amdirlain moved close and whispered her original Skill name to her, and Del’krin’s fingers dug into the chair.

I didn't want Jul’iane to hear that I had Erotic Dance. Sue me.

“How did you get that first Skill?” asked Del’krin, practically chewing off her words.

“I was trying to distract a few people, and then no matter what I did, it kept improving,” grumbled Amdirlain.

“Rounding out your skills as a performer can be important,” allowed Del’krin, and she dropped the subject. “Though at sixteen, how did you combine not one set of skills but two?”

It touched on a cover story Amdirlain had already figured out and even contained part of the truth.

Amdirlain looked glum. “I wish I knew more about skills to know for sure; as it is, I’ve got myself into a bind. I really need to get my Charisma and that Skill under better control.”

Del’krin’s ears flicked. “You’ve got it under some control?”

Amdirlain nodded. “I’ve got my Charisma furled in, and I tried to walk normally, but it's still an issue.”

As she was about to say more, two distinctive songs appeared nearby and started up the stairs towards the hall. Sarah’s partial song was one thing, but Amdirlain would never have expected her to be accompanied by the fiery music of Kadaklan. Amdirlain caught at Sarah’s outer thoughts and found a giggling chant of three blind mice playing there.

‘What are you doing here?’ projected Amdirlain.

Sarah returned images of the expanded Sanctuary, Gaius busy teaching Artificer students, and speaking with Livia in the base camp.

‘You’re so busted, young lady. Livia also spoke with your healer, so we’re both here to look out for you. We even dropped by that law keepers’ office you told Livia about in the first town and got chits.’

‘How did you disguise him?’

‘I still had a few leftover plates for disguising celestials from imprint stones. They worked fine to bypass their chit gadget. We’re not at risk of being summoned later, so we’ll use our names. We trekked after our dear friend, fearing for her safety. Lucky Ka’s healed you in the past and can track you perfectly.’

Amdirlain had to keep her expression composed.

‘You could have warned me,’ protested Amdirlain. ‘Why is he coming here?’

Sarah’s laughter rang through her mind. ‘And you’d have argued. We’re here now, and there are so many toys to take apart! Kadaklan is here because Livia sent him an image of the damage you’d done to your legs.’

“Why don’t you relax your Charisma so I know what I’m dealing with?” Del’krin requested.

Amdirlain glanced meaningfully at the others in the hall and winced. “Can we do that in another room or somewhere else?”

“Okay,” allowed Del’krin. “What classes do you have?”

“Only Bard; the chit the law keepers made showed me as level five. That was before the memorial performance,” advised Amdirlain.

Del’krin coughed. “You’re a seducer?”

The name had Amdirlain’s tail fluffing up, and her ears jerked straight up. “I’m sure that’s completely exaggerated. There was nothing about that in my Class vision; it was about travelling and performing for crowds.”

“She had over a hundred thousand people watching her sing and play the harp for a couple of hours,” offered Jan’era. “Not to mention the crowd gathered in the plaza and adjoining laneways before the casters arrived.”

Jan’era received a wary look from Del’krin before she shook herself. “It might be best to seek help from an adept.”

“An adept?” questioned Amdirlain.

“It's not a Class; they’re assistants to companions, serving as intermediaries to avoid the issues their employer’s high Charisma might cause. Though I understand it’s more about avoiding possible accusations of undue influence than actual issues. I know two that used to be dancers; their career took another path after I stopped,” advised Del’krin.

Two red-furred Catfolk slipped into the dance hall. Sarah’s fur was a solid red that matched the colour of her Dragon form, while Kadaklan’s fur looked like someone had poured the dawn across his coat, with shades of red, orange, and bronze. They were both clad in sleeveless tunics of dark leather and pants with solid boots, and Amdirlain could hear that Sarah’s psionic abilities had created their clothing.

“Oh, scat!” Amdirlain hissed, playing up her teenager role.

Jan’era looked between Amdirlain and the newcomers. “Is there a problem?”

“Two of my pride,” groaned Amdirlain, her tail coiling around her legs.

Jan’era echoed her reaction. “They the type to drag you back?”

“They wouldn’t do that,” insisted Amdirlain. “Though being overly protective is another matter.”

“I want to speak to them about whoever taught you that Skill,” hissed Del’krin.

“It was honestly self-inflicted, Del’krin. A few of my pride tried to help me deal with it, and we made things worse,” said Amdirlain.

They waited while the pair drifted down the hall, which took longer than expected as Kadaklan stopped and exchanged hellos with every parent. Sarah was rolling her eyes when they finally reached Amdirlain, and she made the introductions.

Jan’era looked the taller but youthful appearing pair over curiously. “Is it a custom among your pride to let teenagers wander?”

Amdirlain gave Sarah a quick mental heads-up as she responded.

“The area we’re from is pretty hard; some grow up faster than others. We’re both slightly older than our wandering miss and have earned our deed names,” responded Sarah calmly. “I’m a skilled Artificer and Fighter, while Kadaklan is a decent healer. Between us, we can travel safely, even going afoot.”

Kadaklan huffed. “I’m a great healer, not merely decent.”

“He is. I’ve got the working legs to prove it. They were both completely severed, and he regrew them; that’s how good he is,” chirped Amdirlain, and she smiled excitedly. “Kadaklan, how come you came with Sarah?”

Kadaklan gave her a mischievous smile. “You trying to wiggle out of trouble?”

“Kadaklan,” yelped Amdirlain.

“Do you two have an understanding?” Del’krin asked suspiciously.

“No,” blurted Amdirlain.

“Yes,” purred an amused Kadaklan.

Amdirlain turned to Sarah and let out a huff. “Did you have to bring him along? Kadaklan, we don’t have an understanding.”

“Yes, we do. A simple one, you hurt your legs, I fixed them, and you left home without doing a follow-up to ensure there wouldn’t be more issues,” grumbled Kadaklan dramatically, clasping his hand to his chest. “I’m not even a couple of years older than you, and you treat me as if you need to flee from an adult trying to ground you.”

Sarah nodded. “He was worried you might require further treatment, and I was worried about your safety.”

“We’re disturbing Jul’iane’s practice time,” interjected Amdirlain.

Jul’iane lifted her hands and tail defensively. “No offence, but I shouldn’t get involved in your pride trouble.”

“That wasn’t what I meant. We’re interrupting. Shouldn’t we have our discussion another time?” asked Amdirlain.

“I’ll second that; we showed up unexpectedly, and we are taking up your time,” agreed Sarah before she fixed Amdirlain with a firm look. “Haven’t you got into enough trouble in dance halls?”

“Am says her original Dance Skill was self-inflicted?” questioned Del’krin, leaning forward as she spoke. “I get the impression there is much more to that story.”

Sarah groaned. “Oh, there is, but it's also true. Am is pretty wild and frequently goes off plan with ‘interesting’ results.”

“I admit to being inspired by the moment‌,” sighed Amdirlain dramatically. “You have your plans, and I have mine. Where you like things by the numbers, I plan to be flexible, but they’re both valid approaches.”

Jan’era coughed and looked at Del’krin. “That said, could we impose today? You’ve got the background to point us in the right direction, and I’ll need to get things moving with Am.”

“We have lots to discuss, ‌and Sarah can reimburse you for the hall’s fees since they butted in,” offered Amdirlain.

“I can?” asked Sarah.

“They have a Mana grid, and you’re a strong Artificer, so you can contribute more than enough Mana to compensate for the hire fee,” stated Amdirlain. “You could surely outdo a humble Bard like me, especially since you’re being possessive by tracking me down.”

Sarah stepped close and gave her a tail swat before hugging Amdirlain. “Fine, have it your way, brat. However, I’m not letting you out of my sight again if I can help it.”

“You’re a bully, sis,” muttered Amdirlain.

“I expected you to remain at Nolmar for years except for quick trips, not run off to explore the world long-term,” grumbled Sarah.

“I needed to find someone to help with my Charisma and the other Skill,” objected Amdirlain.

Sarah nodded begrudgingly. “Fine, I can understand your needs. However, I’d have appreciated being told in advance so I could offer relevant advice, not finding out from someone else after you left.”

“Sounds like you two at least need space to talk,” Del’krin said. “Let’s take this gathering elsewhere so we don’t disturb those practising, and Amdirlain can unfurl her Charisma.”

“Be careful what you ask for in that respect. It packs a punch,” cautioned Sarah.

Jul’iane moved about and gathered their bags for her mother and got a light swat on the arm when she went to help Del’krin stand.

”You carry your things, I can manage,” grumbled Del’krin.

Kadaklan cocked his head curiously at the hesitation in Del’krin’s gait. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but what options do they offer for pain management in this city? It’s a matter of professional curiosity and all that.”

“The usual tonics, elixirs, rubs, and—mum's favourite—grinding the teeth,” Jul’iane quipped.

“I’m not interested in buying folk medicine from distant lands,” dismissed Del’krin, and she strode towards the door.

“Grinding the teeth can dull them. If you’re helping Am, I wouldn’t be selling you medicine, but we’ve also just met each other,” replied Kadaklan, and he gave her a charming smile. “I’ll walk beside you, if that’s alright; in case you need a shoulder along the way, the option is there.”

His only response was a grunt as Del’krin kept walking.

Sarah reached the reception desk first, where she spoke to a russet-furred female behind the counter. “Do you run a credit arrangement for customers? I’d like to prepay some hall fees.”

“We can take prepayments,” acknowledged the female. “Mana or coin.”

“Mana,” advised Sarah, and the receptionist directed her towards the silver plate on the counter.

Shortly after Sarah touched her hand to it, the building lights perked higher, the female’s whiskers shot up, and her ears twitched wildly. “That’s far more than we should accept.”

Amdirlain monitored the stress in the grid while Sarah’s Mana rushed in, but she soon stopped, either realising the same or just hadn’t wanted to push her luck.

Sarah jerked a thumb towards Del’krin. “Put it all against Del’krin’s account or whatever you do to determine hiring days.”

“But that’s worth months of the full hall,” objected the receptionist.

“It was only a few thousand Mana,” rebuffed Sarah. “It’s between Del’krin and the hall now.”

The female took a wide-eyed look at her screen. “That was far more than a few.”

“A few to me,” rejoined Sarah, and she smiled at the stunned Del’krin standing nearby. “Del’krin, why don’t you chat with this lady and discuss how you want to handle it? Whether you use it solely for Jul’iane or share it with others in your pride is your business.”

“My bigshot sister,” teased Amdirlain.

Moving off to one side, Sarah huffed at Amdirlain. “Any reason you didn’t contact me about important events?”

“I’m sorry,” surrendered Amdirlain.

Sarah wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed her head. “Please learn to accept more help.”

Amdirlain sighed. “Doesn’t seem like I have much choice.”

“You have a choice, but I have choices as well,” Sarah countered, giving her a sharp nod before stroking Amdirlain’s ears.

‘You’ll keep buster,’ projected Amdirlain.

Sarah’s gaze firmed again. ‘How will I know if you’re in need when you don’t contact me? Your legs got cut off—conceptually severed, not just amputated—and not a peep before, during, or after getting them healed!’

‘I’ll try to do better when there is a problem.’ The mental contact with Sarah became laced with steel intent that didn’t soften with Amdirlain’s reassurance.

‘You didn’t tell me about Torm’s fate or hunting Eldritch. I could have given you advice about the Eldritch. While I was Ori’s secret keeper and won’t spill some things early, if you’ve started to mess with them, I can tell you what I know. Like ways they use to contain corrupted materials in other worlds.’

A flurry of images raced across the surface of Sarah’s mind of buildings distorted in space and time that looked like a cluster of fallen rocks and organic doorways.

‘I wanted you to have time to sort out things with Gaius, not come chasing after me again.’ objected Amdirlain. The fierceness in her mental voice received a reassuring warmth from Sarah.

‘I’ve plenty of comforting memories of mates, some for a century or two and others for life spans, but I only have one oath sister, and I want to always be there for you. Livia told me enough that I understand why you came to help, but we can provide backup. How did that one tag you?’

‘The bitch was fast. I connected to the back of her head, clean ambush, and my kick hadn’t even finished properly when she blasted me.’

An image of a rat trap with rodents covered with tendrils contained inside came from Sarah. ‘You build traps for these things, baited with things of interest, not yourself. Ori didn’t hunt them down. She lured them from their contaminated lairs and obliterated those afterwards.’

‘What would they be interested in?’ Amdirlain sent an image of a kindergarten with a sign Cthulhu’s daycare and a squid-faced monster herding little squids inside for storytime.

In response, visions of grimoires and shining armouries of magical items came from Sarah’s mind. ‘Power calls to power in all forms. The realm’s rules do not bind them, but they or their minions can still use things within the rules here.’

Amdirlain shared some quick concepts for baited traps, including modifications to her practice tower.

‘You’ll need to refine those more. Once the active entities are all trapped, you’ve more time to find the sigils without them being spread. Or leave that to the private investigation squad that you’ve found.’

The exchange hadn’t even taken a second, and Sarah softly leant to press her forehead against Am’s. “Going to work with me, short stuff? Or should I head off?”

“I’ll try. Be careful of the Mana contributions. It goes through their grid, which powers wards to keep people safe,” recommended Amdirlain aloud, with the mental conversation having closed off.

“I was well within material tolerances. I can feel how their artificers monitor things; very interesting,” hummed Sarah. “At least two Mana generators feed energy into the grid from the current flow.”

Amdirlain frowned. “People accumulate Mana from the environment.”

“People aren’t the principal contributor to this grid, sweetie,” insisted Sarah.

“The Whiteshield family developed the stones and the Mana grid,” offered Jan’era. “It’s all knowledge under their family’s patron rights. If your pride wants to know how it works, that’s who you’ll need to negotiate with. They’ve sold the usage rights to other places that have grown into cities.”

“I don’t want the answer from them. It’s far more fun to work it out myself,” Sarah replied. “Or devise ten ways to do it first and see which is more efficient. The alignment of minerals they used to pass Mana through the stones and cables is interesting; I’ll give them that.”

“Jan’era’s vanity ride only fits two. Sarah and Kadaklan, why don’t you travel with us?” offered Del’krin as she stepped away from the counter.