Clara was angry when he decided to go and talk to Ivor; in fact, she didn’t want anyone from the group going to the cabin. They had talked, and they were both angry, and they had argued.

  She had argued that they didn’t need his help.

  And he had argued that he needed to know the reason why he had sent Levin to do what he did.

  Marcus felt like he had been part of some games he knew nothing about, and that very fact brought anger he didn’t know he had to the surface. He wanted to look the man in the eye and ask him why.

  “Why?”

  ‘What was the reason for playing with his life after rejecting their request for help?

  Clara had wanted to come and give the large man a piece of his mind, something that would not have been in any of their interest. He had tried that once, and Ivor had pushed him into the wall, dragged him out of the cabin like a sack of potatoes and presented him to Levin for a beating.

  Marcus’s hand went to the rings in his rags. One was enchanted with a spell of lesser strength, which increased his strength, and the other for an arcane push spell that pushed his enemies away without touching them.

  His face went from a dull musk as his jaw clenched, and he gave the cabin in the distance an icy glare. If things went sidewise this time, at least he had come prepared.

  “Are you alright? You’re glaring.” Gabe said, causing Marcus to look over his shoulder.

  “Am fine.”

  “Are you sure.”

  Yes,” he turned his face forward to keep moving. Shouldn’t you be helping the others with the spot we picked out?”

  “Me! dig,” he feind a weak chuckle waving his hand, “Clara has Zek and those two trouble makers, they can do without me.”

  When they got the enchanted gear, they sold it, kept it like the rings or traded it for food and other necessities and also spells.

  What the others did not know was that Clara and Marcus had planned to obtain all the spells from the enchanted gear they had received from the Ashfields.

  After his first few tries, he had figured out how to keep the runic scripts on the floors and walls when he tried to copy the spells. The key was to keep each of the layers separate, and that way, the magic would not decay them as readily. It was like a formula: the layers all acting together to create the spell form.

  And as he had read from the books, the more spells they possessed, the stronger they would be against Thornan.

  ——

  Unlike everyone else in the group, Gabe knew that Marcus was not only odd but knew too much. He knew how to count and how to make the glass contraptions he had in his room in the Manor like a scholar. He used words Gabe had never heard of and proceeded to explain his terms, and this was something that was not usual for an orphan or a brothel-born child.

  And unlike everyone else, Gabe was aware of the truth of his position in the group, after Marcus had joined them especially during the last few weeks, Clara had gone to the other boy for advice instead of him as she had usually done, although he wasn’t part of their conversation he was aware of what they were planning.

  He watched Clara try on every enchanted equipment piece they got there hands on and she sold those that she didn’t think would help her fight. Marcus on the other hand was doing everything he could to get and learn new spells from the enchanted equipment, he would draw spells on the floors and walls.

  A pointless endeavour, or so he thought.

  The first few tries, the runes had faded away in two days, but as Gabe watched Marcus over the following days, the runes he wrote began to fill the walls, and surprisingly, they did not fade as quickly, leading Marcus to try to figure the spells out.

  And unfortunately, Gabe could not bring himself to hate the situation--. Out of all of them, only Marcus and Clara were the only ones who could use innate magic, a special magic that did not need them to learn from scholars, with spells that were not to be forgotten on the winds.

  It made anyone who could cast these spells stronger than most in the Slums of Srok. And of the group, only two of them could cast innate magic, and they were preparing to fight.

  In the distance Gabe’s eyes fell upon the only structure on an ashy mound. it would have been an odd sight to see a lone cabin in the middle of the war torn fields with nothing but burnt earth around if only the man who lived in it was not a former knight capable of dispatching a dozen winter beasts on his own.

  Gabe looked up at Marcus, he moved to speak then thought better of it. despite what he told himself he came for one reason, if Clara could not see it he clearly did and she was blinded by her stubbornness. Any other time it would have been a good thing, something that made her stay with the group but she was missing the point.

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  Levin was a Veystrix. If he had wanted them dead, they would have all been dead, and his attacks on the group had all been directed at Marcus. If Clara knew this, she would have seen through Levin and the old man’s game. They were testing Marcus to see if he could be one of the old man’s Veystrix, and if that happened, if he abandoned the group…

  No... he couldn’t let them miss lead Marcus, and that’s why he was here. If they were to start a House and stand against the other Noble Houses, they needed someone capable of being as strong as him. Gabe, after all, had been there when he saw the Katch paper display Marcus’s affinities.

  The old man and Levin wanted him to become a Veystrix ,a killer for coin. it was the only reason he could think for why Levin attacked him and tested him. Among the few people who knew the particulars of the Veystrix. Gabe knew how they tested their newest members and whatever the old man was thinking he had to be their to convince Marcus to stay with them.

  And as the two drew closer to the cabin, Gabe watched two black clothed figures exchange a few words before one of them looked to the side and caught sight of the pair of them. the figure then looked back at the figure leaning against the wall of the cabin who nodded and the other standing figure of the Veystrix turned and ran towards Srok.

  And in less than a minute, the running figure made it to wall and disappeared. Gabe looked up at him, and he knew he had to say something, anything, to keep Marcus on their side: “Don’t take their side.”

  “Don’t worry I won’t be choosing sides,” Marcus replied and Gabe realized that the other boy was seemingly oblivious to what Ivor wanted make him. but that’s why he was here he had to keep Marcus at the Manor.

  ——

  The room was tidy and the half-giant’s leg bob in anxiety, he waited until Levin had told him that he had sent the message and requested Marcus to come back.

  He had to ask the boy about his capabilities to calm his worries, or rather he had to make the right choice. if he was going to put his neck on the line against the duke and Rat’s Guild, he needed to know he had the better hand to play. he suspected that the boy had really high affinities for shadow and Arcane and if he had another high rank affinity then his choice would be sound although he doubted it.

  At the minimum, if Marcus had at least two higher affinities with two royal magics, the boy was already a Master. In addition, it was well known that all potential Masters had at least a magical presence of twenty or higher.

  And that’s if he had lesser affinities of (1-3) one to three in the other five affinities.

  There was a light knock on the door that pulled him back to his senses, and a moment later, there were two boys making their way into his cabin.

  He looked between the two boys and gestured for the chair.

  He watched as Marcus took the seat in front of him and waited for the boy’s angry words to slap him in the face. Ivor was surprised that the boy did not say a single word. Instead, he was met by the boy’s cold gaze, which asked the question. questioning him why. It was odd to see such maturity in such a young man, but he guessed he shouldn’t have been surprised.

  Marcus’s eyes moved from Levin leaning in the back of the cabin next to the chest like some bodyguard to the old man.” Why?” Marcus asked with a straight face. In his eyes, there was no blind anger, only a question.

  The old man sighed, “You must have a lot of questions about why I told Levin to do what he did. but I had to make sure you were worth it.”

  “Worth it,” Marcus scoffed.

  ‘Worth it, why? Who was he scared of? Was it Victor Stan and The Rats Guild or was it the baron.’

  From what Marcus had heard about the old knight, he had refused both offers from the baron-- who wanted him to be part of his retinue and Victor, who wanted him as a member of his guild. For men who wanted control, having someone as strong as Ivor roaming free was not acceptable, so the baron had chased him out of north Srok and Victor wanted him nowhere in the south of Srok.

  “Why can’t you just help us?” Marcus asked, his eyes fleeting momentarily to the Veystrix he apparently had on hand.

  “There are things I just cannot do.”

  “Yes, you talked about Victor and the Baron. Are they much stronger than you?”

  He looked at the boy and the maturity behind those eyes, calculating and predatory yet patient, gathering what little information he could get about his enemies. So, Ivor told him what he wanted to know.

  “In Victor’s case, he’s not just capable of two innate magic. It’s those he answers to in the assassin’s guild.” Marcus’s eyes focused on his words, and Ivor nodded, seeing the understanding start to click.” And for the baron, he may be mostly independent of a greater house, but he has three knights on his side.”

  Seeing the boy deep in thought, he continued. and pulled Marcus’s focus back, “But I will do everything that I can to make you as strong as Levin and perhaps you can fight against Thornan.”

  Gabe had been quiet for the whole time as he listened to the two talk. He watched Ivor talk about why he couldn’t help and when he talked of helping. He promised Marcus and said he could make him as strong as a veystrix. Gabe did not doubt this part. But then again, Marcus was more capable than that. He had to tell him and see how the old man reacted.

  Gabe looked up at Levin, “He’s much stronger than him,” he said, looking straight at Ivor and nodding with an arrogance towards Levin in the corner. this caused the old man to raise an eyebrow and Levin to scoff from where he leaned against the wall in the back of the cabin.

  It was Ivor’s turn, and his gaze focused on Gabe.

  “You have seen his Katch paper.” Gabe nodded, “Then tell me... if I taught him... how strong could he get.”

  “An archduke.”

  It was for a brief moment as fear, doubt and terror sent chills running down his old hunched back, if this was no farse then he was potentially looking at one of the strongest people in this mountains.

  Could he face an archduke?

  No... it couldn’t be true.

  There was no reason to jump to conclusions yet.

  And yet his insticts had been right. Themia had been right.

  “As strong as an Archduke,” Ivor looked at the two boys intently and Even Levin was no longer spotting a smug expression on his face.

  Ivor raised his hand stopping Levin from saying another word then he spoke his words were not appealing or meant to stroke anyone’s ego . they were a deadly warning as he looked at Gabe.

  “How can we be sure the boy isn’t lying to save face for his friends,” Levin walked over,” lets have him show us his reading that way we are sure,” he said.

  “Boy, do not play games whose weight you can not bear” Ivor warned small talentless boy. the boy however did not quiver, his eyes told no lies, his heart beat steady, ‘no lies’ he thought and his resolve, that was the other thing Ivor could see in Gabe’s eyes. And he knew what some with that potential was capable of.

  “An archduke,” Ivor murmured to himself, his gaze distant.” I could have brought ruin to this world of ours.”