"I still don't see why—" Snowcloud said. "Quiet!" Arran hissed. They were hiding in the brush just over a mile from the fortress, along one of the few footpaths that ran from the fortress's gate. Arran had guessed that this would be one of the routes the patrols would take, and now, it appeared his guess had been correct. Approaching their location were half a dozen men, fighters all of them, with the rough look of bandits or mercenaries. They were wearing ragged armor and carrying weapons, and as far as Arran could tell, none were mages. "Remember," he whispered, "only intervene if any of them turn out to be novices." Snowcloud nodded, although her expression made it clear she wasn't happy with the situation. Arran took a final deep breath, then left the brush and stepped out onto the road, a short distance ahead of the men. "Hey there!" he called out as he walked toward them. They eyed him somewhat warily, but none replied. Instead, their hands moved toward their weapons. "

Before they entered the keep, Arran gathered up the slain mages' void bags. Even at a time like this, he wouldn't risk losing out on any treasures — whatever dangers still lay ahead in the months to come, he would doubtless find some use for whatever possessions the bags held. Snowcloud looked on with a bemused expression, but she didn't say anything as Arran looted the mages' bodies. Still, he felt some embarrassment at being watched while he robbed the dead. "My grandfather wasn't a Patriarch," he said, by way of explanation. "I have to make do with what I can take." Snowcloud didn't reply, although her expression turned thoughtful. When Arran finished the grim work, he took a look around the courtyard. "You said they'd been taking slaves," he said. "Are you sure about that?" So far, the only people he had seen within the fortress walls were armed bandits and the mages who led them. There had been no sign whatsoever of any slaves, servants, or prisoners. "I'm sure," Snowcloud

"They only had twelve Essence Crystals between the five of them?" Arran looked in disappointment at the void bags in front of him. He had hoped there would be dozens if not hundreds of Essence Crystals among the mages' belongings, but after half an hour of careful searching, he had found no more than twelve. Snowcloud had taken all the herbs and potions the bags contained, but other than that, she seemed to have no real interest in the mages' belongings — not even the Essence Crystals, whose quality she had deemed insufficient. That left Arran with a princely sum of gold, as well as a small pile of valuables. And, most importantly, twelve Essence Crystals that looked to be of decent quality, no matter what Snowcloud said. "You're lucky you found even that much," Snowcloud said. "Most novices use Essence Crystals as soon as they create them." "You don't," Arran pointed out, well aware that she carried around a stash of high-quality Essence Crystals. "I'm not most novices," she rep

The man led Arran and Snowcloud through the city at a quick pace, but although he seemed both friendly and polite, Arran could not help but notice that a few paces behind them followed half a dozen guards. If they weren't exactly prisoners, it was clear that they weren't free to go, either. But there was no point in worrying about that. For the time being, all they could do was follow behind the well-dressed man, and hope that he wasn't leading them to imprisonment — or worse. Within the city, Arran knew, any attempt to escape would likely end in disaster. As they moved through the streets, Arran looked around and found himself impressed by what he saw. Goldhaven was clearly a wealthy city, with wide streets, large stone buildings, and numerous shops and stores. The crowds were thick, and although most of the people Arran saw looked to be merchants and traders, he could also see many wearing the armor of mercenaries or bandits, and more than a few who were dressed like mages. Thei

Lord Sevaril and Snowcloud descended the stairs, with Arran warily following a few paces behind them. Lord Sevaril's casual death threat had not come as a complete surprise to Arran — knowing Snowcloud's secrets obviously carried risks — but it had served as yet another reminder of his precarious situation.The fact of the matter was that he had no powerful backers or allies. If any one of the powerful mages he encountered decided to kill him, there would be nobody to avenge his death. If he was to rely on anyone to protect him, it would have to be himself, and for that, he needed to become more powerful. But gaining power required time and resources, and right now, he was short on both.A few floors below the chamber where they had first met Lord Sevaril, the man left the staircase and stepped into the hallway, coming to a stop before a heavy wooden door at its far end."This is the ingredient storage room," Lord Sevaril said to Snowcloud. "You'll find that I have made a fair effort