Saving my ass again!That was the obvious answer, and while the two orderkeepers were preoccupied with the unbearable noble in front of them, Kraghtol shuffled away as subtly as he could. Troll knows why Valir had come here now, but right now, Kraghtol was so happy he could kiss him. Notreallykiss him, of course, that would —
Kraghtol stopped the train of thought with force. He was tired, and in danger, and didn’t have time for that. The quay was only a few dozen meters in front of him now, but something else had caught his attention. He knew this place on the docks. It was right where he first set foot in the city, and the ferrywoman who had brought him here was leaning on her boat, eating an apple without a care in the world.
Valir was still arguing with the orderkeepers, and he heard him point out his family name so loudly half the plaza could follow the conversation. He had that moment. Not thinking twice, he quickly made his way to the boat and deliberately looked the ferrywoman in the eyes.
“Oh. You again. Need a ride?” She asked between bites.
The one good thing about his appearance was that he rarely needed to introduce himself.
“No. At least not in the usual way. I need a favor.”
Now he had her full attention.
“Depends. You helped me with that cough, but that doesn’t mean I’ll be doing anything inappropriate for you.”
The way she pronounced the word ‘inappropriate’ made Kraghtol flinch.
“What? No! Nothing like that. I just need you to take —”
He looked around before finding what he was looking for.
“A crate. Like that one, put a blanket over it and bring it to the other side of the river. And if anyone, reallyanyone,asks you, you just have to tell them you ferried me over. Can you do that for me?”
“Oh,” the ferrywoman sounded disappointed, as if she hadwantedKraghtol to demand something ‘inappropriate’.
“I’ll pay you,” he added hastily, and fished a few silver coins, which made up much of his money, out of his purse.
“Alright, lad. I’ll do it since you asked so nicely. But I don’t want to hear one more word. I’m not getting involved in whatever you’ve got yourself into.”
She took the coins nevertheless and began hauling the crate onto her boat while Kraghtol proceeded to the river ship.
Thankfully, Calder had not betrayed him, and the mention of his name was enough for a bearded captain to escort him discreetly into a small compartment under deck, barely high enough for Kraghtol to stand and wide enough for him to lie down on the wood. Only dim light coming through cracks in the wood illuminated the space, which was empty except for two buckets: one full of water, and the other empty.
The smuggler had not been kidding. This would not be comfortable in the least. But at this very moment, Kraghtol wanted nothing more than to lie down and sleep for the entire journey.
It was dark, but safe. The sounds of the swamp — the crickets and toads — were outside, barely audible in here, and a calm happiness rose within him. He had found what he had been looking for. Finally.
“They have lied to you.”
The voice seemed to come from everywhere at once, resonating within Kraghtol in a way he had never experienced before. Yet, it was hard to decide anything about it. He didn’t know if he liked the voice or not, if it was old or young, or if it was a man’s or a woman’s voice, although he was leaning towards the latter in the last question. The darkness was inky and impenetrable as he tried to see who was talking.
“Who?” he asked, even though he had meant to continue with “are you”.
“Your teachers,” the voice explained. “And the guild. Let me show you.”
Suddenly, light flared up from a column of pure red-hot fire in front of him. At the same time, a storm of wind erupted to his right. A pillar of solid ore manifested to his left, and he heard the splashing of a magnificent waterfall from behind. The light illuminated his surroundings — an ancient-looking stone hall — but the elemental manifestations dominated all his senses.
“This is what they told you, Kraghtol, bastard of the beast. The elements, as they call it. But it is not they who lie at the bottom of the well called alchemy. They’re nothing but an illusion, a lie to distract you from the true foundation of the world. Do you dare to look beyond?”
He knew he should be afraid. Nothing that was happening was normal. And yet, all the impressions caressed every sense of his, all atonce, and he felt his mind relax. A word bubbled up in his subconscious, a word he had heard from Marla Hawke, spoken by mistake.
“The Principles?”
The word meant nothing to him; it was empty, waiting to be filled with sense. And the answer was encouraging.
“Yes. See. Taste. Feel.Understand.”
Unsure where to start, he approached the pillar of earth and reached out his hand. The stone was firm. And solid. The touch reminded him of all there was. Existence was stable and real. Matter made up all he could touch. It was thePrinciplebehind the stone, governing all that he could touch.Matter.
