“Yes, ma’am. Barge 519.”
“I knew it! You’ve been here just long enough to get a bit of sun, but I could still smell the smoke on you.”
I realized she was the only one of the old lady employees wearing a giant wooly sweater, even though all the Core’s vast government buildings had Red-fueled furnaces. “Does this place ever get any warmer or does it always feel like this?”
“Eh, you get used to it after a while. About ten years in, the perpetual shivering stops. Not that any of us hotlanders would ever traipse around this city half naked like those from other lesser realms do, all undignified like. Now, back to business. Don’t try to shovel anymore trogshit at me, boy. I know a scam when I see it. The only folks who ask about old places like Korthican are on treasure hunts.”
I laughed, as it was nice to finally have an honest exchange in this part of town. “I assure you I am a right proper wizard, from a real academy…However, I’m also looking to do some plundering on the side.”
“Keep your voice down there, stating the obvious. Most of these Collegium twerps will rat you out to the watch in an instant. The watch frowns on such behavior.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Now it was her turn to look around to see if anyone was listening in, but the other white-haired ladies were occupied with their papers. “Here’s how it’s gonna work. You want the good stuff, the real scoop, you gotta pay a little extra, know what I mean?”
“If I had a little extra, I wouldn’t be reduced to looting tombs.”
“I suppose that’s true… But knowledge is power, young adventurer.”
I still hated that title. “I was a trapper back home. We learn the hard way, it’s plan and prepare or die.”
“I had an uncle who was a trapper. May the saints see to it he rests in peace. Way to prey upon an old woman’s nostalgia, boy! I suppose trappers are like adventurers. The smart ones know to do their research before hanging their nuts over the lava to see if it’s still hot. Alright, you caught me feeling generous today. On account of me not wanting to see a neighboring countryman get killed stupidly, this time, I’ll aid you for free. The next favor will cost you.”
“That’s more than fair.” It would be nice to have a friend here, especially considering Carcalla had us on the hook to do this sort of thing again. “Provided I don’t die, who should I ask for next time?”
“I’m Wilma. Now let me get all the records on why you’d have to be a moron to set foot on that evil place!”
Eighteen
Ispent hours reading old reports from the Core City Watch and complaints from the neighbors from back when it was called Korthican’s Landing, before things went horribly wrong there and it’d been renamed Korthican’s Warning. Between those papers and the more recent stories I’d gotten from the locals, I felt like I was starting to understand why Carcalla was so interested in the place.
They finally threw me out of the library that night so they could close, and I returned to the Under Slump. I made it home late without getting accosted or having to set anyone on fire and went straight to bed.
In the morning, I got the student council together so I could share my findings.
“The chair hereby calls this meeting to order.” Rade thumped his fist against the table that Bognar had built for us out of some planks. “And I shall begin by noting my disappointment that we’re meeting in our kitchen rather than our usual establishment, which has decent beer and good-looking serving wenches.”
“There’s a very good reason for that, which I will explain.”
“Come now, Carnavon. I know Azarin spent most of our winnings on element and supplies in the market yesterday?—”
Azarin interrupted him to say, “Let the record show that I got us some excellent deals.”
“I’m certain you did, but surely there was enough left for us to buy a round of drinks or two.”
“As secretary, am I supposed to remember all this talking or just the part where you humans saylet the record show?”
I lifted one hand, indicating the need for silence. “Responding in order… Rade, this discussion needs to be in private away from prying ears, we probably should have never mentioned in public where we’re going to begin with, and I’ll explain why. Azarin, thank you for taking care of that. And, Trax, don’t worry about that right now, because we’ve got a bigger problem.”
“Bigger problems than our pending dangerous adventure, our murderous landlord, or being saddled with his Latrocinium spy?” Azarin laughed at the absurdity of our situation. “Worse than that?”
“Yeah, it is. Possibly much worse.”
My somber response dampened their good moods. Even Krachma looked up from his bowl of oatmeal to see what was so serious.
“I found out that Korthican, who that island is named after, was a very powerful wizard. He was one of the many Councilmen who died five hundred years ago, stopping the surprise invasion that came through the time gate.”
It was ironic for me to be telling them about this now, as it was Eternaday, or the Quiet Day as most called it now, since it was the one day of the week the Nexus wasn’t open to another realm. The Great Machine was currently rotating past a gate that was forever sealed, protecting us from the evil that had taken over the Elemental Plane of Time.
