Red Wishes Black Ink

Uicha de Orak, Wildcard of the 6th Renown, representing the Forgotten One, under suspicion

Samus Bind, Inquisitor of the 9th Renown, Candlefast, closing a case

13 Rainest, 61 AW

Flamboyance, largest of the Flamingo Islands

77 days until the next Granting

"I don't know any archmages," Uicha mumbled. He forced an incredulous laugh. "Ahmed Row, you said? Like a rowboat?"

"Roh," the inquisitor said, puffing a smoke ring as he did.

"No." Uicha shook his head. "Doesn't mean anything to me."

Uicha looked over the side of the ferry. They were about three-hundred yards from the shore, bobbing slowly south away from Flamboyance. He could dive overboard and make that swim without a problem. Or, he could use his [Telekinesis] to fling the nosy candle into the horizon, like he'd done with Milena Russi. But, what happened after either of those options?

A trio of gulls circled, then plunged down into the water. They fought over a fish yet their splashing made no sound. Samus Bind had enclosed the two of them in some kind of bubble. Uicha figured the tired-looking man could have other tricks. Better to stick with playing dumb for now. Uicha let the silence hang between them.

"Well, I suppose that's my answer," Bind said. He had his legs angled out into the aisle and now crossed one over the other, letting his worn moccasin dangle from his toes. "Still a couple hours to Sugarfoot. Some small talk to pass the time, perhaps?"

"We don't have to," Uicha said.

"Do you know what the inquisitor does?"

Uicha decided he could answer that honestly. "No."

"I've got two jobs," Bind said, tapping ash off his smokeroll. "First, I'm charged with assessing threats to the Magelab. The mages are pretty good at this themselves, though, and prefer their own counsel. There are times when they send me to poke around on their behalf. I'm able to speak with certain people and blend into certain places. Locations where a mage might stand out, or would rather not be seen."

Uicha glanced around the ferry. Almost every other passenger was an islander. "You don't blend in here."

"I don't?" Bind scratched his stubbly cheek and shrugged. "Second, I'm tasked with settling disputes between mages. I was brought up to have a sensitivity to the arcane and I'm impartial, you see? I dislike all of them equally. One mage plagiarizes another's research. An important artifact goes missing from someone's office. They're always stepping on each other's slippers. Only very rarely do these slights escalate to murder. In fact, this is the first one I've ever investigated."

"He lies."

Uicha stifled a flinch at the appearance of Kayenna Vezz. The Orvesian spirit stood in the aisle with her back against the railing, staring at the slump-shouldered inquisitor. Her dark eyes were like smoking embers.

"He tries to make himself sound like an errand boy to put you at ease," she said. "The candles have indeed fallen far since my time. They were mage hunters and book burners. This one—he still remembers the old ways. He—"

For the first time, Bind turned to look directly at Uicha. One of his eyes had narrowed to a slit while the other had grown almost unnaturally wide. A spasm passed through his face, veins in his temples standing out, and he jerked his gaze away.

"You've been tampered with," Bind said.

Uicha swallowed. "I don't know what you mean."

"Maybe you don't," Bind muttered. "Additions and subtractions. A complicated account." He flicked the last nub of his smokeroll over the side of the ferry—it passed through Kayenna's chest and the witch chose that moment to disappear again, almost as if she'd been banished by the inquisitor.

"Look—" Uicha started.

"Another question," Bind interrupted. "Do you know what happens when a mage dies? Not even an archmage, I mean. Any mage who wears the tome of Magelab."

"What happens when anyone dies?" Uicha replied, shaking his head. For a moment, he thought back to a conversation he'd had with Tabitha Gentlerain, the Quill of Ambergran, when she'd implied it might not be such a bad thing if he volunteered to die. "I don't believe in soul unification, if that's what you're getting at."

Bind snorted. "No. Not religion. I'm speaking literally." He put his index finger against the side of his neck, then dragged it down and across. "When a mage dies, two candles die, too. In the exact same way."

Uicha put his forearm against the railing, feeling suddenly nauseous. "What?"

"We knew Ahmed Roh had died because his Ink returned to the Quill, and we knew the grisly manner of his death before we found his body because two candles suffered the same fate. Their heads nearly cleaved off. One of the candles was asleep in her bed, the other out at a tavern. Quite a mess."

"Who…?" The question came out a croak. Uicha worked some moisture into his mouth and quickly decided that was a bad question for an innocent person to ask. "Why does that happen?" he asked quickly. "Why do the candles let--?"

"It's a punishment the mages wished upon us," Bind said with a flick of his fingers. "With little to go on, I set out to retrace the last steps of Ahmed Roh. A clever friend pointed me toward Ambergran."

The inquisitor had moved past the deaths so quickly, Uicha tried to do the same. Even though his stomach felt leaden, he shouldn't appear rattled. He'd killed three people—not just Ahmed Roh but also two innocents. He hadn't known that would happen. He remembered Battar Crodd preaching in the field outside Ambergran—how the annihilation wasn't Crodd's responsibility because the gods were sick enough to allow it. A cold sweat popped out on Uicha's back. Was he really going to seek comfort in Orvesian philosophy? He stilled his knee from bouncing and focused on Bind.

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"What did you say?" Uicha asked.

"Ambergran," prompted Bind. "Did you ever meet Ahmed Roh in Ambergran?"

Uicha rubbed his throat where he'd made the wheat stalk reappear. "I told you, I don't know that name."

"You did say that," Bind agreed. "But I don't believe you."

The Ink hidden on Uicha's chest felt warm. He nearly reached for it. "I don't care what—"

Bind cocked his head as if he'd heard a noise, then raised his open hands. "Fine. You don't know Roh. You had other visitors, though. On my way to Ambergran, I encountered Sara Free, paladin of the Ministry of Sulk. I believe you two were acquainted."

"I…" Uicha hesitated, but what use was there in denying that? This man already seemed to know everything. "She helped me."

"Yes. She said you had drawn the interest of Battar Crodd because of your loss of Ink." Bind leaned forward, peering at Uicha from the corner of his eye. "I see, however, that you have rediscovered your loyalty to Ambergran."

"The gods," Uicha mumbled. "I don't know why they do the things they do."

"A riddle often pondered at the Magelab," Bind said. "Regardless, Sara told me that you were snatched up by a gargoyle in an attack that left another man dead, and two candles and a mage injured. She believed that Battar Crodd was responsible. Is that true?"

Uicha grimaced bitterly. In a way, wasn't Crodd at least indirectly responsible for everything that had happened to him in the last year?

"I don't know," Uicha said. "I escaped from the gargoyle but couldn't find my way back to Sara, so I kept on my journey here. I haven't been bothered since. Until now."

Bind smiled. "Well, I decided to visit Ambergran on my way south. I thought I might ask Master Crodd some questions myself, but he had already gone. Most of the Orvesians had left, actually. Banished by the Quill of Ambergran."

Uicha raised his eyebrows. That was news to him. The last he'd seen of Tabitha, she'd been starting to cover herself in ash like a Witness. He was glad to hear the woman had pulled herself together.

"The Orvesians who did remain lingered around your former home," Bind continued. "Interesting, I suppose, that you're a man of the wheat again, but your farm is considered outside the territory by the gods. But, like you said, we can hardly hope to understand why they do the things they do. Anyway, there was a young woman there who seemed quite fond of you."

Petra. Uicha crossed his arms and turned to look out at the view. The ferry was passing through a strait, curling around what would've been the beak of the flamingo-shaped archipelago. A sparkling white beach appeared on the coast, some of the sun-bathers waving lazily at the ferry. That didn't seem like such a bad life.

"I had a dog, too," Uicha muttered. "Did you interview my dog?"

"Parrot, yes," Bind said. "A good boy. They were most helpful, as was the Orvesian ritualist Hunn Megeer."

Uicha flinched as Bind tapped him on the arm. He looked down to see that the inquisitor was holding something out—it looked like a piece of dried fruit. Without thinking, Uicha started to take it, but recoiled as he realized it was a human ear.

"Gods!" Uicha exclaimed.

"Don't worry, I dispelled it," Bind said. "I half-expected to learn it belonged to your head. One theory eliminated, at least." He slipped the ear back into the inside pocket of his jacket.

"Why…?" Uicha shuddered. "Why do you have that?"

"It was part of an enchantment. A way for a Hunn and Battar to converse over great distances. An Orvesian ritualist can be quite a dangerous enemy, especially if they have some of your blood." Bind took a clean handkerchief from a different pocket and wiped off his hands. "The Orvesians had a great deal of yours, as it happens. Did you know that?"

Uicha pictured the towering ritualist Hunn lumbering around his burned-down farmhouse, soaking up puddles of the blood from the charred porch and the cornfield. He shook his head.

"I intervened on your behalf, much to the chagrin of the ritualist," Bind said. "I didn't think anyone would want Orvesians tracking them. Was I wrong to assume that?"

"No," Uicha said. He paused. "Thank you, I guess."

"Seemed a courteous thing to do," Bind replied. "At this point, word reached me from the Magelab. Noyega had found Ahmed Roh's body. As I rode south, I developed a theory. Following the annihilation, two mages converged on Ambergran. Ahmed Roh's research had always been on the controversial side. So, one mage, likely Roh, allied in some way with the Orvesians, and another bent on disrupting…" Bind waved a hand. "Whatever it is that's happening between you and Battar Crodd."

Uicha kept his eyes straight ahead. A second mage. Of course. That would be the only person capable of killing Ahmed Roh—at least as far the inquisitor could fathom. Uicha fished around in his mind for a name that he could feed the man, but couldn't come up with anyone. The only other mage Uicha had met was Erhan Teta, the horse mage, who didn't at all seem like the type wrapped up in a conspiracy that didn't involve oats and apples.

"In Noyega, I met with another clever friend of mine," Bind continued. "I examined the body of Ahmed Roh, listened to reports of another gargoyle attack and a boy fleeing the docks—you, I presume. And, finally, confirmed that Battar Crodd and his most unpleasant champion had visited the city ahead of me. They chartered a boat from Noyega. Although I've disrupted their communication and their tracking, I expect they're still waiting for you on Sugarfoot."

Captain Akoni had warned Uicha that there were people asking about his grandfather at the Admiralty. Someone whose presence was hazy—the inquisitor, no doubt—and someone from Noyega. It made sense that Crodd would use a go-between. The Orvesian stood out more than Uicha.

"And finally, here we are," Bind said. "I expected to arrive in Flamboyance late, which has been my luck since embarking on this investigation. Yet, I came just as rumors began to circulate about a young man marked with crimson Ink, who fought champions to a standstill, and summoned a gargoyle to his aid. I found this young man with relative ease and watched him snatch a knife out of the air with the reflexes of a circus performer."

Uicha started. "You…?"

"I do blend in," Bind said with an easy smile. He gestured across his chest and neck. "Wise of you to develop a method of camouflage beyond the beads. Although, toying with chanic is beyond dangerous. One errant marking and—"

Now, it was Uicha's turn to snort.

"The arrogance of youth," Bind said, misinterpreting Uicha's response. "So, let me be blunt, in the hope that it inspires some honesty. You are in a desperate sort of trouble, I think. A trouble that aligns with my business. I could be an ally to you, Uicha, but you must answer my questions."

The ferry slowly turned toward its first stop—the island with the crowded beaches. The captain must have shouted an announcement because passengers were filing down the aisle, though Uicha hadn't heard anything. Bind shifted his legs into their row and began fiddling with his tin of smokerolls, as if resisting the urge to light another.

"What happens when you find Ahmed Roh's killer?" Uicha asked.

"I gather evidence and then return them to the Magelab, where the archmages will decide their fate," Bind said. "Whoever you're protecting—"

"Kayenna Vezz," Uicha said. "She was the second mage involved."

"Oh," Bind said. "And did Sulk himself swing the sword?"

"No," Uicha replied. "That was me."

Bind's fingers nearly fumbled his tin. "Impossible," he said, but Uicha heard a tremor in the word. The inquisitor knew a truth when he heard one.

"I didn't know what would happen to the candles," Uicha said. "I'm sorry for that. I wouldn't have…" He swallowed. "Well, the archmage didn't leave me much choice."

Now, Bind did light another smokeroll. He took a deep drag before speaking again. "How? It is… unprecedented."

Uicha angled himself to face the inquisitor. He considered revealing his crimson markings, but there were too many people around.

"I'm going to see my grandfather. I'm going to make sure that he's not in any danger from the Orvesians," Uicha said. "After, if you want me to show you how I killed your archmage, I'd be happy to do that."

For a moment, Bind was still and silent. Then, he guffawed. It was a sharp, whooping noise that Uicha wouldn't have thought the man capable of making. Bind pressed a hand against his stomach until his laughter subsided. He leaned back, taking a deeply satisfied draw from his smokeroll.

"Gods, I'm sorry for laughing," Bind said. "It's just been so long since I've been surprised."

The ferry bumped into the dock and Uicha felt the vibration of the gangplank being lowered. He flinched when Bind popped to his feet. Uicha reached for his scimitar, startled by the sudden rush of sound around him. The inquisitor's bubble of privacy had been popped.

"That beach looked like a lovely place to smoke and think, didn't it? I'll get off here," Bind said, knuckling a tear from the corner of his eye as he joined the exiting queue of passengers. "I'll see you soon, Uicha."