The Endless Solvent

Camaz sat next to the crackling fire and tried not to let it show just how stiff his legs are. He used to be able to ride a horse for days and days and days without batting an eye - however Academy life had allowed him to stay horseless for many years. Besides, the island’s rocky and uneven ground meant that it wasn’t suited for horses, even if there was a reason to ship them over the Strait. Even so, he thought he would quickly get used to it, acclimatize. Parts damn it, was he getting old?

A mug of warm, sweetened tea was handed to him. Camaz thanked Verne, the manus student that Yepla ‘volunteered’ for his mission. The young man was the manus professor’s favorite and a Sekrelli high born with enough family prestige and money to fast track him to an administrative position at the Academy if he wished for it. It was why Yeplas liked him so much. In fact, the professor was visibly reluctant to let his shining pupil go but Verne had insisted to go when he learned that Camaz was requesting aid from the faculty.

“You don’t even know what I’m doing out there,” Camaz had said to him, back on the island long before the plans were finalized. The information that he was going to find Aris was shared only to a select few in the Academy.

“You are headed to an Area with a lot of Gate activity, I wish to be there to see with my own eyes and fight with my own two hands,” Verne had answered, his words still with a Sekrelli lilt to it. He looked earnest enough. Camaz had considered squeezing the truth out of him, but at a cursory glance he didn’t sense any deceit. He must have been staring a little too hard because Verne shook his head in dismay and added: “Of course, you probably think of me as a spy. To look for more information for my people. I… That isn’t the case. I don’t know how to prove it to you.”

It was refreshing to have someone state something so matter-of-factly. Of course, it could all be a ploy to lower defenses, to make him seem more earnest and truthful than he really was. Camaz had thought if there really were that many layers to it, if Verne was that good at acting, this Sekrelli should be under his tutelage instead of thick-skulled Yepla.

Along with Verne, another student going with him was Laell, a researcher under Gardlo’s supervision. As far as Camaz could tell, she is partially involved in the project regarding Gate closure. The exact enchanting circle to do so has yet to be found. Of course, runes can do anything - it was a matter of finding the one specific runes, lines, pattern and drawing material that would yield that one specific result. It was like a grand puzzle that runists who do research spend their whole life solving. Laell, as someone looking to find the circle that would close Gates, would be there trying to find a piece of that puzzle and bring it back to her peers.

Camaz had no idea if Laell wanted to be there as every conversation he had with her was filled with stammers and blushes. The runeology student mostly keeps to herself, flipping through a book or riding near the back away from the rest of the group to avoid having to talk to any of them. But she automatically does all the rune tasks without anyone asking her to (like lighting fires or making light enchantments), so Camaz wasn’t too annoyed with her presence.

Two other manus students, Dori and Raka, were definitely recruitments, meaning if they had the authority and excuse to not head out east with Camaz, they would have stayed at the Academy. They were both around Verne’s age and the young Sekrelli noble’s presence definitely helped boost their morale and forced them to be more than cordial with Camaz and Laell.

The five of them sat around the fire, light gleaming off Verne’s chainmail armor. The three young men chatted amicably while Laell sat by herself with her book, as usual. It wasn’t that Camaz didn’t like the lot of them, it was just that the whole setting was beginning to feel a lot like a field trip in which he was the chaperone. It was not helping how aged he felt.

On top of that, Camaz was fairly certain they were being followed. Sharp, the only Shade that followed him all the way out on the journey, spent several nights fascinated with specific boot prints and lingered on the paths they just traveled as if waiting for something like it would when Camaz was expecting someone.

The ‘why’ was, of course, impossible to tell at this point. The best thing for him to do was to find out the ‘who’. The four students were the most obvious suspects. Camaz drank his sweet tea and listened to them talk, watching their expressions, their body language, the way the Solvent rippled slightly with every fluctuation of emotion. Orrna would be much more adept at something like that, but Camaz’s haphazard intuition will have to do.

“My father will have me oversee his company’s security after graduation,” Raka said. “It’s much better to have someone in the family oversee something like that instead of outsourcing it.”

“And your older brother is already firmly in line for inheriting,” Dori snorted. “Not like you have much choice.”

A flash of annoyance. Oh, Dori had touched a sore spot. “I supposed, but at least I have something to go to after the Academy.” Raka casually combed back his dark brown hair with a hand. “Unlike some people’s plans to marry into a rich woman’s family.”

Dori leaned back from his spot on the ground into the boulder at his back, his grin spreading easily over his handsome face. “And you’re making it sound like that would be hard for me.”

Camaz caught Laell rolling her eyes at the blond Dori’s cocky words. Verne had not commented on any of this, only listened in with an amused look on his face. Both Dori and Raka were annoyingly full of themselves, which was on par with most manus students that survive the first year of Yepla’s grueling curriculum. Would they be cocky enough to sell information to someone who’s interested in why Camaz was headed out east?

When the two started arguing over which one of them was more attractive, Camaz decided they were both too stupid to leave clues behind for someone to follow. That left earnest-faced Verne and Laell.

The obvious suspect would be Verne - quite honestly anything the Sekrelli does is suspicious, especially from someone still openly connected to the kingdom. They were known to be war-mongering and a reputation for aggressively expanding on the northwestern side of the continent, stopped only because of the terrain. Camaz was well versed in their aggressive tactics, sparing no able-bodied man to fight their wars. There used to be a saying amongst the Sekrelli, back when he worked for them: “the emperor should humbly thank the Parts that mountains keep us away.” Even so, it would be bold of Verne to try to deceive Camaz, no matter how big headed manus students become.

Laell could also attempt to leave a trail. Shyness is often used as a cover - it was an easy excuse to not talk to others. She was also well versed in runeology, which meant she could leave a trail behind traceable only to an accomplice. However all enchantments left some sort of evidence behind and Sharp would most definitely feel something. The Shade has so far shown complete indifference to Laell and her books.

Camaz sat back with a sigh and stared into the fire, the drone of conversation letting him forget his aching legs for a little while. He should stop speculating - too much of it made one paranoid. And besides, even a traitor could be useful.

He had to play chaperone a little longer, then maybe the secrets will step out by themselves. He finished his sweet tea, ate a ration of dried meat and bread, then hunkered down on a sleeping mat to drift off while watching Sharp swirl and bob, its faceless shadow seemingly watching the path they had traveled earlier that evening.