At the last moment, it registered with Uroddus that there had been a faint scarlet aura around the seal behind him. The realization came too late for him to avoid the bolt that shot from it and into his back. Q'ixanna neatly stepped out of the way as Uroddus flew towards the other seal, its red aura brightening towards discharge.

Uroddus conjured another reflective shield before him. It reflected the second bolt away from him and towards Q'ixanna. But as hurried as it was, the aim was not true, and the Guildmaster was able to duck. The bolt struck the wall, bits of stone and mortar showering the old Mage.

Uroddus fell to the floor as his momentum failed. His shield dissipated just as he struck, his fall only partially cushioned. It knocked the wind out of him, but he had managed to roll to one side as he fell. A bolt from Q'ixanna's hand erupted just handspans beside him. Chunks of marble erupted and fell, pummeling Uroddus with scrapes and bruises on his arms and face.

"You cannot keep playing that reflective trick forever!" Q'ixanna sneered. "Or is that all you know? Is that all the great Empiricist can calculate? What will you do now? Shout formulas at me? Challenge me to a math contest?"

The Guildmaster laughed. Uroddus stood. He's overconfident, spiteful, and mocking, the Journeyman thought. Use that against him.

He raised his hands and twirled them in a circle. Q'ixanna was immediately on his guard, but all Uroddus appeared to generate was a softly pulsing ball of wispy, pastel red energy. He sent it careening towards the Guildmaster.

Q'ixanna snorted and held up a hand. The ball of energy stopped an arm's length before him. He peered into its depths, where it glowed burnished gold.

The Guildmaster laughed. "Perhaps you transposed a digit somewhere? Or forgot to carry the two? Or read your formula backwards?"

Around him, the bits of stone and marble twitched and shuddered.

"Or perhaps you simply don't know quite as much as you ... OUCH!"

A broken piece of stone had flown through the air and whacked him in the shoulder. He swept his arm and pulverized the stone in midair with a crimson bolt. Then a second belted him across the mouth. A third smashed into his knee.

Dozens of bits of stone, marble, and mortar were whirling in orbit about the orb, striking the Guildmaster repeatedly as he tried to smash them with magic. Finally he thought to strike at the glowing orb. The crimson energy around it dissipated, revealing not amber reflective energy within but green transport energy.

With a growl of anger and a thunderous boom, Q'ixanna dissipated the orb.

"Did not someone mention to you, Guildmaster, that red light and green light make yellow?" Uroddus said calmly. "Any Empiricist would know that."

Q'ixanna let out an enraged yell, his robes torn, several cuts oozing blood over exposed skin. With a sweep of his arm, emerald energy swept up all the bits of debris in the room and hurled them at Uroddus.

The Journeyman swung his arm as if throwing an object. A multitude of tiny red bolts like miniature missiles impacted with the larger objects, pulverizing them in flashes of light. Yet the remaining pieces were coming fast enough to scrape the skin raw on his cheeks and arms. At the last moment he saw the chunk headed towards his face, but it struck and smashed his spectacles before he could react.

It threw him off balance enough to allow the Guildmaster a follow-up attack. But this time Q'ixanna resorted again to a simple, brute force blow, which Uroddus countered, sending the bolt into the ceiling. A roof beam splintered and crashed to the floor between them.

He's impatient as well, Uroddus thought as he struggled to his feet. Every muscle fiber in his body screamed. Blood trickled from his scraped face and arms. One eye burned from a sliver of glass from his broken spectacles. Quick to anger, so he doesn't observe carefully.

"A shame about your spectacles, boy!" Q'ixanna gloated. "Perhaps we need to make things larger for you so you can see them!"

The fallen beam glowed acid green and hurtled itself at Uroddus.

He was already not there. Overconfidence again, announces his moves, the Journeyman thought as he came out of a tumble just as the beam struck the wall with a floor-shaking crash.

Uroddus could not keep this up forever. Q'ixanna was vastly older and thus had vastly more reserves of magical energy in his body. The Journeyman had to continue to use the Mage's own power against him. Uroddus glanced back at the beam and had an idea.

Q'ixanna swept more debris through the air towards Uroddus. He pushed it aside with green energy of his own as he dodged to the side. He pretended to catch his foot on something and fall to the floor. The Guildmaster pounced. He shot a bolt of red that would have surely crushed Uroddus' spine against the wall behind him. Uroddus already had his reflective shield before him and sent the bolt back.

But Q'ixanna had learned. By the time the bolt returned to him, he had conjured his signature power shield. The bolt burst harmlessly into fading radiance.

Q'ixanna snarled from behind his shield and sent one, two, and then a third bolt at Uroddus. He reflected each one back, but struggled to keep pace. By the time he had sent the third to dissipate harmlessly against the Guildmaster's shield, he was panting. His knees buckled, and he fell on them with a bone-jarring thud.

"Go ahead! Keep at it!" Q'ixanna shouted. "You will tire and run out of power long before my shield is penetrated!"

Uroddus feigned a desperate look to his face. He swept up some stones with weak green energy and hurtled them at the Guildmaster.

Q'ixanna laughed as he made each one explode in midair in bursts of scarlet. "That's the nice thing about this shield, boy," he cackled. "It may protect against only magic, but I barely have to concentrate to maintain it. That leaves me free to deal with your other pathetic attacks. Now, let's see how long you can hold out!"

The Guildmaster pumped another scarlet bolt at Uroddus. He again conjured a reflective shield, but this time he sent the bolt to the ceiling once more.

It struck another beam. The beam separated with a mighty crack and fell towards the Guildmaster. He thrust a hand up and rent the beam in two. One piece fell behind him and the other between him and Uroddus.

Perfect, Uroddus thought, and readied himself. He had to time this very well. He would only have on shot at it.

"Oh, nice try, very nice try!" Q'ixanna laughed. "I give you high marks for effort. Too bad you're about to flunk the final exam!"

Uroddus struck.

Q'ixanna struck.

Amber energy from Uroddus enveloped the beam between him and the Guildmaster.

Green energy from Q'ixanna flooded over the beam, then leapt back towards its caster. It burst through his shield and cocooned his body. Q'ixanna screamed as it tossed him like a rag doll across the chamber. He struck the wall with a sickening thud and fell to the floor in a heap.

Uroddus stood and let out a relieved sigh. He had not at all been sure if the reflected green transport energy would get through the shield. He had gambled that Q'ixanna would pump a vast amount of his energy into the shot in order to finish off his opponent.

Uroddus drew himself up and trudged forward. He was already approaching the end of his energy reserves. He had to strike now while the Guildmaster was weak. Yet the thought of landing that final blow, the death blow, sickened him.

"Guildmaster," Uroddus called out as he paused by the fallen beam. "You can still end this. We can stop this Duel. Just step down."

Q'ixanna crawled forward to the far section of beam. Wheezing against the pain of the broken rib, he grasped the beam with a shaking hand and pulled himself up. Blood trickled from his nose and from a gash in his forehead. He grimaced as he attempted to put his weight on his broken leg.

"Step down," said Uroddus. "Please. I do not want to kill you."

Q'ixanna struggled to his feet, his teeth clenched. His split and bleeding lips curled back like a feral animal. "Funny, that, Journeyman," he snarled in a raspy voice. "Because I want to KILL YOU!"

He drew himself up to his full height, pushing past the pain, and thrust both hands before him. Fiery red light erupted from his fingers and seared a path through the air towards Uroddus.

Uroddus did not have the power to reflect all that massive energy back towards the Guildmaster. He had only one thing he could do, and it was to duck behind the fragment of beam that the Guildmaster had tried to hurtle towards him as he channel all his remaining energy into one massive burst.

The searing red bolt curved as it sought its target. It struck the beam fragment, sending it exploding into shards. The residual amber energy was not enough to reflect the power of the attack, but attenuated it. It then struck the reflective shield that Uroddus had only just formed.

The shield glowed with blinding light as it absorbed the attack, then failed with spectacular results.

Crimson energy split and hurtled in both directions. Uroddus was blown backwards, sliding uncontrollably across the chamber floor. He whipped his hand above his head and haphazardly cast emerald energy behind him, sending the larger bits of debris, chairs, and tables flying out of his path. His energy failed him as his reserves gave out, and he stopped when his head smacked hard into the leg of a table. Dazed by the blow, he remained still, but alive.

Q'ixanna was not as fortunate. The reflected energy blasted his weakened body off his feet from the higher angle at which it struck. His back and head smashed into the wall behind him with the force of a sledgehammer. He drew his last breath before he hit the floor.

Uroddus was panting hard, every bone his body aching, every muscle and joint in pain. The top of his head throbbed. He winced as he touched the growing lump.

I never, ever want to do this again, Uroddus thought with dead certainty.

There was a sudden hissing noise and a rumble of thunder as the magical seals fell away from the doors. The next moment, Uroddus passed out.

Roquan uttered an exasperated sigh at the translucent form of Trennan's Farview image. "Forgive me if I sound short, Trennan, for it is nothing you did," Roquan said in clipped tones. "It has simply been a very trying time for me the past few days."

"And despite my feelings towards you, Roquan, I did not intend to add to them," Trennan said crisply. "But I thought you should know."

"Can you not prod them into action? Surely they see the importance of this matter."

Trennan tilted his head. "And you would hasten a Conclave knowing what it means for you as well?"

"I tire of repeating myself. I have already stated my intentions. What is important is that justice is served. I have no other agenda."

Trennan paused, as if assessing Roquan silently. Finally, he nodded. "Yes, I believe that now. I commend you on your integrity."

Roquan gave Trennan a cool look. "It is good to hear something good from another Overlord for a change."

"Do you wish to hear my opinion on why the other Overlords are dragging their feet on convening another Conclave?"

"I would be delighted to have some insight into their thinking, as I am out of ideas and patience."

"It is threefold, Roquan. First, because Freya has, in effect, already been deposed and no longer truly has any slaves to her name, she is a nonentity to them."

Roquan frowned. "But she has not been deposed by any officially recognized ..."

Trennan held up a hand. "Please do not interrupt. Second, by leaving Freya with you, they consider the immediate problem solved for the time being."

"This is nothing more than a temporary arrangement. One Overlord should not have to incarcerate another Overlord. It is unnatural and surely without precedent. I do not have the authority to be her judge or jailer."

Trennan sighed. "I know all that! But they are very good at ignoring those things that are not immediate, pressing concerns, especially now that we need to be worried about the Emperor marching on Overlord Manors. But there is a third factor at work here, Roquan, one that no one wishes to admit."

"And that is?"

"Freya is a woman."

Roquan paused, as if waiting for Trennan to say something more. "And?" he finally said into the silence.

"Freya is one of only three women that have ever been Overlords in the past two centuries. There is a reason. Overlordship is seen as a man's domain."

Roquan raised an eyebrow. "I have never heard such a sentiment expressed."

"Of course you have not. Freya prevents such opinions from being expressed by simple force of will. And in times when there is no female Overlord, nothing needs to be said when all Overlords are satisfactorily male."

"This is insane. I would have thought we have progressed beyond such meaningless gender roles. Power is power, no matter what sex wields it."

Trennan shook his head. "If idealism were a crime, Roquan, you would have been deposed years ago. But you see the implications, do you not?"

Roquan sighed. "Yes, I most unfortunately do. They see Freya as having been put properly in her place, which is under the dominion of a man. But by that logic, would they not wish to be quick about confirming her disbarment from Overlord duties?"

"That would mean acknowledging her Overlord status in the first place, which they are loathe to do. She has made more enemies among the Overlords than she cared to admit. No, Roquan, I am afraid you are stuck with Freya for the foreseeable future. Until the Overlords are no longer distracted with other matters, they will not be swayed, not by you, not by silver-tongued Doran, and not by me."

"I never wanted this responsibility, Trennan," said Roquan in a tired voice. "I only wanted to stop her from committing her crimes."

"I understand, and I do not hold this situation against you. If anything, I sympathize. I would not want to be in this position, either."

"Can you offer me any advice? I would like to at least solicit the opinions of others so I do not feel I am acting inappropriately."

Trennan considered. "So long as you continue to treat her with at least a minimal amount of respect and keep her accommodations as comfortable as you can, there is little more I could tell you. Are you aware if she knows the new Draught formula that her Healer had created?"

"I do not know. We confiscated the scroll she had with her that contained the formula. Her Healer wishes no part of this scheme of hers and has vowed never to reproduce this Draught again."

Trennan frowned. "I am wary of that Healer, Roquan. I cannot be assured that she will not do it again if the right person -- and the right offer -- came around."

Roquan nodded. "I understand. I have misgivings as well, but there is nothing I can do short of using the new Draught on her, and then I would be no better than Freya."

"Agreed. We may need to leave it to the Healer Guild."

"She is currently under the supervision of my Healer Vanlo. I trust implicitly that he will do the right thing where she is concerned."

"In that case, I believe we are done." Trennan paused. "Roquan, as much as I believe that you must be held accountable for your actions, I've come to believe that you had good intentions. I cannot find fault with that, as far as it goes."

"Thank you for your kind words, Trennan, they mean much coming from one such as yourself."

"If it helps any, I will consider arguing for some leniency when it comes to deciding an appropriate punishment for you. I do not believe any longer that your actions warrant being deposed."

Roquan let out a small, relieved sigh. That prospect had worried him more than he had let on. "I thank you again, Trennan."

"Good day to you, Roquan."

"Good day, Trennan."

Trennan's image faded out.

The first thing Uroddus was aware of was a warmth over much of his body. It was odd, but it felt good. Much better than pain. He felt some of that still, but much less than before. Certainly less than what he felt right after ...

His eyes flew open. "The Duel ... Q'ixanna ... what ...?"

He tried to sit up. A hand gently pressed into his shoulder and held him down. It did not have to push very much, as weak as he was.

"I am glad to see you are awake," said a female voice. "But you need to remain where you are and lie still."

Uroddus looked up, squinting to force his eyes to focus properly. He winced at a brief stab of pain in one eye.

"Careful now," said Tallia. "I got that shard out of your eye, but it will hurt for a bit. I don't like applying analgesics to the eyeball when I can avoid it."

Uroddus let out a sigh and nodded. "What about the rest of me?"

Tallia smiled. "You'll live. Your injuries were surprisingly minor. I've knit the major cuts closed and started new skin regenerating on those nasty raw spots on your cheeks. You had a hairline fracture of one ankle which I've already mended."

"I feel warm."

"Too much?"

Uroddus shook his head.

"Just the salves that I applied to you. You'll have to stay here tonight, but you should be able to return to your quarters tomorrow."

Uroddus paused. "What about the Guildmaster?"

Tallia tilted her head. "You mean Q'ixanna?"

"Yes, of course."

Her face took on a somber look. "He's dead. I thought you would have known that."

"I passed out right after the last attack."

Tallia grabbed a flask filled with a deep indigo potion and placed it on the table alongside the bed. "You should be strong enough to sit up in another candlemark. Once you are, take three sips of that potion. It will help your muscles to relax and get you to sleep faster."

Uroddus nodded absently.

Tallia raised an eyebrow. "Something the matter?"

"It's just ... very strange now. The Guildmaster is gone."

"Mage Q'ixanna is gone," Tallia said crisply. "You are the Guildmaster."

"I never wanted this position. Not really."

"Well, you've got it now. Personally, I do not approve of this means of transfer or power, but considering what we had before ..." She paused and sighed. "I should not speak like that, but after what he did to Mage Q'land ..."

Uroddus turned his head. "Is he all right?"

"He was extremely lucky! Fractured three vertebrae, but no damage to his spinal cord. Healer medicine still hasn't managed to find a way to mend really large nerves properly. Mending those bones is a little tricky as well, so he'll be here for a few days. But I got to him before any swelling could set in and damage the cord. I expect him to pull through."

"Were there any other injuries at all? Any deaths?"

"All minor. And no deaths."

Uroddus let out a relieved sigh.

Tallia smiled. "Well, you're one up on the old Guildmaster as it is. You seem to actually care about the welfare of the other Mages. Maybe there's hope for this Guild yet."

Tallia turned from the bed and collected her healing supplies, placing them on a small cart. Uroddus closed his eyes. "All I wanted was to focus the Guild on the threat of the foreign Portals, that's all."

"Well, I daresay you will be able to do that now. Just don't go expecting to throw around any fancy displays of magic! That Duel drained you down to near empty. So if some Mage Elder gets it in his head to challenge you for the Guildmastership ..."

Uroddus' eyes flew open and he tried to sit up in his surprise. He got only halfway before he had to lie back down with a grunt.

"I said another candlemark, now, didn't I?" Tallia scolded.

"You don't seriously think one of the Mage Elders might ..."

Tallia waved a hand of dismissal. "If they're smart, they won't! It would set a very bad precedent. Otherwise it would have happened every time someone had to take power this way, and then everyone would be dead." She shook her head. "Listen to me. I pledged not to be involved in politics at the Guild Hall. I'll just shut up now."

"Tallia, there's someone that will be worried about me ..."

"Yes, I know, I know. I will be telling her that you are awake and recovering. But I will not let her visit you! You need your rest." She finished piling the last of the supplies on her cart. "Now, there's a bell on the table. Ring that if you need me. Otherwise, good night, and I will see you tomorrow."

"Good night," Uroddus said softly as Tallia swept out of the room.

Uroddus sighed into the dimness. He craned his neck until he could see out the tiny window above his bed. It was deep twilight outside, the sun having gone down already.

He admitted that he did not think this through. He had confronted Q'ixanna because, so he thought, he was the only one with enough power and cleverness to do it. The thought that he would be Guildmaster after it was over had barely entered his head.

That is, if the others actually allow it, he thought ruefully.

Vanlo emerged from the back room. His gaze swept the treatment room, an inspection he was so used to doing when it was only him running the office. He insisted on leaving the treatment room pristine, with not a single supply out of place, nor a single speck of dirt anywhere to be found.

He hardly had need to do it anymore, as Lanno was quite capable of handling such things. And Evella, whatever reservations Vanlo had about her, was undeniably nearly as fastidious about such things as himself.

To his surprise, he found the treatment room occupied. Evella still had an array of herb sacks and potion bottles before her. She picked up a bottle and carefully measured its level, then dutifully scratched it onto a parchment with her quill pen.

"You are working rather late, are you not?" Vanlo asked gently.

Evella looked up. "Um, yes, I wanted to get this inventory completed for you before I was done for the day."

Lanno emerged from the supply room. "She's been working hard at it all afternoon, Vanlo. I admire her dedication to the task." He looked meaningfully at Vanlo, though Evella seemed to shrink a bit.

Vanlo simply nodded. "In any case, it grows late, and we should be closing up. If you would be so kind as to put those away, Amanda can finish it in the morning."

Evella looked up again. "Oh, but ... but I have all these out now and only a little ways to go. Amanda would just have to pull them all out and put them all back again."

"Nevertheless, there is a time when one must learn to set aside work and ..."

"Come on, Vanlo, she's almost done," Lanno said. "Just let her finish."

Vanlo sighed. In this case, it was not a matter of trust. He was set in his ways and preferred things to operate on his schedule. Yet he knew Lanno would interpret it as anything but if he pressed the point. "Very well. Please close up promptly when you are done. No new patients unless it is an emergency."

"Of course, Vanlo."

Vanlo lingered for a moment before he left.

Lanno strode to Evella and smiled. He placed a hand on her shoulder. She smiled faintly. "You don't have to stay here, either, Lanno. I really won't be very long."

"I know, I just thought I would keep you company, that's all."

Evella paused to make a measurement of the amount remaining in an herb pouch. She sighed as she scratched down another figure. "You can tell me, Lanno. Vanlo put you up to watching me, didn't he?"

Lanno flinched. "What? No, of course not."

"He doesn't trust me enough to leave me alone here, that's really why he wanted me to stop."

"Oh, I'm sure that's not it. He just ..."

"Stop it," Evella snapped, glaring at him.

Lanno sighed. "I'm telling you the truth, Evella. He didn't put me up to this."

Evella hesitated, then nodded solemnly. "All right. But I do still think he doesn't trust me."

"He's going to be slow to come around. He's just like that."

"I hope so. I'd ... I'd much prefer to stay here than try to go back to the Guild Hall. I don't want to think about what they might do to me."

"Vanlo has said nothing to me about sending you back."

"But it must be what he's thinking."

"Don't do this to yourself, please." His hand slid down her back.

Evella shivered. "Lanno, that's ... that's a bit distracting," she said in a soft voice.

"Huh? Oh." Lanno reluctantly withdrew his hand.

"Sorry, I'm still feeling the effects of that herb."

"It seems to be less, though. You went through the whole afternoon without having to, um, pleasure yourself."

Evella blushed faintly. "But the more we talk about it ..."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry."

"Not that I don't want to ... well, I really do want to get this done. Could you go back to your quarters and just wait for me?" She smiled. "Change into your robe. I'll want ... I'll want you as soon as I get there."

Lanno smiled. "All right. I'll see you in a bit."

Evella nodded and smiled as Lanno left.

Her smile faded once Lanno was away from the office. She glanced towards the back. She quickly finished off the last of the inventory and put away all the supplies, save for two pouches and one vial.

She picked up the ingredients. She looked down at her inventory sheet, where she had noted an amount much less than what was actually there for all three. She took a deep breath and let it go as a ragged sigh.

Evella dashed into the back room. She grabbed a flask and set it before her, then carefully measured out precise amounts of all three ingredients. She fished a blue pearl from her robe and dropped it into the mix. She carefully picked up the flask by the neck and swung it in a little circle, first six times clockwise, and then four times counterclockwise. The potion inside frothed and bubbled as the binding spell in the pearl was activated.

She ran back into the treatment room and obtained five empty vials. She returned to the back room and used a long, thin stirring rod to dissolve the remaining foam until the potion was pristine and crystal clear. She measured out five doses into the vials, stoppering each one and slipping it into her pocket. This left her with one last dose in the flask itself.

Evella picked it up and stared at it. She swallowed nervously and glanced behind her. Finally, she upended the flask and downed the remaining contents.

Moving in a rush, she cleaned the flask, dried it, and put it back exactly where she had found it. She then put away the herbs and inspected the counter top in the back room, wiping it clean once more to insure she had not left even a single grain behind.

By the time she was done, her skin felt flushed. She let out a husky sigh as moist heat exuded from her sex and dampened her undergarment. Evella took one last look before she fled.

"This is preposterous!" cried Mage Elder Q'toll as he paced.

"The rules of the Guild Charter are very clear," said Q'kollan, his arms folded across his chest. "The one that defeats a standing Guildmaster in a Duel can claim the Guildmaster office himself."

"But surely he won't! Surely he will step aside and leave it to someone more ..."

"Why should he?" demanded a voice from the arched doorway.

The Mage Elder glowered. "Journeyman Q'yoona, you are out of line!"

"I am most certainly not out of line," Katla proclaimed as she stepped fully inside. "I have every right to speak here. Everyone does. If you did not want such, you should not have picked the Chamber of Equals to meet."

Q'toll sighed dramatically. "I picked this place simply because it reminded me the least of Q'ixanna," he muttered darkly.

"Of course it would, as Q'ixanna kept this chamber sealed for the past five years," Q'kollan commented mildly.

The Chamber of Equals was a place where debate or discussion could be held such that all Mages were considered equal regardless of their rank. Anything could be said, and retaliation was forbidden. It was intended as a way of airing grievances against superiors or even the Guildmaster himself. No Guildmaster was forced to allow access to it, however, as was evident in the waning years of Q'ixanna's reign.

"Journeyman Q'yoona," said Q'kollan. "How is the Guildmaster doing?"

"Now don't you start calling him that yet!" the Q'toll demanded, shaking a finger at him.

"Guildmaster Q'garra is doing well, Master Q'kollan," said Katla. "He should be out of the infirmary by tomorrow. And my question has not been answered. Why should he step aside?"

"He is only a Journeyman, that's why!" Q'toll roared.

"Nothing in the Charter says he has to be of a certain rank. Even an Apprentice could take the office if he ... well, if it became available to him in some way."

"That was not a Journeyman's handiwork in that chamber, Q'toll," said Q'kollan.

"Uroddus ... that is, the Guildmaster ... has been capable of Master-level magic for some time," said Katla. "He's been held down only because of his Empiricism."

"Oh, I am sure we will get more of that nonsense now that ..." Q'toll began.

Q'kollan raised an eyebrow. "Nonsense? That was not your thought when you were demanding that he be allowed to speak, and then changed your vote accordingly."

Q'toll looked momentarily flustered. "Well, that's different! I mean ..."

"I don't think any of you need to worry about him," said Katla quietly. "He's not so much the staunch Empiricist that he was."

Q'kollan looked on with interest. "Really?"

"He said that the answer lies somewhere between Empiricism and Traditionalism. I believe he was influenced a lot by Master Q'yros."

"Now he would have made a fine Guildmaster," Q'toll proclaimed. "When I had heard he had returned to the Guild Hall, I had so hoped that Q'ixanna's days were numbered. Hmph! I never expected it to happen like this."

"But the fact of the matter is that it has happened as it did, and we must deal with it," said Q'kollan. "Q'garra is Guildmaster, that is not going to change. We as the Mage Elders must support him. He may be of Master level in his magic, but he has not had any sort of administrative experience. He will need our help. Unless, of course, you wish to challenge him yourself? Another Mage Duel, perhaps?"

Katla gasped.

Q'toll stared at his colleague as if he had grown a third eye. "Are you mad? One Mage Duel a century is more than enough!"

"Then there is no point in debating the issue any further except to blow off steam. And we do not need this place for that."

Q'toll frowned. "In that case, I shall seek other means of solace. Such as a wine gourd!"

Q'toll stormed out. Katla sighed in irritation in the Mage Elder's wake.

"Do not judge him too harshly, Journeyman Q'yoona," said Q'kollan. "He is simply concerned for the welfare of the Guild Hall. I do not imagine that anyone will seriously challenge Q'garra's formal installation as Guildmaster."

"I understand, Master Q'kollan." She paused a moment. "May I ask a question?"

"Certainly."

"You knew that I was the one that sent the courier, didn't you? You knew all along."

Q'kollan smiled. "Yes, I did. I apologize for putting you on the spot as I did, but it had to be done. The truth had to come out, even if it was not what I had expected."

"How did you find out? I was so careful!"

Q'kollan's smile widened. "I am afraid I must keep that a secret. You are not the first one to attempt such a thing. Most who attempt it always make particular mistakes that I watch for. Now, I cannot very well reveal my secrets, can I?"

Katla frowned at first but then managed a smile. "I suppose not. I am simply glad you did not report me when you had a chance earlier."

"A good Mage Elder knows when to hold back. Guildmaster Q'garra was correct. Information is very much a commodity. Perhaps that is to our detriment, considering how much to an extreme it was taken with Q'ixanna. So I held onto the information, which made it more valuable. As you saw."

Katla nodded. "Thank you, Master Q'kollan, for being honest with me."

"I daresay that Guildmaster Q'garra had it right. Traditionalists are not as bad as perhaps some of your cohorts may make us out to be. And Empiricists are not as bad as perhaps some of us have made them out to be."

Katla slowly smiled.

Uroddus was just drifting off, suspended in that odd state between wakefulness and slumber, that it seemed like it might have been part of a dream. It was only when it came again that he was jostled back towards full consciousness.

His head was fuzzy from Tallia's concoction. He slowly sat up, and was glad to find that he could do so without much pain. He yawned and wiped his face, lightly slapping his cheek to force himself to better wakefulness. "I answer the summons."

The shimmering form of Roquan appeared before him.

"I apologize if I caught you at ..." He paused and peered into the near darkness. "Good gods, Q'garra, are you quite all right?"

Uroddus smiled weakly. "I will be. I was involved in an ... altercation. You are likely calling to learn of the progress of the Oversight Court."

"Yes, I was. I wish to know if my testimony was at all helpful."

"It was, Overlord. In fact, it is over. Q'ixanna is no longer Guildmaster."

Roquan let out a breath. "This is good news. He did not strike me as someone in command of all his faculties in the short time that I knew him. Will the new Guildmaster be more amenable to assisting the Noble Lords?"

"Yes, he will," said Uroddus. "That is, I will."

Roquan's eyebrows rose. "You are Guildmaster?"

"Assuming the Mage Elders do not stage a revolt tomorrow, yes."

"Ah. I take it this ... altercation ... was instrumental in this transfer of power."

"Unfortunately, yes. There is one more thing I should tell you. Mage Q'yros is dead."

Roquan's lips parted, mostly out of surprise rather than sadness or shock, as if he had been of the opinion that such men simply carried on forever.

"I know you and he were at odds, but I feel is it important that you know that he died doing the right thing. It was he that wished to warn the Noble Lords. I would likely not be Guildmaster now if it were not for his sacrifice."

Roquan nodded once. "Then I will grieve for him," he said in a somber voice.

Uroddus yawned and rubbed his eyes again, wincing when the pain flared briefly in one of them. "Forgive me, Overlord, but I am quite tired."

"Yes, of course, I understand. I will not keep you long, we can talk in more detail tomorrow."

"I can assure you that the first order of business will be helping the Noble Lords. That is paramount."

"Would you be amenable to receiving a Farviewing pearl bound to me to facilitate communications between us?"

"That is a good idea, yes." Uroddus' eyes were drifting closed. "I am afraid I must end this now. Please contact me tomorrow evening, and we will talk more."

Roquan nodded. "Of course. Good day to you, Guildmaster."

"Good day, Overlord."

Roquan's image faded and was gone.

Uroddus lie back in bed, staring up at the ceiling. Despite his tiredness, it was some time before he finally drifted off to sleep.

The young adjunct Dollas poked his head into the tent. "Working late, Lord General?"

Rithas simply nodded once without looking up, his eyes cast upon a map scroll unrolled on the makeshift table. The lamp was drawn close, its light feeble so as not to shine through the tent and provide a target for any opportunistic enemy scouts.

Dollas slipped inside and quickly closed the flap behind him. "Is there anything I can do?"

Rithas finally looked up. "You can tell me if you are as concerned about the campaign as I am."

Dollas looked puzzled and shook his head.

"Commander Foron has taken another town today, has he not?" asked Rithas.

"Yes, Lord General. I thought you saw the report earlier."

Rithas leaned back in his seat. "Humor me, if you would. And he secured another yesterday."

"Yes, it was a critical river crossing. The enemy barely put up a resistance."

"But they should have."

Dollas paused. "Well, perhaps they realized what a rout it would be, so they chose to fall back to another defense."

Rithas nodded. "Yes, another defense that we never seem to reach."

Dollas smiled. "We intimidate them, my Lord. They are too scared to stand and fight."

Rithas frowned. "Right, like we intimidated the defenders at Talrad Pass, the same ones that managed to assassinate Commander Rol in his own camp. No, we are not intimidating them. We are being baited."

"I don't understand, my Lord."

"I feel we are being purposely lead deeper into northern territory. The enemy has had multiple opportunities to seriously contest this incursion. I find it hard to believe that the men commanded by Noble Lords are all cowards as you suggest."

The adjunct considered, then shrugged. "I am not sure it matters, my Lord. In either case, we drive them back."

Rithas said nothing, his gaze dropping back to the map.

"Which reminds me, my Lord. Will we be moving our legion forward? If Commander Foron continues his spectacular progress, we will need to be positioned to ..."

"That will be all."

Dollas paused. "Apologies, my Lord, I was merely pointing out ..."

"I said, that will be all."

Dollas frowned, bowed his head, and left without another word.

Despite his own exhaustion, Roquan had one more task before he could retire.

He arrived at the door to Freya's quarters just as the last vestiges of twilight faded in the wake of full night. The stars shone with cold clarity. He saw a glow from the window and assumed she was still awake, but politely knocked upon the door.

"What is it?" Freya said in weak voice.

"Roquan. I wish to speak with you."

A sigh. "If you must."

Roquan pushed open the door and paused just a moment as his eyes fell upon her. He eventually stepped fully inside and closed the door behind him. "If I was disturbing you, it can wait until morning."

Freya smirked. Her fingers continued to play at her glistening folds, a faint moist sound floating in the air as she slipped her fingers into her tunnel. "Not unless it disturbs you to watch me."

Roquan shook his head and said nothing. He kept his eyes on hers rather than let them linger on her sex.

Freya withdrew her fingers and sighed, as if disappointed. "Not that I have much else to do here," she commented loftily. She brought her fingers to her mouth and licked her moisture from each one. "Have you finally come to collar me, Roquan?"

"I have stated that I will not do that. It is not for me to assign punishment."

Freya's eyes turned dark. She bolted out of her bed. "Perhaps I want you to collar me now," she declared. "At least it would be something. It would be better than simply waiting and wondering what you will do with me."

"I have told you ultimately what I intend to do. Once the Conclave convenes ..."

"Don't hand me that, Roquan. At least give me credit for having some sense. You said yourself that I am not popular with the other Overlords. They want my head. So why am I still here? Why have I not yet been taken to where the Conclave will be held? Or why are they not here if you are to host it?"

"That is why I am here. I want to be honest with you in what is happening."

Freya snorted. "You're not obligated, not after what you told me the last time you talked to me," she said, her voice growing more somber. "You all but said I was finished."

"That is not for me to decide."

Freya clenched her hands into fists. "Stop it! You claim you want to be honest with me yet you keep acting like you're so righteous and holy! The truth is that you have decided already. You've decided everything."

Roquan frowned. "And where do you get this fantasy from?"

Freya laughed humorlessly. "Because I am still here, you idiot."

"The plain fact of the matter is, Freya, that the other Overlords do not see this as a priority. They are not in a hurry to convene a Conclave."

"And that is what you came here to tell me?"

"Yes. I wish to keep you informed of everything that ..."

Freya shook her head. "Stop it. Just ... just stop it. You don't need to do this anymore."

"I beg your pardon?"

Freya looked at him, her eyes shimmering. "You want me to say it, don't you? You want that satisfaction. You won't accept anything else. Fine. I'll say it. You win. You beat me."

"Freya, this is not about winning or losing ..."

"Blazing hellfire it's not!" Freya sighed and covered her eyes with her hand. She took a few deep breaths. When she raised her gaze to his again, her eyes glistened as if on the verge of tears. "I said you won, Roquan. So just tell me what you want from me. Tell me what I have to do for you. Tell me how you want to punish me."

"I do not want anything from you."

"Yes, you do! You must want something. Whatever it is, I'll give it to you. I just don't want to be left here any longer! I just want to get out of this room!"

"I can see about having you escorted about the Manor if you wish to ..."

Freya lifted her fists, paused, then dropped them to her sides. She fell onto the bed on her side, her back to him. "Just get out. Maybe if you come back in a few days I'll be ready to grovel at your feet. Maybe that's what you want. But I can't give you that yet. I'm not that desperate."

"Freya, you are not thinking straight. This is not what this is about."

"Go away."

Roquan let out a heartfelt sigh and shook his head. He realized that Freya was locked into her own perception of reality. If the roles had been reversed, she would want something from him in exchange for his freedom. He left the room without another word.

Freya let out a sigh and sobbed once. She rolled onto her back, sniffling, and wiped her eyes in annoyance. She sat up and tried to compose herself.

A breeze blew from the window behind her. She shivered at the cool touch against her skin. Cursing in annoyance, she turned and yanked the shade down over the window and went back to her brooding.

A short while later, Freya looked up and frowned. There was that smell again. She had been smelling it faintly for the entire evening. Each time she tried to track it down, a breeze would blow in and the odor would dissipate. But now it persisted a bit better with the outside air shut off.

She slid off the bed. It was an acrid odor, and slightly burnt. She wandered about the room until she came upon her satchel in the corner. She fell to one knee. The odor was suddenly a lot more prevalent.

Freya frowned and yanked the satchel into her hands. She peered into it carefully. Her eyes suddenly widened, and she uttered a very soft gasp.

Tentatively, she reached inside and delicately extracted a blue pearl, charred and cracked. She had barely lifted it more than a handspan before the pearl came apart in her fingers. The two halves fell to the floor, shards glittering in the light as they floated down.

Freya dropped the satchel and fell to both knees. She scooped up one of the halves of the broken Farviewing pearl. "Q'yros," she murmured as she stared at the remnants in her palm.

She dropped her hand and let out a deep sigh. She slowly rose to her feet.

Freya had tried to contact Q'yros several times since her incarceration, and he had ignored every summons. She was sure the old Mage would have answered her, if for no other reason than to gloat. He had been her last hope for escape. Now that was gone as well.

Freya threw down the pearl remnant in disgust, her chain clinking softly. She held up her wrist and touched the lock lightly with her fingertips.

For many years, Q'yros had lamented to her of "wasted potential." Freya could have been a Mage, a powerful one, had she properly developed her ability. Or so Q'yros had claimed. Eventually, she simply grew sick of hearing it. Now she wished she had at least attempted some magic. It would take only a simple spell to undo the lock.

Freya sat heavily on her bed. She looked back at the glittering shards of the pearl.

Wasted potential.

She lifted her unfettered hand. She remembered how, when she was younger, she used to be able to make a very faint blue aura appear if she concentrated hard enough. When she had practiced at it long enough, she could make it appear brighter each time. She even once conjured a small flame that danced in her hand. Each time she would lose interest, the allure of becoming Overlord too great. Once she had established her Manor, she lost all interest in magic, save for the Draught. All she had left were her passive magic senses.

Freya continued to stare at her hand. Her eyes narrowed. She tried to remember what she had done, what words she had to say in her head. It came to her slowly. She repeated them in her head, her eyes fixed and unblinking. She sat that way for nearly half a candlemark, until her lips were moving with the silent, repeated incantation in her head.

There was a faint, barely visible flicker.

Freya stopped. Had she seen it, or had it been wishful thinking? She lifted the hand with the chain and stared at the lock, then back at her other hand. She slowly smiled.

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