Part the Eleventh
In which: the party interrogates the half of the city they did not speak to the day before
Reyu is, as usual, up at dawn. If there were a time to like the city, the early morning would be it. Most of the humans are still in their beds; those who are not hurry quickly about their business and do not bother a lone elf conducting her prayers.
Thatch and Lira barely make it downstairs before Mrs. Blackburn clears the breakfast dishes. Luckily for Thatch, Mrs. Blackburn’s daughter Tessa has held back “a little something” which she sets at his place, blushing. Luckily for Lira, Mrs. Blackburn makes excellent coffee.
Once everyone has eaten their fill, the group adjourns to the Temple of Kettenek to meet with Anvil. Knowing Jelliana’s name and sect affiliation is somewhat useful, but it provides little insight into where she can be found now.
“We should try to find out how she knew about our mission.”
“Well, she must have gotten that scroll from somewhere.”
“Well, it’s an arcane spell; she would have had to get someone else to scribe it for her, probably at the Mage’s Academy.”
“Think Edmund’s had any luck finding out who made it?”
Long silence.
“Well,
I’m not going to ask him.”
“Amelia’s in Professor Alexandra’s class, maybe she knows someone who might be selling scrolls on the side to make a little extra money.”
It seems worth a shot, and so Anvil sends an acolyte to pull the young mage out of class.
Amelia is less than thrilled to be called away from her studies and also understandably reluctant to finger any of her classmates. After reassurances that the party does not suspect anyone of deliberate misconduct, merely of being duped into compliance, she gives the name of a girl who is particularly good at scroll-scribing, Tamarak.
Before they let her return to class, Reyu asks one last question. “Do you know anyone at the Academy who might have had reason to sabotage Professor Alexandra?”
Amelia squirms in her seat, looking at the floor. “No.”
“Are you sure?” Reyu prods, gently.
She shakes her head again, then manages to glance up at the elf. “I’ve heard her arguing with Professor Noah, sometimes. He teaches alchemy.”
“What did they argue about?”
Amelia shrugs. “School stuff.”
Once Amelia is gone, Lira and Dennis decide follow up with Tamarak at the Mage’s Academy. Even if she didn’t make the scroll in question, she will hopefully know who did, which will hopefully lead to Jelliana’s source of information about the party. Also, they can check up on Edmund’s progress. Although Lira is spend any more time around the young wizard than is absolutely necessary. Meanwhile, the rest of the party decides to return to their informant Nichols of The Squeaky Wheel.
**********
Lira and Dennis find Edmund, surrounded by half-filled pieces of vellum, bits of potions, and liberally spattered with ink. He looks up when they enter.
“Five minutes! Really, I almost have it. I just need to complete this analysis.”
Lira and Dennis look at each other, shrug. “Okay,” they reply and head off for a quick chat with Professor Noah in the alchemy lab.
After ascertaining that Noah’s professional rivalry with Professor Alexandra does not extend beyond some departmental bickering, they return to Edmund.
Unsurprisingly, the analysis has not been completed. “Well, no I don’t have it yet, but I think I’m very close. Definitely making progress. Just give me another five minutes.”
Lira and Dennis exchange a glance and mutely shake their heads “no.”
Edmund barely pauses. “It really is quite fascinating,” he enthuses. “I do think I can get quite an impressive paper out of it. If you’d like to hear about my work—“
Dennis quickly cuts him off. “That’s okay. You don’t know who made the scroll?”
“Not yet, but I’m very close.”
“We’re sure you are,” Lira breaks in before Edmund can regain his momentum. “But, maybe you should take a break for lunch or something.”
“Oh, well, um. It’s just so exciting, the thrill of discovery and all that. I mean, it’s different for your sort, but ah, lunch. Good idea.” Edmund pauses, perhaps taking his first breath since Lira entered the room. He looks hopefully at the young sorcerer. “Have you… eaten yet?”
“Yes. Before we came.”
Edmund deflates slightly, but does his best to cover it. “I see. Well, I’ll go now. Get a fresh perspective.”
Dennis gives him a nod and a smile. “Good idea.”
Dennis was not the one Edmund was hoping for a smile from. Lira finally obliges and Edmund scurries happily from the room.
“Well,” says Dennis, “I guess we should go see Tamarak.”
**********
Tamarak is a swarthy girl, who stands with the prideful posture of a citizen of Dar Thane. Her dark hair is cut short, and her dark eyes flash with indignation at the idea that she might be selling scrolls. “I make them for my friends. That’s all. Who told you I sold them?”
Lira takes the path of most evasion. “We just heard.”
“I bet it was Annika.”
“Why her?”
“She’s always trying to sabotage me. She thinks she’s
so good at artificy, but just ask anyone…”
Twenty minutes later Dennis and Lira know more than they ever wanted to about the politics of first-year mage’s academy students and are no closer to figuring out how Jelliana might have gotten hold of one of their scrolls. At last, they manage to extricate themselves.
“Is talking incessantly a requirement for entry to the academy, or do they learn how to do that after they’ve arrived?” Lira asks Dennis as they leave.
“Amelia doesn’t talk much,” he points out.
Lira shakes her head. “Too much or too little. Let’s hope the others have had better luck.”
**********
Sure enough, Nichols is at his usual table at The Squeaky Wheel. He agrees to talk to the party, but shakes his head at their description of Jelliana.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’ve spent my time with the Handmaidens, but ah… never had the pleasure of her acquaintance.” He shrugs. “Not really my type. Did you think of tracing the other way?”
“What do you mean?” Anvil demands.
“Well, instead of tracing Jelliana to the academy, who there knew you were going to the mines?”
Reyu ticks off on her fingers. “Edmund swears he didn’t tell anyone. Professor Alexandra would have no reason to sabotage us.”
“Was there anyone there when she told you about the job?” Nichols asks.
“Well…” Thatch tries to remember, “She was teaching class when we arrived, but then we went into her office…
Didn’t we?”
Thatch looks over at Anvil, who looks at Reyu, who looks back at Thatch.
“Well… That would explain it.”
to be continued…
