“Very well,” I sighed. “I’ll be in momentarily.”
As I stepped back into the Shadows, I couldn’t help but laugh at the look on that poor recruit’s face. The moment he’d glanced away, I was gone without a trace. Most of my men were accustomed to that—I was the Captain of Scouting& Reconnaissance for a reason. The fresh blooded courier just looked dazed and confused as he searched the crowd.
Back to work, it is.
My prey would have to wait.
For now.
As it turns out, the “update” in the Jerricks case was simply that we had heard back from Lord Zephirin of the House of Gales. Vindyrst had set a bounty on the heads of any individuals involved with the missing boy, but had yet to receive any sort of response, or request for ransom.
“That’s it?” I asked, running my hand through my hair, still out of breath. I might’ve rushed along the way back, eager for any sort of break in this case.
“Apologies, Kieran,” Hanjae said. “I was just going to send off a mail sprite, but the recruit—Kraiggson, I think his name was? He volunteered to deliver the message himself. I think the kid’s got a little bit of a hero worship thing going on with you.”
A hero worship thing? I wasn’t a fucking hero.
I sighed. “I don’t know what to make of any of this, Commander. It’s like these kids are disappearing into thin air, and it shouldn’t be that godsdamned easy to get away with something like that.”
“I know. The only upside to this has been the amount of flesh traders and blood cultists who have been caught in the crossfire. I know you and your men are spread thin right now, Vistarii, but you’re doing excellent work. The realm is safer thanks to your efforts.”
It was the least that I could do. My commander, the Elder Guard, the city of Sophrosyne, and even the Elders themselves—they had all earned my loyalty a long time ago.
“Just doing my job, sir.”
“I know thatyou’rea lost cause, Kieran, but please make sure thatyour menare taking breaks.”
“They do. Hey, speaking of—who manages the schedules for grunt work these days?”
Hanjae raised a brow. “Rorick, I believe. Why?”
“Eh, Deering’s getting a little too big for his britches,” I lied smoothly. “I lost a bet to him recently, and want to make him pay for it.”
Hanjae rolled his eyes.
“You’re dismissed,” he said sternly. Whether my commander liked it or not, though, I could detect a glimmer of entertainment in his expression as I left.
I swung by Rorick’s desk on my way back to my office and penciled myself as well as a small handful of my men down for an upcoming round of guard duty for entry-level student lectures in the Wyldwoods.
It had been a while since any of our upper level officers had set a good example for the recruits who normally got tasked with this easy work, and as boring as it was, I knew my lieutenants wouldn’t really mind. Even if they did suss out my ulterior motives.
Almost every new Conduit ended up taking Larkin’s introductory courses within their first few quarters, and if I was lucky…
I might just catch myself a pretty little bookwyrm.
Chapter Nine
Arken
The scholars of the Studium offered counsel to all new Conduits upon entry, where they provided a particular route of courses to take within your first year. It wasn’t required, but it was firmly recommended.
The Studium and the elder city-state of Sophrosyne operated under the principle of free access to the knowledge of the gods. It was built for the pursuit of a deeper understanding of our world, so that we may study the arcane sciences that bound us and make use of this fundamental, powerful knowledge to go forth and make the realm a better place.
As such, there was no graduating from the Studium, the way one might celebrate the completion of education elsewhere. There was technically no required coursework, no enforcedorder of operations, and no tests that you had to pass in order to become recognized or respected. Once you entered the city and began your studies, you were a Conduit.
There were a few exceptions, of course. I imagined there was likely some type of formal training required in order to become a professor or High Scholar of the Studium, for example, but I had very little knowledge of such things. I probably should have paid more attention to Amaretta’s talk of her early years here.
Sophrosyne was essentially our oyster, and we were responsible for our own individual pursuits of the pearls of wisdom in the worlds held within these walls. Ultimately, I decided to go with what the scholars recommended, starting my first year off with some foundation building courses on history, the natural sciences, and arcana.