- 124 -

  The group stood in a well furnished parlor.

  An elf, a pale Callapeian, an old enchanter, a middle aged Ressian and his niece and nephew, and a caged Skurr.

  The decore spoke to Reandre’s expertise in alchemy. The space was equally divided into two functions: hosting tea, and showcasing her Alchemical artifacts.

  Airtight glass bells waited somberly around the room on ornate end tables. Their contents ranged from herbs, flowers and beast parts, to strange apparatus made of rare metals.

  Drew’s eyes were drawn small library of books that stretched across the back wall.

  There were couches and a couple chairs dressed in deep yellows and amber tones, a perfect setting for eight visitors to sit and politely blackmail each other.

  “Uncle-” the young boy said before his uncle shushed him and pulled him close.

  “Well! Is someone going to let me out of this cage now?” Drew cried.

  “It is best we wait a moment,” James replied. “After Brontide and the Councilor have departed.”

  Damien reached over and took the cage from atop the traveling trunk and placed it on a table near the center of the room. He looked around thoughtfully at the familiar decor.

  “You knew how to unlock the enchantments on the door,” Marcus said. “Did you write them?”

  “Is it that obvious?” Damien asked, he ran a tired hand across the white scruff that had grown on his cheeks since he last shaved.

  “What would have happened if she had changed the locks?” Marcus replied.

  ”I would have been killed.”

  “In the last version of today, she killed you Thornbrush. So we are in new territory. But it might still be a close thing,” James said.

  “So you don’t know what happens next?” Drew said. “What happens to us if you start the day over?”

  “Nothing.” James said and lowered his voice. He looked at the family near the door trying to mind their own business before he spoke again much quieter. “It would be like nothing happened. You will only exist on my perfect day. I have never met anyone else in the world that remembers what happens in the loops.”

  “By that logic then. We were successful this time,” Marcus said leaning in hopefully. “I mean we are here, I remember today.”

  “That’s not how this works in Groundhog Day. Well there are fan theories that other people start to notice…” Drew said.

  Is this time travel? Or alternate realities? Is it a skill or trait D’Aeggett has? He calls it a curse, that means it’s magic, but it seems like a super power! Could I build up an affinity for time magic?

  “Where did you get this curse?” Drew asked suddenly.

  James’s mouth went flat but before he could answer Reandre walked through the door. The family of debt servants moved out the way for her.

  “Now, for you all. I’ve had quite enough trouble for one day, and I’ve done a rushed job of it too,” Reandre said

  James opened his mouth to thank her but she cut him off.

  “Tut, tut! D’Aeggett. You may be my lucky charm but you have used up all your favors with me for a season at least,” She said.

  Damien alternated between staring at his hands or his feet.

  She looked at Damien again, and her hands clenched into fists.

  “Make that three seasons! You brought this fool back to my door.”

  The traveling trunk chirruped and Reandre smiled at it fondly.

  With a dismissive gesture she gave it permission to leave the room. The trunk scampered off through a doorway and chirruped happily upstairs. A loud thump soon followed from above their heads as the trunk returned to its old spot in the guest room.

  “Reandre, I must apologize. When I departed, it was badly done.” Damien said awkwardly. “You deserve an apology.”

  “So apologize then!” She scoffed as Damien opened and closed his mouth like a logfish. “Oh never mind.”

  “Who are you.” Reandre demanded, turning to Marcus.

  “Marcus Ironwood, my lady. It is a pleasure to meet you.” Marcus said with a courtly bow.

  “A flatterer. Hmff.” Reandre scoffed.

  She crossed the cozy room and opened up a roll-top desk. Inside, were a collection of dark tinctures each more amber as the bottles got smaller. She unstopped one from the middle and measured herself a small glass no larger than a thimble.

  “Now. Who is going to tell me what all this about?” She demanded as she tipped the liquor into her mouth.

  “I am sorry. I think this may be all my fault.” Drew said somberly. “If you would release me from my cage I could begin to explain.”

  “By the gods!” Reandre gasped and scrambled to put some distance between her and the caged Skurr. “You have brought a demon into my house!”

  “Where!?” Marcus shrieked.

  The debt servant and his two children backed up roughly to the door. The man could not work the latch and instead turned to put the children behind him.

  “This is no time for alarm. I’m not a demon.”

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  Reandre ended up behind Damien and James.

  “That is precisely what a demon would say!” She accused.

  “Reandre, enough. Marcus old friend.” Damien said and stepped aside to point at the carvings around the base of the walls. “The enchantments I built into this room would debilitate an aggressive monster.”

  James discretely winked at Drew.

  “He is a very smart bird,” James said to Reandre.

  He knows something.

  “He is more than smart for a bird, he is the first capable apprentice I have had in decades,” Damien said.

  “Oh ho!” The old Alchemist said, finally interested in listening. “You hate apprentices.”

  Damien scoweled.

  The she caught herself smiling and forced her face flat.

  “Let’s put him to a test then.”

  -

  Mend Item: Favorable Scale - Fine Quality. 225 exp

  Mend Item: Sky Steel Spoon - Fine Quality. 215 exp

  Mend Item: Maiden’s Hamper - Fine. 178 exp.

  Mend Item: Mana Lens - Fine. 225 exp.

  New Item: Heavy Stone - Uncommon. 435 exp.

  …

  New Item: Heavy Stone - Fine. 754 exp.

  New Enchantemt: Fireproof.

  New Enchantment: Heat Proof.

  New Item: DrakeSkin Gloves of Neverburning - Rare. 1650 exp.

  New Item: Flame Resistant Skysteel Spoon- Rare. 1490 exp.

  Skill Upgrade:[Carving lvl 8]

  Skill Upgrade:[Enchanting lvl 7]

  Skill Upgrade:[Mend lvl 5]

  MP+1

  SP+1

  Skill Upgrade: [Speak common lvl 9]

  She is a harsher taskmaster than Irael! I almost want to be back in the cage to get away from her overbearing personality.

  Reandre inspected the spoon Drew had enchanted. At first she had hesitantly asked him to mend the spoon. Doubtful he could accomplish something as simple as mending a corroded and bent spoon.

  It was a long handled elaborate thing, with filigree and floral patterns.

  After he had enchanted a couple items with new enchantments the Alchemist had laying around, she trusted him to enchant her precious sky steel spoon.

  “You did a fine job of this little birdie.” Reandre cooed over the fine table spoon. “Now what’s next…”

  Once she knew I wouldn’t mess it up she had me enchant the spoon. It must be special to her.

  Damien put down his book and crossed the room.

  “Certainly that’s enough to convince you that he is more than capable,” He said.

  “Hmmmf.” Reandre said and she secreted away the spoon into the folds of her robes. “So he can mend and carve enchantments. Big whoop. Anyone with a steady hand and a boring home life can study how to carve enchantments from a book.”

  There’s more to it than that! I had to learn a whole two new languages!

  “Don’t start with that elitism.” Damien sighed. “None of your alchemical equipment would work without enchantments!”

  “I can talk for myself you know!” Drew said. “I learned to carve enchantments in a month! I could learn Alchemy just as easily!”

  “As I have heard many fools say before. Happy fools day.” Reandre tutted sarcastically.

  Reandre’s condescending tone ruffled Drew’s feathers. But Damien held up a hand to shush him before he could say something heated. He knew better than to interject while Reandre was coming around.

  She’s a bully!

  She looked down her short nose at the wands Drew had lined up on the table beside the schematics Damien had redrawn with annotations.

  “You have been using these aspected wands.” She said. “You have started to grow out of them.”

  She picked at a crack that was forming in his wind wand, and smirked.

  “You will see that the casings are fine quality, although roughly shaped. We used my field kit after all. And the crystal rods here were grown with a new crystallization array here-“

  Reandre cut off his rambling with a gesture and leaned over the schematic for the earth wand.

  “It’s so short. And repetitive. Hardly a master work. Why, it does not use any complex scripts.” She said. “And you expect to earn some respect from the guild with this? Hah!”

  Rude! If she ever left her high city walls she’d know that a wand like this saves people’s lives!

  Drew hopped over his wand and protected it with his outstretched wing.

  “Well now here, the enchantment is sound. With a proper workshop we could make it much higher quality.”

  Damien slid the schematic to the forefront and pointed out a couple places he had perfected the calculations.

  “Well? Show me then.” She said impatiently.

  “What? Here? It’s dangerous.” Drew said.

  The Alchemist brought over a banded box made of heavy wood.

  “Pish posh! All experiments are dangerous. This box can withstand my most volatile reagents! And I have a real clunker of a crucible for a target,” She said.

  Just demanding anything she wants!

  The Alchemist pointed with her chin to the other room.

  “Damien, grab that crucible below the big workbench, you know which one, if you have an inkling of room left in your head after all your calculations.”

  She is serious. And where does she get off bossing Damien around?

  “Alight I’ll show you how it works.” Drew said.

  “Don’t go over board Drew.” Damien grunted as he returned with a heavy crucible.

  It was corroded and scabbed over with ash and salts on the outside yet perfectly smooth and shiny as a mirror inside.

  “Do what the lady says Damien. She is certain the test is safe.” Drew said, heat behind his words.

  Damien hesitated but a glare from Reandre urged him forward with the crucible.

  “That a good man. You can still lug heavy crap around,” Reandre said.

  The alchemist set up the banded box on its side and clamped it down to the table with four heavy clamps. They rolled the crucible into the box and turned it on it’s side.

  “Give us a stone bolt in there. One second charge to start,” Reandre demanded.

  Damien took a few steps back and covered his ears.

  “Order up.” Drew said and gripped the stone wand in his claw tightly.

  “Fancy invocation.” Reandre scoffed.

  She wants one second? That’s long enough for a stone bullet.

  “Stone Bullet!” Drew shouted.

  Damien whipped his wand out and summoned a mana shield around the room before the small projectile formed.

  Drew’s spell shook the room a moment before it crashed into the crucible.

  I might have over done it…

  Books fell from shelves and a vase of dried flowers fell over. Miraculously, none of the airtight glass bells shattered.

  Well okay, to her credit, the banded box held together.

  The heavy metal crucible not only broke but the sheer force of the energy involved turned the pieces to molten metal.

  Marcus ran screaming into the room from outside.

  “You all nearly brought down the mezzanine! What in the goddesses glorious names is going on in here?” He cried.

  Yeah I took it too far.

  “Alchemy!” Reandre cackled happily.

  - Interlude -

  “Did you feel that?” James asked.

  The man and children turned look at their benefactor. The crisp clean air of the mezzanine lightened their steps.

  The group was not in a rush to return to the hazy city below. But they knew not to linger without purpose or they would be fined for loitering.

  “No Segniture.” The children’s uncle said, uncertain if the question was a court riddle.

  James looked to the west for a moment and spoke absently to himself.

  “I feel what is to happen has all happened before… but I cannot quite put my finger on what lies in store.”

  “A premonition.” The girl whispered under her breath.

  James shrugged off the idea and produced the silver coin for the man as promised.

  “As promised!” he said and flicked the coin up. The man opens his hand and the coin landed easily on it.

  “And another silver to keep quiet about the things you have seen today.” James said.

  “Yes Segniture.” The man said happily. Nobody would believe him anyways.

  James pulled the coin back and looked over his glasses at the man.

  “Not a word, mind you.” He said in his serious voice. “I will know if you blab to anyone.”

  “Yes Segniture.” The man said ready to put this whole day behind him and enjoy the month worth of funds they had earned today.

  “Good. Good.” James said jovial again.

  James led them down the last length of the mezzanine, through the wide commercial gate, and into the Burroughs of the city.

  The noise of the city rushed over them, no louder than a fools day parade but the tone was off.

  “What is going…” James started.

  A crowd was flowing to the west. A young boy ran by, throwing his fools day mask aside. James grabbed the lad and arrested his frantic run.

  “Boy!” James said. “Has the lake broke through?”

  The boy looked at him for a second, took in his fine clothes and gear, and answered quickly and respectfully.

  “Sir! The winter court tower is waking up!”