Inside the alley, a group of ten mages was arguing. They were not fighting normal citizens. They were fighting each other.On one side stood Guildmaster Thorne. He was the leader of the Iron Weavers Guild. He wore a heavy leather apron, and his hands glowed with faint, hot red fire. Behind him stood four nervous young apprentices.On the other side stood Guildmaster Lin. She was the leader of the Water Bearers Society. She wore flowing blue silk robes. Her hands were raised, and a sharp, spinning disk of pure blue water hovered over her palm like a deadly saw blade."You stole our daily bread rations, Thorne!" Guildmaster Lin screamed. Her face was red with anger. "The city banks pulled our funding! We have no gold left! My students are starving, and your boys broke into our pantry this morning!""We took what was ours!" Thorne yelled back. He stepped forward, raising a heavy iron hammer that smoked with heat. "Your water-mages refused to clean our drinking water! You locked your door

The sharp iron knife rushed straight toward Caster Spellbound’s chest.The angry merchant’s face was twisted in pure hate. The screaming mob pressed in from all sides. Caster gripped his wooden walking stick.Deep inside his empty soul, the tiny, warm seed of new golden magic began to flare. It was a sun waiting to explode. Caster knew if he released it, he would blind the whole market, but he would also show the entire world exactly where he was.He had no choice. He braced himself to unleash the god-like power. But the golden light never came out.BOOM! A deafening explosion rocked the busy market square. It was not magic. It was a thick, heavy cloud of gray smoke and blinding white light.A metal cylinder had been thrown into the middle of the angry mob. It was a flash-bang grenade.The merchant screamed and dropped his knife. He covered his eyes, completely blinded by the flash. The men and women holding pitchforks and heavy stones fell backward, coughing and choking on the thic

General Verne did not yell. She did not pull a sword. She did not threaten to shoot him like Valen Cross had done. She simply walked calmly back to her steel desk. She opened the top drawer."I respect a man with strong morals, Caster," Verne said softly, almost politely. "It is a rare and beautiful thing. But morals are a luxury for people who have nothing to lose."She pulled a single, glowing magical photograph out of the drawer. She walked back to Caster and held the photograph up right in front of his face.Caster looked at the picture. His heart stopped beating. The blood in his veins turned to solid ice.The photograph showed a wide, green field in the wild lands. It showed a small camp of tents.Walking through the grass was a woman with snow-white hair and bandaged hands. She was holding the hand of a brave twelve-year-old boy named Finn, and a small girl named Elara walked right behind them. They looked tired, but they looked safe.They were not safe."Where did you get this

Sikoa crossed her arms. "I thought you were dead. The whole city thinks the Rogue Vector is hiding in the woods, eating children.""The rumors are slightly exaggerated," Caster said softly."I told you he would survive," a second voice said.A man walked out from behind a broken wooden bar. He was very tall and incredibly thin. He wore a neat, gray suit that was completely out of place in the dirty tavern. He wore thick, round glass spectacles over his pale eyes. His fingers were permanently stained with black ink.His name was Solon. He was an old ally. He used to be the Chief Archivist of the lower libraries before the Council fired him for asking too many questions. Solon loved paper. He loved secrets. He was methodical, quiet, and brilliant.Solon walked over and wrapped his long, thin arms around Caster in a tight hug."It is a miracle to see you breathing, my friend," Solon whispered, stepping back and pushing his glasses up his nose. "When the Sage Tower fell, I thought the wor

Caster sat in stunned silence. He had thought his biggest problem was protecting Lysane and the children. He had thought he could just put his head down, mix some harmless defensive potions, and ride out the war in a quiet concrete room. He was completely wrong.He was standing in the very center of a massive, ticking time bomb. The moment General Verne realized how valuable his physical body was, the deal would be broken. The velvet trap would turn into an iron cage of torture. He was the key to the ultimate weapon."If I run away now, Verne will send her assassins to kill Lysane," Caster whispered, running his hands through his messy gray hair. "If I stay, she will eventually put me on a dissection table.""You are caught between a hammer and an anvil," Sikoa said sadly."There has to be a third option," Caster muttered. His brilliant, genius mind began to spin. He thought about the complex math of the universe. He thought about alchemy. He thought about the arrogance of politician