*for readers: this chapter was originally chapter 20 but was made chapter 21 after I decided to include a new chapter featuring Axion and an all-new character. Please, if you haven't already, go back and read the new chapter, "When the Sun Stops By for Sandwiches". Thank you!*

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A FLURRY OF activity unfolded in the Wizard's office, an unconscious Wizard at its center. Nira, the muscular woman manning the visitor's desk at the Acadium had hefted the Wizard over her shoulder at Mandon's panicked behest. She'd then moved with lightning speed, like a hill cat, sprinting down corridors and leaping up the stairs, three at a time. She kicked in the office door, one of its hinges snapping and sailing through the air. Splinters covered the ground. Kellog was deposited gently on a long leather couch, where a whole new round of panicking had begun. 

Abby, Sebbi, Lucy and Margo slunk in after the trio, keeping to the walls and bookcases. Abby's heart plummeted as she watched Nira prying the Wizard's jacket off his body while Mandon saw to the Wizard's shoes, taking them off one at a time and laying them on the only clutter-free space on the ground. 

This was all her fault. She'd been so eager to meet The Wizard Kellog, and with one handshake, she'd dropped him to his knees and made him pass out. His staggered breathing now, accompanied by pained groans and winces, was all her doing, though she didn't know what she'd done. 

But it was terrible all the same, and if it couldn't be undone then--

She lowered her head, her knees shaking, threatening to topple her in the Wizard's office. Her body joining the mountains of books and ink-stained parchments. She'd crumble like a biscuit made with too little butter, punishment for accidentally destroying the greatest wizard of the age. 

She could see the headlines spanning the front page of the Triadian Royal Paper: Nobody Knocks out the Wizard Great. 

Calamity of the Highest Order! Wizard Slain, Crown demands Comeuppance! 

Mirea's Greatest Treasure, Plundered by Greedy Hands of Girl Fan! 

Devastation and Death Brewed at the Acadium this week...Kellog funeral to be held a fortnight from date of printing.

Ugh. 

She slumped to her feet, back rested against a bookcase, the hard cover spines burying themselves between her shoulder blades. The discomfort was unwelcomed, but deserved since she might have killed The Wizard Kellog. 

Nira paced before the Wizard's body, her heavy-soled shoes creating ruts in the wood. "Should I get him a glass of water? Or a blanket?" She ran her hands over her arms and glanced at the partially opened window, a breeze lifting the corners of a stack of parchment on his desk. "It is cold in here, isn't it?" Suddenly, her eyes alighted, and Abby sucked in a breath as the pressure of magick barreled down on her shoulders. An ache shot through her head, sparks dancing over Nira's palm. She eyed the hearth at her left. "A fire," she mumbled. "I ought to start one, shouldn't I, Mandon?"

He placed a hand atop hers, and the sparks died away. "You have helped a great deal, Nira. I thank you. But leave the rest to me." 

All Abby's focus had been on the Wizard, that she hadn't noticed how disheveled Mandon had grown since their short journey to the office. But his shirt was crumpled, his tie completely askew, his glasses set to nose dive from his face. His hair, silver-streaked and slicked back as though he'd just stepped out of the shower, was tangled, strands dangling in front of his eyes. 

Nira bit her lip, her gaze downcast. She shuffled her feet, clearly torn about Mandon's request. As the Wizard's assistant, he was probably in a more powerful position than Nira, and his words, though kind, had been a command. She should follow it, but Abby could tell her heart ached to stay. To see the Wizard wake up with her own eyes. 

It's what Abby would do, if something had happened to someone she loved. 

"Cheer up, love." Lucy crouched beside her, one hand stroking her  back. She leaned into his touch and the comfort it afforded. His words, however, converted comfort into dread, heaps and heaps of dread. "If he dies, you'll be known far and wide as the person who murdered the greatest wizard of all time. Notoriety and fame at your fingertips. Dare I say, you'll even be offered a book deal." His lips cracked into a grin.

Abby groaned. Attempted wizardcide was a lofty charge with steep fines and a twenty-five year stint in the dungeons if convicted in the King's court. Considering the wizard was The Wizard Kellog she figured they'd skip the trial, forgo mercy, and send her straight to the hangman's noose. 

A shiver tore through her as she imagined the feel of the rope biting into her neck, and the cold eyes of the hooded executioner, the smiles of an enraged audience eager to see justice dispensed.

"It's okay," came Sebbi's voice. Her head jerked up, eyes locking onto his. He sat beside her, legs folded, mouth a pinched line of worry. "You didn't do anything."

"But I did. He fainted because of—"

"You—" A scowling Mandon whirled on them, a  predator poised to attack. The hairs on his head stood on end, his eyes full of fury. "What have you done?" His voice dripped with so much venom, the strongest antidote wouldn't be able to remedy it. 

She trembled under such intensity. "I'm sorry." 

"No." He shook his head. "You are...a rival mage, come to subdue her competition?  An assassin in the employ of his majesty's opposition? Surely you can't think I'll believe you're just some girl, whose presence ushered about the Wizard's downfall? There must be more about you, you must be more." 

His eyes narrowed, his gaze burning through Abby's skin. She felt the whole of herself ignite, angry at the accusations being lobbed her way, ashamed at the Wizard's current predicament. 

Mandon sneered, his moustache hairs bristling from the sheer force of his exhales. "A monster then, playing at being human. But lurking beneath that skin is a real terr--"

Sebbi got to his feet and strode forward, back arched, gold eyes glinting. His fingers were tense, the muscles twitching as they had whenever he extended his claws. "Abby's none of those things." A growl collected at the back of his throat, and Mandon, mouth open and on the verge of speaking, slammed it back shut, and swallowed. 

Lucy too,  shot forward, his body shielding Abby from Mandon's continued scrutiny. "Love is perfect and if you keep disrespecting her with your baseless accusations and mindless slander I will rip your offending tongue from your mouth." He made to step forward and close the distance between him and Mandon, but Margo had grabbed his arm holding him in place. She shook her head when he shot her a glower. 

"She's every bit a Wizard Kellog fan like myself," added Margo. "And she's my friend. She would never cause anyone harm."

Mandon's gaze flew to each of them, his anger lifting more of his hair into the air. 

"And to everyone's relief, no harm was done." 

Everyone turned. The Wizard Kellog sat upright, one arm draped over the couch's curved back. "It was more like a nap, a rather insightful one at that." He released a yawn, stretching his arms over his head. "Sebbi, Lucy, retract your claws, and Mandon, do calm yourself. When your feathers get so ruffled your moustache becomes rather aggressively bushy." 

Mandon's hand flew to his face, his fingers combing through his moustache hairs. His neck was suddenly painted a bright scarlet. 

Sebbi relaxed, the tension melting from his fingers. Lucy plopped himself in a chair, legs dangling over the rest. Thankfully, Margo continued to stand by Abby. She wasn't sure she'd be able to stand without the mouse-woman's assistance. 

"Abby, my dear." The Wizard's lips parted into a smile. Forgotten was the pain creasing his face, and troubling his breaths, causing him to stir and moan. "You look a little wobbly, like my desk here. Have a seat." 

He got up, and shuffled to his office chair, beckoning her forward with an elegant sweep of his arm. 

Abby did as she was told. Amazingly, her knees didn't buckle though they'd felt like melted jelly.

"Mandon?" 

Mandon's back stiffened. He hurried to the Wizard Kellog's side. "Yes, sir?" 

"Leave us, would you? There are things we need to discuss in private." 

Abby's pulse started to echo in her ears. A hand shot up to her neck. Had the Wizard spotted them? Her veinings? Lines of gold, silver and black streaked across her skin, symbols of a not wholly human heritage? Could he smell the magick on her, the light she was capable of conjuring in the direst of times? Was that what he'd sensed when he took her hand? Was that the reason he'd collapsed at her feet? 

Her eyes flicked nervously to Sebbi's face. He shook his head, as if able to read her thoughts, and plied her with a smile. It's okay, he mouthed. 

It's okay. It would all be okay. 

She breathed out. 

"You wish for me to leave?" Surprise threaded through Mandon's words. 

The Wizard nodded. "Yes. As you have witnessed, I am completely fine. This girl before me is a fan, nothing more nefarious." His gaze swept up to meet Mandon's eyes. "There is nothing to further concern yourself over. Take the evening off. Maybe--" Mischief danced in the Wizard's gaze, "take Nira out for a night on the town. I hear the new chef at the Golden Bloom makes a savory crepe to die for. Nira would enjoy it, I'm sure." 

The whole of Mandon's body turned a ripe tomato red. "Bu-but...your meetings? Your appointments... You were scheduled to inspect the dorms and approve the construction of the new potioneering labs--"

"Cancel any outstanding appointments. The rest of work, I'll get done some other day. Now go. You have a promise to uphold don't you?" 

A nervous hand raked Mandon's hair away from his face. "I-I do, Sir." 

"Well, what are you waiting for? Run, man. Run." 

"Ri-right." Mandon bowed to the Wizard and turned, his moustache twitching as he exited the room. 

They sat in silence, Abby fidgeting with her hands, Margo's lips pursed. Sebbi and Lucy's gazes shifting from one side of the room to the other. Finally, the Wizard Kellog chuckled.

"Fate is a funny thing, is it not?" He spoke in a low, unhurried voice, as though he worried not about when his words reached their ears, because they would be heard exactly when they needed to be. 

Abby gasped. The Wizard's normally cornflower blue eyes were a few shades lighter, his irises ringed with gold. Margo too seemed to notice, her blinking and her breathing both forgotten as she investigated their depths. 

"First it brought me to Sebbi." 

At this, Sebbi frowned. "I would say I brought myself to you. Tripping into your tent and all." 

"No, my boy. I stumbled across you in the woods after you'd clawed your way free of the Hollows, so intent were you on living for your loved ones." His gaze slide over to Abby's. "On answering their call. When a King cries for another, no stronger magick is there than love." He chuckled.

Abby's expression twisted with confusion. 

"That's not--"

His gaze traveled to Sebbi's feet. "The shoes, they served you well, yes? Getting you to where you needed to go?" 

Sebbi's eyebrows raised as realization dawned. "You...that was you?"

"Yes, only I'd forgotten. I'd forgotten so much, until young Miss Tells made me remember." He placed a hand on his chest, and lowered his head. "You have my eternal gratitude. Your mother's light shines brightly in you."

Abby shot to her feet, hands gripping the folds of her trousers. "You knew my mother? You rescued Sebbi?" 

He held a finger to his lips, and bade them all quiet. "Can you hear that? My sister, she sings for me. It's been ages since I last heard her voice."

Lucy peeled himself away from the chair's cushion, his fingers tugging on the lace belt wrapped around his waist. "Seems  your beloved Wizard," he said, directing his words at Margo, "is a bit deranged."

Margo snorted, crossing her arms around her chest. 

"Deranged?" repeated the Wizard. He spoke the word slowly as though the taste danced over his tongue. He laughed. "No, not deranged. Illuminated. An Aureate's light is always illuminating. Something else I'd forgotten."

Margo exchanged looks with Abby. She felt her neck sear, her veinings throbbing beneath her skin. 

"Gold, silver and black like your mother's are they not?" The Wizard watched her intently behind his desk. 

Abby shook her head. "I wouldn't know, she died giving birth to me." 

Abby soured at the fragility in her voice, at the way her words broke, at the bitterness that erupted over her tongue and clung to the back of her throat. Her mother had died because of her, and no meeting in the Hollows with her mother's ghost would ever absolve her of that sin. 

The Wizard leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled together. "She chose life," he mused, his grin widening. "How very like her." 

Tears sprouted in Abby's eyes. She wanted to be like Sebbi and swat them away, or Lucy and hide behind a lie, but they spilled over her eyelashes and splashed down her cheeks. 

"Celes wanted you to know the world and for it to know you. She knew you'd be loved after she was gone, and," His gaze swept across all of them, a full-blown smile blooming on his face. "it seems like she was right. You have many people who love and are loved by you."

Abby hunched over, a sob ratcheting from her mouth. Margo's arms wrapped around her, folding her into a hug. Abby gave in, resting her head on Margo's neck, her soft curls tickling her cheeks. 

"I learned many things over the ages," said the Wizard, staring at the ceiling, eyes wistful. "But one of the most important lessons? Never gamble against the captain of The Celes. Your mother was a fierce and brave opponent, and harried many situations that had felled hardier, mightier captains, but no matter the fires aboard her ship, she extinguished each one." 

She wiped her face. "My mother was a ship captain?" 

He stood up and rounded his desk, perching himself on the edge, much to the detriment of a tower of parchments. They tumbled at his disturbance, each one raining down onto the ground. "Your mother, Celes, as I knew her, was a Worlds-Seeker. That key you wear around your neck, belonged to her. She traveled the realms and she saved my life."

Abby blinked. "She saved you?" 

He nodded. "My sister and I had been attacked, the memories of that time, still sparse and muted. I remember her face and the faces of the creatures that stormed our domain and forced us apart. I escaped; she did not." Golden horns appeared over the Wizard's head, his eyes a deep, searing amber. Light pooled at his feet and the whole of him was radiant. "She found me wounded and healed me. Her and the Kinsage." 

He glided forward, his steps effortless, and took Abby's hands in his. He smelled of summer mornings, bright and dew-stained and floral.  "You restored who I am." He dipped his head down and bestowed a kiss upon her knuckles.

"And who are you?" she asked nervously.

He stood up, and his skin erupted into flames, a sun made flesh. His voice a breeze that floated around the room, and drifted into ears, dreamy and not of this world. "I am the Dawn Stag."