"Mage Haigh... this is very much against the rules..."

The Keeper wilted beneath Kommora's laser eyes.

"Earlston Chips. When your wife went into labour during a thunderstorm, my men braved the elements to get you the doctor and I supplied the runes to provide the light and hot water the doctor needed. When security to the Council's library was breached after Harred's death, I reinvented the security runes and saved your ass and your job. It is a matter of life and death I access these files and it won't be just your sorry ass at risk if anything happens!"

His mouth opened and shut without a sound. With a stiff nod, he retreated, shutting the heavy door behind him and leaving Kommora in the cold silence. She wouldn't have long. Chips was not the only Keeper of Records and security was tight; it was just as well she designed all the security runes in the room of records after Harred died.

Opening the book recording all the missions assigned to mages and then spreading paper around the glowing violet table of glass that sat in the middle of the room, Kommora studied the runes she'd infused to track the mages' movements. It took forever to crack the security she'd built herself without leaving traces or damage to her creation. One slight mis-adjustment of the rune would cause the system to go into lockdown. The obligation of state mages to register their arrival at every city using their tattoo rune came in useful to know who was available at short notice for help, especially recently given the frequency of rogue mage attacks. Her long fingers rolled a piece of white chalk before sketching rune after rune, flicking her finger at regular intervals, and they glowed the same shade of deep violet. The symbols beneath the surface of the glass table dissolved into the misty substance as the time dialled back to six years ago.

A few symbols she hadn't seen in many years surfaced. Kristen Harred's elegant swirl was fixed in Benover; she was a king's mage for eleven years already at that point. Hanna was on the brink of war again, and pressure ran high, especially among those living in the north border. King Pollin was most reluctant to engage in war talk and Kristen Harred had been very vocal about it, no doubt eager to protect the people of Karma. Kommora didn't have many dealings with Kristen beyond the occasional polite chatter after mages' meetings, due to Harred's status as a king's mage, and their assignments had never crossed paths prior to that, but she'd found Harred sincere and driven.

Rinoa Gruger had newly been appointed as a king's mage, but had stayed mostly in Benover that year. Kristen Harred divided her time between Finberry and Benover. Zor Jarsdel registered his presence in Iwade, an hour's train journey south of Acrise, which was under Hannan occupation at that point until its recovery two years ago. Kommora recalled his quest to secure the border's runes. Cronin Sallows, the old king's mage, was still employed then, and flitted between many of the north east cities. After his retirement six years ago and subsequent replacement by Karis Bonneville, Kommora hadn't heard from him again. He was a good man, shrewd, and had an intuition for people's real intentions. Domic Butterworth spent his time between Benover and Danaway.

Kommora sketched several more runes and the table responded, moving slowly forward in time to the day Kristen Harred died. Nobody moved out of their expected areas as far as Kommora could see, comparing with their mission assignments. Rummage and Woodbead hadn't graduated King's yet, at this point. Everyone was accounted for.

Except for one thing...

Zor Jarsdel registered task completion in Acrise on the second of March. He registered arrival in Benover on the fourth of March. Kristen Harred's symbol vanished by that point. Kommora frowned and dialled back the time again. Butterworth was in Danaway that day; Sallows in Lydden; Gruger in Benover, all had their tasks to fulfill. Harred had completed hers and returned to Finberry. One day's discrepancy was not unusual given the travel times between cities and if they arrived late at night, it would be more practical to register arrival the next day. But it would not take two days to travel the four hours' train journey between Acrise and Benover, no matter how late Jarsdel left.

Was she thinking too much?

But the third of March was unaccounted for. And Kristen Harred died on the third of March.

Was Zor Jarsdel the killer?

Was she distracted by Domic Butterworth all this time?

The thick wooden door eased open. Kommora tensed and wiped across the screen, terminating the runes prematurely. The glass table reverted to the current placement of the mages. She noted both Nithercott and Woodbead were in Iwade.

"Mage Haigh, I must insist..." said Chips, a tremor in his voice. Without a word, Kommora tidied her belongings and swept out. Chips exhaled in relief before she even turned the corner at the end of the corridor.

Her call pigeon found her not long after she exited the royal archives wing at the Council. The sun peeked from the treetops; the orange and purple of sunset invaded the blue sky. Kommora sucked in a breath. Recca Mirren was attacked -- another rogue attack? Nithercott and Woodbead being there must be no coincidence. Nithercott surely couldn't be unlucky enough to happen across this incident again, not after that altercation with Halen Ashworth only a few weeks ago. Kommora narrowed her eyes.

The sound of a runed motor reached her ears. She paused just inside of the main doors. The area was deserted; everyone had gone home for the evening. Nobody should be here now aside from security personnel. The motor stopped before the Council, the red and violet runes running along its metal sides producing a steady glow. From the front slid a tall, slim figure. He exchanged words with someone behind him in a deep voice. From the way he moved, despite the heavy hood on his head, Kommora was convinced that was Butterworth.

Not taking her eyes off Butterworth and the second figure, who slid out from the back, Kommora unfurled paper and chalk from her pockets, sketching an eavesdropping rune. Her lips curled. The king's mages have their little sneaky ways, especially Butterworth, the slimeball, but Kommora had her own tricks up her sleeves. She slipped it behind one of the lanterns on the wall and snuck out onto the marble steps outside, ensuring she remained in the shadows.

The second figure was shorter, with platinum blonde hair and silver piercings all over her face. She yanked out a third figure from the motor, not bothered when they landed with a heavy thump onto the ground. She grumbled and swore at the figure, kicking it with the back of her boot.

"Get your ass up," she growled.

"Hush, Karis," said Butterworth.

"What am I supposed to do? She's been seizing the whole trip. Have you any idea how hard it is to sit for so many hours when she's thrashing non-stop?"

"I do. We were in the same motor."

Bonneville's mouth snapped shut.

They were alone. Kommora had expected personnel to accompany them, but the runed motor switched off of its own accord. Butterworth operated it; normally there would be a designated driver for each motor.

Bonneville dragged the unconscious person up the marble stairs. Each bump of that person's lower body against the steps made Kommora wince. Butterworth kept a sharp eye out, but he didn't see Kommora. They disappeared behind the thick oak doors, slamming them shut.

Kommora flicked her finger. She'd included sigils in the locking circles of her rune that would suppress the glow of magic when activated. At once, Butterworth and Bonneville's voices reached her ears as clearly as if she were in the same room.

"I didn't think the brat had it in her to use organic magic. She stole the idea from me."

"She didn't operate it properly. I'm not surprised; from the reports, her burst magic is quite disappointing, let alone flash. Ironic, given she's assigned to a burst mage."

"The Harred 'prodigy'. What a joke."

"I'm sure the girl is suffering the side effects from such an attempt anyhow."

"Shame. That little bitch deserves all the effects." There was a thud and a groan, as if Bonneville had dropped her captive without any consideration. "She didn't even do a good job!"

"Speaking of Harred... she isn't pleased with what you've done."

"Me? What have I done?"

Butterworth scoffed. "Don't play dumb. It's obvious you pulled the strings that sent the girl up to Iwade after this. Nobody else has such a vested interest in her but you."

"She's a little cow that deserves everything she's got. She doesn't deserve her attention."

"You know our instructions are not to touch the girl."

"I didn't touch her. She sought out Ashworth of her own accord."

There was a brief silence.

"You can explain it to her yourself."

They moved out of the range of Kommora's rune, but she'd heard enough. Organic magic. The term chilled her. She'd only ever seen it in display twice in her life and she never wanted to see it again. It harmed the user as much as the victim, and it was concerning to hear Nithercott had attempted it, no doubt out of desperation against Halen Ashworth. At any rate, Nithercott should be safe with Woodbead tonight. Kommora had no idea who the displeased person was within Butterworth and Bonneville's circle, nor did she really care about Bonneville's apparent repercussions -- the king's mages could all burn in hell for all she cared -- but that someone wanted to keep Nithercott safe for whatever reason.

Unnerved by the implications, Kommora retreated; Loren needed her by her side. Perhaps she'd have woken up by now.

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