What a stubborn girl.

Rowan propped his chin on his hand, flicking through the archived file he'd requested a week ago. He knew there was something odd about Seiren Nithercott, and his instincts were right, as usual. Even without the dean gushing about her academic excellence, her being the daughter of Kristen Harred was bound to hold promise.

Mage Kristen Harred. Rowan had met her on a few occasions, but never worked with her, as she'd been dead for two years by the time he qualified. Her renown at a rune specialist was far and wide, as was her keen mind and kindness. King Pollin had declared it a national mourning day when the news of her murder was announced. Hundreds of state mages attended her burial – although her only surviving daughter was not present.

The murder was investigated by the military, aided by a few of the king's mages. Rowan and most of the state mages were not privy to any information, but he found out enough to guess why the daughter was such an oddity. The rune she'd drawn was taken from the research documents belonging to Kristen, a modified rune blending red and orange, which magnified the damage and firepower potential – research documents which had now become classified information. And he had no doubt the subtle rune on the crimson crystal around her neck was also taken from those documents, that bound Madeleine Harred's soul to a physical object. It was astounding a twelve-year-old girl, not yet even enrolled into mage school, could activate two such advanced runes.

And leave such a devastating result: her mother, burned to a crisp, identifiable only by dental records.

What was strange, however, was how Kristen, one of the most powerful mages of her generation, could be caught out by a rogue Hannan. Strange that he sought out Finberry of all the cities, so far from the Karman-Hannan border in the north. Strange that he breached the house without setting off any security runes. And strange there was no documentation as to his intentions. Was there such an agenda against Mage Harred that a solo man would sneak into her own home and massacre her family?

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Rowan jumped, grunting as his knee hit the bottom of the desk. His head snapped up.

A slender woman with thick blonde hair and a heart-shaped face leaned forward, grey eyes gleaming with intrigue and lips curling in amusement. Behind her, Dent and Tylene watched the scene unfold, but quickly returned to work after Rowan glared at them.

"Hello, Mage Rummage."

She snorted. "Oh please, I thought you'd dropped all those. It's been two years, Ro. And it's not like we just met."

"It's the way I've been brought up: to respect mages. Mages must be addressed by their titles at all times."

She rolled her eyes, batting her long lashes and swishing her hair dramatically. Rowan eyed the blonde curls that fell to the belt at her waist.

"I thought Mage Haigh gave you trouble last time for all that hair."

"Oh, Kommora? Yes, she did." Loren Rummage giggled. "She said if I don't do something about it, she'll chop it all off. I can just imagine, little grey old Kommora sneaking about with scissors behind my back."

"Mage Haigh isn't that old. She's just experienced."

"She's forty-five! I counted."

Loren sat on his table, squarely over some paperwork covered in Rowan's barely-legible scribbles, and turned his files around so that she could see. Rowan made no attempt to protest; once Loren wanted something, she would get it.

"Ah, so the rumours are true! You got the prodigy! Lucky-y-y." She whistled.

"No, not lucky. She's a handful."

"I heard you requested her, though." Loren grinned, sly. Rowan sighed, spinning his pen. "Her entire family was murdered when she was just a baby! Cut her some slack! The dean went on and on about her though. Is she really that great? Or has the grapevine been telling some lies again?"

Rowan shook his head. "She's as good as the rumours say. Better. Her runes are far more advanced than anything I've seen so far. I have nothing to teach her on that front."

"A girl without a mum so young comes with baggage, you know."

"She signed up for state mageship. She knows what she's going for."

"Doesn't mean you have to be an ass about it, Ro." Loren wagged a finger at him. "If she's really that amazing, she could save your behind one day. Teach her well."

"Speak for yourself." He tilted his head upwards, still resting it in his hand. The ink pen continued to spin in the other. "How about yours?"

"Oh. Well. He's a good boy. Kinda boring. Knows the basics, keen to learn. So, not too bad, I guess. I just picked him up today."

"That's why you're in Benover?"

"Yup. Train's heading back to Bicknor tomorrow afternoon. You think I can meet this Seiren?"

"I don't think she wants to meet anyone. She's quite an insolent kid."

"Not everyone comes trained to sit on command, Ro – and that's a good thing." She raised an eyebrow. "I can house her if she ever gets sent east for duties."

"How come you picked up yours so late? Assignment was well over a week ago."

"Ah, well. I've been called to do a lot of healing."

Rowan's brows knitted. "Ah. The attacks."

"Yup. It's been messy, Ro. Gotta be careful."

"Any leads on who the assailants are yet?"

"No, but the wounds are mighty impressive – and they're runes."

Rowan's mouth dropped open. His pen dropped onto the table and rolled away.

"Someone's using runes against mages?"

"Possibly. Someone who knows precisely what runes to use and how to activate them. Can't be any ordinary Joe."

"A mage?"

"Now that's a conspiracy I wouldn't go around voicing." Loren grinned, but then sobered up. "I don't know. I'd like to think it's not one of us, but what's the motivation? I'm not heading that investigation. I'm just tidying up. That's two mages that have been attacked now, and they are no pushovers. I'd be careful when out and about if I were you, Ro."

"Take your own advice. You go around the oddest areas of the city picking up strays."

"Yeah, but I look tall enough to convince people I'm an actual adult with my cloak on. You, however..."

Rowan flushed, to Loren's delight. She bent over in giggles.

"You're still so sore about your height! Get over it, Ro! You've been the same height since you were sixteen!" She wiped tears from her eyes. "In all seriousness, though, be careful. They seem to be going after loners and during off hours. There's a lot of unrest at the moment, too. Quite a lot of people aren't happy with how King Pollin's dealing with the threat from Hanna at the moment. Think we should be at war."

"Oh yes, seek war with our heavily-armoured demon-wielding enemy when winter is coming. That seems a sensible solution." Rowan sighed. "I can see where they're coming from. There are just too many demons rampaging around the north for comfort."

"Lots of people are losing their livelihood, Ro. Farms and shops devastated. Families lost. I don't know what Pollin has in mind, but the sooner he starts speaking to the people, the better. At least they'll know there's a plan."

"At least we mages aren't involved." That was some source of relief, at least. Rowan had seen enough of military duties and involvement in a life time, what with his entire family embroiled in it. Mageship promised him a career away from genocide and twisted politics.

"Not yet, anyway. I can see us being needed at a later stage, for support, if not outright war."

"Mages being involved in warfare never ends well. And you're starting to sound like Mage Haigh."

"Kommora's cynicism does have a source, you know. She's been a mage longer than you or I have been alive. She's seen what magic can do and what non-magic users expect, however unrealistic. She's the one who said we're heading to war – with we being the emphasis."

Loren shook her head, running a hand through her hair. It glistened in the overhead runed lights. She tapped a finger at Seiren's sullen photo.

"This girl. Be careful with her. If what the reports say is true, she's got pretty much unlimited potential when it comes to runes."

"She's strong, but she's not a dangerous girl."

"No, not her. There will be people who want someone like her, is what I'm saying. There is always a price to pay for power."

With that, Loren hopped off, leaving the scrunched up work over Rowan's table. Straightening her dark brown shirt, which she'd fashioned with a studded belt and chains on the side, she winked at Rowan.

"I expect to hear great things about dear Seiren. Send her my way if she ever wants to learn about healing runes. She might be interested!"

She skipped out, clicking the door shut behind her. Rowan shook his head. How Loren could maintain such a jovial and mischievous demeanour when doing one of the most harrowing branches of medicine he would never understand. Her specialism in healing magic meant she saw some of the sickest and most complex cases at Bicknor Infirmary, the largest hospital in Karma. And now she was also patching up mages. Perhaps that was what made her so great at her job, that she never took life itself too seriously.

He tore his eyes from the shut door to see Tylene and Dent wagging their eyebrows at him. One furious glare sent them both scurrying back to their work, scribbling furiously.

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