"He wants blood?"
Maybe that's natural.
Aureum, sitting at the edge of the window in the early morning, found herself still unwilling.
Flirting and maybe having a fun night with a man was one thing, but planning murder with that man was another. Certainly, she'd stood by while someone who attacked her was killed. Fine with it, too. As much as she wouldn't want to relive it, she would live.
But planning it out? Was that a step too far?
She sent a strand of wind out idly.
By no means was it a step too far. If anything, Mendax's attitude towards death was normal for a sorcerer of Aeternitus. If Aureum cared to remember, in the bowels of Nix's clenched fist, she planned more than murder upon its lord. It had only been a dream, or a nightmare, but the desire had been real.
That's not why I'm hesitating.
The wind came back with the noise of the street and the smells of baking.
"He gave me so few details…"
About the threat, about how he heard of it, just everything had been vague.
That was normal. Mendax never gave her details. Even when he went to train her, he kept silent about something as simple as the location being the university.
Same puzzling riddle with the same puzzling answer. Without instructions and with missing pieces, how could it be solved?
Just pull an answer out of her feelings? When they could be easily confused with what she wanted to be true instead of what actually was?
Deep inside, she felt Mendax meant no direct harm. To prove it, there had been an opportunity, but no crime. Yet, logically, too many oddities stood out.
With a face like that, I wouldn't expect him to be a scam artist. Is that the trick?
That was the kind of possible crime she was looking at. A long-term plan with no physical harm involved.
But dad's the one with all the money. If Mendax was already paid, why wouldn't he just run away? How does getting me involved with murder help him?
None of it made sense. She huffed as she hung her arm out the open window. The breeze felt nice. A walk would have been nicer, but she wasn't that stupid.
"Aghhhhhh. Just tell me your game already, jerk."
She pulled herself back.
Despite not knowing, she still had to make a decision.
Run away, cutting all her losses. Spesavia's answer and the chance to hear from Vitreum would be gone.
Otherwise.
She could only trust him until he proved her wrong, with one eye open.
"Please, this has gotta be a joke."
Both options were awful.
Could I give him a little test, instead? Kind of a middle option?
———————————————————
Mendax was already gone by the time Aureum woke up. There was another problem he hadn't mentioned to Aureum. To be fair, he hadn't even thought of it himself in the middle of their midnight conversation.
Even if he killed Nola, he couldn't stop the interest that would arise from their absence.
How much time would it buy them? With two men missing from Nix, there would be more than curiosity or caution.
Dare I think of Nola's loss being worth more?
That was ridiculous. Besides, the two were equally pawns. It's just that Nola hadn't had a few teenage years of rebellion and didn't pose a threat to the Lord's position.
He needed to stay focused on the task at hand.
There was no solution to the current situation.
Nola's death, Nola's notice of his desertion, or Nola bringing about his demise would all end with Aureum having to run.
Or failing to.
Then he needed to change his focus. Somehow change the board from being chess to checkers. Maybe then things would fall into place.
It was difficult for Mendax to focus. Days of sleeping little wore on him.
He would need Aureum to leave. Aureum wouldn't leave until she got a reply from Spesavia.
Spesavia. She's where the true solution lies.
If it had been that simple, Aureum would already be gone.
Let's start looking into it where I can.
He already had an excuse to head to Viadelux's grounds in case Nola found out and asked him. Before anything, he needed to buy time.
It wasn't hard to find where to sign up for the tournament. The university wanted people to enter, and the long line was easy to spot.
"Can I sign up a friend too?" Mendax said.
The man in charge of the list shook his head.
"We need to do a quick check that he would have enough mana for the level he's signing up for. It's not a lot, but it has to be done directly."
Aureum was, of course, a woman, but Mendax didn't see the need to correct him.
"Can I look through the requirements?"
The man tapped the board beside him.
"Next in line!"
Mendax took his time reading it. There wouldn't be a problem with Aureum and Nola entering it, but it would require a trick for Nola to be put in the same mana class.
Not to mention, the mana class Aureum suited was mostly filled with kids.
It becomes unlikely for one adult to be in it, but with Nola it becomes an impossibility. Even worse if I were to join them, like I had planned to.
There was a problem worse than drawing attention.
I can't leave Nola fighting children.
His expression showed his dissatisfaction. Even as a cover for buying a bit of time, none of this would work.
Is there any other option?
"If you don't care to look at it, stop and get out of the way!"
Another man waiting in the long line jostled him.
"Is this it?" Mendax said.
"Whaddya mean? What more could you want? A whole city feasting their eyes on you kicking ass!"
"The requirements… aren't they a little limiting?"
"What? You want to fight to the death or something? Look for some dingy underworld ring to die in."
Huh.
That was far more doable. The problem was to figure out how to "trick" Aureum into signing up in a believable way.
Mendax walked out without entering.
Could I use money as an excuse?
They had plenty of money, but Nola didn't know that.
How easy would it be for her to find out?
Less, if he hid the bag of coins.
Next, he headed for the library. Compared to the line of aspiring contestants, it smelled nice.
He knew there was a room filled with conversing stones from Aureum mentioning it, but he didn't know where. He found a promising door half hidden by shelves in a few minutes.
"Sir, do you have a reason for being here?" A woman said.
A glance at the speaker told him she was a librarian.
"Do I need a reason?" Mendax said.
"Anyone is allowed into the lower levels of the library, but many rooms and levels are restricted for the students and faculty."
She had to be watching me from the start to meet me before I entered, to stop me so cleanly.
"This must be the conversing room? I'm here to check a message on behalf of a friend."
"And who is your friend?"
"Aureum. She's the woman who's been visiting this room every day for weeks."
The woman stiffened at Mendax's tone.
"I'll have to check," she said, and made no move to do anything.
Mendax waited, and the librarian waited. He sighed.
"I'll wait," he said.
"It might take a long time."
"I guess that means you should go ahead then."
She frowned and walked away. He would bet from the way she walked that the woman had some combat training. This only made sense. This library was the university's greatest treasure.
As expected, they didn't let anyone inside the room where those stones were kept. Only convenience kept it on the first floor.
It doesn't really matter. I don't need to see the stones.
He leaned against the wall. It was a long wait. They probably hoped he would leave. In the end, the wasted time only irritated him further. He needed to be aware of what was going on, so he couldn't even read to idle away the time.
When the librarian came back, she was behind a scholarly man. His blue pearl shone on his forehead. He looked down his nose at Mendax.
Even Mendax could feel his mana. That didn't mean he impressed.
"I believe Miss Parvus already told you, we can't allow you to enter the conversing stone chamber."
Mendax wanted to raise an eyebrow. From what he'd heard, it was the size of a few broom closets, at best. "Chamber" was a stretch.
So he likes authority.
"Do you know who I serve?" Mendax said.
He wasn't really in the mood to wait for the man to answer.
"I act as the bodyguard to Miss Zizan. A woman who traveled from Nix to see her mentor from her childhood, Spesavia."
"I haven't seen you guarding her on her trips here."
"I haven't seen the need. Unless you'd like to imply that there is danger in your fine library?"
"No, of course not!"
"Then maybe you could tell me why the student of Spesavia has tried to get in touch daily for weeks, while you," he smiled here, "you haven't offered her a single solution to that."
The scholar's face grimaced a little at Mendax. The moment stretched.
Not quick on the comeback? Better for me.
"Why would I need to? Spesavia helps with the university. She isn't the only one who does—
"So you have no idea where one of the immortal sorceresses that backs the university is? No way to contact them immediately if you need to?"
Mendax drily stared at the man.
The man snapped his mouth shut. Put in that light, it would make him look incompetent to admit otherwise.
"There may be a way to contact her… more directly, but I would need her student to request it before I look into it for you."
Couldn't you just tell me a location?
Mendax didn't know if this was another wait-until-the-ugly-man-leaves tactic. Yet, he didn't even know if he could press the man for more information.
He very likely didn't have a clue where Spesavia was, though someone in Viadelux had to know.
"Fine," Mendax said. "I'll be back with Miss Zizan at our earliest convenience."
It was hardly anything for the wait. He stormed out of the library, with the sun setting.
After that, he found an underground fighting ring. What should have been difficult was the easiest task. Mendax had already passed through the kinds of places that would have it. And it was the situation where threats of violence and violence itself sped things along.
Easy again to sign Aureum up for it. In a fashion.
"You're Aureum?"
"Yes," Mendax said.
The fat man behind the desk in the dark and smoke-filled room looked at the ugly man claiming a girl's name.
"I guess that explains what you've got to prove. The next fight in a week will have your name on it, as you wanted."
With that done, Mendax still had too much time before meeting with Nola, and too little time gained for figuring out how to call Spesavia over.
I should have begun weeks ago.
He'd been too focused on solving the problem through methods he'd been familiar with, and also on his lack of ability to do so. Not that his exhaustion helped.
Maybe only Aureum's hesitation prompted him in this direction.
It was an unlikely solution. Evidence wasn't favorable towards Spesavia replying. But if she did, and Aureum left, Mendax needed only to stop Nola and then flee to wherever he wanted.
He stopped. The realization was a novel one.
Anywhere…
For now, he should talk to Aureum and tell her about the change in plans. She might help him figure out an alternative if Spesavia fell through.
Aureum waited for him in his room.
"I'd like to tell you that I'm willing to go through with it!"
She was fired up. Mendax shut the door behind him.
"That plan isn't going to work."
"What?"
"Not even a one bit. I don't know what I was thinking, suggesting that. I'll need you to come with me to the university instead—
"For what?"
"To help contact Spesavia, but I don't expect much to come of it."
"I've already tried—
"We can do that tomorrow, but I also need to know more about her. And, even if I succeed in throwing Nola off, we'll need to leave soon."
Aureum nodded.
"I'm prepared for that. I just need one thing before we leave." She held out her hands sheepishly. "Can I hold onto Vitreum's conversing stone? It would make me feel better."
"Of course."
That wasn't a big deal for Mendax. He'd expected her to ask sooner.
The smile of pure relief Mendax received felt out of proportion.