Chương 66: Book 2 Ch 4: Cabals

Regular purges are a necessity. No matter how careful one is, it's impossible to pull up everything by the roots. High Inquisitor Cyrus Feln Solomon settled into the chair in front of his desk. The report to the guard about the attack had taken what little time he would've considered using in the hidden study. Since he was anticipating a visit from Song he didn't want to bring attention to it. Her visit was already a high enough risk as it was.

He wanted to perhaps comb where he'd been shot for any more flattened bullets, but if he was caught doing so by Song that could only add to his problems. Luckily, he'd prepared an alternate means of study. He had two of his uncle's early journals locked within his desk. He pulled them out carefully, placing one on the desk and opening the other. His familiarity with the cipher had grown, but he still wasn't quite able to simply read it directly.

Luckily now that his mana was steady he'd been able to successfully cast perfect recall and could now perfectly envision a sheet of paper on which he'd broken down the cipher. It was slower than reading directly, but it gave him the option of being less encumbered as he worked his way through.

He'd started back at the beginning, the details of his uncle's early interest in magic and how he sought it out, encountering lodges and brotherhoods that had a taste of it, acquiring his first spellbook, and hiding his interest all the while. He'd been bouncing around searching for useful tools for dealing with the Lord of the Black Wood, but now he could read it in order and hopefully find more.

Entry 10 Basic Spells and Foundational Magics gave me a solid place from which to learn more of magic, but it was only a taste. It wasn't nearly enough to satiate my curiosity. I found myself travelling back through every city, seeking out those brotherhoods I'd joined and secret societies I'd once been a part of. Now that I knew more about the basics of true magic I was better able to distinguish which of them had something real to offer. Nearly all of them had been completely wiped out.

Had I paid attention to the newspapers perhaps I would've been able to figure that out myself before I'd spent all the time travelling. The Union had enacted a great purge, a hunt. All of their inquisitors went out and arrested or put to the sword every hedge mage and secret cabal they could find. The operation must've been being developed for some time, as they struck them all hard and fast before there could be any reaction.

I was lucky that I'd been able to avoid it, though perhaps when my name was mentioned it was simply ignored. There are many benefits to being a Morrow. I found myself in Brevantiss, staying at the residence the Morrow's maintain for when they have members in parliament, trying to determine my next move. I considered travelling outside the empire, to the fringes where I may be able to find more without the Union's intervention. Before any plans could solidify though, I received a strange letter.

It gave only a time and a place and was sealed in silver wax. There was something to it… something compelling. I could tell that the invitation was magical in nature. I went to the meeting place. A foolish risk, but my hunger for magic wasn't something that could be denied. It was an old manor, one that appeared rather rundown from the outside. Within though It seemed to be in perfect condition. I walked inside and found myself approached by a man in a silver mask.

He was wearing fine clothes and had a kind of feral quality to him in spite of a refined appearance. The invitation had been from him and it was to join a secret society. They have no formal name and each member goes by the name of a metal. Mr. Silver was the leader and claimed to know me from a previous circle. He told me that their greatest desire was to find a method to imbue a person with mana who had not been born of it.

He spoke cryptically of principals I recognized from my own studies and of possibilities and avenues. When he was done I found myself eager to join him in his research. Of the metals that remained I chose to go by Mr. Mercury. The group was made up primarily of nobility that had a desire for magic. They spoke broadly of the importance of mana being the domain of those of certain blood rather than the random chance it seemed to be. I couldn't bring myself to care about all of that.

The magic was the goal for me, not some grander societal change or goal. I wanted to hold it in my hands, drink it, infuse my every fiber with it. They lacked my purity. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Solomon squeezed his eyes closed, forcing some moisture into them as he placed the journal down. Deciphering the pages while bringing up the memorized cipher seemed to be a certain way to guarantee a headache.

He drank some water as he pondered what he read. He'd not heard of this other society and their lack of a name meant that he wouldn't be able to search further along in the journals for any specific mentions of them. The ethos of the group was concerning. If nobles were all they were meant to be then he would agree with them. A true noble that watched over their people and cared properly for their holdings should have mana as a tool.

In reality most nobles were a selfish group, he couldn't imagine the type of things his brother Jude would do with mana considering what he'd already done with his title alone. As much as he detested him, he wasn't even the worst their class had to offer. His uncle's attitude toward them was interesting as well. He didn't disagree with them, he simply didn't care. Magic was its own reward for him. To a certain extent Solomon could respect that, at least more than he respected the other metals that he'd mentioned.

There was a knock on the door. Solomon took his time locking away his journal and answered it. Melissa was standing at the doorway.

"Inquisitor Song is here, along with a number of guards from the Watch." Solomon stilled, wondering for a moment if she'd brought the backup for a reason.

"Why the members of the watch?" he asked casually, though the reason was obvious.

"Apparently Vantus is insisting on additional protection for you after the attack."

"The man who shot me hasn't been found then?" She shook her head.

"Apparently not, though the guards would have more details." He nodded.

"Thank you Melissa, please gather all of the servants in the atrium for me." She bowed and walked quickly toward the kitchen, gathering Claire first he guessed. Solomon casually walked to the atrium, checking to make sure his mana was still negligible as he did so. It seemed to be restoring slowly, as the Knight of Pentacles had told him it would. He just hoped he wouldn't have any surprise threats that would've needed him to have more. He'd gotten used to a nearly inexhaustible supply.

He saw Song standing with her hands behind her back, her eyes looking calmly around the room as if absorbing every detail. The guards were next to her, and bowed as he entered. One of them stepped forward. He recognized him as Yarrow, a young guard he'd helped Vantus to choose.

"Lord Morrow, we were sent to provide protection to you until the man that attacked you can be found."

"Thank you. If you wouldn't mind standing outside the entrances. I don't want the maids to be too distracted by your presence to do their jobs. I'll have food and drink brought to you every few hours as well as chairs. And link up with the men I've hired for protection as well, they may have some idea of where someone may approach from." Yarrow bowed.

"Thank you, Lord." He turned and gestured to the others to follow him outside. Solomon knew they would send some eventually. The law required it if there was any threat to a noble's life. It would be difficult for him to actually take action with them around him. He also worried for their lives. Most of the guards had only been hired within the last month.

They'd received some training, but if the man that had attacked him had already killed nobles in the past and gotten away with it, he wasn't confident they'd provide much protection, or even be able to keep themselves alive. Solomon turned his attention to Song.

"Welcome. Have you had anything to eat?"

"I'm not hungry," she responded simply, her silver gaze seeming to stare right through him.

"The guard here seems very loyal to you. You have tremendous control over them." He shook his head.

"They'd protect anyone else just as well," he lied. Between the fact that he'd had a hand in choosing them and had recently saved the lives of young women from the town, they were very much under his control. Now they just needed to survive long enough to gain some experience and become useful. The servants all arrived in short order and Solomon gestured to the inquisitor.

"This is inquisitor Song. She is with the union investigating whether or not the former mayor was dabbling in the arcane. Please give her your fullest cooperation." There were nods of acknowledgement and even a few enthusiastic "Yes Lords," mixed in.

"Which of you was kidnapped by the mayor?" asked Song. Solomon had to force himself to keep his expression under control at the bluntness of the question. He felt the matter should be treated with more care.

"I-I was," said Felicity, stepping forward.

"I'll be speaking with you first. After that I need to speak with the cook, and examine the location where the fire started."