Seekers of the Stone Maker
Below The Waterwheel

Leaf had grown tired of waiting. They were in danger; if everyone else could risk their lives while not using magic, so could he. He pulled the shadowglass dagger from its sheath and ran after his friends. To the left, he could see Rhokhishi and the twins making their way into the second story of a large building. To the right, Mr. Muffins and Ana talked to some citizens. He threw his face covering up before him and walked over to the crowd.

“We didn’t even know! We were just taking a shipment South,” One of the captured men cried out.

In front of them stood a woman in white robes with three dark “A’s” down her sleeve. He moved between Mr. Muffins and Ana, trying to stay hidden from this woman. Leaf didn’t want to be noticed by a member of the Anti-Arcana Association, but his curiosity had bested him.

“Why are basilisks being moved South? Who commanded you to do this?”

The woman didn’t wait for a reply. She turned her hand and smacked him. Blood fell from his mouth and nose, spraying the white ground below them.

“Send them away. I’ll question them both later.”

The various citizens pulled their captives and started to take them away. The man who spoke managed to break free, turning to attack the woman, but she was faster. Her hand moved for only a second, it seemed, but it made its way from her belt to the man’s stomach as her dagger plunged into him. She waited a moment longer, staring into the man’s eyes, waiting for life to leave them, before pulling out her blade and placing it back on her belt. She nodded to the people and stepped aside as they dragged the man, walking the other behind him, stepping onto the trail of blood that followed. She turned to the three of them, and Leaf did his best to look unassuming to the situation.

“It has not been long since the six of you have arrived in our village, and you have seen more bloodshed than most see in a year. I apologize for that, Ana.”

“How do you know my name? Who are you?”

“I am Casey, one of the members of the Anti-Arcana Association. When you arrived in town yesterday, the Lady of Karthmere Keep wrote this letter and asked me to speak with you.”

She held out a letter, which Ana received and looked down at.

“We can talk about this more in the warmth. Let’s have a drink.”

Lyla fell through the floor! We need help! Myla’s voice rang through his mind.

“I think Ana could do with a drink. I’d like to finish my walk,” Mr. Muffins replied casually.

Mr. Muffins gestured toward Leaf, who didn’t speak but followed. When they were out of range, Mr. Muffins whispered.

“We can go back for her in a minute. We need to see what’s going on with the other three, then I have to check my pocket.”

“What?”

“The woman put something in my pocket before you showed up.”

Leaf nodded. Making their way to the front doors of The Waterwheel, Mr. Muffins pulled his crossbow up in front of him and readied himself to shoot. Leaf saw an intricate design take up the entire wall before him as they walked in.

The wheel outside pulled water up to the top of the building. From there, it would follow gravity down a series of slopes, in which smaller wheels attached to various mechanisms. He knew little of mechanics, but he assumed they held the kinetic energy from the wheels, and the wires attached were used to send electricity to a generator. It was simple in design but significant, which he guessed was how most of the village was heated and lit.

In front of them, a large wooden hole had been made, with dust still settling around it. Shattered wood sections were scattered around, and he could hear someone talking below. Looking at Mr. Muffins, he watched as he pulled out a letter from his pocket and opened it.

As the letter opened, a blue mineral, sand-like in size, fell from inside, coating his furred hands. He brushed some off, but it was useless, as it was small enough to stick between his hair. He shook the letter, releasing more before reading it.

“It says here that Casey knows about Ana being here and that she’s trying to ensure that no one else knows that the Archmage is here.”

“They already know I’m here!? How?”

“See for yourself.”

He handed Leaf the letter, blue specks still falling from it, onto his hand. He read over it quickly, seeing the quickly scrawled lines, trying to figure out how they already knew.

“There’s a part about staying hidden, but if they already know that Ana is here, there’s not much else we can do but wait and see. Plus, we have this problem to deal with,” Mr. Muffins gestured to the hole in the ground.

“Are they down there?”

“Yeah, I can hear them talking, but they’re quiet.”

Mr. Muffins held his hand to his face, pushing his thumb and index finger against the bridge of his nose. He sighed heavily, then looked over to Leaf.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this… What do you think we should do?”

“Me?”

“I’m not saying we’re gonna do whatever it is. I’m just out of plans right now.”

Leaf looked down at the hole once more. He couldn’t see the bottom and could barely hear anyone below, but there were voices.

“If the basilisk has been dealt with, we don’t have anything else to worry about, hopefully. We don’t have healing abilities, but Rhokhishi does, so hopefully, they’re all okay. We can grab a rope from the side of the wall there, and if we’re careful, we should be able to get it down to them.”

“That’s not a bad idea.”

The two of them started working. It didn’t take long for them to remove the rope, but someone had to stay near the pulley to ensure the cord could be put back into place. After a few minutes, Leaf could feel Myla’s thoughts come through.

We’re still down here. The basilisk is dead, and Lyla is a little hurt, but everyone is okay.

What else is down there?

We’re not sure. There’s a tunnel system ahead. It looks like a cave of some sort.

Mr. Muffins and I are dropping rope now. Let’s get out of here and back to the tavern.

Leaf tied the rope to part of the wooden paneling. Checking it to ensure it would hold, he turned as he heard the front door open. Ana walked in, brushing off snow from her coat, and looked around.

“It seems we’re safe for now. Casey brought a letter to me from the Valdimars. We’re all invited to dinner at Karthmere Keep.”

“Well, that’s good. Maybe we can be done with this forsaken shithole and be out of here by the night,” Mr. Muffins replied as he held onto the pulley.

“What’s on your skin, Leaf?”

Ana walked over and held her hands out. Leaf watched as the blue specks vibrated as Ana cast her spell, but it dissolved into his skin instead of cleaning it away. His body writhed in pain, falling to his knees as it burned at him.

“What is that?”

“Don’t cast on it!” Mr. Muffins yelled.

Leaf hadn’t felt pain like that before. It pushed through his body, and he felt exhausted immediately. He wasn’t sure what it was, but they now knew that casting magic while covered in whatever the blue specks were would be the wrong choice. He stood, his knees shaking slightly, and walked over to the water. He carefully washed away any specks he saw, taking a mental note to bathe before they did anything else.

In his mind, he heard another voice.

That was a bad idea. Blue phosphorus is terrible on the skin for magic users.

“It’s blue phosphorus,” He explained to Ana and Mr. Muffins.

It saps your life away and causes quite a lot of pain. Be careful, Leaf. Helena warned.

Twenty minutes later, Rhokhishi and the twins climbed up. With their help, Mr. Muffins put the rope back into the pulley and let go. It whirred back through, and he nodded as he walked to the water to wash his hands.

“Well, with all that done, what now?” Rhokhishi asked Mr. Muffins.

“Back to The Scattered Crow. Find your nicest clothes because we’re having dinner at Karthmere Keep.”