We left town the next day; my train of three carriages followed Cramer’s twelve. The journey would take two and a half weeks, so I had plenty of time. My obsession with perfecting sphere projection was more important to me, at the moment, than casual conversation with Cramer. I allowed Ben and the others to converse with his guards, who seemed reasonably reliable, to gather information. We were still heading south, though much further east than I had originally intended.

  It was surprising how quickly the grassland and shrubbery were being replaced with dry, flat, scattered fields of arid golden grass with the occasional tree breaking up the horizon. The temperature was rising slowly, and if not for the heat absorption circuits on the bottom of all the water generators constantly cooling and dumping the energy to my amulet, the ever-present warm wind would probably cause me to sweat.

  I spent more time than necessary admiring the rich landscape. Foreign birds flew in the sky, and a pack of wild hunting dogs yelped annoyingly as they chased what looked like a skinny deer. It was the first time I truly felt like I was outside the empire. Anicia, Corina, and I sat in the driver's seat of my carriage, sharing my curiosity as we watched the planes roll by.

  As the day came to a close, I bore witness to a stunning sunset. The bright blue, near cloudless sky was bathed in a golden glow, slowly turning pink then purple as the sun retreated behind the horizon. Rarely did I appreciate such things. But as I watched it with Corina and Anicia at my flanks, a feeling of contentment came over me.

  It wasn't the pacification of peace, just the reassurance that I was on the right path. The stunning sunset and the golden rays of light reflecting off a field of grass felt like the heavens themselves were telling me that I was correct in my choices. With a small snort of amusement at my own arrogance, I turned away from the sun, entered my tent, and got to work.

  ~

  Cramer’s carriage was truly magnificent. The four-horse monstrosity was even larger up close, painted a dark blue. Cramer, with a large smile, offered a hand and helped Anicia and me inside. Like most carriages for the wealthy, the seats were soft, velvet, and cushioned; there was even a table in the center nailed into the floor of the carriage.

  As the driver spurred the horses into motion, I barely felt the bumps of the road through the cushioned seats. The windows had curtains to block out the sun. Though it was a bit stuffy with the heat outside.

  Immediately, Anicia placed an iron disk on the table in front of us. In the center of the iron disk was a dial, which she turned to the right. Immediately, cool air filled the carriage.

  “Right there,” I said as she reached the perfect temperature.

  Cramer sighed melodramatically. “You’re going to bankrupt me before I reach my mine. What’s this little wonder?”

  Smirking, I said, “A simple tool that controls heat. Turn the dial to the right, and it gets cool; to the left, it heats.”

  “And here I was using a handheld fan like a peasant.” He mumbled. “I hear of magi throwing fire and lightning, creating great weapons of destruction. Yet for all that, your water generator would likely cause the greatest stir.”

  Raising my palm upward, Cramer watched as I summoned a small flame. “What use is this to you? If I showed you how much fire I could summon, then all you would see is my capacity for destruction. ”

  He smirked. “The carrot and not the stick, Aye?”

  “Indeed.”

  “But that does make me wonder. If your simple tools are so remarkable. I can't imagine how impressive your weapons are.” He mused.

  “Weapons are not for sale,” Anicia said firmly.

  Cramer seemed surprised she interjected. In a formal setting, that would be a breach of etiquette. I allowed it simply because Cramer was nothing more than a rich peasant. And it was good practice for Anicia.

  “And why is that, my lady?” Cramer asked. “Those crossbows my men have noted your people practicing with don't seem that impressive.”

  “Doesn't matter, we don't sell them to others.”

  Cramer shrugged and brushed a hand through his shorn blonde hair. “I can respect that. But others might not think the same as me. What happens when a baron or lord in the middle of a conflict finds a potential resource to give him a victory, and you refuse?”

  Anicia paused, trying to find the answer; she glanced over at me for a moment. But I was far too focused on the fine golden embossing on the table. Besides, she spoke without permission; it was her problem to deal with now.

  Cramer, realizing that I wasn't going to interject, continued. “You are loyal to your lady. That is commendable. But what is best for her? What happens when she goes into a city and every member of the baron’s cohort hounds her for weapons?”

  “We can defend ourselves, and besides, who wants an angry magus within their walls? And wouldn't it incite conflicts with other barons if we give them a military advantage?"

  Cramer smiled; a small amount of surprise flashed across his face before it disappeared just as quickly. “Not all barons are so logical. Some will risk it, perhaps taking one of your people hostage when you least expect it. What will you do then?”

  Anicia glanced over to me, and still I remained silent.

  “You underestimate my Lady's abilities and overestimate how much we value our servants. They can be replaced.”

  “What of your lady’s reputation? Can you really afford to spread the idea that someone can kill her people with impunity? If that happens, the maiden of fire is no longer a title to be feared. And if she goes on a rampage, it becomes a title to be hated, not loved.”

  ‘Amusing quandary, I do wonder how she’ll answer.’

  Anicia paused for half a minute, trying to find a solution. But there was no perfect solution, a lesson I had long learned from Orian.

  ‘She’s taking too long… better step in.’

  “The title of maiden of fire is useful, but I am not shackled by it. If, as you say, a baron tries to force me to make weapons by kidnapping one of my people or any other manner of coercion. Then I will retrieve them and leave the barony, regardless of the casualties. I couldn't care less if my reputation suffers in Derk, because once I leave with my people, I will go to his enemies and sell them weapons. And then I’ll go to their enemies and on and on and on.” A smile came across my face. “What will happen then?”

  “Chaos, most definitely,” Cramer answered.

  “Walls crumble, and cities burn. When everyone is a monster who spreads destruction, no one is.” I smiled, and though I saw fear shadow Cramer's face for a moment, it wasn't my intention. I was simply remembering Orian. It wasn't the same situation, but I wasn't willing to be shackled by indecisiveness if a plan didn't follow my expectations again.

  “I’ve heard the stories,” Cramer said. “I have to say, they don't do you justice. Though now I can tell they’re all lies. Did you really give away thousands of royals worth of jewelry?”

  “Shockingly enough, yes. And I killed a dragon.” I answered. “Quite a journey that was.”

  He sighed, “As much as I would like a proper retelling, we should go into details about my mine.”

  “Agreed.”

  ~

  The mine belonged to his grandfather, and over time, as the mine grew larger, more hands were needed. In the space of 70 years, what once started as a simple family operation grew to hundreds of people and their kin. An entire town sprang up around the mine.

  Cramer despised the heat of the desert region, which was why he moved to Uwell. He left behind managers to maintain the mine and prepare the emeralds for transport, where artisans hired by his family would prepare jewelry for sale.

  This worked for over 15 years until all the deliveries dried up, and his inquiries went unanswered. It wasn't until emeralds started popping up in other markets that he was forced to assemble a large enough force and personally see to the mine.

  Traveling with us were people he intended to put in charge of the mining operations. The greatest problem was a lack of information. It suggested there was a concerted effort, which could mean anything from a rival stealing his operation to a bandit takeover to any other form of treachery.

  “Myr, I’m sorry for speaking out of turn,” Anicia said. She was sitting across from me within my tent. We were sitting at a small dining table; foldable furniture was something I only figured out the day prior. It was a simple process of adding hinges and a simple locking mechanism to the legs. The metal was hollow, so it wasn't even heavy.

  “Forgiven,” I said. “You’re still learning.”

  “That easy?”

  “Yes, I don't expect perfection. And you even recognized the error.”

  Anicia smiled. ”So that's why you made me speak. It was a punishment. And Cramer caught on.”

  “It was a lesson. Learning to deal with people takes practice; dealing with them in a way that serves me is even more difficult. You will stumble, make mistakes, and sometimes fail. All that matters is that you learn.”

  Smirking, I asked, “If you were paying attention. Tell me how Cramer failed in leading his emerald enterprise.”

  “He should have put more coin into security and proper delegation. Whoever he put in charge failed to secure his interests. If he’s rich enough to pay us so much gold, then he could have hired a small army.”

  I nodded in approval and added. “Yes, but the fatal flaw was the lack of presence.”

  “Presence?” Anicia asked.

  “He lives in another barony for no other reason than comfort. If the owner isn’t present, monitoring operations, ensuring stability, and providing proper direction, then his operation is practically guaranteed to fall into ruin.”

  “15 years is a long time before failure,” Anicia mused.

  “When the wood that your foundation is built on begins to rot, does it matter when the house collapses? One year, five years, or ten? The fact is, you ignored the signs, and now your family has no roof over their heads.”

  I nodded towards the exit of my tent, listening to the constant crack of the crossbows as someone was practicing. “As a leader, I’m responsible for their provisions, safety, security, learning, and ultimately their lives. In return, I expect steadfast service; that is the deal, but I do not have every skill nor infinite time, so I must delegate. But I still need to be present, ensuring that my delegates perform as I expect them to. If someone steps out of line, I must correct them immediately. For the good of everyone else…”

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Anicia continued for me. “But Cramer wasn't present; he couldn't see his people failing, and now he has to rebuild his collapsed house and reassert his authority and leadership.”

  “Would you really cause so much chaos if someone tried to use your people as leverage?” Anicia asked.

  I hesitated to answer for a moment, ignored my food, and observed Anicia. Her long red hair was combed and oiled, hanging loosely, almost reaching her waist. She used to wear bright colors, but now she sported almost all-black clothing: a fitted blouse, tailored pants, and a dark blue underbust corset, a near copy of my own appearance. Gold jewelry adorned her hands, wrists, and neck.

  She was far from the skinny, fear-stricken girl I met nearly a year ago. Anicia was now rather lovely, enough to garner the attention of any man she desired. And now those green eyes were staring at me. I needed to choose the perfect answer in the space of a few seconds; I found it.

  “It was mostly just a performance for Cramer. I’m hoping he passes that on to whoever we meet in the Capitol. For someone like Meatshie…Ben.” I paused and pretended to consider it for a few moments. “He’s just a tool; I’d suffer no loss if I just abandoned him.”

  “But you, for example, yes, I would plunge the entire desert into chaos to get you back.”

  Anicia took a deep breath and fought her reaction to my words quickly enough that I couldn't tell precisely how they landed.

  “Is it because I know your secrets?”

  “You’d never betray my secrets,” I said. “It’s trust, Anicia. I trust you; that is priceless. I can make coin, learn more magic, recruit more people, and alter my path if all my secrets are revealed. Even mountains will move if I deem it necessary. But you, my dear, cannot be replaced. There is only one Anicia, only one that I trust above all others. Plunging a kingdom into chaos and piling a mountain of corpses seems a small price to pay to keep you by my side.”

  She swallowed. This time, she couldn't hide the heat from rising to her cheeks. She seemed incapable of speaking, so I returned to my meal.

  An individual human life was largely worthless. For peasants, this reality was even more apparent. Being unique or special is a fiction most peasants quickly realized was a lie told by their parents. But for Anicia, she was special, at least that's what she thought; I gave her self-worth and pride. I valued her, and she worked to fill that role.

  I didn't just want her loyalty; I wanted her to worship me, to be able to commit any kind of atrocity as long as it served my interests.

  But it was early days; she won't be properly tested until our numbers swell. There will be troublemakers, betrayers, and so on. I needed her to be able to slit a man's throat or put a bolt through a woman's head without any hesitation. With that sweet face, she would kill. All for Myr, all for her goddess.

  Anicia finally mastered herself and returned to her meal, though she couldn't meet my eyes.

  ‘I wonder, will you hate me when you realize my goals? Will that blossoming affection wither and die?... In the end, it does not matter.’

  ~

  I took in a deep breath, savoring the desert air. There was a constant wind, carrying the taste of dirt. We traveled for days, the grassland long behind us, giving way to vast stretches of barren earth occasionally broken up by desiccated shrubbery. The bones of long-decomposed creatures shone white against the desert sun. I was largely idle, spending most of my time working on either the sphere projection or determining how to absorb energy from light.

  There were two ways: the first would simply be to expose a large metal sheet painted black to the sun and absorb the heat from the metal itself. The second was to convert the light directly to energy. However, while I knew the rune for light, I didn't understand what light was, the same way I did iron or heat. Light wasn't a substance in the normal sense. Nor was it like heat, which was technically movement. This blockage in understanding was what was hindering my ability to convert it to energy or convert energy to light. Sphere projection, however, was slowly being perfected; in a month or two, I might double its efficiency to 60%.

  “Alert. Alert.” A voice I knew to be one of the many guards in Cramer’s service shouted. There was a grand commotion as the message was being spread to every carriage. Before the words left my lips, Corina, who was riding alongside Anicia in the driver's seat of the carriage, stuck her head in and said. “Riders… Dozens of them are coming from the south. They’re far out, but you can tell they’re carrying weapons. ”

  “Gather the weapons and form a line,” I ordered. This was an eventuality that all my people knew, which was why I had every able body drilling with the crossbows daily.

  Exiting the carriage, I watched as Cramer’s men, 20 fighters and 6 longbowmen, formed a line with the longbowmen at the rear. Cramer was nowhere to be seen. I wasn't the kind of fool to believe that a leader must lead from the front. But my people needed to see me, so as I walked towards the line of peasants, fearfully checking their crossbows in front of my carriage, I stood behind them as reassurance. Most threw on simple leather, chain, and gambeson as protection.

  My energy furnace was off to one side, burning strongly, and I weakened the binding for everything but their weapons and protective medallions.

  Corina was part of the line, Anicia was to my right, and the only one not present was Edine. By their feet were boxes filled with bolts, hundreds, either purchased from villagers or made by me.

  From what I could see, the riders were still a half mile out, though the constant glint of metal was enough to know they had unpleasant intentions.

  Surprisingly, it wasn't the old healer or Julia that was the most fearful, but Ben. Anicia walked over to him, placed a hand on his shoulder, muttered a few words, and suddenly he straightened and focused on the oncoming enemy. Anicia smirked as she met my eyes, but said nothing as she returned to my side.

  “Load,” Corina shouted. A word she used frequently while drilling them.

  A man in heavy plate came jogging over towards me. While I couldn't see anything but his eyes, I noted he stared at the line of peasants with a combination of pity and amusement.

  “Lady magus, may I assume you will provide assistance in this matter?” He asked.

  “Indeed, and feel free to reassure our employer.”

  His helmeted head nodded. “What can we expect? I'd rather not send my men forward to be caught up in some magic.”

  “Once they get within my range, which is about 250 paces. I’ll rain down fire, lightning, and so forth. I suggest you hold your line and prevent them from flanking us from the right. More than likely, they will flee long before they reach our lines.” Looking over at his twenty or so men standing in two neat rows in front of Cramer’s large carriage, I continued. “Simply keep the stragglers from reaching your charge.”

  He nodded, seemingly unwilling to argue, though I could still see doubt in his eyes. It wasn't surprising after all; I'd shown little magic other than making useful trinkets. Even my practice with lightning was limited to small displays.

  Staring down at the two platinum rings on my middle and index fingers, I smiled, eager to test them.

  “Very well, my Lady.” He returned to his lines and waited.

  Longbowmen had a range of about 200–300 paces at best, but the crossbows, however, had no such limitation, and they were so easy to load that I didn't need to worry about fatigue decreasing range.

  I turned to my right, expecting to see Anicia, only to find her walking towards my carriage. She hopped into the driver’s seat, stood tall, and took aim.

  After the riders reached within a quarter mile, Corinia shouted, “Loose.”

  Seven simultaneous whip-like cracks were rather deafening. From the right, I saw the heads of nearly every one of Cramer’s men looking in our direction. Not a single bolt struck home, but as they were trained, they reached down and hand-loaded another bolt. Perhaps it was fear or desperation breathing down their necks, but these peasants actually had enough iron in their spines to fire.

  Even Julia, whose only skill was cooking, stood on the line, shaking like a leaf, though I suppose her daughter sitting in my carriage was enough of a reason for her to risk herself.

  “Loose,” Corina said again.

  Another complete miss.

  “Loose,”

  Surprisingly, this time there was a hit; a rider near the front was struck in his chest, there was a spray of blood, and he tumbled towards the ground, only for his leg to be caught by the stirrups. His horse veered wildly to the left, dragging his dead body along.

  “Loose,”

  A horse got caught in the shoulder and fell forward, the rider slamming face-first into the dirt. Still, they kept coming. Each time they fired their bolts, at least 10% of my amulet was drained, though it was quickly replenished by the heat from the surrounding air and my energy furnace.

  “Loose.”

  The closer they were, the more accurate the bolts became. Three went down. After they reached an eighth of a mile, Aincia loosed a bolt. There was a massive drain of nearly 30% of my reservoir as a bolt from her struck a small cluster of riders to the left. The rapid collapse and expansion of air turned the rider and a half dozen people surrounding him to red mist, kicking up a massive amount of dirt and debris in the process. I had rather powerful dual bindings attached to those bolts, after all.

  Only now I noted they were wearing well-made leather plates or chain mail. Though, everyone had their faces covered with cloth, only revealing their eyes.

  She only had 10 of them; the bolts were complex and needed to be carefully made. Anicia loaded more exploding bolts, firing without hesitation. She had an eager smile; the feeling of casually inflicting mass death, I knew, was both terrifying and exhilarating. After the excitement died down, I would speak to her.

  Twisted bodies and limbs flew everywhere; some were horribly mangled. The entire charge devolved into complete disarray after five explosive bolts; all the while, Corina was ordering the peasants to keep up the fire. I was mildly disappointed that I didn't need to intervene. Almost three-quarters of the riders were dead.

  “The north, the north.” A voice shouted.

  Turning to Corina, I said, “Keep up the pressure; don't let them reach us. I’ll sort out that problem. “

  Corina nodded and kept ordering them to fire.

  Walking over to Anicia, I gestured to the ongoing slaughter. “Finish this for me and use normal bolts for now.”

  She laughed under her breath, “No problem.”

  ~

  I jogged over to the same armed man and asked, “What’s the problem?”

  “More riders spotted; we’re being pincered.” With a small chuckle, he looked at the riders being annihilated by my people. “Well, we would have been, but I don't think they were prepared for that insanity. At least 40 are coming from the north as well. In the commotion, we didn't see them coming.”

  “I’ll take care of it,” I said.

  “You should take a few of my men to watch your…” Before he finished speaking, I reduced the gravity around me and, in a single leap, landed on top of Cramer’s carriage, clearing a full 15 feet.

  The riders were at best a quarter mile out. I drew a deep breath, tasting the air, ignoring the constant cracks of crossbows firing. By the sound of it, they were just shooting as fast as they could.

  Down below me on the other side of the carriage, a half dozen men and Cramer himself were looking up at me.

  Raising my index finger, I activated the circuit on my ring and, using sphere projection, moved the sphere of influence to the tip of said finger.

  After strengthening the binding, air started rushing towards me; as soon as it entered the sphere of influence, it was converted into a flammable gas. After a minute, the super-compressed orb of gas glowed a soft white. As the surrounding air began to drop significantly in temperature, the compression slowed.

  Then I pointed my finger to the center of the oncoming riders and projected the orb forward. The small acorn-sized glowing sphere crossed the distance in less than a second. However, the further I projected the sphere from the ring on my finger, the greater the drain on my reservoir to maintain the compression. Just as the surrounding air was about to drop to its minimum energy point, I released the binding.

  The rapid expansion of the compressed flammable gas produced a brilliant explosion of flame 20 feet across. The riders caught directly inside vanished instantly; most were thrown from their saddles by the shockwave. It was strong enough that even though the blast was hundreds of feet away, it nearly knocked me from my perch atop the carriage. My ears rang from the loud boom; the blast kicked up a massive amount of dust, though it was quickly being blown away by the wind.

  The ball of fire quickly began to rise, forming a shape that reminded me of a mushroom. In that single instant, almost two-thirds of them were either dead or on the ground.

  ‘To think it’s only at best 30% efficient. I need more orichalcum. That drained near 90% of my reservoir.’

  As the wind picked up, the surrounding air warmed, and my amulet was quickly filling with energy. Looking down at Cramer and his men, who were watching the rising mushroom of fire, I hopped down, my expression neutral, even though I was overwhelmingly pleased with the magic.

  “Impressive work, My Lady. The power of a magus is every bit as potent as I expected.” Cramer said, bowing at my approach. He looked at the man in armor next to him. “I say you can finish off the rest, no?”

  The armored man straightened and nodded in reply, turning on his heel and barking orders.

  “This was not a coincidence, was it?” I asked.

  Cramer nodded. “Indeed, this feels planned. I’ve already given orders to take a few alive for questioning.”

  Feeling a significant pull of energy from my amulet, I looked towards my own people to see that a few riders managed to close the distance, only for Corina to run forward, her left hand extended, a twelve-foot cone of fire swallowing the last of the riders. Anicia followed closely behind, extending her own cone of fire. Some tried to fire arrows; however, every one of my people was wearing protective medallions, so a seemingly invisible force deflected them away.

  “This was just slaughter,” Cramer said, watching the horsemen die.

  “Now you understand why I can’t sell weapons. And won't pick sides in any conflict.”

  “I am a man ever in pursuit of profit, and the coin would be considerable. But yes, my lady, I agree that such power should not become widespread. 8 armed peasants, half of whom are women, decimated 40 or 50 armed men on horseback. I don't even want to think of the slaughter that would happen if a proper army were wielding these weapons.”

  “Shall we share a drink and leave the rest of the work to our people?” Cramer asked after a few moments of solemnity.

  “Indeed, some chilled wine could be rather nice.”