When I reached my room, the two girls were already waiting for me, eager to find out what I had in mind. Thanida was leaning against the table, while Elesya had sat down on my bed. Neither of them trusted my rickety chair.

  During the past hour, I had been in the library, consulting the memoirs of Hippacros Remo as well as several history books from the imperial period. I had written down all the relevant details I needed on a paper scroll.

  “Thanida, from this moment on you may consider yourself a free person,” I said in a firm voice. “The slavery contract you signed is no longer valid.”

  A shadow of displeasure crossed Thanida’s face.

  “Why do you want to get rid of me after such a short time?” she asked. “Was the food I cooked really that bad?”

  “On the contrary, the food was excellent,” I replied, mildly amused. “But I can’t afford the costs of maintaining a personal slave. Lodging, clothes, food… I don’t even have enough money for myself. I’ve just paid my tuition fees and I’m almost out of sesterces. If I add your holiday and healthcare expenses, I’ll be bankrupt before I can send you back to the kitchen even once more. In fact, I never needed a slave in the first place. This was all a lesson for meddling in my affairs and making me lose half of the prize.”

  Thanida shifted uneasily, and the table creaked under her weight.

  “Still, why does my decision bother you?” I asked. “Do you prefer being a slave?”

  “It wasn’t as bad as I expected,” Thanida replied. “Since our fight in the arena, I’ve actually been glad to face all kinds of unconventional situations. A war mage like me learns even when dealing with unfamiliar magic, like yours.”

  My intuition told me Thanida had other reasons beyond her sudden enthusiasm for slavery.

  “There’s more to it, isn’t there?”

  “You were just about to tell us where the Scepter of Power might be,” Thanida admitted, revealing her true motivation. “Even if I’m no longer a slave, can I stay? I saw earlier how quickly you found one artifact from the list. I think you have a good chance of figuring out where the second one is hidden as well.”

  “Of course. You can stay and hear my plan for obtaining the Scepter. In the end, you’ll decide whether you want to join my expedition.”

  I unrolled the scroll to refresh my memory of the details I needed. I had noted a brief timeline of the Empire, as well as the exact moments when Hippacros Remo’s paintings had been created.

  “Do you have any clue where the Scepter might be?” Thanida asked eagerly.

  “Absolutely none,” I replied. “I know no more than you do in that regard. In fact, I believe the Scepter has been lost for good.”

  Thanida stared at me in astonishment.

  “Isn’t that a contradiction? How do you intend to find the Scepter if you don’t know where it is?”

  For a few moments, I gathered my thoughts, trying to arrange my words.

  “Listen carefully,” I said. “We don’t know where the Scepter is now—probably at the bottom of the sea, if it sank along with the Nemean fleet. And even if we did know its exact location, recovering it would be extremely difficult. What we do know with certainty is where this magical artifact was fifteen centuries ago: in the Imperial Palace of Heropolis. Today, nothing remains of the palace or the city but ruins. Elesya, you told me earlier that Hippacros Remo’s paintings act as time gates to each major moment of the Empire. Why not use them to reach the Scepter before it was stolen?”

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  I paused for dramatic effect. The eager looks on the girls’ faces urged me to continue.

  “I carefully researched the existence of the Scepter at each point in time we can reach using the five paintings. When the first painting was created, the Scepter of Power had not yet been forged. Its existence is also uncertain during the period accessible through the second painting.”

  I consulted my scroll again and went on:

  “So the first two paintings are out. The situation is different with the third one, titled The Zenith of the Empire. When it was painted, we know for certain that the Scepter existed and was safely kept in the Imperial Palace.”

  “Is that all?” Elesya interrupted. “Wouldn’t the next painting work as well?”

  I nodded and clarified the matter.

  “We could also access the Scepter using the fourth painting, but I don’t recommend it. As you know, The Fall of the Empire takes us to the very day Heropolis fell and was looted by the Nemean troops. I don’t think it would be wise to venture there during such a turbulent time. Therefore, my plan is simple. We’ll use The Zenith of the Empire to travel fifteen centuries into the past. We’ll recover the Scepter of Power two centuries before it was taken by the Nemeans.”

  I had avoided using the word theft to describe my plan, though technically that was exactly what it was: stealing the Scepter before someone else could. Apparently, the two girls hadn’t noticed the finer points of the matter.

  Thanida was the first to raise objections.

  “The Scepter of Power was extremely well guarded while it was in the palace. It was surrounded by protective spells and guarded by the finest imperial mages. Assuming we get there, how do we retrieve it without being caught?”

  “Your observations are valid,” I said, “but I believe we can get past the defenses. We have the advantage of living twelve centuries after the Empire’s collapse, and the secrets of that time are no longer secrets today. If we study the documents in the old imperial secret archives, we’ll learn exactly how the artifact was protected and can devise a plan to bypass both the wards and the guards.”

  “That’s assuming the documents still exist…” Thanida replied thoughtfully. “We’ll have to check the royal archives.”

  “We’ll see what can be done,” I said. “But first I need to know whether you’re in. I won’t lie to you: this is an adventure that may succeed, but it carries great risks. There’s no guarantee we’ll end up with the Scepter. Worse, there’s the unpleasant possibility that we may not return from the journey at all. Think carefully before committing. So, Elesya, what do you think?”

  Elesya closed her eyes for a few seconds, as if visualizing every possibility, then made up her mind.

  “It sounds difficult and complicated, but with proper planning I think we can bring back the artifact. I’d like to take part, if you don’t mind.”

  “Perfect. And you, Thanida?”

  Thanida burst into cheerful laughter.

  “This adventure, mad as it is, could be a fine trial for a war mage like me. I’m in! I can’t wait to get started!”

  “Very well. I’m glad to have you both with me. If there are no objections, I’ll start assigning tasks.”

  I wrote Thanida’s name in one column and noted her duties beneath it.

  “Thanida, I’d like you to visit the Royal Library of Atrolos to find the plans of the former Imperial Palace in Heropolis. If necessary, check other archives as well. Find everything you can about the spells and guards that protected the Scepter of Power. Also, don’t forget to take care of the imperial passports. We’ll need our papers in order. I have no desire to be arrested over such a trivial bureaucratic matter.”

  Thanida accepted her assignments in silence, without objection. Unlike cooking, I hoped these challenges were finally worthy of a war mage.

  “Elesya, look into how the people of the Empire dressed. We can’t stand out by wearing clothes different from those of the city’s inhabitants. Think about what kinds of people we should disguise ourselves as if we want to go unnoticed. Then you’ll need to find a skilled tailor to make the clothes we require.”

  Elesya nodded.

  “I’m fairly good at tailoring. I might even make the clothes myself. That way we’ll save a lot of money—custom-made garments aren’t cheap at all.”

  I was stunned for a few seconds. Tailoring was a fairly rare skill among girls her age. Many students from my world wouldn't have known how to sew a button, let alone an entire garment.

  “As for me, I’ll handle the time-travel spell. It’s described in Hippacros Remo’s memoirs, but it’s quite complex and requires a great deal of energy to use. In addition, I’ll determine the exact routes by which we’ll enter and leave the city.”

  I looked to see whether there were any questions or objections regarding the assigned tasks. Neither of the girls showed the slightest sign of resistance.

  “We’ll meet back here in two weeks. By then, we’ll sort everything out and finalize our plan.”