(Phidiom, Day 99, Year 6015)

“You put on quite a performance.” The woman’s voice was clipped and angry.

“Why, thank you.”

“This isn’t funny. We need a magician, and we need them now. Nothing else matters, and you…  you let them leave. How could you be so careless?”

“Yes. I let them leave.” Her companion gave no outward sign that he was offended. “All of Xytovia would have noticed the disappearance of Gentus and Vidian Bavois. Far better that they return to Vayl believing us weak and scared.”

“And so what if they disappeared?” she said. “Accidents happen, no matter how important you are.”

“Be reasonable,” he said. “They had three wardens with them. It was not the opportunity you think it was.”

She made an impatient sound. “I don’t care if there were ten wardens. What about Rosa? What about my daughter? Her life is the one that matters. We should have taken them and deactivated the mage-glass they used to get here. It takes a week to cross the ocean. That’s plenty of time to establish a cover story.”

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “The whole point of this plan is to keep it hidden. A search party from Vayl is the last thing we need. And closing the mage-glass doesn’t only keep people out. It keeps us in.”

The two alchemists looked at each other. Friends since childhood, they had similar light brown hair and hazel eyes and were often mistaken for siblings. His expression remained patient while hers was pinched with frustration.

“How can you be so calm?” she said. “The magical core we stole from Maxia Jonville is almost gone, and I can’t—”

Her voice broke. She took a steadying breath. “Rosa will die without a new core to bond with.”

“She won’t die,” said the man. “Have a little faith.”

“In what? In what?”

He reached for her hand. “Taking Gentus and Vidian Bavois would have bought us some time. I admit that. But it would also have attracted a great deal of unwanted attention. And their force fields are damaged. A damaged forced field is likely to be a temporary and imperfect solution. It’s no different to the Jonville girl.”

“Imperfect is the way things are, thanks to the war and the Poison Spells. We have no choice.”

“I’m not so sure about that.”

“What do you mean?”

“Gentus Bavois came here looking for something,” he said. “Looking for someone.”

“Who?”

“A magician with an undamaged force field.”

The woman’s gaze sharpened. “And? Is it another far-fetched story, or do we think this magician actually exists?”

He smiled. “Based on the bottle of unfiltered lumien Gentus waved in front of my face, I believe they do.”

She returned his smile slowly, incredulously. “We have to find them before he does.”

“I wouldn’t worry. He’s barely competent, and you know how the laws of magic work. One undamaged force field can ignite an untold number of new sparks. Gentus will never contain them all.”

She nodded. “And we only need one force field. One magician to save Rosa’s life.”

“Incorrect,” he said.

“What do you mean?”

The warmth in his expression vanished. “Have you forgotten the original plan? Phidiom needs lumien.”

“No,” she said. “I haven’t forgotten. But after what happened to Rosa…”

“A temporary setback,” he said. “Her recovery will prove that my procedure works, and then we can expand.”

When his fellow alchemist did not reply, he leaned closer and lowered his voice.

“This is an opportunity to finally eliminate our dependency on magicians. No more giving away our best sea silks and jewels in exchange for scraps of lumien. We’ll be free.” A pause. “My commitment to pursuing that opportunity hasn’t changed. No matter the cost.”

He raised his eyebrows. “I hope I can still count on your support.”

The words hung in the air for a few seconds, as he waited for the woman’s reply. She swallowed. “Yes. Yes, you can.”

He patted her hand. “Excellent.”