Heretic Mage by InadvisablyCompelled

Author:InadvisablyCompelled
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2022-10-10T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10 - Cracks

“I really don’t care,” Archmage Hargrave told the House Fane flunky who was blocking his path into the House proper. He wasn’t well disposed toward House Fane on the best of days, and even less so now. Some of them had been sniffing around his House grounds and it had been a pleasure to send them whimpering home to their master.

Minus a few of their number. There were consequences for trespassing, and it would do to remind House Fane that not everyone was cowed by their wealth and near-monopoly on healers. Open conflict between their Houses was hardly likely from such a minor clash, especially due to the video he’d been shown.

“It doesn’t matter what the Archmage is doing. He has a lot to answer for,” Hargrave continued. It seemed every House had received an email from someone inside House Fane with a recording of the Archmage trying to recruit Callum Wells. Which wasn’t necessarily a bad idea, but Fane obviously didn’t realize both that he was being filmed and that Wells was not amenable to pressure.

Hargrave hadn’t thought of such things himself, and had been forced to have the House swept for listening devices. They had even found a few, though after some very pointed inquiry he’d found it was all internal. Just younger mages trying to get one over on each other. He’d stopped that quickly enough, and handed down mandates to make sure his people kept an eye out for any new surveillance.

It wasn’t comfortable, but there was obvious value to what mundane craft could accomplish. Thanks to the video it hadn’t taken more than a few hours to put together a coalition to hold Fane to account. Hargrave wasn’t exactly the most interested in the inter-House politics but this was so blatant that even he couldn’t ignore it. Besides which, he’d never turn down an opportunity to turn the screws on Fane.

“I will inform Master Chen,” the House Fane man conceded, withdrawing from the vestibule. Hargrave didn’t much like being in House Fane, but their greatest power – their negative healing – wasn’t a threat to him, nor was it a threat to Archmages Janry and Elroe at his back. Hargrave glanced back at them and snorted, swaggering forward out of the vestibule into the main room.

House Fane was excessively luxurious, to the point of being garish. Not just silk and gold, but polished banic filigree carrying protective enchantments and wards. Hargrave didn’t exactly hate his luxuries, but there was a big difference between comfort and whatever Fane was doing.

“I say give him ten minutes and then we just start smashing,” Archmage Elroe muttered. Hargrave raised an eyebrow, irked by the implied instruction. It wasn’t like Elroe would do any smashing, since his aspect was fire and he’d just melt everything. It was Hargrave and, especially, Janry who would do the smashing with force and earth. Even the best shielding wards couldn’t stand up to Archmage strength.

Between the three of them, they represented more than enough power to deal with whatever nonsense Fane wanted to put forth.

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