The Shard of Fire by K.J. Parker

Author:K.J. Parker [Parker, K.J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pengoo Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2017-10-14T06:00:00+00:00

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At first, when they could, when they skipped out of class, or when they roamed the halls at night tired and hungry and sour, the four friends asked with caution, and care, whispering questions to those they thought might know, or to whom they could possible hopefully trust. Results varied. Most asked didn’t bother, or didn’t have time, or didn’t want to admit they didn’t know. Master who? Amas what? No one in the castle had ever heard of Master Amas, not now, not ever.

When disappointment turned to necessity, the four quickly decided to broadened their search to include more than just people. They started in the library, rousing page and paper, but had no luck, for there were far too many books to search and none written on or by Master Amas. Next, they tried the alchemist labs, the workshops, the classrooms, the gardens, the kitchens and banquet halls, any room and anywhere they could access and search. Not surprisingly, they didn’t find anything, and many rooms, if not most, were locked. The castle was immense and few if any roamed its halls. In fact it was almost completely empty. The four wandered the halls for hours, without sight or sound of others. Whatever secrets the castle kept, they assumed, were not out in the open.

Interestingly enough, as they were now members of the Black Order and as it was their last time in the castle, locked doors, and Oal’s rules, didn’t seem to be as much of a problem to them as one might have thought. Neither were locked cabinets, or closets, or windows, or chests or vaults, or anything barring their way. Carmine it seemed, knew a rather useful opening spell that could unlock almost anything. The others wondered why a nobleman’s son knew or needed such a spell, but didn’t ask. They were eager to learn, and to try it themselves.

Soon after, and with a bit of practice, the four were almost genuine, honorary, locksmith. And thieves. Not surprisingly their searching quickly turned to looting, and looting to unbridled mischief, which the druids seemed natural inclined towards anyways. Each time they broke into a room, or a cabinet, or a closet, they would flash their oroborus badge to each other, waving it about with executive authority to the host of onlookers who weren't actually there, Black Order business, move along, move along, and smile. No one seemed to mind, or care, or see. Among the many finds the four claimed, Sela managed to acquire a rather nice ebony longbow, dusty and forgotten in the back of a supply closet, while Tarr claimed a pair of silver daggers he quickly tucked under his vest. Carmine on the other hand decorated his room with lavish paintings, tapestries, and goblets befit the son of a baron, while Gil shrugged, seemingly uninterested, in almost, everything.

Later, unbeknownst to the others, Gil returned to the library and stole several books regarding advanced and dangerous magics. He stowed them under his bed, in his room, and stayed up each night after that, reading them.

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