The statement brought Avdren up short, a look of shock registering in his eyes. "No, you're wrong." Confusion was evident on his face as he struggled to understand. "They weren't wearing anything like-"
"They are." Simon gritted his teeth. "I can see the Agrenon Crest under the soot. Avdren, what did you do?"
"I defended myself!" The confusion was giving way to anger. "He gave an order, and they rushed me. What else should I have done? He probably paid them off, or they stole the uniforms. Not every member of the guard is as righteous as you, Simon." Avdren kicked a loose chunk of stone in frustration; the clatter of it bouncing off echoed in the silence.
Simon sighed, his hand moving away from the hilt of his sword to pinch his nose. "Okay, Avdren, I believe you. The Gods know I have no reason to doubt your word. You haven't given me any trouble since you were a young lad." Mildred nodded at that, and Mason inclined his head in agreement. Aside from them, the street was empty now, which was odd. Avdren would have expected more guards to arrive by now.
"Simon?" Avdren called as he glanced around. "Why have none of your men arrived? Surely you were not the only one to see the smoke."
"You're right..." Simon moved down the street a few dozen feet and then did the same in the opposite direction, looking up and down the side streets. "No one. It is strange..." The experienced guardsman tugged at his beard before snapping his fingers in sudden thought. "Son, it may be in our favor that they're so late. You three should get going and fast. I'll find you in a while. Go to Mildred's house, wait there. Mason, you should get back to the temple." Simon was barking out orders now, the inflection in his voice rising, despite efforts to keep his tone low. When the others simply stared at him in confusion, he shot them a glare. "I'm serious. Move. We might have worse trouble than you realize. Mason, if someone asks you why you were called over here. Tell them the truth, just leave out names."
Mason nodded, and with a gentle squeeze to Mildred's arm and a nod to the two men, he turned and walked away. Mildred took Avdren's hand with a sad smile and gave it a pull. "Come along now. Best do as the captain asks." He nodded absently, allowing her to lead him away. His free hand reached up to touch his cheek, and he shuddered a bit. The scarred man had said something about an employer? Someone who knew his family's secret. He had to leave quickly, but he would stay until Simon came to tell them whatever he had deduced. Lost in thought, he let the kindly old woman pull him along toward their destination.
Simon watched them leave, making sure the street was clear before he started moving. He headed in the direction of the barracks. It was a beehive of activity when he arrived. Guardsmen were moving in and out of the building in a rush with horse tack. Some stopped to salute him, but he waved them away and pushed through the throng and towards his office. The door stood open, and Simon wasted no time hurrying in.
"Good, you're finally here. Where the blazes did you get to, Captain?" Commander Geoff was standing at the desk with some of the lieutenants from Simon's regiment. The man looked angry, though he usually did. A few decades of guard duty and dealing with miscreants did that to a man.
"Apologies, sir, there was a fire several streets over. One of the people came looking for a guard to report it, and found me first." He saluted the Commander as he spoke, holding the pose until his superior motioned for him to be at ease. "Sir, it may be of interest to you that it was the Brents' Library. It would seem they had a bit of a break-in. One of the townsfolk was able to put out the fire before I arrived, and I was able to have a look around."
"That's unfortunate, Captain, but it's of little concern at the moment. We have... bigger problems." Geoff heaved a sigh and drummed his fingers on the table. "Do you recall the missive from earlier in the week? The one I sent you about visiting a visiting ambassador?"
"Yes, sir. He was from the southwest of here, if I remember correctly. From... Gilspen?"
"Indeed. He has gone missing. He requested a few guards before heading out into the city this morning. A few citizens saw him around, but that was shortly after he headed out with the men." There was apprehension in the commander's voice.
"This may sound odd, but do you recall his name? Anything about him that stood out to you?" Simon leaned forward, placing his fists on the desk, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. Geoff stroked his chin in thought before answering.
"Now that you say it... when we met the man yesterday evening, I recall those questions he asked about some of the men. I remember his eyes stood out to me, he had a scar on his cheek as well." He looked around the room, meeting the eyes of each of them before returning his gaze to Simon. "Why do you ask?"
"Because, sir, I can't remember the man's name either. It's very odd. I remember his face from last night as well." The captain trailed off, lost in thought for a moment. He placed a hand on the hilt of his sword and stepped back from the table. "I'll join the men in looking for him, Commander, but I have an inkling we won't find the man." He smacked his right fist to his chest in salute before turning and departing from the room. Simon could hear Geoff issuing orders behind him.
While Simon was at the barracks, Mildred and Avdren had traveled to her small home by the markets. The two of them now sat around her table, a pot of fresh tea placed between them. Avdren held a steaming cup between his hands but looked lost in thought, his good eye locked on the swirling liquid. He started a bit when Mildred touched his hand. "What are you thinking about?" He chuckled dryly at the question.
"What am I not thinking about? Barely a month ago, I buried what remained of my family. Now my home lies in ruins. The collection, the only thing I had left from them, is gone. My magic, too, has been lost." Avdren shook his head ruefully and leaned forward, pushing the cup aside to place his face in his hands. "Now I have nothing." Mildred stood from the table, moving to a bookshelf on the far side of the room and returning a moment later with a small tome. She placed it on the table and slid it forward until it pressed against his forearms.
"You're wrong, my friend. I am still here, aren't I? Here, look at this. It was given to me ages ago, but I think it would be better in your hands now." When he raised his head, she offered him a soft smile. "It's easy to think you're alone, especially in times like this. I remember how I felt when I lost my husband. Don't lose yourself to despair." Mildred squeezed his arm and leaned back to pour herself a cup of tea. "Go ahead. Open it."
He obliged her request and broke into a grin when he saw what was written on the pages. Neat, flowing script in the common tongue dotted each page, along with arcane symbols. He pushed away from the table and set the book on the floor. "Mildred, do you have any chalk or charcoal?" A hint of hope was in his voice. She nodded, gesturing to a cabinet in the corner. Avdren rushed over, opening it up and carefully searching through it until he found what he needed. He cleared a space around the book and began scrawling precise sigils on the wooden floor in a circle around the tome. It took several minutes, as he made a handful of errors in his haste. When he was satisfied, he lowered himself to the floor facing the book and crossed his legs. Placing his hands on his knees, the young wizard began to even his breathing, speaking quietly under his breath. "Arcani, si relgr ekess thee. Egrem nomenoi lexri ekess ve." [Magic, I call to thee. Bind these words to me.] He wasn't sure why he had chosen the language of dragons, but it seemed fitting given his current mood. He closed his eyes as he chanted, over and over. It felt like hours passed around him. For a moment, there was a brief connection, as if from a great distance. He mentally reached for it, trying to grasp the thread of magic. It eluded him, slipping away like a snake into the corner of his mind. Again, he tried, and once again it pulled away. He had never felt this before when binding to a spell book.
With a sense of finality, he slowly opened his eyes. "I can't bind to it, Mildred." He rose to his feet, picking up the book as he stood and turning to set it on the table. "When they burned my last one, I think I Snapped. At least partially. I've never felt pain like that before." It was a lie, at least in part. He couldn't tell her everything, he barely knew what was happening himself. Only what his parents had imparted to him from time to time.
There was a knock at the door, and Simon called out for one of them to let him in.