Chapter 2: Out of the Frying Pan

Yeah, and I offered to be bait. If they really are caster-killers, "betraying" an ally might help our spies' case. Of course, we should take Froak up on that offer first to make sure they'd go for that.

"I got the feeling that offer might have been a trap to get our magic users in an ambush. Some of them might also recognise me if they're from Viamard. I'm also not sure I could hold it together if I saw Mother. I think the scouting is something we should definitely do though - identify patterns we might be able to take advantage of.

Ember feels for Yelnar, even though she hated her own mother. She'll have to talk to him later.

What do we do once she's safe, though? Oh! Wait! Epwrath! Your samples make it back alive, right? We could turn your mom into a little critter, Yelnar, and send her through the box! Then she could get back in touch with your family!

....

She's had worse ideas.

"I think there are a lot of things to consider as we make a plan. One is that it was probably obvious that we didn't know anything about the local situation, so that definitely marked us as suspicious. Another is that Ildemu specifically mentioned the island and the fact that no one had come from there in a long time. It makes me wonder if he knew that we'd come from Meriava. We know that Disos' organization has sympathizers in the School. They must have some means of communicating for that to be the case. Maybe Ildemu knew exactly who we are and let us go as part of a larger plan.

"Whether or not that's the case, I don't think we can risk a trick like Ember described. If they're trying to eradicate magic from the world, it would be very dangerous to hand over any of our magic users, even as part of an infiltration plot. I think Yelnar is right - we need to do some reconnaissance and establish a knowledge of routines and patterns. I made a copy on paper of the map that Froak drew in the dirt of the Citadel and the surrounding area, complete with notations of where the guards are posted and Froak's favorite hidden observation points." She lays out the paper on the table for the others to see.

"We don't have to hand anyone over to them but we should definitely talk to them. I could just pretend I deserted you to join them." Viani seems very insistent on this idea. She has had a thought during the night and it's been stuck in her head ever since. She really wants to speak to Ildemu again.
"And what is this about sympathizers in the school? I thought nobody in Meriava has had contact with the outside world since the wards were created. How could they have contact with the Crows?"

Ember shrugs. I mean, "nobody in Meriava can leave the wards" either, and here we are.

She pauses, not wanting to start another fight, but it needs to be discussed.

Do you.......do you really think you're cut out for espionage, V? Like, I know you're an inquisitor, but like Verrian said. We don't know anything about these guys. They saw you with Yelnar. And you............have a gentle soul.

Verrian looks at Viani. "You didn't pay attention when we were talking to Athisa this morning, did you? If you had, you would know that she said that there are people at the School who are on the side of Garand Disos. We don't know how they have been communicating - possibly the same way we're communicating with Athisa."

She leans forward, still gazing at Viani intensely. "I also noticed that you were trying very hard not to look at the bodies we just buried. It seems to me that you are trying to preserve some sort of rose-colored fantasy about the world and about this mission we're on. That's just not going to work, Viani. Those rotting corpses we buried died because of Ildemu and the organization he is part of. Ildemu probably participated in the raid. He's not going to be fooled by any story you tell him."

"No, I guess I didn't pay attention then. But that's scary. That means people in the college must know a lot more about the outside world than they told us. Why would they do that?" She glances at Ember and adds: "And before you try to be clever again, I know they did it to get some advantage. I'm just wondering what this advantage could be."

Viani pauses a moment to gather her thoughts. "And I'm not a child, if that's what you're thinking. I know this mission is dangerous and that we could die out here. I was not chosen for this mission without a reason. If you have a better idea for how we can get information on Yelnar's mother, then tell me. But I think this is the best way and out of our group, I am the person best suited for this!"

Verrian raises an eyebrow. "We're in the process of discussing the best way to get information, and it doesn't yet involve sending anyone into the Citadel unprepared. But I'm very interested to hear what you think makes you the best-suited person for such a mission. What are your qualifications?"

"I agree that reconnaissance seems like the best option," Krav says while still rolling a small ball of equine excrement between his fingers absentmindedly.

"I can ask Shiloh to enter the Citadel and scout out the location of Yelnar's mother. He is very small and quiet. We would have to give him a description of her using the same magic I used to speak with the horses of course. Or he could use her scent to track her if we had something of hers, possibly her spellbooks? Her scent may have dissipated from those over time however."

Viani is thinking for a second how she can present her case best. "Well, first of all, I'm not a mage. Second, I seem to be the only one in this group who can even kind of understand why people might be scared of magic. I might not be a best liar in the world but like my professor always said 'a half-truth is better than the best lie'. Also, I'm pretty good at sneaking and I can always tell if someone is lying to me."

"I'm not sure that you're the only person who can understand why people are afraid of magic, Viani. You do seem to be the only one who is willing to entertain the idea that eradicating magic completely might be a good idea, and that's not exactly a selling point for you. Additionally..." Verrian takes a deep breath and softens her tone. "You don't have much self-restraint, or ability to think on your feet under pressure. I'm not saying that you won't develop both of those skills over time, but you certainly don't have them now. And I have to say that your ability to stay focused and on task is questionable. We've been on this mission for less than two days and I already see you wavering in your resolve."

"Well, I certainly seem to be the only one who acknowledges that magic is dangerous. And that alone is apparently enough to think I'm some kind of lunatic that wants to eradicate all magic in the world. You pretend to be neutral and that you consider all angles but in reality you are just as biased as Ember." Viani wants to stand up, maybe even make a dramatic exit from the room, but that would just prove Verrian's point. Instead of saying anything else, she just crosses her arms, sits back in her chair and glares at Verrian.
So that's how she sees me. Unfocused, impulsive and not trustworthy...

Verrian sighs and sits back in her seat, suddenly feeling tired. "I'm not biased, Viani. I'm just looking for balance. Of course magic can be dangerous, especially when overused. The Mage Wars and what we are seeing of the aftermath are stark proof of that. It's obvious that our world became too reliant on magical solutions to all of our problems.

"But the idea of eliminating magic from the world is just as extreme, and it would likely be just as catastrophic. Magic itself isn't evil anymore than gravity is evil. Both can be dangerous if not properly used and respected. But to remove a natural force from the world - if that's even possible... Well, imagine if you woke up tomorrow and gravity was suddenly gone. That's the kind of upheaval eradicating magic would create. Of course we should all learn a potent lesson from our overuse of magic, but that lesson should be about responsibility and better judgment, not about eliminating magic altogether."

"And when did I ever say that I wanted to eradicate magic? I dont trust it and I would be happy if we stopped relying on it so much but I'm not crazy."

"I didn't say that you said you wanted to eradicate magic. I'm trying to make you understand that for people who do want that, there isn't any middle ground. They aren't looking for a debate; they've already made up their minds. If you doubt that, go count the graves we just filled. That's why we're making a plan to gather information about the Citadel instead of to go talk to the Crows.

"And at any rate, if we did decide that someone needed to infiltrate the Citadel, it would be someone who--" Verrian enumerates with her fingers. "--has no ability to do magic, and has experience at espionage." She pauses before adding, "I'm probably the only one here with both of those qualifications."

Ember tries to contain her amazement that Viani is so close-minded.

I guess there's Froak, too.

"Froak is great at sneaking and gathering intelligence, but I wouldn't want to send him in as an infiltrator. They've already tried to kill him once."