Veronica’s face wrinkled in disgust. “No. I’m not. The Arcanists are corrupt; they’re all seeking their own interests. If you’re going to try to change my mind about that, you can go your own way.”
I sighed with relief. “We agree with that view—we’re not in league with the Arcanists either.”
“You’re not?” Veronica raised an eyebrow.
“Most certainly not,” Amelia said. “I am a scholar, sent from the Librarians of the Royal Library to investigate the rumors of monsters escaping from the mines. My mentor suggested that the Arcanists—perhaps all or perhaps only some—are responsible.”
Veronica nodded. “I see. Well, I’m sure there’s plenty to investigate. I don’t trust the Arcanists one bit. That’s why I set out on my own path instead of trying to enter their ranks.”
There was so much I didn’t know about the politics of these groups. “I always thought Mages and Arcanists were the same thing,” I said. “I take it they’re not?”
Veronica looked disbelieving. “Have you been living under a rock? Of course they’re not the same thing. Mages must still obey the Royal Decrees, but the Arcanists are different. They are a special group of Mages who are provided access to the Royal Armory, where the most potent vectors can be found, along with the most talented enchanters. But I wouldn’t join their ranks for anything—not even for powerful vectors and enchanters who can create amazing runes.”
“Right,” I said. “Thanks for the lesson, I suppose.”
“Besides,” Veronica said, as though she hadn’t heard me, “there’s one thing the Arcanists are responsible for, the most despicable thing on the entire continent.”
“The mines?” Amelia asked.
“Exactly,” Veronica replied with a curt nod. “But more than that. The tradition of slavery started with the Arcanists. I don’t want to have anything to do with people who believe it’s fine to enslave others. Even if they’re useful for monster mining, like those Elemental Sensitive types.”
This was interesting to learn. And if Veronica was prepared to take a stand against the use of slaves in the mine, it seemed like we could trust her. I decided to take the most blunt route to teaming up with her.
“I was a slave until yesterday,” I stated plainly.
Veronica’s mouth dropped open when I said that. Then she burst out laughing. “That’s a good one. You must think I’m a real idiot. No one starts flinging fireballs with a shitty vector like that shortsword after one day.”
“I didn’t fling them with the sword,” I said. “I did it with my hands.”
Veronica laughed some more at this. “Come on, stop insulting my intelligence. If you really don’t want me to hang around, I’ll just leave you guys to walk the rest of the way by your—”
I held up my hand, with a ball of flame on it. Veronica’s mouth dropped open.
“H-H-How are you doing that?”
I snuffed the flame out.
I turned my wrist over and showed her the tattoo on my left arm, which glowed orange.
“I don’t understand,” she said. “How can you make fire appear without a vector? And why is your tattoo glowing like that?”
“I’m an Ink Mage,” I said.
Amelia gasped softly. When I glanced at her, I saw her eyes wide as she stared at me, watching our conversation. It was clear from her look that she wasn’t as sure about Veronica as I was, but I’d had enough of deception. My ability was my secret, and I could choose who I shared it with.
I turned to face Amelia. “I think we can trust Veronica. She is no friend of slavers or Arcanists.”
“You’re right,” Amelia sighed. “Getting captured by slavers has made me start questioning who I can trust.”
“Wait a minute,” said Veronica. “I’ve never heard of an Ink Mage before. What does it mean? What can you do?”
“It means I can cast spells using the tattoos on my body as vectors,” I said.
Veronica stared at me. “I still don’t understand. I’ve never heard of anyone being able to do this. And what’s that tattoo on your other arm?” She pointed at the snowflake on my right arm.
I conjured up a chunk of ice on my hand and held it out to her. “Go on, you can touch it.”
Veronica reached out a trembling finger and poked the ice. She drew it back with a sharp breath. “It’s so cold. Wait a minute, you have two affinities? What the fuck?”
She stood there shaking her head, alternately staring at my tattoos, at the ice on my hand, and at my face. “What the fuck is going on? I don’t understand. You said you were a slave until yesterday? How is all this possible?”
Amelia spoke up. “An Ink Mage is a very ancient type of Mage, who can create magical tattoos, allowing the wearers to cast spells without vectors.”
“But tattoos are wicked,” Veronica interjected. “Only thieves and bandits wear them.”
“That’s what we were taught to believe,” Amelia said. “But they can be used to create the most powerful magic.”
Veronica looked at me again, disbelief still written all over her features. “And, you’re one of these ... Ink Mages? You discovered this yesterday?”
I laughed softly. “I know it sounds crazy. I’m still getting used to the idea myself. Here, maybe this will help.” I took the sack off my back and pulled Amelia’s book out.
“Let’s stop for a minute,” I said. The road was broad here, and the forest around us had thinned. There were outcrops of rock everywhere on either side of the road, and we went over to one of these and sat down. I opened the book on my lap. “Sit here and have a look,” I said. Veronica sat down on my right.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Amelia asked, sitting down on my left.
“We need all the allies we can get right now, Amelia,” I said.
Amelia nodded at that. “I suppose you’re right. We have no one else we can trust right now.”
I looked at Veronica, whose face was still a bit white. She shook her head at me. “I don’t
