Joseph is as loyal as they come so, like Conrad, I’m inclined to believe there’s an element of truth to the story, meaning if Joseph is telling the truth, we’ve got a target to track down. We might be a Society at peace, but there’s rarely a dull day in this magical wonderland.
The familiar room in Bannerin’s Barber’s re-appears as the side door to Pat’s Caff re-opens: the private room housing a particular Perium. We make quick work of sitting in a barber’s chair, staring through the peephole as the chair edges closer to the wall. The peephole expands seconds later and we’re sucked through gently.
No staircase appears this time — an oddity of this particular portal — and we find ourselves in the land of floating carpets again. It’s my second visit to The Shallows today, ready to use the Magneia charm to call a carpet of weeds to me again. As I wait for my floating form of travel, I take my trusted Vaspyl from the pocket of my leather trousers: morphing steel ready to be shaped into any weapon I need.
With the soil twisting and turning in every direction, I glance towards Noah and Lucy on my right and Conrad on my left: a loyal crew on another night mission. There won’t be any help from the skies, Society creatures enjoying the peace of Society faculties or attending to other realms.
The S.P.M.A. footprints in the soil remind me of the strange nature of The Shallows: a place where your penchant offers little protection. The Society Sphere is the point at which your penchant’s protective power fades — a Quivven used in its place. A Quivven is a small, brass hexagonal object buried under the skin.
I don’t expect any surprises, relying on the fire charm surrounding me as I kneel on the floating carpet of weeds which picks up pace as we near our destination. As we approach the quarry housing The Shallows, the buildings bursting out in every direction light the way. The horizontal and upside-down buildings are always striking at night — like unique lighthouses guiding travellers to safety.
There isn’t much of a threat out here at the moment, but that could all change if Alice Aradel really was trying to buy protection. I imagine she’ll reveal all unless she wants to stay cooped up in The Velynx: not a place any witch or wizard chooses to step foot in.
If the evening witch is telling the truth, she’ll be released; if not, it will be a quiet evening’s work. Poridian Parlour comes into view, my fire charm signalling the night’s surveillance has begun … on the trail of possible malevs in the making.
Everything is as expected inside, the handful of Society members who lodge in Poridian Parlour resting in leather chairs, studying intricate moves on board games or trying to stay awake: hardly a threatening bunch. This changes soon after we’ve taken our place in The Grand Room, keeping our distance from two Society elders in heated debate.
“The Domitus,” Noah whispers at the sight of two figures entering through the sliding doors … a man and a woman with emotionless expressions … sitting at the table closest to the door.
“Since when do they come to Poridian Parlour?” Conrad poses, holding the gaze of the bearded man staring over at us.
They are the group authorised to track and tame dangerous creatures: an honour given to a select few. Riadek are the creatures being tracked and tamed at the moment — better known as Silverbacks. They’re huge, winged creatures with steel armour that can do serious damage. The Silverbacks are ferocious creatures once under the control of evil forces, meaning I don’t trust them or The Domitus who tame them.
The Orium Circle has a different view, though, and since they decide the laws there’s no point dwelling on it. In their view, taming dangerous creatures is better than killing them without cause: a plan that might backfire if another powerful witch or wizard goes rogue.
“Is it me or are they staring at us?” Lucy asks, whispering ‘Promesiun’ as flickers of citrine light form around her hands: a defensive charm, just in case.
“Maybe they’re annoyed we interrupted their little deal with Alice,” I add, offering a sarcastic smile to the female figure who looks like she’s in need of a shower — the greasy hair and dirty fingernails doing nothing for her appearance. I’ve met this kind before: a detached breed, enjoying the power they wield.
They end up being harmless robots who carry out their duty of protecting the Society or, more rarely, gifted witches and wizards with dark dreams of dominance. I’m not sure where these two fit in but one thing’s for certain, they haven’t dropped by to play a game of Rucklz.
“I think they’re here for us,” Conrad says, uttering ‘Comeuppance’ to ready his Vaspyl for transformation: morphing steel for malevs in waiting.
The silent pair probably aren’t dangerous but nothing’s left to chance these days, so I call over the tired waiter and order a round of Jysyn Juice. It’s a Society remedy designed to provide courage to the more nervous in our circle. Courage isn’t required but patience is, so I flip the Vaspyl in my hand, waiting for the two Domitus to make their move.
“We can’t have a staring contest all night,” Lucy says, her impatience getting the better of her. “The Domitus are famous for their silence so let’s break it — go over and say hello.”
“Why?” Noah queries, wishing this was already over so he can persuade us to head to his favourite part of The Society Sphere, continuing and his endless pursuit of Zoe Tallis.
“To find out if we need to track them or move on.”
“I say move on,” Noah replies with a wink and a smile —
