On Cosmic Tides

Leander stretched as he was finally freed from his tutoring for the day. It was important, he knew that. It was what he had to do to stay here. But it was so boring, and it went on forever. He didn’t see Rebecca waiting around and decided that meant he had time to drop into the kitchen for a snack. He was a growing boy after all, Esther said so, and this was a big day. His first official sect mission.

Wiping crumbs off his fingers onto his pants, he hurried down the main staircase to meet Rebecca. She was waiting, fingering the strap of the satchel slung across her shoulder and gnawing on her bottom lip. She kept glancing out the window and fidgeting even more.

“What wrong?” His stone voice made her jump. He was good at being sneaky. It kept him alive as a cripple in the Flats.

“There are soldiers out there. Do we keep going with the mission? I don’t want to let Annette down.” She moved from fiddling with the bag to wringing her hands. Leander waited. Rebecca never needed him to say much, and he agreed. They needed to make Annette proud. Plus he wanted the points Laurel said he would need to buy magic things.

“Laurel said they’re just there to make sure we are sticking to the rules.They can’t stop us from going or coming back.”

That was alright then. If Laurel said they’d be fine then they’d be fine. She was magic. He tugged on Rebecca’s sleeve and stomped towards the door. She scurried after. Laurel was right. The guards just watched them walk into the city but they didn’t say anything. They both eased into the Flats way of walking. A little faster, eyes on your own business. There were a few places Leander used to go and they would start there. Rebecca had lived in a house, but she always wanted to avoid that neighborhood and she never mentioned her family.

The Caves were the same as always. Tight alleyways where the sun barely peeked through between the overhangs of the buildings on the sides. Leander led the way through the maze until he found the Hub. An empty lot everyone had forgotten about, where Charlie kept his headquarters and let his friends sleep. And Leander, sometimes.

“Oi, the mute is back!” The lookout called out as they crossed what passed for a threshold out here.

Charlie was sitting on his makeshift throne, a few old crates stacked up against the wall, watching as they came closer. “Well? Fancy lady kick you out?”

Leander drew himself up. He was not getting kicked out of the sect. As an answer he pointed to the corner of his work shirt, where the sect mark was embroidered.

Rebecca stepped up beside him. “We’re just spreading the word. The nobles don’t like what we’ve been doing and are suing the sect. That means the healing has to stop for a while.”

Charlie spit off to the side. “Whatever. Surprised it took them this long to smack you folks back down where you belong.”

“Just tell everyone,” Rebecca said. “And if people really need help you know where to find us.”

“Sure sure. Don’t worry about us. We were making do before your new school or whatever and we’ll be fine after.” Charlie waved them off. They trudged back out of the Caves, and set a course for Mama Sarah. Rebecca crossed Caves off the list and shoved it back in the satchel. They had a lot more stops for Annette’s mission.

*******

A completed motion went onto the pile. Later he would need to compile the exact dates on every approval and license they’d received, and cross-reference with everything Laurel had done, thought about, or looked at since she entered the city. Adam sat up from the hunched pose he’d been in all morning and almost cried at the ache in his back. Not something he’d felt much in the last few weeks as he got a bit better at moving his mana around. Or maybe Laurel’s cursed exercise routine was helping. Either way, he was hobbling as he gathered up the papers he would need and made his way out of the library. He detoured to the kitchens on his way out of the sect. After all, he was a growing boy and he was working hard.

A maddeningly long carriage ride later and he reached the palace public administration entrance. He was allowed inside after a thorough pat down and sent to the appropriate line. There were at least two clerks without anyone in front of them that could have helped, but Adam knew how the game was played. Show any anger or weakness and your forms “accidentally” fall to the bottom of the pile. He stood placidly instead, amusing himself by picturing Laurel barging in and demanding to meet the king.

“Next!”

He approached cautiously. Every government worker he’d ever met was hanging on by a thread, and he did not want to make them mad.

“Hello. I’d like to file this countersuit, and these motions, regarding case number 11134C.” The clerk closely inspected each one while Adam waited. He was quietly confident. After the embarrassing slip-up on his first return to scribing with Laurel he had regained the meticulousness that made him successful in the first place. Each form was absolutely correct, the parchments were the perfect thickness, quality enough that the specialty ink saturated but didn’t bleed out of the crisply formed letters. There were quite a few of them, so he had time to look around the room. Nothing struck him as out of the ordinary but he’d lived in the slums long enough to always keep his eyes open.

“Everything seems to be in order,” the clerk said. He sounded shocked, which Adam decided to take as a compliment. “Will there be anything else?”

“Not today. Thank you, the Eternal Archive appreciates the good work you are doing here.”

********

Annette popped the last bite of the pastry into her mouth as she approached the mercantile company. Esther spoiled them. But she was a growing woman and needed sustenance for this kind of delicate operation. The cream-colored facade of Merrit’s was perfectly designed to be welcoming. Doors open to take advantage of the late winter warm-snap they’d been experiencing for the last week. She reached the door just as a handsome young man with delicate features was buttoning his jacket to leave.

“Annette, perfect timing, as always. Are you ready to go?”

“Lead the way.” She and Daniel made small talk on their way to the tea house and while they were seated.

“So, should we get right into it?” Daniel said.

“What, I can’t visit an old friend for tea without an ulterior motive?”

“I mean you can. You didn’t though, so what’s going on?”

“I’m part of that new group with the manor down in the Flats. The nobles are getting up in arms about it and I want to hear what you know.”

Daniel let out an exaggerated gasp. “You want me to gossip about our patrons? How could you? You know I’ll get in trouble for that. You want to see me destitute, I suppose, get rid of the competition.” The words were harsh but the grin as he sipped the tea told Annette her old friend was enjoying this immensely.

“I do know, which is why I have with me entrance tickets to next week’s symphonic opera for you and Elliot.”

He rubbed his hand over his face. “Ah Annette, always one step ahead. Your talents have been wasted up to now. I don’t know much. A few of their secretaries have been in across the last few weeks. Mostly picking up the usual stuff, dropping the usual gossip. A few orders for the kind of parchment needed at a high trial. I didn’t think to pay close attention though.”

“Come off it Daniel, you know more than that.”

“Hah! Fine, maybe the same folks were talking about schmoozing some soldier. But that’s all I know, Annette, truly.”

She nodded thoughtfully. “That’s plenty.”

The rest of their break passed in pleasant chit-chat. Mostly about inane topics, and a few of the scandals the gossip rags had reported on. Daniel had always been a good conversationalist and the hour melted away along with their tea and snacks. Before they left Annette produced an envelope. “Enjoy the show darling, and give Elliot my love”.

Daniel turned back to the luxury merchant house, while Annette hailed one of the new steam carriages to take her back down the hill. All the soldiers Laurel had been teaching were respectful and open to new ideas. None of them acted like they’d been spying for a noble house. Then again, a few free drinks at the Rifle and Crown and they hardly needed official spies. It's not like they had sworn anyone to secrecy.

********

“Hi Esther, are there any of those cookies left?” Laurel popped her head into the kitchen as she leaned around the doorframe.

The cook paused in her kneading, looking up at the intrusion. “I’m sorry dear, I think the kids took the last ones as they left on Annette’s errand. I could whip you up something else if you’d like?”

“No no, I don’t really need anything. I’ll just have to get here sooner next time.”

The jog to Fort Sarken had been pleasant. Slightly more so after she caught the guards near the sect house flinching as she went by. They hadn’t tried to stop anyone yet so she’d let them be. Though it was good to keep them on their toes. The soldiers she was there to meet were already assembled. Made up of her cultivation students, the squad from her trip to the forest monarch, and a few new faces. All dressed in the same brown uniform, though Captain Varska had added a shockingly-bright pink belt with some small explosives attached.

“General Ridge, I see you’ve assembled quite the company. Care to share what we’re up to?”

He looked up from where he’d been pointing at a map with Major Kat. “Well now that our master cultivator has deigned to arrive, we can go forward with the briefing.” The general aimed for a joking tone but it fell flat to Laurel’s ears.The soldiers shuffled around to get a better view of the map.

“We’ve been getting reports from the closest towns of strange new animals showing up. Glowing frogs, mice the size of cats, fish that don’t seem to have trouble out of water. All sorts of things. Our job is to do a sweep of the area and get rid of the dangerous or troublesome ones we can find. Thin the herd.” If any of the soldiers were surprised at the existence of fantastical animals straight out of children’s tales, they didn’t betray it on their faces.

“An important job general. And of course you have me here to help you find the spirit beasts and point out which ones are dangerous. Hmmm. Tell me, would you say that qualifies as normal sect activities? I wouldn’t want to overstep an injunction in a royal trial.”

Ridge looked to the side and cleared his throat. The eyes of the listening soldiers bounced between the two of them. “Well, the military is legally able to accept volunteer aid from locals, so…” he let the rest trail off.

“Volunteering, so I suppose you intend to keep any beast cores we find as well.” He grimaced and went to speak but Laurel cut him off. “I consider you and Theresa friends, Ridge, so I’m going to help. But if my sect continues to be treated badly I won’t just sit back and allow it.”

She turned to the soldiers, all of whom took a quick step back. “Now, who’s ready for some hunting!”