“Alien,” Dallion whispered.

With the exception of Countess Priscord, this was the one person Dallion wanted to stumble upon. So far, they’d only talked twice and, in both cases, the old man had warned Dallion to leave Nerosal or face the consequences. Knowing what he knew now, Dallion could see that he was only alive because the mage hadn’t made him his target. Even so, there was no love lost between them.

The mage was a political cockroach, pure and simple. One could only speculate what connections he’d established throughout the decades, but they were strong enough to see him fail upwards in instances in which others would have been executed and have their names erased. Alien had been instrumental in helping Valerian oust Adzorg and claim the archmage’s position. He had also had dealings with the Star, caused the death of a member of the imperial family, and pissed off a Moon’s familiar to the point it wanted to punish the entire world.

“Archmage,” the old man said. He was wearing a purple robe made entirely of magic threads. The rest of his clothes seemed pretty common, which was surprising for someone with such a snobbish nature. “I take it that Katka has told you what this is about?”

Dallion glanced at the woman. His expression said “I thought you said he was a fan?” The smirk she gave him replied, “I lied.”

“I thought it would be better if it came from you,” Katka said. “Didn’t want to think he wasn’t taken seriously.”

The new archmage audibly grumbled. Waving a hand, he turned around, making his way to a large throne-like chair. As he did, Dallion noticed something that looked remarkably like an earth game console on the shelf. For it to be here, all the talk and rumors of Adzorg managing to get to other worlds were true.

“You’ve killed two of the circle.” Alien sat down, making a point to keep levitating an inch above the chair’s surface. “Gassil and now Enroy.”

Dallion remained quiet. He couldn’t read the man’s emotions well enough to tell whether that was a provocation or not.

“After recent events, we’re down to four.”

“I tried to save mage Enroy,” Dallion was quick to add. “If you think that I deliberately—

“Enroy was an idiot, same as Gassil,” the archmage interrupted. “If they weren’t from Earth, they’d never have been part of the circle. There’s nothing wrong with a bit of pruning until we become too small to play an active role in things.”

“We’re recruiting you,” Katka said impatiently. She didn’t seem one for theatrics unless it was her doing the performance.

So, that really was their intent, after all. After the archmage’s little speech, Dallion feared he would be executed on the spot, or condemned to spend a few centuries in a prison item. Instead, they were not only offering him a spot on their team, but using his vows to get him there.

“Why?” Dallion asked.

For the first time since he’d seen him, Alien appeared amused.

“At least you know where you stand,” he muttered. “Your actions have caught someone’s attention. Who or why is irrelevant? What matters is that for a brief moment in time, you were a hot topic in certain circles of the capital. Being the one who swore I’d bring back order to the Academy, it’s only reasonable that I take advantage of your talents. It also helps that you have a skill or two.”

And that I’m an empath, Dallion thought. Of course, some sleazy political climber would take advantage of anything and anyone to his advantage, even former enemies. While all the deaths and destruction was taking place around the Learning Hall, Alien was probably making his case for taking the reins of the Academy. The previous one getting killed wasn’t planned, but it helped significantly since it removed any hesitation on the matter.

“And now the real reason,” the man leaned back. “The world is entering its endgame. The symptoms have been there for decades. The Fury wars, the cultists, the petty squabbles among nobles. Anyone stupid and with power sees an opportunity to get a bit more. Those who are smart are buildingup power for the final sweep. So far, three powers have emerged: us, the Azure Federation, and the Steel and Stone Alliance. One of these is going to end up the winner. The other two aren’t.”

“But at what cost?”

“The cost is irrelevant. The last one standing takes it all. After they mop up what’s left, they can claim the world for themselves. After a few years, no one will even remember what really happened.”

That much was true. Dallion had witnessed how efficient echoes, capable of affecting awakened and non-awakened alike. In a couple of years, the wars would cease to exist and the entire period would be shrouded in mystery, like many of the past ages.

Next to Dallion, Katka sighed. She was so bored that one might imagine her summoning a mobile phone from Earth. It was pretty obvious that Dallion joining was a foregone conclusion.

There were many things Dallion wanted to ask, not the least of which was the Order’s response. The organization was vast, and no one really knew the extent of their power. Ignoring them just like that didn’t seem like a good idea. However, no answer would matter. Dallion had pretty much condemned himself to the circle, regardless of consequences.

“What do you want me to do?”

“For starters, you go through some training.” The archmage looked at Katka. “Actual training, not the useless crap novices get. You’ll be joining Katka as part of the new battle mage squad.”

“New battle mages? After everything that happened.” No way that could go wrong, Dallion thought.

“Think of it as a much-needed change of the guard. The emperor agrees, which is why there will be some changes in the policy. The problem with the previous battle mages was that there were too few of them. All actual power was concentrated among a dozen people. Everyone else did cute tricks to impress their noble sponsors, or furthered their academic knowledge. You’re quite familiar with the former archmage. He was considered exceptionally powerful, yet even I could defeat him in a one-to-one fight. The devices he constructed were unparalleled. The geezer even managed to briefly open a door to Earth, all without the Moon’s support. That’s larger than the creation of the atom bomb back on Earth. And yet he’d be utterly useless in battle.”

Same as you, Dallion said to himself. He wasn’t stupid enough to think he could win a fight against the man, not yet, at least. There was no doubt in his mind that other qualities had helped him rise to the top.

“Plans are for a third of the total number of mages to become battle mages. That will take a few years. Meanwhile, you and a few others will pick up the slack.”

That was it? There was a time when Dallion might have been impressed, even released. The archmage had started the meeting by reminding him of all the unpleasantries he had incurred to the circle. That was quickly followed by a tepid acknowledgement of his significance, and an invitation to become part of something world-changing. It was all a tried and tested business approach to manipulate a person to accept the deal given and be grateful for it. After Dallion’s experiences with the general, though, the attempt felt outright sloppy.

“Will I get autonomy?” he asked.

The archmage’s eyes widened. The old man wasn’t used to anyone rejecting his offer in such fashion. Dallion could almost hear the wheels in his mind turning in an effort to rationalize what he had heard.

A few steps away, Katka broke out laughing.

“Autonomy?” Alien repeated.

“The ability to work on my own, no strings attached. I’ll still report to you and do what you order,” within reason, “but I won’t be your brainless puppet. As you’ve seen, those aren’t terribly efficient.”

“Autonomy…” the archmage replied. His facial features relaxed a bit. “There is no autonomy. You’re part of the Academy now, and you’ll be here for life. There won’t be any more leveling ups, no frivolous hunting, no illusion you are in control of your fate. You’re an expensive cog in a very large machine. Shit will still roll downhill. I’m offering to place you closer to the top.”

“Call it perks then.” Dallion wasn’t prepared to give up. “I already know that I’m skilled in two fields that most of the Academy isn’t. Judging by the state of the buildings, I’m probably the only one who could adequately improve areas. You might have the power to force me to do anything, but you can’t force quality. You want to use me? Fine, but you’ll have to pay rent.”

Dallion was half expecting the archmage to cast a bolt of lightning just for the principle of it. Nothing of the sort happened. The man remained calm, ignoring Katka’s continuous laughter. If anything, he seemed more irked at her than at Dallion himself.

“Good one.” Katka rubbed the tears from her eyes. Being every bit petty as Dallion remembered her, she was enjoying every moment of it. “Pay rent. I’m stealing that.”

“What do you want exactly?”

“Discretion,” Dallion said. “I’ll stay clear of the Academy power structure. I’ll do your dirty work, but I don’t want people constantly looking over my shoulder.”

“So, what you want is a very long leash.” The archmage’s comment instantly made Katka stop laughing. Clearly, this was a warning to her, just as it was to Dallion. “You’re not a hunter anymore, kid. You’re asking what it takes the average mage decades to achieve. Alright, as long as you show results, you’ll have your perks. Mess up and everything given can be taken away.”

Dallion was ninety percent certain that was an empty threat. Even so, he had no intention of agonizing over the archmage.

“One last thing,” he said.

“There’s more?” Alien arched his brow.

“Don’t send me to fight the Steel and Stone Alliance.”

“That’s not a guarantee I can make. But you know that. You just don’t want to fight your gorgon. Why do you bother with her, anyway? It’s not like you’re an item anymore.”

“I still care.”

“You’re deluding yourself, but fine. I’ll delay things for as long as I can. Who knows, maybe you’ll get lucky and the Azures deal with her for us. Anything else?”

Dallion shook his head. He’d gotten as much as he could. From here on, any further arguments might well diminish the gains he’d made.

“Now the boring part. As I said, you’ve caught the eye of a few important people. They, and a whole lot others, would like to see you be given the honor you reserve. That means your apprentice ceremony will be very official.”

It wasn’t the worst thing that could happen. Dallion had seen his share of snobby ceremonies. Of course, when dealing with nobles, the ceremonies tended to be behind closed doors. Countess Priscord in particular didn’t want to have her public image tarnished, so she tended to reward and discipline people as quickly and silently as the situation would allow. In this case, the Academy and even the empire itself were trying to present an image of strength, so the ceremony would be as lavish and public as possible.

“The new squad of battle mages, and their apprentices, will be announced.”

“And not the new archmage?” Dallion never considered Alien to be humble, and yet the old man had consistently kept in the shadows. Despite having a hand in causing several major events, he had always shunned fame, even in Gassil’s memory fragment.

“That announcement was made. Besides, people want to see the actions that the archmage is taking, rather than focus on who the new one is.”

The ones who hold the leashes are seldom fussy, Dallion thought. It sounded like something Nil would have said.

“I understand, archmage.”

“Good. Welcome to the Shimmering Circle.”