The way to the Arcanum is long and wreath with a heavy burden. For a boy his age, Sett is pretty proficient in reading tomes and books. By the time I was 16, I have probably read three or four books. All of which are made for children. Books are so boring. Reading one chapter is enough to make me fall asleep.
Along the way, we saw a long line of pilgrim going along our path. I asked Sett what they are and he said that they are Almarian Pilgrim praying to the city’s deity, the Almarian Lion of Pride. I’m not a fan of religion, even though I’ve seen God with my own eyes, and neither does Sett.
It took an hour of back-breaking haul before we reached the sandstone palace of the Arcanum. Three spires reach into the heavens with a central tower standing tallest. It coiled into the sky, piercing the clouds and emitting a soft golden light. We entered the Arcanum and in the courtyard, there’s an intricate art made of one large circle with geometrical shapes and poems within. It formed a tesselation of colors and a fusion of multitudes of polygons that seemed to dance in front of my eyes.
“What is this?” I asked.
“The Grand Jury,” Sett said as he touched the names outside the circle. Jude, Jebediah, Hosea, Alcamir, Zenthos, Libera, Markath… “These are the cities destroyed by the circle. It’s conjured up there.” Sett pointed at the highest tower. “I don’t know how it works but I’ve seen it with my own eyes. Fire rains down from heaven and the earth melts and swallows up everything you hold dear”
“You’ve done your history, boy.” A hoarse voice said behind us. I turned around and saw a hulking man clad in cloak and hood. His face is hidden inside the cloak that I couldn’t see what he look like. In the darkness of his face, all I could see are two red orbs which I assumed to be his eyes. “You’re the best student I never had Sett. It’s never too late to join the Arcanum.”
“You always know my answer Archmage Belethor,” Sett replied.
“What happened in Zenthos is in the past, Sett. Let go and step forward and follow our path to knowledge.”
“No thanks, I already have my path. Now would you please excuse us and we’ll return these books.”
“You won’t last long in that petty Thieves’ Guild of yours, Sett. Especially when you have Rashid be-” The archmage croaked. His red orbs thinned and he caressed his non-existent beard. “Interesting. Most interesting.” The archmage went in front of me and towered me with his bulk. He reached down and whispered, “You’re not Rashid are you?”
I gulped. How did he know?
“Meet me at crow’s hour today by the Pearl Spire’s base. Don’t return my invitation and you’ll receive Sett’s head in a platter. Am I making myself clear?”
I gulped once more and nodded.
—
We returned the books and went back on our way to the hideout. The place near the Arcanum is brimming with Pilgrims seeking glory and redemption in their prayers. Along the way, Sett managed to steal bags of coins from unsuspecting pilgrims which we used to buy our lunch.
We sat on top of a building overlooking the Arcanum and the Velvet Keep where the royal family lived. We ate our bread and cheese with a platter of roasted beef. It turns out, they eat those foods separately so I though Sett how to make a sandwich. He followed my instructions and when he tasted the cacophony of flavors, he could not help but smile.
“This is good!” He said.
“Told you so,”
“So what did the Archmage whispered to you?”