NewPort was quiet in the morning and the enchanter Austalir woke to the ringing of a bell. Someone had left a package at the ground floor and the Secretary informed him it was reasonably urgent. He got up from his relative sloth, he had woken up and gotten dressed though the lack of orders and slow progression of bureaucracy meant that nothing filled his morning and there was nothing reasonable that could be done.

  He had considered the unreasonable things but attacking a mercenary company on his own did not have a high chance to succeed which would make his apprentice's recovery even less viable.

  He walked down the stairwell while thinking about the petition that should have gone over the lord's desk yesterday. The Silver Chain was behaving more like a bandit company than mercenaries. It was accepted that they probably would engage in such activities while on campaign but to steal people in broad daylight in a city of the empire was beyond what the needs of war would allow. Much less the fact they were not at war and only took money from traders who had seemed to stop coming over the pass, making boats less willing to stop here for the spices that didn't exist.

  "Good morning Mr Austalir." The secretary gave a warm smile as ever when presenting the letter, "They said it was from the Academy and urgent." The two guards at the doors gave him their customary look. They had long since come to terms with the fact that one of the wealthiest men in the city chose to look like a slob in his off time.

  His clothes were the 'proper' ones including his customary cape, wizards were permitted some strangeness, and his balding head wasn't covered by the hairpiece he normally wore. There existed potions to return hair growth to the head though Austalir had known far too much about alchemists to trust it if it wasn't made in front of him. Hairpieces were easier to clean as well.

  He thanked the secretary and took the letter back up with him. He owned the top two floors of the building as his residence with the lower floors remaining as apartments that were all filled. He owned the building and most of the street.

  Newport had expanded into the water after half of it sunk halfway into it some hundred years ago. The owners of the land simply reinforced the first floors that were underwater and built higher. Gondolas travelled the streets instead of carriages and nowadays after the fall of Dragon's Rest the waters gave a greater security to the areas without walking access.

  The lord TarGanne of Newport had started building a wall but since the King at Dragon's Rest had forbade it the wall hadn't been ready when the bandits were. Much less the Silver Chain walking about like they owned the place, which they essentially did. Austalir had lost three of his warehouses that they turned into a base of operations since title meant nothing when steel was the currency in highest demand.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  He condemned his softness to avoid cracking down on them when they began their operations, or when he let his apprentice stay in her accomodations. He should have insisted that she move into his guest room at least. He could make space for the boys but he'd let her stay.

  Their propriatress herself had moved in with a cousin in his building after they'd been taken. One ruler of the streets made the streets seem safer on appearance but that was only because they didn't fight any upstarts for control. The guard was beginning to crack down on them but they were stretched far enough as is.

  Maybe the correspondence was to tell him that a dozen war mages were on their way to return law and order, though he'd be happy with two.

  He sat at his desk and opened the letter.

  ---

  Dearest Austalir,

  I know you are incensed at that mercenary company's behavior but I must plead that you do not act rashly. An apprentice, no matter how much potential she may have had, is no reason to throw your own life away. I am writing more than I ought to but know this.

  There are those in the academy that are familiar with this mercenary band. I cannot say more but I have already spoken with them. They should return your apprentice and her family for a modest fee.

  I must repeat myself. There is no reason to attack them so Please do not lose yourself to wrath.

  An old friend

  Michael Rolf,

  Chair of Communications

  Foundation's Academy

  ---

  Of course they were involved. If he hadn't contacted the Dean himself he wouldn't be surprised to see Alice as someone else's apprentice when he returned to visit the Academy. Poaching students was frowned upon but hiring bandits to steal them? Disgraceful.

  He would ready himself to act if there was an opportunity because he didn't trust the assurance that Alice and her brothers would be returned. Hopefully the intelligence he hired would be able to find out her location. He walked to the stairs up to the roof. His workshops were in a different building and he wanted ot put more work into his project.

  He would deal with those damned mercenaries. Alone if need be. His mana reserves were insufficient to deal with an army on his own but it was the way of an enchanter to improve their magic with tools. He could easily destroy them, but he didn't want to just destroy them.

  He wanted his apprentice back.

  ---

  A day later and with his project mostly finished he retired to his home. Before going to sleep the silk and brass wind chimes in his study rattled. They were paired with another set in the boot room on the roof which meant that someone was here to visit. Either a fellow wizard or his informant.

  Feathery antennae and a great pair of wings met him at the rooftop. His informant the Teroced had returned.

  "-The news is critical and cannot wair." Juliette refused any tea. "The Silver chain has been exterminated in Tarnox. Anyone not dead is a prisonner of the Pitarav. I didn't see your apprentice among the dead so she will need to be ransomed from the beetles." The Moth-woman hadn't even taken off her gloves "How soon can you leave?"

  "An hour. I need to visit my workshop" He would need to do all the caliberating of his weapons on the way. The Pitarav should be reasonable but he wouldn't arrive unarmed.