Darkness Within

CHAPTER FOUR

A large portion of the slums was, but there was a distinct divide between the ever-hopeful and the cynical. She had definitely been cynical, though many of her childhood friends had sulked around the Temples in the hope of finding someone who would help, but in Tessa’s experience, few were charitable.

She shook her head. Now was not the time to get lost in irrelevant thoughts. She looked down at her list. Of those seven, she knew only one: Daegar Dzohev. He was a foreigner, from (place), a faraway land to the Northwest. He was also the only prominent Alchemist also of humble origins, his studies here paid for by the King of the land where he grew up, like those of many here in the Tower. Strangely enough, he had been in the Tower for a while, spending most of the last year here, whereas he usually lived back home, in service to his King.

The more she thought about it, the more she was suspicious. Unfortunately for her, they all made her suspicious. Old Aben Tendursi had secluded himself in his rooms, and not been seen for the last seven months; Ger Hissick had suddenly begun courting the Emperor’s favour, while beforehand being a cynic when it came to power and politics. The other four were similar cases. Tessa didn’t really know where to go next, but at least she had some progress to show. It was time to go see the Master again.

She navigated the winding corridors, some of which were oddly slanted, and made her way to the Master’s apartments. The Tower had always puzzled her. Though it was supposedly a simply-planned building, the rooms were in weird places, and no single floor was quite the same. Together with the sheer number of levels, it made for a perplexing combination that led many a novice astray.

Of course, the Master lived at the summit. The joke was that to be Master you had to find the door, first, and for a few years Tessa had almost been inclined to believe it. Now things were different. Years of living here had taught her the exact layout of the whole building, and while at times she might be a little confused as to where she was, she was never lost.

She knocked on the door.

“Come in,” the Master said.

Tessa closed the door behind her. The Master’s office never seemed to disappoint, with there always being something weird and outlandish. For now, while there was a simple desk in the front, where the Master was sitting, behind it stood a large fish tank full of exotic-looking animals. Most of them were unknown to Tessa, though she had to admit that she was hardly a walking encyclopaedia of marine life. Some of the fish were like living rainbows, their scales reflected an array of shades and colours that lit up the water they swam in.

“Any news?” The Master wasn’t even looking at her, preferring to concentrate on a book that was open on the desk.

“Yes, sir,” Tessa replied, trying not to scowl at him. “I think I have.”

“Really? If so, that would be a surprise.”

“Like you actually doing anything, Master?”

Damn. Tessa bit her tongue. What did she just say? And to the Master, of all people. She gulped. What would he do now?

He chuckled. “I do far more than you think, young Tessa, but that’s not what tonight is about, is it?” The Master looked up from his book and closed it. “So what do you have for me?”

“I think I’ve got a list of the possible culprits, sir,” Tessa said, keeping her face blank. The Master never ceased to surprise her. “I have no idea what is going on, but I reckon only seven of the Alchemists currently residing here would have any chance of doing something without the rest of the Tower knowing it.”

“Seven?” The Master raised his eyebrows. “My list had nine.”

“Your list, sir?”

“Yes, my list. You don’t think I set you a task I wouldn’t do myself?” He winked, his bushy eyebrows giving him a serious yet funny expression at the same time. “Can I look?”

He scanned the list, obviously finding nothing wrong with it. “All seven are on mine…” The Master stared at his own. “I wonder, how come these two aren’t on yours?”

Tessa read his list. “Maester O’Nell would have been on my list, master, but…” she shrugged. “He died yesterday evening. Lung cancer, his wife said.”

The Master rumbled through some papers on his desk, and found whatever he was looking for. “Yes, so it seems. Well, that makes sense. And the other Alchemist?”

“She’s… a friend of mine. Of sorts. Not very socially adept.”

“Much like you, then.”

Tessa scowled at the old man for a second. She wasn’t socially inept! She knew how to converse with an Island duke, or dance with a Meillian Swiftsword. The Tower’s position, in the middle of the Imperial city of Marketshore, made such knowledge useful, even for one of her background. That said, she had to admit she was no good at talking to her colleagues.

“If you say so, Master. Now, if I may, a question?”

He nodded – all the approval she needed. “Why exactly am I looking for these people? I know they must have broken the rules in some way – that much is obvious – but what can they be doing that breaks them?”

“Do you know how the study of Alchemy began, miss Tessa?”

“It was to search for a way to artificially make gold, wasn’t it? That’s what the history book says…”

“More or less,” the Master said, smiling. “There were two Alchemists, in the beginning, and to them we owe the majority of our laws and ways. Belofur the Black and Wistifel the Wise they were, and together they sought to turn lead into gold, at first. They were not the only ones in there time, for there were many who wanted the endless riches such a discovery would yield, but they were the ones who succeeded.

“They found a way to combine lead with other substances and create gold – but lost the formula in a fire caused by their discovery. Yet they did not need the formula any more, for they were now rich and wealthy beyond all imagination. And this is where the two alchemists diverged.

“Belfodur coveted wealth and power, and this was what he searched for. Wistifel, on the other hand, thirsted for knowledge in a way that has scarce been seen since. So they fought over what to do with their money. Belfodur saw an opportunity to invest in material wealth, and argued to buy the city they lived in. Wistifel, wise as he was, told Belfodur to invest in his fellow men, and found a school.

“Ultimately, Belfodur refused, and ran off with his share of the gold, becoming the richest man in the land, while his companion built a great school – the foundations of the Tower as it is today. It is because of him that we have the Laws of Charity and Scholarship. Yet it is also thanks to Belfodur that the Tower ensures it occupies a position of power, to satisfy those who are weak, and fall prey to their desires.

“Yet while the Tower ensures fairness, and a safe place to study, some people have been abusing of their position. It is they who should be punished. We do not tolerate modern Belfodurs here.”

It was an interesting take on the story. None of the Alchemists were obliged to study the history of the Tower, as they were encouraged to participate in research, so Tessa herself knew little of it, save for the names of the two men. They were inscribed on the floor in the entrance, after all.

“One more question, sir?”

“If you must, dear,” the Master replied, his head hanging as though heavy on his shoulders.

“What happened to Belfodur, master?”

“He ended up burning down Wistifel’s school in a fit of jealousy, but by then the Master was his own son. I hope you find the tale enlightening, dear. Have a nice day.”

Knowing she was dismissed, Tessa picked up her list and walked away.