The Academy Of Space And Time

As soon as the portal took us to the location of the Empty Mirror, I asked, "Why does it look like Tuscany?"

It did. When we were children, looking for endless hours at her atlases, Risa and I jokingly planned a trip around for when we would both be grown up and rich — which was as likely to happen to her as it was to happen to me. Still, our routes included her father's native country, Peru, and many of Europe's main countries. The city we wanted to see the most in Italy was San Gimignano, for I read once that there used to be secret associations of Enchanters there in the Middle Ages.

Well, that part of KI looked just like San Gimignano.

"They're stories," Jeff said, picking up a stone and throwing it at the window of a house. "They're just stupid stories. We're in a made up world. This place is probably modelled after Tuscany."

"Don't be angry," I said. "Vitaly just told us the truth."

"Don't tell me what to feel. I can't accept that my father was a Typhon!" he yelled.

"Calm down, Jeff," I whispered. "I'm sure he was different from the rest of them. Vitaly has always supported him, and he's alright, isn't he?"

Jeff frowned. "What if Vitaly was on their side, all this time? How do we know he isn't working for Set like the rest of them?"

"Jeff, in case those houses are inhabited," Raegan pointed out. "Start preparing an apology speech as to why you're going around screaming your father is a Typhon."

"Well he is! Shouldn't I scream, let it out?"

"You might be right. I do believe it's good for your health."

I realised that during my bickerings with Edgar, I almost missed the moment Raegan and Jeff begrudgingly accepted each other.

Edgar. I missed him so much. At first, I didn't want him to be reduced as just another casualty of the quest, like Nathan. Now I knew he was safe, but I couldn't help but fear he would never re-join us. Or maybe Jake had got his memories back already, and they got in some kind of fight...

And I felt nostalgia for my old life. Maybe if I had been a human, I would have been in San Gimignano with Risa on a trip. But I was in a place modelled after it with two Enchanters and we were about to try to pry a mythical object from a god's hands. Risa had been kidnapped, and since I wasn't about to exchange the Empty Mirror for her, I had no idea how to save her.

"Does the word Free-Masons mean something to you?" Raegan asked me. "Or Illuminati?"

I nodded.

"I thought so. I've heard it said, once, by Blair, one of the Traditionalists who had human relatives, that the House of the Templar's Circle looked like it belonged to the Free-Masons, or the Illuminati. So, you can point it out to us if you see it. I, of course, have seen the illustrations, but they weren't always good."

"Templar's Circle? The ancient name for the Circle," Jeff arched an eyebrow.

In the end, it wasn't even hard to find. The road that led to the House of the Templar's Circle was beautiful. A long avenue with elm trees on both sides of it.

As soon as we opened the door of the house, we found something.

"Teleportation capes," Jeff said, picking up the three hoods in front of us. "To move between worlds without the need of the spell. They're extremely rare, and they only work to bring you back where you came from. Still, seeing as they're three, they mustn't be here for us."

A letter slipped out from one of the pockets of the capes. I read it out loud:

"A gift from us to you — Samuel, Vitaly and Nathan. Wear them when you find the Mirror and use them to teleport back home.