44 – The Alchemist

Accessing the gold-rank prisoner cells had posed surprisingly little challenge. The false identity Rafael had provided held more than enough social weight to stroll up to the guardhouse, make demands, and have them met with utmost haste, even if the officials there weren’t quite sure who Vivi was. Still, they weren’t going to risk annoying a demonic foreigner of the First Blood—not when a quick [Blink] demonstrated she was, at a minimum, orichalcum-rank as she claimed.

Vivi had yet to speak with Rafael on the topic of William’s imprisonment. She’d headed straight for the man in case he was being mistreated. A cell would hardly be a pleasant fate in the best of circumstances, but if she had found a starving, beaten man chained to a wall, she would have broken her promise to Rafael to treat the law with due respect. Or rather, the due respect would have been none.

William didn’t look like he was enjoying life, but he was alive, fed, and healthy. He smelled awful and his hair and beard were overgrown, but his cell was clean, he had a sleeping cot with a blanket, and he was apparently even allowed visitors.

She hadn’t walked into a nightmare scenario, so she had no justification to break him out. She would, however, formulate a plan with Rafael to force an expedited end to his sentence; she wouldn’t leave him to his fate.

“Start from the beginning,” William repeated slowly. He glanced at his sister. The dark-haired girl bearing a striking resemblance to him shrugged helplessly, then gestured urgently in a way that obviously said, ‘hurry up and answer her, already!’

As useful as Nysari’s identity was, her presence clearly put people on edge. More importantly, Vivi knew reports of this visit would spread rapidly. To Duke Caldimore and the Guard Captain, to name the most obvious. She wouldn’t be surprised if Rafael had a report on his desk before evening.

Her reassurances hadn’t put William at ease either. He watched her like he might a poised viper.

“I’m…not sure how much there is to explain. I figure you have the gist of it. I said some things about the Caldimores that I shouldn’t have, and the pri—” He bit his tongue. “And Duke Caldimore took offense.”

“I gathered that much. But what did you say, and why? What prompted it? What do you know about the situation at the Institute, and Saffra and Isabella?”

William hesitated. He glanced at the guardsman. “I don’t think I should repeat what I said about Duke Caldimore,” he said dubiously.

“You really shouldn’t,” the guard said, shifting uncomfortably, seeming like he would rather be anywhere else.

Vivi frowned. “I said speak freely. You’re under my protection.” But she doubted the exact insults mattered, and she shouldn’t encourage the slandering of dukes, Rafael’s distressed voice urged in her head. “More important is why. And what happened with Saffra?”

William stared at her for a long moment, then grimaced and looked away. “You probably know more about that than I do. When I found out she’d been expelled, and the whole thing started because of Duke Caldimore’s girl, I—didn’t react well.”

William’s sister snorted at that understatement, then froze when Vivi’s attention drifted her way. Vivi didn’t even have her red tear-trails to blame. Even Nysari was powerful enough to terrify people, and didn’t have the benefit of the Sorceress’s positive reputation.

“You have a history with the Caldimores?” Vivi asked, since that seemed to be the implication. Why else would he be so upset that it was a Caldimore’s accusations that had led to Saffra’s expulsion?

William’s lip pulled up in distaste. “You could say that.”

“How so?”

He seemed reluctant to answer. “I spent six years in the Wardens.”

It took her a second to place the name. “Duke Caldimore’s guild?”

He looked at her oddly. She supposed it was one of the most prominent guilds in the Human Kingdoms. Even demons should be aware of it. Certainly a visiting noble.

“Yes,” he said dubiously. “Duke Caldimore’s guild.”

“Why’d you leave?”

He looked like he was about to say something scathing, glanced at the guardsman, and took a breath to calm himself.

“Disagreements in how the guild was run,” he said sardonically.

“Oh?”

When he didn’t respond right away, Vivi said, “It’s best if I understand the situation before I put myself between you and the Caldimores. The politics are going to be—complicated.”

William stirred in surprise, and so did his sister, which Vivi found somewhat nonsensical since she’d made it clear from the start that she’d come to help.

“You’re really going to pick a fight with the Caldimores? For me?” He hesitated. “For Saffra. You…took her as an apprentice. How is she? She’s a tough one, so I never really worried, but still…”

By the expression on his face, he definitely had worried. “She’s fine.” She chose not to add ‘if a little more traumatized than when she left’. “She attracts as much trouble as always,” she sighed, irritated at the reminder that Fate liked picking on the girl. “She led me to Tilly, who explained your situation. I’m not here for Saffra’s sake alone though. I would have tried to help regardless. A six-month imprisonment for insults, however inappropriate, is excessive. Whether or not they were given from a commoner to a duke.”

The whole room stared at her like she’d grown a second head. Vivi internally winced. Maybe she shouldn’t go decrying the political and social norms of the world. That idle comment had been exactly what Rafael had meant when he warned her that her actions would have consequences.

At least she was speaking as Nysari and not Vivisari. Though eventually those personas would merge; the subterfuge wouldn’t survive indefinitely. It was a temporary arrangement to hold her over until Vanguard announced the Sorceress’s reemergence in an official capacity.

“Never mind that. You were in the Wardens. What happened to make you leave?”

William was still giving her a strange look, which she couldn’t blame him for.

“It’s not a long story,” he finally said. “Something about that guild never sat right with me, but I chalked it up to…” He grimaced. “Idealism, I guess. Expecting something that didn’t exist. But even then, that place felt…heartless. From the start, always felt like a means to an end. A way to make coin, maybe. A pet project for the Duke, for the sake of his reputation. I don’t know. But not a community for up-and-coming heroes, like guilds ought to be.”

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He snorted.

“And yes, I know how that sounds. I was fourteen when I joined. Anyway, it wasn’t until one of my teammates nearly died that the illusion really broke. A guild is supposed to take care of its own. Not just on principle, but what in the hells are the guild dues for, if not that? It’s in the damn contract.” He was working himself up, his words growing hot. “But they left him a cripple instead. Would’ve been too expensive. Not impossible, mind you. Plenty capable, probably had the damn potions on hand. It’s the Wardens we’re talking about. But no. Too expensive for some no-name low-silver.”

He took a breath to calm himself.

“Turned out to be a pretty big deal,” William said flatly. “Didn’t sit right with a lot of people, as it shouldn’t. Ended up in a meeting with the Duke. We didn’t have a productive discussion.”

He spat to the side, which made both the guardsman and his sister tense. Rose seemed like she might lurch forward and shut him up. He didn’t burst into a vitriolic rant though. Just sighed, the fire sagging out of him.

“So yeah. We had a bit of a history. Somehow kept my mouth shut back then, not that I had much choice, but when I found out his daughter had gotten her fangs into Saffra, had her expelled and run out of the city, I…didn’t react like I should. Wasn’t having a great day to begin with, but that’s no excuse.” Exhausted, he waved a hand. “That’s the story. The important parts. Like I said, I didn’t learn much about Saffra. Got myself into trouble too fast.”

Vivi’s frown had tugged down further and further throughout the story. “I was told Saffra and Isabella were close before their falling out. Friends, of a sort.”

William leaned back in shock. “That can’t be right.”

He definitely knew less about this situation than she did. That was unfortunate. “According to one of her classmates. At a minimum, they spent a lot of time around each other.”

“I had no idea,” William admitted, seeming frustrated.