Chapter 1

“YOU MEAN WE’RE NEVER returning to the academy?” I clarified once again, assessing my new lodgings with interest. The Silver Goose wasn’t the most fashionable hotel in Turb, but compared to where I’d been forced to live for the past month, it was the peak of cleanliness and perfection. The two-room suite we’d settled into was on the fifth and final floor, with a phenomenal view of the Fortress, academy, and even the Imperial Palace. The greater part of the capital was at my feet, and I, unaccustomed to such magnificence, was rendered completely breathless. Who would have thought that the capital of the Zarak Empire could be so beautiful?

“You’re no longer a doomed soldier, Max. Your status is still not entirely determined—I must discuss it with the High Priest—but you are no longer obligated to waste your time on useless humdrum at the academy,” replied Mother Alia, who had donned the purple robes of a bishop. The girl was only eighteen years old, my age, but she behaved as if she were a wise old man who had lived a long and eventful life. Of course, this behavior could be attributed to post-traumatic shock—just three hours ago, the girl nearly perished in the cleansing fire of the church, but even before that, Alia had seemed not of this world.

“As for useless humdrum, I strongly disagree. Some of the Evil Engineer’s training sessions are worth something! Plus I have the right to ten rapier classes. Since I’m no longer a doomed soldier, I should have my own personal weapon. Dance, history, law—there’s a lot more the academy has to offer me! And I have obligations to the chancellor. He believes the rift underneath the academy has reached a critical depth and must be closed. He invited me to participate in this event. I agreed. All my stones were pumped up to level six and they promised to give me a facet, and new stones to boot, once I figure out which ones I need. Plus, we’ve got to deal with my weapon situation—my katars have already demonstrated their limitations. On level eight, I met beasts that could block steel. All in all, the academy is a useful place and I shouldn’t avoid it.”

“All your prior promises and obligations are no longer valid. From now on, you have only me. If someone requires your assistance, they must go through me,” Alia responded calmly. I couldn’t bring myself to call the girl “Mother Alia.” What kind of mother was she?

“So we’re not going to help the academy with the rift?”

“One facet, buffing your stones to level six, and the promise of some unknown stones in the future?” She looked at me like I was a stupid little boy. “That’s the price for clearing a five—maybe six-level. Alright, the rift under the academy is a unique case, since it’s constantly being cleansed, so you could agree to go to level ten for a price like that. But they’re talking about level fourteen, and maybe even level fifteen. No one has ever closed rifts that deep, so the academy won’t be able to get away with awarding you trinkets. I think we should visit the chancellor as soon as possible and discuss the conditions for your participation and further education. I agree that you need an education and polished manners. Closing the rifts is just one part of what you and I will be doing.”

“You want to send me off to hunt converts?”

“They’re much more dangerous than beasts. The creatures living beneath the earth are ord