The café on the market square was barely frequented in the early morning. Whitewashed walls formed an intense contrast to the half-timbered oak beams that supported the building. Magister Arminio stared at the dents and burn marks on the table, which told their own stories. Instead of his red robe with the insignia of fire magic, he wore gray, worn-out work clothes. He had sat down on a corner bench and was yawning.
The bell above the front door rang brightly and a new guest entered. The draft wafted the smell of stale coffee towards him, and Arminio wrinkled his nose. The brew in his cup was so thin that he could see the bottom. As the innkeeper rushed past him, he instinctively pulled his cap lower, as his irises were red while he worked.
His talent for distinguishing temperatures was more sensitive than that of the other fire mages. He perceived the warm heart and blood vessels of every person in detail and memorized this unique image like a fingerprint. He was able to recognize such sources of warmth and trace them throughout the city. Because this gave him immense pleasure, he followed his heart's desire and regularly searched for missing persons for the police.
There were only four people living in the house Ferron had shown him: one man and three women, one of whom was too old and the other too big to be the target. The youngest was all muscle and bone. Her thoughts confirmed that it was the one she was looking for. She was worried about her family and about the mine being closed. Arminio was surprised because Ferron had never mentioned this plan in the College Arcane.
With a quick glance and a little magic, he warmed the coffee until it was steaming. He sipped it and grimaced. For a native Sicilian like him, this broth was an imposition.
Leaving his own work behind was a point of honor, as Ferron did not often ask for help. Everyone supported him wherever they could, as he carried a great responsibility on his shoulders. Besides, he hadn't shown any more in-depth interest in a woman for a long time. Arminio shook his head, a few copper-red curls swaying. It was a mystery to him how she had caught the arch magus' attention. Her thoughts bored him, for she had neither committed a crime nor was she looking for a hot night. Such seemingly pointless assignments usually turned out to be highly interesting.
He pushed his coffee away and put a few coins next to it. Glandera was on her way to the mine, and he wanted to look at her face before a layer of dust covered it. Hopefully, she was pretty.
Glandera
Equipped with a hammer and chisel, Glandera walked through the streets of Chattenberg (*FN* pronunciation: Kattenberg*FN*). The cobblestones beneath her bare feet were cool. A queasy feeling spread through her stomach when she remembered her grandmother's stories. Ever since she could walk, she had learned not to attract attention. Steady footsteps sounded, and she turned quickly into an alley before the guards crossed her path.
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught the glint of the golden octahedron. It was the emblem of the imposing mage academy and was mounted on the highest tower so that it could be seen from afar in the sunlight. Glandera shook her head imperceptibly. She worked hard every day in the mine for such nonsense.
She had decided to ignore the foreman's words, but she had hardly slept. A cold shiver ran down her spine, but she hurried on to enter the mine on time with everyone else. The mages paid above-average wages and everyone endeavored to do their job to the best of their ability, as they could easily be replaced. It was precisely this situation that the foreman had been exploiting for years.
Like every morning, she joined the queue in the square in front of the mine to have her presence witnessed. Once again, many new men and women had arrived, hoping for a job. She looked around out of the corner of her eye and breathed a sigh of relief: The arch magus was not here. She sent a prayer to the heavens in the hope that he had forgotten her and that their encounter would go unpunished. Everyone knew not to touch magicians.
Arminio
The workers' footsteps crunched on the gravel and the queue of miners moved slowly forwards. No one dared to say a word. They all waited to come to the foreman's table to make their presence known. Only then were they allowed to pass the guards of the mage academy and enter the mine. Arminio stood far behind Glandera in the line and listened to the young woman's thoughts. Why was she so afraid of the mages? Now that she was facing the foreman, her thoughts were racing. He urged her to surrender to him. Half telepathically, half listening with his ears, he followed their conversation.
"Ah, yes. The crystal spotter. You're late." The leader furrowed his eyebrows and noted her presence.
"I'm on time, as always." Her voice quivered with fear.
"I was expecting you earlier." The man stared at her with a wry smile as he straightened his trousers for a moment. "In my hut."
"I ..."
The fire mage watched as the warm blood pumped faster and faster through her heart and her muscles twitched. Her body was getting ready to flee. As a captain in the Italian police force, he had seen enough desperate women to understand Glandera's situation. He hid his face behind his cap and intervened in the situation with a lowered tone and accent-free German. "Is that still going to be something up ahead?"
Zulkis looked past the worker and searched for the man who had dared to raise his voice. Glandera recognized her chance and hurried on. Just before she entered the mine, she hesitated and glanced over her shoulder. Arminio winked at her, and she smiled before disappearing into the darkness.
A few minutes later, he stood in front of Zulkis.
"Name?" Bored, he didn't even look up from his book.
"Serious. Take Serious." The captain bent forwards and lean on the table with both hands. His narrowed eyes pierced the creep.
Zulkis looked up in astonishment. "What kind of stupid..." he froze abruptly as he met Arminio's frosty gaze.
"Let's get this straight: The erudite Magister Ferron has a special interest in the crystal spotter. If harm her, I will report it. Do you understand?"
