A Warm Invitation

That evening, Jess had just finished bathing and climbed out to get dressed when he spotted Gred watching him from a distance.

"Want to get a drink?"

"Sure."

Jess answered while checking how much money he had in his pockets. But when he reached Gred, the dwarf said, "Tonight we're going to the Gilded Rose. We're eating something expensive. My treat."

"How expensive?"

"Lion meat. How's that? Mountain lion from the Hillsbrad Foothills. Expensive enough for you?"

"Let's go! Roast lion ribs!"

They hurried all the way to the Gilded Rose. Once they sat down, Gred asked, "How are your legs doing?"

Jess looked up at him. "First you buy me roast meat, then you ask about my legs. Don't tell me you've got another job you want me to join. I'm planning to rest for a few days. I can make money now, but my body's barely keeping up."

"No," Gred said. "I just got promoted to sergeant, so I'm celebrating."

"Sergeant? Nice." Jess made a show of congratulating him. To be honest, he had no idea what use the ranks inside this strange guild were supposed to have.

As a server brought over a plate of lion ribs on the bone, Gred licked his lips. "As for your legs, I'm not asking just because I'm worried. I want us to get back to your lessons."

"I've already ordered a sword," Jess said. "Modeled after yours. I went to a blacksmith in the Dwarven District. Pick it up for me when you have time."

"Well, you're eager. I thought once you'd learned that..." He glanced at the diners nearby and lowered his voice. "That magic stuff, you wouldn't want to learn swordsmanship anymore."

"I think you're right," Jess said, nodding over and over. "I need to spend less time around those things, Gred. Work out with you. Learn to use a sword."

"Even mages need exercise." Gred laughed, picked up a rib, and took a big bite. Then he shouted, "Where's the beer? Are you brewing it from scratch? What's taking so long? The meat'll be cold before we have anything to drink with it!"

Jess watched Gred happily work his way through the meat and took a sip of the sour grape juice he'd ordered.

As things stood, only shadow magic had welcomed him. It was the only path that seemed open.

Between the resources of the Wizard's Sanctum and the warlock relics he'd stumbled upon in Duskwood, this path had offered opportunities none of the others had come close to giving him.

The Holy Light had rejected him. Arcane magic had rejected him. Necromancy... He wouldn't even consider it. He'd come to Stormwind in the first place to escape the Scourge. Was he supposed to end up becoming the Scourge himself?

As for the paths of nature and the elements, was it too late to find someone to teach him? Was he supposed to head into Stranglethorn Vale and look for inspiration among the trolls?

Or should he try to reach enlightenment entirely on his own, without guidance or help, in a city where there was no tradition of nature magic at all? Was success even possible?

More importantly, how long would it take?

The sky was black and empty, with only a few dim stars showing through.

Jess hadn't come home this late in a long time. As he walked, he watched the people on the streets without really paying attention.

A few old men were still fishing by the canal. Farther away, a young couple sat close together on the riverbank, whispering to each other. A group of dwarves were throwing beer bottles into the water to see who could throw the farthest. They were arguing over whose bottle had landed farther away, even though not even a dwarf could make out a glass bottle in the dark water.

Suddenly, Jess felt something sharp press against the back of his waist.

"Keep quiet. I don't want to hurt you. Come with me."

He'd heard that voice somewhere, but the speaker was deliberately keeping it low, making it hard to recognize.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on NovelPhoenix.

Jess nodded and followed his captor's directions into a narrow alley beside the wine shop. The man behind him finally spoke in his normal voice.

"Remember me?"

It was Gakin.

Jess had known the man would try to get back at him. He'd stayed alert for days. The one evening he relaxed a little and went out to eat with Gred, Gakin had found his chance.

"I remember, Gakin. We met in the Old Town."

"Good. Then tell me why my Fear spell didn't work on you. And where did you learn yours?"

"You didn't pronounce the spell clearly," Jess said.

"Impossible. I learned it from a Dark Iron dwarf. You're a warlock too. You should know nobody in this world understands shadow magic better than the Dark Iron clan. Tell me the truth. You must have used something..."

Jess suddenly drove his elbow into Gakin's face. As the man recoiled in pain, Jess spun around and grabbed his right hand, the one holding the dagger.

Gakin wasn't strong enough to resist. Jess clamped down on his wrist and twisted hard. Gakin let go, and the dagger clattered to the ground.

Now that the dagger was gone, Jess had nothing to worry about. He swung a fist into Gakin's cheek. The warlock stumbled backward several steps and leaned against the wall. He ran his tongue over his teeth, touched his nose, and found blood there.

He glanced at the dagger. Jess planted a foot on it.

"What now? Going to cast a spell?"

"I know I couldn't possibly cast any spell successfully at this distance," Gakin said.

"Glad you know." Jess smiled. "You and Surena Caledon still owe me two silver coins from last time. But considering how it turned out, I won't make a fuss about it."

"I don't care about the two silver coins, young man," Gakin said. "I just want to know why my Fear didn't affect you."

"It did," Jess said. "But not everyone runs away screaming, Gakin. Some people can be hit by a Fear spell much stronger than yours and still stand where they are, thinking clearly instead of immediately panicking."

Of course, he wasn't talking about himself. He'd made it through thanks to a shadow protection potion.

He was talking about Gred. The dwarf had taken Jess's Fear spell head-on, just like the wolves had. And Jess had cast it with the help of that strange staff. Yet Gred had recovered on his own before long.

Gakin's words also answered one of Jess's questions: why had a spell he'd reconstructed after hearing it from a third-rate warlock worked immediately?

It turned out Gakin hadn't picked up some garbled thirdhand chant. He'd learned a real spell from a dwarf who'd actually studied dark magic.

The leader of these warlocks had something going for him after all. Maybe the entire group was more complicated than Jess had first assumed.

"I see," Gakin said after thinking for a while. "The dwarf told me Fear doesn't work to its full effect on everyone. But it worked very well when I tried it on beasts. It worked on a beggar too. I never expected a young man to withstand it."

"Then I'll take this dagger as an apology for threatening me—and as payment for those two silver coins." Jess tucked the rather pretty little knife into his belt. "If you ambush me again, I won't be so polite."

That was what he said, but his heart was still pounding. These days, not many people willing to fight him were as weak as this warlock. When he'd gotten into fights at construction sites, he'd usually been the one beaten up. He'd won very few.

Maybe all the things he'd been through with Gred this month had helped him grow.

He understood more and more why Gred wanted him to practice swordsmanship. Until his spells became powerful enough to make a real difference, spellcasters like him had little ability to protect themselves.

At this stage, close combat skills and physical fitness mattered enormously in a fight. Magic could only support them.

Jess was about to leave when Gakin suddenly asked, "Your name's Jess, right? I'm remembering that correctly?"

"What are you planning? Reporting me to the Church?" Jess turned his head. "I know what your whole group is up to. We can report each other and see who dies worse."

"Of course not. Nobody wants us both to go down." Gakin dusted himself off and got to his feet. "But you have a point. We're in the same boat now."

Jess understood what he was getting at.

"You want me to join you?"

Gakin nodded. "More than that. Right now, we need fighters like you. All we have is Erlan Dudemore. But even though he's one of us, he has no patience for studying magic. He's a member of the Stonemasons' Guild. He only came to the Slaughtered Lamb by chance, and I doubt he's there to learn magic. All he does is throw his weight around, using his strength to threaten me and the others. I'd like someone who can keep him in check. So few people are willing to pursue the dark arts these days. Young men with both courage and strength are even rarer. I don't want to pass up someone with your potential."

Erlan Dudemore. He was the big young man who'd been fooling around with Surena when Jess first entered the Slaughtered Lamb.

Back then, Jess hadn't understood what was happening. He'd been afraid a shadow spell might accidentally kill him, and Erlan had been as strong as a bear. Jess couldn't put up any resistance.

But no matter how strong the man was, he was still a mortal. Jess had already started down this path. He shouldn't be afraid of Erlan. Besides, Gakin's knowledge was far more important to him.

Jess asked, "So you don't hold it against me for using Fear on you that night?"

"On the road to mastering the dark arts, there are far greater sacrifices and setbacks," Gakin said. "But a sacrifice must never be for nothing. I think meeting you is the reward for this one."

Jess thought for a moment. "I have conditions too."

"Of course," Gakin said. "We're not rich, but we have a little money. If you're willing to join us..."

"Money is necessary, but it's not the main thing," Jess said. "When I join, you have to teach me a valuable spell first."

"That's exactly the spirit! That muscle-brained fool Erlan would never make a request like that in his entire life. And that, Jess, is why we founded this organization in the first place!" Gakin said excitedly. "Don't worry. On your very first day, I'll teach you a spell that's absolutely worth learning. You'll be satisfied."

"One more thing. I'm not your student," Jess added.

"Of course not. We're partners. Colleagues. Friends." Gakin smiled.