Hope

What remained of the caravan was worth surprisingly little. Anything even remotely magical seemed to have been completely destroyed by the Wrathsinger’s screams, well except the now empty vault which was only half obliterated but impossible to loot. The same went for most of the wealth; turns out sufficient void magic can, in fact, melt away gold. Where the matter went, Irwyn had no idea. It could have been completely erased for what was left of it. All that remained were a few rare gems that were basically untouched, which the two of them divided half and half. Since there were fewer than expected, Irwyn assumed that they were those particularly resistant to void magic while other jewelry was also destroyed. Not that they searched that thoroughly. They just grabbed whatever was visible and left before someone could show up. Abonisle would likely send people to investigate and if they could teleport to the scene it might not even take them that long; Irwyn had no idea what protocols were in place for a situation like this, how long it would take them to prepare or even how close they would be willing to risk coming in blind.

They could see Abonisle in the early noon, delayed by taking a longer way around to approach from the West rather than from the south where the previous night's fighting took place. The city obviously knew about that considering their drastic response so approaching from that direction would be very suspicious and extraordinarily stupid.

When they finally came over a hill and first saw the city, Irwyn’s mouth almost fell wide open. Abonisle, nicknamed the Veil Watcher, was known to reside right on top of an anomalously thin boundary between their Realm and the Void. That is what the tourist guide Irwyn had read said.

What it did not mention was that it wasn’t just some background magical effect or a few de-facto portals. No, the city was seemingly built upon a gigantic island in the middle of an even larger lake; except, it wasn’t a lake but a fifty-meter sheer drop leading into absolute and unnatural blackness, inky vapour-like streams of void magic rising from it.

The Veil from the nickname was quite visible, Irwyn supposed. No wonder the city was a magical beacon: It was at least partially tapping into the Void itself. There was no doubt in Irwyn’s mind that the city was getting massive advantages out of it one way or another. It was, after all, known as the closest centre of magic North-West of City Black itself.

Which was probably at least in part why Old Crow had directed him here. Abonisle had one of the most concentrated caster populations after the capital as far as Irwyn understood. That meant that rather than stand out in some backwater, Irwyn would get lost here among the other fish. He did not actually know much more about the city. The book he had once read had not mentioned much more as far as he could remember though he had done that it a long time ago.

Which was still strange considering how incredibly unique the architecture appeared at first glance. Inland, Irwyn could see tall buildings getting progressively higher. The city was almost like a staircase at that first glance: Taller and taller buildings growing from the ground the closer they were to the centre, 3 massive towers staring down at the whole city from at least twice the height of the other already incredibly tall buildings around them somewhere in the middle.

The way to reach Abonisle was obvious: Half a dozen robust bridges lead over the abyss between the city and solid ground; they had bearing pillars reaching into the black below, supposedly somehow managing to bear the weight there, as well as long and thick enchanted wire reaching down from pairs of spires on each side of the bridges. It was probably an architectural wonder, except Irwyn knew very little about architecture. Much less about bridge building.

There was actually no other traffic besides them on the road, most likely because of the demons. That meant they did not have to wait in line to get stopped at the first checkpoint; just before entering a bridge there was a small barricade next to a guardhouse that had been placed into one of the twin bearing spires at that side of the bridge.

The guards wore a black uniform, like half other things in the duchy, and did not really bother them too much. They had an obvious gem meant to detect mages imbued into the top of their gloves, though neither Desir nor Irwyn triggered it. Irwyn thought one of them was looking at him a bit too intently as they noted down their names, however, they made no further trouble for them so Irwyn opted not to comment on it.

Then they were walking over the long bridge and Irwyn for the first time in perhaps ever felt vertigo, almost stumbling on the way. He had some experience standing on top of buildings, though never particularly keen on travelling over rooftops, however, staring 50 meters down into a completely black abyss was a different experience altogether. Even if there were tall and solid metal handrails enchanted to boot and the road was noticeably wider than even the Road Street of Ebon Respite. Because they were somehow still the only travelers he opted to walk close to the center. Hopefully he would get used to the walk in time, or he could also just avoid leaving and returning through the bridge as much as possible.

“Quite a view isn’t it?” Desire chuckled, visibly amused by Irwyn’s reaction. He seemed… looser now, more relaxed than during their travels. Not that they had talked much “Now, Irwyn, after yesterday I suppose one could say we know each other, eh?”

“I will give you that,” Irwyn understood his meaning. “Then since we know each I suppose you know more people to introduce me to.”

“Well, I doubt you would come to Abonisle in particular without a reason,” Desir nodded. “And let’s not pretend either of us are going any further. There is not much in this direction until all the way to the Northern border, so unless you intend to leave the Federation altogether we were both head here all along.”

“Fair enough. You are right,” Irwyn saw no further need to continue the pretense. Although they were skimming around it a bit, there were enough hints to figure out that the two of them were rather familiar. Although neither would say it, they both understood that each was connected to the Guild and the underworld at least to some extent. There were just too many little details that were unlikely to come from anywhere else.

“I don’t know if you ever were to a big city,” Desir acknowledge Irwyn’s confirmation and continued speaking. “However, things tend to work differently in our circles.”

“Please, elaborate,” Irwyn was willing to admit his ignorance. It was weakness, if slight, however, he was most likely going to get involved with the Guild anyway depending on how long he stayed; and on what was the nature of assistance received from Old Crow’s contact. Better than he admits ignorance to someone he is already on decent terms with.

“There are 4 elderly birds in Abonisle, if you catch my drift, each the extraordinary kind. Although they are supposedly only related to the Duchy-wide society, well, everyone else works under one of them or finds themselves in trouble.”

“And you have a suggestion about who I should associate with,” Irwyn easily realised. He would hear out the pitch and consider it afterwards then.

“I deal with the Ibis,” Desir nodded. “They have by far the most casters among the 4 and know their way around up high and close to center. I believe it is also the best choice of association for you since Ibis is all about quality over quantity, which you bloody damn are.”

“I will consider it,” Irwyn though about it for a moment and then nodded. It sounded good on paper but he would not just take Desir’s word for it. In Ebon Respite underworld politics took place outside the Guild itself, which remained a neutral mediator and somewhat limited in influence, though he was familiar that conflicts between powerful gangs could get easily out of hand. And getting stuck on the wrong side of that was often lethal. “I have an acquaintance up high to meet,” at least Irwyn assumed that whoever Old Crow would connect him with was influential outside the underworld, otherwise he would have given him a Fowl’s name. They will find you after arrival - the letter had said. When that was Irwyn had no idea.

“That’s all I wanted to hear for now,” Desir nodded with a smile. “I have to settle my business while you deal with your own. Giving you time for research, say we meet in a week? I know a good spot. You should still try to explore the city though, it’s very unique.”

“Agreed,” Irwyn said as they closed in on the other side of the bridge. Another checkpoint stood there in an almost identical arrangement. With the limited traffic, they had no trouble getting through quickly, except both of the guards who waved them through stared at Irwyn just a bit too intently.

Three out of four was not likely a coincidence. Unless he had committed an extreme faux pass with his fashion, someone was expecting him. Someone with their fingers deep in the Abonisle city guard at the very least.

Irwyn just hoped it was his upcoming allies rather than pursuers.

After they were through Desir recommended him an area where to find lodgings, understanding that Irwyn would not fully trust a recommendation of a specific establishment. It was in a good area that had little underground influence bleeding into the above-board businesses, at least according to the blue-eyed man.

“Last thing before we say goodbye, and Irwyn, please listen to me on this one,” Desir said with sudden seriousness.

“What is it?” Irwyn was already on alert because of the guards, though he tensed further at the tone.

“You really, really, really, need to shave that off,” he pointed at his face where Irwyn had been attempting to grow the start of a beard during his travels. Except, it never really took off beyond a slight stubble. Not even a hint of a mustache had appeared despite the month of time and the rest was... far from what he had hoped for.

“That bad?” Irwyn tried not to sound defensive. Fair enough, he might not have had access to a good mirror and little experience with this kind of thing but he didn’t think it was horrible.

“So bad no one was willing to tell you,” Desir nodded, still completely serious. “I hope you can take my advice on this as honest. Especially if you are going to meet someone.”

“Thank you, I will deal with it,” Irwyn sighed and nodded, intently not thinking about all the people he had met over the past month. Well, he had met Old Owl before his apparently horribly failed attempt at facial hair started and basically everyone else were strangers that he expected to never meet again. Except Desir, as it happened. If that relationship went anywhere and Irwyn lived that long he could already see being mocked for it as a joke in two years' time.

Afterwards they said their goodbyes and were on their ways. Irwyn followed the directions Desir had given him and found himself quickly in the good-but-not-quite-rich part of the city. With the whole City built on an Island, horizontal space was seemingly precious and the further in he got, the taller the buildings were; in the distance, he could see those 3 massive towers radiating magic but that was a long way away from him still. And it was not to say that everything else was not radiating magic; magic was so thick in the air Irwyn worried it would be harder for him to detect individual spells in it. The street he had arrived on seemed to be almost focused on tourisms as Irwyn spotted several establishments advertising available lodgings calling themselves ‘hotels’ and multiple ‘restaurants’. Irwyn was rather hungry, though he decided to first find a room and… follow Desir’s advice.

It was surprisingly easy to obtain accommodations. Well, perhaps not surprisingly, Irwyn just expected there to be hassle at the final stretch. The place he chose was relatively higher class than what he was used to on his travels. They just asked for 2 days upfront and after he paid none of the staff so much as commented about his disheveled appearance. There was also a lot of staff. And the building had way too many floors. Perhaps it was a bit of a cultural shock to Irwyn to see that basically every damn building in the entire city had more floors than anything he had seen in Ebon Respite or most of what he had witnessed on his travels.

The next bit of surprise was the elevator. Irwyn had read about elevators like this which was the only reason he had recognised it. If a relatively middle-class place like this could afford to run one, no doubt requiring great maintenance and magical upkeep, Irwyn had to re-evaluate even more things about Abonisle. He knew that Ebon Respite had been backwater, or rather over-exploited, but he had not realised the difference would be quite as big in the availability of, well, everything it seemed. Across all the years living in the city and seeing at least descriptions of the most expensive and extravagant places, he was reasonably confident not a single place had an elevator not meant explicitly for raising wagons with goods, and those were large clumsy contraptions that went up perhaps a single level. Though at least he did not have to walk the stairs up to the 7th floor in this instance.

He came back down 30 minutes later, shaved and somewhat better kept. The room was much better than Irwyn would have expected. Yes, it was quite expensive but it was reasonably spacious and very well-kept. He had asked and was told that he could stay as long as he wished, though he would probably inquire about renting a small apartment. Of course, only once he figured out how that even worked, considering his whole life in Ebon Respite he had never had to personally deal with property law and just stayed at various inns across his travels. An oversight in his education, he supposed.

He proceeded to find a nice ‘restaurant’, not an inn with meals or a tavern which in itself was a bit of a novelty, and ate a meal there. A good meal, comparable to the high bar he had gotten used to with Narcinia. Yes, it was also rather pricey but looking at his current finances he would be fine with this kind of lifestyle for at least a month longer even if he never replenished them. Then, after consideration, he decided to dip into them further and went looking for clothes. His travelling gear was too disheveled, informal and potentially recognisable. He would not go as far as to burn it this time around as he had with his first backpack, however, it would be for the best if he could look the part for his undoubtedly many upcoming meetings.

The shopping had brought him a bit closer to the central spires of Abonisle; Irwyn figured that he would look upstream first and then backtrack if the prices were too high. That was how he found a massive ‘mall’. It was a strange concept to Irwyn, though it made sense in Abonisle, an entire market district condensed into one large 10-story rectangle with the area of several buildings where basically anything could be found for sale. It was a level of amenities Irwyn had not so much as contemplated.

What was even more fascinating were the disclaimers that the top 2 floors required a license to practice magic in order to access. In other words, there were enough licensed casters in the middle class area that they were worth actively catering to, even if they were most likely far above average in income. That was such a leap from Ebon Respite. Irwyn had been aware that City Black, the capital being just a day’s travel away from his hometown, had been actively syphoning basically every speck of magical talent born for education and whatever else, but by the sheer scarcity of them he had assumed that they were rare. He had seen maybe 5 casters the whole time he had lived in Ebon Respite until the Blackburg revenge purge and only one had ever stayed in Ebon Respite long-term, leading to that belief. Now he was not quite so sure anymore.

The whole layout was not too confusing to Irwyn despite the unfamiliarity. It was much like a regular market street once he was inside, except split into several levels. The floors were also clearly divided into specialties, clothing being found on the third floor. Irwyn reached there and went searching, soon enough coming upon a second-hand store, picked at random mostly.

First he found himself something more casual. A black shirt, because almost everything in the store was black, in good condition as well as pants that both fit him. Then he spotted a suit. It was a black cut, obviously, but something about it attracted Irwyn’s attention. Then he realised it was ever so slightly enchanted. Just something to make the fabric a small bit more resilient and stretchable. That made him frown because he should have realised that significantly sooner. In fact, now that he thought about it, his perception of the absolute myriad of magical items all around Abonisle had been less… urgent than it would have been back in Ebon Respite. Oh, when he focused on them it was no trouble to feel the magic but subconsciously he was a lot less aware of each individual source than he had been. After feeling around and giving it some thought Irwyn concluded that his earlier worry that the massive hike in ambient mana might make it more difficult to perceive things was indeed correct. It was a bit like trying to spot a specific tree in a forest rather than a field. Abonisle was just so full of magic it became more difficult to spot the individual trees, doubly so if he wasn't paying the most attention. A tree in an open field was obvious after all but in a forest it was just one among many.

The positive news were that the shop apparently did not know the suit was enchanted, considering the price they had asked for it; or magical clothing was an order of magnitude cheaper than Irwyn would have thought. It would do very nicely for any formal occasions. And it was convenient that he could finish shopping in just the first store. Satisfied with his purchases, he left exploring the rest of the one-building shopping district to another time.

When Irwyn finally returned to his room he was quite tired, perhaps fatigue from long travel finally catching up to him now that he had a moment to relax. That was why it took him almost 3 seconds to spot the discrepancy when stepping into his bedroom: On his bed lay a plain white card with words written onto it with calligraphic flare.

They were an address and a time.

Well, if his guess was correct, it would seem like Irwyn would finally meet Old Crow’s acquaintance the following noon.