Day 2
Water poured down the south wall of the room, a thin, flat sheet over a wall of stone that had been polished smooth by many years of controlled flow. The water descended through a grate in the floor, and disappeared beneath the flagstones. Rippling slightly in the irregularities of the water was an image of Sezithorum’s ritual room. The old wizard stood with his arms raised. His mouth moved, but there was no sound other than the toneless drone of the water falling.
Day 2
“We want no part of your silly war! What sort of world is this that you have no warriors? Return us to our home, immediately!” Maress was profoundly disturbed, and trying to cover it up with bluster. Despite being unclothed and unarmed, he thought he was doing well enough. The strangers probably couldn’t tell the difference between eartwitches of anger and those of anxiety. They were also nude, including the one who had just disappeared. Perhaps that was the custom here? No matter. He didn’t plan to stick around long enough to find out.
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Day 2
The ritual copied once again, Tiska followed Roji back toward the ritual room. Sezithorum nodded to them and entered. The apprentices removed their robes, dropping them on the floor next to their master’s and filed in behind him. They walked around the outside of the room, careful not to disturb the chalk outline or the paraphernalia distributed along it. Sezithorum stopped at the center of the western wall, opposite the door, next to the open Codex on the floor. He turned and faced the room, Roji just to his right, and Tiska near the southwest corner of the room. With one final glance at the Codex, Sezithorum began intoning the magical syllables.
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Day 2
Sezithorum’s estate was far enough north and the days were long enough that when the sun rose, it did not illuminate the south-facing windows at all. It was well past dawn before the sun finally shone into Roji’s small and sparsely-furnished room, constructed from mortared bricks and located at the southwest corner of the house.
Day 1
Moments later, they were all settled on the couches and cushions in Sezithorum’s bedchamber. Aside from the doors and windows, the entire room – walls, floor and ceiling – was coated with wood panels. A wardrobe stood against one wall, near the large bed, and tapestries filled much of the remaining wall space. There were several small tables scattered around the room with various volumes and flavors of miscellany piled atop them; the one near the bed, acting as a nightstand, had several items on the floor next to it as well.
Day 1
Sezithorum spent most of the afternoon poring over his new acquisition, punctuated by more releases of charm. Beyond those brief orders, barely more than grunts, he scarcely said a word to them. He was typically taciturn, and he’d gotten absorbed in books and projects before, but never to the point of completely ignoring them. Even when telling them to get him off, he didn’t look at them, and didn’t seem to notice or care which of them it was.
Day 1
“Roji! Come in here!”
Roji sighed. He’d heard Thiri’s hoofbeats returning, followed a few moments later by the master climbing the stairs, and a clatter as equipment hit the floor. The sudden noise had disturbed Pfarth, the sholo that had been flopped across the back of the couch. He looked up interestedly, and scampered into the lab.
