Shard

  Dawn nodded, she would like to stay somewhere fortable while she was in town, after all. Lara directed her towards the innermost buildings, following just behind her as she did so. After several minutes of walking, they reached an area he ter of the town, and Lara directed them to a five-story tall building that appeared to have been made from a single block of granite; an image of a pnt leaf engraved above the doors.

  Lara pointed out an alley to the side, and they followed it around to the back of the building where ane building sat. Following her dires, Dawn pulled the cart inside, and quickly noticed that there were a rge number of carts lined up in spots that had been marked out with numbers. While looking around, a man came up to them carrying a metal tag. Lara thanked him as she took the tag, and he headed back to a desk in the er.

  After taking a g the tag, Lara directed Dawn to park her cart in a specific slot before they headed into the main building.

  As they entered, Dawn was amazed by the number of people in the on room before them, easily a quarter the total popution of her vilge. As they walked to the ter oher side of the building, he front door, Lara asked her if she would prefer a room with a window or not. After thinking for a moment, Dawn decided oh a window, as she wao be able to see how the town looked si was her first time there, after all.

  Lara nodded, and as they reached the ter, waved to the man behind the ter as he approached. As he reached them, she began speaking, “Hello again, Robert, I was assigo escort Dawn here, she is a mage, and willing to pay food window room. Do you have any free at the moment?”

  With a curious g Dawn, Robert responded, “Yes, we have several open. I must admit I didn’t think I’d ever see a mage so young.” He then turo address Dawn directly, “What forms of magic are you capable of? We have several things that need a mage’s assistance, which will pay for your room.”

  Dawn immediately replied, “I am best with fire and light magic, but also do minor work with water ah, as well as being able to heal. What is it you need done?”

  Robert looked surprised for a moment before shaking his head and tinuing, “Well, I wasn’t expeg you to be so talented, either. I suppose that is why you are out here on your own, eh? We have a rge number of discharged mana stohat need charging, but what is more important is that two of our fme stones and a water stone have crumbled, and we need repts for them.”

  “I don’t know about the water one, but I probably do the fire ones. How much do you need for my stay here?” inquired Dawn.

  “Oh, even just one will cover a day and then some. But anything you do will save the town’s mages some work, and some of them are on vacatiht now, so the rest are somewhat overworked, hence why we have these needs at the moment,” Robert said as he waved them behind the ter and opehe door behind it.

  As they all filed into the room, Dawn looked around, marveling at the rge number of mana stones sitting on shelves, most of them the size of her fist er. Robert walked to one of the racks and pulled out two massive ones nearly the size of his head, bringing them over to the table in the middle of the room.

  Dawn headed to the table as well, only to be surprised as Lara quickly rushed forward to pull out the chair for her. Shaking her head, she tried to remember that this would be more on iure, before asking Lara to let her handle minor things like that herself.

  She then focused on one of the stones before her, carefully running tendrils of mana through it as her mother had taught her, feeling for any imperfes that might cause problems. Finding it to be in very good shape, she began f the structures for produg fire, holding them firmly in her mind before twisting the mana withioo match the design. Several mier, she sighed and released the stone before stating to Robert that she was finished with it.

  With a nod, Robert took the stone, examining it carefully before activating it, causing a fme to begin growing out of it. O reached the size of his torso, he disabled it again, carrying it to the other side of the room as he thanked her. Dawn remained sitting, and a few seds ter, reached for the other stone, repeating the process.

  After she fihe sed fire entment, Robert asked if she could tinue, and, at her nod, went to grab one of the discharged stones from the racks. After it ced before her, Dawn ected with it and began eling her mana into it, pulling as much ambient mana in as she could, finding that it was nearly as strong as in her vilge.

  While she was thinking about it, she asked why that was, receiving the ahat there were enough people here to make up for the ck of other life.

  Several mier, she finished charging the first stone, and they repeated the process on another. Dawn tihis pattern until she began to feel like she was running low on mana, having charged six stones after the entment work she did before.

  As she stood up, Robert thanked her, and they headed back out to the main room. Dawn and Lara headed back to the other side of the ter, while Robert kneeled down, fiddling with a safe. A moment ter, he stood up again, pg a bag full of s on the ter between them and speaking, “This should be plenty to start with. Your pay for the assistanes out to enough to stay here fhly a month, though I’m assuming you will probably want most of that in money, correct?”

  Dawn’s eyes wide the amount, as she hadn’t thought it was that valuable before. Seeing this, Robert chuckled, before stating, “It may seem like a lot to you, but seeing how you work, I know you e from one of the vilges. Out there, you folks have to be able to do more things on your own. Here in the safety of town, many mages are uo ent at all, and are not nearly as effit as you are in rechargiher. You’ve done a great deal more than I expected, and Lara here firm that I pay the same for wandering mages as I do those from the tower.”

  Quickly gng at Lara, Dawn noticed her nod. Assuming the information was correct, she just mentally shrugged before asking, “I see, thank you, then. How about the room?”

  “Of course, I’ve got one oop floor that I think you will prefer. Just so you aren’t surprised, Lara will be staying with you, it is normal, as a mage’s esust be in their prese all times until they leave, uhey are known and trusted,” Robert said as he pulled a key out from below the ter and ha to her. “Did you leave anything iorehouse out babsp; If so, I o record it.”

  “Yes, I brought a cart with me,” Dawn remarked, before stating whiumber she parked at. Robert nodded and wrote something down in a book beside him before speaking again, “Thank you, Dawn, that is all I need from you, e baorrow if you need more money and I will have it ready, a me know if you have any requests.”

  Thanking the man, Dawn took the key and headed toward the stairs with Lara following behind her. After reag the fifth floor, she g the tag attached to the key and began walking down the hall looking for a matbsp; After walking almost the entire perimeter, she finally found the right room. Muttering under her breath about going down the wrong hall to start, she unlocked the door, and they ehe room.