Therion spent the next four days waiting. Sort of. He didn’t just wait, of course. He couldn’t. He dug through books at the guild library, trying to find out which reagents, exactly, were needed to make the elixirs his father needed. While he didn’t find a complete recipe, he did find a reference to the mushroom that master Theresa had mentioned – a mire veilcap, found only in the southern portion of Sehesh, near the Madzhuri border. It could, apparently, also be used as an investiture material for mind mages.

  He scoured local markets looking for some and was disappointed to find that most of the smaller herbalists hadn’t even heard of them. The rest just shrugged and told him what he already knew – the Alchemist’s Guild had bought out their stock months ago. The only somewhat promising lead he got was a goblin at the Gateside Market, who promised that he could get some for him in one or two weeks. Therion had accepted, but he’d believe it when he had them in hand.

  He was about to head out again, this time to check out the Undercity market, when the message finally arrived. The magistrate wanted to see him at the castle at noon. Technically, the summons was for both him and his father, but when he asked, Garius declined. Seeing the look on his face, Therion hadn’t pressed the issue.

  He arrived at Gerold’s to find the magistrate and archmage Thurdred, Bernt’s old boss, waiting for him. The archmage had a face like worn boot leather, but his eyes were brighter than the last time he’d seen him and he had a satisfied air about him as he blew smoke rings toward the ceiling. There were empty cups in front of the two men that might have contained coffee or tea and the place smelled of pipe smoke.

  “Therion,” Magistrate Gerold said. “Glad you could join us. Where’s your father?”

  “He’s… not having a good day,” he explained . “Didn’t want to leave the house.”

  “I see. Well, I suppose that’s one of the reasons we’re doing this. Sit down.”

  Therion sat and looked from the magistrate to Thurdred. “So… you’re going to do it? Let Julian back into the city?”

  “We’re gonna let him make himself useful is what we’ll do,” the archmage said gruffly. “And fix a few other problems while we’re at it. I’ve been looking for a good opportunity to fix a few things around here for years. Who’d have thought the alchemists would come knocking to ask for it?” He chuckled. “Son, you have no idea what you’ve handed to me.”

  Magistrate Gerold cleared his throat. “I sent for you to get you caught up and to make sure you understand how to proceed in getting your father back on his feet.”

  “Okay,” Therion said, expectations rising. “What’s going on?”

  “Well, it’s as you said. We have an opportunity for everyone to win here – though obviously,” he added pointedly, “some will win more than others.” The magistrate picked up a single piece of paper in front of him with text covering the front and back. It had two signature lines at the bottom, both still blank for now. “After discussing the issue, archmage Thurdred and I have determined that Halfbridge is in dire need of some reforms to our official municipal waste disposal regulations.”

  “We’re changing how dumping violations work,” the archmage translated impatiently, a scowl spreading over his features as he talked. “The alchemists have been a chronic problem since forever, and the fines they pay don’t cover the cost of our work. Worse, they’re cheaper than actually paying the proper disposal fees. I’ve been trying to get Gerold to raise the fees for years, but he always refused, because he didn’t want to step on the guild’s toes.”

  “And I still don’t!” The magistrate cut in smoothly, taking back the narrative. “I’m not making an enemy of the alchemists,” he looked meaningfully at Therion, “and neither will you. The alchemists want Julian back, and the city does need another master alchemist. So we’ll change the rules a bit. We’re moving to a three-strikes model that will be directly managed by the Underkeepers. As a fully-fledged city guard organization, they should have the right to manage compliance issues under their purview anyway.”

  Therion squinted in confusion. “You mean, alchemists will be allowed to get caught dumping three times before you do anything?”

  Archmage Thurdred chuckled. “We’ll fine them three times and track the downstream effects and force them to pay for damages. And they’ll get a nice, well-documented written warning. On the fourth violation, we’re going to strip them of their license to operate in the city and issue a strike to the entire Halfbridge Alchemists’ Guild. If the guild gets three of those strikes, we lift their exclusivity rights in the city for five years.”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Therion looked from the archmage to the magistrate uncertainly. “...and my father? How does he fit into this?”

  The magistrate shrugged. “You’ve got the bargaining chip you need – per the new regulations, violators are entitled to proper written warnings before facing career-ending consequences. He didn’t get those, so his right to operate in Halfbridge will be restored by default as soon as the new rules go into effect. So, before I have Count Narald sign this, you should get a written commitment from the guild, or from Julian personally.”

  “Ah. Okay, but… didn’t you say I shouldn’t go back to talk to them without you?”

  “I did…” Gerold grimaced, “but the nature of this solution would make it problematic for me to negotiate with the Alchemists about this. They’d try to haggle for more favorable rules, for one, and it wouldn’t do for me to be seen changing laws explicitly to help an old friend. Better to keep the legal change strictly top-down. You should still bring someone more… experienced to help you, though.”

  Therion frowned, considering. “We had a solicitor, but he died in the battle last year.”

  “They’re not very popular right now – they’ve been barred from acting as legal representatives,” Gerold said. “Though,” he corrected himself, “I guess one could still look over a contract for you. Advice isn’t legal representation.”

  “Alright. I guess I’m heading down to the Solicitors’ office, then.” Therion rose, nodding respectfully to the magistrate and the archmage. “Thanks for your help.”

  “Ah, wait. The office isn’t going to be much help right now.” Archmage Thurdred said just as he turned to go. “A mob tried to force their way in there a few weeks ago, so head solicitor Radast moved his people. We helped relocate them and most of them are working with us right now, anyway. I’ll send someone over, alright?”

  ***

  The solicitor who arrived at Therion’s door a few hours later was an old woman with a wild mane of iron gray hair who introduced herself as Solicitor Ewa. She had an impatient, suspicious sort of air about her, but when Therion explained what he wanted to do, she nodded matter-of-factly, asked a few pointed follow-up questions and pulled a piece of paper and a pen out of the small briefcase she carried.

  “Negotiating with the guild directly is not the optimal choice here,” she said. “From what you’ve told me, they explicitly didn’t promise you anything, they only suggested that certain actions might result in a favorable outcome for you. They won’t give you anything, especially if they learn the specifics of what Magistrate Gerold is going to do. You are instead going to send a message to Master Julian, offering him a deal – he makes and administers a course of dreamshade elixirs to you father, and, provided the treatment is successful, you arrange for the reinstatement of his license.”

  Therion stared at her. “That’s it? Shouldn’t we include… I don’t know, details? How and when?”

  “We’ll include when he should get here and do the work. It’s best to keep the details of your end of the bargain vague. While the changes the magistrate is making will bring Julian back, they won’t necessarily be welcomed by the Alchemists’ Guild as a whole. We don’t want to risk him consulting with his colleagues here. You’re offering your family’s influence and its intangible results to Julian, not any clear direct payment or service. The impacts on the larger guild aren’t part of the agreement, and are not your concern. If the guild wanted to protect its interests, Theresa should have indicated a greater willingness to work with you in your first meeting.” Ewa grinned wolfishly, baring long teeth yellowed with age “Maybe she’ll learn something from this, though I honestly doubt it.”

  “But I wouldn’t be able to negotiate anything in any case…” Therion said. “The Magistrate is going to do this whether the guild likes it or not.”

  “Of course, but they don’t know that. That’s why it’s not official yet. Very polite of Gerold to wait for you like that, if you ask me. He was always a soft one. You should probably get him a nice bottle of wine when all this is done as a thank you, even though we’re not going to talk to the guild.”

  Therion nodded. In fact, he intended to do quite a bit better than a bottle of wine.

  Under Ewa’s watchful eye, he wrote a short message to Master Julian stating his business in plain language. Then, the solicitor dictated out three short paragraphs of abstruse contract language, which he dutifully wrote down in his own hand. It really was a simple agreement, as such things went – Julian had to arrive in the city within the next ten days and perform the treatment as soon as he could reasonably acquire the necessary reagents. He moved to sign at the bottom, hesitated, and then added another line. If Julian performed the treatment course within the first 10 days, he would additionally receive full payment for his work and the exclusive business of his family in perpetuity so long as he performed it to the standards expected of a master alchemist.

  Then he signed it. Ewa snatched the paper and read his little addition.

  “Too generous,” she commented sourly. “He might think you’re someone to be taken advantage of.” Still, she put the letter in her briefcase. “I’ll drop by the Mages’ Guild on my way down and have it sent with notification upon receipt.”

  Therion didn’t try to justify himself, he just thanked her for her work and sent her on her way. He knew the terms were generous, but they were also self-serving. He didn’t trust the Alchemists’ Guild, and if they decided they didn’t like what he’d done, he needed at least one he could trust. Adventurers went through a lot of potions, and his sister still needed quite a few alchemical enhancements before she would be able to compete with their father.