It was on the twentieth day the weary travelers arrived at the edge of the city.

Cybelline looked at the sparkling city, it's gleaming tall walls, capped with blood red stone. Towers of the same red soared above the city, the parapets winkling in the sun. Above the city, a castle of red granite and sandstone stood proudly above the red and white creation. Flags of red flew proudly on the parapets and soldiers in full armor patrolled the giant walls. It was as if she had walked into a fairy tale.

"Garnet of the West." Jinon said as he too stared at it. He jerked his head, "Come, child, we've lots to do."

"So where to first?"

"We have to get you a Seer." He walked down, "She'll know what we're dealing with."

"You make it sound like I have a disease." She grumbled.

Jinon looked forward, "It is."

The sentries barely glanced at the two travelers as they passed. Jinon handed a few coins to the guard and they went through a small gate. It was still early in the morning, but many of the vendors were already setting up their stalls.

"Watch out for pickpockets." Jinon murmured as a little boy ran up to them, his filthy hand outstretched. Jinon knelt down to look at the little boy, "Imp."

"Jinon Ophelios" The little boy said with a cheeky grin, his blue eyes twinkling, "I almost didn't recognize you with that blanket on your face." He patted Jinon's beard, "Is that really you in there?"

Jinon scowled at the little boy, "Your mother's guessed that we're here?"

The little boy nodded, "Solara said that trouble was coming." The little boy looked at Cybelline, "You're new. My name is Imp."

"I am." Cybelline said she stuck out a hand to shake, the boy looked at her quizzically, "Are you giving me your hand in marriage? I'm a little old for you."

Pffffffffff. Jinon buried his face in his hair. Imp turned to him slowly, "At least people still want to marry me, you look like catsick, has a woman even looked at you properly in the past hundred years?" That cut off the laughter as Jinon made a growling noise.

Imp turned to Cybelline and smiled up at her, "Give it a few years, I'll wait for you."

Jinon grabbed Imp's collar and raised him to his eye level, "If you want to live past today, you should go find Solara." Imp stuck out his tongue as Jinon dropped him, the little boy landed lightly on the ground. He bowed elegantly and disappeared down the street.

Jinon shook his beard and headed for a bakery stall. He grabbed a few rolls for himself and Cybelline.

"So your friend Solara, She'll be able to help me?" Cybelline asked as she tore off a chunk of the roll. Jinon nodded, "She'll be able to tell how much magic you have and what type."

Cybelline frowned, "I know that the Fae are categorized by blood power, sixth being the lowest and first being the strongest. I didn't know there were types for us."

Jinon nodded, "Human mages are much weaker, but they gave themselves a titles based on power. There's Novice, Apprentice, Acolyte, Journeyman, Master, Grandmaster, and Lord Supreme. There are Four types of powers and Orders who run them. You met the Water Mages of the East in the forest, there's the Earth Mages of Novoria, And there's the Fire Mages here in the kingdom of Dycathion."

"And the fourth?"

"They're called the Light Mages. They control pure energy. The other three orders worship these light mages as they have the most power and are the most rare of the four. Even kings and queen have to bow to their Lord Supreme."

"Well, they do have the most stolen power out of the four orders." A voice, deep and rich interrupted.

A woman of wearing a red dress with patterns of vine walked toward them, she extended out a hand, "Jinon, I'd never thought you'd come and see me."

Jinon chuckled, "Of course you did, Seer." The woman smiled, her golden eyes seemed to twinkle in the sunlight, "I was trying to be modest."

She looked over at the small youth. "Why hello, child."

Cybelline smiled back "Solara, I presume."

"And you would be right." She clucked, "You're skin and bones. Did he do that thing where he refuses to rest and march you like a soldier? I've told him a thousand times that people are not made of iron, he used to do this to soldiers too." Jinon choked on his bread. "Solara, there could be people listening."

"I'm a Seer, you bonehead. I can see and hear everything." Solara looked at him disdainfully, she got up, her skirts swirling around her elegant, "Come child, let's see what we're dealing with."

They walked past the street vendors and towards the quieter side of the city, here more urchins and poor people were evident. Here the houses seemed to be falling apart and the smell of the sewer threatened to overwhelm all other aromas.

Twice Cybelline caught people who tried to step close to her and reach for her satchel, only to stumble away when they saw her eyes. They knew who were soft marks and also the ones who could kill without remorse.

Solara glanced at Cybelline and murmured to Jinon, "Those are not the eyes of a child. What have you brought me?" Jinon shrugged, "I was hoping you can help me with that."

Solara grinned ruefully, "Since you asked me so nicely... How are the twins? It's been fifty years, so I assume the spell worked?"

"They're doing alright." Jinon said softly, "Ithos and Myrai are taking good care of them."

"And you?" Solara gave him a glance, "I take it that the wounds have healed?" Jinon grinned, "What's this, the mighty Solara is asking after little old me?" He patted his chest, "I'm fine."

"Hmm." Solara said skeptically. She stopped at a small two story house that was squeezed in-between the apothecary and what looked suspiciously like a brothel. On the muddied ground, a drunkard slept, his tin of beer still in his lap, flies around his haggard face.

"What is this place?" Jinon looked at it and then back at Solara.

"A hovel." Solara replied daintily and stepped towards the door.

"If you need money I can give it to you." Jinon called after her.

"Shut up." Solara said as she held the door open for them, "I would never accept money from a man who keeps half his breakfast in his beard."

Jinon pulled out the other half of bread from his beard, "I've perfected this system through many years of practice. It's still warm." He jerked his head at Cybelline to indicate they should follow.

"I don't want to be friends anymore." Solara looked at him with contempt.

"You live in a hovel." Jinon said as he and Cybelline entered, "I wouldn't...."

The dark and dank inner room shifted instantly as Solara closed the door. It widdened into massive garden. the sunlight streamed into the space as butterflies flew among the tall grasses. She grinned, "What were you saying? I couldn't hear you over the sound of your mouth dropping to the floor."

Jinon grew silent as he looked around, "You..."

She led them down a road of paved stoned to a countryside manor with tall windows and red stone facade. "What do you think?"

Jinon shook his head, "I thought I hid well in plain sight. But this..."

She smiled. "Let's go to the courtyard and have some tea."

Cybelline looked around the huge manor, the boy they met earlier, Imp waved at her.

"How did she do that?" She asked Jinon softly. Jinon looked down at her, "Solara is a Seer and a Light Mage of the Grandmaster level, at that level she could create spaces within spaces. What you see here is another world within the one we live in, and which she is the mistress of. No one can get in without her permission" He thought for a moment, "Unless they're much more powerful."

"You can do that?" Cybelline looked around, "That's..."

"Wasteful." Jinon said, he glared at Solara, "You of all people know that you only have a finite amount of power. Light magic is the hardest to come by."

Solara sat down as Imp ran over with a steaming pot of tea. "I have plenty left over. And if I don't I'll just find a few light mages, kill them, and take theirs."

"Magic doesn't replenish?" Cybelline asked with a frown.

"It did once. When the Fae queen was still alive. She was the source of all magic." Solara answered her, "But with her death, mages lost the ability to replenish their magic. The only way is to take it from someone else when they're close to death."

"So that's why people hunt the Fae and the folk." Cybelline concluded thoughtfully, thinking of the first time in the forest when she saw those people killing the elf.

"Or each other." Solara said softly. "But you have to be a mage to use that power."

Jinon nodded, "People born with the potential to be mages had what is called the Spark. Without it even stealing another's powers would be useless. Every child in the land is tested to see how strong their spark is, the strong it is, the more powerful they are likely to be."

"You have the Spark, child." Solara said looking at her. "I can feel it even without testing you. But," She said as Imp came back with a red crystal ball the size of her fist, "We can still test to see how strong you are and what type of mage you'll be."

"And then?" Cybelline asked as she looked at the stone with a frown,"Will I have to kill someone to become a mage?"

She looked at Jinon "Is that why you brought me here?"