“So you found it.” Caaron kept his face neutral as he looked over the leather-bound pile of ashes that had once been the black book. Their argument earlier still hung in the air like a fog. He opened the cover and eyed its ruined form through his spectacles, as if it would give him a better view of the burned shell that used to be a prized book of spells.

He closed it with an unceremonious flip, sending a cloud of ash into the air. “Well, they certainly destroyed it. Nothing to be done now.”

Kel coughed. “There’s no way to fix it? You don’t know any spells that could help?”

“Mending is a tricky business. Healing and growing are difficult, but the material to do so is already there. That cut on your shoulder you’ve been trying to hide, for instance. You would eventually heal - I just speed up the process with alchemy. Even William, as talented as he is, can only mend living material and even then...there are limits.” He sighed and looked back to the book. “An object like this, with no life of its own...it would never heal and thus we cannot repair it. It’s the law of Entropy.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that what is done cannot be undone. Now,” the old man turned to examine him with his spectacles, “are you going to tell me where you got that cut on your shoulder that you’ve been trying to hide from me since you got back?”

Kel had more questions, but he didn’t want to bother him more. “When I said that I found the book...well, I found the thief too.”

“Derry?”

Kel nodded.

“And it looks like you had a fight...” The old man reddened, the vein in his forehead threatening to burst. “I told you to be careful and not let him lure you in!”

“I was trapped...He attacked me with a sword!” Kel stammered.

Instead of arguing further, the old man abruptly stood. He swept about the room and began gathering seemingly random bits and baubles. “Go to the barn. Fetch your satchel, your cloak, and Kyrelia’s book.”

“Why? What’s going on?”

“Just go, you fool!” Kel had never seen Caaron like this. He didn’t seem angry as much as he seemed...scared?

When he returned, the wise man began shoving as much as he could by the handful into kel’s bag. Things that he had never seen. Ingredients that he had never used and certainly never gathered. All at once, Kel understood - he was going to have to run away.

This realization had barely set in when the clip-clop of hooves pounded outside and came to a halt. The old man and the boy froze in place. “Wise man Caaron,” a strong voice called out from the yard. “Are you in there?” It was a familiar voice: Johan Densk, the captain of the town guard.

The wise man set down a bottle he had been trying to stuff into the bag and walked to the door. He cracked it an inch. “I am here, Captain. What is the matter?”

Kel struggled to see over his head, but he could only see a stripe of bright sunlight and the head of a horse.

“Your ward, Kelvin, attacked the mayor’s son.”

“That’s not the way I heard it.”

“He has a broken nose and his hand has been slashed.”

“The hand he did himself - on my window last night when he broke in and stole my property. The nose, I can’t account for. Kel tells me Derry attacked him with a sword.”

“The mayor’s son said the same.”

Caaron gave an exasperated huff. “Johan, let us be frank with each other; We are old friends, are we not? You know the temperament of each boy. You have watched each of them grow up and you once were a watchman in the great Capital. Do you not know a bold-faced lie when you see one? What do you think happened?”

Kel heard a sigh from beyond the door. “Caaron, I know exactly what happened, but I can’t change the law. Blood was drawn and a debt is owed.”

“My ward has been wounded. Will Derry also sit in a prison cell and await sentencing?”

“No,” the captain was hesitant, “his father has...paid his fine.

“Of course he has. ” Chaaron shook his head. “And will he pay me back for the property that he destroyed?”

“I will see to it that he does.”

“Please do - though, its valuation may be hotly debated. I would say it’s worth more than his fancy house, at least.”

The captain gave a mirthless chuckle. “Good luck getting that. I will argue for fair compensation, however.”

“And I thank you for it.” Chaaron paused, as if making up his mind about something. “Johan, you witnessed the corruption of the city. Do you not feel that our little village is beginning to rot, just as the Capital did? Is it not strange that a boy should defend himself and then be sentenced simply because he is not wealthy?” Kel had never heard Caaron speak like this. There was a lilting tone to his voice, like music. Oddly, despite Kel not really knowing much about the Capital, he felt himself wholeheartedly agreeing with him. It made the most sense in the world. Corruption was beginning to ruin their town and they needed to stop it! How had he never realized that before?

“That is not for me to decide, wise man. I am simply here to keep the peace and enforce the law.” Captain Densk’s voice took on a hard edge which confused Kel, since nothing particularly offensive had been said. A look of shock crossed over Caaron’s face. Then , just as quickly it was gone and he seemed as calm as ever, if not a bit disappointed. What just happened? Kel wondered. Caaron widened the door and let in a stream of sunlight. A tall man on horseback stared at them through the doorway, his gray eyes bright and unwavering. A thin scar ran across the line of his jaw.

“Come, Kelvin Fellow. You are hereby detained to answer for your crimes.”

“Crimes….” Caaron growled. Kel thought he saw his fingers twitch. He braced for an explosion or for Johan to scream out in pain or something. Instead, when he opened his eyes he saw that Caaron had moved aside to allow him through the door. “Go,” the old man whispered. “It will be alright. I promise you that.”

“We also require the boy’s contraband. Anything he has on him will be used as evidence.”

Caaron’s nostrils flared. “What, so that he can be robbed of still more of his possessions. Do you not think he has been taken from enough, Johan? You, who were first to find him back then?” Kel’s eyes widened. What did he mean by that?

Johan’s expression softened and he sighed. “It’s merely procedure. I cannot shirk my duties, just as I cannot ignore the law.” Kel looked to Caaron and the old man nodded, handing Kel the satchel they had been stuffing for what would have been his escape.

He slowly walked out of the dark, dusty workshop and into the sunlight so bright it seared his eyes. “Alright then, young Kelvin?” the captain said with a tense smile, as if this was just another day of greeting each other in passing. Johan seemed to read the sad look on Kel’s face and he leaned down to speak with him. “It’s only one night, my friend. I know it feels rough, but I’ve locked up half the town one time or another. Even Caaron, that one time during the barley festival...” he laughed, stopping only when Caaron didn’t join in himself. “Listen, no one is going to look at you any different and I promise, no harm will come to you.” He held out a hand for Kel to pass him the satchel and hooked it to his saddle. The black horse upon which he rode snorted, but didn’t make any further complaints about the extra weight.

“Ready?” He held out his hand again, this time to help Kel climb up onto the horse.

Caaron nodded “He will keep his word. Be safe, young man.”

Kel fought the urge to run over and hug him, instead giving his customary bow (a bit deeper than usual). “Wise man, I take my leave.” He wanted to say more, started to speak again, but instead took Johan’s hand and climbed to sit behind him in the saddle. Johan murmured softly to the horse and they began to trot away.

When they had reached the edge of the yard, the captain pulled to a stop. “And wise man,” his steely gray eyes flashed as he looked back over his shoulder. “ I would appreciate it if you didn’t try to charm me when next we speak. I have a great deal of respect for you, but my mind is my own.”

Caaron merely bowed his head and turned away, slowly shutting the door as they descended over the hill. In that moment, he looked so much older than Kel had ever seen him.

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Aside from the fact that he had just been arrested, the ride into town was swift and pleasant.

“What did he mean, about corruption in the Capital?” Kel asked as they passed by the crossroads and began to descend down the hill. He had heard talk about the Capital every once in a while, when townsfolk were gossiping about politics or discussing prices at market. He had even been there when he was little. That was where he had played in a fountain once. His parents had had business there, though what that had been he couldn’t imagine. What could farmers possibly need to do in the city?

“It’s nothing. A phase in my career. That’s all.” Ever the watchmen, Johan’s eyes swept the horizon, looking for threats.

“Well, tell me about it. It must have been exciting, at least.”

Kel could almost see the man’s eyes roll from behind his head. “I was a very opinionated and optimistic member of the city guard at the Capital, once upon a time. Then, I grew up and learned to only be opinionated. End of story.”

“Oh come on, Johan. I heard you single handedly defeated a mob one time. You have to tell me what happened.”

“I have many stories and none of them are worth sharing. You already know that the world can be unfair. That is all that my stories would teach you.” It was clear that Kel wasn’t going to hear any tales of swashbuckling heroics from the veteren guardsman, so he changed tack.

“Fine, then what did Caaron mean about you being the first to find me, back then. Did he mean…”

He tried not to think about the event very often if at all. When he did, he relived the memories in vivid detail and it was not at all pleasant. However, there were things he didn’t remember, like pages missing from a book. He couldn’t remember what they had been doing that day, aside from sitting in their rooms being punished for something. It was difficult to recall the time of day, though that could have been because the sky had darkened unnaturally when it occurred. And he couldn’t remember how he got to Caaron’s place, placed under his care. He hadn’t known until now.

“You found me when my family was taken, didn’t you?”

Johan Merely nodded. The boards of the bridge creaked pleasantly as the horse trotted across the river.

“No one told me about that. Why didn’t you ever mention it?”

“I assumed you remembered. And it’s not a very interesting story: I just picked you up and brought you to Caaron.”

“That’s what I never understood either - why him? Why not another family?”

“Well your mother-” Johan stopped short, his shoulders tightened.

“My mother?”

“Your mother had told me, long before, that if anything were to happen to her that you boys would need to stay with Caaron.”

Kel was stunned. Had she known that something would happen to her?

Rather than taking a right at the gate and down the main drag through town, Johan bore straight and stopped in front of the guardhouse. Though he was disappointed that the conversation had been halted, Kel was secretly relieved that he wouldn’t have to ride through town. He got stared at enough as it was. “There we are now,” Johan said as a solitary white building, reinforced with stone and steel came into view. The reality of the situation fell heavy upon Kel in that moment. In his mind, only criminals were ever arrested. He had merely recovered his master’s stolen property and defended himself from an attempt on his life. He shouldn’t have been going to jail, Derry should.

“So Derry paid a fine. How did you even know he did something wrong?”

“I’m sure my deputy will tell you.”

"And I can’t pay my fine? Caaron didn’t even ask." He could feel anger beginning to boil inside him.

The captain couldn’t quite look him in the eye as he dismounted. “That's because neither you nor he have the money to pay it. Your debt to the Mayor is so great that any money owed would have to be directly paid to him.” He offered a hand for Kelt to get down, but the boy just swung his leg over and dropped to the ground himself.

“Well that’s not fair at all.”

“It isn’t,” Johan grimaced as he opened the door to the intimidating building,“It’s the law."

Kel had never seen the inside of the guardhouse. It was much cleaner than he expected. It was basically a small office - two desks laden with papers, quills and ink. Across the room was a small fireplace and, next to that, the single jail cell that was actually used for its intended purpose. Of course, there were other cells further back, but these had been converted to storage.Theirs was such a small town, with very little in the way of crime, that only one cell was necessary for the occasional belligerent drunk.

A young man with acne and a bowl haircut, looking very small beside a stack of papers, stood up and saluted as they entered the room. He wore the same uniform as Johan, a worn navy jacket that made him seem almost square in shape.

“That’s enough, Askel.” Johan waved away the deputy and walked over to his own desk, leaving Kel to trail awkwardly behind.

“Can I help with processing?”Aksel asked. He was either very bored or was very excited to have a prisoner for once.

“Knock yourself out,” the captain replied.

Askel waved Kel over. He fixed the boy with what he probably thought was a steely gaze on par with that of his captain. Kel thought he looked just a little cross-eyed.

“Heard you gave Derry a bit of trouble.”

Kel shrugged. The shock of the situation had given way to a kind of resigned annoyance. “He tried to kill me.”

“And from looking at him, I doubt he’ll try that anytime soon.” The young man chuckled, a reedy laugh that was pleasant enough but could probably become obnoxious in large doses. Kel couldn’t help but smile, if only a little.

“You saw him?”

“Yeah, booked him this morning when he tried to report you. His two pals ran up after him, kept raving about him stealing a book and trying to kill you.”

“Did they now?” That must have been why he’d had to pay a fine. They had snitched on him. And right in front of him, no less. Some friends indeed.

“Yeah, changed their stories real quick once his dad came around, though. Said you’d bewitched them to tell tales on him. But by then, Captain Densk had taken their testimony. He pressed Derry into choosing between a hefty fine or sharing a cell with you. The mayor was peeved, to say the least.” He chuckled and jotted a few things down on the paper in front of him, then looked up at Kel with a raised eyebrow. “Did you bewitch them?”

“No. That’s a lie.” Kel huffed.

“Is it?” He made another attempt at a penetrating gaze, but still just managed to look a bit silly. When Kel didn’t say anything further, Askel shrugged. “Okay, your bag please.’ He patted the table. Reluctantly, Kel surrendered his leather satchel, careful to keep from dropping it and possibly breaking one of the many items Caaron had stuffed in there.

“Let’s see, then…” Askel methodically rummaged through the satchel, his tongue pinched between his teeth. “Cattails, bandages, a book and can you tell me what this here is?”

“That’s, er…” It was one of the many bottles from the workshop. “That’s a gift. I think it’s sassafras brew,” he lied. To be fair, he really had no idea what it was. It very well could have been sassafras brew for all he knew. Over his shoulder, Kel saw Johan look up from his paperwork, shake his head, and then return to working.

“Unknown solution,” Aksel swished it about, eying the fizzing liquid under the light before jotting down his observation in the notes. When he was done looking through the rest of the items, he led Kel over to Johan. “Reporting with the prisoner, sir,” he said, as if they hadn’t only just been five feet away at the only other desk in the room. Johan patiently stood and, if only to humor the enthusiastic young man, gave him a quick salute.

“Like I said before, this is only procedure,” he said as Aksel returned to his own desk, ostensibly having “processed” Kel for his stay in jail. “We will return your things as soon as this is settled. I promise - your belongings are safe. No place better than a guardhouse, eh?” His face cracked into a reassuring smile. The hairline scar on his jaw made him look that much more handsome, Kel thought.

The cell itself was tidy and well-lit with a window set high in the wall. He couldn’t see out, but no one could see in either. A cot and a stool occupied opposite sides of the tiny room. To most people this was likely a sullen-looking place, but to Kel this was an upgrade. The cot was much more comfortable than a pile of hay with a cloak thrown over it and he could walk around without fear of falling ten feet to the ground. As he sat down he had a thought. “Johan, do you mind if I read in here?”

The captain looked up from whatever work he had been doing and stretched. “Sure, young Kelvin. The brown book you had with you - is that the one?” He had apparently been listening very intently when Aksel had taken inventory of his belongings.

“It is.”

Johan dug around in the bag for a moment and retrieved the book “Here you are.”

Kel read for a while. For someone who was usually busy all day, this seemed like a waste of time, just sitting. At least this way he could study unhindered. As the late afternoon gave way to evening, Kel was aware of the comings and goings of people about town. He could hear the jingle of coins as folks walked back from the market, the thumping and clopping of a wagon passing, children screaming and playing in the road. He wondered if Caaron had driven by at some point, though he doubted it.

Slowly, the light shining through his window began to dim and Johan and Aksel lit candles to continue their work. It seemed like not a lot went on in the town in the way of crime, so they were also keepers of record for various legal dealings. Occasionally, a villager would come to have them verify a contract to buy something like a horse. Some petitioned for settlement of promised debts. He got a little queasy when he overheard those conversations - throw money into the equation and some people who seemed very nice and calm were suddenly not quite so.

Eventually, the two guardsmen began to pack away their papers and quills. Ansel bid them both good night and left, most likely to his mother’s home where he still lived. Johan came over to the bars of the cell. “Good book?”

“As good as any.” Kel wasn't angry at Johan, in particular, but he had had a lot of time to think and it was not helping his mood.

“Just don’t use anything you learn to try and escape - then you’d really be in trouble.” Johan cracked a smile and started to walk away.

“Johan. Am I really going to have to work for the Hardstadts?"

The guard captain paused and turned, choosing his words carefully. "You may. They’re summoning the council, which is a big deal. If it doesn’t go well, they could go ahead and take you."

Kel shivered. "I can’t go there. There’s no telling what they’ll do to me."

Johan gave him a winning smile. “I promise you, I’ll keep an eye on things. If they start to mistreat you, I’ll know."

“And you’ll get me out of there?”

The man seemed to hesitate. “Yes...but it shouldn’t come to that. Get some sleep, then, Kelvin. You’re going to need it tomorrow.”

Johan walked silently away, the light slowly fading as his silhouette trailed down the hall and out the door to the guard’s quarters. If he noticed the faint glowing light emanating from the cell, he didn’t say anything. For the rest of the night, until morning, Kel oscillated between trying to distract himself with reading, thinking about his mother, and wondering if he truly had done something that could not be undone.