The next day came faster than I wanted it to.
I told the girls to sort and move everything so it wouldn't take up so much space, but in the end, it was a futile effort.
There was simply too much, and they hadn't even brought everything yet.
I had to come up with something later.
Because it was nearly time for Grandfather Gregorio's meeting with King Deimos.
He arrived right around noon, and when he saw me, he ruffled my hair in that friendly way old men often do.
He looked like his old man self, not the younger version he actually was.
I guess he didn't want anyone to know the youthful powers of chaos magic.
He wore nothing more regal or fancy than his usual clothing.
They were different clothes but still had his usual silver motif.
He went upstairs to my father's study, and I waited until he disappeared from view, then slipped away too.
Spying would be harder when Gregorio was there, but I wouldn't miss what they were saying for anything.
Knowing Gregorio, though, I didn't think he would disapprove much if I wanted to listen in.
It took me minutes of careful movement to sneak my way up the stairs and press myself against the walls until I reached close enough to the door to hear something.
I could only see a bit, but hearing would be just as good.
For some reason the door was slightly ajar, and I saw Gregorio turn around for just a fraction of a second and wink at seemingly nothing.
Thanks, Grandpa.
I was just settling in when-
"Oh."
I froze.
Slowly, very slowly, I turned my head.
Io was crouched behind me, pressed into the shadows like a cat.
We stared at one another.
"…You're spying," she whispered.
I sighed internally. There was nothing I could do about it. Denying it wouldn't help me.
For a moment I considered dozens of excuses - I dropped something, I was just passing by, I'm checking the hinges on this door - all of them awful, all of them useless.
There'd be no way she would believe it.
But even though there was a short feeling of dread in my stomach, I thought about it.
What's the worst that could happen? My father would chew me out at worst.
Maybe he'd whip me, but I haven't seen much martial punishment used in this world. If they were common, Miss Marie would have whipped me a long time ago.
I wasn't the best student when it came to someone else teaching me.
Not that I wanted to ever be caught - to keep any chance of anything going wrong to a minimum, but Io was just a seven-year-old girl.
And what could a seven-year-old do?
It's ironic that I'm asking because I was one myself.
Anyway, I resigned myself to my fate.
"Yes," I whispered back.
To my surprise, her eyes lit up.
"…So am I," she said.
Before I could do anything, she scooted closer, pressing herself to the wall.
She practically vibrated next to me, trying and failing to appear solemn and shadow-like. Every few seconds she made tiny motions with her hands because she couldn't contain herself.
"You're terrible at this," she said to me.
The audacity.
"I didn't think-" I said, but I was interrupted.
"Be quiet."
Then she settled in beside me, chin in her hands, utterly pleased with herself.
"Well," she whispered. "What happens now?"
"We listen," I muttered. "And stay quiet."
She nodded and put her ear to the wall.
The meeting had already begun.
Deimos and Alarick sat in chairs. Gregorio stood.
He didn't bow or kneel, or even incline his head.
"You've grown quite a bit since I last saw you, Deimos," he said.
Alarick stiffened.
"You stand before the crown, Gregorio."
"Eh," he shrugged.
I felt Io tense beside me, delight flickering across her face.
I guess she liked how Gregorio rebelled against authority, especially if that authority was her father.
Deimos folded his hands. "I asked for a summons because of the incident in Astar."
"Yes," Gregorio said. "The mage clash."
"The destruction," Alarick corrected.
Gregorio waved a hand. "A clash. Destruction would have been way worse."
Then Deimos spoke carefully. "Do you believe that… your magic, that the wild magic, was involved?"
"I don't believe it," Gregorio replied. "I know it."
That got a reaction.
Alarick leaned forward. "You're certain?"
"I know it when I see it. I've studied it my entire life."
Io sucked in a quiet breath. What's he talking about? What magic?"
"Shh," I hissed.
A moment later she tried again, softer: "Is this your grandfather's fault? Is that why Father looks like he swallowed a lemon?"
Her curiosity was relentless, bubbling out of her in little bursts she could barely hold down.
I had to nudge her twice before she stopped talking.
Deimos was very still. "And who could wield such power?"
Gregorio shrugged. "I know most people who use this type of magic. They exceed all thresholds of academic pursuit," he said. "None of them are in Astar - or even in Asolar. I would know if they were..."
Deimos' voice sharpened. "Name them. Who is most likely?"
"No."
That was flat. Final.
Gregorio continued, unfazed. "It takes years to cultivate such a level of power as seen in Astar, but the magic doesn't spread or get learned from nothing. If there was someone who could have done something like that, I'd know who it was. And if they were known to me and a threat to so many people, I'd have taken it upon myself to search them out."
"So you're saying-" the king began.
"I'm saying," Gregorio cut in, "that whoever sparked that clash is a complete unknown."
Neither Deimos nor Alarick moved or spoke. They seemed to be in deep thought.
Only Gregorio looked relaxed. He sat down in a chair and leaned back, fingers loosely interlocked over his stomach. It was like they were talking about something far more casual than a potential threat to the kingdom.
Io tensed beside me, her hand gripping my sleeve with surprising force.
I didn't think she fully understood what this was about.
I'm sure she saw my and Shadowboon's clash - I assumed many people did - and the rest of the people in the city heard about it.
"What do you believe happened, Gregorio?" Deimos asked.
"I don't believe anything," Gregorio replied with a lazy shrug. "I know what I know and don't know what I don't. What's the use of fitting imaginary pieces together when we know nothing? Maybe this was just a fleeting brush. Like tripping near a river and accidentally touching the water when falling - an unfortunate dip?"
Alarick leaned forward, his face grimmer than it had been before, like he was realizing something. "A dip of this magnitude is already enough."
"Do you think it was merely a coincidence? An unhappy circumstance?"
"Maybe."
Deimos rubbed his temples, but he accepted the situation as it was. "I have to be honest. I'm not well-versed in magecraft. So I'll have to ask you both: Is there no way to trace them or find out who it was?"
"If there's a spell for that, I don't know it," Gregorio said - and I didn't believe him for a second.
A mage like him definitely knew one. Either having learned the words somewhere or trying to jury-rig one himself.
The king looked to Alarick, and he shook his head.
He exhaled.
"What about the six warriors? Do you know anything about them?" Deimos asked.
"They were strange, that's obvious - but they weren't magical. Constructs, or golems, or something similar."
"That does bother me deeply," Deimos said. "They were described as small, or short in stature, even the tallest of them. I don't think men can reach such combat heights, and women usually grow taller."
"Not all women. Not all human."
He put a hand on his chin in thought.
"Do you think they might have been women of another race? Dwarves, maybe?" Alarick asked.
"We do not have any trouble with the other races and their nations. There are barely any in Asolar to begin with. If this were a diplomatic incident, their nations would be stirring, or I would have heard something."
Gregorio spread his hands. "If those mages, or just the one who used the magic, wanted to destroy the city, I think they would have. If two of them were fighting, I don't think it was for or about Astar. They fought each other; the city was just in the way. Doesn't matter if they were humans, dwarves, gnomes, or anything else. I doubt there was anything political about it."
Silence again.
Io leaned closer to me, whispering, "Your grandpa's kind of scary."
"I know," I whispered back.
"That's all I have for you," Gregorio said, shifting in his seat. "If you're expecting more, you'll be disappointed. And if there is another incident, then I'll come to you with my thoughts, if that's alright."
Deimos studied him for a long moment.
Finally, he nodded. "Then we thank you for your honesty."
Gregorio snorted. "Don't be. I didn't do anything. If you don't need me for anything else, I'll take my leave."