The Mivar Estate occupied a place in the northwest quadrant of the city. Like the College and city, a manor wall untouched by mortal tools surrounded the space. Within the estate’s grounds, several outbuildings stood, housing the various trades an estate required, such as a blacksmith, stables, and carpenter.
The manor house was a subdued, three-story mansion, possessing an ancient character. Marble columns supported a portico, and the house’s walls looked to be of similar construction to the manor-wall. What astonished Gavin the most were the many protections built into the manor-wall. Reaching out with his skathos, Gavin could feel all of them but only recognize one or two.
Large, wrought iron gates barred entry to the estate grounds, and a rope hung outside the wall from a bell mounted just beside the right-hand gate. As Torval approached within seven or so feet of the gates, the click! of a massive latch unlocking echoed across the estate, and the gates swung wide on silent hinges.
“You grew up here?” Gavin asked Lillian as they walked to the house from the main gate.
“Yes, this is home.”
“It’s a very nice home,” Gavin said.
Lillian smiled and said, “Thank you.”
As they approached the doors of the manor house, those very doors opened to permit an older woman to step onto the portico. She was just below average height, and her hair ranged from silver to white in colored strands. She wore a simple, though well-crafted, dress-spring green in hue-and smiled with ease.
Lillian broke through the group and ran to her, each throwing her arms around the other in a fierce embrace. After several moments, they broke the embrace, and the older woman held Lillian at her arms’ length, her hands on Lillian’s shoulders.
“Oh, Lilli-girl, I was so worried when we heard. How are you?”
“I’m not harmed, Nanna,” Lillian said. “The rest will take a while, but I’ll heal. Kiri helped me.”
“Kiri?”
By this time, the group reached the portico.
“She’s Gavin’s friend, Nanna,” Lillian said and waded into the group to pull Gavin forward. “Gavin, I want to introduce Adelaide Mivar, my grandmother. Nanna, this is Gavin; he stopped t - the attack.”
Adelaide turned to Gavin, and her eyes went straight to his medallion. Her eyes did indeed widen just enough to notice, but she showed no nervousness or unease. Instead, she smiled.
“Well, upon my word…it has been many the age since a wizard of House Kirloth openly walked across the world. Our family owes you a debt for what you did for Lilli.”
“Nonsense,” Gavin said. “I’ll hear no talk of debts. What he was doing was wrong, and I wasn’t about to allow it to happen. If anyone owes a debt, it’s Rolf of House Sivas; something he said leads me to believe Lillian wasn’t the first.”
Torval moved up to stand beside his wife, saying, “Have the others arrived yet, Addie?”
“Yes,” she said, “and Lyssa’s buzzing about Kirloth’s glyph being lit. Sypara apparently twisted Carth’s arm; they have been letting Lyssa stew on it.”
“Sypara always has been a rascal,” Torval said. “We probably shouldn’t keep them waiting.”
Torval turned and led everyone into the house. The hardwood floors were varnished and polished to a high sheen, and a faint scent of something flowery hung in the air. Staircases curved up to the second-floor landing before curling back around to rise to the third. Gavin could see a set of closed, double doors just behind the stairs.
“You have a beautiful home,” Gavin said.
“Thank you,” Adelaide said and favored Gavin with an impish smile. “It’s nice to have a man in the house who appreciates the work I do.”
“Oh, now, Addie,” Torval said, “you know I-” He stopped speaking when he saw the impish smile and gleam in his wife’s eyes. “Okay, you got me.”
“Go on, then,” Adelaide said, giving her husband a shooing gesture.
Torval laughed and led Gavin, Lillian, Kiri, Wynn, Braden, Mariana, and Andrin past the staircase to a set of double doors. He opened them and stepped through, allowing the others to enter before he closed the doors behind them. The room was a large meeting hall, lit by sconces that neither burned fuel nor radiated heat.
A large circular table occupied the very center of the room. The tabletop almost resembled a wizard’s medallion, in that there was center section that bore the Mivar Glyph. A circle surrounded that section, and engraved lines spurred off from the circle, dividing the table into fifths. Each fifth had a Glyph engraved into the tabletop and two chairs-a large, prominent chair and a smaller one-except for one. The section that bore Kirloth’s Glyph possessed only the larger, prominent chair.
Three people stood together talking, and they turned to face the new arrivals. Gavin recognized Carth Roshan and Sypara Wygoth. The person he didn’t recognize was a striking, middle-aged woman whose copper hair was laced with strands of gray; she wore the crimson-trimmed black robes of the Inquisitors with white rank runes on the sleeves.
“Torval,” the black-robed woman said as the group approached, “what’s going on with the table? Kirloth’s glyph has never lit up before.”
“That’s because a wizard of House Kirloth has never attended a Conclave before, Lyssa,” Torval said.
“How could one? That family died out with the first Archmagister,” the black-robed woman said.
Torval chuckled. “Apparently not, Lyssa.” He stepped aside and indicated Gavin. “Allow me to present Gavin Cross of House Kirloth.”
Torval turned to Gavin and indicated the black-robed woman. “Gavin, this is Lyssa Cothos, Duchess and Head of House Cothos. I believe you already know the others.”
“The precedents are clear, Torval,” Lyssa said. “Yes, he is very impressive, but he’s a student and probably underage at that. He can’t take his House’s seat at the Conclave.”
“Forgive me for interrupting,” Gavin said, “but I’m not a student. I don’t know how old I am, though.”
Lyssa frowned, saying, “What do you mean you’re not a student? You wear the brown robes.”
“Yes, but Marcus said something about taking me as his apprentice as was in the old ways,” Gavin said. “Ovir witnessed it…legally witnessed it, I mean.”
Now, Lyssa paled.
“Marcus took you as his apprentice?” Lyssa asked, her voice a little shaky. Torval, Sypara, and Carth stood back and looked on. Given Sypara’s pursed lips and the gleam in her eyes, she was enjoying Lyssa’s discomfiture.
“Yes,” Gavin said. “He’s been training me, and…well…I’ve kind of been experimenting with things on my own.”
“You practice in your suite at the Tower?” Lillian asked. “Gavin, that’s dangerous.”
“No. I practice and experiment in the arena. Marcus took me down there to teach me Words of Power and how to manipulate them, and ever since then, the spectral guard allows me to pass when I tell him I’ve come to practice.”
Lyssa swallowed hard and turned to look at Torval, saying, “He can sit at the Conclave.”
Everyone took their seats, with Kiri sitting beside Andrin against the wall of the room.
Torval rapped his knuckles on the table. “Unless there be any objections, I hereby call this Conclave of the Great Houses to order.” After a short pause, Torval continued, “Last evening, around two hours before sunset, Lillian was attacked by Rolf of House Sivas. As Gavin was responsible for interrupting the assault, I ask him to relay what he knows.”