Dragon Tooth Tavern

On Wednesday, the first day of June in the year 1360 by the Dalelands calendar—or rather, Thursday afternoon, Aaron's fifth day studying under the young Sorcerer lady—the Chaos Star flashed through his mind as he meditated. At last, he broke through.

His Sorcerer level rose, and the number of first-level spells he could cast between rests jumped from three to five.

With that came rapid progress in his command of magic native to the Realms.

Charlotte's personal guidance had finally lifted the restriction that had kept Aaron from casting magic native to the Realms, greatly expanding his spell list.

The spells Aaron currently knew were:

Cantrips: Charm Person, Fire Bolt, Shocking Grasp, Light, Guidance, Mage Hand.

First-level spells: Chaos Bolt, Slaanesh's Reverie, Lash of Slaanesh, Tzeentch's Pink Fire, Tzeentch's Blue Fire, Disguise Self, Expeditious Retreat, Tasha's Hideous Laughter, Color Spray, Chaos Grease.

Second-level spells: Slaanesh's Tongue (unavailable), Tzeentch's Lightning Bolt (unavailable).

Yes, as Aaron's power grew, more spells surfaced in his mind. One devastating attack spell, Tzeentch's Lightning Bolt, had already appeared there.

It was immensely powerful. A direct hit would rival a third-level Fireball, and the target would also have to resist the lightning's stunning and corrupting effects. Those with weak wills could easily be stunned; those whose bodies were not strong enough had a chance of mutating.

Tzeentch's Lightning Bolt had one drawback, though. This second-level spell struck from above, bombarding a circular area up to five meters across. Once the area was chosen, the lightning took five seconds to reach the ground.

It dealt tremendous damage and came with a potent disabling effect—a rare and formidable spell.

But five seconds was a little long. Cast on its own, it would almost never hit. Aaron would have to lead his target or hold it in place, and either approach would test his skill.

How did Aaron already know how powerful Tzeentch's Lightning Bolt was?

Because Charlotte could cast it too! After their first experience had synchronized their souls, Aaron discovered that the magical circuits formed by her bloodline let her share her magical knowledge with him. He could share his own knowledge with her in turn.

"Wow, this is so exciting! Aaron, can you feel it? Our synchronization has opened up a whole new world—new magic, new power!"

Dressed in a short swan-and-pear-blossom dress adorned with emeralds and sapphires, Charlotte leaped up and clung to Aaron like a koala. Excitement filled her sweet golden eyes. "If you share your spells with me, I can cast them too! I can feel a whole new world opening before me. Magic is wonderful!"

Her champagne-colored kitten heels, trimmed with butterfly ribbons, lay haphazardly by the door. Her slender legs, wrapped in sheer gray spider-silk lace stockings, swung back and forth with excitement.

"I'm glad you can use them." Aaron smiled and nodded. The past few days of studying magic had been a delight.

"You're so exciting, Aaron! I thought teaching you would be such a bother!" Charlotte clapped her hands, fell backward onto the bed, and rolled around. "Who would've thought you could be my little brother!"

"And didn't I gain an older sister?" Her fragrance was intoxicating.

"Hee, Aaron, where did you learn those recipes? I've lived in the Realms for years, and I've never seen dishes like yours! And Divine Soul Sorcerers—I've only ever met two, you and me!"

"Heehee, coming back has been such fun! Alusair is so dull. Endless work, endless meetings, and she's always wearing that stern face. Not like my little brother! We can study magic together and make delicious food!"

"As long as you're happy." Aaron glanced at the sky outside the window. The sun was setting over the Dragonmere. "I should go. See you next week, Charlotte."

"Mm, see you next week, Aaron!" Charlotte was reluctant to part, but she had never been one to brood. The thought of seeing him again next week immediately cheered her up. She rose and came over to him, holding out her hand. "Promise me we'll create even more powerful magic together!"

"I promise, Charlotte." Aaron's handsome face turned solemn as he clasped her soft hand.

The instant their palms met, both began to glow. The platinum Radiance around Charlotte mingled with the violet-gray Radiance around Aaron: their souls had synchronized once more.

Aaron left the manor by the Dragonmere in the light of the setting sun. On the road back to Suzail, he was still thinking about the mysterious young Sorcerer lady.

My sister?

Divine Soul Sorcerers were unusual even among Sorcerers. Within them lay faint Divine Sparks.

What exactly was a Divine Spark?

No one knew. In Charlotte's collection and the Royal Library, Aaron had found only scattered scraps of information.

One legendary Bard had described the Divine Spark as "the quality that sets Deities above mortals," the mysterious source of their divinity. Possessing one was what separated a Deity from a mortal.

One classic example was Finder Wyvernspur, the "God of Art and Reptiles" mentioned earlier. A founder of the Harpers, he had later withdrawn after his excessive arrogance led him to make a grave mistake. After becoming a god, he reconciled with the Harpers through the mediation of other Deities. According to the stories, he had absorbed the Divine Spark of a fallen Deity and somehow ascended to godhood.

It was also said that during the Time of Troubles, the cunning Rogue Cyric had slain the Dead Three, absorbed their Divine Sparks, and become a god. Other accounts claimed he had won the favor of the Overgod Ao by recovering the Tablets of Fate.

Some said Deities could grant mortals a sliver of a Divine Spark, allowing them to ascend as subordinate gods. Others said mortals who helped preserve the balance of the cosmos and completed epic adventures might win Ao's favor and receive one.

The rumors were a jumble of contradictions.

One thing Aaron could be sure of: the Four Gods had each placed a sliver of a Divine Spark inside him. They had not given him power through a pact.

That was why he was a Chaos Sorcerer, not a Warlock.

According to Charlotte, a Divine Soul Sorcerer grew stronger by awakening the power of their Divine Spark and learning to use it. As they developed it, the power of the Deity and the spells under that Deity's command would appear directly in their mind. They would learn more and more magic, both Divine Magic and arcane magic.

Aaron understood the danger, too. The further he developed the Four Gods' Power, the easier it would be for the Four Gods, far beyond the universe, to notice him and sense where he was.

Opportunity and danger went hand in hand.

As for Cosmic Magic, it drew on the immutable laws governing the sun, moon, stars, and the turning universe to strengthen its practitioner. Its power rose and fell with the tides of energy.

By following the laws of the cosmos, a practitioner of Cosmic Magic could channel magical power into close combat—or channel physical strength into spells.

Follow the laws, and wield the power of the cosmos!

Interesting. This was fascinating.

Magic really was wonderful.

Aaron casually drew his standard-issue longsword. As he poured magic into it, violet-gray mist spread across the blade.

Let's try it out!

The next day, when Aaron finally returned to the Purple Dragons, Havrel stopped him at once.

"Well? My dear Lord Sallyan?" Havrel wore a sly grin and the knowing look of a man who thought he knew exactly what had happened. "How was it? She didn't disappoint, did she?"

"I lost." Aaron spread his hands without the slightest embarrassment. "Lost completely, Havrel. Round up the boys. Drinks are on me tonight."

"Oho! You hear that, boys? Aaron Sallyan is very pleased with his beautiful magic tutor!" Wearing a triumphant just as I thought expression, Havrel burst out laughing and clapped his hands. "He's buying tonight! Dragon Tooth Tavern in the Lower City. The Water of Amn is waiting for us! Crazy Friday!"

"Yeah!" the recruits cheered.

Without showing it, Aaron noted that most of them had agreed to come.

"In the army, the group is everything."

—Purple Dragon Knight Regulations

A group did not always mean everything in life. Often, it did not even represent everyone's interests, or those of the majority. Aaron had learned that over more than thirty years in his previous life.

But in the army, the group truly was everything.

Fitting in mattered. In war, it determined whether you could trust someone with your back.

Losing a small wager could bring Aaron closer to the others and give him an opening with the Dragon's Tooth Gang. It was a worthwhile trade. If a little money could win him a few comrades he could rely on, he would gladly pay it again.

The day's training ended amid eager anticipation. That afternoon, Aaron made a point of speaking to Disma.

"Go if you want. What's it got to do with me? If you like hanging around them, then do it." Disma rolled his dead-fish eyes, plainly indifferent.

"Reynard still isn't back?" Aaron asked as he changed clothes.

"Shouldn't be long. The old geezer always puts a time limit on his tests." Disma turned and walked away before he had even finished speaking.

"Everyone's ready. We're just waiting for you." Paladin Norrington watched Disma go, then said to Aaron, "That senior of yours is a strange one."

"He's just too proud." Aaron sighed softly. "I think Banneret Lucian was right. If you want to become a Purple Dragon Knight, you have to prove you deserve the title. If you only want the title to prove something..."

Aaron left the thought unfinished.

The recruits had assembled. Including Aaron, there were nineteen of them; two others had matters to attend to and would not be joining them. Aaron noticed that both were Suzail locals.

With training over, the recruits followed Aaron and Havrel out of the Purple Dragons' fortress and toward the Lower City.

The Lower City was nothing like the clean, tidy Upper City. It was filthy and chaotic, with a strange smell always hanging over its streets. Refugees from Arabel gathered at alley mouths and on street corners, waiting for the Princess Regent's relief food to arrive.

“There are Arabel people everywhere in the Lower City.” Havrel walked with his hands clasped behind his head. The Minister of Shipping's son was as restless as ever. He crowded up beside Aaron and blurted out, “Aaron, can I call you by your first name? We're brothers, aren't we?”

"Of course." Aaron, too, was considering the value of getting to know Havrel.

Havrel's father, the Minister of Shipping, was a confidant of the Princess Regent and unquestionably one of Alusair's staunchest supporters. As for Aaron... noble though he was, he currently answered directly to the Princess Regent. The royal family paid his salary, had recommended him for recruit training, and had even arranged one-on-one magical instruction with Charlotte.

More startling still, the royal family was paying for those lessons.

Just how expensive was a magic tutor?

At market rates, for example, instruction in a first-level spell cost twenty-five gold pieces. A second-level spell cost a hundred, a third-level spell three hundred, and the price kept climbing.

Whatever Aaron thought of himself, outsiders already saw Aaron Sallyan as the Princess Regent's man.

The Sallyan family had little influence left in Suzail, while Havrel's father, the Minister of Shipping, was one of the city's most powerful officials.

"What happened to the people of Arabel is awful, and of course I feel for them. But having them here has seriously disrupted order in the Lower City. Just look around: filthy streets, crowded alleys, sewage in the gutters, and prostitutes on the corners. Honestly, Aaron, holding our gathering here wasn't a great idea. Why not pick somewhere in the Upper City? I know several excellent bars, and..." Havrel leaned closer and lowered his voice. "They have Elf women!"

"..." Paladin Norrington, walking beside them, heard him. He lowered his head and muttered a complaint no one could make out.

"Sorry, brother. I mean, Arabel is a great city. I just think it's a shame." Havrel hurried to add, "If there's anything I can do to help, just say the word."

"We fought. We sacrificed. We fled. We're grateful Suzail took us in, but this isn't the end. Suzail isn't our home. One day we'll go back and kill every last one of those damned Orcs and their Great Khan, Tugin. By Tymora, I swear it." Norrington's voice was cold. "You just keep being a Suzail man, Havrel."

Havrel spread his hands, chastened.

"If we've invited all our brothers, we need to think about all of them," Aaron said at last. "We're soldiers. A Purple Dragon Knight's duties go beyond standing guard outside the Royal Palace."

He had a point. Both Havrel and Norrington nodded.

He's someone worth getting to know.

Dragon's Tooth Tavern was easy to find. A huge dragon's tooth was chained to its signboard with dozens of iron locks, while the broom and sign hanging by the door made it unmistakably a tavern.

The Lower City might have been dirty and disorderly, but the flood of refugees had also filled it with rough vitality. The recruits all wore swords, and few in the Lower City were foolish enough to trouble armed nobles. Even the beggars dared not crowd around them asking for alms.

Despair existed beside hope, fear beside vitality. Nothing better captured the complexity of humanity.

But when the recruits entered Dragon's Tooth Tavern's main room, they found a group of professional soldiers already seated inside. The anchor emblems and uniforms made their identity clear.

Navy men!

The Purple Dragons recruits' eyes sharpened at once.

The newcomers drew the soldiers' attention as well. After a moment of confusion, hostility spread across their faces.

The army? What are they doing here?!