Seth went overboard and called in the entire Maji Guard, which I really didn't want. But he wouldn't listen to me. So now, I had a whole other reason to want somewhere else to go, with officers crawling all over our apartment complex. He called it precautions and security. But I felt they were more there to spy on us.

I was unsure if he even believed Tarda about the conspiracy inside the Maji Guard. It certainly felt to me that he didn't. He'd always believed in the honour and integrity of the Guard, no matter what. Even in the last few weeks, he'd never wavered from that.

So I had had it. I told David in no uncertain terms to take me to the tower he found for our new base right away. The Guard poking their noses into everything I was doing wasn't something I was going to stand for. I needed to get away from it all. Calling everyone, I told them to meet us there, then left right away.

It took about an hour taking the bus from the Market District to the Housing District. Then we had to walk the rest of the way to the city wall, where David had said the tower was.

As we made it, the others were coming up behind us. We stood there in awe of the tall structure which loomed over us. It felt imposing just standing there. It was old, that was for sure, but it was also remarkable. While other construction in Calrune was sandstone, this tower was built of grey quartz. What also struck me was how nearby the crime scene it was. This would allow us to head back over there any time we needed.

Tarda carried a stack of notebooks and files under his arm as he motioned to me. "This is everything I was able to pull about the case. There's a lot in here that even David couldn't retrieve from us before."

"I knew you guys were holding back!" David replied, annoyed. "Do you know what I went through just to get the stuff you guys gave me?"

Tarda chuckled. "Oh, yes, I sure do. . . To tell you the truth, most just wanted to see what you'd do. Others didn't want to give you anything at all. . ." he replied as he looked at me. "I will be honest with you. No one in the Guard wanted you involved. At all. The more I dig into this, the more I'm finding that this all centres around you, Kairine."

I nodded. That was fair. I knew I had really embarrassed them the previous year. So it was plausible, and the thought had crossed my mind, that all of this was revenge for that. I must have ruffled a lot of feathers.

"But. . . That isn't to say everyone in the Guard feels the same way," he continued, giving me a wink. "You changed things. You've shown us that the way we were doing things in the past wasn't working and that things had to change. So for that, you have the heartfelt gratitude of myself and many other officers."

He reminded me of a thought I had had the other day. "So. The Maji Guard is divided?" I asked him.

He nodded. "Yes, it is. There's a civil war brewing on the inside. Many want things to remain the way they are, while others see a need to change."

"So what, they're after me just to get to Kairine?" asked Zoe, already annoyed. Her face was bright red and her jaw clenched tightly, averting her eyes from him. "How is that fair to me at all?"

He gazed at her with soft eyes. "I can understand how that must feel, which is why I'm working to stop all of this. It isn't fair to you to have to pay for your sister's actions. The change is necessary, but many are resistant to that. They've grown used to the way things are and even benefitted from it," he explained. "But that is precisely why the change is necessary."

"How old is this tower?" asked Fleur, changing the subject as she was looking on at the place in awe.

"Uh, a thousand years old at least, I think," replied David thoughtfully. "I'm pretty sure it was constructed before the city walls were built and used as a watchtower."

Tarda nodded in agreement. "You know your history. This tower was actually built in the late First Age. It was just after the city was built over the ruins of the old city, Kairus, after Mount Hellfire's eruption. So it's actually around two thousand years old."

It was that old? It was remarkably well preserved for being two thousand years old. I felt overwhelmed by the mere thought of it. My eyes ran up the side of the building as my mouth dropped. 

"So. . ." said David, looking around at all of us. "Shall we head inside? Or are we  just going to stare at it all day?"

I nodded. Given the history, I was more excited than ever to get a glimpse inside.

Inside, the tower was spacious, yet also dark and dreary. Sticky webs cluttered the corners, which I was sure must have been left by some spider Mystimon. The windows were caked in layers of dust, dirt, and sand, making it impossible to see out of them. It was the perfect place for the Necro Spirit that haunted our home. But I wasn't sure yet if I could picture myself working on cases here. That required more imagination than I had.

"So. . ." David started, as he beamed at me. "What do you think? Great, huh?"

I wasn't sure that was the word I'd used to describe it. Though he certainly had more imagination than I did. He was creative, I had to give him that. But there were a few other words I'd used to describe this place.

"Just wondering. . ." I began as I stared back at him. "Did you bring any bug spray?"

For sure, I knew it'd be impossible for me to work looking over my shoulder all the time. Especially if I had to keep my psionic senses open for any movement. I didn't hate spiders as much as I hated snakes. But I definitely wasn't a fan.

"Bug spray?" he seemed confused by my question.

Zoe smirked. "Kairine's afraid of spiders too?!" she laughed so hard I thought she'd spit out a lung.

"I am not!" In my own defense, I cried when I saw spiders. "I'm just not particularly a fan of Mystimon like Blackarach or, what's particularly common in this area, Reclusid. Which aren't exactly the safest Mystimon to be around, Zoe."

I wondered if that would shut her up, and it definitely did the trick as she immediately clammed up and slunk behind Fleur, who was smirking. I could tell I had struck a nerve.

"You won't have to worry about those here. I've been working to get the place ready over the last couple of days," replied David, finally taking my meaning. "There was a nest of Reclusids in here, but they're all gone. That's what took me so long to call you, Kairine. Sorry about that, by the way."

I was suddenly impressed. He really thought ahead. Obviously he only had enough time to clear out the spiders, and hardly any time to clean up in here. Still, as I glanced around the place, I began to see what David saw in it. It certainly had potential. Maybe a good spell or three could get the place ready to go in little time. The dust still bugs me. If we could get rid of that, I would breathe much easier.

Looking at Fleur, I grinned. "Do you know any spells that might be able to clean the place up?" I asked her. I already knew that sort of magic was beyond David, and certainly beyond Zoe.

"I do. . ." interrupted Tarda suddenly. I had almost forgotten he was even there. He'd been silent the entire time. I figured he was admiring the tower.

He stepped out into the centre of the room, flicking his fingers in a peculiar movement and chanting something under his breath. He was soon surrounded by a crystal-blue liquid-like wave that flowed and spread, filling the entire room. Within seconds, the webs had vanished. The dust, dirt, and sand were washed away and replaced by glistening surfaces. Then, David flicked his fingers toward the chandelier above us, lighting up all the candles.

"This place is obviously before the advent of Mystia tech, so we'll be working old school," smirked David. "Which I thought you would enjoy, Kairine."

Once again, I was impressed. He really seemed to know and understand me. I looked at him with amazement. Maybe it was meant to be after all.

"Oh. . ." said Fleur suddenly, shattering my daydream. She was good at that. Once again I was fighting myself over David or Fleur as my heart throbbed looking at her. Her smile glimmered and her hair glistened in the dancing candlelight. Be still, my beating heart, I told myself. "I just remembered. . . I have something for you, Kairine."

"Had to ruin my moment?" complained David with a smirk.

She giggled in response. "No. . . I promised her something a little while ago," she replied, glancing at me. "Give me your hand. . ."

Unsure what any of this was about, I did as she asked. Then she began chanting something under her breath until suddenly, in a beam of violet light, a tiny lizard appeared on her shoulder. Its leathery purple scales shone in the candlelight as its large, bulbous dark-blue eyes gazed up at her. She glanced back at it with a smile, nodding. The creature then gazed up at me, crawling along her arm and up mine, up to my shoulder.

As it did, it felt as though something were crawling up into my heart. It was a tingling sensation at first, until it grew into a warmth that radiated through my blouse. I stared into the lizard’s eyes as it stared back at me. For a moment, it felt as though I knew what it was thinking. No, rather what it was feeling.

Confusion. Mixed with curiosity. I gave it a slight smile.

Finally, she released my hand as she beamed at me. "This is Psicon. . ." she said, exhaling a breath of relief. "I wasn't sure that would work. . . But it would appear I found a loophole to your inability to imprint."

I stared back at her, wide-eyed. "What do you mean?"

"I simply passed Psicon to you. It's yours. You may be incapable of dismissing and summoning it again, and all the other fun stuff. . ." she replied. "But it is imprinted on you now. As for the issue of dismissing it. . ."

She pulled an amulet from her dress pocket and handed it to me. It was large, about the size of my hand, and diamond-shaped. Embedded in the centre of it was a large violet-coloured gem that glistened in the light.

"This is actually an ancient device from deep within Gelvaran culture. . ." she explained. "During the Second Age, there was an epidemic of a strange disease in Olympus. It rendered Mystia Casters incapable of imprinting, summoning, or dismissing Mystimon. So a group of scholars from Everglade College figured out a temporary solution to this issue while a cure was worked on. . . These are what those experiments yielded. It will allow you to store Psicon inside it whenever you need to and then summon it again."

I stared at her in disbelief, my heart fluttering. Happiness overwhelmed me as I could feel Psicon’s curiosity grow. She had found an ingenious way around my shortcomings as a psion! "You're brilliant, Fleur!" I beamed at her. Turning to Zoe, I told her, "You have the best girlfriend ever." 

"Thanks. . . I think. . ." replied Zoe, bewildered. "Got any of those for me, for Dragron?"

Fleur giggled as she said, "No. . . I think we will let you figure out the solution to your problem on your own."

I couldn't help but laugh as Zoe shot an angry look at me. She was a harsh tutor, but the one Zoe desperately needed. If anyone could help her, I thought, it had to be Fleur. Only she would be able to teach her how to get past this slump of hers.

With a new friend on my shoulder, I looked around our surroundings and started to envision the possibilities. It seemed certain that we had finally found our office. The only thing missing was a name.