Santa Marta, Monday, 25 May 1840

Your Reverence, Magister Arminio Cavallaro

My daughter Lorelia has been missing since April. She has not responded to my numerous telepathic calls. As your presence in Santa Marta is necessary for family matters, I ask for your help.

I have enclosed a portrait of my daughter. She is 26 years old and completed her apprenticeship last autumn. Since then, she has been pursuing her own studies of precious stones. As there are numerous gemstone deposits in Brazil, I suspect that she is hiding in one of the mines in Minas Gerais or the surrounding forests. This area became her second home during her training with Magistra Glandera.

As I am aware of your special skills in dealing with missing persons at the gendarmerie in Rome, I would like to commission you privately: bring my daughter back to me by the end of July, and you will receive one kilogram of gold as payment.

Yours sincerely,
Thiveus Guedes Flores

Arminio

Is that all you’re offering for a runaway brat. Just one kilogram of gold? Are you trying to insult me? Arminio shook his head and let the letter fall onto his desk. Che palle! You’re too stupid to grasp how I operate. If your daughter meant anything to you, you would offer me more. How am I supposed to trace her based on a portrait? Arminio tapped the drawing dismissively with the back of his hand. A moment later, he leaned back in his chair and looked out of the window at the bar in Rome, not far from Piazza Navona. He wondered: why had the air magician sent him a letter instead of communicating the request telepathically, as was customary?

Frowning, the Capitano picked up the drawing and stared at the girl’s eyes. For a Colombian, she had unusually cornflower-blue irises. Why don’t you answer your father’s calls? he asked the picture, tilting his head. The woman he was seeking clearly had a posed smile. Her long, dark hair and full lips would not help him track her down in South America. The region teemed with women resembling her. To locate her, he also required her body’s heat signature. Had he not avoided the gatherings in Chattenberg over the past decades, Glandera’s acolyte would certainly have caught his eye. Suddenly, a nervous premonition ran through his body. The forests of Colombia were mafia territory, and Brazil was no better. This case stinks to high heaven. Even though the pay is ridiculous, I need to know why Lorelia feels safe there of all places.

From the bottom drawer of his mahogany desk, the Capitano took out a thick grey envelope. He dipped his quill into the inkwell and wrote “Lorelia” on the file. Arminio had a tried-and-tested tactic for non-magical women: his copper-red hair was eye-catching, and his Sicilian charm was disarming. He read her thoughts, spoke to her and engaged her in conversation about her interests, convincing her to come with him. By the time he assured her that he would protect her, he had the woman where he wanted her: either in his office at the gendarmerie or in bed. However, since Lorelia was a magician, Arminio had to discover what motivated her by other means. He grinned broadly as he prepared to establish a telepathic connection with the wanted woman’s master.

“Glandera? This is Arminio. May I have your attention for a moment?”

Instantly, the earth mage answered him. “Greetings, Arminio. Please speak.”

“I have a few questions about your former student, Lorelia. May I come and see you?”

After a brief pause, Glandera replied. “Ferron and I are sitting on his terrace in the sun right now. Come over for a cup of coffee.”

“I’d love to, thank you very much.”

With practised movements, Arminio tidied his desk, folded the letter, and returned it to the envelope with the drawing. His hand swung in a horizontal figure of eight. A blue-violet, shimmering circle with a diameter of over two metres formed, and the Sicilian stepped through it into the Earth Wing of the Magician Academy of High Arts in Chattenberg.

“Zio Ferron.” Arminio bowed to greet his godfather.

“Greetings, Arminio,” replied the earth mage. “Greetings, Glandera.” Smiling, the fire mage bent down to greet the crystal mage with two kisses on the cheek.

Glandera looked at the Sicilian with a warm smile. “Arminio, it’s good to see you. Please: take a seat.” She gestured to the cast-iron garden chair and stroked her belly.

“Gladly. Thank you for making time for me. How is the baby?” He folded his hands over his red trousers.

“Very well.” Glandera had that inner glow that only a pregnant woman could radiate. She reached out to take Ferron’s hand with her free one. ‘We are so happy.’

The fire mage nodded, glad that they were finally fulfilling their dream of having children. ‘And how is the father-to-be?’

Ferron beamed like a lighthouse. ‘Excellent, too.’

Glandera rolled her eyes. “He’s even more excited than I am and he hardly leaves me alone. He keeps telling me to get more rest.”

Arminio smiled. “No wonder. This baby means the world to Ferron.”

The earth mage leaned back and relaxed. “I’ve also been waiting over four hundred years for this moment.”

Arminio stared at her belly with a magical gaze. Within seconds, he located the umbilical cord and observed the blood circulation of the unborn child. “Do you already know the sex of the baby, or shall I tell you?”

“No, please don’t. We want it to be a surprise.” Glandera waved him away, laughing.

A moment later, Ferron asked: “Would you like a cup of coffee?”

“No, thank you.”

Glandera tilted her head. “How can I assist you?”

The Capitano ran his fingers through his short, copper-coloured hair. “Can we discuss this inside?”

Slowly, the magician stood up. “You know I have no secrets from Ferron. I will certainly inform him of our conversation.”

 Glandera’s study had changed since Arminio’s last visit, but he was not interested in the new, colourful minerals sparkling in the sunlight. He followed the earth mage to her desk, next to which a crib stood, and took a seat in the visitor’s chair.

Glandera leaned back in her chair with a quiet sigh. “Well, Arminio, what is it about?”

‘Journeyman Lorelia is missing. Apparently, she hasn’t been in touch with her father since her exam.’ He reached into his breast pocket and handed her the letter. ‘Magister Thiveus has tasked me with searching for her in the Brazilian gem mines. Before I set off, though, I wanted to ask if you could tell me something about her. After all, you were her master.”

Glandera skimmed the letter and frowned. “What exactly do you want to know?”

“When was the last time you saw her?”

Her eyebrows formed a fine line in the middle. “About two months ago.”

“Why?”

Glandera shook her head slightly. “Nothing out of the ordinary: she just wanted to discuss her latest research findings.”

“Gemstone topics?”

“Yes, exactly.”

He lowered his chin. “How was she?”

Glandera shrugged his shoulders in disbelief. “She was delighted; her eyes were shining with enthusiasm. We were both in our element when we talked about work. Arminio, I don’t know what you hope to gain from these questions. Would you like me to call her? Then you can speak with her directly.”

“No, I don’t want to warn her.” After a brief pause, he continued in a quieter voice. “I wonder what her reason is for not responding to her father’s calls. What woman would choose to live in the wilderness?”

Glandera laughed playfully. “What nonsense! Some folk appreciate untouched nature because it is their home. We spent most of our training time in the mines. As an earth mage, she knows every stone and rock there. Moreover, she knows how to defend herself against wild animals and possesses a good sense of direction. She doesn’t just get lost.”

“Is the region vast?”

“Oh yes. Glandera stroked her belly gently. Brazil is rich in gemstone deposits. It’s a true paradise for us.”

“What about the cartel? Have you ever been threatened or caught in a shootout?”

“The best thing to do is announce that you’ll be in the area for the next few hours. Provided you wear your insignia openly, they leave you alone. Immediately after stepping through the portal, you are defenceless since magic cannot be used in the seconds following transit. Once the magical shield has been rebuilt, you can move around freely.” Glandera sighed and tapped her belly. “But in this condition, Ferron won’t let me travel to South America. I won’t be able to support you.”

Arminio sat up straight in his chair. “I would do the same. Can you give me a map of the Brazilian forests showing the location of the mines instead?” The Magistra nodded, and they both stood up. As she stood before him, her irises changed colour from brown to amber. Instantly, she placed her thumb on Arminio’s forehead. Instantly, the landscape appeared before his inner eye. Cities and place names that he recognised helped him to get his bearings. Instantly, this information was supplemented by glowing dots denoting gemstone deposits deep within the earth.

He murmured: “It’s impressive how many deposits there are.” Arminio thanked her with a nod.

“You don’t need to pretend. I know how little you care about gemstones.”

Arminio lifted his chin. ‘What does journeywoman Lorelia specialise in?’

Glandera’s eyes sparkled. “Lithotherapy. Currently, she is researching alternative healing methods. She only has the basic knowledge necessary for earth elementalism, much to Ferron’s annoyance.”

“You know I need a thermal image to find Lorelia. Could you send me a description of what she looks like? Do you also recall a mission I was called to?”

A moment later, she touched his forehead again. Instantly, an image of an earth mage in regalia appeared in his mind. Lorelia wore her dark hair loose and smiled as she showed Glandera a purple gemstone.

“Let us think about it together.” Moments later, Glandera walked purposefully over to a display case, took out a green and purple gemstone shaped like an octahedron, and held it up. “Here, the fluorite will help us concentrate.”

Arminio didn’t believe in this supposed effect, but he knew that Glandera was a powerful crystal mage. He let her place the stone in his hands and enclose them with hers. He stared spellbound into her amber irises as she cast her spell. “On 25 May 1834, you were called to an earthquake site to search for people buried under rubble. She assisted me there.”

Instantly, Arminio searched his memories at lightning speed. At that time, he had helped find the bodies of the victims, still warm. He then communicated their location to the earth mages, who cleared the buildings of rubble. Every person had a unique appearance, and the same was true of their heat signature in his magical vision. The veins in the body resembled a unique fingerprint, and since he knew Glandera’s signature, it didn’t take him long to recognise the woman standing beside her. She was tall and slim with a well-trained physique, moving gracefully. With that, he could begin his search.

“Thank you. Does she still live by the code of the Mages’ Academy?”

“Of course she does. The Sicarios are not squeamish when someone does not openly wear their insignia.”

Arminio felt reassured that Lorelia had revealed herself to the assassins. He concluded that she did not appear quite as reckless as her father had claimed. “Have you ever heard any complaints about Lorelia not responding to a Magister?”

“Never. When we call her, we get an immediate response.”

That just doesn’t add up, thought Arminio. “Then what do you think could be the reason she’s not responding to her father’s calls?”

Glandera shook her head. “The relationship has been tense for a long time. Since he is an air mage, I’m not surprised that they have opposing views. But Thiveus didn’t even show up for her journeyman celebrations.” Taking the gemstone from his hand, she stepped back. “Lorelia is a proud Latina who loves her freedom. These are qualities you should recognise.”

A moment later, the corners of Arminio’s mouth slowly turned upwards. His amusement at her subtlety grew. With a practiced movement, he formed a horizontal figure of eight. “Thank you, Glandera. Please give my regards to Furio if you see him before Sunday.”

“I will.” Glandera bowed her head in farewell. “I wish you every success, Arminio.”