So we needed to check this out in person. It would be easy to say that I had no interest but he had me me at blood magic. Blood magic I didn't know could be powerful indeed. It was all a matter of how I could use it and if human aether magic would work well within faerie. If I could turn it to my own devices, I would be doing a lot better.

  "Really? You want to hit the streets and go after Professor Vaughn? Absolutely not." Martin was adamant.

  "You don't want to warn him, but you do want to discourage him? This is the best way to do it. And I don't know this guy. Apparently you know him by association so we might as well lean into that."

  "I know him because we served together in war. He is not going to like this at all. He is especially unlikely to like whatever we do if it's trying to control him."

  In the spectrum between someone else controlling me and death, it was a difficult decision. Death might have been the more attractive option in the short term but there was one small twist.

  Dead fae can't carry out revenge plots.

  "What do you know about the professor in question?"

  "He is a mage assigned to my military academy. We do an exchange program so that people can get a good grounded experience in their time. Mages come to the us, we send people there, back and forth. We do the same things with the dragon rider school. It's that cross over that has usually seen a good crowd at the parapet."

  "And this senseless loss of human life for no reason except to satisfy some long go forgotten tradition...?"

  "It's how they want to run things. I'm not a fan. Personally they should just recycle those kids that can't make it into the military but what do I know?"

  He was after all just a man. Men weren't known for their tact

  "So how do we get professor Vaughns attention?"

  "We've got to find him. If they just want him not to show up during that, there has to be a good reason that he is not. He always goes. He has been a very vocal voice in the movement to humanize the indoctrination of New dragon riders. Unfortunately he isn't a dragon rider so he has literally no sway."

  It wasn't immediately clear to me why they didn't want professor there. I wasn't sure that Martin knew either. It was kind of grating to understand that we would be going in blind.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  "So where do we find him?"

  Marring sighed deeply. "We've got to go to the North side... If he is anywhere, based on the time of year he might be teaching a class on thaumaturgy."

  "They don't respect it?"

  "Not only that. The dragon rider academy is a government institution. The mages college is a private one. They don't want to look biased but the students are all students. They don't care about politics. They just want to know their peers and make connections."

  Mine brought out a silk map of the showing the three areas where each academy had its land. On the bottom left or Southwest, the military academy that he worked at had a good large plot of land. On the southeast there was a mountain next to the Dragon Rider academy.

  On the North side of the capital, the closest one to the docks I could see the spot for the wizarding college. At least it was the closest thing to us. Not that I didn't appreciate walking into town and further up into the capital, but my feet were tired from walking virtually straight up the other day. It was the uphill and downhill that gave me a bit of pause. Why did humans build their cities on the sides of mountains? At least we would get a good view of the north sea from there. That are least was a good consolation prize.

  "Once we get closer you should be able to detect him with your magic."

  "Why is that?"

  "He is an aether bound thaumaturgist. His blood sings the song of battle magic."

  I'd encountered one such human before. From a distance, they were no different than any other. Up close? I could feel it.

  "I know the type. Let's head out then if we can."

  "Of course, of course."

  ---

  It was an experience to walk around the coastal facing side of the city. The next thing I knew we were already with the orcish food cart that had become a staple of my time here. No matter what happened outside, he would at least help me with my grumbling stomach. Even when it wasn't grumbling in the slightest.

  But it was a nice walk. At least. It was good to know that I had these snacks for later because of course we got to the wizards college. The more I could sense the aether disturbances.

  "You failed to mention that there was going to be a lot of students there. A lot of these students have blood magic. It's going to be difficult for me to pick them out."

  "The canvas is open. It's wide open in fact, because the power zip it, you want to make sure that they're not actually hiding anything. They can close the doors during classes, but there's no secrets that they can hide. Is the part of their charter."

  We found several two and three story buildings made out of but had to be Marvel and with sea glass as a special embedded point, it was easy to see that someone had spent a lot of time on these things.

  By the time he found the correct building I was down to my last meat on a stick. I figured I might as well save it for professor Vaughn as a bribe. Not a real bribe, just one of those ethical rides that you give people.

  Humans like little presents like that and although it was hard to get those things it was undeniable the effect that it had upon somebody.

  It was when the giant dinosaur decided to pop out of the building we wanted to enter that things began to get interesting.