Burning Night: A Tale of the Everburning City

Chapter 15, Part 2: Tabitha

Carver Raeth's office was barely larger than a storage closet, with just enough space for a small table and four chairs. The only sign of the esteem the school held in this old teacher was that, unlike nearly every other room in the building, this one had a window.

"Mister Raeth?" Tabitha asked as she stepped into the office.

Carver Raeth was difficult to see over the small mountain of paper piled on his desk. Stacks of paper rose nearly two feet off the desk, and despite what appeared to be a valiant effort to keep it organized, the piles were folding into one-another, creating a simile of a fortress that the teacher now hid behind.

"Yes, madam Crafter?" Desmond asked in response, rising to his feet. He gestured to the open seats and smiled. "How can I help?"

Tabitha was surprised to find he stood nearly as tall as she and Mathias did.

"I'm looking for an apprentice of the Guild. Gerald Raeth. I'm told he's your child."

"Not a child anymore," Carver Raeth replied, shaking his head. "He hasn't been a child for quite some time."

"There's a story to that," Mathias said, with surprising gentleness.

"Aye. One of grief and pride. Why are you looking for him?" Carver asked.

"I'm told your son is clever, which doesn't happen in a vacuum. Why would a Crafter be looking for a first-year apprentice?" Mathias asked. He looked amused as he asked, as he casually sat down.

Clever shadow, Tabitha thought to herself as she claimed the other empty seat.

"Ah. Sorry," Carver replied, chuckling in relief. "I was worried for a moment. I didn't expect a Crafter to go out of their way for an apprentice. I assumed it was trouble."

Perceptive and insightful. Tabitha might have let her approval show, in other circumstances.

"My Crafter's eccentric, and bored," Mathias replied, slouching a little in his chair.

"Did he come home?" Tabitha asked as she took the other seat. "It's not uncommon for an apprentice to have a difficult relationship with his family. Especially if the Craft manifests early."

"He came home for a couple of days," Carver admitted. "The Guild's apprenticeship seems to be treating him well, I haven't seen him happy that consistently since before we discovered he was a potential."

"Did he tell you where he planned to go next?" Mathias asked, still appearing utterly at ease.

"I'm afraid not," Carver chuckled. "But since you'll ask me to hazard a guess next, I'd expect he wants to study the Gloam."

"The Gloam?" Mathias asked. The man gave a convincing imitation of being surprised. "That's an odd subject to care about. One that tends to get people into trouble."

Mathias was still relaxed, but his tone hinted at the unspoken taboo around studying the Gloam. Tabitha recognized it as a gentle prod and made a careful note to appreciate her new shadow's subtlety more.

"That taboo comes from having cultists getting their hands on the flow controls for the pilot lights at the walls," Carver said, his voice slightly raspy as it carried his irritation. "Parliament is fond of blaming their stupidity on the Gloam itself."

Tabitha was surprised to see Carver hesitate, before adding, "though Gerald always said there was something alive about the Gloam. He said it had a will."

Tabitha exchanged a short, nervous glance with Mathias.

"You said there was a story to Gerald's early adulthood. Grief and pride, I believe your words were," Tabitha said. "Would you tell us that story?"