The original story was published in German in September 2023. Thanks to Katy Reich for this professional translation to English. I will publish this version in spring 2025. The first seven chapters are a free reading sample. You may read the complete manuscript for a small Ko-Fi donation. Please send me your username in the message.
In the dim light of the oil lamp, Glandera gently stroked the quartz crystal with her fingertips. Her skin tingled pleasantly. She shuddered and smiled, lost in thought. Without taking her eyes off her find, she put down her hammer and chisel. She felt with her hand along the floor for the lamp and picked it up. The flickering light was reflected on the shiny crystal surfaces. The coveted gold that had crystallised on it glittered yellow. The sight of the complete crystal made her hold her breath.
The noises of the other miners working the rock faded into the background as the gemstone attracted her almost magically. Her thoughts became clear and she calmed down. Moments like these gave her the strength to work deep underground in the gold mine. She sighed and put the lamp down on the floor. With her sleeve, she wiped the grey dust from her lips before taking a sip of water from her canteen. “Only a few more weeks, then there will be nothing left here.” Wistfully, she looked at the gold flecked mineral.
“Rubbish!”
Glandera instinctively ducked when she heard the foreman's voice, but she didn't look over her shoulder. Zulkis had a habit of smugly running his fingers through his greasy hair – not a pretty sight, even in this darkness.
“I got the results of our exploratory drillings,” he laughed maliciously, “and I was able to disprove your statement.”
Glandera narrowed her eyes and cursed inwardly. He still didn't believe her. Over the past few days, she had repeatedly warned him that the vein of gold would soon run dry. But she couldn't prove it. It was more like a gut feeling that grew stronger and stronger as the departure of a dear friend drew nearer. Her colleagues were also dependent on this work.
She eagerly got back to work and struck the rock with targeted blows. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Zulkis shuffling to an alcove where a single candle was burning. He fiddled with his dirty trousers and pulled out a worn pocket watch to take a brief look at it. He returned with a wry grin and his pungent odour bit her nose. When he stopped close to her, she held her breath and suppressed her gag reflex. Her body stiffened, and her fist gripped the chisel even tighter.
“Why don't you come around to my place after work, and we'll see how else you can make yourself useful.”
Glandera's brown eyes stood out even more because of the thick layer of dust on her face. She drew her brows together pleadingly, turning her head to the foreman. “I can't. I'm expected home. My mother has to go to the market and… and Grandmother is very ill.”
“Then I'll see you tomorrow before work.” With a smug grin, he turned without waiting for her answer, and his corpulent figure disappeared into the gloomy tunnel.
With her mouth clenched shut, Glandera continued to hammer. Her hands were sweating and kept slipping on the tool. She suppressed hot tears at the memory of a time when her friends had worked in the mine. Zulkis pestered them until they could take it no longer. The thought that she was facing the same fate made her feel sick to her stomach. An oppressive feeling spread through her chest. She put the tool aside again and received uncomprehending looks from her buddies. She checked her pulse with the flat of her hand. Her heart was racing. She looked up at the ceiling and sent up a prayer to the heavens. Were the walls closing in on her? Everything was constricting her. She had to get out! Shakily, she grabbed her tools and hurried off. The candles flickered as she hurried along the winding paths. She knew where her bare feet were taking her. It was getting brighter. Too late, she noticed a shadow appear in front of the exit.
There was a dull thud, followed by the high-pitched hum of electrical voltage. Lightning flashed through the swirling cloud of dust. Glandera staggered backwards, but the man she had collided with remained immovable, like a rock.
“Ouch… can't you watch out?” Sparks flashed as she fell hard on her bum.
Slowly, the giant stepped back and the lightning subsided. Golden embroidery with the insignia of power glittered on his shoulder pieces in the shining sun. The dusty imprint of her face was emblazoned on his chest. His silken robe was completely soiled. The magnificent belt was adorned with the symbols of the earth. Her eyes widened, and she paled as it dawned on her who stood before her: the Archmage.
“F-forgive me, please,” she stammered and lowered her eyes.
It stung like needles where the lightning had left his body. Archmage Ferron's mind raced to make sense of what had happened. In front of him, the miner nimbly collected her tools and hurried away. His eyes changed colour as he tore the silver glove from his right hand and placed his fingers on the rock face. At the same time, his mind penetrated her thoughts. He frowned in astonishment. She was afraid of him?
“Who was that?” With his head held high, the mage looked down at the foreman. His earth magic followed her hurried steps through the town to Weber Alley.
Zulkis straightened up. “That was Glandera Berger, erudite Magister.”
Archmage Ferron ran his fingers through his short, dark hair before putting his glove back on. “I want you to give me all the information you can about this woman. I want to know everything about her!”
Zulkis humbly bowed several times. “Very well, erudite Magister, as you wish. If I may invite you inside?” With a sweeping gesture of his arm, he signalled the archmage to enter first.
Her lungs were burning. Glandera threw the front door shut behind her and leaned against it, panting. She would have preferred to lock the memories out, too. She would lose her work in the foreseeable future: Either because the vein of gold ran dry, or because she wouldn't give herself to that slimy creep of a foreman. No doubt because she had touched a mage of the highest rank without being asked! Hot tears welled up in her eyes and she hid her face in the crook of her arm. She breathed in and out deeply a few times. The places where she had collided with the archmage tingled like a thousand ants.
Her mother peeked out of the kitchen and raised her eyebrows. “My dear? Are you all right?”
Glandera lowered her arm and forced herself to smile. “Everything's fine!” She pulled off her headscarf and ran her hand through her dark brown curls. Money was already tight, and she hadn't told her mother about her worries. Hilde did everything she could to feed her family. But Glandera's brother Arno soon needed to pay the blacksmith's tuition fee. She couldn't afford to lose her work because her mother's sales were nowhere near enough.
“I'll be off then.” Hilde knocked the flour off her apron, took it off and hung it on the hook.
Only now did Glandera smell the delicious aroma and her stomach growled. “Are you making potato bread?”
“Yes.” Hilde looked lovingly at her daughter, who was no longer trembling. She hung the handle of the wicker basket full of spun wool on her arm and went to the door. “Grandmother's feeling better today. Go and see her.”
Glandera looked after Hilde until she left the house. She quickly freshened up, walked barefoot up the stairs and knocked. When she opened the door, alert grey eyes met her.
“My dear, good to see you.”
Gladis always said that when she entered. Every day, Glandera witnessed how the old woman's memories faded, like a curtain that drew closer. Today, this veil was thin. Grateful for this rare moment of clarity, she sat down with her. “Grandmother, I'm so glad you're well. Would you like to tell me about when you were younger until the bread is ready?” She lovingly kissed her snow-white hair and smelled the familiar scent of woods and meadows.
The old woman stared at the wall for a while, holding her necklace pendant. “The riders are roaming the woods again. Run, my girl, when you see the crest of the Mage Academy. Hide in the caves so they don't find you.”
“But grandmother,” she replied bravely, ”I'm already a grown woman. I don't need to hide anymore.”
“Oh, they've taken them away, the poor children. The mages use them for their dark spells.”
Her hands grew cold.
“Glandera, dear, take care of your little brother.”
“Arno's grown up, too. We live in the town now, don't you remember?”
Tears gathered and ran down her wrinkled skin. “Oh, Alice…”
It choked Glandera that she was still grieving. Her words no longer reached Gladis' mind. She handed her a handkerchief and gently stroked the leathery skin to comfort her.
The blue-purple light of the portal faded behind Archmage Ferron. In the middle of his study in the Mage Academy, he pinched the bridge of his nose, closed his eyes and recalled the words of the foreman. The foreman had shown him a long, thick vein and assured him that they could continue to mine for several months. A steady supply of gold was essential for his project.
The stone floor slabs were polished by decades of use and reflected the sunlight streaming in. He walked restlessly up and down, past the display cases containing a wide variety of metals. The spot where Glandera Berger had touched him was still tingling. Such an after-effect was alien to him. Elemental powers worked intensely between mages. He was familiar with heat or cold from fire magic and turbulence from air magic. But sparks and lightning?
He stood rooted to the spot and turned his gaze to the garden. If his suspicions were confirmed, Glandera would be a sensation. He didn't want to wait for the foreman to deliver his report. But the meeting of the mages was taking place on Tuesday, and as he was the only earth mage, his presence was essential.
Ferron smiled. Arminio Cavallaro came to mind as a man of confidence. He was secretive and his magical talent was ideal for this mission. As he was also the son of his best friend, he had known him since birth. He could put his trust in him.
The archmage took a deep breath. Only when he had focused on his request did he address him telepathically. “Arminio? This is Ferron. May I have your attention for a moment?”
“Pronto, Ferron, I'm listening.”
“I require detailed information about a miner and would like to give you a private assignment to shadow her. Can you leave your work at the constabulary until then?”
“Yes, the paperwork can wait. What's this about?”
“Her name is Glandera Berger. I'm interested in her everyday life and who she surrounds herself with.”
“How far may I go? Should I just observe her, or may I also read her mind?”
The earth mage paused for a moment. Unlike them, Glandera was not protected by a codex. That legitimised his means. “You have free rein as long as you act in the background.”
“Prego. When do you need the information?”
“As soon as possible. Can you give me a report in my study on Wednesday afternoon at the third hour?”
“Naturalmente. Do you have a memory for me, so I can find her more quickly?”
Ferron closed his eyelids and opened his mind. Large brown eyes stared up at him from the petite face. Her brows were furrowed with indignation. Then he showed a second memory of following her through the winding alleys to a front door. He did not reveal his suspicions. He wanted to let the capitano come to his own conclusions.
“Grazie, I can work with that. I'll be on my way immediately.”
“Thank you very much, Arminio.”
“Not for that, zio Ferron, you're family. I'll see you in two days.”
