Beyond the Gates

Landmark

Permanent

Yzmir

The Kadigir, Yzmir Bastion

Common

What dark, phantasmagorical secrets hide within Asgartha's College of Magic? Only madmen and the Yzmirs know for sure...

I tug Kumari by the sleeve, and we hide in the bushes. I place a finger on my lips to tell my sister to stay quiet and not move. It would really suck if any students – or worse, teachers – found us just as we arrived. We watch them pass as they head towards a weird-looking building. They're wearing long hooded gowns and carrying around large books that are no doubt full of strange symbols. Once they're a reasonable distance away, I signal to Kumari to follow me. There's a grove I want to visit today, and from what I saw last time, it should be a really cool place to play. So, we go around the greenhouse where lots of strange plants and trees are growing, and we hide from the brightly colored birds taking flight to be sure they won't rat us out.

Luckily, the Kadigir is a maze of paths, tree plantations, gardens, hills and shady undergrowth. As long as we don't get too close to the large buildings and we stay in the park, there's a good chance no one will spot us. And we don't want to get caught because, last time, the Magister had been within an inch of turning us in to mom and pop. We avoid the menagerie because Kumari is scared of the strange animals that lurk in there. We go through the orchards to swipe some of the exotic fruit that has all those unusual flavors. And then we finally arrive at our destination. It's a small courtyard sometimes used for meditation, but most of the time it's completely empty. I take off my sandals and plunge my feet into the fountain where fat purple flamingos are babbling. I cup a bit of water in my hands and throw it up into the air. It transforms into a bubble that starts to float towards the Magisterium...