I had learned a lot, writing those letters, and then had plenty of time to think about it all while slipping them into mailbox after mailbox. 

The towers were linked to immensely large buildings; palaces of glass and steel, unlike anyone in Leylen had seen. They were built very quickly, and were uniquely crafted. The lights? They were everywhere in Leylen. 

… I have never understood the hate towards the Shadehands. Nor towards the Covened, for that matter. Since our history was written, men with magic could control the shadows and light, while women had elemental abilities. The Shadehands, the Covened, and the rest. The humans.

Like me. 

Having grown up amongst them, I always saw those born with magic as something entirely normal. Majestic and wondrous, yes, but nothing unusual or dangerous. I was only ever afraid of what Eishen could do once in my life, but even then, I wasn’t afraid of them as a Shadehand; just of their choices.

But I know Eish. I know the Kerr family is powerful, but not in a way that makes them a threat.

And yet, for years, the Shadehands and Covened of Leylen have been shunned underground.

Few of the locals know just how much magic is brewing in the cellars of the city. A generation ago, humans took power. They- we shunned them underground. Little by little, people forgot about the strength and place in society magic once had.

Humans are fools. 

I needed to know why they turned on the lights. 

After spending the night distributing those letters, I followed the winding paths of the city towards the largest of the towers. Every bridge was familiar to me, every canal held a memory. Eventually, the cobbled streets became muddy, and the canals were left behind. The outskirts of the city have never been somewhere I enjoyed going to; it was messy, dirty, somewhere crime was all too common. I hadn’t realized quite how far away the building was, nor how large, but the closer I got, the smaller I felt. 

The tower was made of the city’s typical grey bricks, and towered high enough for its peak to disappear into the clouds above. It seemed to be a part of a huge building - it could easily have housed all of the Shadehands and Covened combined, if not more. It was several stories high, and seemingly made entirely of a slightly-golden glass and deep grey metal bars that held it together. More disturbingly, the entire area was louder than even the most drunken crowds at the peak of the Solar Festival. 

Some people seemed to enter and leave the building without too many issues, so I followed suit. The glass and metal door was surprisingly light, compared to the wood and stone doors of the rest of the city. Only the most elite could afford lighter glass doors, and those were few and far between. While I expected to be greeted by an unfathomably large room, I walked into a deceivingly simple office - a reception of sorts. The desk clerk didn’t seem to notice me at all. 

I adjusted my coat and made sure I was standing straight, before I cleared my throat. The desk clerk looked up at me. He looked plain, but had a twinkle in his brown eyes that made him look rather innocent and kind.

“Can I help you?”

“Good morning, sir. I just have questions about this place - it seems to have appeared almost overnight. Unless I really am as dim-witted as my friends say,” I said with a charming grin. 

The clerk wasn’t impressed. A shame. 

“And why would you care? You’re the first here today brave enough to ask about it.” 

That didn’t make sense; had nobody been worried about the lights at all? “Surely that cannot be the case- is no one else interested in this marvel?” 

“Not really.” 

“That seems unusual; I thought the people of this city would be more curious. But can you tell me then, does the appearance of this tower have anything to do with the sudden lights at night?” 

“It does, though I’m not sure that was all that difficult to piece together.” 

“Oh how you wound me, good sir,” I muttered. So much for the eye-twinkle he somehow still maintained.

“Look, I appreciate your curiosity, but it is not my place to talk about it. I just make sure people like you do not get into the factory. So, if you could so kindly go back to your business, I would appreciate it.” 

“Is that what you call this? A factory?”

“Clearly.” 

I rolled my eyes, not appreciating his attitude. “And it is the source of the lights in the streets?” 

“Again; yes, it is.” 

I couldn’t help myself then. “Do you not realize how much this is going to harm the Shadehands? I know the city has pushed them underground, but-” 

The clerk stood up then. “I am sorry sir, but I must escort you out.” 

“What, why? Because I mentioned-” 

“Please, don’t make me insist. It could draw too much attention.” 

I wasn’t naive - I knew the mere mention of Shadehands was often shushed in Leylen - but that didn’t excuse the insistence. Usually, it was met with an awkward chuckle or odd glances. There was no reason to force me away at the mention of the mages that once helped rule the city. I glanced around the room - it was quite bare, save a large set of doors, the desk, a sign-in sheet and a rather sizeable bookshelf. 

On the shelf, I recognized it. A tome every Shadehand family owned, one that only they could read, that elaborated on the rarest forms of magic in the world. 

“You- you work with them? Or are you studying them? Why else would you have the Shadow Opus?” The more I thought about why the ‘factory’ may have the book, the more my heart raced.

“You need to leave. I have called guards once before, and am not afraid to do it again.” 

“Wait, again? So someone did come ask-”

“Guards!”

“Wonderful to meet you.” I bowed, my fluffy hair falling in front of my eyes, before I turned to leave, running back into the winding streets of Leylen until I was certain that the guards chasing me moments ago could not follow. 

I needed to go find Eishen.