Mage Archeus Volen was known for many things in the capital, where he had gained his infamy. Mostly, he was known for his extreme dislike of most people and his only moderate common sense. A powerful anti-social fool.

In truth, Archeus was an extremely clever man with only a very small amount of patience and that had not translated well in high society, where his power and ability dropped him. The third thing he is known for is his friends, for he had only three and all were impressive: Duke Perrin Levast, High Healer Theon Arvenor, and Knight Silas Iaska. Perrin and Theon are both members of high nobility while Silas and Archeus are from commoner families, though they were raised to low nobility to exemplary service and ability.

At the moment he is also known as missing. The papers were full of speculative articles about where he was, all his relationships and who had to do with his disappearance.

Kiava wasn't too interested in tabloid news, but it was the only literature available on the train she was taking to the capital. She had brought books and handicrafts for the long trip, but she had finished her last chapter and used the last of her project materials two days ago. She had hoped to find something more substantial at the stations they stopped at, but by a twist of cruel fate, by the time they arrived the legitimate papers had all been sold out.

After reading about the missing man she browsed the other articles, laughing at the more ridiculous and actually enjoying some of their stories and essays submitted by readers. Still, she had picked up the article because the headline article about the missing Mage, it was a large color pictogram of the man and his three friends, and even the most obtuse woman had to admit the four of them were decidedly easy on the eyes.

Duke Perrin, a striking man with black hair and blue eyes, and Silas Iaska, a ruggedly handsome man with white hair and piercing amber eyes, were very tall men and built like skilled swordsmen, though Silas was bulkier than his friend. Mage Archeus Volen, an intellectual with green hair and red eyes, and Healer Theon Arvenor, a charming man with blonde hair and dark green eyes, were shorter and built more like swimmers.

She occasionally enjoyed the eye candy as it sat beside her on the bench. Maybe that was why, when at the next station as she looked up from another disappointing news display, she recognized the man being "helped" onto a train going in a different direction than her own, she noted its number.

Kiava went to the station ticket house. She didn't actually try to deal with the guards, they had just ignored a man being half dragged onto a train, instead she went to the Tele Crystal and dialed a connection that had been at the end of the article about the missing lord. A hotline for leads. The line connected quickly.

"Thanks for your call, what do you have to tell us?" Said a deep male voice on the other end, surprising her with the pleasurable chills it elicited, that was a first, a kind of uncomfortable one.

"I am at Kestington station, I think I saw two large men escorting Lord Volen onto a train." She gave them the train number. "They are still on the tracks now." She then disconnected the call and boarded the train she saw the three men enter.

It did not take her long to find the cabin they were in and to confirm that the lord seemed very drugged if the glazed sheen over his red eyes was an indication. Humming, she removed one of her handicrafts from her bag, opened the door slightly and tossed a small ball into the room.

It broke with a popping noise. A moment later all the men in the cabin were asleep. She removed a series of items from her bag, and while standing in the train cabin she engraved as quickly as she ever had, the drug antidote stone glowed briefly before settling. She didn't have time to test it, but it hadn't failed either and hopefully covered whatever was used on him, she slipped this small item around the missing lord's neck.

Her hand brushed through his long green hair, and tucked the trinket into his clothes. She then took another small ball from her bag and slipped out, tossing it in the room and closing the door.

She deboarded the train and alighted on the one taking her to her destination. She was hopeful that what she had done would be enough, but she was reluctant to get involved any further than that, the article had convinced her getting involved in this matter would lead her to nothing but trouble.

There was several paragraphs after all, speculating on if they had as lovers and who the journalist thought was best suited for them. Kiava imagined her name in the next tabloid article, 'Unknown from the border shoots her shot' with an unflattering photo of her.

…

Archeus came to with his faculties returned, a new weight around his neck and the vaguest sense of delicate fingers at the nape of his neck. He checked his mana and found the source is his lucidity, a magical item now adorned his neck that counteracted the effect of the drug on his mind, but alas, not on his magic.

He didn't quite know what had happened, but he was thankful to whoever had taken the risk of giving him this item. He pretended he was still drugged and listened to his guards talk leisurely of their plans, thinking their captive a drugged vegetable. Then they finally began to talk about how they were going to dispose of him and let it drop that he had already met the boss, just been too out of his mind to remember.

A vague memory of a woman's distorted voice, "ahh, and I so desperately wanted the complete set." He frowned slightly, it being a woman narrowed it significantly, they made up less than a third of the population. He was trying to think of a way to escape when the train suddenly screeched to a prolonged stop. He was about to make a run for it when the door burst open and Silas slammed his fist into the first thug's face, sending him flying into his companion.

The ensuing scuffle was brutal and confined. Silas stood victorious over the groaning men before turning to Archeus, his previously bloodthirsty countenance relaxed into one of concern.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Thanks, I was just about to make a break for it but this is much easier." He stood up and stretched with a wince. Seems he was not unscathed. "I'd be in a sorrier state if someone hadn't given me this," he pulled a necklace he had felt around his neck out of his clothes. It was a simple pendant but the spellwork on its imbuement was intricate and beautifully done.

"When did that happen?" Silas asked curiously as he also looked at the amulet.

"At the last station, at least I woke up there and we set off just after,." Archeus explained even as Silas tied the men up and motioned out the doorway for someone in the hallway.

"We got a call from a woman at Kestington to the hotline, luckily we had that spell matrix that only lets through people being genuine. Perrin was on tele duty so he contacted me and I was able to intercept your train here. You've been missing for almost two weeks, we went to the papers a few days ago. The woman or a compatriot of hers probably gave you the necklace. Let's get you to Theon, you look like shit. We'll have a real debrief after we get back."

Archeus nodded as they made their way out of the cabin, two guards moved in to replace them in detaining the men in the cabin. Silas grabbed his friends arm, directed the guards to take them men to the station and then rerouted to the capitol prison. He then broke a small crystal he was carrying in his other hand, and the two disappeared.