Moebius lowered his mask so that his chin and mouth were covered again, then he stabbed a piece of tuber with his fork and held it to the flame of one of the candles. It took a few moments for the fire to spread to the food, as it was not overly dry and the candle was dim and cool as far as flames go. And yet, it lit, and the flame consumed the scrap from Moebius' fork.
He whispered a few words in that old, Adelan tongue again... and all of the candles and the hearth's fire dimmed. The air grew chill, so cold that Anton's breath showed as white mist. Moebius' breath, however, did not show.
"Pardon, a good king makes sure his servants are fed as well. As for other deals, keep to your end of our current bargain first, and I shall remember your kindness, honesty, and competence in the future."
The words upon the page became clearer in his mind's eye. Yes, Zodia had been some minor god of magic and knowledge with conflicting legends and myths that were only dimly remembered when the book he had read had been first penned, about a century ago. Some believed that Zodia was the source of all magic, or a representation of the full power a mortal mage might reach if they became learned enough in mystical lore. Another legend said that Zodia had been the one to teach the first mortal mages how to perform spellcraft without a god's aid. Of course, even in the time when Zodia had been given temples and public rituals, he, she, or they had been relatively minor. A god of upper-class scholars and augurs, not common folk.
Which raised the question as to why Anton Volke had brought the name up. As far as Moebius knew, Zodia was not a member of the Serennian pantheon, and was quite obscure to even the learned. So how did Anton know that name? Why did Anton bring that name up in casual conversation? Was it some sort of test or code? Perhaps, perhaps...
Moebius stared in the direction of Anton as he remembered and pondered, waiting for the other man to speak.
