Wolfe made his way through the crowd of students and Coven Security Agents to where the Infantry recruits were gathered, enjoying an evening drink or just too nervous to sleep.
As the Coven Security Agent had warned him, there was a lot of crying, and as Wolfe himself had expected, most of these people were totally unfit to be soldiers. None seemed to be past their mid-thirties, but the youngest was barely an adult, and that was being very generous with his estimation.
Wolfe passed between downtrodden sorts from the lower levels and servants from the upper levels who had most likely been allowed to be sent in their master’s place, not finding anything too promising.
Then he heard a Familiar voice. “Mister Wolfe! You’re here too? I heard that you had been killed trying to leave the city without documents.”
It was a little girl, well, that was how Wolfe always remembered her, but she was now into her later teen years and desperately awaiting the final growth spurt that was supposed to come with puberty and make her more than 150cm tall.
Wolfe recognized her from his time making deliveries to the lower levels. She worked the front counter at a meat market that sold a lot of gray and black market items on the side.
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“Beth? Aren’t you too young for the draft?” Wolfe asked.
“They raided the market yesterday, and I was one of the patsies left on duty. We’re all here, loaded straight into the bus as undesirables.” Beth replied, giving Wolfe a hug to hide her tears.
“How could Antonio do that? You’ve always been a good employee to him, ever since you were little.” Wolfe sighed.
“Antonio is dead. Killed in a fight at the Slippery Pickle strip club. The market went to his cousin, and he’s a real douche. The guy wants all of the market girls gone, says we can’t be trusted with money, and he’s barely hiding the side businesses anymore.
I’ve seen some of his guys here as well, so I think they raided one of his other businesses too, and not just the market.”
All of the market girls were tough customers. Beth had a sweet and innocent look to her, but Wolfe knew that she had both seen and committed her share of violence. Everyone who worked at a black market business had.
“Why don’t you come with me, and I’ll introduce you to some Witches? With a bit of luck, they’ll be able to set you up with a safer group than the average schmuck gets.
I’m not sure if you know, but every First Year student who passed their first midterm is eligible for the draft, and not all of them are much stronger than the old woman at the fortune tellers.”
The few lower-level residents who heard him got a worried look in their eyes. The old woman was a failed Witch, but she could make some potions, and she had once killed a thief with a [Firebolt].
Failed candidates were supposed to have their magic blocked, but her mother was a herbalist, and they found a way to remove the curse at some point. Or so the story went since it happened nearly a hundred years before Wolfe met her.
For all he knew, she was just so old that it had faded.
Wolfe led Beth back to the edge of the recruits’ assigned area, where a Coven Security officer stopped him.
“You’ve got to wait here. If you need anything, it will be brought to you.” He informed them in a bored voice before Wolfe pulled his employee ID out of his bag.
“I am bringing a candidate for interviews.”
“Go on then. Have fun, but bring her back in good shape. The draft is in the morning.” The guard let him pass with Beth, so Wolfe didn’t correct his mistaken impression of what he was really taking the girl for.
“You’re working at the Academy? That’s too cool. I had heard that they only hire failed Witches.” Beth said quietly as they made their way through the crowd.
“No, there’s plenty of other men here, but my circumstance is special. I’ll explain once we are back in the dorms.”
Beth was in awe of the level of luxury that Academy students enjoyed as they made their way through the dorm building to the suite that Wolfe shared with Cassie and Ella.
“Here we are, home sweet home,” Wolfe announced as he opened the door to show the four Witches waiting inside around a table with four wands and some herbal scraps on it. Parker and Noor must have already left after finishing their work.
“Is this their room? Just for the four of them? It’s beautiful.” Beth whispered.
“No, Reiko, the blonde and Mary, the one sleeping on Pup, live separately down the hall. This room belongs to Cassie and Ella, the Witches who summoned me as a Familiar.”
Wolfe waited for a second for that to sink in, then explained. “The Coven caught wind that I could use magic and captured me to stand trial, but before that happened, I was summoned as a Familiar, so I live here with them.”
Beth looked between Cassie and Ella, then gave an appreciative whistle. “I must say, Mister Wolfe, you’ve done well for yourself.”
“These four are also the group I intend for you to go with since they want to stay together, and the chances of none of them being drafted are really low.” He added.
“So, you want me to join you as the token infantry soldier for four Witches? That’s a lot. Don’t you usually get four soldiers for every Witch?”
Wolfe nodded. “They announced that it would be five-person groups. There are more soldiers, so they only put one Witch in the group unless they have a bond as these ones do.
But since they’re intending to go out to the front lines together, and the defence force likely won’t let them take sixteen Guardians with them, I picked you to be their fifth.
You’re stealthy, good with blades, smart, resourceful, and you know to keep your hands off things that aren’t yours.”
“That last one sounds personal. Wait, if you can use magic, and you’re a Familiar, that means you’re a Demon, doesn’t it? Mister Wolfe, you’ve been a Demon all along? Tell me you haven’t defiled these lovely ladies.” Beth demanded with her hands on her hips.
“I like her already. She’s feisty.” Ella laughed.