15. Intersections

“Not bad,” Mawhub mumbled as Zaria brought him the result of her morning's work. “The inscription could be tighter, to look more like an ornament, you know… less… auspicious. But this is definitely workable.”
He wouldn't admit it, even to himself, but he missed having – not assistants, because she was still far from that, but apprentices. Every person brought something different to the table when it came to magic. There was just so much variety in the world, and so few who really saw it and could take advantage of it. His own magic was still weakened by a foreign body, but the more he tried using it, the more he discovered that it changed as well. It was less refined, somehow coarser than it used to be. Less sophisticated and more aggressive. That may yet prove a blessing in disguise, but it will require some training.
“Do you want me to try again, or do you have other work?” Zaria asked, taking the silver bangle back and looking at it.
“How are you with languages?”
“I am afraid I don't speak much else than Arabic, rubban,” she shook her head. “I can do a few different dialects and would probably make sense of some Farsi...”
She trailed off and he nodded.
“In that case, you can show me some more of those potions you worked on at Amir Farouq's before I find something else for you,” he sent her off with a gesture. “I will come by later to check on your progress.”
“As you wish,” she bowed and left.
*
“How long since we lost contact with Cheetah?” Swan asked Wolf a bit impatiently.
“A week since we found out.”
“Why is this the first I hear about it?"