LOTM: Before the Protagonist Chapter 5 5: The Scarred Bartender

Jace pushed open the heavy black door of Bravehearts Bar a little after noon. The air inside was thick with pipe smoke, spilled ale, and the low murmur of voices.

Dock workers hunched over their drinks, a couple of n in threadbare coats argued quietly in the corner.

No one looked up as he crossed the floor and slid onto a stool at the far end of the bar.

The bartender was wiping a glass with a rag that had seen better days. Tall, broad-shouldered, a jagged scar running from his left cheekbone down to the jaw. He didn't glance over right away.

Jace cleared his throat. "Excuse … I'm looking for Kasper."

The man finally lifted his eyes. They were flat, assessing. He set the glass down with deliberate slowness.

"That's ," he said. "Kaspars Kalinin. What do you want?"

Jace kept his voice low, trying to sound more confident than he felt. "I heard there's a gathering nearby. For people with… certain interests."

Kaspars snorted softly. "Lots of gatherings in Backlund. You'll have to be more specific, kid."

"I know it's run by soone called Eye of Wisdom. I need to attend."

The bartender's expression didn't change, but his eyes narrowed a fraction. "You've got the wrong bar. No such thing here."

Jace leaned forward slightly. "I know it exists. And I know you're the one who points the right people in the right direction."

Kaspars studied him for a long mont, then leaned both elbows on the bar. "Even if there was sothing like that, why would I tell a boy who looks like he just finished school?"

"Because I have knowledge," Jace said quietly. "Exceptional knowledge about the mystic world. If you introduce to the Eye of Wisdom, he'll appreciate what I can offer. I promise you that."

Kaspars was silent for several seconds. Then he gave a short, humorless laugh.

"You're either very brave or very stupid." He straightened. "You're in luck—today's the day. Wait here."

He disappeared through a side door behind the bar. A minute later he returned, holding a folded black cloak and a plain silver mask with no eye holes—just narrow slits.

"Put these on. Keep your mouth shut until we're inside."

Jace took them without hesitation. The cloak was heavy wool, the mask cool against his fingers. He donned both quickly. Kaspars gave him a once-over, then jerked his head toward the back.

"Follow."

They slipped out a rear exit into a narrow alley, then crossed two streets and turned down a shadowed lane. Kaspars stopped at a nondescript wooden house with shuttered windows. He knocked—three heavy, two light, pause, three short.

The door opened a crack. A voice murmured sothing Jace couldn't catch. Kaspars spoke low in reply, then turned to Jace.

"Wait here. Five minutes."

He disappeared inside. Jace stood in the alley, heart hamring under the cloak. The mask made breathing feel louder in his ears.

True to his word, Kaspars returned and beckoned him in.

The interior was dimly lit—gas lamps turned low, a long table with mismatched chairs. A dozen or so figures sat scattered around, most cloaked and masked. At the head of the table sat a man in a simple gray coat, pipe in hand, posture relaxed but commanding. Even disguised, the calm intelligence in his posture scread Isengard Stanton.

Kaspars leaned close to the man and murmured sothing. The man nodded once. Kaspars glanced at Jace.

"Gathering starts in twenty minutes. Sit. Don't speak unless spoken to."

He left.

The man at the head—Eye of Wisdom—gestured to the empty chair opposite him.

Jace sat.

"You're young," the man said, voice even and cultured. "Even with the mask, it's obvious. Kaspars says you claim exceptional mystic knowledge. I'm inclined to doubt it."

Jace's palms were damp under the cloak, but he forced his voice to stay calm and polite.

"You're right, sir. I am young. But age has little to do with knowledge. If you'll allow to prove myself, I can share sothing most low-sequence Beyonders never learn."

Eye of Wisdom puffed his pipe once. "Go on."

Jace took a slow breath.

"After a Beyonder dies, their characteristics do not imdiately dissipate. They condense on the corpse—visible as a faint glow or residue to those with the right sight. These characteristics can be harvested and used as the main ingredient in the corresponding potion formula of their pathway and sequence. It's why high-sequence Beyonders sotis hunt the dead instead of the living."

Silence.

Eye of Wisdom tilted his head slightly.

"You're correct," he said after a mont. "That is not common knowledge among the lower sequences. You've proven yourself adequate. You may stay."

Jace let out a quiet breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

The man leaned forward a fraction. "Now—why are you here?"

"I'm looking for an artifact," Jace said. "One that improves mory recall. Sothing to help … rember things clearly."

Eye of Wisdom smiled faintly around the stem of his pipe.

"Then you are in luck. I have two such items."

"First: item 3-148. A silver monocle. It grants perfect recall of anything the user has ever seen or read. Side effect: after one hour of continuous use, the wearer becos significantly impaired—ntally dulled—for a prolonged period."

He then introduced the second

"Second: item 3-192. A pair of ordinary-looking glasses. They provide exceptional recall specifically for things read or studied. Side effect: if used more than two hours consecutively, the wearer suffers dyslexia for approximately twelve hours. Manageable, and reversible."

He looked up.

"The monocle is 340 pounds. The glasses are 360."

Jace didn't hesitate.

"I'll take the glasses."

Eye of Wisdom's smile widened just a touch. "And how will you pay?"

"As you've likely guessed, I don't have that kind of money on right now. But I co ard with knowledge. I know the nas, abilities, and general advancent risks of many sequences and pathways—information that could be valuable to soone in your position."

The man regarded him for a long mont.

"Bold," he said finally. "go on now, tell about the the sequence called 'spectator'

and do you know which pathway the demoness use? "

Jace nodded. "The Spectator pathway is held in control by the secret organization known as the Psychological Alchemists."

"And the Demoness ?"

"They control the Demoness pathway."

Eye of Wisdom tapped ash from his pipe. "Satisfy further. Sequence 9 to 7 for both."

Jace cleared his throat once, then began.