"Oh yes, and I did promise to explain how that might be such a persistent trait, didn't I. Tell me, how much do you know about magical sigils?"

"I know they exist, from context I'm guessing they might have something to do with anchoring spells or perhaps randomness?"

"Oh no, that's just mine. A magus's sigil, you see, is a personal concept that shows up in almost any spell they cast. Sigils can be practically anything: roses, bronze, fearsomeness, smallness...there's an Order of Sustenance magus in Isvos whose every spell reflects the essence of swine. Remarkably straightforward young man. Anyway, my sigil is...well, I suppose you might say it's the concept of never being the same thing twice." 

"That's very you. And somehow that can tap into the narrative or some deeper level of magic?"

"Well, sigils can be very insistent. It's supposed to be possible to conceal or fake them, but I could imagine mine persisting even amidst something as strange as repeating the same day. As for any deeper connections with magical theory or namelore, I'm afraid I couldn't say." 

He nods, "Perhaps I'll find out one day. I wonder a bit what mine will be."

"I look forward to finding out."

"On a perhaps more somber topic, how did things go down last night? A woman with that kind of ability seems potentially very difficult to subdue."

"Yes, she had most of the garrison eating out of her hand by the time we arrived, and I'm honestly not sure how she did it. Aeschivus didn't think they were actively enspelled. She might have convinced the lot of them to defend her, if we hadn't been prepared for exactly this sort of scenario thanks to your warning. It turns out that it's terribly difficult to be enchantingly helpless at people when you suddenly look and sound like a demonic frog.

"That leaves her actual magic. Now, a general rule of thumb in these matters is that if a magus and a metamagus get into a fight, all else equal the metamagus wins. Well, the first rule of thumb is that the first magus to get a spell off usually wins, but the thing about metamagi is they tend to have contingencies. Also rules of thumb are nonsense much of the time. Anyway, she tried to croak everyone to sleep, it did not work, say what you will about the man but Aeschivus is no slouch in a crisis." 

"That's concerning, that it doesn't show up as a spell effect. I wonder how she accomplished that. Maybe it's as simple as using a temporary spell to convince them, Jen says that nobody likes to believe they've been tricked but that that can make it harder for people to realize when it's happened."

"A good thought. I have found that sometimes the best effects can be created by timely removal of illusion. 

"Now that she's properly contained, 'Clarisse' will most likely be taken to Arbis to stand trial. Her spell attempt violated Order and Imperial law, so I expect things won't go well for her with two magi as witnesses. I'll be along to attend once my business here is concluded."

"Indeed, speaking of travel plans, you said that you'd give me a recommendation to Grawtosh. Would it make sense for us to travel together?"

"For complex reasons, it's best if we travel separately, I'm afraid. I do hope your journey is a safe and enlightening one."

Before they part, Lilian will write two letters for Alex, one for the governor of Isvos to please take reasonable measures to facilitate the travel of a prospective magus, and one for the Order of Dreams in Arbis. 

"Safe travels then, perhaps we'll meet again one day."

With that not being an option Alex will pack for the long journey and then set out.

It's a mercifully uneventful journey along the Via Janus, through the rolling farmlands and occasional sparse forests of this part of Umbrica.

The province capital, Isvos, is a large step up from Eriksmont in size and population. Guarding the only bridge across the Cabelpas for a hundred miles, it boasts fortifications raised and enchanted by (former) Primor Magnus Phrainia herself, scarred by age but still thrumming with magic even to Alex's rudimentary senses. Its red-roofed homes huddle behind the supernaturally smooth walls, and newer houses spill out along both banks of the river. It is surrounded on all sides by farms and pastures, with the notable exception of a cluster of buildings on a hill to the northeast, the lee side of which hill is a fenced-in area containing several hundred pigs. 

After making some inquiries — the residents speak a mixture of Miezan and native Umbrican — Alex learns that Jen is staying at the Fifth Crossing, a modest inn that nevertheless boasts an impressive view of the Sanguine Span and Redwater Spur. Although the Empire has been officially at peace with the neighboring Long Gardens for longer than Alex has been alive, the fortress that guards the Cabelpas remains an imposing sight. 

Jen embraces Alex warmly when he finally meets her. "I'm so glad you're okay. How did things turn out?"

He'll return the hug with equal warmth, "Everything was fine, it seems I was scared for no reason and you didn't need to make this journey after all."

Jen scrutinizes him for a moment but realizes he's worried about eavesdroppers. With that in mind she invites him back to her room for a bit more privacy.

Whereupon, Alex actually explains everything that happened in a quiet voice and informs her of his plan to join the academy.

Jen in turn fills him in on the fact that there's a small Order of Sustenance convent in the city and lets him know that Aeschivus arrived with two prisoners rather than just the one she might have expected from Alex's story.

"Strange, I wonder if they found a co-conspirator or it's unrelated."

"I don't know. I hope you have a safe journey. Be careful at the academy, I don't remember hearing about it being quite as cutthroat as the orders can get but powerful people are never safe to be around."

"I will."

Finally saying goodbye stretches out a bit longer with many more hugs and not a few tears. Afterwards, Alex goes looking for a caravan headed to the capital or in the absence of that some smaller travelling group.

Thanks to Lilian's letter, Alex need not worry about the cost of mundane travel. But it will still take most of a season to reach Arbis. The main routes are overland via the magically-secured Miezan road system (lengthy but widely considered safe) or sailing down the Cabelpas to the sea and then either east overland or farther south and then up another major river.

(The Empire can, rarely and at great expense, teleport people between cities. Isvos does not command nearly enough strategic importance to merit an investment like that, especially since Imperator Khale outlawed human blood sacrifice.)

Given the length, Alex will see if he can find some new books in the city to occupy himself with. He brought a couple from home but you can never have too many books.

Given he has some time and more privacy than will easily be available while travelling he finally gets around to asking the system for info on more of the abilities he has. He'll prioritize any of the ones that seem related to magic but he'll try to read all of them eventually in case they have hidden secrets he doesn't expect.