Sonder and the mage sat in two chairs that had somehow survived intact.
The mage did not relax into it. He was stiff-backed as though the furniture might still break under his weight.
By contrast, Sonder was relaxed, far more than she had been before.
Some power beyond herself had come to her, and, in the back of her mind, it disturbed her slightly that it came so easily.
With the thought, the glow of her staff flared for a moment as she began to speak.
"Before we begin," she said, "I am going to establish rules."
The mage opened his mouth, but when he looked at the flaring glow of the staff, he closed it again.
"Rule one: you will not be rude. I don't want any insults or sarcasm. No muttering under your breath that you think I can't hear."
The mage's face bunched up, but he nodded.
"Rule two: you will not interrupt me. Not with words, not with gestures, and certainly not with your magic."
She pointedly glanced at the metal stick in his hand.
"If you so much as lift that thing, I will assume you've chosen to end this conversation."
A bead of sweat ran down one side of his face.
"Rule three: you will answer my questions to the best of your ability. If you do not know something, you will say so plainly. You will not lie to me, and you will not try to be clever."
"You said you would destroy my house. How true is that?" The mage asked.
"It isn't a bluff, and I am not negotiating."
"You don't mean that."
"I do. It will not matter to me if it explodes," Sonder said evenly. "You and the house will not survive it. I will. I would prefer not to, but if you force the issue, I will not hesitate."
The mage stared at her.
There was no rage in her expression. No thrill. Just certainty.
This wasn't a threat made in anger. It was just a statement of fact.
"…You're mad," he said.
"I am in control."
She tapped the end of her staff once against the floor. The sound rang through the house like a struck bell.
"Now," she said, "we will begin."
The mage nodded quickly, all four of his eyes fixed on her.
"Yes," he said. "I'll answer anything."
"Good," she said. "Then go on, tell me. "Has anything strange happened recently?"