Yes, but she has a trick up her sleeve

Unyielding as the tides. It was another of Master Derreth's phrases, and one she leaned heavily upon right now.

In truth, she was afraid. So much could be at stake from this one decision, and if she picked wrong, the whole island would suffer for it. There was a lot to risk, putting her faith in someone she has never known before, and there was too much that could be gained to ignore it. But this deal could be turned against her horribly, given Malvern was a master spellcaster. And then there was Tel'eria and the Second Circle, with her threats of **** should they help the Grandmaster, threatening her from the other side.

This was too much for her, too much responsibility for one young woman, and she just wanted to give up and let someone else deal with the problem. It was like she was surrounded by sharks, all circling around her, waiting for weakness, waiting for blood, so that they can all rush in and snap her up. But then Derreth's words and teachings came back to her and 'unyielding as the tides' became her words of strength. Never give up, a way will reveal itself. Like it did just at that moment.

She looked up at Grandmaster Malvern and nodded her head. "Fine, we'll accept your help." She said. Ceinwyn could see Tri'lanna give her a confused look in the corner of her eye, but she kept her face neutral and raised a finger up, "...but on one condition."

"A condition?" Malvern arched an eyebrow and began to smile, "Please, do go on. What is it you wish? Money? Access to our archives? Perhaps a enchanted trinket?"

"I want Lady Tel'eria to join us in our research."

The old man's smile froze halfway up his cheeks. With his mouth stuck in that position, the faintest of lines creased his forehead. "Ah...yes, Tel'eria." He lowered his eyes to the floor and quietly said, "May I ask why?"

Tilting her head, Ceinwyn replied, "You said you wanted the Mage College to be independent and to cease the hostilities with the junior spellcasters, didn't you? I see no better way of appeasing them than by inviting the greatest of their number to aid in such an immense endeavour. And I'm sure with another talented wizard, the research can go that much faster." She look at him curiously, saying to him, "Or are you telling us that you have a different motive for helping us?"

The room froze into a thin, distinct tension as sharp as a knife. The Grandmaster's gaze fell on her slowly like a lead weight, his dark eyes holding her in place. It was a gamble she was making, so openly challenging the Grandmaster's words, and Ceinwyn had to fight the urge to swallow.

"Of course, you're right." Malvern said slowly, "I only want what's best for my college."

The old wizard smiled again but this one was only a ghost upon his face. "So be it then, you can call upon Lady Tel'eria to join us in our research and I'll be in my study gathering the necessary research materials. All of you can meet me there. If you want to know its location, ask Tel'eria. I'm sure she knows where it is."

"I may have underestimated you greatly, girl." He said as he swept out of the room. "It will not happen again."

As the Grandmaster closed the door behind him, the heavy click from the door latch echoed in the room, enveloped in a thick and heavy silence that came after. Ceinwyn was trembling uncontrollably the moment Malvern left, knees and hands shaking like branches in a storm, and only when Tri'lanna placed a hand on her shoulder did she snap back from anxiety and start to calm down. She **** herself to breathe again, feeling the tepid air fill her lungs and slow her heartbeat down.

"With this, Malvern has **** but to play the game according to how you dictate." Her Elven friend said, "If he withdraws from the research now, he allows Tel'eria to learn something about the Stone, and potentially use this knowledge to turn his allies against him. If he stays, he will have to remain ever-watchful of Tel'eria's actions, planning and predicting what she could do. If he tries to take the Stone by ****, the Elfmage can match him, spell for spell, at least for a while, until her supporters investigate the commotion. No doubt, she will have the same ideas and thus will keep the Grandmaster in check."

"Hopefully, they'll be at each other's throats for long enough that we can make some real progress." Ceinwyn reached out to grab the back of a nearby chair to steady herself. Her knees were still shaky from the confrontation, "I can't let you and Hans do all the work. I won't be weak or a victim anymore. I'm not as strong as either of you but I'll still fight, anyway I can."

"Not bad, Ceinwyn. If you spent a few months in the Elven courts, I'm sure you could become a master." Tri'lanna said, looking at her friend with a new level of respect, "Let's look for the last player in this little game, shall we?"