Benj woke from his room in the Stonegarden Inn and recollected the events from the previous day. It all felt like a dream or like he had imagined it somehow. He knew he had a lot of work to do, so he climbed out of bed and went downstairs. The sun was peeking through the windows at a man sleeping behind the bar on a cot. Benj walked past him without waking him up and snuck out through the front door.

The air was thick and humid. People were sluggishly walking towards their respective places of employment or already setting up their shops. He walked around the back to check on Sandstorm. The horse stood in a stall of four poles driven through the ground connected with crooked wood planks. Despite her drab surroundings, the horse seemed content.

The innkeeper was lighting a fire under a metallic tub in a similar stall, except it had a four-foot wooden wall for privacy. The wall was only on one side, threatening to leave him vulnerable on the other three.

"The Bath'll be ready in an hour or so unless you want it cold," the old woman informed him, striking her tinderbox. "Don't suppose you'll need soap or a towel?"

He had soap and wasn't a stranger to cold water, but he might enjoy something to dry off with. "A towel would be nice. I'll be out in a few moments." He told her, "I think I'll take it cold. Do you have my clothes ready?"

"I'll bring them out." She slipped the tinderbox back into her pocket and stalked off.

He left and came back with his half-melted bar of soap from the incident with Gallows Reese and two touchstones. He removed them from the charred blue fabric they were wrapped in and placed them together at the bottom of the tub. When he felt the stones start to heat up, he carefully lifted his hands out of the water.

The single wall protecting him from possible side glancers in the 'bathing room' made him feel only a quarter of the way comfortable. He was three-quarters uncomfortably exposed as he peeled off his travel-worn clothes.

He splashed himself with the frigid water and began lathering himself with the bar of soap while he waited for the water to heat up. The blue suds turned black as dirt pulled free from his face and hair. When he was finished, he decided not to wait for the water to finish heating before getting in. It felt warm enough as he reached to separate the stones before sliding in himself. He took a deep breath and pulled his head under the water. When he surfaced for air, he was met with two big eyes and an even bigger smile.

"Morning greetings, sir!" Samir greeted from over the single privacy board. He was surprisingly clean and would be considered semi-well-dressed if the colors and patterns he was wearing were not at war with each other.

Benj, not entirely unaccustomed to being reported to while he was in the bath, leaned back and donned a comfortable smile.

"Samir," he acknowledged the boy. "You found me."

"Oh yes, I first went to check to see if your horse was properly taken care of, and to my wonderful pleasure, I found you!" He beamed a look of self-satisfaction, "I will look after your horse while you finish."

The innkeeper draped his laundered clothes over the privacy wall with a muted thump.

"Your clothes are ready," She said and directed her attention to the boy poking around the stables. "Hey!"

"It's okay, he's with me." Benj lifted a hand out of the water to calm her. He knew who she was yelling at.

The innkeeper gave a cautious look and relented. "If you say so, then fine."

"Ma'am," Benj noticed the towel she was holding. "Is that for me?"

"It can be for a Mark." she said, holding the towel in one hand and her other flat palm facing out, "Pay now."

Benj looked at his pants where his money bag was and then looked at the innkeeper's line of vision over the privacy wall. He groaned inwardly and then climbed out of the bath, dripping water into pools where he stepped on uneven clay bricks, covering himself to the best of his ability. He pulled his dirty pants up in front of himself and rummaged around until he found the copper coin he was looking for.

Glancing over, he found her next to the wall, staring directly at him. He continued holding his pants in one hand and offered her the coin with his other. She slowly held up an old, wrinkly hand and accepted it. After the transaction, she scanned his wet body with wizened eyes and smiled.

As soon as she left, Benj jumped in the bath, causing water to splash out on all sides. He didn't care about the mess as long as he was out of eyeshot of the curious city and all of its nosey old women. When he was all dried off and, most importantly, the old innkeeper was done watching him dry off, Benj put on the freshly cleaned clothes that he had gotten from the dead thief. They fit him impeccably.

"You look fantastic, sir!" Samir said excitedly. "A significant change from how you looked yesterday if I am not so bold to say, sir."

Benj thanked him but told him not to be so formal as he packed his meager belongings into the saddlebag. Before long, he was walking down the road with Samir, leading Sandstorm on foot.

Samir was explicitly instructed to go to the nicest bakeries first. The buildings along the road looked as if they had been constructed hundreds of years ago, with intricate swoops, patterns, and spiritual figures carved into and out of the stonework. Newer buildings alongside the ancient ones were made in a similar style of architecture, with bronze and iron inlays into the masonry.

The beauty of the city came with a price. There was a constant clicking and hammering from stone and chisel that resonated through the air from a hundred directions. Samir ran ahead and stopped under a low-hanging sign that said, "The Flaming Loaf," in brown letters on a whitewashed background. It was clearly a bakery, though the building from which the sign hung was more beautiful than the town hall back home. The surrounding businesses were also operating out of historic architectural masterpieces they had no right to be in.

"Samir," Benj said, preparing to go inside. "Will you wait out here with Sandstorm?"

"Sir, if it's no trouble to you, the streets are very safe, and it would be my greatest pleasure to assist you inside."

"Fine," Benj said and tied the horse to a pad eye jutting from a lamp post just outside the bakery. At this point, he was too excited to argue or even care.

The two walked into the bakery, and a warm, familiar smell filled Benj with a sense of home. Other foreign smells filled him with awe and wonder.

A middle-aged lady stood behind a marble countertop covered with glazed and sprinkled delights. His stomach reminded him that he had not stayed around to eat breakfast at the inn, intentionally or not. Samir looked spellbound. He ignored the world around him and walked slowly, transfixed on each delicate bread and pastry.

"Hello and welcome," the lady greeted. She was wearing all black with hints of powders and spices on a small apron around her waist. "How can I assist you?" she asked.

Benj took a deep breath and spoke. "I am a master baker and wanted to inquire about the possibility of working here."

"You?" The lady scoffed. "A master baker? I don't know anything about that, but my husband is out for the day and won't be back until this evening. He would be the one to talk to, but we don't need help."

"Oh, well, thank you for your time," Benj said, trying not to sound crestfallen after the rejection.

Samir stood before the baked goods, oblivious to the conversation, and didn't move.

"Samir," Benj called. There was no reply, so he called louder. Samir jerked his attention away from the pastries with practical indifference.

Benj saw the look on Samir's face and crumbled. "How much for an apple tart?"

It was ten marks, which was expensive. He would have sold twice as many pastries back home for half as much. He agreed to the price and asked her to cut it in half.

"It would be my pleasure," the woman said, taking the pastry and dividing it. She handed Benj the two pieces, who gave one to Samir. The delighted look in his eyes almost made the over-priced pastries worth it.

"I know of a place much better," Samir said when they were finally outside. "We just came here first because it was on the way."

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Benj untied Sandstorm and ignored shouting coming from down the road. He started to say something but stopped when the shouting grew closer. Both he and Samir turned to see what the commotion was all about.

Everyone along the street turned to watch as two guards chasing a girl ran past them. The guards seemed in better shape than the girl but wore heavy armor that slowed them down. The girl had dark, unkempt hair and a leather vest showing more of her feminine features than Benj usually saw from girls back home, except for one. She ran past him, and he instantly recognized her. The two guards followed close behind.

Smoking Shields! Benj thought, "It's Lucia!" He would be hard-pressed to forget the spice merchant's daughter who had tried to rob him. He handed the reins and his half of the apple pastry to Samir. "Take this, I'll be back," he said and ran after them.

"Can I have it?" Samir asked before Benj was out of earshot.

"Yes, but watch the horse!"

Benj was as far away from the guards as they were from Lucia. He had no idea why he was pursuing her. Mainly because if the guards couldn't catch her, he wouldn't be able to either. And, if they did catch her, what would he say to her before they took her to prison for whatever she did this time. All he knew was he was curious. Maybe he wanted to know why she was in trouble, or perhaps he wanted someone to talk about home with, or maybe that kiss left a strong impression. He chased those thoughts away as he ran after the guards through alleys, jumping and gliding over trash piles and sleeping transients.

The guards chased her upstairs, leading to the top of a building. Benj followed the guards up and down a stairwell on the other side. He gained on them by jumping off and twisting down a light pole.

One of the guards slid on horse dung and almost lost his footing. The man cursed loudly. Lucia ran into the middle of the street and slid under a carriage. The guards pushed people away as they followed her, causing one pedestrian to topple over. Benj tripped over the man who had just been pushed over but recovered, leaning as he drifted in the air and touched down with running feet. The man shouted after him, but there was too much distance between them to do anything else. He saw the guards turn a corner and then another one. He began to wish he had finished the pastry as his energy started to dwindle.

Lucia climbed up another ladder.

"Another one?!" The guard with horse turd on his shoe protested before reluctantly following the first guard up.

Benj climbed up after they cleared the ladder. He peeked over the roof of the building and saw all three of them standing there, catching their breath; she was cornered.

"Looks like you ran out of luck, missy," The first guard gasped. "Don't try anything you'll regret."

"Ain't nowhere to go, love." Horse Turd said, hunched over with his hands on his knees.

"Listen," He heard Lucia say, sounding more composed than the others, "I wasn't taking her purse, I just noticed the clasp was broken, and I was trying to help her fix it so she didn't lose any of her belongings!"

"Then why did you still have it?" The first guard asked. "And if you're such a saint, why did you run from us?"

Lucia was desperately trying to explain herself, but even Benj could tell that she was floundering.

"I think we should teach her a lesson." Horse Turd said, straitening up. "Hold her arms, Burns; we have to make sure she's not hiding any contraband anywhere else."

"I think I'll double-check her when you're done," Burns replied. "Just in case you miss something. We have to make sure we're real thorough."

There was a high-pitched scream, and Benj came up with a plan to try to prevent whatever he thought was about to happen. Lucia might be guilty, but she didn't deserve this.

"Hey!" Benj shouted, climbing up the ladder. "What are you doing on my roof?"

The two guards stopped. One was holding Lucia, and the other was reaching towards her.

"This is a matter of official business mandated by his majesty the King," The guard holding Lucia said, "This is none of your concern."

"If it's a matter of the king's majesty, then I will be on my way," Benj said, feigning to turn away. "Wait a moment. That's the thief that stole my horse!"

Both guards looked at her as if looking for guilt written across her face. She gave him an odd look and stared at him in bewilderment. Benj winked and gave the slightest hint of a smile. He dropped the smile as soon as the guards looked back at him.

"Again, pardon my intrusion," Benj held up his hands innocently. "Before I go, let me just take one good swing at her. It will be quick, and after, you can use my roof for as long as you like."

"That sounds like a reasonable idea to me." Roger said, looking at Horse Turd, "What do you say, Givens?"

"Come on and take your shot then," Givens said, taking Lucia's other arm.

Benj felt his heart pounding in his chest as he slowly walked towards them.

"I can handle myself against a girl. You don't need to hold her," Benj said, lifting his hands into a fighting position. "Just cover the exit so she doesn't make a run for it."

The guards laughed and released her.

"Likes a little bit of a fight, does he?" Roger said, releasing her and joining the other to block the exit.

After the guards stepped away, Lucia searched again with little hope for an exit down the side of the building. Benj approached her calmly and looked down the side with her.

"I'm here to help." He said in a hushed voice.

"Great help you are, there's no way down." She said, not indicating whether or not she recognized him.

"There is a way down over here," Benj pointed down the side next to him.

"Are you going to take a swing or have a tea party?" The guard asked, getting impatient.

Lucia walked on the ledge to where Benj stood and looked where he was pointing. She was thin, and Benj had jumped off smaller ledges holding heavier things. He hadn't hit the ground hard enough for injury before, but this would be different. This was going to be a lot higher of a jump. He hoped it would work.

"I hope you're ready for this." He wrapped his arms around her waist and jumped off the building. She screamed and squirmed the whole way down but didn't break loose. The extra weight of the girl sharpened the angle of descent. With effort, Benj leaned back as much as he could to slow their fall. The building was tall enough that he had to kick off the opposite alley wall before touching the ground. Holding on to each other, they slid to a stop, resulting in both of them falling over with Lucia on top.

She cried and hit him frantically. "Why would you do that? You almost got me killed; you're awful! You're the worst person ever!"

"Lucia!" He yelled her name, hoping he remembered it right. "We need to run!"

The guards were still atop the building, raging and yelling down, "Catch them!"

Lucia snapped out of her terror, put her hands to her body, and gave a surprised look. The shock wore off at once, and she scrambled into action.

"Come on," she said, helping Benj up. "I know a place where they won't follow us."

The two of them ran through alleyway after alleyway, turning this way and that. The guards were surely lost for good, but they kept running. There was less and less pavement underfoot when they finally settled into a quick-paced walk.

"We made it," she said, gasping for breath. "We're safe now."

Benj was relieved. He had a thousand questions and worked desperately to formulate his thoughts into coherent words. He was about to open his mouth to speak when he saw something that made him lose all concentration.

It wasn't that anything was threatening about a place that sold meat from a potentially questionable source, and it wasn't that there was blood splattered on the front porch of the establishment. It was the name. On the front hung a yellow and red painted sign aged through the years that read "Castle Road Goat Pies."

"Lucia, someone told me this road is dangerous and that I should never go down it," he said, still looking at the trail of blood that ended at the door.

"Of course, it's dangerous." She said, shaking her head, "That's why the guards won't follow us here. Besides, this is where I live. Don't worry, you are safe with me."

"We lost the guards a long time ago; maybe we should turn back now," he recommended, looking behind him for rogue stalkers.

"Don't be silly; we're safer here than literally anywhere else in the whole city," she smirked and became serious. "What kind of relic did you use back there?"

Benj fell silent. At first, he was confused by her question. He hadn't used a relic. When he realized she was asking about how they survived jumping off the roof, his silence continued; he was now trying to consider the best way to lie to her. He had gotten his ability on Mt. Asven on a journey he could not talk about.

A short, rotund thug came around the corner and eyeballed Lucia menacingly. "Oi, Jafa!" He said, "It's Bash and someone else."

"Looks like Bash brought a newcomer," a voice came from behind Benj, startling him. He turned to see a tall man who had probably cut his own hair with a pocketknife and was covered in gaudy tattoos.

"Guys, he's a friend," Lucia said nonchalantly. "He's with me. Leave him alone."

"A friend?" Asked the tall thug. "Well, any friend of Bash is a friend of mine. What's your name, then, friend?"

"Benj," he responded stoically. "I assume you're Jafa?"

"You assumed right," the tall thug said, hooking his thumbs under suspender straps. "Come on, any friend of Bash is a friend of mine. Welcome to the family."

The man held up his arms to give Benj an awkward and, quite frankly, unwarranted hug. Benj didn't move.

"Don't," Lucia warned.

The man didn't listen. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Benj, and a moment later, his money bag flew into the air for the heavier thug to catch.

"You look like you've had a tussle," Jafa said, brushing Benj off and deftly drawing away his attention while going through his pockets with nimble fingers. "What's this now?" he asked, producing a ring out of one of Benj's inner pockets and inspecting it.

Benj had no idea he was being searched until he saw the ring come out. It was black and had a gold three-pronged crown etched with a dot above the outer spikes.

"Pots!" He said, flipping the ring to his companion. "Take a look at what Bash brought home."

Pots snatched the ring out of the air with the same coordination that he caught the money bag with.

"It's our symbol," He commented, looking closely at the ring. "But how does he have it? I've never seen him before."

"Where did you get the ring?" Jafa asked seriously. He looked as if he was on the verge of deciding to be happy or very angry.

"A friend gave it to me," Benj replied, unaware of the ring's significance.

"What friend?" He pressed.

"A friend, what difference does it make?" Benj regained some confidence in his composure.

"The difference is, you give me a name, or I cut off your thumbs."

Having no other option, Benj recalled the name of the man that he killed on the road. "Gallows Reese." He hoped for the best.

"You're telling me," Pots said, holding up the ring, "You married Gallows Reese?"

"No, no, no," Benj said, embarrassed at the implication. "We're not like that. If anything, it's a friendship ring. No reason to make things weird."

"Why didn't you just say so in the first place?" Jafa asked before snapping his fingers and pointing from Pots to Benj.

Pots tossed the money bag into the air, and Benj caught it. He didn't know why they were giving him money until he realized it was his. He hadn't noticed it missing it in the first place.

"I've got someone who would really like to meet you," Jafa said, putting his arm around Benj and leading him forward. "Let's go."

Benj shot Lucia a sharp look that seemed to say, "This is all your fault," but she shrugged it off as if to respond, "How should I know this would happen?" They both followed the street thieves.