Morning came unwelcome to Ryan. While the others slept in beds prepared by the Featherclaw, Ryan stayed up late speaking with Silvereye and the other Featherclaw. As Silvereye was the only one among the Featherclaw who could speak English, he had handled much of the translation. Even so, Silvereye could only just speak English.

Much was said. Many questions were asked of him, but Ryan had difficulty providing the Featherclaw with a frame of reference to explain concepts familiar to him like the internet, video games or any sort of pop culture reference. Likewise, Silvereye appeared to have difficulty putting Featherclaw ideas across. Nonetheless, they made do, but he’d learned little of use. However, the Featherclaw were very interested to hear about the potential of danger to Ladysmith from Vector. They spoke a little more of Featherclaw history, and tribal politics.

Ryan was surprised to learn that the Quicktooth, of which Silvereye and the others were a part of, were only one tribe of the overall Featherclaw Nation. Every mating season, the three tribes met to breed and hatch their young, and the young were then separated into one of the three tribes. The Quicktooth were chosen for their agility and cunning in the hunt. The Thunderclaw were chosen for their strength and ferocity in battle, and the Highcrest, chosen for their intelligence and gracefulness. Beyond those three tribes were cousin-groups that inhabited parts of Vector and Southern Rasza. Being what they were, they never had to be concerned for the laws of men, and Humans generally left Featherclaw in peace.

But the tribes in the Disputed Lands had a long history, and a unique system of social governance different from their southern cousins. The three tribes lent aid to each other as needed as a matter of honour. The Thunderclaw and Quicktooth often provided food and goods to the Highcrest, while the Highcrest provided leadership and labour to the others. Silvereye made the relationship sound somewhat symbiotic.

Eventually, however, the time came when the Featherclaw could no longer stay awake, and Ryan curled up on a straw mat they had prepared for him, only to open his eyes after what felt like only a few minutes of sleep to the sun beading down on him.

The others were already awake. Cale was inspecting the quads again, marvelling over the lack of damage. There’s no way the Featherclaw drove them to their village, and as tough as they seemed, they’d never have been able to pick it up. Somehow, though, they had figured out the operation of the machines, found out how to put it into neutral and pushed them to their village.

Ryan wasn’t even sure Bayne could have figured that out on his own. He was impressed.

Terra and Nalya stood nearby talking to each other and looked over at him when he sat up.

“Wakey, wakey eggs and bakey,” Terra said.

“I could go for some eggs and bakey,” Ryan said, then paused and sniffed the air. “Wait. Is that bacon?”

“Boar meat,” Nalya replied. “And some eggs from your supply. The Featherclaw wanted to send us off with full stomachs.”

“How long have you been up for?”

“I thought it best to let you sleep,” Nalya replied. “The Quicktooth have been helping us prepare for departure, and you were up late.”

“Sorry,” Ryan said. “Not every day you get to socialise with a dinosaur.”

Nalya cocked her head to one side. “Dinosaur?”

He waved his hand. “I’ll explain later,” he said.

“Regardless, there’s no need to apologise.” She motioned toward the wrapped cloth next to Ryan. “You’re the bearer of Twilight’s Blade, after all.” She smiled at him slyly. It was one of the first times he’d seen Nalya’s sense of humour emerge.

“God, don’t make it sound so formal. I’m just a guy with a… a magic sword. Okay, yeah now that I say that out loud I think your way is better.”

Nalya laughed. “Although we’ll have to do something about that before we get to Halen. A sheath, or a way to keep it out of sight may become necessary.”

“Why’s that?” Terra asked.

“The sword’s been lost for a thousand years,” she said. “But everyone knows the Tales of Rasshauer Flenn. At the Deyish Academies, there is the Hall of the Founders. The entire building is adorned with murals of the stories of Mair, Ayre, and Flenn. That sword features prominently in many of them. There is nothing else like it in the Pactlands. It is not a matter of if it will be recognized, it is a matter of when.”

“You’re going to have to fill me in on these tales,” Ryan said. “You said it was magic, but… so like I understand magic people, as hard as that is to believe. But magic things? That’s another matter.”

“That’s because imbuing an object with magic comes at a great cost,” she said. She turned away. “And under the laws of the Pact, it can no longer be done except as a dire punishment. It is an unsettling thing. Best not to dwell on it.”

“Hold on,” Terra said. “Now I gotta know. Dish.”

Nalya sighed. “It is true that magic can only come from life. All living things are capable of it, roughly in the same numbers of men and the higher races.”

“Wait, so there are magic animals?” Terra asked.

“Of course. But not all animals cannot understand their abilities as well as we can. They may be able to manifest magic by instinct, but it is feral, wild magic that is most often too weak and unpredictable to be a deterrent even to the most wary of hunters. There are some lower races of plants that can be exceedingly dangerous, however.”

“Magic plants too?”

“The Grij,” Nalya said. “They were exterminated from the Pactlands at large, but rumours persist of them in the inland forests of Caede. I’ve never encountered them myself, but it’s said all the Grij are gifted in one of the nine Foundations. I do not think this is because they are all born with abilities, but because they choke the life out of those among them that do not. Regardless, all living things have the potential for magic.”

“So where does the sword come in?”

“Before the Pact, Soul Mages were not bound to any particular creed or law,” she said. “Certainly many were men and women of scruples. But not all. Some used the lives of others as though they were their playthings.” She gestured toward the sword. “The stories go that the sword was made from the soul of Flenn’s lover.”

Ryan suddenly felt the blood rush from his head. He looked down at the sword. “You’re telling me there’s a human soul in this thing?”

“It can’t still be there,” Terra said. “It’s been a thousand years.”

Nalya shook her head. “Of course the soul is still infused in the sword. You saw it last night. It wouldn’t break, which means it still holds magic. Besides, souls are indefinite. Where would it go?”

“Hold on,” Ryan said. “Can… can she experience anything? Like the passage of time?”

“I couldn’t say,” Nalya replied. “I’m sure only she could tell you that.”

“What was her name?” Ryan asked.

Nalya looked to him. “Her name was Neve.”

Ryan looked down to the sword. “Neve, eh?”

Some movements nearby drew their attention. Longfeather, the young female Featherclaw, had rushed toward the hut where Ryan was still laying down. She jumped, rolled and skipped about happily. A moment later, Silvereye followed.

“Longfeather want to say something,” Silvereye said.

“Furlsong!” Longfeather exclaimed. “Furlsong friend to Longfezzer!”

Ryan laughed and smiled. He was genuinely impressed. It was one thing to not be able to speak English, but the Featherclaw weren’t even used to human sounds except for Silvereye. She must have been practising all morning. “Longfeather is a friend to Feralsong!” he replied and patted Longfeather on the head. She cooed happily. He looked up to Terra. “I’m starting to dig that name. Maybe I’ve found my new stage name?”

“You won’t be selling out the Cambie any time soon,” Terra reminded him. “But at least you already have your first groupie.”

“Longfeather show promise with man’s tongue,” Silvereye said. There was an unmistakable look of pride in his eyes. “Maybe next we meet, you teach her? Silvereye too. Been… long time since using man’s tongue. How is said… unpracticed?”

“Still not going to fill us in on where you learned it?”

Silvereye paused a moment. “Is… secret. Now, you go north. To Halen.” He seemed to hiss the name. It gave Ryan the impression there was more to Silvereye’s feelings on the Pactlands than he was willing to share, but he knew better than to pry.

Ryan nodded. “We have something important to do there.”

“Yes, yes,” Silvereye said. “Today you go. Bring black blade! Bring blood harvest to Featherclaw!”

“But we’ll see you again?” Terra asked.

Silvereye cocked his head to one side. “Perhaps,” he replied. “Perhaps is us who see you again.”

Ryan wasn't quite sure what he meant by that, but he accepted it nonetheless. With Longfeather's help, he loaded his things into his trailer and got his pack ready. The clothes he'd been wearing since Ladysmith were now starting to smell funny. He'd have to wash them if he wanted to keep himself smelling fresh, but he was a long way from a shower-- or a laundromat for that matter. He opted instead to change his clothes, wearing a pair of blue jeans and an Ozzy Osbourne t-shirt. By the time he had changed, the group was ready to go. He took his time to say his goodbyes to Silvereye, Longfeather and Sharpscent, who each embraced him by pressing their snouts to his stomach, then did the same to the others.

Finally, they were off. The Quicktooth stood at the edge of their village, watching them leave. Longfeather tried her best to keep up with the quads as they roared away, but even she, too, fell behind, waving excitedly at the departing humans. Once again, they were on the road, leaving the village behind.

----------------------------------------

“He asked you to what?” Lily exclaimed. It was a little too loud for Boomer's liking. The two of them sat outside of the Vegan restaurant across the street from the Journeyman. The little restaurant had reopened that morning, along with a few other businesses around town. At least, those that had perishable products and would need to sell before it all went bad.

“Shush,” Boomer snapped. “I don’t think this is information he necessarily wants aired publicly.”

“But a spy? Jesus, Boomer. That's dangerous!”

“So is just sitting around waiting for those guys to show up,” he said, taking a sip of his coffee. “At least this way, we might stand a chance of figuring out what makes them tick-- get at them from the inside.”

“Don't tell me you're actually considering this?” Lily asked. She leaned in close. “Do you think he knows… about… you know?”

Boomer shook his head. “Absolutely not,” he said. “It’s been… clearer lately. Easier to differentiate their surface thoughts from my own. If he suspected, I’d have realised.”

“Still,” Lily said. “You’ve only had this… thing for a few days. Arie says you have more work to do before you’ll be ready.”

Boomer sighed. “Yeah, but… I think this might be something I need to do.”

“You’re nuts.”

He shook his head. “Look, Arie is… helpful. But she’s hiding something.”

Lily raised an eyebrow. “Hiding something? How do you know?” he asked.

Boomer only looked at her and tapped the side of his head. “She’s eager to help. Like, I get the sense she wants to help. She wants to stay here, so she’s making herself useful. But… there’s something going on with her and her brother. You know how the other day she started talking about releasing him, right? She was ready to, but then she just dropped the whole thing? She loves him, but she’s afraid of him.” He shook his head. “I can’t quite figure it out. Every time I get a hint of what she’s thinking about, it’s like she suddenly realised I’m there and starts thinking about Wizard of Oz. By the way, did you introduce her to Metallica?”

Lily nodded. “I did. She loves it.”

“She hates it,” Boomer replied. “She’s just trying to be nice.”

“Who could hate Master of Puppets?”

Boomer shook his head. “Point is that there’s more going on with her than she’s willing to share.”

“So is she dangerous?”

“She could be if it came down to it, I’m sure. But I don’t think that’s it. It’s almost like she’s… frightened. Ashamed, maybe? Like every time she hears a new voice she has to see who’s speaking, as though she’s expecting someone. But I can’t peg it down from her surface thoughts or emotions, and I get the impression she’ll know if I start rooting around in her head.”

“You can do that?”

“Sort of? It’s… clumsy. Like I’m a bull in a china shop. Sure I can take a look around, but I’m knocking over all the shelves. Thing is, the only two people in town who know about this are you and Arie, so practice isn’t exactly forthcoming.”

“You could practice on me,” Lily offered.

Boomer looked up at her. “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Boomer said. “For all I know I could get in there and pull out things you don’t want surfacing. Or worse, leave something behind. Think about your past traumas, and ask yourself if you want me being an observer to that trauma. Then ask yourself if you’re willing to risk me breaking something in your head accidentally.” He sat up straight in his chair and looked around to ensure nobody was looking. “But there is this.”

He pulled a loonie out of his pocket and put it on the table in front of them. He concentrated on it, and a moment later, the loonie started to wobble, then to Lily’s surprise it stood up straight. It wasn’t very secure, the loonie itself wanted to fall back down to one side or the other, and she could tell Boomer was struggling to keep it standing.

She suddenly became aware of someone approaching and put her hand down over the loonie, looking up. Kayla Winder approached the two of them with a pot of coffee in her hands.

“More coffee?” she asked.

Boomer shook his head. “No, I’m fine.”

Kayla didn’t seem to hear him. Instead, she leaned over the table. “You guys are meeting up across the street, right? The Magic Society?”

“Yeah,” Lily said. “We’ve got a meeting in about an hour. Why?”

“Seems weird, right? All these people we’ve known our whole lives suddenly getting powers only a day after that light appeared?”

Boomer suddenly caught a whiff of Kayla’s surface thoughts. It came unbidden, but very clear. Kayla Winder was working an angle. She was trying to confirm her suspicions.

Problem was that her suspicions were crazy. She suspected Lily and Boomer had a hand in the very event that brought the town to the Pactlands.

“I don’t think it’s that weird,” Boomer said. He looked Kayla in the eye. “Magic exists here. It doesn’t back home. Sure the Blacklight Event might have been caused by magic, or it might have been something else entirely.”

“But don’t you think it’s convenient that that magic girl from… whatever the hell is out there just so happened to come into town and show you guys how to use magic on the first day? It’s like she was waiting for us to show up, and what’s with Terra and Ryan leaving town so quickly?”

Kayla wasn’t the brightest bulb in the box, but she was well-connected in town. People listened to her. She was known to be the source of rumours, and Boomer suddenly realised they had to tread very carefully with her.

However, Boomer had an advantage. He didn’t have to go digging to find her angle. They practically broadcast themselves like a neon sign. She was trying to be clever by testing Boomer and Arie, to see if they were people she could get inside information on. Unfortunately, she had already come to the conclusion that they were involved somehow. Either through brainwashing, or being willing participants.

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He needed to diffuse that before it became a problem, but he couldn’t let on that he was on to her. “You know,” Boomer said. “I had the same thought.”

Lily suddenly shot him a surprised look. He didn’t give her a chance to talk.

“I mean, it’s possible, right?” He looked over to Lily and winked. “That’s kind of why I’m volunteering. After all I didn’t end up with any magic.”

“Oh, that’s why you’re there?”

“Yeah,” Boomer said. “In fact, Lily and I both agree. That’s why we’re staying close to her. To figure her out.”

Kayla nodded and smiled. “Well at least someone in this town has some brains,” she said. “Everyone’s just accepting all this like it’s normal. It’s not.” She looked at Lily. “I heard you’ve got some magic too. Is that right?”

“It came as a surprise to her,” Boomer said. “Lily here is trying to find a way to turn it off.”

“Yeah,” Lily said. She took a sip of her coffee. “It’s… really weird.”

“You have no idea what a relief that is to hear,” Kayla said. “It’s like everyone has lost their mind. My cousin thinks it’s the coolest thing, but she’s missing the big picture. It’s not normal.” She craned her neck back to the inside of the restaurant. “Look, I need to get back to work. If you hear anything… like anything useful, let me know, okay? There are a few of us who want to get to the bottom of this. Having someone on the inside would be useful.”

Boomer raised his thumb. “Absolutely,” he lied.

With that, Kayla went back to her duties.

“Care to explain?” Lily asked as she was out of earshot.

“She’s going to be a problem,” Boomer said. “She thought we had something to do with the Blacklight Event. Now she thinks we’re on her side. We’re going to need to keep an eye on her.”

“Jesus Christ,” Lily said. “She’s obnoxious enough as it is.”

“Our saving grace is that she’s nowhere near as clever as she thinks she is. Problem is, she’s got the ear of a lot of ignorant people, and yet she’s a living example of the Dunning-Kruger effect.”

“The what?”

Boomer shook his head. “Laypersons tend to overestimate their intellect in any given domain. Think about the flat Earth types. You can show them all the evidence and actually demonstrate the world is round, but they’re still sold on a thirteen minute argument made in a YouTube video by someone who believes in Planet X. It also doesn’t help that Arie’s keeping something from us.” He sighed. “I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, but I think we’re going to need to get to the bottom of that. In the meantime, we need to keep Kayla occupied and not digging around. If she finds out before we do, it’s not going to go well for any of us.”

“You don’t think Arie’s entitled to her secrets?”

“Of course she is,” he said. “But we’re gambling with our lives here, and she’s going to need to trust us if we’re expected to trust her. Especially if we want to get Kayla Winder and her Muggle Brigade off our backs.”

Lily remained silent for a moment. “You can get through to her.”

“Me?” Boomer asked. “She’s staying with you. It makes sense–”

“She talks about you a lot,” Lily interrupted. She looked at him. “Like a lot.”

“I’m a Mind Mage,” he said.

“Oh no, that’s certainly part of it. But trust me on this one. She might be from another world, but she’s still a girl. She doesn’t know what to make of you just yet, but the spark is there.”

Boomer raised an eyebrow. “Spark? You’re not saying– no. She hasn’t shown any interest. I’d have noticed.”

“Jenna Cole crushed on you for a year before you finally clued in, Boomer. Even with psychic powers, you’re oblivious.”

“Jenna was not crushing on me for a year,” he protested. He raised his hands. “We dated for like a week anyway. It didn’t go anywhere, like most relationships.”

Lily stood up and dropped a few dollars on the table. “If you say so.” She started to gather her things.

Boomer watched her get up and start walking across the street toward the Trav. “Hey, hold on,” Boomer said. “Wait a damn minute, what are you talking about?”

----------------------------------------

Keltz couldn’t help but marvel over the architecture of the Ladysmith people. The building before him was more vertical than any building of like size in Halen. Flat on all sides, with a brick facade. Across the Pactlands there were numerous buildings large, even larger than the so-called Traveller’s Inn. However, those structures were far more rigid. Earth Mages were indispensable when it came to the building process. After all, what better to frame a large building with than stone? It was strong, and in the hands of a talented Earth Mage, infinitely malleable.

The building before him was over a century old, and like other buildings in Ladysmith, was built with a strictly wooden frame. It was a marvel it could still stand. Keltz was aware that shipwrights often used timber to construct sea-worthy vessels, but even with the methods of staining and protecting the wood from the elements, they only lasted for a decade or so before needing new hulls.

The age of the building was apparent. The brick-and-mortar facade was worn and slowly falling apart. But the fact that it had lasted so long surprised Keltz, even in its somewhat dilapidated state.

He’d made arrangements to speak with Lily Rasmussen, a Ladysmith resident that had taken the task of organising Ladysmith’s burgeoning Magic Society. Keltz felt apprehensive about the idea. Already the War Mages had spoken against the formation of such an organisation. They warned they would not entertain the notion that Mages trained anywhere but at the Academies could be of any use in battle. They were adamant the existence of such a thing would only cause needless death. They were Feral Mages. They could not, by definition, refine their skills to even a fraction of control and precision as that of trained Mages.

Yet, he also saw no other choice, especially after being informed of their Vectoran prisoner. In the days since, General Ryde will have no doubt discovered the place. The only real question was what he’d do with the information.

The town had to be ready. Keltz could not say how many soldiers Vector had. But it was surely more than the thousand men and twelve War Mages that had been assigned to the mission. As such, Ladysmith had to rely on what it had. Their technological wonders were sure to be a help, but none, he’d been told, had been designed with the existence of magic in mind.

So he would fulfil Nalya’s orders, and do what he could to help. First, however, he needed to evaluate Ladysmith’s Mages. He doubted they would be of any use. Rather, they’d likely get in the way of his own men. He was fully prepared to advise the Ladysmith Emergency Committee to keep them away from battle.

But as he opened the door, the first sight he saw made him pause. First in confusion, then utter amazement.

A young woman stood near the centre of the room, surrounded by a number of people. A shimmering orb flickered and wavered between her two hands, sustained in mid-air. At first, he didn’t know what to make of it. He then realised he was looking at a product of Lightning Magic. A younger girl stood in front of her, holding her hands up as well.

“Okay,” the Lightning Mage said. “So now, I think if you change the density of the nitrogen in the air, it should change the colour of the orb.”

The other girl nodded, and Keltz suddenly saw the colour of the orb shift.

He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The other girl was an Air Mage, and the two of them were combining their abilities to create something he’d never seen before.

“Won’t that hurt?” the Air Mage asked. “Like if you hit someone with it.”

“Shouldn’t. The current’s not strong enough. I bet if I put some more juice into it it’d make a wicked projectile, though. We’ll try that out at the next beach session.”

“Lieutenant Wicket, was it?” came a voice from his side. He peeled his attention away from the Mages long enough to notice the Shavian girl, Arie, approach him.

“Uhh,” he said. “Yes.” He looked back to the Lightning Mage.

“It’s rather surprising,” Arie said. “I hardly believed it myself. At first I thought it was because they were simply stronger in the Foundations than we are.” She shook her head. “It’s not. It’s simply that their people sought to understand the natural secrets of their world without the help of magic. They have entire bodies of work dedicated to understanding their natural world. An intense curiosity, and without magic to guide it. Then they were educated in it. It’s truly impressive.”

Keltz didn’t know what to say. The men and women in Ladysmith with the spark of magic had only days to understand their particular crafts, and yet they were outpacing even…

…even the War Mages.

Suddenly, the Lightning Mage turned to face him. “Oh, you’re… Keltz, right? Keltz Wicket?”

Keltz nodded. “I am.”

“Lily Rasmussen,” she greeted, then offered her hand.

The handshake appeared to be the most formal greeting in Ladysmith. Certainly it was part of everyday life in Halen and beyond, usually to seal an agreement, but these Canadians seemed to use them as a polite greeting. Keltz took her hand.

“I’ve… never seen such a thing,” Keltz said.

“Oh, that? I had this thought when I was reading up on ball lightning. Figured out that we could contain it if we managed to compress the air density of a certain area. Then we started trying to change the level of nitrogen. Thing is, ball lightning is pretty harmless. It doesn’t hurt much if you get hit by it. But with some tweaking, we might even be able to develop some pretty potent explosive magic if we work together. It’s just a matter of synchronising our abilities.”

Keltz blinked. He wasn’t sure how to respond.

“Sorry,” Lily said. “Am I going too fast?”

“No, no,” he said. “It’s just… at the Academies, the compounding of the Foundations is done under very strict supervision, if at all. The wrong Mages doing such things could send many into the Well.”

“The Well?”

“Yes. Of Souls. Where our souls go when our bodies perish.”

“Ah,” she said. “Well, Misty was going to school to be a chemist before all this happened.” She gestured toward the Air Mage, who gave her a nod. “She’s pretty knowledgeable about what gases are combustible or not.”

“It’s true, Lieutenant,” Arie said. “Misty’s brother was being educated in becoming a… geologist? He, too, is an Air Mage. And yet he was revealing secrets of Earth Magic known only to those gifted in it. Moreover, he knows many of the processes in which rock and minerals are formed. All things that took me years to learn as an Earth Mage in practice.”

“Truly?”

Arie nodded.

“This changes things,” he said. He looked to Lily. “I was prepared to come here to find amateurs. Yet, the level at which you have refined your abilities in just a few short days… it’s strange. Almost humbling.”

“Almost?”

“It is humbling,” he said. “But also concerning. General Boone has asked me to–”

“General Boone?” Lily asked. She looked back over her shoulder toward a tall man watching with his arms folded. “Looks like somebody got a promotion.”

“Yes, well… be that as it may, he’s asked me to evaluate your skills for potential martial use. If it comes down to an attack by Vector, with War Mages of their own, they have the benefit of years of training and experience.”

“They are still unrefined, Lieutenant,” Arie said. “But in time, I believe they could outperform any War Mage trained in Dey, so long as they have the right guidance.”

Keltz looked to her. “You know as well as I do that guidance for Feral Mages is in short supply.”

“I believe that may not be the case once they’re able to showcase their abilities. The help of your War Mages may be the thing that makes them formidable to Vector.”

“I don’t get it. What’s the problem?”

“I think the problem is bigger than him,” the tall man added.

Keltz looked up to him and nodded.

“You are correct,” he said.

Arie scoffed. “You speak of the elitism under the Wings of the Raptor?”

“I do.”

“What elitism?”

“War Mages adhere to a creed. Part of that creed is to suffer no Feral Mage the delusion of superiority,” Arie said. “And to put them down whenever such delusions manifest.”

“Wait, what do you mean by put them down?”

“What it sound like,” Keltz said. “If they think your magic too powerful, they may attempt to destroy this Magic Society of yours.”

“That’s a misleading interpretation of the creed,” Arie explained.

Keltz looked over to Arie with a raised eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“The words are to suffer no Feral Mage the delusion of superiority,” she said. “It says nothing of whether their command of magic is actually superior.”

Keltz blinked. “What are you suggesting?”

Arie looked to the Mages gathered in the room. “The Dance of War,” she said.

“That’s a fight to the death,” Keltz replied.

“Not always,” Arie said. “Are there Body Mages among your War Mages?”

Keltz nodded. “Only just one,” he said.

She motioned toward a woman sitting in a strange chair nearby. Keltz noticed she had no legs. “Marie is as talented as any one of them. If the challenge encourages maiming over killing, the loser need not actually die.”

“Hold on, I don’t like the sound of any of that,” Lily protested.

“Do you actually think them ready?” Keltz asked.

Arie cocked her head to one side. “I’m not sure,” she said. “But give me two days and I’ll know for certain.”

Keltz nodded, then looked to those present. “Very well,” he said. “Two days, and that’s all. If you do not think them ready, then your Magic Society will stay back if Vector seeks to invade.”

“And if I do?”

“Then you’ll choose three, and my War Mages will do the same. We’ll see who wins the most.”

----------------------------------------

By mid-afternoon they had made their way to a wide, yet shallow river that signalled the northern boundary of the Quicktooth’s hunting grounds. They’d made their way east along the banks, seeking a shallow enough area to ride through. They’d lost several hours due to their encounter with the Quicktooth, however, Nalya had pointed out that it would be easier to make up the time now that they had the blessing of the Quicktooth to be in their lands. They wouldn’t have to watch their backs, or ensure their activities did not offend the Quicktooth.

Eventually they came across a calm stretch of the river. Cale was the first to test the waters, riding his quad into the water. Thankfully the surface of the river amounted only to about a foot deep. He signalled for the rest of them to cross behind them, and quickly found a trodden path leading north into a series of grassy plains in the low hills of the northern Disputed Lands.

Nalya signalled there was only one more river to cross before they made their way into Halen. At most, it would be another day or two before they found their way to the Cantus River crossing at the southern border.

As they rode up the grassy plains, Terra allowed her mind to wander. In the days since they’d left, she’d had a wealth of experience. She spent time in a medieval village. She’s met talking dinosaurs, and even earned a name of honour amongst them. Bloodflower. She rather liked the name. It had a distinctly fantasy vibe, like the sort of name she might have taken if she were playing one of those online role-playing games her ex used to play. She knew the name came in part from the colour of her hair. It was the sort of thing those in the Pactlands seemed to notice. Nalya had even inquired about the difficulty of dying it another colour. Unfortunately, after they’d left Ladysmith, her hair was sort of stuck that way.

Then came the question of what to do once they arrived in Halen. They’d no doubt be bombarded by questions regarding everything from the quads, to their style of dress, to the nautical star tattoos under Terra’s collarbones to her hair colour and nose piercing.

Bayne’s solution was to lie indiscriminately. Nalya’s solution was to lie selectively, at least until they’d met with the King. Terra wasn’t sure she liked the idea of lying. In Ladysmith, a lie would travel at near-light speed, embedding itself deeply within the town’s rumour mill. But when the truth emerged, the liar was the one to suffer in most cases. Reputations would be destroyed. Trust would be withheld, and enemies made.

Still, she trusted Nalya’s judgement.

When they arrived in Halen, Nalya had promised them a bed at an inn. A real bed. Not a bedroll in a tent, but a place she could curl up with a cup of tea next to a hearth. She smiled while picturing it. It was a welcome thought.

Terra was lost in that thought when she suddenly took note of a feeling of lightheadedness. She eased off of the throttle as it struck her. As she applied pressure to the brake, her vision started to fill with a green cloud.

She’d seen that before. But by the time she realised what was happening, she seized up, and the vision overtook her, then–

--then the woman pulled a knife and put it under her chin. There was something in her hazel eyes, her raven-black hair and the slight scar bisecting her eyebrow that struck her as familiar. She’d seen her face before, but where? Was it in passing? Had she met his woman before? Her entire body ached. Her clothes were wet with blood, and her eyes stung from the sweat pouring from her brow.

“I hope you understand, pretty one,” he woman said with a sly smirk. “This isn’t personal, but gold speaks to me far louder than your tears.” She felt the pressure of the blade entering her throat and–

–and the room was black, save for the unmistakable light of the Azure Dream entering the thin window high against he ceiling. It was much too high for her to reach. Where was she? Her whole body ached, and her brow was covered in sweat. She felt like she needed to retch.

She tried the large door near the front of the room, and could hear voices on the other side. They were the jeering, laughing voices of her captors. Around her, straw was strewn about the room.

She needed to escape. She needed to find a way out. She checked her pockets. Empty, save for one thing.

A blue Bic lighter. She suddenly heard a yell from outside the door, and–

–and when she came to, Ryan and Nalya were tending to her.

“Jesus,” Ryan exclaimed. “Terra, you okay?”

Terra blinked and sat up. “What?” She looked around. A few feet away, her quad idled. She was suddenly aware that her head and butt hurt quite a bit.

“It happened again,” Ryan said. “Your eyes went green and you started doing the funky chicken.”

“What did you see, Terra?” Nalya asked.

Terra suddenly reached for her throat. She felt the blade enter her throat. She could feel it as though it were still happening.

“Someone… someone was killing me,” she said. “A woman. Black hair. She had a scar over her eyebrow.”

Nalya shot Bayne a dire look. She looked back. “Would you recognise her to see her?” she asked.

Terra nodded. “I don’t think I could forget that face. I think… I think someone paid her to do it.”

“You saw another vision, yes?”

Terra nodded. “I think… someone kidnapped me? I was in a dark room at night. There was a lighter in my pocket. That’s all I saw, I don’t understand.”

“A lighter?” Ryan asked. “Like the one you gave to Silvereye?”

She shook her head. “No, I brought more. It was a blue one.”

“It’s in your pack?” Nalya asked.

She nodded.

“Keep it on you at all times,” Nalya said. She looked to Bayne. “Do not let her out of your sight, Bayne. Protect her as you would me.”

“I don’t understand,” Terra said. “Why would anyone–”

“We have no way of knowing, Terra. Not until it happens. But if you saw yourself being killed, it stands to reason that the other vision was showing you how to avoid that eventuality.”

Terra unconsciously rubbed her throat. “It was so real,” she said.

“That’s because it was real,” she said. “You are seeing eventualities from outside of time.”

“Quiet,” Bayne suddenly snapped. He craned his neck, looking around. “We’re not alone here.”

“What?” Cale said. He looked around. “I don’t see anyth–” He stopped suddenly as he looked toward a nearby tree.

“I mean no harm,” came a voice suddenly from nearby. “I only heard the noise you lot were makin’ and came to inspect.”

Terra suddenly noticed an old woman standing under the tree, a basket hanging from her arms. It was filled with various herbs.

“Who are you?” Bayne said, his hand reaching for his sword.

“Settle down, settle down. If I'd meant ye harm, ye'd have already been harmed,” she said, then looked to Terra. “'Are ye hurt, lass?”

Terra nodded. “I got all scraped up. My ankle might be twisted.”

“What’s yer name?” the old woman asked.

“Terra,” she replied.

The woman paused for a moment. “So it is, isn’t it?” she asked nobody in particular.

“That accent,” Bayne said. “Yer from the Sandsea?”

The old woman regarded Bayne for a moment. “Aye,” she said. “But now I’m from here.” She turned her attention back to Terra. “My cottage ain’t far. If yer hurt, follow us. I can make a salve for them scrapes.”

“Us?” Ryan looked around. He saw nobody. “You're the only one here.”

“What are ye, blind? Can ye not see them?” she asked.

“See who?”

Terra was the first to spot who she had been talking about. She spotted one, and then movement from the corner of her eye attracted her attention to another. Suddenly, she realised the truth-- they were surrounded by ferrets. Ferrets stood all around them, at last a dozen. The only difference was, simply put, that these ferrets weren't normal.

These ferrets were wearing adornments. Feathers and small stones. The fur around their heads was braided. One even wore a light green tunic. They stood upright, looking out over the grass toward them. One, she saw, even had a pair of rudimentary glasses. They scurried around the group, standing on tree branches and rocks, watching them. Terra briefly wondered how long they had been there, how long the old woman had been there-- and how much she had overheard.

“Oh, bullocks!” Bayne exclaimed. He made no effort to disguise the loathing in his voice. “Tyl,” he said. “We're surrounded by bloody Tylmen.”