Even without turning my head, I could see a strange light reflecting off of the walls, coming from behind us. Almost like an electric light.

I turned to face our ambusher, and sure enough, his sword was glowing, strips of electricity running over the blade like serpents. The light it put off wasn’t much brighter than a glow stick, and had a similar quality. The sword had a thin blade, similar to a Japanese katana, but it appeared to be completely straight and edged on both sides. It was pointed at us. I almost imagined I could feel the hairs on my arms stand up from the static.

I recognized the man. I’d seen him before, of course. It was the man from Anwar’s group. He had entered the dungeon just before us.

He had a thin, angular face which caught the shadows sharply. His eyes were a blue that approached gray, and his short hair, which stood on end, was similar, a platinum blond that could almost make you think he was an old man. But he was clearly young, perhaps in his twenties, at most.

Cadoc and Amaia had turned to face him as well. One of Cadoc’s hands was on his own sword, though he had not yet drawn it from it’s scabbard. The other was still holding our burning torch. Amaia was similarly poised, one hand behind her back, ready to grab the spear that was tied there. The other hand flexed and unflexed, ready to disarm, I imagined. But will her magic work on an enchanted sword? The sword must be enchanted, after all.

“You are a brave soul,” Cadoc said. “To attack while outnumbered. I respect you for this. But this will not end well for you.”

“He isn’t outnumbered!” A voice echoed from behind us, further into the darkness. I stole a glance backwards, but of course I saw nothing beyond the range of our torchlight. Another voice came. “We’ve got two arrows trained on you.”

The man had entered with two companions, and they might have had bows - I hadn’t noticed. But I didn’t think they were bluffing.

Cadoc snorted. “Then you play to win, aye?”

“I do,” the man replied. The man spoke with a superior voice, one that said he thought he was better than us. I knew that type of voice well. I often used it. I did not yet know if this man deserved it or not. Maybe he was just a stuck-up NPC.

“And I’m wasting my time here,” the man continued. “Every moment I speak with you lowlifes. So let’s make this quick. Do you want to die today?”

“No,” I said quickly, before Cadoc said anything stupid. “Absolutely not. We have no reason to fight each other.”

The man laughed cruelly. “No reason? Really? You can’t think of any reason why I might want to cut you down where you stand? Be quiet, you fool.”

Even in the shadows I could see the man was looking down his nose at us. “My patron does not wish to cause unnecessary bloodshed. So I give you this choice. Leave now, and I will let you go with your lives. Stay, and I shall destroy you.”

“Sure!” I said, agreeing immediately. I didn’t need to think about it. We were on the back foot. This wasn’t the time to be fighting, and I hoped my companions - especially Cadoc - saw that. And I had an idea. “No need to tell us twice. You’ll never see us again. We’re gone.”

Cadoc looked stunned, and the man seemed surprised as well, as if he hadn’t really expected us to accept. Amaia’s face was expressionless.

“Really?” the man said, lowering his sword a hair. “You’re just going to leave?”

Cadoc’s shadowed face seemed to ask the same question.

“Of course!” I said, smiling. “If you’d please step aside, we’ll leave right now.”

The man frowned. “I did not think any adventurer could be such a coward.”

Cadoc begun to draw his sword at the word “coward.” The man raised his sword again, and it almost became a fight anyway. I stopped Cadoc, grabbing his arm, and held out a hand to the other man, indicating peace. I also winked at Cadoc, and hoped that winks held the same meaning in that dimension.

“Sorry!” I said. “My friend here is a bit jumpy, that’s all. No need for a fight.”

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“Keep your dog in line,” the man said. “Next time, I’ll kill him.”

Cadoc shifted at this, but I kept his arm down. “Thank you, sir, thank you.” I said, bowing. I didn’t know if that gesture meant anything here either, but it was worth a shot. “Your mercy is legendary. We’ll just be going now.”

The man still hadn’t moved from in front of the closed door. He stared, frowning. “Do not think you may return. If I ever see you again, I will kill you, understand?”

“Yes, right, got it. No problem. We’ll stay out of your hair.”

He didn’t stop frowning, but he sighed, muttered some obscenity under his breath, and stepped aside. I hurried through, pulling Cadoc and Amaia behind me.

The moment we got to the other side of the door, I was smiling. By the time the door slammed shut behind us, I was laughing. Maybe the man heard me, but fuck him. What was he going to do now, huh?

“Idiot!” I said, and sat down on the ground just in front of the door. “What an idiot. He had his chance, he should have taken it.” I shook my head.

“You have a plan?” Cadoc asked. He was visibly confused.

I smiled. “I should have thought of it earlier. What we need right now is a safe place in the dungeon where we can summon our stolen treasure, and train, right?” I spread my arms. “Well, here we are! What could be safer?”

Cadoc looked around doubtfully. “Didn’t they say they could sense us down here?”

I nodded. “Exactly. Lightning boy can’t attack us here, no mater how much he wants to. Against the rules.”

Amaia spoke for the first time. “Won’t Berenguer sense your stolen goods?” We had filled her in on what had happened at the mansion, of course.

“Probably,” I said. “But what can he do about it? He can’t come down here! Even if he could, what then? Kill his only chance of getting anything from this dungeon?” I smiled contentedly, wearing an even more smug smile than the man who ambushed us had had. “He can’t do shit. I am a genius.

“RENA!” I said, louder than I needed to. “I am ready for my prize.”

-

It took awhile for the packs to arrive, so in the meantime, we talked.

I was in a good mood, having outsmarted both Berenguer and the man with the lightning sword, and I reveled in the idea that both of them probably knew it. In my mind they were seething, and it made me so happy to imagine it. I was such a good mood that I even asked Amaia about herself.

“What’s your story?” I asked. We were all sitting on the floor beside the door. I sat with my legs crossed, Amaia had her back to the wall, and Cadoc lay spread out on the floor, looking at the ceiling. Or sleeping, maybe. He had put the torch into a little torch-holder on the wall, which we were all thankful for. I didn’t know what those little holder things were called. “What were you doing before ending up in the stocks?”

Amaia was clipping her nails. I had let her borrow my nail clippers, and she was amazed by them. I had already tried lighting one of her nails on fire, just in case my magic worked significantly differently than I thought. It didn’t work, of course.

“Guard,” she said simply. I hadn’t expected even that much, but her answer still frustrated me.

“What, like a city guard?” I asked.

“Sure.”

“What the hell do you mean, ‘sure?’ It’s a yes or no question, lady.”

She smiled. “Sure, it’s like a city guard.”

“But not a city guard?”

“No, not a city guard.”

I sighed. “Do we really have to play twenty questions, here? So you were what, a bodyguard?”

She nodded. “Right.”

I threw up my hands. “Then why didn’t you just say that!”

She shrugged.

“Explains the disarming magic,” Cadoc said. “It’s a favorite of guards, for obvious reasons.”

“Who did you guard?” I asked, though I was already getting just about done with the conversation.

“Can’t say.”

I rolled my eyes. “What can you say, then?” I asked, exasperated.

“I left,” she said. “Wanted out. Freedom.”

“Do you feel free now?” Cadoc asked, gesturing at the room around us.

“Yes. This is fun.”

I laughed. “Fun. Sure, why not? Fun.”

Amaia only nodded, still smiling.

“What about magic,” I asked, done with that line of questioning. “Can you teach us?”

“Sure. Anyone could.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re First Ring mages,” she said. “I haven’t been a First Ring mage since I was a kid.”

Cadoc sat up. “You’re in the Second Ring?”

Amaia nodded. Cadoc leapt up, and in a moment he was bowing.

“I had no idea. I ask for your forgiveness, madam.”

“Stop that. No ‘madam.’ Ever.”

Cadoc straightened himself. “Please teach us,” he said. “We need power.”

“I already said yes.” Amaia sighed.

I hesitated to ask, but I had to know more. “What do you guys mean when you say ‘in the Second Ring?’ We’re in the First Ring, aren’t we?”

Amaia raised an eyebrow, and Cadoc answered for me. “A foreigner, remember? No magic in his land.”

“Mages are ranked by rings,” she said, like she was talking to a child. “Everyone mostly starts at the First Ring. Or outside. Polluted. You can move up rings, with work. Higher ring, stronger mage.”

That was the most words I had ever heard Amaia speak. “So are the rings named after the rings of Eraztun, or are the rings of Eraztun named after the magic concept?”

Amaia furrowed her brows. “I don’t know.” She turned to Cadoc. He shook his head.

“How many rings are there?” I asked.

“How many?” Amaia repeated. “I don’t know. At least five.”

“How do you move up a ring?” I wasn’t getting the best answers, but at least I was getting something. I felt like I should be writing this all down.

“Training,” Amaia said. “Killing monsters. Or other mages. Also potions, spellbooks, scrolls…” She thought for a moment. “Probably other things. Artifacts.”

I thought to our treasure haul from Berenguer. Maybe we had something that would advance us a ring.

“What happens when you get to the next ring?”

“Depends.”

I stared at her, but she didn’t elaborate. “Depends on…” I prompted.

“The person. The magic. The ring. The path.”

“What do you mean, path?”

Amaia laughed. “You don’t know anything,” she said.

“Yeah, I don’t. And if you keep answering my questions like you’ve got a gun to your head, I’m going to keep knowing nothing.”

Amaia looked confused. “A gun is a weapon from my country,” I said. “It’s the one Cadoc saw.”

“I thought that was called a revolver, friend.”

“A revolver is a type of gun.”

“Ah, I see. Thank you.”

I turned back to Amaia. “Hey, listen. If we have to ask a hundred questions for every little thing we want to learn, we’re going to be here for the rest of time. I’d like to get a move on, maybe learn something before the items show up - though that seems unlikely at this point. They’re probably almost here. But seriously, do you have a problem, or something? Why don’t you just talk normally.”

Amaia turned her face away from me. I couldn’t be sure, but in the torchlight, it looked like maybe she was blushing. I couldn’t imagine why.

“I’m just…” she started, then clear her throat.

I blinked at her. Just what?

“I was taught not to speak,” she said. “Watch, guard, and be silent. Mouth shut, eyes open.”

I laughed. “Well that’s an easy fix,” I said. “Just find the most talkative person you know, and pretend you’re that person.”

She looked at Cadoc.

“Ok,” I said. “The second most talkative person.”