Meera walked out of the Gateway Mirror and was not expecting the welcome that she got. A unit of about twenty city guards stood with spears pointed directly at her. She raised her hands and scanned them all.

[Patrolman – Level 79]

[Patrolman – Level 85]

.

.

[Guard Captain – Level 96]

They were all lower level than her, but given their numbers, she wondered if she could take them all. Ultimately, she wanted to avoid attracting the city's attention, half of which had gathered to see the spectacle.

They must have come to use the mirror, but the guards held them back as they hollered and cursed at the guards to let them through as they were getting late—mostly for work.

Remembering what Dirik had said, she scanned them all, even the older ones, hoping it would be enough to get her Identify to the next level.

"State your business," the Guard Captain barked.

"I'm visiting friends in the city."

"Could she be the Varshan the Blazers are looking for?" One of the Patrolman whispered to his friend.

"Could be, but her clothes are the wrong color," the other replied.

A guard stepped forward. "Captain, we should fetch the Protectors just in case—"

"There's no need for that," Meera interjected and pulled out the royal seal. "Firstly, I'm not Varshan, and second, I come from the capital with direct orders from the king to ensure his son is safe. News of unrest in Nelees has reached the capital, and he has asked me to check on his son and heir and report back to him before the day is done. Now, if you wish to hinder me from my duties, someone else will come through the mirror by days' end, and they will not be as nice as I am."

They all exchanged glances. Even the grips on their weapons loosened. The captain looked around at his men and nodded. The patrolmen pulled their weapons away.

"We wouldn't want to hold up someone in His Majesty's employ. Crown Prince Delkoris is staying in the mayor's home. It is located in—"

"I know where the mayor resides," Meera said. "It's not my first visit to your fair city."

Meera walked off toward the city gates without a care in the world or how the people stared at her. As soon as she was inside the gates, she made a sharp right and ran as fast as her feet would allow. If it were night, she could have hidden herself with Shroud of Shadows, but this would have to make do. As she ran, she checked all the houses and looked for a three-story house with a window facing the wall. The problem was every house had windows facing the walls, and they were all nearly identical.

She was running full tilt when Dirik materialized out of the shadows of the wall. Meera nearly barrelled straight into him. In trying to avoid him, she tripped and face-planted into the ground.

"Oh," Dirik groaned. "I'm sorry. Are you okay?" He offered her a hand.

"I'm great." She took his hand and stood.

Dirik looked down at his hand. "Is that blood? Are you still hurt from the fight?"

"Not my blood," Meera said. "It's a bit of a long story."

"You best follow me and tell the others yourself. They are concerned."

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"About what?"

"Just follow me." Dirik walked down the street openly as if just a few hours ago, the might of the city's guards wasn't chasing after them. As it turned out, she wasn't far from the Warden's house. Dirik knocked, and Brison let them in, glaring at Meera.

They climbed the stairs in silence. Brison opened the door at the top of the stairs, and they were back in the room where Meera had jumped from. Most had empty plates lying in front of them. Pallas, the Guardian, strolled the room with a thick tome in his hands. Lexa was filing her nails, and Zona, the white-haired, red-eyed girl, was nowhere to be found.

Tekton looked up from polishing his blade and threw it at Meera. She could have caught or deflected it, but given that they looked angry with her, she dodged to the right. Tekton had another ready to throw.

“Tekton, hold,” Melas ordered. He sat by the window, still in his loose clothing.

"Okay, the way I left was abrupt, but a friend of mine was hurt badly, and he needed my help," Meera said.

"Oh, do explain." Tekton twirled the blade between his fingers. "From where we were looking, it looked like you ran to inform the city guard or whoever you work for."

Meera sighed. "Why would I do that? When we had to evade half the city to get to you in the first place. If you haven't forgotten, I'm after the same thing you are. I really am. I want the monster dead."

"But why?" Lexa asked as she continued to file her nails. "Earlier this morning, you said you had your reasons. We would like to hear them now."

Meera looked around at them all. "I am looking for my brother, but he wasn't at Itris Prison like Dirik's mother. He has, how should I put it, gone off on a dangerous adventure. He is only sixteen years old, and I fear he will do something stupid. There is someone who knows about his location, but he will not tell me unless I kill whatever it is that attacked the prison."

"And who is this someone?" Tekton, the Gladiator asked.

"I'm sorry, I cannot tell you," Meera replied. "He's asked me to keep his identity a secret until the task is done. All I can say is he's a very powerful man who always has eyes on me."

"Even now?" Pallas asked.

Meera looked around. "Okay, maybe not now, but please, I need to find my brother, so I must finish this mission with you. I know I feigned indifference before, but the truth is, I need you more than you need me."

Melas looked around at each of his companions before looking up at the ceiling. "Well, Zona?"

Zona, the archer, reappeared on the ceiling with an arrow aimed at Meera's head. She was somehow stuck to the wall. "It seems like she is telling the truth, or she could be a very convincing liar."

"I move for gutting her," Tekton said.

"What?" Pallas cried. "You heard Zona. She's telling the truth, and besides, it's not your call to make."

"She did return in the blink of an eye," Lexa pointed out. "And see no city guards or other unsavory folks."

Melas stood. "She can stay. We've wasted enough time as it is. Gather around. Let's talk about the creature we hunt."

Meera looked around. "Wait, so you're not going to kill me?"

"Would you like us to kill you?" Melas asked.

"No, not at all."

"Good. As for the creature we hunt, all we have on it so far is that it's very powerful," Melas said. "It can affect the minds of people from afar. Makes deals with them."

"Riches in exchange for their firstborns, that type of thing?" Meera asked.

"Not exactly. For body parts. We think it's trapped and is trying to make itself a body to escape. As to where it's trapped and what kind of creature it is, we're not sure. All signs point to an evil Jinn."

"But Jinns don't really ask for anything in return," Pallas said. "They just twist your words and make it so that your wishes torment you, most times to death. This is something different."

"But why are you searching for it in the city?" Dirik asked.

"Who says we are," Mellas replied. "There has been no singular drop-off point for said body parts, but they've all been in and around the forest of Pegonia, which lies right outside the city walls. This makes us think that it is close, and if it needs body parts, then it needs a healthy supply of them, and what better place than a city? We were just here for a few days, asking around to see if anyone had made deals with this creature, and so far, it has turned up nothing."

"And that is where you come in, dear Shade," Lexa, the Stormweaver, said. "You're going to help us find it."

Dirik gulped. It was obvious why he was chosen to find the creature. He did find them, after all.

"That is not all we know about it," Brison interjected.

"Right," Melas said. "Now, this is hard to corroborate as we're not in the capital, but we overheard one of the Blazers talking about how the king is losing his grip on sanity and that he made a deal with a creature that promised him dominion over the entire world of Rhione."

Dirik sat up straight. "W-What? If that were true, we would have heard about it."

"When did you stop being a Shade?" Brison asked.

"About a month ago."

"It must've happened between the last month, then, and besides, the Phoenix Protectors are the most ardent servants of the kingdom. They practically worship the house of Manidon."

"So, my dear Shade, here is my first order to you," Melas said. "I want you to leave tonight and use your skills and find out the creature's location."

"I can go with him," Meera offered.

Melas snorted lightly. "No, you're not strong enough to watch his back from a creature that can cast a net as wide as this one has. Tekton and Zona, you’re with him. You need to be trained up a lot. Actually, you both are." He turned to his brother. "Pallas, will you please oversee the instruction of our new cadets until tonight? That is when Dirik will leave to search the forest, and Meera and I will have a rematch."

Meera gulped.