The sound of laughter and the crunching of boots on the packed dirt road carried around the bend. Uzca remembered at least ten people, maybe twelve. Next to him, Bezben set down his pack and brought up his spear.

"Hold on!" Thad said. "What are we going to do? We can't fight a dozen people by ourselves!"

"We can give them a good fight," Bezben said, flexing his fingers on the spear's haft.

"No, Thad's right. We need a plan."

"We need a little more than a plan. If the troupe had a mage powerful enough to befuddle that many people, we'll need a miracle."

The troupe's sound drifted away, but they didn't seem to be moving very quickly.

"How many regular fighters are you good for?" Bezben asked Thad.

"I'm not much of a fighter, to be honest. I'm a magical researcher and part-time engineer. I can beat anyone without training quite handily, given a few moments to prepare...maybe five people? If they aren't well-trained. If they can coordinate, I'm basically dead at that point. Not really great odds for us."

Uzca recalled the mage he and Bezben fought. The man had also been a first circle mage and had defeated the pair of highlanders without much issue, but Uzca suspected Thad was right. Five people would be hard to handle, no matter what. If they could coordinate well? He guessed three people could get the job done.

"How much stronger is a mage in another circle? What power would they need to do what just happened?"

Thad thought briefly while Bezben looked like he was about to sprint away. The young man was itching for a fight.

"Relax, Bez. They're following the same road we are. We can catch them again easily enough."

Bezben just scowled at his cousin but didn't say anything.

"It's hard to say. Based on the area and intricacy of the effect, I'd say it would have to be a fourth-circle spell. That means a third-circle mage, at the least. It's hard to gauge strength with higher-order mages because an increase in magical capability doesn't always translate to combat strength. That said, it's probably safe to assume a third-circle mage could defeat all of us easily."

"Well, that doesn't help."

"I have some good news!" Thad said with forced cheer.

"And that is?"

"It's extremely unlikely that a third or fourth circle mage would travel with a group of bandits and make money by simply robbing people. Mages with that kind of power live in towers near cities and have servants. It's years of study and resources to gain that kind of mastery of magic."

"So, what does that mean?"

"It means that this troupe might not be nearly as dangerous as we assumed. Come on, let's catch up. I have a plan."

They left their packs behind and followed Thad. They could see the troupe in the distance as they came around a curve, and the road straightened. It looked like they weren't planning on making camp any time soon. The forest fell away on the left side of the road, and the river was visible once more.

They tried to run as quietly as possible, moving just off the beaten path into the tall grass. It was a little slower, but there wasn't the crunch of dirt to deal with. They wanted to be as close as possible before starting their show.

Thad's plan was a simple one. It relied on one key observation—it was unlikely the troupe would have a mage with them, and if they did, that mage wouldn't be any stronger than Thad.

It was a risk, but they could always run away. Unlike the bandits, they weren't trying to get away from Orzii, so heading back in that direction would most likely discourage them from following. The plan had a few too many assumptions and "what ifs" for Uzca's taste, but Thad was motivated to get his possessions back. Uzca didn't know what they were, but he guessed if they were important enough for the sensible mage to want to attack twelve probably armed bandits, he would do whatever he could to help Thad recover them.

In a rough whisper, Thad slowed them once more and went over the plan.

"That means we need to blast them as soon as we get close. You two open up with everything you have, then I'll come in to back you up."

Uzca and Bezben nodded.

The wagon was visible ahead of them now, three people sat dozing on a bench in the back, and three walked beside the wagon. Counting a probable driver, that meant another five were out of sight. They would be slow to get out of the wagon, even if they weren't sleeping. That gave the trio another slight advantage.

Feeling slightly more confident, Uzca dashed toward the wagon. The final charge seemed to stretch on forever, even though they were only a hundred feet out. About halfway in, the first troupe member turned to see them approaching.

A yell went up, and by the time the wagon pulled to a stop, Uzca and Bezben were among them.

Bezben forged slightly dull spears and didn't aim to kill but to debilitate.

Uzca also tried for body shots. He hadn't punched anything in the face with his metal fist yet, but he imagined it would kill anyone unprepared.

The troupe was in complete disarray. A pair of women and a man who sat between them screamed when the attack began, while a third woman pulled out a dagger and came for Uzca, who was already busy fighting the first troupe member. He put down the first person with an open-handed slap with a metal palm. He didn't hit the man hard, but he went out cold instantly.

An idea popped into his head, and just before the woman with the daggers arrived, his foot lashed out. The wagon wheel practically detonated under the blow from his steel foot. The attack had the bonus effect of bringing the armed woman up short.

"Mages!" one of the men shouted, noting Bezben's spears and Uzca's miraculous blow to the cart.

The response wasn't one Uzca expected. He expected to get overrun by a mob of people. Instead, they fled the cart.

A wind blasted up the road, and two bandits were hurled back toward them. Bezben stabbed a man through the leg, and Uzca broke a hand that tried to block a punch. He could feel the man's bones break as the punch connected. The shock of it pulled him out of his combat headspace. Instead of being a warrior on a battlefield, he was suddenly a blacksmith and a boy in way over his head.

He watched as Thad charged into the fray. He had a nearly invisible suit of armor made from swirling winds. He lashed out, catching the fleeing bandits with the armor and dragging them back to the cart, where Bezben held them under threat with his new spear. The now terrified troupe members were too afraid to resist and just held their hands up or curled into balls.

Before he knew it, Uzca stood next to Bezben and Thad—the bandits either subdued or fled. The reality crashed back down, and Uzca shook off his momentary disorientation. He pulled out his sword and began taking control of the situation.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

"Bez! Run back to town and grab some constables. We'll hold them here."

Bezben didn't wait for anything else, nodding and bracing his spear over one shoulder. He took off at a run down the road.

"No mage?" Uzca asked Thad.

"Nope. It's as I suspected," Thad pulled out a spellbook and traced a pattern on the page. The mage winced as a glowing symbol appeared before him. "Let's see..."

Thad started searching, and Uzca redirected his focus on the troupe of bandits. There was a mix of men and women, and he could swear they didn't look as attractive as they had during their performances. Six had surrendered without incident, and five were unconscious, bleeding, or otherwise incapacitated. One or two had fled before Thad could round up everyone. Uzca made them bunch up next to the cart, threatening them with his blade.

"Ah ha!" Thad said, reaching into a bag. He pulled out a flat wood disk with colored stones set into the top. They were arranged in circles and could be moved around the board into different configurations.

"What's that?"

"This is a specialized magic device! Wow. Where did you get this?"

"None of your business, mage! Why did you attack us? We're just a group of performers. We wouldn't hurt a fly!"

Uzca had seen the practiced and efficient dagger movements of one woman and suspected if he hadn't displayed his power, he would be quite injured, if not dead, right now. The claim rang hollow.

"So you're just thieves then?" Thad asked. There was an iciness to his tone Uzca hadn't heard before.

They didn't respond, so Thad kept going.

"We're still in the empire. I believe traveling from place to place and stealing qualifies as banditry. I don't need to tell you what the punishment for that is, do I?"

The bandits stilled, but Uzca did kind of want to know. Sure, the implication here was death, but he didn't know any of the empire's laws. Was he breaking some just by being in the lowlands? He would have to clarify these laws with Thad later.

"This device is something else. It has an entire circle diagram built-in with what...nine different spell configurations? That's insane."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that whoever they stole this from will be very happy to get it back. This device is probably worth more than the entire village of Orzii."

"Really?"

"Really."

Thad took over threatening their captives and let Uzca take a look at the board.

"See, you can move each stone to a different position. It's based on the circles of magic I've been mentioning. Not every effect is compatible with one another, so there are only nine different combinations instead of around thirty."

Uzca would have never guessed that the simple-looking device was so powerful.

"Why is it worth so much? And why didn't they just sell it?"

"A device such as this couldn't have been crafted by a mage under the fourth circle. They can't sell it because it's unique. No one wants to buy something that will get them hanged or, worse, targeted by a powerful mage."

Uzca returned the board lest he break such a valuable item.

"Do you want to look for your stolen item? We can look for everything else once the constables get here."

Thad nodded and began picking through some of the packs in the back of the bandits' wagon. He tried asking a bandit, but that only resulted in Uzca needing to threaten someone with a metal fist.

The moon was beginning to set when riders from Orzii arrived, Bezben in tow on their own cart. The bandits were swiftly tied up and hauled away.

A man with broad shoulders and a leather vest approached Thad and Uzca. Thad had recovered his research notes, but the dark look on his face told Uzca he hadn't recovered his other item. The newcomer held out a hand, and Uzca shook it.

"We have to thank you three. It's no good having bandits rob our citizens blind. There wasn't any great loss for everyone we interviewed at the alehouse, but it'll be good to get things back all the same. I'm Emil, mayor, mill owner, and part-time constable."

"Thank you, mayor. You're a busy man, it seems. We're glad to have stopped these bandits before they escalated their crimes," Uzca said. He had heard stories about bandits in the highlands. He found this bandit troupe to be considerably less "murdery" than those from the stories.

"With the device we recovered, that would have been a matter of time, no doubt. One of the configurations allows for a powerful fire effect of some kind. If they had discovered that, our encounter might have been very different."

"What's this device?"

They showed Emil the device, and he examined it while Thad explained the functionality as simply as he could manage. Emil returned it with a shrug.

"Doesn't make much sense to me. You say it has powerful magic?"

"Indeed," Thad said. "If you're alright with it. I'd like to return it to Telestria to return it to its owner."

Uzca's ears perked up. Thad hadn't mentioned going to Telestria.

"Sure, sure. We're simple folk out here, and outside of your occasional help, we don't have much to do with magic. You're all mages, then?"

Thad jumped quickly, making sure Uzca didn't have a chance to respond. Not that he was going to.

"Just I am. First-circle mage from the Telestria Mage's Academy. These two are mage apprentices. Not licensed yet, but free to use some magic to their own ends—under my supervision, of course."

Emil just shrugged. "Don't make much difference to me. Well, I'd say the three of you have earned a reward for all this. I don't suppose you want this cart and horse?"

That was a rich reward. Uzca wasn't sure how much the cart was worth, but even in the lowlands, a healthy horse should be worth at least fifteen or twenty marks.

They weren't merchants, though, and he didn't know exactly where his journey with Bezben would take him, so the horse wasn't exactly on the top of his list for potential rewards.

"That's generous of you, but we don't have the means to care for a horse and cart."

"Sure, sure. We can definitely put them to good use in town. How about the cost of both. Say, twenty marks?"

Bezben practically danced with excitement, and Uzca was glad his cousin stood behind the mayor.

"That's generous of you, mayor. I don't suppose I can convince you to go up to twenty-one? Then we can split the reward three ways a little easier."

"Ha! I like you, kid. You have the spirit of a businessman. Very good, twenty-one it is."

They shook hands again, and the mayor went to speak with a couple of the constables who were combing through the cart's contents.

"Yes!" Bezben said, walking up. "I knew going after them was a good idea."

"Don't forget you owe me seven marks, Bez. I'll just be hanging on to your portion of the reward."

"Aww. I forgot. Ah well, at least I'm not in debt anymore."

"You still have your spear."

Bezben smiled and gripped his weapon a little tighter. "That's true."

Thad fidgetted, looking between the constables and the recovered goods. He finally left the cousins to their chat while he spoke to the constables. He was still missing something.

"What do you think he's all worked up about?" Bezben asked. "He's trying to hide it, but it clearly was important, and it wasn't money."

"I don't know. Did you hear him earlier? He's going to Telestria to return the device he found. Maybe he'll travel with us. After seeing him in action against the bandits, I wouldn't turn down his help."

Bezben nodded.

Having Thad along for the trip might be the boon Uzca had hoped for. They needed someone to tell them when they didn't understand lowland customs or the empires laws. Besides, having a guide that knew how to get to Telestria and had been there before would be immensely helpful.

Thad returned and sighed.

"Here's your cut of the reward, Uzca. Bezben's is in there too. My orb is still missing, unfortunately. I suspect it caught the eye of one of the bandits who fled. It's not the end of the world if I don't get it back. It's dangerous, but not nearly as dangerous as the device we just recovered. If the opportunity arises, we should try to get it back, but with my missing research notes, I shouldn't need it."

"Fair enough. You're planning on coming with us then?"

"I am! If that's all right, of course. I don't meet to barge in on your god-given quest."

Uzca laughed and shot a side-eye at Bezben. "You wouldn't be the first. We're happy to have you along. I think you'll be a lot more helpful to us than we are to you."

"Great! We still need to figure out travel arrangements."

"Why can't we walk?" Bezben asked.

"You could, but it's a long way, and the road isn't particularly safe until we get to Brightwater. Even travelers who go on foot hold up just before the Meglemen Swamp—it's a stretch of foul land that serves as a breeding ground for some truly nasty creatures. Anyway, people wait there for rides from caravans or until they amass enough people to protect themselves. We want the option to get off our feet for a little bit and travel with numbers until we get to the river crossing."

On Uzca's map, a massive river cut the province in half. He didn't know if the maps were correct on the scale, but it seemed clear that they would need to cross it at one of two cities unless they traced it back to the source. Brightwater was further inland, but they would be cutting inland to get around the swamp Thad mentioned anyway.

From there, it was a straight shot south to Telestria.

"You didn't find out about any caravans earlier today? I forgot to ask before dinner."

"I did! There's one that seems ideal, but they're not due to arrive until late tonight. They might be rolling into the village at any time. They'll do some selling in the morning and probably depart around noon."

Once the constables arrived, the trio had little to do, so they made their way back to Orzii. Thad booked them a room with a bunk bed and a small couch since both Bezben and Uzca were trying to save money.

Before he retired for the evening, Uzca said a quick prayer to Rethkam, thanking the god for his gift that had protected him and allowed him to help capture the bandits. As he finished the prayer, he could feel a distant warmth and a feeling of approval. Inside himself, he felt something shift. The unfinished part of his gift moved a little closer to completion.