I’d been worried that there would be trouble when going back into the inner city, but the guards didn’t pay any attention to me. I realized I hadn’t asked the adventure shop saleswoman about other issues around magical amulets. Were they, for example, completely legal to wear, everywhere?

I made my way back to Dwarven Hall, but there the guards stopped me. Before I’d had time to dig out Tiriel’s letter, Thord came walking up from inside.

“Let him in,” he told the dwarven guards in his gruff way. “He is of the elvish party.”

One of the guards muttered, but they did let me through.

“The elvish party?” I asked him. “Is that what you call us?”

“Yes,” he said. “It is a very unusual occurrence, an elf staying in Dwarven Hall.” He glanced at me under bushy eyebrows and shook his head minutely. I gathered this was not the time to talk about it, so I thanked him and continued up to our quarters.

The Cave Masters had allocated four rooms - one bathroom, two bedrooms each for men and women, and one small room for our packs and equipment. It also had a few chairs and a low table, and when I returned, Caveria was sitting there with her feet on the table.

“Um, hello,” I said.

“Um-hello yourself,” she replied, but then she sat up abruptly, dropping her feet back on the floor.

“Come here,” she said. “What’s that you’re carrying?”

She motioned me closer and looked at my chest, frowning. At the amulet, I guessed.

“Huh. Where did you get that?” she said, confirming my guess. She was staring intently at me.

“At a shop for adventurers down by the river,” I told her. “Miss Morcala’s Adventurous Shoppe.”

“I’ve never seen one quite like it. What did they tell you it would do?”

“She said it would protect against fire magic, from battle mages and maybe dragons.”

Caveria barked a laugh. “Only if the dragon is half-asleep, or very small and young. Although I guess it would work fine for if you’re just a bystander. May I handle it? To feel it?”

I slipped the string over my neck and gave her the stone. She closed her hand around it, and closed her eyes.

“Yes,” she said after a while, “it seems like a good one. How curious.” She glanced up at me. “Talk to Serah. She might be able to sense more. I don’t want to have any cursed items around.”

I hadn’t thought about that possibility at all. “Could... could it be?”

“Oh yes. Lots of people sell cursed items to the unwary. They do some of what’s promised, but they do a lot more, and usually damage. But this one seems fine. It won’t protect you from a full-on attack, but if we’re attacked by another battle mage or a magical creature with fire magic it will shield you from the aimless stuff that just drifts past.” She crossed her arms and grunted as she leaned back in the chair, feet back on the table.

“I guess I also need to tell you that it won’t help you with normal fire. Only magical fire.”

“Okay,” I said.

“Go on,” she said. “Ask the stupid question.” Her voice was sharp, but her eyes were - teasing? It annoyed me anyway.

“I know I don’t know much about magic,” I said with some heat. “Or anything. I’ve told you, I’m not from here. I didn’t come here because I wanted to.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she said. “You don’t have any stupid question?” Her eyes glinted, but more with suppressed laughter than anger.

“I have one,” I told her. “What’s the difference between normal fire and magical fire.”

She nodded, and now she smiled. “Good. Good. That’s a stupid question, since everyone knows it. It’s also a very good question. What does it look like, to you? When I shoot fireballs?”

“They look real enough to me. They burn things.” And kill people.

“So they do. They are real. As long as I maintain them. But they only work on things that can do magic.” She looked at me expectantly.

“Other people?” I guessed. “Do they work on, say, wood? Can you light a fire with them?”

“Very good. No. Not by fireballs alone. I can make the wood - hot, isn’t the right word, but heat-like, maybe, so that it’s easy to set fire to it. Or to other things. But I still need a flame to do that. Other people, yes, and animals, monsters, plants. Anything that perceives magic.”

“I’m not sure I understand,” I said. “What do you mean ‘perceives magic’?”

“Now we’re getting to the boring theory stuff,” she said, with a sharp smile. “I’ve taken the exams, but I never really bothered with it. What I was taught is that living things... have magic, if that’s the word. We all have magic. It flows through us. We can learn to use it, and we can shape it so it influences other living things. We can’t influence dead things.”

“Wouldn’t it be better not to kill so many, in that case?” I said. She looked surprised, then laughed.

“Hah! Good thing you’re not a mage. You’d be the worst kind, the political mage. Brr.” She mock-shuddered, then became serious again. “Anyway. Humans have fire magic. We can make fire and kill and influence other things with it.” She suddenly looked extremely serious. “Fire magic is also - will magic.”

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“Will?”

“Will. It can be used to influence the will of other living things.” I frowned and stared back at her, feeling uncomfortable. She looked pleased at my discomfort, but continued. “Other races have other types of magic. Elves generally have air magic. That’s why Tiriel can jump like she does. She makes herself light as the wind. Dwarves have earth magic. They don’t make themselves light, exactly.” She chuckled.

“The dwarven battle mage,” I said. “He made the earth ripple, and threw up those mounds.”

She nodded, but didn’t say anything.

“Okay,” I said. “Who has water magic? And wait, how does Serah’s magic work?”

“Those aren’t very stupid questions,” she said. “Serah’s magic - that’s the gift of the Goddess. She manipulates the life force directly, instead of just one element of it. Her magic is the magic of life and death, of growth and decay. Water magic, though. You’ve never met a mermaid either, I take it? Or a merman?”

“A mermaid? No.” I glared at her suspiciously. There was a strange twinkle in her eyes, that made me suspect she was tricking me. Which was very unlike her. Trapping me, now that would be like her.

“Dragons have water magic too,” she said, “so maybe you’ll get to see it.”

“Why do they have water magic?” I asked.

“They have all the forms of magic. They are the couriers and servants of the gods, and they are granted magic for all the elements. And for the life force directly. And for the stars. They can manipulate dead matter, too.”

Her eyes were gleaming now, with that unsettling light I’d seen before. I wondered if she was thinking of that dream she had, of killing another dragon.

“One more question,” I said.

She snorted. “I don’t think it’s the last one.”

“Can you stop it! I’m sorry for being so ignorant,” I snapped, then clapped my hand over my mouth. “I’m sorry,” I said, “I didn’t mean -”

“Sorry, sorry,” she said, glaring up at me. “Stop being sorry. Ask your sorry question instead.”

I gulped. “You said dragons are the couriers of the gods. What do the gods say... when we kill them?”

She bared her teeth in something that was probably a sarcastic smile.

“They are annoyed with us,” she said. “But they encourage it, to help the dragons become stronger.”

“What?”

“You still don’t understand the gods and goddesses,” she said. “Listen. The dragons are the couriers of the gods, yes. They watch over the world and carry out the gods’ will down here. Or so they say,” she muttered. “Dragons get really old, and really powerful. They are really powerful, even as hatchlings. They are also arrogant and brash, and believe they are invincible. So the gods have set up rules for fighting dragons, and they encourage us to do it, so we can teach the small ones that they aren’t the center of the universe.”

“Okay,” I said slowly. “So... the gods have set up rules?”

“Yes. You can challenge a dragon to fight to the death, either alone or in a group. There are several dragons killed each year, and many more adventurers. But the dragons quickly find out they aren’t invulnerable, and become much more cautious and respectful. After that, the older dragons teach them.” She shook her head. “I’ve once seen two dragons battle. From afar. You don’t want to get anywhere close to that.”

“But you have killed a dragon?” I asked her. “Alone?”

“Yes,” she said, and despite her tough demeanor I could see how proud she was. “Arndrir and I did it. He helped me track it down and set the challenge trap. Then I killed it.”

My head was spinning with everything she’d told me, and as usual with Caveria, she was rather overwhelming to talk to. She was so utterly confident in herself. I could see why young girls could see her as a hero. An obnoxious hero, but still. Which reminded me...

“I met one of your fans,” I said.

“A fan?” She looked suspicious.

“At the shop where I bought the amulet,” I told her. “There was a young girl there, and when I said I was traveling with you she was flabbergasted. She said you’re her hero. She even sang a song. What was it, in the wild mountain country, something.”

“In the wild mountain country where the dragons roam free, came a young hero striding and a wonder was she.” I’d never heard Caveria sing before, but her singing voice was surprisingly good. She glanced up at me, and for an instant, she almost looked shy.

“That’s a well-known one,” she said dismissively, her face closing. “So the girl had heard it.”

“Yes,” I said, and decided to try my luck. “I promised I would ask if you could come see her in the shop.”

Caveria looked extremely wary. “I’m... not really a hero. Not like that,” she said.

“It would mean a lot to her,” I pressed on. “And, I heard her parents were killed by, by one of those caves.”

Caveria froze, looking stricken. She looked away, her mouth half-open. Something glistened in her eyes.

“I... see,” she said. “I understand. Thank you, Peter.”

I didn’t know what to say. I knew it was a sensitive subject to her, but I hoped I hadn’t hurt her. I wasn’t very good with people even back home, and it was even harder to read anyone here.

“I’d like to be alone now, please,” she said softly. “Thanks for showing me your amulet, and for telling me about the girl.” She turned away to face the wall.

“I...” I had no idea what to say. Sorry, was probably the wrong thing to say. “See you later,” I said instead.

She mumbled something in response, and I left her staring into the wall.

I felt bad about the way I’d handled that, but I couldn’t think of any way to undo it. I’d tried that before, to backtrack or to explain myself further and it had never gone down well. Hopefully I hadn’t hurt her.

I went back down to the dining hall, and found Serah and Arndrir sitting at a table with mugs in front of them.

“Hello Peter,” Serah said. “Did you go out in the city?”

“Yes,” I said as I sat down beside her. “I went down to the river, and found an adventurer’s shop.”

Arndrir laughed. “Those can be anything. Some are tourist traps but some are very good. Which was this?”

“It was called ‘Miss Morcala’s Adventurous Shoppe’,” I said.

“I’ve heard about it,” he nodded.

“I thought it was good,” I went on. “She had a lot of equipment and tools and other stuff.” I glanced at Serah. “She also had some, um, magical amulets.”

She smiled at me. “I thought I sensed something. What did you buy?”

“One for healing and one for protection. I showed them to Caveria, and she told me you could check that they weren’t cursed.”

“They aren’t strongly cursed,” she said, “or I’d felt it already. Can I have a look?”

“Um, sure. If it’s okay in here...?” I looked around at the hall. “I realized I wasn’t sure if it’s okay to have magical amulets.”

“It’s fine,” Arndrir told me. “Most adventurers have one, if they can afford it, and many other people too. It’s much easier than learning magic yourself, and provides at least some effect.”

I fished out the protection amulet followed by the green stone.

“Hm,” Serah said. “Interesting. These are well made, and more powerful than most. Where did she get them, in that shop?”

“She... didn’t say,” I said. And I hadn’t asked. Or thought about it at all.

Serah inspected them, turning them over and holding them in her hand like Caveria had done. “They’re not cursed,” she said. “Not in any way my magic can feel.”

“Caveria explained something about that. She said she has fire magic, but you have, what was it, the goddess’ gift?”

“Yes,” she said. “I am a priestess of the Moon Goddess, and through Her, I have some power of the life force directly. I can feel that these amulets do what you were told - the red one deflects and dissipates magical fire, and the green one gathers life force and channels it into your body for healing. Did she tell you how you should wear it?”

“Near my stomach, I think. She recommended I make a pouch on my belt and keep it there.”

“Good. And the red one near your heart. If you want, I can help you with the belt. I am the party seamstress, after all.”

I accepted gratefully, and we went back up to our rooms to fix it right away, leaving Arndrir to his mug of ale.