As they exited the forest, the three mages came within view of Luin’s Wall, the fortress that guarded the eastern end of Yulan’s Pass from the vicious hordes of Tuquese who wished to sully Souran life. The wall was a two-hundred-wir high solid piece of granite stone. Along the top of the wall, guard towers looked out over the forest, the men manning them barely visible from that high up. A twenty-wir tall wooden gate painted in jade green was set dead center in the wall. Since it was noon, the gate was wide open and teeming with merchants and nobles aiming to get to the market. Dwayne kept his eyes up as questioning looks focused on the color of his skin. His companions didn’t notice.

“Wow, it’s bigger than I thought it was,” said Magdala. “Lord Great Uncle Tuin’s magical ability must’ve been off the charts!”

“Anyone could do that given time and men,” said Lord Kalan. He took out a little notebook and made a few quick calculations. “I could do it in about a week.”

“Tuin had to do it while under attack from Tuqu savages. I wish I’d inherited more magic like that.”

“Sadly your mother got all of it.”

Dwayne blinked.

“That was all done by magic?” he asked.

“Can you imagine how many men it would take to drag that much granite here, much less in a single piece?” asked Magdala. “I mean it would take days! It does make the wall almost impossible to penetrate by normal means. You’d have to bring in mining equipment, which makes the worst siege weapons.”

“The door too?”

Magdala’s nose wrinkled.

“No, Tuin let them put it in as a show of good faith,” she said. “I always wondered why he didn’t just take over the pass.”

“Tuquese magic is nothing to sneeze at,” said Lord Kalan.

“Tuin had them beat!” said Magdala, her face lighting up. “It was actually a pretty smart move. Tuquese magic is all about nature, turning into animals and other creatures. He found out that that made their scouts extra sensitive to bright lights and strong smells. He got his younger brother Lord Kuin to mix up a batch of ruimous and then lobbed it into the enemy camps every morning. The Tuqu troops were so disoriented Tuin was able to push them out of the pass and back into their country.”

Dwayne chuckled.

“What?” asked Magdala, frowning.

“When your uncle told that story, I ended up hearing about all the different spells that were used in that battle,” he said. “You focus on tactics.”

“That was the cool stuff.”

Lord Kalan walked them past the long line full of merchants counting their wares and up to where a knight and his squire were overseeing the guards checking the merchants’ papers. The knight visibly groaned as they approached but put on a smile.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m afraid you’ll have to wait in line like everyone else.”

Lord Kalan started to walk by the knight, then stepped back to look at the knight’s face again.

“Sir Marcus?” he asked. “What are you doing all the way out here?”

The knight frowned for a moment.

“Do I know you?”

“I’m so sorry!” said Magdala. She pulled her seal out of her robes and presented it to the guard. “He’s kind of not all there. This is my uncle Lord Bartholomew Kalan and his apprentice.”

Sir Marcus glanced at his squire, who scowled.

“There’s no way that’s a lord,” said the squire.

“Looks like we both have people in training,” said Lord Kalan. “I thought you swore you’d never have a squire. That you’d, how’d you put it, ‘put on your own damn armor and let people get on with things.’”

Marcus laughed and slapped Lord Kalan on the back.

“Oh my god, Bart! It’s been a while. You really should get yourself looked at,” he said. “You look poorer than a vagabond in that getup! Let me see your seal while I’m at it. The Knight Captain will know if I let you through without checking.”

“You still a terrible flir player?”

“Like you’re one to talk,” said Marcus. He looked Dwayne up and down. “This is your apprentice, huh? Is he …?”

“No, he’s not.”

“Very well then. Nathan, say hello to your peers!”

“They are not my peers!” exclaimed the squire.

“Judging by your emblem, you’re a Rutters,” said Magdala. “My father commanded your father on the Southern Line ten years ago. I hope you can stand to his example.”

“Better than you can!”

“That’s enough!” Marcus’s voice brought Nathan to attention.

“You’ll be cleaning out the stables tonight,” said Marcus. Magdala stuck her tongue out at Nathan. Lord Kalan turned to her, his eyes clear.

“I suggest you refrain from behavior like that,” he said. “Do you want me to put a seal to Sir Marcus’s report to your mother?”

Magdala blanched and looked down at the ground.

“Your lady sister would put the fear of Cueller in anyone,” said Marcus. “I’ll send the report to General Gallus instead. At least that’ll delay the blow.”

Magdala brightened.

“Thanks! Have you heard anything from the capitol?”

“We don’t get much windsong out here,” said Marcus, “but last I heard your father was still pushing for an expedition to old Vanuria.”

“That’s beyond the Line. What’s out there for him?”

“There’s talk of ghosts and immortals in those lands,” said Marcus. “I’m actually surprised Bart here hasn’t gone to take a look.”

“In time,” said Lord Kalan. “My task comes first.”

“What brings you out here then?”

“We’re going to kill a dragon.”

Nathan laughed.

“There’s no way you can kill a dragon,” he said. “I mean only one of you is wearing any armor!”

“Before you get yourself killed, talk to the Knight Captain,” said Marcus. “She’ll want some assurances that you’re doing this on your own.”

“Her position out here is that precarious?”

“No, she just doesn’t like nobles getting themselves killed on her watch. Promise me?”

“I’ll take him,” said Dwayne. Marcus and his squire both jumped a little.

“So you can speak our language,” said Marcus.

Dwayne let that pass.

“Where’s the Knight Captain’s office?”

“You don’t need to go now,” said Marcus. “Just go before you leave. I suggest you get Lady …”

“Magdala Gallus.”

Marcus frowned at her and then looked at her lord uncle.

“You’re bringing her daughter to fight a dragon?” he asked.

“She’ll be fine,” said Lord Kalan. “It’s better than being at that academy.”

“The academy doesn’t have creatures whose breath can sever limbs.”

“Master Potts definitely tried though.”

“I’ll include this in my letter to the general. There’s no way I’m going to take responsibility for this.”

“Do as you wish.”

Lord Kalan started to walk off. Dwayne caught a scowl off Nathan and then caught up with Magdala and her uncle.

“So…” said Magdala, after they’d walked a little ways. “Where can we get armor?”

“If I recall correctly most of the armorers are two streets over. Dwayne, give her money.”

“I can’t go alone?”

“Why not? I need to finish a couple of papers and Dwayne needs to find us some mercenaries.”

“Sir, if I recall our discussion last night, it was the other way around. Go and dress like a noble.”

“Or at least get a shave,” said Magdala.

“Absolutely not,” said Lord Kalan. “I distinctly remember—”

“That you wanted to prove Lady Pol wrong as soon as possible? Your papers primarily need editing and clarification. The mercenaries need to see a face they can follow.”

“That’s what my father always said.”

Lord Kalan scowled as he tried to think of a counterargument while Dwayne rummaged in his master’s pack and pulled out his sheaf.

“Fine,” he said, “but those papers had better be perfect! And go with Magdala. If you don’t want me looking over your shoulder, you’d best work someplace else. Go to that inn over there when you’re done. Now if I recall, the mercenaries all congregated over there…” Lord Kalan turned left and disappeared into the crowd.

Magdala turned to Dwayne, already grinning from ear to ear.

“Let’s go shopping!”

***

Huan placed a bag of gold on the table and waited for the delight to spread on Honorata the Fence’s face.

“What can I do for you?” she asked in Yani, a trade language.

For the past two days, Huan had been scouring Ti Mei, the merchant’s city in Yulan’s Pass, for someone who could get him and Mei out of Tuqu. With the damn mask hidden under a navy-blue scarf, Huan was confident that he looked like a typical if prone to preening young adventurer who was just a little bit sweaty from the road. The money move was to make it clear that he trusted the woman behind the counter; the sword promised pain if that trust was betrayed. If that didn’t work, Mei was hidden outside the building with her rifle aimed at any threat. Huan liked the fact that Ti Mei’s guard hadn’t started to follow up on the wanted posters that had followed him from Han Luo.

Hopefully Huan had judged this woman right. She was shorter than him, but bulkier by far. Her short brown hair framed a square face that could probably break more than a few noses.

“You can get me two passes to Soura,” said Huan. “I thought that was enough money for you to listen.”

“The solid smack of metal on wood gets everyone’s attention,” said Honorata. She leaned in. “Is it all yours?”

“Sadly I got some of it honestly. The rest, well …”

“Say no more, friend. Unfortunately you’ll need more.”

“What?”

Honorata laughed.

“I’m good at what I do and that’s not nearly enough money for what you’re asking,” she said. “You came through the Red Gate, yes?”

“I wouldn’t be asking to go back otherwise.”

“They checked you, didn’t they?”

In fact they hadn’t. They’d checked Mei, but Huan had climbed over the wall during the night. Tiger had been good for something other than tearing out throats.

“They made me touch a stone,” said Huan, recalling what Mei had told him. “It glowed.”

“That was your registration into this city,” said Honorata. “They run your blood against all the known bloodlines in the Empire. If you’ve got a granddaddy you can’t explain, well …”

She drew her thumb across her neck.

“They run you going out the Green Gate to Soura too,” she said, “but we civilized folk at least allow for the possibility that your granddaddy came from nowhere. Maybe you’ve worked your way up from nothing, arranged business contacts here and there and got enough to set yourself respectable. Then maybe if you kiss the right ass you’ll get one of these from one of our fine nobles.”

She pulled a slab of metal from her pocket and placed it on the counter.

“This is a noble sponsorship,” she said. “Touch it.”

Huan felt the metal and frowned. Harder than silver, smoother than steel, lighter than air, the plate was etched in an intricate pattern unlike anything Huan had ever seen. The other side had a picture of the woman standing in front of him. She showed him the edge.

“No seams,” she said. “There’s no way to take the picture out without destroying the picture or the plate. The metal itself is impossible to get. There’s just one family in all of the world that knows the secret, and they’re not telling. To make this you have to get that metal and a licensed Souran mage who can make the etching on the back using an approved design from a noble sponsor. That’s a week of work and more ma than you put on my counter.”

“So if I stole yours, all I’d do is piss off a beautiful lady?” asked Huan. Honorata smirked.

“I’d rip your dick off,” she said.

“I’m sure. How much are we talking?”

“A hundred oma.”

Huan laughed.

“No seriously, how much?”

“A hundred oma,” repeated Honorata. “Nobles from my country don’t really have to work, and they don’t want to pay for … someone with your skills. They can hire someone from Soura to do it for much cheaper.” She smiled.

“I like you. You’re cute. That’s why I’m giving you a price. Show me that much money and I’ll find a noble to sponsor you.”

Huan reached into the bag and dumped a couple dozen tio on the counter.

“Thanks for the information,” he said. “When I hit it big, I’ll come looking for you.”

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

“Please do.”

Huan left the shop, his mind trying to calculate how long it would take him to get that much money. He’d only ever seen an oma once. It had been in the fingers of the only Jade Lotus member he’d been able to find. Someone grabbed his elbow. Tiger whirled around, ready to fight.

“Oh shit,” said Huan, seeing Mei. She gently pulled his hand away from his scarf. Then she stepped back and waited.

“We need to steal a hundred oma.”

Mei’s eyes widened slightly.

“Yeah, I’ve been doing the math. I’d have to steal from literally everyone here,” said Huan. “One oma would buy everything in that auction house. There’s no way they’d bring anything half that valuable into the city without an escort the size of a village. Even with this…” Huan indicated the hidden mask. “It would be too much.”

Mei nodded. She rubbed her fingers together.

“Nope, can’t steal them either,” said Huan. “I’ve seen that wall. I can’t climb it and they have people staring at it all day. We could go up into the valley and—” Mei shook her head vigorously.

“Yeah, too dangerous, but if we got dragon parts we’d be able to maybe bribe our way into Soura. Well, one problem at a time.” Huan walked over to a garbage dump and returned the piles of metal he’d put into the bag.

“First we need money to eat.”

His fingers itched as he spotted a likely target, a bumbling merchant with a fat pouch.

***

Magdala was in heaven. Out here away from the need to show off to potential employers and fiancés, the armor fashion veered toward the pragmatic. Mattison’s designs were known to be easy to maintain with easily available and interchangeable parts. The piece she was looking at had been forged by a particularly skilled hand. She made a note of the name in case her father needed a new suit of armor made.

“Uh, miss? Your slave has taken over a table.”

“I don’t have a slave,” said Magdala.

“Then your manservant. He’s getting in the way of our work.”

Magdala sighed and turned from the masterpiece to find that Dwayne had flooded a table with dozens of papers and drafts, which he was transcribing at a furious pace, somehow managing to write, blot, and refill without spilling a drop of ink. Walking over, she saw that despite his speed, his copies were improvements on both the grammar and legibility of the originals, which were chicken scratch. Was this really her lord uncle’s handwriting?

“Um, Dwayne?” she asked.

Dwayne stopped mid blotting and looked up.

“Yes?”

“Did you have to take over this table?” she asked.

“Are we leaving?” asked Dwayne. He looked her over and frowned. “You haven’t bought anything yet.”

“Oh, we came in here because they had some of Mattison’s work,” said Magdala. “I can’t actually go into the field wearing metalwork.”

“Oh… To another place then?”

Magdala caught the eye of the owner. She sighed.

“Yes,” she said.

As Dwayne packed up the papers, a Souran noble strode in with his bodyguards. One of his bodyguards was resplendent in a dark steel-visored helmet and breastplate with detailing around the edges. Magdala walked straight up to him.

“Excuse me,” she said. “Where did you get that armor?”

The bodyguard looked down at her from on high, flipping up the visor on his helmet to get a better look. He was Wesen with skin just slighter darker than Dwayne’s. The noble raised his eyebrow at her, signaling his manservant to appear between Magdala and the bodyguard.

“I’m sorry, I don’t think you can afford it,” said the bodyguard.

“Oh?” The noble approached Magdala and looked her up and down. “You look familiar.”

Magdala didn’t place the noble at all, but she presented her seal with a flourish.

“Lady Magdala Gallus at your service,” she said with a curtsy. The noble’s eyes practically popped out of their sockets.

“That is a scandal,” he said, presenting his seal. “What are you doing so far from the capital?”

“Even mages have to get their hands dirty,” said Magdala. “I was wondering where your bodyguard got his armor from. The leatherwork is superb.”

The noble smiled.

“Well he’s a valuable asset,” he said. “You have to buy the best armor for slaves as strong as he is. What’s yours doing?”

Magdala turned to see Dwayne staring at the Wesen slave.

“Dwayne?” she asked.

“I’m fine,” he said, unclenching his fists. He bowed stiffly.

“I’m Dwayne, Lord Bartholomew Kalan’s apprentice,” he said.

“Well, that’s—”

“Lord Bader, I do have other business to attend to,” said a voice in yawning Yani.

The speaker was dressed in various shades of green and wore a jade ring in the shape of a lotus on his finger. His fingers just barely peeked out from his long, wide sleeves. The fabric was covered in intricate designs, some of which shimmered as he walked. Lord Bader bowed.

“I’m sorry, Shi Hu,” he said in Yani. “It is customary for Souran nobles to greet each other.”

“Ah, yes.” He said something in his native language. A man dressed in leather leggings and an Ox mask appeared in the door. Shi Hu continued to speak.

“This is Shi Hu,” said Bader in Yani. “He’s a high-ranking member of the Tuqu bureaucracy. I’m negotiating a business venture with him.”

“I see,” said Magdala. Shi Hu turned back to them.

“You are a mage, yes?” he asked. Magdala nodded, but Shi Hu waved her off. Dwayne nodded. Shi Hu breezed past Magdala and nearly bowled over Dwayne. He grabbed Dwayne’s chin.

“This is the first time I’ve seen a male Wesen mage outside of the Ri,” he said. “And you’re apprenticed to a Souran mage? Interesting.”

Dwayne pulled his chin out of Shi Hu’s grip and backed away from the man, his fists clenched again. Magdala, however, stepped forward.

“Oh I’m sorry,” said Shi Hu. “Was I supposed to ask permission?”

“Yes,” replied Magdala, “from him.”

“Intriguing. Bo?”

A ghoulish snake face appeared in front of Magdala.

“Ah!”

As Magdala stumbled back, the owner of the snake mask, a woman with short black hair, leaned in to whisper into Shi Hu’s ear. Shi Hu frowned.

“You are attempting to create a means for mages to perform all three Magics?” he asked. Magdala looked down and saw that one of Dwayne’s drafts was in the snake woman’s hands. Dwayne snatched it back.

“Yes, so?” he asked.

Shi Hu’s mouth smiled, but his eyes tightened.

“I wish you the greatest success,” he said. “Come, Lord Bader. To the rest of your properties.”

As Shi Hu and the rest left the shop, Magdala turned to Dwayne. He had his eyes closed and was breathing very slowly. His fists were still clenched.

“Are you all right?” she asked. Dwayne opened his eyes and smiled, opening his fist at the same time.

“Yeah,” he said. “Let’s get you some good armor.”

“If you want the armor that slave was wearing, the shop’s two doors down,” said an attendant. The owner scowled at him. “What? It’s not like they were buying anyway.”

The word “slave” had made Dwayne shut his eyes again.

“Thank you,” Magdala said. When Dwayne opened his eyes, she pulled him gently into the street.

“Are you okay?” she asked again.

“Yes. Let’s go.”

Magdala watched Dwayne head down the street, still feeling the burn from his angry eyes.

***

Mei saw her first. She was wearing the mask of the Rooster proudly with an embroidered red and blue celk jacket to match. Rooster’s eyes flicked over the crowd constantly, assessing every single person’s threat level. The ones she was concerned about got the barest hint of a sneer; everyone else was ignored. The woman was quite tall, towering even over the pale skinned Souran men shopping in the market. As Rooster approached, Mei slipped inside the shop where Huan was finishing up with a nervous little Souran man.

“Are—are you sure this will take care of it?” asked the little man. “I do so enjoy their company…”

“Your wife will never find out,” said Huan, smiling and pressing the little bag of herbs into the man’s hand. “You won’t regret this.”

“Th-thank you!” The little man scurried off. Huan watched him go, slipping the money pouch into his pocket.

“He’s headed straight there, isn’t he?” he asked. “I hope the jails here are nicer than the ones they have back in the capital.” He read Mei’s face. “What’s wrong?”

“Rooster,” she said.

“Fuck!” Huan started to run outside, but Mei grabbed his elbow and pulled him toward the back of the shop. The owner frowned, but Huan whispered “former lover” as they rushed through, and he nodded in understanding. Once out in the back alley, Mei inspected it for more danger. When she was satisfied she turned her attention back to her older brother.

“Shit, I don’t even…right…I’ve got something here…” He pulled a pack of cards out of his pocket and flipped through them.

“‘May the Rooster’s Voice and Vigilance Protect You,’” he read. “What the fuck does that mean?” Mei heard the owner greet someone inside and, putting two and two together, grabbed Huan and hustled him down the alley.

“Wha—Why? Oh shit, she saw you somehow? Vigilance…she saw that you were a danger and followed you on a hunch?”

Mei pushed him out into the crowd and started steering him through it. When she hunted, she took steps to make sure that her quarry was limited in its options. With the mask stuck to her brother and an imperial guard at your beck and call, the best way to trap them was sheer weight of numbers.

Mei stopped and threw her brother into a dark alley out of sight of a Souran knight in shiny armor, who was talking to the commander of a wall of Tuqu guards, each of whom were checking the necks of everyone who passed through Tuqu or Souran.

“Oh shit,” said Huan. “I thought we’d have at least another day.”

As she watched her brother eye the rooftops, Mei remembered that her brother was less like a tiger and more like a mouse, always looking for an angle to escape. Nudging him, she nodded at the other side of the street where a half-dozen archers were on patrol.

“Damn.”

The Souran captain waved a hand and a dozen Souran guards showed up and formed half of the line, replacing the Tuqu guards. Relieved, Souran travelers started to walk up to them. As the Tuqu commander left in a huff, Mei watched Souran nobles and their entourages simply stride past the Souran guards. That was their opening. She waited for her brother to notice.

“We need a noble,” he said. Mei nodded.

“Most nobles are like that idiot before; they come for pleasure. I can scam them, but I can’t appeal to them.” Mei noticed he didn’t think that she could appeal to them either. “We need someone who needs services rendered outside this damn city. They’ll have to need a bodyguard or a hunter…”

Mei checked that the guards hadn’t noticed them and prepared to leave.

“Where’s the nearest hunter haunt?” Huan asked her. Mei started walking, one eye still on the wall of guards. The Tuqu commander sent one of his men into the crowd, presumably to find Rooster and tell her about the hole in their security net. They needed to hurry.

It took five minutes to reach the tavern where most of the hunters came to gossip, tell tall stories, and procure customers for their rarer findings. Most of them paid scant attention to the myriad requests pinned to a wooden board to find rare dragon parts; the ones that did mostly scoffed with disgust and passed on by. Mei saw Huan acquire his target, a middle-aged blond man with a freshly shaved chin. To Mei, he was just a scruffy man in rags that bore the stains and tears of carelessness, but her brother licked his chops. While he didn’t think things through, he knew people like he knew locks.

Huan stood up straight, stole a look of confidence from the most impressive hunter in the place and rearranged his sword so that it was barely hidden by his cloak, drawing even more attention to it. Mei waited for his instructions.

“We’re siblings who mostly hunt out west,” he said. “If he knows his hunting, you answer those questions. If he doesn’t, just give him that look that makes people squirm.”

Mei blinked and frowned.

“The one where you’re trying to figure out what they want, but they think you’re reading their soul.”

Mei nodded.

“Good.”

Huan led the way and got in the way of the man as he tried to turn around to leave. The man landed on his ass. Huan looked down at him with disdain.

“What are you doing this far west, Souran?” he asked.

The man stood up and regarded Huan with interest. Mei saw his clear blue eyes flicker to Huan’s scarf.

“I haven’t asked you yet,” the man said in Yani. “I’m looking for people to accompany me on an expedition to Godan Valley. To be blunt, I need to collect some dragon scales at minimum. A claw or even a heart would be ideal.”

Her brother did not react properly, and it raised the suspicion of every hunter within hearing.

“Considering you just bumped into me, you’ll have to offer me something substantial to take that offer,” said Huan, raising an eyebrow. The hunters near them took a deep interest in their drinks. Mei kept her face neutral as she assessed whether or not they would get in her brother’s way. It wasn’t Huan’s fault he didn’t know that any sane hunter would say no to taking on a dragon. She would have to take up the slack.

“Are you hiring anyone else?” she asked. Huan covered his surprise with a cough. The blond man regarded her, his eyes flickering to her cannon case.

“I have two mages with me already,” he said. “One Ri and one nQe to be precise. And there’s myself of course. Qeuike.” The back of Mei’s neck tingled as the blond man muttered the unfamiliar word. The whole tavern started to rattle, causing men and women to run into the street. Mei almost grabbed her brother and ran, but Huan still had his smirk and hadn’t moved an inch. She followed his lead.

“Qeil.” The shaking stopped.

“Good show,” said Huan. “I hope you don’t think shaking a dragon to death will get you want you want.”

“You do your job,” said the blond man, “and you’ll get your money. Lord Bartholomew Kalan.” The Souran noble bowed. Huan smirked.

“You can call me Li,” he said. Their real last name was too common to lead back to them. “You can call her Li too. We’ll know which one you mean.”

“I’m sure,” said Lord Kalan. “I’ll give you the name of my hotel and—”

“We haven’t discussed the terms,” said Huan. “Ten of your earls and passage into Soura.”

The mage didn’t hesitate. “Done.”

Mei did the math in her head. Fifty Souran earls was around seventy ma, or more money than Huan had ever gotten from a scam ever. Her brother managed to keep his surprise to himself.

“I’d like to follow you now,” he said. “We need to see what your mages can do.”

Mei nodded.

“I suppose that makes sense,” said Lord Kalan. “They may be out shopping at the moment. My niece insisted on buying armor and my apprentice went with her. Let’s catch up with them.” Lord Kalan left the tavern as the waitresses tried to clean up the place. Huan stepped back and whispered to Mei.

“What do Ri and NQe mean?” he asked. Mei shrugged.

“Why did the whole tavern look like they were about to laugh when I said I’d take the job?”

“You can’t hunt dragons,” she answered. Huan’s face turned white.

“Oh fuck,” he said. “We’re going to have to dump these fools.”

Lord Kalan led them back to the wall of guards they’d seen earlier, walking right up to the shiny female knight and hailing her. Huan put on his cocky hunter look as Mei found herself face-to-face with her own reflection. The knight had buffed her breastplate to a beyond ridiculous degree.

“Lord Kalan,” said the knight in Yani, spitting the words. “What a pleasure it is to see you out here.” Mei could catch a couple of the words, but they mostly bubbled by. She kept her eyes on the Tuqu guards who were starting to take an interest in them.

“Dame Caldwell, it is good to see you here,” said Lord Kalan.

“What are you doing here?” the knight asked. “I’m afraid Tuqu isn’t letting any Sourans through the border for quite some time. Something happened on their side of the mountains, and they want to make sure it’s contained. As such, if you create an incident, I’ll gut you myself and bring your body to Lady Gallus. The Tuqu are far too tense as it is.”

“I’m sure my sister would do that herself if I caused trouble with her daughter in tow,” said Lord Kalan. “Do not worry; Marcus has already informed them.”

The female knight glared at Kalan for a moment and then her face softened.

“It’s been a while,” she said. “I’m glad you’re out and about instead of being holed up in that tower. Someone even convinced you to shave!”

“My niece is going to be just like her mother when she grows up. She could even convince you to shave.”

Huan stifled a laugh as the knight blushed.

“Are you all right?” Kalan asked.

“You would not survive as a commoner, Lord Bart,” said the knight.

Mei caught a bright red flash in the knight’s breastplate. Turning, she saw Rooster advance toward them. Huan was oblivious; he was probably trying to learn Souran accents and mannerisms. If Mei did nothing, Rooster was going to catch him and she’d never see him again.

After taking a breath to slowing her heartbeats, Mei considered how prey escaped watchful predators and came up with a plan. Out of sight of her brother and the nobles, she slipped into a nearby alley then ran to the other side of the building where another wall of guards, all Tuqu this time, were inspecting all the comers and goers. The inspections had caused pileups on both sides of the wall, a huge mass of people gawking and pushing their way to the front. Mei gauged the crowd and pulled out her last three fireworks. She’d used the rest on the fortress gate. Lighting all three of them, she tossed them into the crowds.

BOOM! POP POP POP!

As the fireworks went off, setting the crowd into a panic, Mei dove back into the alleyway and reappeared next to her brother just as he was looking around to see what happened. Rubbing her arms, Mei watched Rooster turn to the commotion and take a deep breath.

“GUARDS! CONVERGE ON FOURTH STREET!”

Rooster’s voice felt like it could level battlefields. As one, the Tuqu guard ran toward the commotion, leaving the Souran guards bemused in their dust. The female knight shook her head.

“I am going to have a word with their commander at our next meeting,” she said. “Get out of here before they insist on jailing everyone they see.”

Lord Kalan nodded and walked down the street with Huan and Mei in tow. Mei could feel Rooster’s eyes return to watching the street, but her booming voice didn’t fill the air again. Mei’s hands finally unclenched.

***

Still shaken by her encounter with Shi Hu, Magdala wasn’t able to really enjoy the new leather armor she sported. It would take a few days to break it in, but she knew it was better to be uncomfortable now than dead later. Since then though, Dwayne had been quiet, finishing up his transcription at a cleared table at the inn with record speed and spending the rest of the time sitting with his strange tome in his lap. Watching him, Magdala found that her curiosity about his past was growing. She was about to interrupt Dwayne to ask him about the book when her lord uncle entered the tavern with two Tuqu ruffians in tow.

“Finally!” she said, standing up and looking him over. “I told you to wear something impressive. All you did was shave.”

Blinking, her lord uncle looked down at his garb and shrugged.

“Oh sorry, I forgot,” he said. “At any rate, I did manage to hire us a couple of hunters.”

He gestured to the two ruffians, a boy with a cheap sword at his hip and a girl with a strange long thin leather case on her back. They looked both young and unweathered, nothing like the hunters Magdala had envisioned.

“Oh no,” she said.

The boy approached her, a smirk on his lips.

“This is your mage?” he asked in Yani.

“Lord Uncle…I…You hired…” Magdala managed to get her thoughts back into order. “What are you paying them?”

“They agreed for just ten earls,” said Kalan with pride.

Magdala had to keep herself from slapping him. He was still her lord uncle, and that did afford some respect.

“Well that’s enough to keep a commoner lodged in Anders for half a year,” she said. “Are they worth it?”

The boy’s smirk deepened.

“We’re worth it,” he said. “Where’s the other mage? Maybe he’s more impressive than you are.”

“Oh sir, you’re here.”

Dwayne put away the strange tome and stood. Seeing him, Lord Kalan ran to the papers and looked them over, raising an eyebrow as he read.

“Good job incorporating the Mana Font theory into my exploration of the emission theory,” he said. “Humanity has better things to do than search for impossible legends.”

“Lady Pol thinks there’s evidence of the Font in the desert,” said Dwayne. “Its existence does not preclude your theory, sir.”

“Its existence is inconsequential to what we—what? What?”

Magdala stopped poking her uncle with her finger.

“You need to find us better mercenaries,” she told him. Dwayne looked up from the papers and saw the two Tuqu. He approached the boy and extended his hand.

“Dwayne,” he said. The boy took the hand.

“Li,” he said. Dwayne extended his hand to the girl who’d come with Li. When the girl bowed instead, Dwayne returned it and turned to Magdala.

“What’s wrong with them?” he asked her.

“They’re clearly scam artists or something,” said Magdala. “We’re going after a dragon, and he’s just got that crappy sword.”

“This crappy sword is more than enough,” said Li. Magdala scowled at him.

Dwayne turned to the girl.

“What’s your name?” he asked.

“Mei.”

Magdala caught the ghost of a wince on Li’s face.

“Mei, what would you need to get a dragon’s scales and claws?”

“Some way to distract it, some way to get through its skin, and some way to stop it so we can hide and escape,” she answered.

Mei’s quick answer raised Magdala’s eyebrows. She gave a quick curtsy and stepped up to the girl.

“Lady Magdala Gallus,” she said to Mei. “Why do you need those things? Can’t you and…Li do all of that on your own?”

“Magu—Mag…” Mei’s face crinkled as she worked through the name.

“You can call me Maggie it that’s easier,” said Magdala.

“Maggie,” repeated Mei. She nodded. “My brother can distract the dragon, but he’ll get burned. My weapon can hurt most things, but a dragon’s skin is tough.”

“What’s your weapon?” Magdala asked. Mei looked around and shook her head.

“All right…,” said Magdala.

“We won’t show you here,” said Li, stepping between Magdala and Mei. Mei stepped out from behind him, took Magdala’s hand and, ignoring her brother’s shock, led Magdala to a corner of the room. Magdala’s nose filled with the smell of explosive powder as Mei pulled the long leather case off her back and pulled out a slim weapon, a complex crossbow trigger married to a long metal tube. Mei then rummaged in her pocket and placed a small metal ball into Magdala’s hand. After weighing the ball in her hand, Magdala whispered, “nQeuom.” She blinked. It was simple common lead, the metal that her father’s mines threw out because it was useless.

“You fire this with this?” she asked, indicating the ball and the weapon in turn.

“It’s like a crossbow, but with fireworks,” said Mei.

Magdala marveled at the idea.

“Oh wow,” she said. She tested the explosive residue. The exact mixture was new to her, but she’d learned more potent blends in school.

“I know how to get this to penetrate a dragon’s skin,” she said.

Mei’s eyes sparkled.

“Then we hunt a dragon,” she said.