The guard just looked at us for a while, his eyes seemingly glued on our mounts. The muted sounds of festivities came from the door behind him. After a moment, he beckoned us forward, and Laurel dismounted, guiding the goat forward by hand. The gate was obviously meant for cindermares, as Laurel and the goat fit through fine.

I dismounted and followed her through the three-meter thick wall. Looking at the massive square stones that made up the wall, I noticed symbols inscribed in them. Angular and sharp-edged symbols flowed into ovals and circles, glowing slightly. Just above eye height, I saw a slit in the corridor. A pair of sharp grey eyes gazed through them, looking at the symbols without blinking.

Making sure the symbols don't light up? I thought as I stepped out at the other end.

As soon as I did, a crazy cacophony of shouting, singing, and chatting came from the festivities in the enormous sandy square. Scantily dressed Grablon men and women were moving around with unsteady gaits. Haltir walked beside me, staring at the party with a smile. His eyes darted from a group of three women in white robes to a table laden with pitchers of drink. I couldn't blame him.

How long has it been since I partied? I thought as my gaze wandered and my mind drifted off. The city reminded me of images of ancient European architecture made of dark grey stone with domed rooftops. The buildings were placed in even and ordered lines, giving everything a neat feeling, even when a sizable brawl started at a faraway table. The tall mountainous ridges on each side of the city cast a perpetual shadow over everything, making it slightly gloomy.

"Alright, you two seem fine," the guard said, snapping me out of it. He was a gnarly man that had to be in his forties, with thickly muscled arms. An odd ax tattoo sat on his left biceps, one of the few tattoos I'd seen since coming to Kernstalion. He was examining our mounts, his gaze drifting across the two vengeful sprayers still attached to mine. "You have to find lodging for your mounts as soon as possible! Except for the guards, mounts aren't allowed in the streets for the duration of the feast!

The guard inspected Laurel and me with narrowed eyes, then sighed as he looked at the tables with food. "You can enjoy the party, but stay out of too much trouble. The cells are filling up quickly, and if we can't put you anywhere, you'll have to sleep off your hangover in the wilds."

After a second, he shook his head sadly and turned to Haltir. "You will have to go get verification of good behavior from the wizard tower," he said. "Unless you can show proof you are with the mercenary alliance?"

I was wondering what verification of good behavior was supposed to be when Haltir unbuttoned the side of his leather jerkin and lifted the stained shirt below. An old, faded tattoo of four fists, oddly placed around the hilt of a single massive ax, showed. The blade was in the same style as the small tattoo on the guard's arm. Haltir's was warped due to age and a smattering of scars that ran through it.

The guard's mouth fell open, and he just gazed at the tattoo until Haltir dropped his shirt and closed his jerkin. To the side, Laurel was looking at him with the same dumbfounded look as the guard.

"A.. aye.. I'm sorry, sir! I didn't know-" the guard started, but Haltir snapped his hand down in an odd signal, and the guard silenced immediately.

"It is fine. You can make it up by having the word spread that I'm in town. If there are any Croalich survivors here, I want them to come and find me." Haltir's back had straightened, and at his full height, he towered over the guard and Laurel. Something dangerous flickered in his eyes, something I hadn't seen before.

"Yes, sir! I'll spread it around the guards. If any are here, they will come to see you!" the guard said. Each of his hands grasped the others in front of his chest in an odd move I wasn't sure I could mimic unless I practiced it a lot.

Haltir made a similar gesture with his own two before turning to the city. "Where is the nearest temple?"

The guard blinked then his gaze soured. "I am honored you would want to pay tribute to Nimron… but the elders have closed the temple to anyone that isn't a Grablon." The guard's gaze darted around as if afraid to meet Haltir's gaze.

"It is for her," Haltir said, pointing to Laurel.

The guard looked relieved and quickly pointed towards the far right of the square. A wide road led deeper into the city. "The main chapel to Nimron is in that direction. Just follow the main street, and you can't miss it."

Haltir nodded and began moving away. Laurel and I shared a surprised look before following him.

"Aren't you supposed to be the one who knows things around here?" I muttered.

Laurel grimaced. "You would think that, wouldn't you?"

We moved in a single file through the crowded street and had to stop multiple times to explain to drunk Grablons that our mounts weren't for sale. And no, not even for all the drinks they had on them. After being alone in the dangerous mountains, having so many people pushing up against me made me anxious, and I couldn't wait to find a quieter place. Although, I thought as I thought of the quiet of the mountains, not too quiet.

The further we went, the busier it got until we reached another square surrounded by tall buildings with multiple layers of balconies. People were sitting on them, drinking as they watched the party below.

A pair of Grablons, arms in arms, walked by, and I turned to them. "How long has this been going on?"

The man on the left frowned as he examined me, but the other one smiled widely. "Only for three days, so you haven't missed too much yet! Four days to go!"

"Thanks," I said, as the left man dragged the other away, whispering something to him as he looked at Haltir.

What was that about? I thought.

Haltir and Laurel began moving forward, pushing through the crowd until we stood in a small open area before a tall temple. Colorful banners hung beside the flung-open temple doors. A pair of guards stood listlessly to the side, staring at the party.

"Alright," Laurel said as she turned to me. "If there is a door, it will be here, as it's the main temple. It's best if you go in alone. Just say you are here to pay your tribute, and they should let you in. Inside, find one of the wizard apprentices. Those doors are usually in rooms used for storage or even in dead-end hallways, and you'll never find it on your own. Tell the apprentice you are from the Vorchal Academy, here to investigate the door for research purposes. They should bring you there."

I blinked at the torrent of words and shook my head. "Why don't you just come with me?"

Laurel shook her head with a crooked grin. "I thought you'd say that. By Lischen's saggy tits, I'm starting to get the hang of this. Followers of other deities draw a lot of attention if they enter a temple. Only Primes can enter without too much fuss. I'm not sure if it's a good idea to draw that much attention to us."

I nodded and turned back to the entrance. "Fine. The Vorchal Academy. Research purposes. Right?"

"Yes. If you happen to run into someone who has been there and starts asking stupid things, tell them you are working on your entrance test," Laurel said.

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I nodded, staring at her. "After I get back, we need to find a quiet place where you can tell me all about that academy."

Laurel snorted, shaking her head. "You couldn't have thought of that a few days ago?"

I shrugged and laughed before moving my goat beside hers and taking my backpack and ax. "Follow Laurel or Haltir," I ordered the goats before turning to Laurel. "Find the nearest stable because I don't know how long they will remain moving."

"Enough," Haltir hissed. "We will deal with it! I am drawing attention. Est, be careful. Don't forget we still have something important to do!"

Looking at Haltir's intense gaze, it took me a few moments to realize he was talking about the weapons tournament.

"Don't worry. I'll be back as soon as I can," I said before turning to the entrance.

"Remember. If you need to stay longer than a day, come out and warn us," Laurel hissed.

I looked across my shoulder and grinned at her. "Don't worry! You go and spend some time with that Alir fellow tonight."

Laurel grinned back. "I will!"

I was mildly surprised as I walked away. Something was going on with how Grablon society dealt with relationships, and I was kicking myself for not having asked about it before. One of the guards had seen me approach, but he just nodded as I passed before turning his full attention back to the party.

The temple entrance was tall and wide, and the two doors were made of metal-reinforced wood. I hadn't seen much of that yet, and the craftsmanship looked superb, with small nails and well-rounded plates. Everything had a distinct sense of age, the wood smooth and the metal slightly dull. Still, there was not a speck of dust, nor a fingerprint to be found anywhere.

As I moved inside, the sound of the party dulled to a muted background noise. More of those sound damping runes, I thought as I looked across my shoulder to see if I could find them.

"How can I help you during these glorious times!" A light, high-pitched voice caused me to turn around again.

Behind me stood a five-foot, bearded Grablon, staring at me with a wide smile and glittering eyes. "I am Heriot," he added belatedly, appearing uncomfortable but happy at the same time.

I managed to hold back a muttered curse and returned the smile.

"I'm here for my Vorchal Academy entrance test," I said, and Heriot blinked before examining me again.

"And what exactly is the test you've been assigned?"

I must have made some kind of mistake, and I cursed myself while wondering what it was. Deciding it was too late now, I faked a sad sigh.

"I'm to examine all of the border cities' Prime Library temple doors for possible problems," I lied through my teeth.

Heriot cringed and shook his head. "All of them? And I thought mine was ridiculous…" He sighed and turned around, waving me to follow him.

"I'll bring you to it so you can do your thing and quickly get back to the party. If I were you, I would stay here for a few days and enjoy the party before going on to Lerinian. That way, you at least don't miss out on the biggest party of the last thousand years."

I sighed sadly. "I would love to, but you know how it is…"

No, I thought. I had no idea how it was, but I had the feeling if you got an assignment from some prestigious academy, loitering around probably wasn't the right thing to do.

Heriot nodded sagely as he continued walking. "I know. But the chances of you getting accepted by a task are one in a thousand. Look at me! I tried twice, and both times failed." He shook his head, before waving around. "Make sure you don't try a second time, or you will get placed into a meaningless position like this, a month's travel from the capital. Better to just join the mercenaries or the army."

"One try," I said, nodding. "I'll remember that."

Heriot sniffed as he guided me through a long corridor towards a door at the back. It led to a long, narrow hallway with a dozen doors on each side and a bigger one on the opposite end. Heriot pointed at the furthest door, at the back of the hallway. "In that room. It's used to store some old things, so I hope you're not allergic to dust!"

I gaped at him, and he suddenly burst out laughing.

"I learned that joke from one of the Graz merchants that came by a year ago!" He shook his head and continued laughing as he walked away. I had no idea what the joke was supposed to be. After a few steps, he turned. "You can find your own way back?"

We just walked a single long hallway straight, I thought, forcing myself to stay nice.

"Yes! I'll be fine. Thanks for guiding me!"

Heriot puffed out his chest before walking away. As he did, something about him seemed vaguely familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

Halfway through the small hallway, I noticed some vague thudding noises from the last door to the left. The closer I got, the more obvious the sounds became, and soon I heard soft moaning. Hoping whoever was getting feisty inside wouldn't hear me, I tried to move as softly as I could passed the door.

When I pressed down the wooden door handle, it creaked loudly, and the sounds from the room behind me stopped.

"Who's there?" a high-pitched female voice asked.

I opened the door and stepped inside, resisting the urge to say 'nobody'. The fewer people who knew I was here or what I looked like, the better. Closing the door behind me, I saw I was standing in a room with old wooden crates stacked against the walls. At first, I didn't see the library door, but then I saw the corner of it behind two tall crates.

It took a lot of effort to shove one aside, but I recognized the familiar double doors hidden there as soon as I did. The left one was free to open, and it had the same round metallic doorknob as the ones I had seen in Dursic. It even gave the same static shock as I grabbed it and smoothly pushed it open. How they worked, I didn't know, but they swung both ways, always going away from the one who opened them, although I didn't see how the hinges worked.

"I'm sure I heard something in here," a male voice said from behind the door to the hallway.

I stepped inside the library and closed the door behind me before taking a deep breath of dusty air. Turning around, I saw the familiar stone shelves filled with books that towered over me. Narrow passageways remained between them that led away into the massive library I knew stretched beyond it.

It feels like forever since the last time, I thought as I called up the mental map I had gotten from Rathica. I saw only a black section, and I had to zoom out a great distance before I saw the area Rathica had put on it before. The distance between what I knew were the central library pillar and the door to Dursic was the same distance as my current location and the central library. That meant it was a long walk.

With a sigh, I shrugged the backpack on my shoulders until it sat well and determined the likely direction. Then I began jogging, my ax lightly in my hand.

I wonder why they didn't just put the main library closer to the entrance, I thought.

Over an hour later, I was barely breaking a sweat even though my pace had increased. I was standing at another intersection trying to figure out the correct direction when I thought I heard something. Holding my breath, I perked my ears when I heard it again. Voices.

Not again, I thought, as I got a major sense of deja-vu. The last time I'd been here, there had been a Prime of Cinderage inside to hunt me. The sound came from the hallway I had to pass, and after hesitating for a moment, I put down my backpack and snuck forward.

The odd acoustics of the library were still playing tricks on me, and I had to move down another few hallways before I was anywhere close. The voices became louder as I came closer, and it was pretty obvious someone was arguing. When I turned into what had to be the fourth hallway since hearing the voices, one of them shouted.

"No! I don't want to hear your complaints anymore! Cinderage told us to wait, so we wait! If that means we are here until we are old and grey and die of old age, so bloody be it!"

I froze, my hand clenching around the handle of my ax as I recognized the smoky voice. Even while shouting in rage, it had a sultry vibe. Ellis, I thought as I remembered the flaming-haired Cinderage Prime who had tried to send me to my doom in Ulderion's realm.

"We have been abandoned here! Don't you see that? He is gone, and that punk is never going to show up here!" Another familiar and angry voice roared back.

Richal!

A burst of anger made me grit my teeth as I remembered the obnoxious Prime. The last time I'd seen the massive, fire-haired man had been when he came barreling towards us in Orlion, just before we made a getaway with Lark.

The memory of the demon ship caused the anger to abate quickly. Would Lark be alright? I'd totally forgotten about it, but now wasn't the time to worry about that. With a deep breath, I took a quick look around the corner. A much wider, shorter hallway lay beyond the corner, leading towards a massive open area with a gigantic oval bookcase in the center. The hallway led to a simple staircase that led down, and just above the edge, I saw Richal's head. His hair was waving around slightly like fire in a breeze while smoke rose up.

As I pulled my head back, I just noticed another fury head sticking above the edge of the. That had to be Ellis. That or there were more than just two Primes.

The two Cinderage followers continued shouting at each other as I stealthily snuck back through the passages until I reached my backpack. Grabbing it, I continued back a bit until I couldn't hear them anymore, then I sat down.

It was time to decide what to do.