Gabs, Mel and Austin made their way through a busy afternoon street up to the Last Stance by the western gate. People were running to and from the town square with food, clothing, and other necessities. The nights were no longer a time for shopping, eating out or doing business, so therefore, the people of Aldrion used their afternoons to a bigger extent to complete all their tasks for the day.

They got into the small tavern and Mel’s eyes immediately found Marcus seated at a table close to the bar. The place was filled with people, and Mel wondered how he had been able to secure a place for them to sit.

A smile spread over her face as they approached him. He didn’t stand up, his crutches were leaning against the back of his chair. But he gave her a small wave. Mel hadn't seen him since they decided to be friends and so far their newfound friendship felt more like they had become distant acquaintances.

Austin and Gabriella sat down by the table and, to Mel’s surprise, they all seemed to share smiles and greetings with Marcus. It was like they had formed a friendship with him during the time Mel had been in the hospital. A friendship much closer to the one she had with Marcus herself.

Mel couldn’t help but feel envious of this and she feared she had missed out on the one occasion where bonding had happened between them. She sank into her chair and her gaze landed on the table.

“How did the test go?” Marcus asked.

Mel’s gaze lifted, and she saw that his question was directed at all of them.

“We passed the final test,” Gabs said. “I mean, me and Austin did. Mel, how did it go for you yesterday? You never told me when you got home.”

Mel cleared her throat and put on a forced smile. “It went great. They said I probably passed and if I didn’t, they would inform me.”

“What?” Austin said. “You probably passed?”

“Headmaster Lorken said if I didn’t hear from them in a week, I could assume that I passed. So that basically means I passed, right?”

“You met with Headmaster Lorken?” Austin asked.

“Well, it sounds like you probably did pass then,” Gabs said. “Just wait a week and then you will know, anyway.”

Mel met Austin’s gaze, and his eyes were intense, staring at her. He looked like he was in equal shock and rage at her meeting with Headmaster Lorken. Mel didn’t, however, feel like she needed to answer his question. He seemed to see through her mock cheerfulness, anyway.

“That’s good,” Marcus said, sitting up in his chair. “Then Mel will finally get to see the dragon forge next semester, right?”

Mel nodded and smiled at Marcus. Austin and Gabs seemed to look between the two of them, not knowing if they should interject with information about the explosion or the very real possibility that Mel wouldn’t actually pass.

“So, before we plan anything,” Mel quickly interjected. “I just wanted you to know that I will have to stay here in Aldrion for the coming week. I want to be sure to be here if they try to contact me regarding my result from the test.”

“You mean if they want to tell you that you didn’t pass?” Austin said.

Mel swallowed hard and gave him a murderous glance.

“Well, why don’t Mel and I go and get some beers for everyone at the bar?” Marcus said. “Then we can start planning after that.”

“But your leg?” Gabs said. “Will you even be able to carry anything?”

Marcus stood up from his chair and brought around one of his crutches. He made his way over to the bar, and Mel followed behind him. She had a sinking feeling in her stomach. This afternoon seemed to grow worse the more time passed.

At the bar, Marcus turned to Mel and completely ignored the bartender. “What is going on? Why does it feel like you and Austin want to kill each other?”

Mel watched him for a moment, then turned her head away and saw a familiar face next to her. She studied the man seated at the bar, but as he saw her looking at him, he turned his head away. She leaned in closer, catching Marcus’s attention, and together they scrutinized the man with their gazes.

“Hey, aren’t you the guy who always sits at the bar at Pedro’s noodle place?” Marcus asked.

The man shot him a glance, then turned his head away from them. Mel looked back at Marcus, and their eyes met. He looked confused, but didn’t seem worried. This made Mel relax, and she felt stupid for thinking this man would be dangerous or could be following them. Aldrion was a city and, of course, it was entirely possible to accidentally meet people several times.

The man stood up and turned his back to them, walking out of the Last Stance. Marcus shrugged and ordered four beers from the bartender. While she was pouring their drinks, he looked back at Mel again.

“What’s going on with you?”

Mel swallowed hard and wished she could sink through the floorboard underneath her and just disappear from this place. She closed her hands into fists and stood up a little taller.

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“It’s just been stressful,” she said. “With the final test, the not knowing if I have passed and the explosion at the dragon forge.”

“Yeah,” Marcus said. “I heard about that. But I also heard they were going to rebuild it. So that’s something, right?”

Mel nodded. “Definitely. It will all probably turn out fine. It’s just that at this moment, the whole world seems unstable. With the attacks, the dragon, the explosion, the test, the…. it’s just too much, you know. I wish some things could just be easy. But I guess that’s not how the world works. Problems always seem to come in piles when they come around.”

“I know,” he said. “I feel the same way.”

He looked down at his leg and then up again at Mel. Marcus sighed and the bartender finished up their order. He grabbed his beer and Mel took the three remaining in her hands. They walked back to the table where Gabs and Austin sat whispering about something. They stopped when they saw Marcus and Mel approaching.

“Before we plan the trip to Bahlan,” Austin said. “What happens if you don’t pass the test, Melissa?”

Mel sat down on her chair and passed out the beers to her friends. She took down a big gulp of her own and steeled herself before she answered.

“We’ll go anyhow,” she said. “We decide that we will leave in a week, no matter what my result is. That way I won’t delay the trip any further and if I don’t pass the test, I will at least get to see the ruins of Bahlan.”

Her friends nodded in unison and Mel felt a weight settling in on her shoulders. Honestly, she didn’t want to leave if she got in and she didn’t want to leave if she didn’t either. A tightness spread in her chest and Mel realized she was afraid.

That first trip into the wastes had made her afraid of it. She didn’t want to see a beast up close again and definitely not a shadow. The thought sent shivers down her spine, and she had to force herself not to flinch. She didn’t even know if she wanted to see Hanon and Luthel again. Could she really trust them after what had happened last time?

“So, we’ll leave in a week then,” Austin said, looking over at Marcus. “I guess you won’t come with us?”

“No,” Marcus said. “I’m staying behind. I’m needed here, and my weapons training is still ongoing.”

“It’s the three of us, then?” Austin asked, looking over at Gabriella.

“I’ll come along,” Gabs said. “But only if we can agree on a plan that seems plausible. I don’t want to go out there just to get killed before we even reach Bahlan. I want to know exactly what we’ll do once we’ve managed to sneak out of Aldrion.”

“Yes,” Austin said. “I agree. We won’t just head out there. We need to know every step of the plan. Melissa, you said you talked to some people from the wastes. Do you think they would help us get to Bahlan?”

“Yeah, I talked to Luthel and Hanon. They were living in a village just outside Aldrion. But the problem is that all of their houses were made to be easily moved. So they could be somewhere else by now. And they also kind of left me alone in the village and that’s when I was attacked. I’m not sure if they had anything to do with it. But they told me the night before that they would take me to Bahlan.”

“Hmm… okay. So, possibly allies, but also possibly not. Marcus, could you find out anything about how the army expeditions to the wastes usually go?”

Marcus dragged a finger along the slick edge of his beer glass. “Perhaps. I can ask around, but I’m not sure if people will tell me about the wastes. I’m not exactly trusted these days.”

“Okay, thank you,” Austin said. “And Gabriella, can you use any magical weapons? Have you chosen your affinity yet?”

Gabs shook her head and looked down into her beer glass. “No, I’m not sure I can use any magical weapon at all.”

“Okay, water works really good on the shadows,” he said. “But it’s hard to get the ice right. I will bring a water imbue for me and maybe you could handle a fire imbue. It’s pretty easy to learn how to use and it’s destructive as hell. Plus, if you accidentally put something on fire, I can always douse it with water.”

Gabs’ eyes lifted and a smile spread over her face. “That actually sounds smart. Thank you.”

“I can be smart sometimes,” Austin said, and a rueful smile spread over his lips.

Mel snorted at this, and the entire table’s attention turned to her. Austin lifted an eyebrow at her, but she just waved her hand in front of him.

“Sorry, just got beer into the wrong pipe.”

“Right,” Austin said. “Anyway, we will need supplies, too. Like food, water skins and sleeping bags. For that, we will need money. I suggest that I or Gabriella buy the supplies.”

“Can’t we just each buy our own things?” Mel asked.

Austin shook his head. “No, I’m sorry. But this isn’t the time to feel precautious about money. We all need to have quality stuff with us that won’t weigh too much. Like Gabriella said, we ain’t doing this if we don’t have a tight plan that feels plausible. I’m not going out there to just die from thirst because your waterskin broke and we need to share.”

Mel swallowed hard and scanned the surface of the table. She didn’t feel alright with Gabs or Austin paying for her. She didn’t feel alright with not carrying her own weight. There would always be this difference. This divide between them.

Mel would always be poor and disliked, while Gabs and Austin were stars too bright to even look at directly. She felt the weight of this reality pressing down against the tops of her shoulders.

“I’ll get the supplies,” Gabs said. “And while we’re on the subject of money. We need to pay for our dorm room for next semester, Mel. Greta reminded me yesterday, and I know you wanted to pay for half. But I would be happy to pay for the entire cost.”

Mel shook her head, and her gaze shot up to Gabs. “No, I'll cover my half. I get that you can’t wait for me to get the money for supplies to go out into the wastes. But this I can do. Okay? I will get the money and pay Greta this week before we leave.”

“Sure,” Gabs said, shaking her head at Mel. “Here’s the money for my half. You can pay it at the same time to Greta and hand me the change later.”

Mel took the single gold coin from Gabs’ hand and put it into her pocket. It was the only money she had carried in a while. She had run out of money weeks ago and hadn’t even had a single copper in her pocket since then.

She knew she was such a hypocrite, letting Marcus pay for the beers tonight and letting Gabs pay for supplies, but not for the dorm. But Mel couldn’t help it. She truly had nothing to show for. If she could just pay for this single thing, she would feel like she wasn’t worthless.

“So, we gather information, supplies and weapons and then we meet up once more and plan out the details. Does that sound good?” Austin asked.

“What should I do?” Mel asked.

They all looked at her again.

“You’ll be busy trying to pay for your room, right?” Austin asked. “So I can’t expect you to help us with the planning, then?”

Mel swallowed. “No, I guess you can’t.”