Tala, Rane, and Terry enjoyed their trip to Marliweather overall, and it seemed like no time at all before they gathered with Tala’s family, Verla, and Master Leighis to see Fedir off to the Academy.

His older, Academy-attending siblings were set to teleport back at the same time.

There wasn’t a lot of fanfare, and the goodbyes were less tearful than they might have been because everyone knew that all those going to the Academy would be able to come back in just a little more than a year, thanks to Tala’s generosity and arrangements. Additionally, the ones not going to the Academy would be seeing Tala in the next few months.

Still, last minute well wishes, hugs, and other parting comments passed in a bit of a blur for Tala, and before she really realized it, the time had come and the five siblings moved toward the teleportation rooms.

At nearly that exact moment, Alat made a ‘eureka’ gasping sound within Tala’s head. -Tala. Tala!-

…Do I want to know?

-Anna’s about to become a Mage. She will be able to take on a mageling, and Mistress Vanga will be free to take on a new one. Since Latna likely needs a new master... Eh? Do you see?-

Tala sighed. She was doing that a lot of late. Master Leighis hasn’t made his choice. Should we really assume what he’ll choose?

-...Tala… Have you seen the women in your family?-

…Definitionally, yes?

-Then why are you asking stupid questions.- Alat’s mental statement was not a question.

Tala sighed internally. We can put forward the idea… fine.

-Yay!-

Tala refocused on the teleportation tower lobby, Fedir’s hand dropping from his final wave. Even as Tala waved back, Master Leighis stepped up next to her and gave a deep bow. “Thank you, Mistress Tala, for all that you have done for me. I also appreciate…” He glanced around, realizing how easily he could be overheard. “I appreciate your patience with me. I wanted to let you know that I am planning on returning to field work for a time.”

Tala gave a slow nod. “I see. What of my sister’s apprenticeship?”

“I will find her a replacement master before I go. She is nearing the end of her tenure as an apprentice, and I think that the best course would be to have her raised to mageling and take a new master for that portion of her training.”

Tala considered before nodding once again. For those few who became apprentices instead of going to the Academy, it was standard to keep the same master through the mageling portion of their education, but it wasn’t required. For Rane, the two sections of training had been virtually indistinguishable. For Latna, it seemed that there would be a marked change. “I understand. I may have a few potentials for her to mageling under.”

That sparked a bit of conversation that ended with connecting Master Leighis with Mistress Vanga and Anna through the Archive.

Well, we’ll see if your idea comes to anything.

-Yes, we shall.- Alat was clearly quite proud of herself.

As the Karweils were dispersing, Tala caught up to Nea. Tala had had some time to chat with her sister over the past days, but she hadn’t asked the one question that was burning within her. She could leave it alone, but Tala knew that doing so would bug her. It was time to ask.

Nea gave Tala a searching look, and whatever she saw seemed to give her a bit of forewarning to the incoming question.

Tala gave a small smile before diving in. “Hey, Nea. I know that you need to get back to work, but I just wanted to ask… are you happy? Do you still feel you made the right choice for you?”

Nea’s face hardened at the question, but Tala held up her hands and quickly continued.

“I’m not arguing with you, nor do I think you made a wrong choice. I just know that there are times that I wished someone had asked me that. I care about you and just want to check in. I’m here for you.”

Terry opened his eyes on Tala’s shoulder and trilled softly.

Somehow, Terry’s musical sounds did more to assuage Nea than Tala’s words had. When the girl answered, she was still hesitant, but there was no anger in her tone, “I am quite happy, yes. I love what I do. I know magic could be used to do what I am doing, but I feel no need. If that changes, I will seek to apprentice myself, but I don’t see that happening.”

Tala’s smile grew. “I’m glad to hear it. Please don’t hesitate to let me know if there is anything that I can do for you.”

Nea seemed to actually consider. Finally, she gave a slow, decisive nod. “I will. Thank you.”

* * *

Tala watched with a bit of bemusement as Kit devoured master Lisa’s shop.

In the end, Lisa had decided that he wanted his shop to be in Irondale as it was, and from that base of operations, he would build his magnum opus, his forever home.

He did go out of his way to say that he would abandon it in a moment if she tried to change the details of their agreement. He even went further to imply that his shop—or anything else he built—would be a poison pill without him there to maintain it.

Tala believed him.

Scary fox…

The whole process of devouring only took a moment or two, and Tala, Rane, Terry, and master Lisa were left standing on a mostly vacant street, in front of an entirely vacant lot.

“I thought you had a basement?”

“I did, but I never dug it out, I simply displaced the dirt and rock for a time. Now that the magics have been consumed, the material has settled back in line with these dimensions.

Tala grunted. She supposed that made sense. Then, as she considered the space before her, she had another thought, gesturing to the bare earth. “This isn’t going to be a problem?”

“Not at all. I sold this plot to someone who’s been bothering me to sell to them for years.” He gave a predatory grin. “The contract was only for the land, no mention of the building was made anywhere in it.”

Rane frowned slightly, and Tala huffed a laugh. “Is she going to be irritated that the building is gone?”

“Oh, undoubtedly, but there’s nothing that she can do about it. Honestly, she should have been more suspicious of the low price I offered her. More than the land should have sold for, but much less than the building would have been worth.”

That caused a small smile to tug at Rane’s lips. “That does sound like a fun way to get some revenge, then.”

“Undoubtedly. I’m not a monster, nor a thief.”

Tala opened a doorway into Irondale for Lisa. Tala hadn’t chosen a specific shape for it, so Kit seemed to decide to have some fun with it.

Thus, an oddly twisting doorway of red stone seemed to grow from Tala’s very aura. The shape of the outline was hard for Tala’s mundane eyes to follow, and her threefold vision showed her that Kit was playing with some four-dimensionality, likely just learned from Lisa’s shop.

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

The man hesitated, then chuckled. “A neverland door? That is a fitting form to take, my good Kit. If this is to be my permanent home, I suppose it may become that to my people.”

Tala frowned. “I’m afraid I don’t know that reference?”

Lisa glanced back her way. “Oh, the first beast-kin were theorized to have come from the neverland, or the fairy worlds. It’s an old story of my people, harkening back to our antagonistic friendship with the snake-kin. Think nothing of it. It seems that your little voidling can tap into more than just physical cues and context to choose her physical shape. That is good to know.”

Lisa stepped through, letting out a long breath that seemed to release more than air and his illusory self melted away to reveal the fox underneath, his fashionable clothes standing out to her for what seemed like the first time.

“Thank you, Mistress Tala. I think that we will both find this deal very profitable. Now, I will see to my business here. You will be opening the main gates soon, yes?”

“Yes. They should remain open in Bandfast until tomorrow morning. Then we’ll be heading back to Alefast.”

Master Lisa bowed deeply. “Thank you. Then, at your pleasure?”

With that, the portal into Irondale snapped closed.

Rane had a small frown. “Did he just imply that you made a deal with a fairy? And he was the fairy?”

“-In a very roundabout way, yes.-”

He grunted. “Well, fae deals never go sideways in stories.”

Tala huffed a laugh. “That’s like saying that relationships are never simple in romances.”

Rane considered for a moment then nodded. “Right, because if the fae deal worked out as expected, why would there be a story about it?”

“Essentially, yes. Obviously, that’s not universally true, but it stands to reason that we generally hear about the exceptions.”

“That’s fair… but be careful? I don’t think I’ve ever heard that fox-kin are fae before. Master Lisa might have just shared more with you than we realize.”

She nodded slowly, letting the idea sink in.

As they talked they had already been moving. It wasn’t far through the streets of Bandfast to the wall they usually used, and Tala opened a large portal to the main gate of Irondale.

Moments later, the large doors swung open and a few wagons rolled out to make their short trip to the Bandfast markets, or to others that they arranged to trade with.

Tala brushed her hands against each other to remove non-existent dust, turned to Rane and proclaimed, “To Lyn’s house!”

Terry trumped excitedly and Rane chuckled. “Don’t you want to see what Lisa is up to?”

Tala detected the longing in his voice, and it resonated with her. Thankfully, she wasn’t actually going to be missing the show. “Well… I can, and will have the memory to review later…” She frowned. “Would you like to share the perspective?”

Rane brightened, eyes going distant for a moment before he nodded. “Yes, thank you. Enar says that he can interface with Alat to make it happen.”

-And… done.-

Thank you.

-Of course.-

Tala nodded, “Already done.”

She hopped up to give Rane a kiss on his cheek, he caught her as she dropped back down, lifting her up to give her a proper kiss before setting her back on her feet, slightly breathless.

She cleared her throat, tucking some hair behind her ear and smiling up at him. “What was that for?”

“For you being you. Come on.” He took her hand, and they moved back toward the center of the city. After a few steps she shifted her hand up to his arm, a small smile settling across her lips.

Terry was more excitable this afternoon than usual, flickering between the four shoulders easily available to him as they progressed.

Whenever possible, Tala reached up to scratch the side of his head, but while he seemed to enjoy it, he didn’t stay in place for long.

Soon enough, they came to a familiar street with a familiar house across from a familiar park.

Something was pulling at Tala’s chest, and she couldn’t quite understand it. It felt like something had changed, and it was only when she focused specifically on her threefold sight that she saw Lyn sitting with her hands in her lap in her own sitting room.

Tala recognized the posture. The woman had something that she wanted to discuss with someone, presumably Tala and Rane.

Tala kept her pace firm, but Rane noticed her tense up and the change of demeanor regardless. “Tala?”

She looked up at him, her brows creased. “Something's off. Lyn’s got her ‘I have something I want to say’ face on.”

“Sitting in her reading chair, not reading?” He lifted one eyebrow in question.

That brought a brief smile to Tala, relieving some of her tension, but not all. “Exactly! Her hands are in her lap, and she’s just waiting there.”

Rane squeezed her hand on his arm. “Come on. Let’s see what’s up. Are Kannis or Fannas anywhere around?”

“Not that I can see, no.”

“Okay, then.”

Terry stopped his flickering about, and simply moved forward, arriving in Lyn’s lap and eliciting a squeal of surprise from the woman that they heard out at the street.

Rane chuckled. “Terry?”

“Terry.”

“He really seems to love your threefold sight.”

“Indeed he does, yeah.” Tala grimaced slightly. It made it all but impossible to keep any jerky within her sanctum. He could ferret it out everywhere she’d thought to hide it.

I could keep it in my artificial lung…

-That seems a bit extreme, and I bet he’d still find it.-

You’re probably right.

Regardless, Terry’s arrival had alerted Lyn to their proximity, and she met them at the door with a large grin and hugs all around. “Come in, come in!”

The three engaged in small talk as Rane took off his shoes and they all moved to the sitting room, Terry curled up in Lyn’s arms for most of that time.

When they were all seated, Tala decided to not put things off. “So, Lyn, what’s going on? What did you want to talk with us about?”

The older woman quirked a smile. “Am I that obvious?”

“Absolutely.” Tala grinned back.

“Well then, I suppose there’s no reason to delay. I’m retiring from the Caravanner’s Guild.” Both Rane and Tala opened their mouths to respond, but she continued before they could interrupt. “I’m not quite sure where my next adventure lies, but with Kannis finishing up her tenure as a mageling, she’ll be able to fully take over most of my duties. She may even take some caravan trips to get a better understanding of that side than I ever acquired. Though, they’ll have to give the higher level responsibilities to someone else. A new Mage shouldn’t be in a managerial position, after all.”

Tala rocked back, leaning fully into her comfortable, reinforced chair. “That’s… a big change.”

Lyn shrugged. “It is and it isn’t. I’ve been working for the Caravanner’s Guild for a long time now, and I think I’m ready to explore more of the world, or at least a different part of it. I don’t think I’ll be staying in Bandfast for this next phase of my life.”

Alat took in a sharp breath of delighted surprise even as an idea came to Tala. “You know… I’ve been needing someone to help coordinate Irondale.”

“Your pocket city? Is it to the point that such coordination is needed?”

Rane nodded emphatically even as Tala smiled and said, “Yes.”

Lyn frowned thoughtfully. “You know, I’ve meant to go see it. I can’t promise what my answer will be, but I’m open to taking a look.”

* * *

Tala held back a laugh as Lyn’s eyes continued to widen.

Instead of entering through the still-open main gates, Tala had simply moved them into the pocket city—or more accurately to the same place on the mountain that she’d entered with Lisa—by force of will and authority.

Lyn was staring down at the bustling town, below, and her voice came out in a low whisper. “I’d seen the few trades your people made with the Caravanner's Guild and just assumed that was it… that that was all that they were doing. I’ve been so busy that I didn’t look closer… Tala…” Her voice lifted to a more normal volume. “Tala, this is massive. A dozen caravans wouldn’t be able to move all these people, all these materials.”

“Exactly. That’s why we need a dedicated logistics lead whom I can trust. That could be you.”

There was a spark beginning to blaze in Lyn’s eyes. “I just might… Maybe. Let’s take a look around.”

For the next two hours, the four of them moved through Irondale in an investigation that was somehow entirely unlike the tour with Lisa.

Lyn wanted to see all the warehouses, talk with the merchants who were available—unfortunately, few were due to the currently open gate to Bandfast—and see just how things functioned.

In the end, Terry had gone to hunt some of the cervids in the surrounding wilderness within the city’s dimensional space, and Lyn had a very conflicted look on her face.

Rane had remained silent for most of the tour, but he decided to interject at that point. “Lyn? What’s going on?”

“I… Kannis isn’t done yet, and even when she’s a full Mage, I don’t want to cut and run. I want to be available and to be there to help her…”

Tala smiled, giving Rane a grateful look before hugging Lyn. “Don’t take this as a now or never offer. I’m asking you to be looking to the future. I’ll be back next spring. That would give you just more than a year to advance Kannis and get her settled in. We may be back before that for a visit, but I’m definitely coming back through then. Olen will be deciding about the Academy and departing at that point.”

“He’s your youngest brother?”

“Brother, yes. Sella is the youngest of us kids.”

“Wow. They’re really getting big.”

“Yeah…” Tala felt a moment of sadness.

Lyn pulled back from the hug. “Let’s talk about it, see what we can arrange. If it works? That sounds like a great official start time. Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Tala smiled, then. “Yes. That’d be great.”

Lyn nodded. “Now, let’s get out of here. I want to celebrate with Kannis! I expect her to be a full Mage in less than a month, and you all won’t be back again before then.”

Rane grinned. “That is exactly the plan. Let’s celebrate.”