Not only was my uncle late… It was now too late for me to go and search him out.

Shifting in my seat, I leaned as far as I safely could to the left as to see the clock hanging near the window. It wasn’t very big, and it was safely hidden behind the counter. Although someone had been at the counter when I first arrived, they were now gone. No one was currently working it, since this inn’s restaurant closed after breakfast and didn’t reopen until mid-afternoon.

It made the perfect location for a meeting, since one was allowed to utilize the tables, and there were both workers for the inn and other patrons who came and went. Private and quiet for a peaceful discussion, but public enough that there was no real threat of meeting someone who you didn’t know…

The clock told me it was four minutes before our supposed meeting. And I knew if I wasn’t here when the Guide walked in, they’d most likely turn around and leave without a second of waiting. They were too busy to do otherwise.

“Buth, I swear…” I murmured. A quick glance to the entrance showed a few passing shadows. People walking down the hallway.

Honestly this place was perfect for my needs. The Red Inn wasn’t the fanciest place, but the room I had was most likely the nicest room I’ve ever slept in. And the food was good, too. Having access to such a nice place that could also act as a meeting place, was something I hadn’t expected to have.

Miss Lena had been true to her word. Or rather, her truth wasn’t the whole truth.

Both my uncle and I had rooms waiting for us upon arriving here two days ago. As Lena had promised in our first meeting. My uncle’s bar bill, and our dinner that night, were also paid for by her. As she had promised.

What she had failed to mention, however, was not only did she own the restaurant, but this whole city block.

She owned this inn. The four others nearby, and all the stores and houses scattered around them.

It was a small city all on its own. Buth and I had traveled through several villages half the size of her company’s enterprise on our way here.

Our own home town was only bigger thanks to the amount of land that was farmed.

Rooms. Food. She had secured both for us, and had asked for nothing in return.

All because of my drunken uncle’s single heroic act from his youth.

“Miss Mintmorency?”

I startled, and was glad I didn’t have any food or cups near me. They’d be scattered all over the floor. “Yes,” I said, quickly standing and greeting the older man.

Taller than me, and even my uncle, the man was dressed in fine clothes. Something I’d have never seen back at home, even on the travelling merchants who came to buy the fish and crops our hometown sold in bulk.

“I’m Harvid. I represent the Garchin brothers,” he said as he offered me his hand.

Although I took his hand, I couldn’t help but hesitate. “Represent…?” I asked.

“Well, yes. Good guides have so much business that they need folks like me. Especially when the doors approach,” Harvid said as we shook hands. Before I could fully understand his words, he sat down at the table. Across from me.

As he sat, I took one final glance to the entrance. This time not even shadows were there.

Alone, then.

Sitting back down, I studied the man across from me. He didn’t look like a great warrior, or hardened traveler. But he also didn’t fully fit his fine clothing. He looked uncomfortable. Either the material it was made out of was itchy, or it was something he just started wearing recently.

I had expected to meet the actual guides. Yet here before me was just an employee of them? How could I judge if they were trustworthy or safe like this?

“So. How many are in your party?” he asked, before I could get my thoughts straight. He had spoken with a smile, but it didn’t seem very genuine.

“One or two, depending on circumstances,” I said.

Harvid didn’t seem to find my statement odd, as he nodded. “And is this a straight trip, or are you planning on returning?” he further asked.

“Just… I don’t plan on coming back, no,” I said.

He frowned, but didn’t nod.

“Is that a bad thing?” I asked, wondering why he had suddenly lost his smile. Even if it had been a fake one, to lose it so suddenly…

“It means they’ll either need to find more clients on the other side, or bring more with them in the first place,” he said.

“Why?”

“Financial reasons, of course? Each trip is dangerous, and could be the last. So it has to be worth it. You’ll be charged more for a non-return trip, since they might not be able to find anyone to come back with them for the return trip in time,” Harvid said.

“Charged more…?” I asked, almost not believing it. If anything it should be cheaper!

“Like I said; financial reasons. The Garchin brothers are professional guides. They allot so many spaces per trip so if you’re not taking up that space on the return trip then it’s lost fare. Think of it like a merchant boat. No one would sail across the world, sell everything they got, then sail home empty. They’ll stock up there before returning home first,” he explained.

The way he did it told me it was rehearsed. But also true. It was something he didn’t seem bothered about at all. Chances were there were enough supposed clients that it wouldn’t bother them if I said no over it.

Yet it still sounded ridiculous to my ears. No matter how firmly he believed in it.

But I couldn’t argue too heavily, at least not yet. Since it could just be how all of these Rift Guides operated.

“Fine. So the price is more… but they’ll do it?” I asked.

“Of course. How do you plan on paying them? Coins, deeds, artifacts?” Harvid asked.

“Coins…” I said softly, and didn’t like the sound of this. Deeds? Artifacts?

The man didn’t seem to hear my worry, but his eyes did glance me up and down. “You’re staying here, so I don’t doubt your… capabilities. But are you able to procure enough coins on short notice? We don’t accept bonds or promise notes. Payments are up front, in full,” he said.

“I’m sure. For reference, what would the cost be for two of us?” I asked.

“Forty gold coins a head. One way trip,” Harvid said smoothly.

The number was daunting, but not shocking. It’s only been two days since I’ve been here, yet I’ve heard dozens of people say similar numbers for such a task. Both those city criers drumming up business, and the normal workers here in the inn I had bugged while eating breakfast.

What bothered me was that it was a similar price to the caravans. Why was the price the same for something that was supposed to be more personal and safer?

“And these… brothers are actual brothers?” I asked.

He smiled, and his eyes once again slid away from my own. Downward, for a moment.

“Three of them. All will accompany you through the Rift. They usually take six or seven people at a time, depending on the weather,” Harvid said.

Weather. Of the Rift.

How’d they even know what the weather was like? Did someone check it?

Though maybe one could enter it and then leave real quickly… if so, maybe I could… before…

“Three guides for our price is something you’ll not find anywhere else,” he said, as if trying to convince me.

“How many times have they crossed the Rift?” I asked.

Harvid smiled, and I noticed how forced it was. “Four times. One of the brother’s has done it six, and has even traveled with the RiftBorn,” he said coolly.

Four…? The idea that doing something so few times made you an expert worried me. Was this normal? Was that number normal? Should I laugh or be awed?

“Wait… the RiftBorn?” I asked.

Harvid’s smile grew, and became a tad more real. “Of course! We’re one of only three Guide’s to have actual experience with the RiftBorn. Isn’t that why you inquired?” he asked.

“I hadn’t known,” I said, and wished I could instead ask why such a thing was seemingly so important. I’ve heard of RiftBorn’s. They were unique for a single reason, and it was in their name. People born in the Rift. Although rare, and odd, there were plenty enough of them that even I had heard of them over the years. And as far as I had heard, and understood, they weren’t any different than anyone else.

“Well young lady, it’s not every day you learn from the RiftBorn himself. In fact it’s why the Garchin Brothers were able to go into business in the first place, you know? Aint nobody going to employ a guide without references, after all,” Harvid said, continuing his sales pitch now that he found a new avenue to pursue.

“Of that I’m sure. Yet…” I started to speak, but Harvid sighed rather loudly… almost comically forced.

“Ma’am, I’ll be honest the odds of us choosing your party is slim. We’ve got fourteen candidates already, and twice more will submit before the door opens I’ll bet. That means the price will rise, as will the criteria,” Harvid said.

Although his words were disappointing to hear, I wasn’t too bothered by them. After all he was the very first… representative of a guide, I’ve met.

I had four other meetings tomorrow, after all.

“I see,” I said, and was about to stand, but he tapped the table as to get my attention.

“There is a way, however,” he said.

The tone of his voice, and the way his eyes lingered told me full well what he meant. So he hadn’t been studying my appearance just to see how wealthy he thought I was.

“A way to…?” I asked, even though I knew his answer.

“Ensure you’re chosen, of course,” he said, showing me his smile.

I quickly glanced to the exit, and was glad to see someone walk past. They didn’t enter this room, but it reaffirmed I wasn’t totally alone.

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

“I am in no hurry to be chosen, so I’ll have to pass for now. Thank you for meeting me,” I said, standing from the table.

For the smallest moment the man just stared at me, but then he hurriedly stood. “Wait!”

I didn’t, I hurried to step around the table and headed for the exit. I didn’t make it though; he grabbed my arm before I could escape.

“Wait, I didn’t mean that! I meant a bribe…” the man hurriedly said, a little loudly.

Although his grip kept me from going, he hadn’t grabbed hard enough to hurt me. Looking up at the man, I noticed the look on his face. The red hue wasn’t anger, it was embarrassment.

Better than anger, but I knew how quickly a man’s embarrassment could turn into wrath.

“Please let me go. Once you do you can tell me how much it would cost me, then,” I said.

He took a small breath and sure enough released me. Stepping back a step, he smiled… his red face quickly returning to normal. “Just one coin. Not even one each, just one for the both of you. With that I can guarantee you’ll get chosen,” he said.

“Just one? Seems cheap,” I said.

“Well honestly the brothers do always have a full group, but rarely do they get more than that. Three or four extras, usually. You’d be chosen last, since you don’t want to return, but I’ll put in a few words…” he shrugged, as if nothing more needed to be said.

For a long moment I studied this man. Was this a con? What if he had simply caught wind of my meeting, and arrived before the real guides had? Or what if these supposed brothers weren’t real guides at all.

“I see. I’ll keep that in mind, and may need to utilize your services. But there is still some time before the door opens, and I may not even venture forth during this door. So I’ll reach out to you again if need be,” I said to him.

Harvid’s eyes narrowed, and then he turned away. Walking briskly, the man left without another word.

For a small moment I was thankful he left without a fuss… then I got angry.

At not just him, and myself, but the one who should have been here with me.

I gave it a few moments before leaving the empty restaurant, so I didn’t bump into Harvid as I left the inn. Exiting the hallway, I entered the inn’s front lobby, and noticed the dozen people waiting in line at the counter.

The same girl who had been at the counter when we had checked in was there, working with a smile. She seemed to be the only one here, even though I knew several other workers were throughout the inn.

While walking past, I heard the girl ask for payment. “Three coins please,” she said.

Hesitating, I watched the older woman who quickly paid the coins. Three gold coins.

We had not paid for our rooms, since Lena had graciously done so, but I knew it’d not last forever.

No amount of charity or goodwill lasted long.

Three coins was undoubtedly not a single night… but how many nights was it? A week? A month?

Even at a full month it was a ridiculous sum. Even if it included laundry, water, food and service. Three gold coins were more than most families earned in a full year of hard labor. At least the families back at home.

Here though it seemed to be normal. Forty gold coins per person, for a single trip through the Rift. A fortune.

If they took ten people, that was four hundred gold coins a trip. And how many could they do a year? Even if they had only done half a dozen trips, per that man’s words, surely they planned on doing as many as they could?

I gulped at thought of such wealth, and wondered what I was to do.

If they could legitimately ask for that much for a fee… there was lkely a reason.

A very real, very dangerous one.

“Pardon me,” A young boy, carrying a box and wearing working clothes stepped around me. I hastily got out of the way as four more children hurried in, all carrying similar boxes.

Watching them head down the hall I had just came from, I wondered if those boxes had food. Tonight’s dinner perhaps?

Leaving the inn, since I didn’t want to seem strange for standing around, I glanced up and down the brightly colored street.

The street wasn’t as wide as the others nearby, but it was pristine and its coloring was far newer than most. It wasn’t littered, and everyone walking the street looked…

A man with an open shirt walked by, carrying a large piece of wood on his shoulder. The bright red wood looked similar to the floorboards in the Red Inn.

Where did they even get such colorful wood? How was it made?

“Hurry up!” a man shouted nearby, and I watched as he yelled at the kids who had passed me earlier. All of them hurried to a nearby cart, unloading more boxes.

The man watching them seemed slightly familiar to me, and I wondered if I had seen him working in the inn. Maybe at dinner last night.

I knew throughout the whole town, similar scenes could be found.

Everyone was working, and working hard.

Did everyone make a lot of money here? Or was it just a few?

If I didn’t hurry, or get lucky, then I’d be joining them. How long would it take, I wonder, working at this inn to pay for travel through the Rift?

I didn’t want to find out.

Hurrying away from the Red Inn, I made sure to stay out of everyone’s way. No one seemed outwardly rude, or dangerous, but I knew better.

After all, that man… Harvid, had just blatantly asked me for a bribe.

Out in the open, without any hesitation. In the first meeting.

Not even my uncle would be as brazen.

Lena had warned me, but I hadn’t thought it this bad. Even the capital city near my hometown hadn’t been this corrupt.

Plus, with such a man employed by them… how could I trust them? Now even if I found out that the Garchin Brothers were some of the best guides money could buy, I held no desire to employ them after that meeting. If they let such a man represent them, I could only imagine what they’d be capable of themselves.

If they’d take a bribe to be chosen… then would they try to get a bribe again later? What if they stopped half-way through the Rift and asked for more money or they would abandon me?

The thoughts terrified me, and made me feel nauseous. What was I to do about it? And how was I to do it?

“Lunch orders, ready now!” a young girl shouted several buildings away from me. Her attire made it clear she worked for the building she was standing in front of, and that it was some kind of restaurant. People on the street heard her shout and several were already making their way towards her.

It wasn’t lunch time yet. There were still several hours until then. Which meant she wasn’t selling lunch, but rather taking names and orders for people who wanted it at a later time.

Appointments.

Just for lunch.

Such a thing was unheard of, in any city.

Shaking my head at such a thing, I picked up my pace.

Although this was the second day here, I hadn’t ventured far beyond the inn. I had been exhausted yesterday, and after meeting Lena I had spent most of the day dealing with my uncle’s sorrow. Having to listen to him drunkenly cry for several hours had been more tiring than the journey here…

Yet even without knowing most of this area, I didn’t worry over getting lost. After all I wasn’t going far.

I had a good idea of where I would find my missing uncle.

Rounding a building, I quickly found the familiar store made out of gold colored wood. It wasn’t as big as some of the ones around it, but it had huge windows. Gold windows, that glistened in the sunlight.

The building to the left of it was a dark green, while the one on the right was a deep brown. It made the gold building stand out, but also ugly.

And the outside of the building wasn’t the only thing that was ugly.

The sounds of many people, and music from an unrecognizable instrument began to drown out the rest of the town’s noise as I approached.

Through the windows, I could see dozens of people on the first floor. Scattered at tables, or at one of the bars lining the walls. There was a small stage near a stairwell, where two older men sat. They both had small wooden instruments on their laps, and they were plucking at the cords upon them.

I didn’t recognize the instruments, but I recognized the melody they were playing. It was a common festival tune, though normally I heard it during a real festival… not at a bar in the middle of the day.

“No…” I stopped myself, looking up at the sky. The sun wasn’t even in the middle of the sky. After all I just had my meeting, schedule for two hours before midday.

Before shaking my head and groaning, I spared a glance to the right. Over the roofs of the buildings behind me. Looming over them, covering half the sky was the Rift.

It hadn’t moved, at least.

Gulping, I refocused my attention on the task in front of me.

I’ve had years of experience of dealing with my drunken uncle… but usually I could just let him be. At home, he was merely a nuisance. A nuisance people put up with. Back then it didn’t matter to me if he slept the night away on some random dock or in-between someone’s warehouse.

Here I didn’t have that luxury. I not only needed to keep an eye on him, so he didn’t get himself hurt or worse… but also so he wouldn’t spend all our money.

And I really did need him. His presence alone deterred certain… issues.

Even though older, uncle Buth was still a man who spent his whole life hauling fishing nets. He was both tall enough, and large enough, that most people left him alone. And thus they would leave me alone, when he was with me.

Yet…

Walking through the wide open doors of the bar, I squinted as I tried to find my uncle. The air in here wasn’t that bad, but it did smell like hard liquor. It made my nose scrunch up.

“Don’t lie!” a man shouted nearby, and others laughed at him. The table he was at erupted into loud shouting, as to speak over the laughter, but didn’t seem to be because of anger.

Scanning the barstools, I was both glad and upset my uncle wasn’t sitting at any of them.

Was he not here? He usually sat at the bar itself, since he was usually alone and…

“Not the Rift!” a woman’s voice drew my eyes to my right. To a table near the corner.

Sure enough there he was. Sitting with his back to me. To his right sat an older woman with red hair, her entire focus on my uncle who was quit vividly telling her a tale.

“No!” she shouted, laughing. The way she moved and smiled told me she was as drunk as he was.

I sighed at the sight of him, and hated how relieved I was that he was all right.

Granted, I knew he’d be here. It was certain. Yet somehow, deep within me, even without admitting it… I had worried something bad had happened to him.

“Looking for someone?” a passing waitress asked, carrying an empty platter.

The waitress was older, and gave me a kind smile. One that told me she was expecting me to say I was looking for a father or a husband. Her look of pity was almost a balm on my annoyed heart.

It was moments like this that my appearance was both helpful and annoying.

“I found him. He’s fine,” I said with a point to my uncle.

“Ah. He was here when my shift started. About five hours ago. That’s Nera, she’s harmless. She’ll drink with him all day, but that’s all,” the waitress girl said, as if trying to convince herself more than me.

How often did she have to say such things, I wonder? How many children, or wives, came here searching for somebody?

“It’s fine. Thank you,” I said, and turned to leave.

Leaving the bar, I sighed and wondered how many coins he had. I had given him three before we arrived here. Just in case he needed something… but I knew he had some of his own money still stashed away.

After all, I’ve paid for everything on this trip. Absolutely everything. It was part our agreement… but…

Glancing to the paved ground, I wished it wasn’t so neatly done and so well taken care of. I wanted to kick something… and a pile of dirt or rocks would have suited me well.

Lena owned this side of town, but this wasn’t the restaurant or bar that she had referenced us too. And even if she was still willing to pick up my uncle’s bar tab, it wouldn’t surprise me if he still loses or spends the coins anyway. If not on the booze, then on the woman or some new found friend he couldn’t remember the name of.

Rubbing my temple as I walked away from the bar, and back towards the Red Inn, I wondered what I was to do.

I could separate him from that table. Even the bottle in his hand. But only for a short time. A few hours later, once I took my eyes off him, he’d sneak back to another bar.

And eventually he’d start sneaking to ones I’d not find. To avoid me.

First things first… I needed to go hide our coins. Now that he was drinking again.

He just had to be the last member of my family. Of all of them to survive the plague, it had to be the drunk…

It was obvious now that his crutch of sorrow was not the reason he drank. It may have been, the first night. But now he was back to his old habits.

There was nothing wrong with drinking, at least in my perspective. But neglecting everything else in favor for it…?

Though…

He had been somewhat fine during the trip. When he hadn’t been drinking.

Maybe I should just be thankful we made it this far without incident. Even if this was the deciding moment.

Four more meetings tomorrow. Three with guides… one with a merchant. Maybe I’ll get lucky and one of them will work for me.

I never expected my uncle to actually go through the Rift with me, after all. He had no reason to. He was after all, still a human. And older. Probably too old to safely venture through such a dangerous place.

And all of his dreams of grandeur, and confidence, had been used up saving Lena’s father all those years ago.

Yet still, I had expected his assistance up until entering the Rift. That had been part of our agreement, as well. To not only help me get here, but help me find a way to the other side. To the Lands of Power.

It took a whole year to get here… and it was as if my journey hadn’t even started.

Crossing the street, I noticed the Rift off in the distance. Taking up a good portion of the sky, looming over the cities colorful roofs.

A drunk behind me. A wall of terror ahead…

“What a great start,” I groaned.