We were back on the road the following morning, leaving Colkirk behind. If it was my decision, we would have remained in the city for a few more days. Though Elvor was a water mage, I would still prefer to take a closer look at his magic. And even if I did not learn anything, Simon might.

Instead, we left at sunrise and continued our journey, angling northeast. Again, this was not what I would have done if I had my way. I had noted a half-dozen places to visit, including a famous forgemaster, an expert on spatial magic, and three separate entries from A Study on Aether that might prove useful. Unfortunately, I was one of a group, and the others had other interests.

Days passed on the road, and our group fell into a pleasant, quiet routine. We traveled as far as possible, speaking with one another on various topics, both magical and otherwise, until sunset. When night fell, we made camp, splitting chores between the five of us to maintain a sense of parity. After eating, we would train either together or individually until we went to sleep.

I made sure to sneak out of my tent and practice for several extra hours when the others fell asleep. My potions and elixirs helped keep the edge of exhaustion at bay, but I still grew used to operating half-asleep at all times. It was worth it, though, as I slowly crept closer and closer to Mist.

Leon's arm recovered within two days, thanks to a high-quality healing potion and a salve provided by Simon. Though his physical wounds faded, the emotional ones seemed to remain. We had barely spoken since our argument, only interacting as needed and never for longer than a few sentences.

I knew I would need to apologize eventually, but I kept finding excuses to put it off. Part of it was a genuine hope Leon might understand my perspective and realize that his, while noble, was woefully naive. But the truth was I did not want to apologize. Leon might have a point, but I felt no guilt for showing Wallace the consequences of his actions.

Five days after departing from Colkirk, we reached our next destination. It was a larger town, over a hundred miles from the city and closer to the wilds than anywhere I had visited. Leon had a long-held dream of braving the frontiers of Ferren land, but none of us had the heart to argue with him. Aside from me, of course.

I had insisted it was a pointless stop. While this was technically a 'border town,' this was only in the strictest sense. We sat on the edge of settled, which still left several hundred miles of safe land between us and the true deep wilds. The magical beasts of this region might be more dangerous than those close to Volaris, but they paled in comparison to the monsters further east.

Thankfully, there was no real threat, but it seemed a waste of time. In the end, I was outvoted by the others, who had the same curiosity as Leon. Well, aside from Sophia, who had not bothered to express an opinion either way.

The border town had no name, as far as I knew. It was a wide thing, with farmlands on the outskirts surrounding a dense cluster of one and two-family homes, a few shops, and a mid-sized inn.

We passed by guards patrolling the roads, likely a town watch judging by their weapons and stiff grips on their spears. Despite that, both watched us with keen eyes as if measuring a possible threat.

Two trade carts sat outside the inn, a handful of workers unloading goods and walking crates to the rear of the structure. We led our mounts to the attached stable, tying them there before entering the building proper.

Inside was busy, not unlike Colkirk's inns. But while that city had felt warm, inviting, and alive, this was the opposite. The hustling here had a tense undercurrent as if everyone was readying for their deaths.

I glanced around the room, noting the looks of the people. Most sat with their heads downturned, scarfing down dinner just slow enough to not choke. Every patron wore thick clothes and some kind of armor, and even the workers had daggers belted by their sides. While I could not sense any mages, there were at least two magical items in the room.

Leon paused as we entered, seeming thrown by the tension in the room, but shook his head and pressed on, walking to the desk near the front door. A young woman about our age stood there with deeply tanned skin, dark hair pulled into a ponytail, and a slim, striking face.

She noticed Leon's entrance and smiled as she inclined her head towards him, "Good afternoon, sir. Looking for a room for the evening?"

Leon returned the smile, "Yes. Five, actually. Food as well, and space in your stable for our mounts if possible."

Her smile faltered a little, and she bowed her head again, "I'm sorry, sir, but we don't have that many rooms available. However, we could-"

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There was a crash as one of the other inn patrons threw his table aside. Another man stood and lunged, and they fell tangled to the floor. Others backed away as the two rolled, kicking and wrestling with palpable fury.

It took maybe thirty seconds for a few workers to walk over and pull the two apart. One of the men sported a bleeding, crooked nose, while the other had his right eye half-swollen shut. They were given a few seconds to catch their breath before they were led out the front door.

The room remained silent for another few seconds before quiet conversation resumed.

I had to respect the woman's professionalism as she turned back to us and smiled, "It seems we can accommodate you after all. Five rooms, you said?"

Leon chuckled, "Yes, that's right."

"Perfect! We'll need a few minutes to get your rooms ready, but I can bring you something to drink in the meantime. Please, take a seat wherever you'd like."

Leon paid, and we made our way to a table near the edge of the room, away from prying questions and wandering ears. The woman walked over several minutes later, placing glasses filled with water before us.

Rather than walk away, the woman stood beside Leon with a faint smile.

"So, what brings you out this way?" the woman asked, shifting her feet and leaning closer.

"Why do you ask, miss..." Leon trailed off before taking a sip of his water.

"Kara," the woman said with a smile.

"Leon," Leon replied, leaning both arms on the table, "Why do you ask, Kara?"

She shrugged, "You don't look the usual traveling type. Or the usual hunting types. You are hunters, right?"

Leon chuckled, "Sometimes, I suppose, but no, we aren't. We're mages."

I tried not to wince as the room went silent. Leon had said it casually, almost like discussing something mundane, and I realized I had not thought to warn him.

Volaris and Colkirk were magical cities filled with mages. They were common enough there that the mystique faded, and commoners treated us like dangerous mortals rather than figures of myth and legends. And for Leon, this was even more true. He grew up around magic and did not realize how these people might react.

Out here, you might go months or years without seeing a mage. Some of the younger townsfolk might have never met one in their lives. And now there were five of us sitting amongst them, carefree as could be.

Kara took it better than I expected. Her eyes widened, and her mouth fell open. She moved slowly, as if approaching a wild beast, and stood, smoothing out the front of her dress before pivoting on one heel and hurrying away. We watched as she made for a door beside the kitchen, glancing at us once over her shoulder before exiting the main room.

Only Simon seemed to realize what had happened, and he had slumped down in his seat. A few whispers filled the room, and I could feel dozens of eyes on us. Leon turned to me, and I could see the question there, but before I could respond, Kara returned, trailing another woman.

The other woman was obviously Kara's mother. The two had the same facial features and builds, though this woman had faint lines around the edges of her mouth and eyes, more gray in her hair, and stood an inch taller than her daughter.

The two stopped before our table and bowed at the waist with ramrod straight backs. They held that position for several seconds before the older woman said, "Please accept my and my daughter's sincerest apologies, honored lords. Had I known you had arrived, I would have greeted you personally."

Her voice trembled as if she was on the verge of tears, and Leon stood with both hands raised as he stepped closer, saying, "There's no need to apologize."

"We will prepare our finest rooms for you, my lords. And I will send a messenger to summon the mayor. Once more, I must apologize for this unforgivable mistake," the woman continued, bowing even lower.

Something about her words felt off, but Leon stepped forward before I could ponder it. The young noble touched her shoulder, and she flinched but remained bowed.

"Please," Leon said warmly, "Raise your heads. Both of you."

They followed his command without hesitation, though both kept their eyes lowered.

Leon either did not notice or did not care as he continued, "There's no need to apologize, and you did not make any mistakes. Please treat us as you would any other guest. And there's no need to send for the mayor. We plan to leave in the morning, and I'd rather not bother him."

Kara's mother hesitated, "Forgive me, my lord, but the mayor insisted that we inform him the moment you arrived. He sent word weeks ago, as I understand it."

Leon looked confused, but her words clicked into place.

"They were expecting us," I said, breaking the silence, "Mages, I mean."

The older woman's eyes flicked up to me before returning to the floor. She seemed to consider bowing again, then settled for a single, sharp nod.

"Yes, my lords. Once more, please accept my deepest-"

"It's fine," Leon insisted, "You said your mayor was expecting us?"

"Yes, my lord."

Leon glanced at me, and I gave him a half-shrug. He seemed to consider me for a few seconds, then nodded once and turned back to the woman.

"Well, I suppose it would be rude to ignore him then," Leon said, his smile unbroken, "Can you have our rooms ready for when we return?"

***

Kara led us to the mayor's home, a building only a little larger than the rest of the town. The man in question, a tall, rail-thin man in his fifties, answered his door with clear irritation. I did not blame him, as the five of us did not scream mages. Our clothes were designed for comfort and durability rather than fashion, and we looked barely older than children.

The moment Kara introduced us, his demeanor shifted. The mayor practically threw his door open and invited us into his sitting room, apologizing as he dragged a few chairs over from his kitchen.

"Please accept my apology, my lords," the man said, sitting down across from us and bowing his head low in a near-perfect echo of our earlier encounter, "Had I known you were arriving today, I might have-"

Leon sighed, then drew himself up and put on a stern expression, "Speak with us as you would any other member of this town. Polite but without honorifics and excessive apologies. Is that understood?"

Even Estton had his limits, it seemed.

The mayor paused briefly, then nodded, "Of course, sir."

"Thank you," Leon relaxed and smiled, "Now, please explain how you could have been expecting us."

"Yes, sir," the man replied, "I was not expecting you. At least, not you specifically. I requested aid months ago, but we were not told who would answer or when they would arrive. Only that one might."

Leon frowned, "I'm afraid I do not understand."

He looked towards me, and I answered the unspoken question, shifting Cat on my lap as I said, "Border towns such as these are not under the purview of any single noble. They are expected to fend for themselves for the most part. However, it is not uncommon to ask for a mage's assistance in rare circumstances."

"I see...and this is one of those?" Leon filled in, turning back to the mayor.

He nodded, "Yes, sir. There is...a problem not far from here."

"A problem?" Leon echoed.

The mayor swallowed visibly, then raised his head and met Leon's eyes, "There is a dragon in these lands."