“Tell me the truth. Why did the soldiers only find sea urchins when they reached in and emptied our bags?” Henry sat across from his brother inside their cabin on the ship.

He had a meal prepared for them urgently, insisting that it didn’t need to be elaborate or even hot; he just needed to feed his brother. The result was Ash relieving his hunger by stuffing himself with leftovers from breakfast. In return, Ash had reached into his preservation bag to retrieve fresh ingredients. The same preservation bag that had been searched on the Ashtari ship.

When he did so, Henry stood to the side, watching with wide eyes. How was it removed so easily and from where? Why didn’t the Ashtari soldiers find anything else? And why didn’t the Mage sense anything amiss? Was the Magic Tower as unskilled as Ash vehemently believed?

Ash chewed his food and swallowed before answering. “The space portion is only accessible by the owner of the bag. This is a security feature I added after my last update.”

“I thought the last update was just to increase the size of the space.”

“That was part of it, yes. The space is like a warehouse and only the owner has a key. That’s why I had you all prick your finger and put blood in it,” Ash said. “Blood is the easiest way to claim ownership to a magic device that requires registering an owner’s identity. This isn’t anything new, but because the Magic Tower tends to put their products together hastily, and that those products tend to be resold and cycled amongst the populace, blood ownership registration isn’t a commonly used feature option, if they make it an option at all.”

Henry looked at his bag hanging on his bedpost. “If that’s the case, why didn’t the Mage notice it?”

Ash let out a small, derivative snort. “Mages can only sense magic signatures on items that are near or below their level of magic. A diamond-level Mage from the Magic Tower couldn’t pick up that I did something with the bag if his life depended on it.”

“I don’t know how powerful a diamond-level Mage is,” Henry replied as he leaned back on his chair.

Ash thought for a moment and then perked up. “It’s like an above average fire spirit wouldn’t know how strong Simir is until Simir let him know.”

Henry raised a brow. They didn’t know the full extent of Simir’s powers as a fire spirit, but they knew he was old and powerful. Henry had felt Simir unleash his full strength twice in his life, and it made his blood boil, as if he were ready to take on an entire army by himself. Raiju, who had been with him when Simir unleashed his strength, had cowered and was afraid of Simir for a few months after.

“I’m not sure how Simir would feel to be compared to you.”

“It’s an analogy,” Ash replied before taking another bite of bread. He chewed it and swallowed hard. “And it’s not far off. Master said my level of magic when we left already surpassed master mages.”

“What are master mages in the Magic Tower?”

“They’re the diamond-level mages, although there are different sublevels. However, they’re beneath a grandmaster mage; the title of which requires both magic power and ability, which includes subject knowledge and application.”

“Practical use, not just theory.”

“Precisely,” Ash said. “And currently, there are only two grandmasters in the Magic Tower. They’re clinging on to their spots because of a handful of Traceras Clan books they’ve been using as ground work for their own magic research.”

Henry frowned. “The Traceras Clan books are a closely guarded family secret. You either had to be born into the clan or were the direct pupil of someone in the clan.”

Ash shrugged. “I don’t know if they’re authentic or reproductions or assorted notes put together by their pupils, but it seems to have helped them.”

Henry nodded. The Traceras Clan were, at one point, the most prominent and strongest magic clan in the world. Before the Magic Tower, there were regular mages and the Traceras Clan. Countries or individuals who needed power would see their help, though the clan itself was more interested in magic research and the search of esoteric knowledge than world domination.

A combination of jealousy and resentment slowly ate away at the strength of the clan until only a few pockets of the family remained. At that point, much magic was lost, including the education process which laid the foundation for clan magic. There was one living member born to the clan left, and she was Ash’s magic master.

She had been present when Ash was born, clutching Ash’s mother’s hands to give her strength in order to ensure Ash was born safely and that the mother survived.

Under normal circumstances, the woman would’ve been a much sought after magic resource...had she been able to use it. Her head was a library of knowledge, it was just that she could not use magic.

With her, the Traceras Clan essentially died out.

Except Ash, born with an abundance of magical energy, became her pupil as soon as he could talk. It was something only their family knew of, as protecting Ash from predatory mages and powerful individuals looking to take advantage of a child for a private mage was of great concern. Ash had received his first space bag containing all the Traceras Clan books and assorted other magic and science books when they left. Now, Henry was sure that all of those books were in his brother’s head.

Ash finished off his food and put his hand over his stomach. “I hope they finish cooking soon.”

“You’re still hungry after all of that?”

“You’re not?” Ash looked towards him and Henry looked at the crumbs left on the small plate where he’d also been eating some bread.

“I used a lot of energy in the last twenty-four hours,” Henry replied, matter of fact. Ash snorted again.

He sighed and rubbed his head. “In all honesty, Brother, we will need to return to the Shallows. The barrier hiding the city will last and steer others away, but eventually, it needs to be surveyed properly.”

“We’ll bring it up with Auntie and she can discuss it with the Elder Council,” Henry replied. “They will have more of a right to survey the area than a foreign prince claiming to be the last remaining member of the Lunapsar royal family.”

Ash scoffed. “First he’s the Prince of Ashtar, and now he's the Prince of the Lunapsar? With what evidence? His words?” He scoffed. “His words are as good as a gambler’s promises.”

Henry took a deep breath. “The Emperor of Ashtar may believe him, but the Elder Council isn’t so ignorant or naive.”

Ash lowered his eyes and nodded a bit. “Where are we going to get the money? Funding a survey of the entire Shallows will be costly. What about the recovery portion? And then there is restoration work that needs to be done. We’d need to find a place to properly store everything. We can’t possibly store everything at the abbey.”

Henry rubbed his chin. “We can’t fund everything ourselves indefinitely. We still have a business to run.”

His brother was quiet for a bit longer. “We can do some more...part time jobs.”

“No.” Henry rejected the suggestion immediately. “We don’t have time to take on part time job after part time job. The company is just stepping into increasing our presence in the hospitality industry and we’re opening multiple locations at once, all while building multiple others at the same time.”

Ash tilted his head back and stared at the ceiling. “Then in place of quantity, we can target quality jobs.”

Henry gave him a dull look. “Quality jobs...you mean jobs that pay heavily.” Ash nodded. “Jobs that pay heavily are dangerous.”

“Yes, but aren’t we suitable for dangerous jobs?”

Henry squinted at him. “I want you to look Auntie in the eyes and tell her you are suitable to put your life on the line so easily. Let’s see if you’re so daring then.”

Ash cringed and sank back against his chair, as Henry expected.

“All right, I’ll just sell some more magical products.” He seemed resigned to this and Henry furrowed his brows with criticism. His brother found that putting himself in danger was less troublesome than selling magical products he could make at home.

Unbelievable. “There are always requests through the Adventurer’s Guild for magical products,” Henry replied. “Not everyone likes working with the Magic Tower.”

“With good reason, what with their stolen, inferior products....” Ash muttered beneath his breath.

“However, if you start taking on those requests, won’t you attract the attention of the Magic Tower? Especially since your products are better?”

“They already know I exist,” Ash said with a huff. Perhaps the Magic Tower didn’t know what Ash looked like, but they knew the name Ash Atractas, especially after the preservation bags went to market and were, as Ash put, poorly counterfeited. “What are they going to do? Try to stop me? Try to steal another product? Spread lies that I’m working with the devil in exchange for superior magical powers?”

Each sentence was spoken with greater disgust and annoyance than the previous.

The Magic Tower had put in so much effort, sort of killing him, over the years to bury Ash and his achievements after Ash refused to sell them his products or join and be under the control of the Magic Tower.

In regard to his magic, Ash had the right to be just as arrogant as a grandmaster due to his skill level, but a bunch of old men and women who spent their lives doing magic and were still inferior to a teenager wouldn’t accept him. Instead, they tried to take advantage of him.

Even at a young age, Ash wouldn’t accept that. Ash also had his mother backing him, along with various business associates. There was money behind Ash, and the Magic Tower didn’t want to make enemies with potential customers.

But that didn’t mean they didn’t try to capitalize on Ash’s work and claim his work as their own. Anytime Ash released something, the Magic Tower wasn’t behind in releasing an inferior version. When they couldn’t replicate Ash’s products well enough, they spread childish rumors about him, including that he’d made a pact with a demon.

Then fourteen-year-old Ash released a statement to the Magic Tower: if the gods wanted you dead, he would’ve made that true.

Then the Magic Tower reeled back their efforts, but still kept an eye on Ash’s products.

Henry cocked his head to the side. “Did you have a six-hour water breathing pill at the ready?”

Ash nodded with a shrug. “I wouldn’t have mentioned it if I didn’t have them. Those are rejects from my test batches.”

Henry raised a brow. “Your rejects are at levels the Magic Tower hasn’t reached yet.”

“I can’t help it if they’re too stupid to figure out how to adjust the formulas, replace ingredients, and research the exact properties of those said ingredients to extract the most important parts to create the most long-lasting pill. That isn't some secret Traceras knowledge.”

“What will you do if they come clamoring at our door to steal your products?” Henry asked.

Ash narrowed his eyes and fell into contemplative silence. “The only thing I can do. Deal with them the way the Federation of Merchant Cities does: litigation and economic embargo.”

“And if that doesn’t work?”

Ash raised a brow. “The world survived without a Magic Tower for millennia; it can survive another few without one.”

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Ash spent the majority of his time on the return journey home going through various products he made to focus on. Magic pills were a popular item and with interest growing about the Shallows, water breathing pills would be in high demand. Of course, neither brother wanted to increase the chances of the Shallows being looted by others, so water breathing pills were out of the question.

Henry didn’t bother the crew much, allowing them to focus on speeding up in order to make up for lost time. They were a few days off schedule, but it wasn’t severe enough a delay that it would cause much financial loss, if any.

His own thoughts were also on funding. Not that his family was greedy, but many things required money. In the years when they were moving around East Iveria, everything centered around building a foundation of wealth, as it was the only way they would feel safe.

His aunt’s contacts were priceless during this time. He hadn’t known too much about her life before she married in, except that she was part Lunapsar and was essentially forced to marry. He and his mother never spoke of his aunt’s past, so as not to upset her.

All he knew was that his aunt who loved him had her heart broken by a disloyal man. Henry drilled it into Ash’s head that he must never become a frivolous man like the one who hurt his aunt. He made it a point to avoid any romantic relationship where he felt it wouldn’t work out.

Besides, he was still young and had things to do.

This ignored the fact that both his mother and aunt had married when they were far younger than him.

When he was more settled, perhaps he’d open himself to such a relationship, but at the moment, he and his family still needed money. Money to advance their business. Money for surveying the ruins of a city. Enough money to take over a country, if it came to it.

“What’s a Dareisol naval ship doing here?” They reached Carthage Harbor before dawn and arrived at the island to dock by the south ports, where most large cargo vessels unloaded on the island before heading towards the mainland. He and Ash were the first to disembark. After thanking the crew and paying a bonus for their troubles, the two walked around the docks to get to the road that went to the North Point.

Military vessels did not dock on the island unless there was a conflict and the harbor needed protecting, or it was escorting someone of importance.

Henry craned his neck and looked over. The naval ship did indeed belong to Dareisol. It had the symbol of its navy and a flag, but there was only one modest-sized ship. There weren’t any other Dareisol naval vessels in the harbor either.

“It’s picking up personnel.” Henry deduced.

Ash furrowed his brows. “Why are there Dareisol military personnel on the island?”

Dareisol and the Federation of Merchant Cities were on good terms, with both being each other’s largest trading partner. Even their citizens were allowed privileges usually reserved for their citizens in each other’s territories.

Henry had an idea of who they were picking up, but couldn’t help his concern. Junior Commander Arelias was supposed to be convalescing after his injury. His sister had to bring him back to the island to live with their mother, after all. Dareisol’s military wasn’t in such poor shape that they needed to summon back an injured soldier.

“Head back to the shop by yourself. I’m going to make some inquiries,” Henry said, starting to veer off to cross the street.

Ash raised a brow for a moment before a glint of amusement cut across his face. His eyes crinkled up as a wide smirk appeared on his lips. “Going to visit Young Miss Arelias?”

Henry gave him a look. “Dareisol is our largest trading partner. If there is some conflict brewing, it would be good to know ahead of time.”

Ash scoffed. “Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night.”

“Go home, Ash.”

His brother gave him a dismissive wave and sauntered off in the direction of Snake, Scarab, and Sons. He stood in place until his brother disappeared from view before walking towards Apothecary Aoife, the store owned by the Arelias siblings’ mother.

He didn’t make it all the way to the store before he saw a familiar young woman walking out of a nearby leather goods shop with a brand-new leather horse saddle on her shoulder. Henry looked around. It seemed that she was alone.

“Elka.”

The tips of her pointed ears twitched and she turned around at the sound of her name. She was wearing drab, well-worn dark brown pants, and an off-white blouse beneath a dark green tabard. Her thick leather belt had a dagger in its holster, but she didn’t seem to have any larger weapons. No armor: she was in civilian clothes.

Her long honey hair was braided, almost reaching her knees. When she fought, she would coil her hair around her head to keep it out of the way. Her green eyes lit up as she saw him.

“You’re back! I heard you had to track down your brother. Again,” she said with a laugh. She continued to balance the saddle on her shoulder with ease.

Henry shook his head. “He didn’t get far this time.”

“Where did you end up?” she asked, grinning with amusement. He stopped just in front of her, their eyes almost at the same level. She was perhaps two fingers shorter than him after she finished her growth spurt.

“Caught him just outside the harbor, but we went to see the Shallows,” he replied. “But never mind about us. I saw a Dareisol naval vessel docked on the island. Are they summoning your brother?”

The amusement of her face fell, turning more serious in an instant. “No, it’s not my brother,” she told him. Henry’s eyes narrowed. If it wasn’t her brother, then there was only one other person.

“When are you leaving?”

The corners of her lips pulled up a bit, though her eyes didn’t match it. “This afternoon. I’m just picking up a few things before I leave.” She turned to show off her saddle, as if he hadn’t seen it on her shoulder the entire time.

He took a deep breath. “Is everything all right?”

She pursed her lips. “I’m not sure, but if my father is calling me back, then is something at the border.”

He glanced at the saddle once more. All the Arelias children were in the Dareisol military. Their father’s side came from a marquisate and were generals. From what Henry remembered, most of her siblings were traditionally trained with swords. While she and another brother were proficient enough, their focus lay with mounted archery and the use of lances when distance was closed. Elka and the youngest of the brothers were part of their family’s calvary.

“Is one of the principalities encroaching again?” he asked.

Elka furrowed her brows and took a deep breath. She shook her head and lowered her eyes. “It’s not the principalities. There are some ore mines outside the territory, though they’re owned by some noble families in Dareisol, they must properly lease the land from the principality it’s in. As part of the lease, they must be the ones to defend it and, as you know, since Dareisol’s ore is sourced from those minds, the Empire will defend them. This isn’t usually a problem, but there has been property disputes.”

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Henry furrowed his brows. “Between the nobles?”

“Worse,” Elka replied. “Another group is buying land adjacent to the mines and nobles alleged that they were trying to push this out. My cousin and his sub-battalion went to investigate and it is the case. Dareisol has to show its presence before the situation escalates.”

The Empire needed to back up the mine owners, else the other party could take advantage of them, pushing them out of the area and then taking over the mine. Part of him believed it was more a show of force; a silent warning from Dareisol to stop the other party, but even the slightest military movement had its dangers.

“Is there anything I can help you with?” he asked, his voice quieter.

Her expression grew soft. “No, not right now.” She kept his gaze and smiled. “Thank you, Henry.” She lifted her free hand and Henry readied himself for a handshake, a hug, or even just her hand on his shoulder. Before she could make contact with him, her hand stopped and hovered over his chest. She paused and cocked her head, looking past his shoulder.

Confused, Henry turned his head and immediately scowled.

Ash was standing near a fruit stall a few paces away, eating an apple as he watched with interest usually reserved for a play. He swallowed the piece he was eating and nodded towards them, encouraging.

“Don’t mind me. Please continue.”

Henry’s face reddened and he clenched his hands. “That little-”

“It’s fine! It’s fine!” Elka’s hand touched Henry’s chest and patted it to calm him. She shook her head, a helpless expression on her face as she looked at Ash. “So, you came back again, huh?”

“As you know, my brother came to get me,” Ash replied without any shame, as if he had been part of the conversation from the beginning. “Where’s the Junior Commander?”

“Get your hands off my sister!” An irate voice seemed to boom across the street. Elka sighed as she tilted her head back, exasperated. “How dare you take advantage of her in broad daylight!”

Henry looked at his arms, which were still at his side, before looking at the man on crutches hobbling towards them with reckless speed for someone injured. “I’m not touching your sister.” He felt Elka’s hand gently press and almost squeeze his left pectoral. He looked at her and raised a brow. Who’s taking advantage of whom?

She kept her hand on his chest as she turned to meet her brother’s fuming face. “We’re just talking.”

Junior Commander Arelias lifted one of his crutches. He leaned heavily against his other one as he put the crutch between the two and tried to push Henry to the side. Henry rolled his eyes and took a step back.

“Stay away from my sister, you pretty boy!”

“Thank you for the compliment, Junior Commander. I do make a point to nourish my skin,” Henry replied in a deadpan voice.

This only served to irritate the other man further. He opened his mouth to yell, but Elka grabbed his arm with her free hand and pulled him back. “You are supposed to be in bed. How did you get down the stairs without someone to help you?”

Her brother almost choked. “Elka, are you trying to lock me up?”

“Yes.” The Junior Commander sucked in a sharp breath and Ash turned his head to the side and muffled his snort-laugh. Elka continued with her scolding disapproval. “You’re not supposed to be up and walking. What part of convalescing don’t you understand? You’d think the son of an apothecary would know better!”

“Well, I don’t!” Her brother shot back and both Henry and Ash crinkled their eyes with judgment. It was rare that they’d met such a stubborn, shameless person – and they worked in customer service. “The others aren’t here to keep you from falling prey to them!” He waved his crutch at both brothers.

Ash drew his head back. “When did I have anything to do with this? I am an innocent party.”

“You call yourself an innocent party with your face?”

“What’s wrong with my face?”

“Nothing! That’s the problem!” the Junior Commander bellowed.

Both Henry and Ash stared at him as Elka ran a hand down her flushed face. Ash crossed his arms. “Your prejudice against good-looking people is very unbecoming, Junior Commander. It’s not very gold standard of you. Simply because my brother and I are ridiculously good-looking doesn’t mean we are bad, immoral people who try to lure women to their ruin.”

“And if I recall, you don’t have a problem with my aunt,” Henry added. This made Ash’s exterior turn cold.

“You looked at my mother?” he asked in a low voice. His eyes seemed to home in on the Junior Commander. He moved closer, his icy gaze never leaving the Junior Commander.

His face reddened as he hastily looked away. “I was just surprised since she usually wears a face covering. I didn’t expect her face to be so breathtaking!”

Ash let out a disgusted grunt. “Don’t ever call my mother breathtaking.”

“Hah! Well now, you know how it feels!” The older man argued with Ash and Henry shook his head.

“I never called your mother breathtaking!” Ash snapped back. “My mother is deserving of such an adjective. That’s why I turned out looking like this-”

“Rein it in, Ash.”

“I’m just saying, just because Momma is beautiful doesn’t mean this oaf can just gawk at her!”

“Who are you calling an oaf-”

“You, you hobbling invalid!”

“Okay, that’s enough.” Henry slapped his hand over his brother’s mouth. He looked at Elka and gave her a nod. “Young Miss Arelias, safe travels. May your battles be decisive and swiftly won.”

“Thank you, Young Master,” Elka replied, her voice much more formal as she squeezed herself between her brother and Ash, who continued to glare at the older man who was almost twice his size. “Let me know when your family opens an inn in Dareisol. I will pay a visit.”

“We’ll make sure to reserve a room-”

“How dare you lure my sister into an inn room-”

“Brother!” Elka pulled her brother’s arm back and shot him a glare.

“Release me, Elka! I am injured, but I can take them!”

“No, you can’t.” Three voices all countered him at once, making his face turn even redder.

“Even your seasoned general father can’t beat our mother,” Ash said, lifting his chin once he managed to pull Henry’s hand down. “And you think you can beat us?”

Henry let out a heavy sigh and began dragging Ash away. “Good-bye, Young Miss, Junior Commander.”

“You’re not your mother, boy!” The Junior Commander yelled. “Elka, don’t pull me!”

Ash puffed out his chest. “Young Miss!”

She sighed, appearing tired from having to deal with both of them. “Yes, Second Young Master?”

“Catch!” She turned around and caught a small packet that was thrown at her. She snatched it with her free hand just as it was about to fly past her shoulder. She furrowed her brows and looked at the thick, hand sized envelope.

“What are these?”

“Slips that can be activated by blood. There are about a dozen in there with different effects. I don’t know what’s happening, but just in case. You know how to use them,” Ash told her as Henry stopped dragging him.

Elka looked at the packet and smiled a bit with both appreciation and fondness in her green eyes. She nodded. “Thank you.”

“You have to come back to us alive or my brother will be sad-”

“Let’s go, Ash!” Ash was suddenly hoisted onto his brother’s shoulder and was carried away.

Henry fought down the slight heat on his cheeks as he walked away, carrying his brother like a sack of grain as the Junior Commander yelled at them over the sound of Elka trying to calm him. They made it a block before Henry put Ash down.

“Do you enjoy arguing with the Junior Commander that much?” Henry asked, giving Ash a light smack on the back of the head.

Ash lifted his hand to rub his head. “He started it.”

“You followed me.”

“I thought there would be a good show.” Another smack was heard and Ash winced. He shot Henry a scowl. “Did you find out what was going on in Dareisol, at least?”

“Not too many details, but she’s being called back because of territorial issues around mines leased from the principalities,” Henry replied.

Ash made a slight face. “Everyone knows those mines are connected to Dareisol nobles, and that they pay an ungodly amount to mine there. Who’s so daring?”

Henry shrugged. “I have no idea, but Auntie was right about avoiding leasing from the principalities in East Iveria.”

Ash let out a small snort. “You know firsthand how greedy they can be. Fifty-year leases for astronomical rates, but the leaser has to be the one to do all the work? They’re also required to hire only locals and have to pay more if they want to bring in their own geologists and engineers. I don’t know how they’re making any money.”

“Speaking of money, are you going to stop by the Adventurer’s Guild to look through magic item ads?”

“Might as well. Most of my money is tied up in some of my investments right now, so if I want to assist with the survey of the Shallows, I’ll need to start fulfilling requests.” Ash grasped the sides of his head and groaned. “I need more liquid funds.”

“Just make sure to check on the background of the requestors. Don’t just hand out products to any random requestor.”

Ash let out a small hum of agreement. When they reached their block, Ash turned to go to the Adventurer’s Guild while Henry went to the tea shop. He checked in with Margeaux first, was reassured that nothing out of the ordinary had happened or needed immediate attention, and then headed upstairs to his family’s house.

Several packages had been delivered, including Ash’s mulberry paper. Henry sorted through their mail after putting his things away.

When Ash returned with a few requests on hand, he showed them to Henry. “I’m having Drae keep an eye out for any suitable requests, but these are doable. I already have some items available that I can send out.”

Henry looked over from where he was heating a kettle and nodded. He glanced over several pieces of paper and furrowed his brows. “Um...is that one not a request for assistance to find a missing dog?”

Ash gave him a sheepish smile. “It’s local, in the east village.” He separated the paper from the others. “Look at it. Drae says a little girl posted it the other day. She paid a few coppers to post it, but since the pay is so low, no one will bother.”

Henry smiled a bit as he looked at the spot where the payment was posted. It was a dozen copper coins. That was nothing to most people and an adventurer might as well have been doing the job for free. However, the writing was clearly that of a little girl who had gone on to describe how much she loved her dog.

She even drew a little black dog with gold eyes with a big pink bow on its neck. He thought of Effie. Auntie posted Effie’s drawings in prominent places in the house, which made them stand out against the elegant, expensive decorations. The first subject Effie drew, as far back as Henry could remember, was the family’s pet, Commodore.

He could understand why Ash felt compelled to take on the task.

“When did the dog go missing?”

“A week ago,” Ash said, tilting his head as he re-read the scribbled ad. All posts for jobs, no matter how small, used the same format. It usually contained a brief paragraph on the job and the adventurer would request more details from the guild. In this case, the little girl had filled a quarter of her sheet with the dog’s drawing. “I figure I’m a registered beast tamer, so I could give it a try. If Effie were here, she’d want to help.”

“And it would be easier for her, since she can speak to animals,” Henry added. He gave his brother a nod of approval. “If you find the dog, don’t charge her.”

“I know,” Ash replied. “I’m not going to demand money from children.”

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When a job was picked up, the Adventurer’s Guild would let the requestor know either through the inter-guild messaging system or by messenger bird. Sometimes both if the requestor was really far from the nearest guild. In the case of the little girl with the missing dog, since they were both local, Ash went directly to the address the guild provided along with her request stamped by the guild.

North Village was the urban center of the mainland surrounding Carthage Harbor. South Village was a rural, agricultural area. East Village was industrial and where the bulk of warehouses housing goods to be traded first. It was where the Great East Port was that dealt with the majority of goods shipping.

Most buildings close to the water were for industrial and trading purposes. Those who lived in the East Village lived further inland, so when Ash got off the ferry, he took a commuter trolley inland. He passed the rows and rows of warehouses, the narrow brick office buildings, and the numerous open air supply yards.

The part of East Village where most people lived consisted of rows of simple wood and brick houses on narrow, and sometimes awkwardly shaped, plots of land. Unlike the area close to the port, village portion had grown organically, with meandering streets and portions built with different materials and at different times, resulting in a hodgepodge of different buildings.

Sometimes, there were large streets and open plazas. Other times, there were narrow alleys only children and animals smaller than a medium sized dog could squeeze through that led to shared courtyards.

Ash checked the address on the request paper and the hand drawn map Drae had drawn for him on the back multiple times. Once he stepped off the commuter trolley at the main plaza, it was a careful treasure hunt for the little girl’s house.

In this area of the city, there weren’t many people of Lunapsar background, as he caught and ignored many people who did a double take when they saw him. He was so used to being in urban, densely populated areas used to seeing other Lunapsar, that he’d almost forgotten what it felt like to be gawked at because of his silver-white hair.

At the very least, there was no malice, just curiosity and some surprise.

Twice he stopped to ask someone for directions and everyone was polite to him.

After squeezing himself through a narrow alley, he found himself in an old courtyard that still had hard packed dirt and a stone well. The homes surrounding the well were old and rundown, covered with soot and edged with overgrown plants.

“Eight...eight....” It was the eighth house in the courtyard and after figuring out which house was one, he counted down until he found the eighth house. The steps were made of solid blocks of stone and he climbed up the two steps to knock on the door.

At first, no one answered. He knocked again and waited.

Still no answer.

His eyes looked around the yard and he furrowed his brows. Now that he thought about it, he’d come in the middle of a work day, in the middle of the week. Everyone should’ve been at work and young children would’ve been in primary school, which was compulsory in the Merchant Cities.

Okay, this is my fault. Ash was relieved no one was there to see his embarrassment for such an out of touch mistake. On the island, merchants tended to live right above their shops, so someone was always home. Sighing, he took a seat on the steps.

He’d come that far. He might as well wait.

He reached into his bag and took out a sandwich. Eventually, someone had to come back.

Ash went through three sandwiches by the time someone reached the courtyard. An older woman was surprised to see him and he quickly explained who he was.

“Oh...that poor girl.” The old woman put her hand to her chest and shook her head. “It’s as if all the life has been taken out of her after Shadow ran away.”

“Her dog ran away?” Ash asked.

“Well, what else can happen to it?” the old woman asked. “Usually, he stays at home, but apparently, one day, someone left the window open just enough and Shadow got out. The entire block went to help search, but we couldn’t find hide nor hair of the poor thing.”

Ash frowned a bit, but nodded. He looked at the request paper still in his hands. “Thank you for telling me.”

Some information was better than no information, so when people started trickling in, Ash would introduce himself and ask what they knew about the missing dog.

After asking four adults and seven children, the consensus was Shadow had escaped while no one was home and ran away. He rubbed his chin and leaned against a wall of the girl’s house, thinking about the possibility. It was a likely scenario, and if he were honest, it was the most logical one.

Not all pets were like his family’s pets who would come back after their excursions. Commodore hardly left Effie’s side, and if they left him at home, with all the doors and windows open, they’d find him sprawled on the floor by the entrance, pretending to be pathetic and weak, as if he’d been abandoned for days.

“Excuse me, sir.” A small, high voice spoke up and he lifted his eyes. It took him a moment to look down to see a little girl in a school-issued uniform with a worn leather bag across her body. She looked up at him with brown eyes filled with hesitation and hope. “Are...are you here from the guild?” Her eyes darted to the request paper still in his hand.

Ash followed her gaze and then offered her a gentle smile. “Yes.” He showed her the paper. “Are you Miss Theresa Pinon?”

Her face lit up. “Yes! Yes, are you here to help me find Shadow?” The hope was spilling over and Ash felt his chest tighten.

He sincerely hoped that he could find her dog.

He kept an unshaken smile on his face and nodded. Ash knelt down in front of her to be eye level. “Yes, I’m a beast tamer. I’m registered with the Adventurer’s Guild. Here’s my identification.” He reached into his tabard’s inner pocket to show her proof of his identity. He wanted to assure her that he was legitimate.

She furrowed her brows and pouted, reading his information out loud. When she got to the end, she nodded in satisfaction.

“I knew someone would come to help.” It seemed she had been putting a lot of hope in the Adventurer’s Guild. She hesitated for a moment, her breath catching. She chewed on her bottom lip. “Is...is the payment okay? I don’t have a lot of money.”

Ash wanted to assure her right then and there that payment would not be necessary, but doing so would be somewhat suspicious, so he held back. “Yes. I’m a local, so this doesn’t require much travel for me. I shouldn’t have any expenses either.”

She let out a heavy sigh of relief. “I’m glad...this is all the money I saved so far.”

“This year?”

“In my life!” She puffed out her chest, appearing proud.

His stomach caught in his throat. “How...how old are you?”

“I’m eight!”

Ash held back a pained groan. The child could easily pass for six, though she was a year older than Effie. “Eight is a rather good age. My little sister is seven,” he said. He folded up her paper. “When we find Shadow, I’ll need to ask you to sign the request paper to confirm that the quest has been completed. If I don’t find your dog within a week, I will repost the request at my own cost.”

Theresa seemed satisfied with this as she nodded her head. She extended her hand. “I agree!”

Ash chuckled and reached down to shake it. Before he could touch her hand, the little hand was pulled away. Theresa let out a cry of surprise as her legs hung in the air. Ash looked up and saw a tall, burly man holding on to her, clutching her against him as if to keep her safe.

Ash raised a brow. “Mr. Pinon, I assume?”

“Who are you? What are you doing here and what do you want with my daughter?” the man demanded at once. His voice was loud and a few people around the yard looked over.

“Dad! He’s from the Adventurer’s Guild! He’s here to help me find Shadow!” Theresa tugged on her father’s neck earnestly. When her father didn’t respond immediately, she looked to Ash with worry. “Ash, show him the paper!”

Ash first held out her request paper. “You can see the embossed stamp of the Carthage Harbor Adventurer’s Guild here. In the corner is the seal of the assignment coordinator, Draecearus Olora approving my taking on this quest.” The man kept his eyes narrowed, scanning the request paper before looking at Ash. The suspicion didn’t seem to have lessened. Ash reached back into his tabard for his identification document.

The father didn’t seem to want to take his eyes off Ash, but still glanced at the document, if only as a courtesy.

The intense scowl on his face turned to shock as his eyes dilated. He looked at Ash, then back to the document. “You...you....” He looked back at Ash once more. “Are you related to the Atractas family of Carthage Harbor?”

My name is right there. Ash held back an eye roll. “Sir, there are only four members of the Atractas family,” he said. “So yes, I am related-”

“The Second Young Master!” Someone shouted. One of the men who’d arrived earlier covered his mouth with his hand while the other pointed at Ash. “I knew you looked familiar! You’re the Second Young Master, aren’t you?”

“Is that true?” The father looked at his neighbor and then back at Ash. His face began to pale.

“Yes, I do a lot of work with the Adventurer’s Guild,” Ash replied. “If you don’t believe me, you can-”

“I believe you! I believe you!” The father replied. He quickly put his daughter down and gave her a gentle push forward. “Terry, say thank you to the Second Young Master for coming all this way!”

Theresa’s eye remained wide and it didn’t seem that she fully understood what was happening. In truth, Ash wasn’t sure he fully understood either. “Oh...um...thank you, Second Young Master.”

“You can call me Ash-”

“No, she can’t! You are the Second Young Master of the Atractas family! How can my daughter-”

“Sir, while a title of respect is appreciated, we’re not nobility. In addition, I came here not as the Second Young Master of the Atractas family, but as Ash, Recovery Agent with the Adventurer’s Guild.” I have been waiting to use that for so long...it sounds so good! I need to take more quests like this.

The man nodded his head. “Then, please come in, Second Young Mas-”

“Agent Atractas is fine.”

“Yes, Agent Atractas!” The man took his little girl’s hand in his and helped her up the steps before opening the door. “Please excuse the mess!” He let out a nervous, embarrassed chuckle. “Terry’s mother left us when she was very small, so it’s just us two-”

“And Shadow!” Theresa gave an insistent shout before she released her father’s hand to light an oil lantern.

“Yes, yes, and Shadow.” The father gave his daughter a fond, but sad smile. He looked at Ash, who stood by the door until he was instructed where to sit. “My daughter and I found Shadow several months ago. She was just a puppy then. Terry couldn’t leave her and she looked so happy, so we brought her home. Terry had been ill for some time, so when she saw Shadow, she was so energetic, I couldn’t say no.” The man wore a bittersweet smile. “I don’t regret bringing her home, though. Terry’s gotten better. I think just having Shadow around gives her something to look forward to. Shadow grew up fast and I’d bring home scraps of meat from work to feed her, so it’s not difficult.”

“Was she left at home all day?” Ash asked. The man motioned for him to take a seat on a wooden bench beside a long table or counter. There were still plates, bowls, and cups stacked on the table. He looked around the cramped kitchen which tripled as a dining and living room.

The corners of his lips curled up. He remembered staying in such small living quarters when he was little. Momma always let him and Henry sleep in the most comfortable places, even if it was just a mat with a blanket on the floor.

“We’d take her out in the morning and when we got home,” the man replied.

“I always leave her lots of water to drink and left overs to eat,” Theresa said as she climbed onto the bench next to Ash. “Shadow isn’t picky. She says she likes the food Dad makes.”

Ash smiled a bit at her. “She wags her tail when she eats?”

“Yes. She always says ‘yum’ and ‘very good’,” Theresa replied with a wide smile. Ash looked over at her father, who gave him an awkward smile.

“Terry says that Shadow talks to her,” he told Ash. “To me, she just sounds like she’s making chuffing noises.”

Ash narrowed his eyes. “Does she bark or howl? I asked the neighbor and they said that they don’t hear any noise.”

“No, Shadow is very well behaved!” Theresa replied. “But when she talks, Dad can’t hear her.”

Ash looked to her father again and he shook his head. “I know what you’re going to ask, and no, Terry isn’t a beast master. It seems the only animal who ‘talks’ to her is Shadow.”

“I see....” Ash trailed off. He smiled at Theresa. “Miss Pinon, can you tell me more about Shadow: what she looks like; how big she is?”

Theresa nodded. “When we brought her home, she was this big.” She held her small hands close together. “But now, she’s this big!” She threw her arms out as far as they could go. Ash looked to her father once more.

The man smiled weakly and held out his arms. While he didn’t throw them out, the space he held them at was larger than what his daughter could show. “Shadow’s head reaches my waist now.”

That was an impressive growth spurt considering this man was taller than he was. “Does Shadow have anything special about her?”

“She disappears into the night!”

“She means that Shadow is so dark that at night, we can’t see her.”

“No, Dad! Shadow really disappears! She melts into the darkness like a cloud! I told you!” Theresa pouted. “You don’t notice because you’re snoring!”

Ash drew his lips inward to keep from laughing as the other man flushed. “Terry-”

“Ash, she really does disappear!” Knowing her father wouldn’t believe her, Theresa tried to convince him instead. “She used to do it all the time when we played hide and seek. She showed me how she did it. One minute she’s there, then she starts to float and turns into a cloud, and then goes to hide in a shadow. That’s why I named her Shadow!”

Ash cocked his head to the side. “You’re sure she’s always done this?”

“Yes!”

“By any chance, do you hear her voice in your head?” Ash asked. “No sound comes from her, just in your head?”

Theresa nodded, elated that someone seemed to believe her. “Yes! Lately, I haven’t heard from her. I can’t find her. I can’t hear her....” Her eyes reddened. “I don’t know where she is. What if she’s hungry? Or cold? What if she’s lonely?”

Ash nodded his head slowly. “I see...Do you mind if I look around and ask your neighbors more questions?”

Theresa shook her head. “Please do what you need to do to find her.”

Ash gave her a gentle smile, almost patting her head. He then went through their home and then door to door around the courtyard. When it got dark, he promised he’d return the next day to continue asking around the surrounding area. Theresa and her father thanked him and saw him off.

When he returned home, Henry was in the kitchen, apron on and tasting what appeared to be a stew.

“Welcome back,” he said without looking over his shoulder. “Have you found the dog yet?”

Ash let out a small, but negative hum and sat down on a stool at the counter. “Brother, can I talk to Raiju for a moment?”

His brother was quiet, but a moment later, the air in the kitchen changed. There was a buzz of energy in the air and on the floor, next to the counter, a golden wolf with a main of white hair that moved like mist around him sat on the ground. His eyes were silver and they met Ash’s at eye level.

“Second Master, it’s been a while!” The voice of an energetic and happy spirit echoed in his head.

“I see Naali more than you. You should appear more,” Ash grinned. He reached out to scratch the spirit under the chin, as if he were a real wolf. “Raiju, I have a question.”

“Sure, Second Master!” His tail swished from side to side as Ash moved to scratch behind his ear.

“Are there any spirits that look like dogs, but are all black with gold eyes?”

“All black with gold eyes?” Raiju opened his eyes and seemed to think for a moment. “I can’t think of any that are all black with gold eyes. Are you sure they’re a spirit?”

Ash furrowed his brows, but nodded. “What else can they be?”

“A hellhound.”