Aran asks, "What was that?" Kara says, "I had one spellwrought tattoo left. It was Regenerate. It felt right to use it on Josel. It will be costly to replace that tattoo and will take a week or so, but it was worth it." Persi says, "What if…" Kara interrupts him, "I said no more what ifs. This was right. I know how gate guards are. He could have been corrupt and gotten his friends to rob us. But instead, he opened the door and let us through." She sits in the wagon and watches the city get smaller and smaller. The familiarity of riding in the back of a wagon brings back good memories; soon, she dozes off. Persi looks back and wonders how anyone can sleep while being jarred and shaken in the back of the wagon. She looks like she is on the most comfortable feather bed in existence.

She sleeps soundly all day. Aran says, "I don't know much about this Cubbie person." Ava says, "She is younger than me by several years, but her parents are both members of The Chain Breakers. Her godmothers are Khive and Princess, I mean Sasha." He chuckles, "So born with a silver spoon in her mouth…" Persi interrupts, "No, not at all. The training she has been through has been tougher than most." He glares at Aran, "Trust me when I say this. Working as an assistant to Sasha is probably the most daunting job you can imagine. She is no-nonsense and demands perfection." Aran says, "Sorry." Ava looks at Aran and Persi, "All of us have had tough times in one form or another. Regardless, Cubbie's mother and Kara are very close. They are like sisters. To Kara, Cubbie is like a daughter. We keep our eyes and ears open." Persi says, "Yes, mam." Aran laughs and shoves her playfully with his shoulder. Kara smiles as she pulls the blanket around her, drifting back to sleep.

By the time the sun starts going down, Sheelin Keep has come into sight. They see formations of soldiers breaking up to head in or to duty assignments for the night. Kara raises up to look around. Sheelin Keep looks much the same as it did eighteen years ago. There are a few more buildings outside the keep. Persi says, "Did you decide to wake up and join us? You slept all day." She smiles, "Riding in a wagon puts me to sleep." Aran says, "Everything puts you to sleep." She gets a big grin, "I don't disagree with that statement." Ava says, "It looks busy. Do you think we'll find an inn? Is there anything about this place we need to know?" Kara shrugs, "To tell the truth, I think I slept most of the time I was here before. Let's keep our heads down, find a place to bunk, and head out early. The road to Partways is long and potentially dangerous." Ava asks, "Should we ask about Cubbie or Quinshara?" Kara shakes her head, "I doubt they would remember anything about them. Cubbie knows to blend in, and a Priestess of The Dawn Bringer would intentionally try not to stand out, especially if she is trying to protect someone."

Sheelin Keep is crowded and loud. People shoving and pushing to get to wherever they are going. Aran says to everyone, "Keep a close eye on our stuff." He looks around, "We may be better just finding a place outside the keep and sleeping in the wagon." Persi pulls the horses to the right side of the street, "I agree." He snaps the reigns to get the horses moving again. Ava and Aran get off the wagon to steer the horse from the ground and clear the way. Kara pulls the blanket around her head and sits next to Persi while also watching the wagon's rear in case any would-be thieves think they are an easy mark. She has the uneasy feeling they are being watched, but it's so crowded she can't tell who or what.

They make it to the other side of the keep and exit to less crowded streets. She still can't shake the feeling. Her memories flow back to the prison when she would get the feeling one of the guards was about to drag her out. She shakes the thought from her head, "Everyone back in the wagon. We'll go a few miles, then stop when we find a good place." She looks at Persi, "No offense, but it's getting dark. I can see in the dark, and you can't. Let me take the reins." Ava and Aran jump into the back, and both say, "Is something wrong?" Kara shakes her head, "Just too crowded, and it'll be safer further away. We'll take watches tonight." Ava looks at her; she has spent so much time watching her that she knows when she's lying. She doesn't say anything.

She finds a clearing next to a stream about an hour after sunset, "I don't need much sleep, so I'll wake,,," Ava says, "You may not, but the baby needs you to rest." Kara looks at her, "Okay, but I'll take the first watch anyway. I'm not tired right now. Ava second watch, Aran third, Persi will take the last watch, and we leave at dawn. If you see anything, I mean anything that worries you, you wake me up first. CLEAR?" Everyone nods.

Ava lays her bedroll beside Kara and whispers, "I know something bothered you back there." Kara tilts her head and looks at her. "It's probably nothing, just a feeling. Maybe where we are." She looks at the dark outline of the mountains. Ava looks at them. Kara says, "The Ethereal Peaks. That is where Azura was defeated. That is where I died, and Elirae brought me back on one of those peaks. I'll tell you the whole story sometime. Now go to sleep."

Ava lays her head down, worried that something is bothering Kara and wondering what happened up there. "Ava floats in the air next to a cliff. The landscape on the mountaintop is charred, trees and boulders shattered, and some look as if they were melted into lava and then hardened. The girl in front of her, standing nude at the edge, catches her attention. She is badly wounded, covered in blood, far too much blood to just be her own. One arm hangs at her side, half of her face swollen and bruised black and blue. She steps toward the edge, dragging one leg, not daring to put weight on it. She looks down into the void below. Ava tries to yell at her, "NO!" She takes another step, seeing that the girl has given up hope. She lifts her head and smiles as if the next step she takes is salvation. Ava sees her face clearly as Kara swings the shattered leg out over the void to accept death. She shouts with all her might, "KARA!" A wave of light sweeps outward toward Kara, knocking her back." She snaps awake; Kara is leaning over her, "Time to wake up, sleepy head. It's your turn to watch. Ava sits up, "I'm awake, I'm awake." Kara smiles, "You are now. Aran is next." Kara lays on Ava's bedroll and is asleep, gently snoring within seconds.

Ava watches the lights around Sheelin Keep and looks at the stars, wondering where Nexus would have been among them. She tries to refocus, "I can't mess up. This is the first time I've ever been on watch." Her mind wanders as she watches lights around Sheelin Keep blink out, then turns back to the stars. A twig snaps somewhere in the darkness. She comes to her feet, fumbling with Dawn Breaker, "wh, who, who's there." There is no reply—just silence. Squinting to peer into the darkness, nothing moves. She looks toward Sheelin Keep. It's almost completely dark except for torches along the walls, "Shit, how long have I been on watch? Did I dose off?" She looks around at everyone; they are sleeping peacefully. The horses are tied next to the wagon. "You've got this, Ava, focus. I can feel the dawn. Crap, it's almost Persi's watch. Crap, crap, crap. I'll just wait and wake Persi. Crap." She walks around the camp, double-checking everything. She waits thirty minutes, then wakes Persi. He flinches when she touches his shoulder, "Persi, it's your turn." His eyes open, "I thought Aran was going to wake me?" She replies, "I couldn't sleep, so I just let him sleep." Persi stands, stretching as he does, "Anything to report?" She shakes her head, then remembers he can't see in the dark, "Nope, nothing." He looks at her in the darkness, "Try to get some sleep. We're going to ride all day." She lays in his bedroll. It takes a while, but she eventually doses off, only to be awoken almost instantly.

Kara is leaning over her again, smiling, "Come on, lazy, it's dawn. Time to pray." She doesn't remember falling asleep. Raising, she looks around; the mountains are outlined in pink; they are beautiful. Pink mists roll over their peaks, "Beautiful, I've never seen anything like it." Kara says, "That's why they are called the Ethereal Peaks. Modern stories claim it's the home of ghosts from the Ethereal Plane." She points toward the southern reach of the mountains, "In that direction is a town in the middle of a swamp called Rivermire. That's where I met my friends. It's where the quest that led us to The Dragon Queen began." Ava sits up and faces east. Kara says, "You lead, I'll follow." Ava says the tenants of The Dawn Bringer. Kara sits beside her, leaning on her shoulder, saying them in sync. Then she says the tenants of Galathor while Kara says the tenants of Veleris.

When they finish, Kara jumps on Aran, still wrapped up in his bedroll. "WAKE UP! DRAGONS!" Aran starts thrashing while Kara holds him down and laughs. He looks around. "Wait, I thought I had a second watch?" Kara looks at Ava. Ava quickly says, "I couldn't sleep, so I just stayed up." Kara shrugs and looks at Aran. "Consider it a gift, sleepy head."

She stands and starts piling up some wood for a fire. In the distance, bells in Sheelin Keep ring, announcing the morning. Ava helps her. When Aran goes to help Persi hook up the horses, Ava says to Kara, "I think I zoned out. I'm sorry." Kara stops, looks at her, and says a word in celestial, and the fire roars to life, "Our lives depend on being alert at all times. What if you went to wake Aran and found his throat cut? Don't let it happen again." Ava stands there in shock, "It won't, I promise."

They eat a quick breakfast. Aran asks Ava, "What's wrong? You're not normally this quiet." She looks at him, "I fucked up. I zoned out, dozed off, I don't know. That's why I didn't wake you up." He looks at her, "Oh. Oh crap. Does Kara know?” Ava nods, "I told her. She's mad at me. I think. I can't tell. It's not going to happen again. I'm sorry."

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

Kara walks around, "This looks as good a place as any." She sits in her meditative stance and starts speaking in common. She begins with the tenants and then switches to celestial. After a few minutes, a glowing ring of divine symbols appears on the ground.

She continues to speak; everyone watches quietly. The ring grows brighter, and after ten minutes, the ring lifts off the ground and floats upward. As the ring floats up, a creature appears from the feet up. In full view, it's a large marrowfang stalker, bigger than a horse, pitch black with ivory white tusks jutting up, a long tail, and yellow eyes. Kara stands, and then she and the creature approach each other. It turns its head so that it's looking straight down as Kara wraps her arms around its head in a hug. She continues to speak to it in celestial. Eventually, she calls the three of them over and introduces each of them. The only words they understand are when she says their names and turns to them, "Everyone, this is Chomasuke. Ava, I told her about you, and she's not opposed to you riding her. Don't be afraid. Climb up and take the reins." Ava asks, "Am I worthy, after,,," Kara places a finger on Ava's lips, "A lesson has been learned, right?" Ava nods. Kara says, "Take the reins and hold on." She smiles.

Ava walks around to the side as the big marrowfang stalker kneels. Just as she grabs the saddle's pommel, the Chomasuke moves its massive head toward her. Ava sees the mouth open, and then a long-wet tongue flicks out and licks her face, leaving saliva dripping off Ava's nose. Kara says “Chomasuke says “Hello”. Ava climbs on the saddle, and then, as she is barely settled, it leaps forward nearly 40 feet, landing and sending dust and dirt flying. It turns 90 degrees and runs with incredible speed. It's all Ava can do to hold on. She doesn't even realize she is screaming until a bug flies into her mouth.

While Chomasuke and Ava are getting to know each other, Kara says, "Time for Fearless. Calling him slightly differs, as he doesn't simply come to a divine call. He will come when I call for him from the Ethereal Plane; he is more of a friend than a mount. Hopefully, he will hear me. Stay close to me, and do not make any sudden moves, especially toward me until I've introduced you. Clear? And whatever you do, do not run. He would probably assume you were prey trying to get away." Aran and Persi nod with worried looks. Aran asks, "You do know what a normal horse is, don't you?" Kara smiles at him and begins to walk around. She speaks some words in a language that hurts his ears, and it sounds like the complete opposite of the language she used to summon the Chomasuke. She begins talking in that language, and Persi and Aran hear their names said a few times. Then, the smell of brimstone begins to drift in the air. Kara keeps talking.

Aran and Persi are nearly overcome with an overwhelming sense of dread. They hear her say "Ubi es, amicus meus? Opus mihi est tua ope. Perdita sum et domum invenire debeo. Fearless!" with enough force in her voice to shake the ground, then a nightmare of a horse steps from between the walls of the natural world and the ghost realm. It takes full form, it's the size of a warhorse, jet black, and its fur has a mirror sheen. There are blue flames where it should have a mane and a tail. Its eyes glow a bright blue, and its teeth are pointed and razor-sharp. The ground scorches beneath its hooves. Kara doesn't hesitate to wrap her arms around a monster's head as it bows down for her. The flames seem not to affect her. In common she introduces everyone. Even Chomasuke appears to be happy to see the nightmare, as it continues to bound and leap around with a now laughing Ava.

The nightmare nods its head to each, Aran and Persi, while Kara formally introduces them. They can see an unnerving intelligence in its eyes. Chomasuke slides to a stop, panting with her tongue hanging out. Ava's head and eyes seem to be moving in different directions as she looks at Aran and says hello to Fearless.

Kara leaps onto the nightmare with the grace of a master horseman and slides Misery into a scabbard on the saddle. Aran climbs onto the riding horse, and Ava now seems at home on the marrowfang stalker, although maybe still a little dizzy or drunk with excitement, it's difficult to tell. Persi takes the seat and the reins on the wagon. It takes a few miles before the horses let either the marrowfang stalker or the nightmare get near them since both are apex predators. At the same time, Chomasuke and Fearless seem more like old friends. Aran asks, "So, I've heard that paladins can summon mounts, and I assume Chomasuke is your summoned mount; how did you come about Fearless?"

Kara recalls, "I went to Hell to settle an old score. I found some devils torturing him, trying to break him. I destroyed the devils and set him free. I've had people try to break me and torture me. No one deserves that. He started following me, and I would talk to him. Then, when he would make a kill, he would share the "food" with me. I got involved in a battle and was overwhelmed. I thought I was going to be killed or worse. Then, suddenly, he was at my side. I swung onto his back, and he helped turn the battle into barely a victory. Since then, he has been with me, usually not far away, following me in the ethereal. He is a friend; he does not serve me. He doesn't always come when I call and doesn't always agree with me."

Kara asks Aran, "You're the one I know the least about. Tell me, how long have you been seeing Ava." Aran says, "I had seen her around Nexus and finally worked up the courage to talk to her. We had walked up to the roof of the eastern tower when the boundaries fell. We were trapped, at least until Persi came up, then we got ripped off the tower and sucked out into the sky. That's when we kind of met you." Kara says, "Persi seems to think you and Ava have a "thing"?" Aran blushes, "We've kissed once. That was it. I swear."

He hangs his head, "But she said she didn't feel a tingle. So, I guess it's over." Kara smiles at him and lets out a little chuckle. "Don't give up completely. Soulmates must meet for the first time at some point. But don't stop looking either; if your soulmate is out there, maybe you will find her or him?" Aran says, "Her, For me, definitely a her."

Kara thinks for a moment, then says, "At one time, if you asked me, that answer would have been no one. My last question, and I'll quit bothering you. How did you come to Nexus?" Aran says, "The Princess arranged a trade agreement with the ruler of my country. A trader needed workers, so I signed on. We traveled through one of those portals to Nexus, and I was supposed to go on to the next world, but I split off and hid. Then I just stayed. I did odd jobs around Nexus, and food was provided. All I had to do was find a place to sleep, and that wasn't much of a problem." Kara looks at him, satisfied with the answer. She says, "Well, you had made an impression with us on the training grounds. I’ve watched you working with all the different weapons and training further with the weights and other equipment. Are you happy with the mace?” He nods, “Yes, it’s great. It’s enchanted and far more than I deserve.” She smiles, “Never sell yourself short. Now, we need to figure out a name for our little group. What was the name of the trading company you had signed on with?" Aran says, "I think it was The Wandering Mountain Trading Company." Kara says, "I like that," then loudly says, "Welcome everyone to The Wandering Mountain Trading Company." Ava and Persi look at her, slightly confused.

The rest of the day passes quietly. Ava soon learns what Kara meant about riding a marrowfang stalker. She aches from head to toe, but it's so much fun she doesn't care. Chomasuke soon learns to respond to her commands, when she wants to. She seems to have been making a game of trying to throw Ava off or seeing how loud she can make her scream. Aran feels a little sore in the saddle. He's never spent much time on a horse. He enjoys watching Chomasuke play her games with Ava and even watching Kara ride Fearless. Fearless never seems to touch the ground; instead, it walks on pillows of flame that appear beneath its hooves as it walks. Kara talks to Fearless in that horrible-sounding language, and anytime Chomasuke gets near, she speaks to it in that angelic, celestial language. At one point, he swears she is acting as a translator for a conversation between the two beasts.

What surprises him is when Kara and Ava start talking in that dark language, Ava seems to speak it like it's her native language. He doesn't realize Persi has guided the wagon up next to him and is watching him. Persi interrupts his thoughts, "It's infernal." Aran snaps out of his daydream, "What?" Persi says, "The language they are speaking, it's infernal. The language of Hell, inferis normally know either infernal or abyssal, and Kara knows more languages than anyone I know. She has a knack for learning them. You should hear her speak, giant," Persi reaches over and grabs Aran's shoulder, "YOU'LL SWEAR YOU'RE ABOUT TO BE EATEN!".

Persi laughs. Aran asks him, "What languages do you speak?" Persi says, "Orc, Elven, and Draconic." Aran shrugs, "Well, I guess I'm the dummy; I speak Orc. You know, wow, the half-orc idiot speaks orc, and everyone applauds." Persi tells Aran," Don't put yourself down, so what you don't know a hundred languages. I've seen you fight; you make it look like fine art. If I had to fight, I would do more damage to myself than what I was trying to hit. What I'm saying is that we're all good at something. Give me my potions any day; those two, well, leave them out of it; they are in a class all their own. They can pull down divine wrath and calls on the gods for aid."

The following week passes quietly. Chomasuke hunts with Ava, while Aran hunts on his own. Every evening, they eat well, and Aran, Ava, and Persi get their soreness worked out. The nights are clear; Kara tells stories of her adventures with the various Guardian groups or about her adventures before Nexus with White Claws. She speaks fondly of Donjo, Valas, Whelp, and Thomas but refuses to talk much about Malachi. She talks about her children, grinning from ear to ear every time she mentions their names and the torments they've inflicted on Cyndra and Rinwauld. She teaches Aran and Ava different techniques while sparing. On the morning of the seventh day, Ava says, "I thought this adventuring life was supposed to be hard?" Everyone glares at her, "What? All I said was I thought…." Aran says, "Now you've done it." In the distance, Persi sees storm clouds, "Looks like it may rain tonight." Aran glares at Ava, "Never say that or anything like it." Ava shrugs, trying to look cute, "Sorry."

Kara calls a halt to the ride and guides them off the road into an area surrounded by boulders; she says, "If the rain holds off, we can have a fire here. The boulders will keep the light from being easily seen at a distance. We also have a good view around us for watches. I'll take the first watch, Ava, you'll be second, and Aran, the third watch." In the distance, thunder rumbles, and Aran says, "Probably no fire tonight. We can connect our tents to the wagon, then use the wagon to make one large structure for all of us." Ava says, "That's an excellent idea." Everyone pulls the tents out and starts setting up, using the wagon as a roof. When they are finished, they have one large area they can stay in. Kara tells Chomasuke and Fearless to return to their own planes, and she will call for them when they are ready to leave.

Just as she finishes, the first drops of rain start pattering down. She crawls into Aran's Tavern, as everyone has started calling it. They arrange blankets and bedrolls so that it's very comfortable. As much as Ava is trying to pretend she isn't hurting, it's pretty clear that she is still getting used to riding Chomasuke. Kara tells her to lie on her stomach while Kara straddles her and rubs her back. Kara's hands begin to glow as she sends some healing power into Ava. Then Kara looks at Aran, "What about you." Aran says, "Umm, no, I'm fine. Nothing to bother with." Kara smiles at him, "Have it your way. Just remember, the First Knight of Nexus offered to massage your back." Ava says, "I'll take it." Kara replies, "You're incorrigible." She goes to work on Ava again. Persi pulls out an elixir and pours it on a rock about the size of his head. The rock begins to glow with the heat of a fire. Outside, the thunder gets closer, and the wind picks up. Persi pulls out another elixir, says a few arcane words into it, and then uncorks it; a mist floats and spreads out from it. "There, I set an alarm spell. It will alert us if anything gets near." Kara says, "I still want at least one person awake at all times." Everyone nods. Ava nods off during the massage.