After two days of consideration, I decide to tag alongside Oraya’s army instead of going alone with Ulrika through hostile lands. Oraya is moving her army north within the next few days. Under our King Menassah’s order, the Kromagian troops will maintain the peace here in Galfalian and Stoneglen with a portion of the succubus army.

I gather our horses outside Haleema’s tent while Ulrika checks our bedroom for anything we forgot to pick up. After a minute or so, she walks out empty-handed. I triple-check everything on our horses. All items seem to be accounted for, but one important piece comes to mind.

“Do you have your ring?” I say. She removes her glove to show me the ring.

“It was the first thing I made sure I had,” she says.

“I’m ready,” I say with my hand out to Ulrika while I keep a hold of the reins of her horse. “I’ve made my decision.”

“Good,” Ulrika says as she takes the reins. “What have you decided?”

“Option two,” I say.

“Wonderful,” she scorns in a light gag. “More time with these people.” When she says these people, she nods toward a couple of succubus soldiers walking away from us. “Why must you do this to me?”

“Would you rather be alone in a country we do not know that’s occupied by Nite?”

“Yes,” she answers without hesitation. “It’s the better choice.”

“How?” I ask, jumping into the saddle of my horse. “That sounds dangerous and reckless.”

“Kaioson,” she sighs with one hand aggressively rubbing her forehead. “Do you want to participate in more battles?” She catches herself when the volume in her voice increases. I take a moment to think about that possibility. Dealing with another fight doesn’t sit well with me. If I continue with option two, there might be a greater chance something will happen to us. “I can see it in your face. You don’t want that... You’re not a soldier.”

“I know. You don’t have to remind me.”

“I will continue to remind you because you think this is okay,” she says, inching closer to me by moving her horse sideways. I’m confounded but not mad by the level of concern. She’s exposing how hypocritical I am acting right now. “We’re going alone together, and that’s final.” She keeps her eyes on me as if she’s waiting for me to say something.

“What?” I chuckle.

“I... uh... I thought you were going to challenge my decision.”

“Why should I? I trust your wisdom.” Now she’s the speechless one. “Do you have an alternative route to the north?”

“I do. I’ve memorized a second route. Are you ready for the long journey?”

“Let’s go.” Haleema speaks to me through telepathic communication the second we hit the city streets.

“I assume you’re on the hunt again, yes?” Haleema says.

“That’s correct.” I casually look around to see where she’s located but can’t find her anywhere.

“Just in case you run into some high-value targets.” Out of nowhere, a satchel straps around my left shoulder. “This will keep the money flowing into your pockets.”

“Thank you. Ulrika and I will put this to good use.”

“Farewell, Kaioson. I shall pray for you and Ulrika’s well-being. Also, there are two rings in there that should be enough for all the bounties.”

The pressure in my ears pops from our communication ending. I finally spot her sitting alongside Glysith and her lover in front of Catsha’s pub. Haleema gives us a thumbs-up as we walk by. Ulrika and I wave them goodbye. Glysith waves goodbye too then shows me she’s wearing the ring by pointing at it.

“Don’t lose that!” I say.

“I shall be on standby when I’m needed,” Glysith declares while giving me a Kromagian salute. She rests her right arm over her chest with the hand flat on the collarbone. I respond with the same gesture. I’m surprised she knows that about my people.

“Time to pick it up a bit,” Ulrika says. We send our horses galloping down the street. A checkpoint allows us to pass through without questioning where we’re going. “Awesome! I don’t have to put on my friendly voice!” I remember the reference and can’t help but laugh out of my nose.

“What a moment that was.”

“Let’s hope we can enter the country without too much trouble.” She finally notices the satchel around my shoulder. She squints her eyes and points at it. “When did you get this?”

“Haleema made it appear on me. She gave us bounties.”

“May I see what she picked for us?”

“Sure.” I hand her the satchel after we slow down. She takes out all the bounty papers then puts the satchel around her right shoulder. For a minute, she reads through them thoroughly, checking the front and back—some she rereads.

“Kaio... We got one fifty-five miles northeast of Stoneglen. A place called Swan Hill.” Lucky us.” That’s the town I plan on staying in as the halfway point from the land of the fairies.

“Name?”

“Isuni Shedon. He’s an elf.”

“An elf?” I chuckle. “This far down south? I wonder what he’s doing here?”

“To fuck them, of course.” I’m going to ignore her response. All that time being surrounded by succubi seems it hasn’t changed her mind about seeing them not as sexual creatures. The bad apples have tinted any form of redemption in for the good ones. It’s unfortunate, but I’m not going to entertain defending them anymore.

“What is his crime?”

“He stole from a Nite supply transport when they were seizing my city.”

“So,” I say, elongating the word. “We’re doing Nite a favor?”

“Sure looks like it. The Paladins are paying good money, so we’re taking it.” She stuffs the bounties back into the satchel. “Besides, the more the coin, the merrier we are.”

“You’re not wrong on that.”

I catch her beautiful smile out of the corner of my eye the moment I look forward. When I take a double-take, she’s looking forward still smiling. I decide to stay silent and not disturb this perfect profile image she’s creating. She catches me staring at her by quickly glancing her eyes at me. I look at the sky to pretend I am not looking. Her light giggle makes me blush at how nervous I’m acting. This is my wife, my savior on so many occasions, my soulmate, yet I am timid by a sudden gaze.

“It’s okay. I get them too,” Ulrika says, then gallops a tad bit faster than my horse.

----------------------------------------

Ten miles into our trip, I decide to make us take a break. We take a seat on the ground near the trail we are on. There are no trees as far as I can see to secure our horses on, so I conjure my sword as an anchor to tie the horses on. When I take a moment to gaze more at my surroundings, I realize the beauty of the landscape. The grass is green with hilly meadows. White clouds move high in the sky. The air is cool, and there’s no one in sight for miles.

“Y’know, this could be some good farmland,” I say.

“Isn’t it a bit hilly for that?” Ulrika says with bread in her mouth. “Don’t you need flat land?”

“Not all the time.” I take some of her bread to stuff in my mouth. “We could also make a home here.”

“Gods, no. You know my desires for the type of life I want.”

“I know,” I chuckle but stop when I remember our favorite cabin is under Nite’s control. “Damn...”

“What?” Something off in the distance behind her catches my attention before I can respond. I see a group of four riders in black clothing rapidly approach us.

“Ulrika, get prepared. We got four people coming our way.”

“Are they succubi?”

“Do you know any that far ahead?” She looks at me without answering my question and then hands me her dagger. As they come closer, it becomes apparent that they’re Nite soldiers. “Shit! They’re Nite!”

“Don’t do anything.”

“Ulrika, are you mad?”

“No, but I’m curious what they’ll do with us. Just play along.” Whatever she is planning, it is freaking me out. I keep my cool as they surround us. I notice that none of them have their hands on their swords. That’s good. None is being hostile yet. “Greetings, gentlemen. Lovely day we are having.”

“Oi,” the third says, pointing at the insignia on my cape. “You’re Kromagian. What are you doing in a place like this? Where did you come from?”

“Settle down. I’m Kromagian too.” Her smile goes away, and her tone of voice goes from friendly to light hostile. She turns around long enough for them to see her insignia too. “We’re bounty hunters.”

“Oh, yeah? Who are you looking for?” As she explains the nature of our confidential business, the fourth man takes an interest in my floating sword.

“What magic is this?” The fourth man says, then hops off his horse to examine my sword. He tries to yank it, but it doesn’t move.

“I would leave that alone,” she says.

“Why?”

“Do you want to lose your head?” I finally say, breaking my silence. The man backs off with his hand on the handle of his sword. “Do you guys mind leaving us be?”

“No,” the first man says. “Our reports tell us that there are Kromagian forces in that direction are—”

“We’re not with them,” she interrupts.

“Sure you’re not.” He pulls out his sword to point it at her. She remains calm without breaking her relaxed posture.

“You two are spies for those Succubi I bet.”

“We’re not!” I say.

“It’s okay, darling,” she says, waving her hand down at me. “These dumb fools are paranoid.”

“What did you call us?” The fourth man asks, moving closer to her. “Do you have any idea of the men you stand before, bitch?”

“Bitch?” She scoffs, then turns around with a big smile and eyes closed. “We’re leaving, my love.”

“You’re not going anywhere!” The moment the fourth man pulls out his sword, I see sparks emit from Ulrika’s body. She grabs my wrist right before four lighting bolts strike them. I blip in and out in what I can describe as entering and then exiting a dark room faster than I can blink. All three men fall off their horses. The fourth man slumps over with his ass pointed at the sky. My wrist stings as if someone pinched me.

“Ouch!” I gasp. “What the hell just happened?”

“It’s a slightly altered spell called Bombardment.”

“Bombardment?” I say, soothing the pain away.

“I used it on Echo Ripper while you were using Dragon Acid,” she says while dispursing the soldiers’ horses with the forceful wind. “Let’s head into town before some other shit snoops around.” She removes the reins of my sword before fleeing back on the trail.

“Did you kill them?!” I quickly jump on my horse and conjure my sword to bring the reins to my hands.

“No! They’re just knocked out!”

“Amazing,” I mumble under my breath as I look at the unconscious bodies.

We hit the trail hard without stopping and make it to Swan Hill at dusk. There is no time to take in the sights because Nite’s presence is at an all-time high. I tell Ulrika to hide our Kromagian identifiers. None of the civilians I notice give us a double-take, not even armed Nite soldiers.

“There’s too many of them,” I whisper.

“Everything will be okay,” Ulrika whispers. “Just avoid eye contact.”

The further we wander in the more I get paranoid. Swan Hill is predominantly succubi-populated. The other races I see are human Nite soldiers. But I fear being a Kromagian will make me stand out more. My appearance isn’t common around these lands. I’m certain someone is wondering why someone like me is this far south. It’s only a matter of time before I’m questioned. With that issue in mind, Ulrika’s safety is a concern. Her fair skin might avoid raising suspicions as to her origin. I might have to rely on distancing myself for her own safety within the occupied lands.

“Let’s quickly find somewhere to put our heads down,” I say.

“Did you notice something concerning?” She asks.

“I’ll tell you in private,” I say quietly with my finger momentarily on my lips.

Roughly a mile into the city, we stumble into a part of town that has all the necessities to stay in during the night. There’s a stable, inn, and a pub, all within walking distance. Ulrika buys a cheap room that’ll last us for the night. Unfortunately, it lacks one special accommodation she loves.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

“No tub?” Ulrika complains. “What type of inn has no tub, Kaio?”

“This is a first for both of us,” I say, lighting a candle with the tip of my finger. “I guess they got a bathhouse somewhere.”

“Kaio, I’m not going to bathe alone next to succubi. I’ll clean myself with a rag and a bucket in here if I have to.” I understand not wanting to bathe next to people you don’t know, but her absolute dislike towards the succubi is beginning to get under my skin. I ultimately ignore the remark and try to think of solutions for finding a tub. “Hey, didn’t you have something you wanted to say?”

“Ah.” I snap my finger after the reminder. “For your safety, I think it’ll be best if I keep myself at a distance.”

“What’s going on, my love?” She whispers when she stands close to me. “Are we in trouble?”

“This land is putting me on edge,” I whisper back. “My kind isn’t known to walk these lands. I could raise suspicions and put Nite’s presence on us.”

“Kaio,” she smiles with a light chuckle. “I’m a part of your kind too,” she says, poking my chest.

“That’s not what I meant,” I say, caressing her warm cheek. “I’m not known,” I allude, hoping she’ll understand without me going into detail.

“I understand where you are coming from. What can I do? Should I buy you another room?”

“There is no need for that. I’ll keep my distance while we work. If any issue arises, I’ll call.”

“Okay,” she says, giving me a thumbs up. I tuck our Kromagian identities underneath our pillow, then set my sword as an additional barge to keep anyone from entering our room when we’re gone.

“Let’s loiter around the pubs and see if our bounty frequents there.”

“Good idea.” She fastens her dagger on my right hip before we head out. “Did you plan to go unprotected?” She chuckles. “Or, will those magical hands be your weapons?”

“No. I knew you’d hand me your dagger eventually.”

“You need to get your own,” she giggles softly. “I’ll have my father make you one once we return to Nebulas.”

“Yeah? He’ll do that for me?”

“Of course,” she says with her hands on my shoulders. “He’ll give you any type of weapon you can think of.” That’s good news to hear. I’m always carrying around one weapon and using it for impractical purposes. A dagger or some throwing knives might come in handy.

I wait in our room for five minutes before heading to the local tavern. The lack of moonlight and the dim burn of the street lights make it perfect to hide in the shadows. I stick near the center of the road where it’s darker. The pub is some ways down the road. I take it slow, making sure to make myself not sound out. So far it is working. Nite patrols I walk past don’t seem to care or notice me.

“This is going perfectly,” I whisper to myself. Once I make it to the pub, I stand next to the end of an entrance ramp to scope out for the bounty. The ramp is high enough for me to stand under. There’s a support pillar with a rectangular prism base I can sit on if I choose to. “Where did you put yourself, Ulrika?” I whisper.

A few minutes go by and I don’t see our target or Ulrika. I don’t want to stand around and miss my chance to find our bounty. And if Ulrika needs my help, I might not get there in time to assist. The thought of her engaging in a threat without me makes me step away from the beam to watch all that goes in. To my utter surprise, she’s sitting on a rail, watching the entrance with her back to me. I can’t help but poke her in the butt with two fingers.

“What the hell?” She says, looking left and right before finally seeing me. I place my finger over my mouth to keep her quiet.

“Anything?” I ask, whispering as softly as I can. She turns sideways to keep her eyes on the lookout while she shakes her head, no. Then five seconds later she softly and repeatedly snaps her fingers.

“Kaio, Kaio,” she whispers. “Down the road.” An elf wearing a red headwrap walks past me. He heads up the ramp and walks past Ulrika into the tavern. She takes out the bounty list from the holder, reads it with squinting eyes, then gives me the nod confirming the elf is Isuni Shedon.

“Stalk his movements,” I say. She reaches for the door handle to open it. It flies open, narrowly hitting her fingers. Isuni Shedon storms out of the building with one Nite soldier and a cultist.

“Move,” Isuni shouts, shoving Ulrika out of his way.

“Apologies,” Ulrika says, sitting on the rail over my head. She hops off the ledge down to me once Isuni and the two people that are with him walk away. “Let’s tail them.”

“After you,” I say.

Isuni seems to be at home here. Not once does he check over his shoulder for anyone who might be potentially following him. He looks comfortable here in a town full of succubi while on the run. The two guys he’s conversing with seem as if they’re familiar with each other. They laugh at various jokes I don’t find worth laughing about and talk about their recent sexual acts with a succubus named, Lilsea.

This is so disgusting. Can they please just stop?

Suddenly they do. Isuni turns down a trail, leaving the two men at the entrance. Both stand facing the street with their hands clasped together.

“Damn. They’re guarding,” Ulrika whispers. “We need a distraction to get past them.”

“I got an idea. Once you see my orbs, carry them down the street in the wind.” I cower in a dead-end alleyway between two houses close to the trail to produce five flame orbs from my fingertips. The wind begins to pick up and takes my orbs up the street at a coasting speed that is not too fast. I cast them down on the ground several feet from the guards. One by one they ignite every ten seconds to give Ulrika and me time to run down the trail.

“Kaio, they’re distracted. What now?” Ulrika says.

“Hop on my back.” She climbs on my back, locking her legs around my hips before putting her arms around me. “Hold tight. Cast wind under me to break my fall.” I channel my force magic into my legs to leap. Ulrika creates a subtle thrust to break my fall when I land close to a lonely house. “Make some noise with the wind so Isuni can’t hear us.” She twirls her hand to stir up a good amount of wind in random directions.

“There he is.” Isuni comes around the corner of the house to unlock the front door with a key from his pocket, walks in, then closes the door behind him. “Hmm, could be a secret meeting of the sorts.”

“Let’s get in closer.” Ulrika maintains the noise cover but goes a bit overboard with the wind. It starts to drizzle then thunder rumbles above our head. Some branches break off the trees and hit the ground, creating some thuds in the distance. “Whoa there,” I chuckle.

“Forgive me,” she giggles.

“Hey, I’m here! Come down here!” Isuni yells from a room to the left of the house. The window shutters are wide open. A red-skinned succubus in a long black dress enters the room one minute later.

“Hey, honey,” the succubus says with open arms.

“Lilsea.” He grabs a hand full of her ass while she puts her arms around his upper back to hug him tightly.

“Ugh! Gross,” Ulrika whispers with a mild gag.

“I got bad news from Galfalian. Your sister is moving up north.”

“Shit!” Lilsea says softly yet forcefully through her teeth. “I thought Nite’s Paragon would defeat Oraya!”

“I think the Kromagian backup made the Paragon fail at her job.”

“If only they knew of our evolvement,” Ulrika mumbles.

“My love,” Isuni says softly. “You’ll need to pack your things and head north eventually.” Lilsea hops on the table, facing him with her head down in her hand.

“How far north must I go, Isuni?” Lilsea asks in a muffled voice.

“The Scattered Ponds. Do you know where that is?”

“Yes,” she chuckles. “I go there once a month for their magical invigorating pools.”

“That’s good.” He suddenly walks towards us with his eyes down on the ground. Ulrika and I flush our backs to the sides of the window to avoid being seen. My heart sinks into my stomach when he leans out the window. “You won’t be leaving tonight. A storm is coming.”

“I’ll leave tomorrow night then.”

“I’ll be right behind you once I figure out where my scout party went. They didn’t come back yet. I’m going to ride out tonight and see if I can find them.”

“Okay. Before you go...” Her bare feet slide against the ground, increasing in volume as it comes near the window. “Did you bring some guys with you?” Her question sounds erotic by the way her voice deepens.

“Not tonight, Lilsea. I’m going to need them. You can play with them once I get back.” Their conversation ends right there. Isuni heads out of the house without noticing us. We wait until he’s far ahead out of his sensitive ears. Lilsea closes the window shutters over our heads. Once the lights in the house go out, we follow after him.

“So,” Ulrika says slowly.

“I know,” I cringe. “Whoremongering.”

“That’s not what I was thinking, but I agree one hundred percent.”

“Oh, what were you about to say?”

“How do you want to capture him?”

“When he’s alone.”

“Ah,” she says, resting her hand on my shoulder. “I’ll get our horses.” The blowing abruptly stops when she hovers off the ground. It sounds like all of the air is channeling beneath her feet. She hovers away faster than I can run back into town.

I keep my eyes on Isuni and the two guys he is with. They resume their disgusting sexual conversation with his apparent lover, including their exploits with other succubi in this town.

“Xanlos, high holy father,” I groan before softening my voice to contain my annoyance. “Make them stop.”

My prayer comes to pass a minute later when Isuni calls upon extra aid from two other Nite soldiers roaming the street. He seems to have some position of power to recruit men without question. According to what I remember from his bounty, he’s a thief who steals from the people who work for him. None of this makes any sense to me. Is it possible that the bounty might be incorrect?

Whichever is the case, I’ll see this through. Sometimes there are false bounties. In my trade before being with Ulrika, I accepted half of what was paid. Unlike Ulrika’s expectations. She expects the full amount as priced, no matter if it might be wrong. And I’m sure Haleema will pay us willingly without any issue.

After sometime later near the end of the city’s border, Ulrika finally brings our horses.

“What took you so long?” I ask.

“I had an issue to take care of,” Ulrika says, handing the reins for my horse. “Is that him up ahead?”

“Yeah,” I grunt as I hop on my horse. “He’s got more people with him now.”

“Wonderful,” she says sarcastically. “Are we going to make our move right now?” As I’m telling her what we will do, Isuni manifests horses from his hands for his gang. They spawn from a poof of blue-whiteish dust. “A mage?!”

“Damn. Why wasn’t that on the description?”

“Did Haleema make this bounty?”

“I doubt it. Someone else had to make this. She knows what we expect.” Isuni and his gang start riding out of town, pulling their horses in full stride.

“How do you wanna handle this?” I hum while quickly thinking of an idea before Isuni gets too far ahead. “Should we play nice?”

“Let’s go for that.”

Ulrika and I lag behind to keep Isuni and his band from noticing that we are following them. We follow for roughly a mile. Their speed stays constant. No one seems to be in a rush to find their missing Nite soldiers.

“Something is not right, Ulrika,” I say with my eyes firmly on the group. “Where’s the urgency?” We continue for a couple of miles before I decide to apprehend Isuni. I ride ahead with my horse going at maximum speed. He looks over his shoulder before any of his Nite gang does. “Ulrika, Plan B. I’m going to tether him off his horse and bind his hands together.”

“Okay?” Ulrika says with her left brow raised. “What should I do?”

“Something big that’ll cover our retreat.”

“I got an idea.”

My plan is set in motion. Even though Isuni tries to get his band of men to prepare for my approach, they can’t muster to attack me in time. I stand on my horse with my feet tethered to its back to prevent myself from falling off. I bind his hands, encompassing the tether around them so he can’t conjure something out of thin air while I drag him behind the horse.

“Who the fuck are you?!” Isuni grunts as he rolls around the dirt.

“You’ll soon know,” I say after looking back at what Ulrika will do with Isuni’s band. In a magnificent showcase of the range of her power, she blows everyone and their horses forward into the air. Some dirt chucks hit me from the sheer force of the explosion.

“Gods!” I laugh. “That was beautiful!”

“Who the hell is that?!”

“How was that?” Ulrika says as she rides up to me. “I don’t think they’ll be coming after us after that.”

“Splendid!” I say, stopping my horse to not hurt Isuni too much. “Isuni Shedon.”

“What?” He snaps with an attitude, stumbling to his feet. “What do you want?”

“Walk with us.” I take him westward far in the wilderness. “Read him his crime.”

“Isuni Shedon,” Ulrika says, showing him his bounty. “The Paladins want you.”

“Paladins?!” He screams like it is the craziest thing he has heard. “What for?”

“Stealing Nite supplies in Ambagra.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“No,” she says, then hops off her horse with her eyes looking at the back of the paper. “I have a couple of questions. Answer them honestly.”

“What if I refuse?”

“She’ll kick your ass,” I say straightforwardly.

“She?”

“Yeah,” I gently utter. He examines her thoroughly from head to toe. She poses with a smirk, and her fist is pressed into her hips. “This woman has the strength of the gods. She could crack your skull with her thighs.”

“I’m not that big,” she blushes, rolling her eyes. I want to say something cheezy in a flirtatious response, but saying it next to him will be unprofessional. Time is of the essence, plus I don’t want to tarry longer in the middle of nowhere.

“So,” I say under the cover of clearing my throat.

“Ah! Isuni, do you mind answering a few questions?”

“Will it give me out of these binds?” Isuni asks, glancing at us.

“Possibly,” Ulrika shrugs. “Why’d you steal from Nite? You clearly seem to work with them.”

“Um,” he chuckles for a short moment. “It’s a long story.”

“Simplify it,” she says sternly. “I don’t have all night, Isuni.” For an odd reason, I find her authoritative demand invigorating to watch. Maybe it’s the weather or something more tantalizing. “Talk!” He flinches at her loud voice.

“Fine!” He takes a deep breath before stating what I feel is the dumbest lie a person like him can say. “I’m undercover.” She and I scoff nearly at the same time. “I’m not lying.”

“Gods, you must be deep undercover to have a sexual relationship with a succubus.”

“How do you know that?”

“We’re good trackers.” She cracks her knuckles near his ears for intimidation purposes. It begins to work the more she keeps popping the joints. He lifts his shoulders to help block some of the noise.

“Please, stop doing that.”

“Tell me what I want, or the last thing you’ll feel is my thighs pressing into your skull.” I have to cover my mouth to hide my smile.

“Gods, but don’t tell anyone I said this to you.” I look at her as she looks at me nonverbally, deciding if we should keep what he is about to tell us a secret. “I’m spying for my queen, Thubet.”

“The elven queen?” I say.

“Yes. I’m working both sides of this war to hurt Nite from within.”

“Do you have any proof of where you’re from?” Ulrika says.

“Check my neck.” Ulrika folds down his collar to expose his neck.

“There’s nothing there,” I say. Suddenly, his neck lights up with intricate fluorescent tattoos.

“All of my people have it.”

“Is that true?” I ask Ulrika.

“It is,” she nods. “The elves over there have markers, unlike the ones who live outside Thubet’s walls like the ones we see.” She props his collar back up, then takes out the portal ring. The mana in her body activates the portal ring, giving us a window into a room I recognize inside the Paladin building. The moment I enter the portal, the only door in the room swings open. Lyra, Haleema’s good friend, joins in.

“Kaioson!” Lyra says in a souring high cheery voice. She hugs me before I can greet her. “If you’re here, you just got a bounty for me.”

“I do. Isuni Shedon.” Ulrika shoves Isuni through the portal and hands me his bounty to give to Lyra.

“Good job, you guys.” When she holds out her palm to me, a coin purse poofs with white sparkles falling from it. The sparkles vanish after clearing her hand.

“I didn’t know you’re a mage,” I say, handing the money to Ulrika.

“I’m telling you, I’m innocent. I’m on your side,” Isuni says

“Well,” Lyra pauses to glimpse at the bounty quickly. “Let’s talk about it, shall we?” She takes him by the arm out of the room.

“Okay, let’s head back.”

“Wait a moment, Kaio,” Ulrika says with her hands around my upper arm. “I wanna see my mother.” I check the portal for any sign of Nite wandering around. As far as I can see, no one’s around in a nearly pitch-black landscape.

“Give me a ring.” Instead of placing the ring on my palm, she slides it down my finger. The portal closes once I give the ring some of my mana. “I’m coming with you. We’ll visit for a short moment. In the morning, we leave for the Scattered Pond.”

“Can that ring take us back?”

“Yes. We can return in the morning if you like.”

“I would love that.”

The next morning, I leave early to try and speak with Lyra before Ulrika and I set off. On my way to the Paladins’ building, I run into Haleema’s assistant, Vaeril.

“Oh! Hey. It’s been a while,” I say to spark some small talk.

“Hello, mister,” Vaeril says, elongating the second word. “Forgive me. I don’t remember your last name, sir.”

“It’s all right,” I chuckle. “My name is Kaioson. I don’t have a last name.”

“You don’t?” He steps away from the door to let me get inside.

“Well, I can’t remember it. I was too young when I separated from my parents.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, Kaioson.” Talking about my parents and the fact I can’t remember my last name almost makes me tear up. Out of the years of not knowing, I don’t know why I’m recently getting emotional about it. “It’s okay to cry, Kaioson.”

“I know, but now is not the time. Where’s Lyra? I need to speak with her.”

“In the interrogation room with the person you caught.”

“Thanks.”

Lyra walks out into the hallway from the interrogation room. She doesn’t see me standing a few feet from her left because her head is down. I have to say her name to grab her attention.

“Hey! I didn’t see you there,” Lyra says with a cheery attitude. “What’s up?”

“Do you have any news on Isuni’s alibi?” She gazes at me with a suppressed smile with her index finger pressed into the side of her lips. “What? Is there something wrong?”

“Isuni speaks the truth. He’s deep undercover. I had to release him so it won’t break his cover.”

“Did he mention his supposed lover?”

“The succubus?” She says, giggling. “He promises he doesn’t love her, but I know he’s lying. I’ve contacted Haleema about Oraya’s sister out to apprehend her.”

“I bet Oraya will be furious. Thanks for clearing that up.”

“Anytime, Kaioson. I’ll most likely be somewhere around here if you need me.”

I wait outside for Ulrika to join me so we can return. Ten minutes later, I see her with one of the biggest smiles. Her hands are behind her back. She can’t keep her eyes on me for more than two seconds.

“What do you got back there?” I ask.

“Guess,” she says before performing a bunny hop and landing a foot from me.

“Any hints?”

“It’s something you don’t have.” The answer comes to me the moment I accidentally touch her dagger on my right hip. “That’s right. Here, my love.” She hands me a pristinely decorated dagger with a white ivory handle. The blade is straight yet wavy, and I can see my reflection in the blade.

“It’s... beautiful.”

“I told my father to give me something my husband will need up close,” she says, taking her dagger back and putting mine on my hip. “His smiths completed that fine weapon three days ago just for fun.”

“Amazing.”

“Indeed. Let’s head back and continue our quest.”

“Right!