Matt was half expecting to need to restrain Gee she was so livid. He'd stationed himself in front of the door like a living doorstop, unsure of who might be following them and what skills they possessed. Maybe he hadn't heard the words come out of Nathan's mouth, but he'd witnessed the way the thief disappeared like a shadow, and he'd been a victim of his sleight of hand before he'd even known his name. If the people after Nathan, the Brotherband, were anything like him, it would take a little bit more than a cheap lock to keep them out of their room.

And even knowing that, he was starting to step away from the door as Gee threw her hands in the air in rage. It looked like she wanted to strangle the thief, but she was restraining herself in a masterful display of self-control. To keep her hands off of Nathan she tucked them against her chest and began pacing in a tight circle. The room was way too cramped with the six of them for her to do much else.

"Why would the Brothers be trying to kill you?" she asked, and if Nathan could've looked more ashamed, Matt thought it would kill him. "I mean, I know you're not exactly an enthusiastic member, but do they kill people for that nowadays?"

"It's your double membership, isn't it?" George asked, and Matt watched Nathan cringe. He remembered crouching in the river just yesterday, and how he'd decided not to ask any questions about Nathan's tattoos. As they were crammed into this tiny room, not knowing who they were hiding from or why, a hissing voice in his head scolded him for trying to treat Nathan like a trusted member of the group. If they were not very careful, Matt's duty to protect the people in this room could be violated very soon, thanks to his own negligence. He could practically hear Commander Kain celebrating all the way back home.

"What does he mean?" Adam asked, and all eyes turned to him. This morning, with his disheveled hair and fatigue, Matt had begun to enjoy his company, as Adam acted less like a prince and more like a normal kid, glad to be dragged into the road to dance. Now, he resembled the caricature Matt had pictured before he'd met the young Hesler: perfectly erect posture and commanding tone like he owned the world. Matt wasn't sure how much more brooding the room could handle.

"I'm a member of two gangs," Nathan admitted, but he met the noble's hard glare with his own. "It was the only option for surviving our childhood, and I'm not going to apologize for it."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I did!" He gestured to George. "I told George the first night on the road! Gee's known since it happened. If any of you asked, I'd be hard pressed to hide it. It's permanently inked on my skin."

"So what's the problem?" Brady interjected. He'd taken a seat on one of their beds. "If you're so willing to tell us, why are we hiding in here? Why are they trying to kill you?" Matt thought he saw Nathan pale.

"The Brotherband is experiencing a change in leadership. They're cracking down on loyalty." Gee had stopped pacing and stared at the thief point-blank, but Nathan couldn't meet her eyes. Instead, he looked at everyone else and then at his feet. "They've been making examples of kids like me working for two different groups. They got all of us buried up to our necks in debt and now they're culling the ones that couldn't handle it, kids like me taking care of people."

"How much debt?" Adam asked. Matt wondered if he was willing to open a checkbook and write down any number Nathan blurted out, or if he was asking out of curiosity. How much money was 'up to your neck' if you had no money to begin with? Nathan hung his head.

"I've been working for them since I was eight. I have 13,000 left." Matt almost choked on his own breath. He couldn't even imagine that much money in one place, and he'd been fortunate enough to sleep in a bed his whole life. Nathan and Gee had not been shy about their homelessness, about their hunger, about the millions of ways they fought just to survive on the streets, and yet they'd been dealing with so much more money than Matt had ever imagined. Even Adam seemed uncomfortable.

Brady finally split the shocked silence. "So that's why you joined the second gang? To try to make some more money?"

"Not quite–" Gee started but Nathan spoke over her quickly.

"Yes. It's the only hope there is, but if you take any money from another gang, the Brothers sniff you out like dogs. Instead, I asked them to make sure Gee could keep doing her shows, and we used that money to eat. I've spent every day since trying to make a dent against that number." No one spoke for a moment, letting Nathan's words sink in. Matt wasn't sure who he was angry at anymore, but his anger never stuck around for long on a bad day, either. Instead, he found himself seeking out Gee between the other boys, watching a pained expression wash over her face. It looked like she was chewing on some words, but she never opened her mouth.

"So what are we going to do?" Brady asked, and Matt felt the room take a deep breath.

Matt decided to speak up before anyone could offer up a different promise: "We're not going to let anything happen to you two." No one went to disagree, so he hoped that meant he was speaking for the group. "We'll figure out what we have to do to make it out of Lochton with all our heads."

"And the faerie crown," Gee added quickly, and Matt realized he'd forgotten all about the banner in the street. George turned to them in surprise, clearly swept away by mention of their quest.

"What do you mean? You found it?" Gee still looked upset, but she turned her back on Nathan, standing by himself, and described the banner she'd noticed while they were dancing. When Matt looked back at George, he swore he saw the gears turning in his head.

"That's not right, we were supposed to find the sun first. The crown is last."

"Are you sure?" Brady asked.

"Of course not. But I figured if it was a treasure hunt, there'd be some order..." His voice trailed off as he was lost in thought. Brady filled his silence.

"So we know it's in town, but how do we figure out where it is? How do we get it?"

"I imagine the locals will know. We can ask around, figure out what's going on with this 'Wild' festival," Gee suggested, but Nathan suddenly pushed off against the wall.

"Not you. The Brotherband will be looking for you too. You're going to stay here," he said.

"What?!" Matt prepared to step in again. "If I have to stay here, you have to stay here too!"

"I'll be able to hide from them. I don't want you getting hurt." Something in Nathan's tone made Matt think he meant to say something else, but he had no idea what. Even if she was livid at him, Matt knew they were very close; of course Nathan wouldn't want her to get hurt. Why did Gee look so scandalized, then?

"Knock it off, you two," George cut in suddenly, but his temper seemed no more restrained than Gee's. "We need everyone we can searching for this crown, provided it's actually in town. If the Brotherband saw you out in the street, it's only a matter of time until they come to this inn and find our rooms. If you would like Gee to be sitting in here alone when that happens, be my guest. Otherwise, I suggest we pair you two off and get a move on."

"Perfect." Gee straightened her shirt indignantly, and then her eyes fell directly on Matt. "I'll go with Matt, then. He'll be sure not to get me hurt. You can pair off with Brady or someone," she huffed. Somehow, Nathan had the mind to look disgusted at the idea, but Adam stepped in before they could start arguing. A timer in Matt's head, made aware to him by George's lecture, told him they couldn't afford to spend much more time bickering in one place, let alone when they'd been seen by the Brothers just outside. Adam seemed to have the same haste.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

"I'll go with you, Nathan," he said. "Brady and George are the least conspicuous, they can leave before us and let us know if we're going to walk into a trap or something. George?" The cleric looked up at him expectantly. "Find another inn somewhere deeper in town. Rendezvous in a few hours at the nearest church."

"What if one of us dies or something?" Brady asked. Adam shrugged, which did not reassure Matt, although he was echoing Adam's words in his head.

"Then we'll find out later, and the world will end anyway. Let's get our stuff and leave."

They discovered no traps in the hallway, and so they divided into their rooms and gathered their stuff quickly. Thankfully, no one had had any time to unpack, and they'd been traveling light since they left Erilea under such rushed circumstances. Before separating, George pulled Gee aside and wrapped her in a little hood he pulled out of his bag, likely for rainy days. It hid her auburn hair and face well, and she gave George a kiss on the cheek for it. Seconds later, George was pulling Brady down the stairs with his face as red as a strawberry.

"Can you believe he called me inconspicuous?" was the last thing Matt heard Brady say before the inn walls swallowed his noise. He turned back to find Nathan watching him like a hawk. His gaze said something like, If she gets hurt while I'm away from her, I'll flay you alive, but it felt like a moderate reaction compared to his own nervousness. He couldn't tell if the ache in his ribs was real or imagined as he heard Kain's constant flow of advice and criticism in his ears, the commander's absolute certainty that he was unprepared for the task of keeping someone safe.

His train of thought was ruptured by Gee wrapping her arm around his. Without meaning to, he quickly found his sword hilt on his belt, but Gee was smiling up at him with warmth like he'd just made a funny joke. It reminded him of the way she wooed the crowd during her shows, but at least it was familiar. His fluttering heart used that memory to find his center again, and this time, Kain's advice was appropriate: An unsteady mind will be your undoing. Whomever is in control of it is in control of you. Matt wasn't going to let his mind stray like that again.

Adam and Nathan left next, and after a few minutes, Matt and Gee followed the path out into the road.

The festivities had waned slightly, the day beginning to warm as the sun casted better light between the tall buildings of town. The roads here were much thinner than Erilea, but that was to their advantage today as Matt guided them away from the main thoroughfare and any prying eyes. He was beginning to navigate their way further south into the city when Gee started talking.

"Okay, so I was thinking about our cover story. You're a lumberjack from the woods–"

"What?"

"Well, I decided you're too fit to be a paper boy. And I'm your sibling, who was always a little bit too pretty for manual labor like that, we just made our way to town because of an owlbear infestation–" She rattled on and on about their motivations and backstories until they broke into what seemed to be a market square, a huge, paved courtyard with shops and stalls creating a maze. People hustled and bartered and shouted between each other, filling the air with comforting noise, as a man with a fiddle peddled for tips nearby. Maybe it was the festival air, but it all seemed so convivial. Matt finally turned down to Gee still clinging to his arm.

"What was all of that for?" Gee smiled and he instantly regretted his question.

"This, obviously!" She broke off of his arm and went to the nearest person she could find, a woman carrying a basket of linens on her hip. Matt instantly stumbled after her, remembering Nathan's deadly look, as she got the woman to stop for a moment.

"Excuse me! My brother and I – here he comes now – we just got in town and there was this marvelous crowd dancing in the street! We come from this little cabin to the Northeast, you see, and I've never seen anything so wonderful before. What, pray tell, was that all about?" To Matt's amazement, the woman seemed amused by Gee's gushing story, and so did the next five people she stopped, saying the same story over and over again. In an hour, they'd pieced together some sort of understanding, and Matt let himself be convinced to take a lunch break. They took leftover meat pies from this morning's festivities and ate them together on a curb.

"Okay, let's go over the deets," Gee said between bites of her late breakfast.

"Don't call them 'the deets,'" Matt begged, but Gee ignored him.

"So it's a three day-long festival, starting this morning. This Wild Mother lady created the mountains in the morning, then the forest during the day, and at night, she wept and created the lake beside town."

"Yes, that's what everyone told you."

"Don't sound so jealous!" Gee joked, and she bumped him with her shoulder. "That one lady was looking at you the whole time!"

"Don't remind me," he grumbled. Gee's attention had already been a lot for him to handle, he didn't need to be reminded of random women who wouldn't take their eyes off of him. He worried he was too conspicuous to be partnered up with Gee.

"You should be flattered. Anyway, festivals this morning, tomorrow at noon, and then the night after everyone and their mothers will be throwing parties. Have I mentioned how much I love this place?" Matt had to smile. Gee had confessed that to every poor citizen they'd stopped so far.

It was a good bit of information they'd gathered, but there were still too many holes – they'd heard nothing of the crown. Gee had told him it would be too suspicious with their "poor farmer" story if she started interrogating everyone about this crown, and he had to agree. Still, he would feel more confident returning to the rendezvous with that specific bit of intel.

"Should we keep asking around, do you think?" Gee said. When he turned back to her, realizing he'd drifted off, her eyes seemed to say that she could tell what was on his mind. With embarrassment, he realized she must have seen Nathan's glaring before they'd separated. That's who he wanted to impress, wasn't it?

Matt was about to sigh and admit he wanted to continue when something caught his attention. He and Gee had taken a few steps into a side road beside the market square to eat and converse. Off the tall brick walls all around them, the notes of a whistle echoed around them and made him freeze. It was a familiar tune, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Thankfully, he didn't have to.

Gee gasped and grabbed his arm. Matt half expected her to start dancing again, but instead he watched fear wash over her face. She zipped herself to his side and started turning all around like she was seeing ghosts.

"What is it?" he asked, putting his free hand on her shoulder and drawing their bodies closer. He had a bad feeling he knew what was wrong.

"That's one of the band's songs. I mean, the band that plays when I dance. The Brothers–" She kept turning in circles.

"Let's get moving," Matt said, and he took one step towards the road. In the blink of an eye, someone appeared in their way, covered in a dark cloak and hiding their face. Matt wanted to kick himself – there were balconies all around them, more than ample hiding places for shadows like Nathan and his colleagues. He should've noticed them before.

Matt stepped in front of Gee and put a hand on his sword hilt. He could see a flash of white teeth under the hood.

"Hello, Moonlight," the hooded figure said. They looked past Matt straight to Gee, who pulled her tiny hood over more of her face. "Crazy coincidence seeing you here, so far from home."

"What are you waiting for?" Gee hissed at the cadet, and she started trying to pull Matt backwards. "Let's get out of here!" But he resisted her, daring to look behind him and noticing more balconies. There was no way they were alone, and somehow he knew they wouldn't be able to run fast enough to escape the alley. The next intersection was no closer than forty feet away. The other was blocked by the shadow.

Matt refocused. He could almost feel his commander beside him, waiting for his student to understand the scenario. Why wasn't his wisdom coming to him? Matt stalled.

"What do you want?" he barked, but the thief (assassin? Matt didn't care if there was a difference) didn't look at him.

"Tell us where Nathan is, and we won't have to hurt you," they said. Gee tightened her grip on Matt's arm.

"I don't know where he is, and I don't care! He lied to me. He's not my responsibility anymore." Her tone was so convincing Matt wondered how close to true that was. But the thief threw back their head in a laugh.

"I'll be sure to remember you said that when we take a knife to your pretty skin."

"You're not going to touch her," Matt said calmly, and he took a step forward. The image forcing itself into his head was making him angry, but Kain at his side kept his head clear. Whomever is in control, he reminded himself, and he found his resolve. He still hadn't drawn his sword, but he seemed to be intimidating enough because he wasn't dead yet.

The thief finally looked at him.

"What are you, her guard dog?" Matt understood now. He kept advancing, closing the distance slowly so the thief would know he'd called their bluff. The hilt of his sword began to rise as he showed off the metal hidden in the sheath. The thief looked down at it, and Matt almost smiled. How many times had Kain pulled this trick on him?

He lunged forward and went to yank his sword free. He didn't need the blade, he wanted to slam the hilt into their stomach and give them time to run past, back into the market. With the hustle and bustle of so many people, they could disappear. At the very least, it would dissuade a full on fight.

Unfortunately, the thief was fast, and they stepped backwards. Doubly unfortunately, as their back collided with the wall, their body dissolved into smoke. It was a familiar image, but Matt didn't have time to dwell on it. The path was clear. He and Gee took off towards the market.