Shaylie stepped out of Bret's portal and onto a hilltop. When she saw the view before her, she gasped and stopped dead in her tracks. Jake bit back a curse because he walked into her but became speechless upon seeing the scenery. The small town in front of them wasn't what drew their attention. They focused more on the enormous wall that stretched as far as the eye could see. Neither Shaylie nor Jake had ever seen the quarantine zone.

"I can't even see the end of it from here," Shaylie said.

"Guards are patrolling the wall. Should we be worried?" Jake asked Marcus.

"They don't work for the crown. The king outsources that work to the locals. They are worried about keeping the skinless in the zone. You don't have to worry about them," Marcus replied. "Royal employees don't come out here unless necessary."

Jake shifted his focus to the town once he had his fill of the wall. He saw a handful of people moving about, but it didn't seem busy. Every building looked old and grimy. He doubted the local authorities hired anyone to clean the streets regularly. Many of the structures had vines and moss clinging to the sides. Then there were the houses. Most residents only seemed to trim their lawns when they felt like it, which didn't appear to be often. He would have believed they deserted those homes if he hadn't seen people in their yards. However, one dwelling was well-kept. An old mansion with a wrought-iron fence sat at the eastern end of the main road. Jake guessed it to be where the city's leader lived. He could see lights in the windows. Somebody was home.

"What do they call this place?" Bret asked.

"It used to be called Emerson, but they renamed it Ash," Marcus replied.

"I can see why," Bret said, pointing at the dirty buildings. He glanced around again and looked puzzled. "I think I might have visited this place as a kid. This was before the bomb. It looked a lot different then."

"Oh, that's right. I forgot you were from New Arrington," Shaylie said. "Are you okay, Bret?" she asked when his gaze turned sour.

"Yeah, just thinking about the past. Don't mind me," Bret replied, giving her a reassuring grin.

"Let me disguise everyone before we go down," Jake said.

"I'll shape-shift myself, O'Reilly. If that's okay with you," Marcus replied, drawing a laugh from Jake.

Shaylie also hesitated when Jake turned to her. "I swear, Jake, if you..." she started, but Jake held up his hands.

"No funny business. I promise," he said. She allowed him to change her appearance. Shaylie glanced at her still-missing fingertip after the shift and sighed. "Sorry. I can't change something that isn't there," Jake said.

"I know."

"Just keep that birdie in its cage," Jake continued, but he immediately regretted it. Jake tensed up. "I shouldn't have said that."

"It's okay. I knew what you meant."

Once everyone had disguises, they walked down the hill. Marcus was already entering the town because he altered his look. They hurried to catch up and reached Marcus in time to hear someone call out to them. Jake turned to see a man standing by a table full of wares.

"Would you like to buy some trinkets? I have magical items to protect you during these troubling times," the man said with a toothless grin.

"No, thanks," Jake said, waving his hand.

"Are you sure? This pendant will block any magical shields!" he said, holding a golden necklace.

"I doubt that," Jake muttered under his breath before saying, "I'm fine. Thanks."

"I'm trying to feed my family here, man," the man said angrily.

Everyone ignored him, but they walked faster and met up with Marcus. "Don't buy any of that stuff. Most of it's fake. The rest is probably cursed," Marcus said. Then, he pointed down the road. "There's an inn. We'll need to pool our money together. Cash only," Marcus said.

"I hope you've had good luck lately," Shaylie told Jake.

"My luck has been fine, but I don't have much on me," Jake replied.

"I figured you'd be loaded as often as you play poker."

Jake laughed and shook his head. "I'm not loaded. Most of my winnings go to my mom. I've been helping her out since my dad died."

"Wow. You're full of surprises," Shaylie said, giving him a warm smile.

They approached the Main Street Inn and found a faded sign listing the prices. Since the owners couldn't afford a new sign, someone marked out the old numbers and wrote new ones beside them. They were quickly running out of space. Marcus entered the inn, and everybody followed him. A man behind the counter had been resting his head on his hand, but he jerked awake and stood up straight when he spotted them.

"Welcome to the Main Street Inn," he said. "How may I help you?"

"How much do you charge per night?" Marcus asked.

"Twenty-five a night. If you pay thirty, I'll throw in fresh towels," he said. The man turned to look at the stack behind him.

Jake followed his gaze and frowned. "Fresh?" he said quietly, making Shaylie chuckle.

"We'll pay the twenty-five. How many beds are there per room?"

"Each room has two king-sized beds."

"We'll need two rooms then," Marcus said, pulling out the money he had in his pocket. Jake, the Abbots, and the Larsons added their change, and Bret threw in a few bucks.

With the rooms paid for, they headed upstairs. The steps creaked while they climbed them, but that wasn't the biggest annoyance. "What's that smell?" Shaylie asked.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

"It's better not to know," Marcus laughed.

Shaylie, Maya, Mrs. Abbott, and Mrs. Larson took one room. Jake, Bret, Marcus, Mr. Abbott, and Mr. Larson chose the other. The innkeeper offered them an extra cot, which Marcus agreed to use. They had no luggage, but Shaylie stashed Baxter and shut him down in her room. Marcus eyed him momentarily before staring at Shaylie, but Shaylie glared at him. "I didn't want to leave him behind," she said.

"What do we do now?" Jake asked, hoping to steer the conversation away from Baxter.

"We meet with the locals and try to find someone to help. I would like to speak with the mayor of this place or whatever passes for a leader," Marcus replied. "We don't all need to go."

"I'm fine staying here," Maya said, and the Abbotts and Larsons decided to remain behind.

Marcus, Jake, Bret, and Shaylie headed back to the street to look for signs of life. It was too early for the bar. They walked over to a small restaurant instead. Jake liked this idea because he was hungry. The name of the place was Ziggy's Diner. At some point, the place had a shiny metal exterior, but the metal became tarnished over time. The state of the place made Jake a little worried about the condition of the food. Only two tables held customers when they moved inside. A small family enjoyed their meal while having a quiet conversation, and a rotund man with a long gray beard sat in a booth. The bearded man perked up as they arrived and waved at them.

"Hello there!" he said. "Welcome to Ash."

"Thank you," Marcus replied, shaking the man's hand. "I'm George," Marcus continued, giving him a fake name.

"My name is Jeremiah," the man said. "Have a seat! I always love meeting newcomers." Everybody piled into Jeremiah's booth. It was cramped, but they made do. Jeremiah sat in front of a half-finished hamburger and fries. Jeremiah pushed the plate toward him because the smell made Jake's stomach growl. "Take a fry, my friend," he said.

"Thanks," Jake said, accepting the offer.

"So, what brings you all to Ash?"

"We're trying to lay low until the danger passes. The big cities are too dangerous right now," Marcus said.

"I understand that. You have nothing to worry about here. The crown avoids this place, and we don't ask questions."

"We don't mind a few questions," Marcus replied. "Who is in charge around here? I would like to meet them."

"That would be the Shark," Jeremiah said, gesturing toward the east. Jake figured he was pointing at the mansion.

"The Shark?" Shaylie asked.

"He calls himself that. We don't know his real name."

"Yet you trust him?" Marcus asked.

"Yeah, he has done well for this town," Jeremiah shrugged. "Most people give fake names anyway."

"Can we meet him?" Marcus asked.

"He hasn't taken many visitors since the attacks, but you can check with his assistant, Lana. She will be at the Smokey's Bar tonight. Just look for the raven-haired girl with the striking eyes. You won't miss her," Jeremiah laughed.

"Thank you," Marcus replied.

"Since you don't mind many questions, can I ask why you want to see him?" Jeremiah said before returning to his burger.

"That's something we will discuss with him," Marcus said.

"Fair enough. A lot of people want to talk to him, though. The rumors of war have everybody spooked."

"That's understandable."

"I don't believe it, though. Varidia isn't invading again."

"You don't think so?" Shaylie asked.

"I have Varidian friends, and they don't want a war. If you ask me, our people did those attacks," Jeremiah said through a mouthful of his burger. "It's New Arrington all over again."

"What do you mean?" Bret asked. He hadn't spoken until this point. Jeremiah's words bothered him.

"The crown dropped that bomb on New Arrington, not the Varidians."

"Don't tell me you think the first Varidian invasion was fake, too," Shaylie replied.

"No, they invaded, but they didn't drop the bomb. The king did it to wipe them out. The Varidians had overrun the city."

"I think you're right," Marcus said. Bret's head snapped around so quickly that Jake heard a pop. He opened his mouth, but Marcus silenced him by raising a hand.

"Finally, someone who will listen to me," Jeremiah said. His face lit up, and he leaned in close. "I've been warning people about the crown for years. Did you know they try to control us through the radio?"

Shaylie bit her lip to keep from laughing. "How so?" she asked, but her voice cracked.

"Those singers are bards! They're trying to mesmerize people with their songs! And that full immersion TV, or virtual reality as they call it, is a form of mind control," he continued with a wild look. "It's all enchanted technology. I don't trust any of it."

"Tell me more," Marcus said, keeping a straight face. "Do others in Ash feel this way?"

"No one here trusts the crown. They pulled some shady stuff during the last Varidian invasion. Now they're faking an invasion. Anyone with faith left in them lost it within the last few days. The king isn't above killing his citizens. That's obvious. He's assassinated plenty of people. I remember that military drone guy from a while back. I think his name was Lucas. He seemed like a nice guy, but I think the king killed him too," Jeremiah said, making Shaylie flinch and look away.

Jake could tell she wanted to get out. He stood up and let her exit the booth. "I need some fresh air," she said.

"I'll go with her," Jake replied, leading Shaylie outside. "Are you okay?" he asked when she sat down on the curb.

"Sorry, but that hit too close to home," Shaylie whispered, shivering slightly. Jake sat next to her and put his arm around her shoulder. She leaned into him and sighed. They stayed like that for a few minutes of silence. Jake felt content to let her think, but she opened up. "Varidian invaders killed my parents," she said quietly. Jake had to lean closer.

"I'm so sorry," Jake said.

"They discovered my dad created Endria's military equipment and broke into our house. I hid in the pantry and witnessed everything. When I saw what happened, I lost control of my magic."

"What happened?"

"I—killed them," Shaylie cried. Tears streamed down her face. Jake lightly kissed her head. She took a moment before continuing her story. "Fire poured out of me and burned them alive. I didn't even mean to do it, but I couldn't stop."

"You were just a kid. It wasn't your fault," Jake whispered.

"What scares me is part of me was glad it happened. I never want to feel that way again," Shaylie said. Jake held her close when she shuddered. "That's why I have trouble with fire spells to this day. They make me uncomfortable," Shaylie added.

The door behind them opened, and Marcus and Bret stepped onto the sidewalk. Jake and Shaylie stood up, but Shaylie turned her head to wipe away her tears. Marcus pretended not to notice and lit a cigar.

"That guy was interesting," Jake said.

"He was crazy," Bret replied.

"Maybe, but you have to learn to read between the lines," Marcus said after taking a long drag on his cigar.

"What do you mean?" Bret asked.

"You could find some truth among the nonsense."

"Do you believe him about New Arrington?"

"I've heard that rumor over the years, and it is believable. We have arcane bombs, but the Varidians don't," Marcus answered. This revelation shook Bret. He didn't respond. Instead, he stared off into space with a blank expression. "That's not the important part. We know that people here are angry at the king. We might find allies," Marcus continued. "Head back to the hotel. I want to check on something, and I'll meet you there later."

"You've got it, boss," Jake said.

They returned to find the Abbotts and the Larsons talking in their room. Shaylie located Maya behind the inn, smoking a hand-rolled Tilba leaf cigarette. "Is that helping?" Shaylie asked.

"A little. The headache has dulled," Maya shrugged. "How did it go?"

"We met an interesting old man," Shaylie said. She told Maya about Jeremiah. Maya laughed at some of his crazy ideas, but the laughter stopped when Shaylie told her about the rest.

"Do you think he knew your dad?"

"He might have," Shaylie replied, idly kicking a rock she saw on the ground. "But I know he's wrong. The king didn't kill Dad."

"Here, you look like you could use this," Maya said, handing Shaylie the cigarette. Shaylie took a long drag, but she choked and coughed. "First time, huh?" Maya asked, making them burst into laughter. After finishing the joint, Shaylie and Maya joined everybody in time to see Marcus return.

"You should all thank Maya. She was right. I found the cabin ransacked," Marcus said.

"How did they find out about it?" Shaylie asked.

"The man in my vision," Maya said softly. "He told them because they tortured him."

Shaylie saw a look cross Maya's face. Maya knew she would have to keep having visions whether she liked it or not.

"This won't end with us running and hiding. We'll have to fight eventually," Marcus said.

"Do we stand a chance?" Jake asked.

"We might if we can find some backup. I'll prepare you the best that I can. We will restart your training tomorrow, so be ready."