by Jeff Kish
Andrea gasps. “That necklace was made with imported emeralds!”
“I-Imported? From Alleria!?” Era asks. “I’ve never heard of importing things like that.”
“There’s certainly a market for such things, and emeralds are only mined over there.” With a sigh, she says, “Well, I suppose it’s not worth stressing. The important thing is that we’re all safe!”
That the woman could shrug off such a loss sickens Jem. The poor Allerian leans her head out the window to find the road winding through croplands. “Didn’t realize the hill country was so rich with crops,” she comments.
“Oh my, yes,” Andrea replies. “This year is important, too. Next season is the year of the dark ravagers.”
Di raises an eyebrow. “That sounds ominous.”
“Naturally, you would be oblivious to the plight of the common folk,” Jem snidely states. “Dark ravagers are little flying bugs with major appetites. They show up once every seven years, devour our crops, and lay eggs that will hatch in seven years.”
“Ew!” Di exclaims, wrinkling her nose.
“That’s why the sixth harvest is so important,” Andrea adds. “Our storehouses must be packed or we will face starvation.”
Jem shields her eyes from the setting sun and asks, “Is that Brentan up there? I didn’t know you had such an impressive wall.”
“We’re proud of it, for sure. My father funded the project ten years ago. It keeps our village safe from brigands and the like.”
“That’s impressive,” Jem says with interest. “Is your father the mayor or something?”
“No, no. Father is a businessman from Nadar,” she says. “He made his money when they moved the capital and established the road through the Impals. Business flourished, and he benefited. He retired here right before the war started.”
Era glances at Jem, whose eyes have already glazed over as she envisions a lifestyle entirely opposite her own. It’s hard not to envy those who stumble into such luxury, and the thought makes him wonder about Di. The girl must have a noble heritage.
“It’s a humble place to retire,” Jem comments as she watches the farmers packing their tools for the night. “Your money must have tripled the local economy.”
“It’s certainly been a boon,” Andrea says proudly. “The wall’s construction was started during the war, both to keep the economy going and to protect us in case the Allerians-” She cuts herself off and offers an apologetic glance to her Allerian guest.
Jem laughs aloud. “I’m no stranger to these conversations. Given how far the Allerians made it past the border, the wall was a good idea.”
Andrea looks relieved. “Well, it wasn’t used during the war. Its construction took longer than anticipated, and the truce was drawn so abruptly.”
Di looks confused. “Why was it abrupt?”
“The late king was killed in a battle across the border,” Jem says flatly. “The Valvoran army was thrown into chaos, the Allerians pushed in… don’t you know your history?”
“I-I knew all that!” Di insists.
“Really?” Jem asks with a smug grin.
“Yes! The new king mustered his forces and defeated the Allerians west of Maaman,” she says in response. “He offered a truce, supposedly in spite of a significant strategic advantage.”
Era glances to Jem, who has turned to watching the passing crops. It almost seems like her breathing has escalated as she tries to tune out the conversation. She doesn’t like talking about the war, and he wonders about the nature of her sensitivity.
Andrea chimes in, “I was just a teenager at the time, but I can still remember the fear melting away from the hearts of the villagers. It was most fortunate timing.”
The carriage slows to a stop at the town gate as a guard makes an inspection. He chats with the driver and proceeds to open the carriage door. “G’evening Miss Andrea-” He abruptly pauses when he sees Jem.
“Good evening!” Andrea replies. “Please accept Jem here, as well as Era and Di as my guests for the evening. They saved my life in an act of true courage today.”
Jem offers a smug smile and a wave, but the guard doesn’t return the gesture. He reluctantly closes the door and waves them on. The carriage starts to move again, taking them into the town.
Andrea appears distraught over the encounter. “My, I didn’t realize you would cause such a stir.”
“I cause a stir everywhere I go!” she says proudly, placing her hands behind her head. “People love me.”
Era grins. “You never fail to draw attention, that’s for sure.”
The road leads into a wooded lot, and the carriage pulls up to an impressive house built into the city wall itself. It stands two levels high, and its roof meets the top of the wall. The second story has a much smaller footprint than the rest of the house, providing a walk-out deck that can be accessed from the top floor.
Jem lets loose a whistle. “Woods in a walled city?”
“I thought we were getting out of the forest,” Di pouts.
“Ha, there are probably fewer trees inside the house,” Era chides.
The driver and guard hitch the horse to a nearby fence post and head back toward the main city. As her guests stretch, Andrea approaches her front door, which is made from the same stone as the wall, and it swings open to reveal a scrawny but tall old man. “Miss Andrea, thank goodness!” the butler exclaims as he embraces his mistress. “Aren’t you quite late? You had me worried!”
“Oh, Connor, stop it,” Andrea says while pushing him back. “We just had a late start this morning is all! How are you this evening?”
“Quite well, thanks,” the butler mutters as he gives a suspicious look to the three hungry strangers behind Andrea, eyeing Jem in particular. “And you are…?”
Jem crosses her arms. “Hey, don’t be so cold. We saved your lady’s life today.”
His eyes widen as he looks at Andrea. “Saved your life? What does she mean!?”
Andrea waves it off. “It was a bandit attack, but Era here fought them off!” She grabs the supposed guardian and shoves him forward, prompting Jem to tap her toe in regret for making him the sole hero of the story.
Connor gives Era a cold stare. Scratching the back of his head, he stammers, “I-It was… ummm… well, it was all in a day’s work! I’m a bodyguard, and we were passing by, you see…”
The butler loses interest and turns back to Andrea. “Madam, are these strangers to be our guests tonight? You know how your father feels about such fellows,” he stresses, not hiding his disdain for Jem. “He’s in the market presently but shall return home shortly, and he won’t be pleased.”
“I’m not a child, so I expect you not to speak to me as one,” she responds. “I’ve already given my word, so we have no choice.” She turns the butler around and pushes him inside. “I’ll handle Father, so you go work on dinner!” she exclaims, leaving the three to wander in on their own.
Just inside is a receiving area, its walls adorned with glamorous canvases and two towering sculptures, as if standing guard. An intricately woven rug extends down the main hallway, and an impressive staircase leads to the upper floor. Jem’s jaw drops at the remarkable sight, and she shares a glance with her partner in crime.
Their host runs back in and claps her hands. “Okay, Jem and Di, come with me!” She grabs their wrists and pulls them up the stairs. “Era, you can just wander around or something. Girls only!” she shouts as they disappear.
Era feels a shiver of excitement at being alone in such a luxurious home. The corner of his eye catches Jem sneaking back out to the top of the stairs. She throws him a signal before excitedly disappearing again. Era smiles to himself, glad his partner is as impatient as he is to get started.
Chapter 4
“Di, your outfit is in tatters!” Andrea exclaims, aghast at the sight.
The schoolgirl frowns and looks herself over. The white blouse is dirty and stained, and her skirt is ripped to shreds. “It’s not the r
ight kind of outfit for traveling.”
“Didn’t your relatives give you better clothes?” she asks as she runs her fingers along the girl’s skirt.
Di swallows hard as her innocent brain works to perpetuate the lie. “W-Well, actually no, they said I should buy some along the… I-I mean- Of course they did! But I lost them in a… in a river?” Jem cringes at the horrible attempt.
“I’ll remedy that!” Andrea exclaims, too excited to notice Di’s fabrication. After searching her wardrobe, she withdraws one outfit and says, “I know I have more old clothes in my second wardrobe downstairs. I’ll return shortly!” she calls out as she hurries from the room.
Di anxiously reaches to unbutton her blouse, but Jem stops her. Di’s brow furrows. “Hey, why are you-”
“We’re leaving, naturally.” Jem starts touring the luxurious room, finding all kinds of knick-knacks to stuff in her bag.
Di watches in dismay as the Allerian makes her selections. “J-Jem? You can’t possibly be planning on stealing from Andrea!?”
“Shush! Do you want to get caught? That would make leaving even more awkward.”
“But-”
“Di, do you honestly think our gracious host will even notice these trinkets are missing? She’s checking her second wardrobe for you!” She snags the outfit Di was about to try and says, “Here, I’ll take something for you, too. You’re welcome!”
“But… but…!” Di continues to complain, but she can say nothing more as Jem crams a few last items into her bag.
“This is going to be too easy,” Jem mumbles as she walks out onto the balcony. Like the house itself, the balcony is simply an extension of the town’s wall, with the outer wall’s edge resting just above her head. She hops up and down to make sure she can reach the ledge.
Di’s heart races as she glances around Andrea’s room, trying to somehow note what all was taken. It’s as if she realizes for the first time she’s been traveling in the company of a thief.
“Uh oh, looks like Daddy’s home,” Jem says as she glances to the yard below. “Move fast!” she calls to Di.
Di hesitates, torn about whether to go with her guardian. It’s the first time she’s had a choice, and the option of staying with Andrea isn’t entirely unwelcome.
“Hurry up!” Jem barks in annoyance.
Di hears shouting break out from downstairs, meaning that Andrea’s idea of hosting an Allerian is probably not going over well. Suddenly worried she’ll be blamed for her “sister’s” thievery, she breaks her hesitation and darts out to the balcony where Jem is crouching with a cupped hand. She takes the boost to the top of the wall, and Di looks over the edge to find a steep drop awaiting her. She lets out a shriek and grips the wall tightly.
“Ugh… Di!” Jem quietly growls as she heaves her bag up and over the ledge. She jumps and pulls herself up, but, upon seeing the distance of the drop, she also finds herself grabbing tightly to the stone. “O-Okay, that’s higher than I thought.”
Di nods furiously. “W-We need to find another-” To her horror, Jem throws herself off the ledge, and she lands hard on the ground below. The Allerian hops up and down, dancing off the pain.
Another thud breaks out as Era’s bag lands outside the wall a short distance away. The thief himself is the next one to land, having found his own means of escape.
Jem shouts, “Come on, Di! You’re running out of time!”
Di starts to swing her legs over the ledge, but her face turns a bright shade of crimson as she presses her skirt against her legs. “E-Era! Turn around!”
“Turn around?” he asks in confusion. “But why-”
Jem physically spins Era to look the opposite direction. “Okay, he’s not looking. Now come on!”
The poor girl squeezes her eyes shut and drops her legs down while still clinging to the ledge. She hangs for several moments, as if having second thoughts.
“DI!”
Startled, she falls with a shriek, but Jem catches her as she lands. The terrified young girl looks back at her Allerian guardian with gratitude.
Jem immediately releases the girl, who falls with another yelp. “I swear, Di! You’re making this trip impossible!”
“Can I look now?” Era asks.
Jem takes a deep breath and slings her bag onto her back. “Yes, you can look. Now let’s move!”
They make their escape into the darkness of the surrounding woods, rushing away from their crime scene with expediency. After what feels like an eternity, Di slows while panting heavily. Straining her eyes in the moonlight, she struggles to keep up with Jem and Era, who seem to have no intention of stopping. “Era… W-Wait!”
The two shadowy figures ahead slow down and start bickering with each other. Jem sits with a huff, and Era returns and rests his hand on Di’s shoulder. “Too tired to continue?”
She nods. “When are we going to set up camp?”
“I was planning on another two hours,” Jem calls out. “We rode in a carriage half the day, Di!”
Di collapses to her knees without another word, and Era holds a hand out. “Easy now, Jem. That carriage ride helped us make good time today. We’ll get to Canterin soon enough.”
“That ride was our chance to make up for lost time,” Jem insists. “Di’s so out of shape that we can’t even hike a full day. I want to get paid!”
“All you care about is money!” Di cries. “I can’t believe you stole from our friend like that!”
“Our friend?” Jem scoffs. “We saved her life! She owes us a far bigger debt than what I collected.”
“She was going to repay us with dinner and lodging!”
“That helps me for one night. These trinkets will keep me going for a month!”
Di tugs at Era’s shirt with pain in her eyes. “She’s a horrible, horrible person, Era! Why do you travel with her?”
Era avoids eye contact and sort of shrugs, but Jem starts laughing. “Oh, I’m so horrible, am I? Era’s such a nice guy, right?” Turning to her partner, she says, “I figure I landed around three thousand’s worth, not counting the emerald necklace. How much did you get?”
“Wait, you took her necklace, too!?”
Jem maintains eye contact with her partner. “Well?”
Era glances nervously between Jem and Di before admitting, “Probably between two and three.”
Jem smugly raises her head, having made her point, and Di turns away from him in anger. Annoyed, he mutters, “What do you want? I already told you I’m following in my father’s footsteps! I couldn’t just stay in a place like that without making off with something.”
“B-But Era,” Di argues, “how can you save her life and then steal from her?”
Era smiles softly. “It was nothing personal. Jem and I… we can’t pass up an opportunity like that. To someone like Andrea, she’ll barely notice those things are missing. But that’s food and clothing for us! It’s not petty thievery.”
Di puffs her cheeks and averts her eyes. “That doesn’t make it right.”
“You live in a fantasy land,” Jem says. “This is the real world out here, rich girl. We don’t have last names. We don’t know where we’re getting our next meal, and we don’t know whether we’ll survive the night! But don’t worry, we’ll have you back to your ‘castle’ soon enough, and then you can go back to your dream world.”
She resumes her hike and says, “We’ll slow our pace, but we can’t stop. The town’s police may be in pursuit, and a fire would draw them straight to us.” Era glances to Di, but he opts to follow after Jem without another word.
The schoolgirl walks in silence, regretting the type of people who rescued her. Her heart aches as she mulls over it all, wondering if she should have taken the opportunity to stay in Brentan.
* * *
The walled town of Brentan is known for closing itself off to strangers and travelers. The gate is always shut promptly at sundown, locking locals in for the night, and forcing any weary travelers to find somewhere else to lay
their head. This landed a certain weary bandit in the town of Hougur, a few hours’ walk to the east.
The husky brigand enters his quaint room at the inn having just returned from the bathhouse. A towel wrapped around his waist, he sits on his bed and rubs his shoulder, silently cursing his poor fortune.
“Well, well, I didn’t expect it to be you, Orlan.” The towel-clad air-maker extends his open palm to the window, where he finds Fire smugly leaning on the sill from the outside.
Orlan lowers his arm. “So it’s you, Fire. Finally decided to come after me, did you?” He walks to the rack in the corner where his clothes are hanging. “At least let me dress before you kill me.”
“Kill you?”
“I’ve been hearing of your accomplishments,” he says. “Figured it was just a matter of time before I saw your face in my window.”
“Tch, same old Orlan, it’s all about you,” she says as she slides in. The handkerchief pulled over her head is damp with sweat, and she pulls it off to reveal short, dark hair extending to her chin. Hidden weapons clink around at her waist, covered by a tight sash that enwraps her torso.
“I assume you’re here for the money,” he says, “but I sure don’t have that anymore.”
Fire shrugs. “Forgot about that long ago.”
He watches her quizzically. “Really? That was a lot of money I swindled.”
“I just pulled the same scam on a rookie hunter, so consider your debt somewhat paid.” She crosses her arms and adds, “Still, doesn’t change the fact that you’re a dirty hustler.”
Orlan slides his shirt over his hairy chest. “Leave me alone, I’ve had a rough day.”
“So I’ve heard. Sounds like you were in a scuffle with an earth shaper. Maybe a couple others.”
“You’re as resourceful as ever,” he grunts. “What about them?”
“Tell me where you saw them and where they were going.”
“Those kids? You’re joking, right?” Fire continues to wait expectantly, and Orlan’s interest escalates. “So what are they worth?”
“Three hundred.”
