Sally groggily rose from a deep yet troubled sleep. The room was not her own, not her cramped room of Soulthor, nor the high tower of Surdon that had become her prison. It was a simple and sparsely furnished room, with little more than a bed and a table and chair.

“I...I escaped.” Sally groggily looked around the room. “I wonder what happened to that painting?”

Sally shook her head. She knew that it was a stupid thing to be worried about, a painting stolen from a dead kingdom, but for some reason she still worried about it.

“Atros...I made it.” Sally pulled the fur covers closer to her neck to fight off the cold. “I actually made it…”

Her blood began to run cold, far colder than the snow laden air drifting through the small wooden slat window.

“What am I doing?” Sally felt tears stream down her face. “What...What am I doing?!”

She gripped the covers so tight that her fingers turned white.

“I’m just one person...What else could I have done?”

I killed Mihal…

Sally dried her face with the fur blanket and threw them away. Immediately she began to shiver, her body reflexively tried to curl up but she held her body rigid. Compared to the cold she had endured during her flight from Surdon. She had become so cold that she couldn’t feel any part of her body and her mind turned to sludge. Only her horse, which suffered just as bad as her, guided to Atros out of some unknowable sense of direction and had brought her to safety. She shuddered to merely begin imagining what fate Ghenadie and the other Cultists would have unleashed upon her.

“I hope that you can forgive me.” Sally murmured. “I didn’t hate you…”

Sally sighed and slowly crawled out of the bed. The clothes she wore were surprisingly good quality, better than anything she had in Soulthor, but were clearly second hand. Atros, despite the Cultists peaking about it like it was the final obstacle before victory, was quite poor. Nowhere near as poor as Soulthor but nowhere near as grand as she had envisioned it to be. Nevertheless, it was safe. And safe would have to do.

The clothes scratched against her skin. She was certain that her fingers had all but frozen during the long ride north, along with the rest of her body, but she was completely fine. She took the mild discomfort as a sign that she was still alive. Once properly dressed and as protected against the cold as best she could she slowly walked to the wooden door. Part of her wanted to spend the rest of her life near the fire, as if it would wash away the cold that she had experienced but a day ago, but she knew she could not stay inside forever. At the very least she needed to get something to eat.

Sally took a deep breath and hesitated to open the door. It wasn’t the cold that gave her pause, after riding through the snowy night she doubted the cold could ever frighten her again, but the people outside. Specifically the Beast-kin, the strange humanoids that she had been told were horrific monsters. She remembered the Cobra Beast-kin, as she was called, offering her food and warmth. Surely they couldn’t all be bad?

“That snake lady was nice...But a little scary though.”

Sally grunted and opened the door. A wave of snowy air poured in through the gap. Despite Atros being in the same land as Surdon it appeared the winter was somehow a little worse here, at least in terms of wind. It whipped around and buffeted her face, throwing her hair in all directions. She retreated into the safety of her room and found something that could be used like a scarf. When it was safely secured to her head she attempted to leave again. The wind continued to blow her head about but it wasn’t as bad as before. Like everything she was going through, almost as bad was miles better than what it could be.

“They...The snake lady told me they were going to put me through some sort of test.” Sally pulled the thick woollen cloak tight around her body. “But...Where was it?”

Atros was far, far larger than Soulthor, and in Surdon she had a guide, of sorts. Here was comopletely new to her. She didn’t understand the layout of the city but she guessed it was formed by expanding rings, for whatever reason. A pair of Atros guards walked past, one a human, the other a Beast-kin that looked strikingly similar to a lizard. He, or it could have been a she, were clearly struggling with the cold. They had a multiple layers of clothes already but the cold was beating them.

“I told you, you should have just stayed inside.” The human guard said to his companion, speaking slightly louder than normal to compensate for the howl of the wind.

“I’m fine.” Sally still didn’t know if it was a man or a woman. “Once I get moving I’ll feel better.”

Sally body lurched forward. They were the only people in the street and were moving away fast.

“Excuse me!” Sally yelled. Both guards immediately stopped and turned towards her. For a moment she feared that she was about to be attacked, both held their spears tight, but she relaxed as they did. “I...I need some help.”

“Are you the one that rode into Atros the other day?” The reptile asked. Sally was certain it was a woman, what passed for a woman as a reptile Beast-kin.

“Yes...” Sally felt a shiver run down her spine, not one caused by the cold. “They told me that I had to go for some sort of test in the morning. But I don’t know what or where. I...I was very tired and not listening.”

“Not surprising.” The Human guard rested his spear on his shoulder. “I saw you when you came in. You were completely frozen. Everyone thought you were dead. You probably would have, if it wasn’t for Lord Anton.”

The Reptile jabbed his leg with the butt of her spear. “You know that he isn’t a Lord. They’ve said it more than enough times.”

The human guard shrugged. “I come from Qaiviel. And anyone that rules a city is a lord, at least that’s what I was taught.”

“Right...” The Reptile clicked her tongue. “I believe they’re speaking about a test to determine how much mana you have in you. Everyone undergoes it, so they know who should be taught to be a Principle Mage.”

“I’m annoyed that I didn’t have any.” The Human guard laughed. “I wish I could do what they could. Fire and lightning. Healing...Or whatever it is Anton does. Oh. And those blonde Graterian women. Ice and Fire. Goes quite well together, no?”

The Reptile Beast-kin lightly sighed. “I don’t have any either. But maybe you’ll be lucky.”

“Would it be a good thing?” Sally asked. Never once had she given any thought about being a mage, apart from her fantasies when she was younger. Living in Soulthor, there was no way that a wandering mage would come to them. But that was exactly what happened, only a few days before their lives were destroyed.

“Absolutely.” The Human guard smiled warmly. “I arrived here relatively early, but there was a time that Anton and his...Women, weren’t here. And a whole bunch of those Goblins attacked. Almost a thousand of them, I was told.”

Sally tensed but the man tried to placate her.

“No one died. Not one. All because of two other mages. Two of our smiths. Shawn and Jocelyn. They have the same magic that Anton does, sort of. Not all of it. Anyway, they killed dozens with each blast of magic. I mean, Anton and the first Beast-kin arrived soon after, but we would have made it even if they didn’t. And all because of two people. Two. I wouldn’t believe-”

“Are you done?” The Reptile’s lips curled up in what Sally thought was a mocking smile. “The longer you talk the colder I’m getting.”

“Fine.” The Human guard gently swatted her back with his spear. “We’ll take you to the Magical Academy. Someone will be there to tell you what to do. If not, well, it looks like you have the day off. That’s always a good thing.”

The two began walking along the snow covered streets, already bickering about something and seemingly forgetting to make sure that Sally was following. She gave chase and followed them. As they walked she noticed the tail of the Reptile Beast-kin. It was quite thick but short, but it always swayed back and forth when he was speaking. Every so often they would bump into each other and their touch would linger more than necessary.

Can...Can people and Beast-kin fall in love? Is that possible?

Sally had no idea but knew better than to ask. If they weren’t a couple, or on the verge, it might ruin whatever was happening. But, most importantly, it didn’t matter to her either way.

---[]---

Sally arrived at the Magical Academy, such as it was. She had never seen one of the near mystical Academies of Graterious but she knew that this was nothing like them. This was nothing more than a collection of chairs in a converted garden. A large smooth stone hanged on the wall the chairs face, above a thick and strong cloth material stopped the heavy snow falling down upon the chairs, instead raining down along the perimeter.

“This...This is the Atros Magical Academy?”

Sally knew the walls of Atros and its people were strong, the guards were numerous and all wore thick armour and wielded good weapons, but this was a serious disappointment.

How are they supposed to deal with all those Goblins the Ancient Listeners are going to throw at them? They’ve got metal armour...And there are so many of them compared to Atros…

“Sorry.” A voice called out from the far side, before the stone slab. “But Mezot isn’t here right now. She’s the Principle Mage that would be teaching us or conducting any tests. And her daughter isn’t here either...So there’s really no one here. None of us know how to use Principle Magic yet. Not...Properly.”

The voice belonged to a woman sitting behind a large table. For a moment Sally’s heart skipped a beat; her flawless dark brown skin practically glowing in the light, green eyes looked warmly at her beneath long perfectly straight brown hair. A thick pale white cloak covered her head, keeping away the snowflakes, while delicate fingers held a position on a thick red leather bound book.

“So there aren’t any classes at the moment…” Her green eyes narrowed, she covered her mouth in surprise. “Sorry. You’re Sally, aren’t you? The person that arrived from the south?”

“Yes…” Sally stepped forward and pulled her cloak tighter. “They told me to come here when I woke up. Said something about wanting to check my mana potential? Or something?”

“Yes.” The beautiful brown woman beckoned her closer. “Everyone gets checked. I was lucky. I, apparently, have the highest amount of mana in Atros that doesn’t have a Glyph, so they have me learn magic rather than helping in the fields.”

She looked behind and smiled. “Though I still have other work. Work that’s very important for Atros.”

Sally didn’t understand but still approached. The cloak that the brown woman wore was surprisingly large and covered something behind her. A large seat, perhaps?

“But we can still do the test.” The brown woman smiled. “Even I know how to do that, but I’m sure that Mezot will want to see it for herself. She’s very...She’s an odd woman.”

“I’m sorry, but I didn’t get your name.” Sally didn’t want to only refer to her as the brown skinned woman, no matter how beautiful she was.

“Ulyaa. My name is Ulyaa.” She pointed to a small cabinet to the side of the room. “Could you please get the box in there...Do you know how to read?”

“No. My parents didn’t have enough time...Or money. Soulthor was very poor.” Sally pulled a face as she approached the cabinet. “But she did offer me to Anton. That was the man that healed me. That’s what the snake lady told me. Is that right?”

“Eider? Yes. That was Anton.” Ulyaa chuckled. “And what was that about being offered to Anton?”

Sally almost cracked a smile. “He, and another two women, helped us defeat a horde of Mole Rats that attacked our village, before the Cult did. And my mother…” Sally opened the cabinet. “She wanted me to be...I don’t really know what she wanted me to do with him. I don’t think it was anything good.”

Ulyaa chuckled. “That’s very interesting. He never mentioned something like that. But, could you please get the box marked with the blue letters? That’s the one we need.”

Sally knew it was writing but she couldn’t understand it.

“Can you read?” Sally took the light box and returned to Ulyaa. “I thought it would be impossible to learn Principle Magic without it.”

“It is. But I’m learning.” Ulyaa tapped the book. “Right now I can’t read very fast, but Anton and Mezot can read without having to follow the words with their fingers. I don’t know how they do it all in their heads. But they’ve told me that I can do it too one day.”

Sally placed the box before her. Ulyaa placed the book to one side and opened the box. Inside lay a simple but perfectly round stone and a small piece of paper with strange drawings next to what Sally thought were numbers. The whiter the circle the higher the number.

“It’s very simple.” Ulyaa took the stone and it began to glow very bright. “See? That’s all you have to do. Just hold it and compare it to the piece of paper. That’s it. I’m about...Six and a half? About there. But most people are right down here.” Ulyaa pointed to the bottom of the paper where the circles were dull grey. “One or maybe two. So let’s see what you are.”

Sally hesitantly took the stone. The brightness remained the same as Ulyaa’s, perhaps slightly brighter.

“That’s incredible.” Ulyaa clapped her hands together. “You might have more mana than me.”

“How?” Sally brought the stone close to her eyes. Somehow it radiated light, yet it wasn’t hot. “I...I don’t feel like I have any mana. Shouldn’t some mage have found me if I have so much?”

Ulyaa smiled. “That’s a question you have to ask Mezot. I think that they can’t just feel how much mana people have...So they need to test people...I don’t know.” Ulyaa shrugged. “But this is great news. The more Mages Atros has the better.”

Something within Sally snapped. “How can you people honestly hope to win?!”

Ulyaa shied back but Sally didn’t notice.

“There are tens of thousands of Goblins in Surdon. Probably hundreds of thousands, all with metal weapons and armour. All wanting to kill everything that’s not them! They’ll kill you, every Human, Beast-kin, Dwarf, Dark Elf...Everything! How come you haven’t run away? Somewhere where it’s safe! These walls won’t be enough to protect you!”

Ulyaa simply smiled. “I believe that we can win. I know that we will win. Under Anton’s protection this city has grown from a tiny village to a fortified city, and we’re growing stronger by the day. More people and resources are flowing into Atros, even during the winter. Perhaps because it’s winter, where we can really focus on building and training. Regardless, he is not going to abandon us so we will not abandon Atros. Besides…” Ulyaa patted something behind her. “It’s not like there’s anywhere else for someone like me anyway. Maybe that’s why we aren’t going to leave.”

Sally didn’t understand. Ulyaa saw the confusion clearly covering her face.

“Sally, I know that this might seem a little odd, but I’m a Beast-kin.”

“What?” Sally’s eyes raked her body, at least what she could see. “But all of the Beast-kin don’t look...Human. And you do...They don’t have dark skin like you either.”

Ulyaa chuckled. “I’m a little different. An Arachnid has the upper body of a human but the lower half is that of a spider. A very large spider.”

Sally looked over Ulyaa’s shoulder. The long cloak could have been hiding a Beast-kin body but Sally found it a little unbelievable. Beast-kin were supposed to be bestial humanoids, not one of the most beautiful women that she had ever laid eyes on.

“Please don’t be too alarmed.” Ulyaa stood up. Sally still did not see the Beast-kin body. “But I know that you’ve already seen Beast-kin before, and you haven’t freaked out.”

“The snake lady was nice enough.” Sally shrugged as she placed the glowing stone into the box. “And the others don’t seem bad. They’re talking with the other humans…”

Sally trailed off, not really sure what she was trying to say. Ulyaa said nothing and stepped back. Sally immediately knew something was wrong, she was standing shorter than her body should have been. She remained silent as Ulyaa moved around the side of the table and into full view.

“I…”

Ulyaa spoke true. Her lower half was that of a spider, quite large compared to her human upper half, yet it moved with incredible grace. The thick pale white cloak was draped loosely over her legs, yet was attached to her spider body by a series of thin straps. Her spider legs were bare, apart from the very base of her feet. Those were covered in a thick wrapping of a seemingly dense material, one which droplets of water simply ran off.

“It stops the cloak from coming loose.” Ulyaa noticed where she was looking. “Otherwise, when I’m moving it would slide off and I’d be spending most of my time putting back on rather than...Whatever it was I was doing before.”

“But…” Sally blinked. “But they told me that Beast-kin are bestial…”

“Well, this is.” Ulyaa raised one of her spider legs. “I’m probably more bestial than most Beast-kin.”

“I didn’t think a Beast-kin could be so beautiful…” Sally’s body turned completely rigid, her face turned red while her ears burned like fire.

Ulyaa blinked before beginning to laugh. “That’s the first time I’ve been called beautiful, especially by someone by someone I’ve just met. Oh dear. You’re going to make me blush.”

Sally couldn’t see any difference on her dark skin but if a tinge of red crept over her face it would be extremely difficult to tell, especially compared to her own.

“I...I’m sorry.” Sally stepped back. “I shouldn’t-”

“It’s fine.” Ulyaa reached out and held her hand. It was surprisingly warm and extremely soft. “I’m just teasing you a little.” Ulyaa moved closer with a devilish smile on her face. “You shouldn’t say those sort of things unless you’re prepared for the consequences.”

“It just sort of came out.” Sally laughed. “I didn’t...I did mean it.”

Ulyaa rested her hand on the side of her head. “See? On a more serious note, you have tremendous magical potential. So you won’t be doing much work besides learning magic.”

“I...I don’t know what I want to do.” Sally’s shoulders dropped. “I just wanted to escape Surdon. I didn’t think of anything beyond that.”

“I was the same way. I have spent nearly every waking moment a slave, a slave to the Seocurian Empire. They told me what to do, when and with what.” Ulyaa softly sighed. “They even forced me to have children against my will. Arachnids give birth to multiple children, so I actually have quite a few children in Seocuria.”

“Do...Do they know about Atros?”

“No. They were taken from me at birth.” Ulyaa shrugged. “I barely saw them before they were taken away. So they wouldn’t know me from any other Arachnid. It’s still a little annoying but there’s nothing that I can do.”

“Well…” Sally didn’t know what to say.

“It’s fine.” Ulyaa squeezed her hands. “As I said, there’s nothing I can do about it now. But I can do something to make sure my current home doesn’t fall. To those nasty Goblins or the Seocurian slavers, so that’s why I’m doing my best to learn Principle Magic. Even though...Even though I’m not very good, I think.”

Ulyaa patted the cloak covering her spider body. “Not to mention I help Atros in other ways. I produce silk, a very strong material which can be used for clothing and gambeson. A lot of the soldiers, if you’ve seen them wearing something like this cloak, then it’s come from me.”

“Come from where?” Sally lent around her. “Does it come…”

“It comes from me. Let’s just say that.”

Ulyaa picked up her red leather bound book and placed it into a small hessian bag. She placed the bag just behind her back, the thin string resting across her chest. Sally frowned as she saw how far it dug into the centre of her chest and how little the rest moved.

“These are incredibly valuable.” Ulyaa patted the bag. “Worth many more times than what Anton paid for our freedom.”

“He paid money for you to be free? And they just let that happen?”

“Oh no.” Ulyaa smiled. “The Seocurian Empire doesn’t know about this. If they did…” Ulyaa shuddered, every part of her body. “They won’t take us back as slaves. They’ll string us up along the streets of Danafra, if we’re lucky, to send a message to the Beast-kin. There is no escape. The life you live is the best that you can get, so don’t try anything.”

“That’s horrible.”

“Exactly why we’re not going to let that happen.” Ulyaa smiled and began to walk towards the entrance of the Academy. “But without Mezot we can’t really do that much. So...How much of Atros have you seen so far? I know it hasn’t been long…”

“Not much. After arriving here I was given food and somewhere to sleep. So I did that. I really didn’t see much of Atros.”

“Then this is the perfect time.” Ulyaa clapped her hands together. “I’m not the most knowledgeable about Atros, but it’s better than nothing. Come on, let’s go.”

Sally followed Ulyaa, it felt like she really didn’t have much of a choice.

---[]---

Sally walked beside Ulyaa through the snow, keeping her cloak tight against her body. The wind had picked up and tried to rip through the wide city streets and the heat from her body. Ulyaa did the same, keeping the pale cloak tight against her human upper half while constantly checking that the cloak covering her spider body was still in place.

“I’m just a little worried about the straps.” Ulyaa smiled and smoothed the cloak covering her spider body. “I made them myself. I can spin as much silk as I want, but that doesn’t mean that I can just make anything from it.”

“Do...Do the seamstresses know?” Sally wanted someone to be talking, anything other than the gentle crushing of their boots on the snow. “That it comes from you?”

“Of course.” Ulyaa laughed. “Some have already guessed but none have asked. And I think they don’t want to.” Ulyaa pulled at the hem of her shirt. “You should have seen Anton’s face when we showed him how strong this silk is. He must have thought that I was going to stab myself.”

Sally had no idea what to say. Even if this was a strange place, the people, and Beast-kin, were even more strange. Ulyaa noticed and calmed herself.

“But I think you should see some of Atros. Even if it’s just a vague sense. Better than nothing. It took me a long time to learn my way around. But, if you’re ever lost, just look to the north.” Ulyaa pointed to a snow-capped mountain looming in the distance. “Mount Aspire is to the north. So just remember that if you ever get lost.”

“Right...Soulthor wasn’t this large. You could see the entire village from the centre.”

“I think Atros was like that at one time. But that was well before we arrived.”

Ulyaa walked along the gently curving streets, pointing to important buildings and landmarks, including a Bathhouse that Ulyaa insisted was one of Anton’s greatest decisions. The line to enter was quite long but no one seemed to mind.

“And that...Oh. It’s Irso.” Ulyaa began to wave at one of the Beast-kin, a particularly fierce looking one. “Irso! Over here.”

The Beast-kin in question stood at the end of the line. Her eyes, someone constantly on the very of an angry eruption turned towards her and softened. Sally was surprised that someone like Ulyaa could be friends with someone that looked so angry.

“Ulyaa.” Irso left the line. “How have you been? I haven’t seen you in a while.”

“I still see Kal and Eider often, even Rasha.” Ulyaa folded her arms underneath her chest. “It’s only you that spends all of their time with Zac, slammed up against a wall.”

Against a what?

Irso’s eyebrow twitched and her tail, long and covered in many menacing spines slowed until it was barely moving. Irso chuckled, her voice crackled slightly.

“True. One of the reasons that I really want a bath.” She looked to the line. “No chance for some privacy, except if you’re Rasha it seems. I had a time reserved for me but it was interrupted by her and Anton.” Something flashed over her face. “That means it’s just you that doesn’t have someone. Even with these you’re still single?”

Without another word Irso grabbed Ulyaa’s breast and squeezed. Ulyaa’s eyes widened before narrowing to slits.

“Oh stop it. I know that you’re jealous.”

“A little bit.” Irso laughed. “Only a little bit.”

Ulyaa leant close to Sally, her spider legs compressing on one side so she tilted her whole body and not just from her waist. “She’s become a lot nicer since she’s been with Zac. A lot nicer.”

“And who’s this?” Irso leant closer to Sally. “Some human? I haven’t seen her before.”

“Sally.” Ulyaa began. “She escaped from Surdon, that city to the south with all of the Goblins. And she has a lot of mana, so she’ll be learning Principle Magic with me.”

But...I still don’t know if I want to be a mage. It doesn’t sound like something you can just learn in a few days.

“Really?” Irso looked somewhat impressed. “Well that’s fantastic. The more of those mages the better. Means that I’m not having to worry about anything other than my work.”

Ulyaa leant close to Sally again. “Irso works in the smithy. The one above ground. Drakelings are very resistant to fire, so it’s a good place for her. It’s also where she met Zac, so there’s other reasons why she likes it there.”

Irso didn’t deny anything. “You just showing her around?”

“Mezot isn’t here-”

Irso grunted and shook her head. “She’s a real strange one. I know that a lot of the people that Anton picks up are strange but she’s really strange. Like she’s not all there in the head.”

“True.” Ulyaa smiled. “But once you get past that she’s very, very nice and smart. Smart and kind enough to spend ages teaching the same thing to me, over and over because I just don’t understand it.”

“I suppose.” Irso looked back to the growing line outside the Bathhouse. “Looks like I’m going to have to get my spot back otherwise I’ll be here all day. Glad you made it out of there, Sally. And welcome to Atros. For all that’s worth.”

Irso gave a backwards wave as she returned to the line. She stopped and faced the person that had taken her spot. Quickly thee woman backed away and Irso resumed her place.

“Strange?” Sally shook her head. “She’s scary.”

“Only to people she doesn’t like and those that threaten her friends. She once threatened Anton, even once she knew that he had magic that could easily destroy Atros, because she thought that he was hurting me. But...” Ulyaa sighed. “She has calmed a little.” She winked at Sally. “Only a little.”

Sally remained close to Ulyaa as they began walking once more. The rest of the morning was spent merely walking around the streets of Atros. Sally quickly learned that the concentric rings had gates aligned with the four directions so navigating was extremely easy. However, something was niggling at her thoughts.

“Ulyaa?” Sally asked as they stopped at the southernmost point of Atros’s wall, the same place where Sally had arrived. “I’ve seen lots of Beast-kin in Atros, but I haven’t seen any like you. Are you the only Arachnid in Atros?”

“For now.” Ulyaa solemnly nodded. “For now. Anton doesn’t discriminate who he rescues. It’s not like he’s going to ignore a hundred Canines because he might be able to get a few Arachnids. Though it would make it easier on me...Oh dear.”

“What?” Sally looked to the closed southern gate, fearing that a horde of Goblins were about to attack, but Ulyaa’s tone did not match the fear one would expect.

“I said that he doesn’t discriminate and here come the only other person that-”

“Ulyaa!” A voice cut through the cold air. “What are you doing out here?”

“Hello Verona.” Ulyaa sighed, tilting towards Sally. “Whatever you do, don’t let yourself get swept up in this woman’s games.”

“Why?” Sally frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“Trust me. She’ll warp your head if you’re not careful.” Despite Ulyaa’s menacing threat her normal mile returned, and not one that was hiding disgust.

Ulyaa nodded towards two approaching women, both of whom were pregnant. One was very short, pale white skin with silver hair, the other much taller, with dark skin and dark aqua hair. For a moment Sally thought her eyes were playing tricks on her, it looked like her eyes were those of a cats, but horizontal rather than vertical. The longer she looked the more she realised she was seeing true.

“Verona.” Ulyaa almost sighed. “How are you?”

The short silver haired woman opened both of her arms to give Ulyaa a hug. She rolled her eyes but still accepted it, returning it quite fondly.

“I’m doing great.” Verona raised her hand to her mouth. “Well, maybe not that great.” She placed her other hand on her stomach, protruding the cloak out. “These are really causing me some trouble. Nearly every morning I’m feeling sick. Not to mention my back is killing me.”

“I wonder why.” Ulyaa said dryly.

“I don’t understand how you’re not suffering.” Verona scoffed. “Yours are almost as large as mine and yet you’re completely fine. I mean, your upper half is normally leaning back so that might be-”

The dark skinned woman shook her head before holding Verona’s head. “That has only gotten worse. She acts normal in front of Anton, though.”

“I’m fine.” Verona gently swatted away her hand. “If pregnancy was just a little bit easier...” Her eyes drifted to Sally. “And you must be the person that escaped Surdon?”

“I...I am.” Sally didn’t know why she had difficulty answering Verona’s question. There didn’t seem to be anything particularly troublesome about her. Maybe a little cheeky, but nothing that warranted Ulyaa’s warning.

“I’m glad that you made it out.” The dark skinned woman spoke. “I’m sorry that none of your village did.”

Sally solemnly nodded. “’Yeah...But...”

“You’re safe here. Anton will keep Atros safe, no matter what.”

“Too right, Kal.” Verona nodded. “And once our children are born then we’ll be able to help out even more. Though-”

“Though one, or both of us, will have to stay behind.” Kal gently rubbed her swollen stomach. “My mother wasn’t able to be there for me, so I won’t miss a single moment of my child.”

“Yeah, but it wasn’t like it was deliberate.” Verona smiled. “If Marion hadn’t thrown you from that wall you wouldn’t be here. Neither would Eider, she would have been killed, and Rasha and Kristof would have been sold off as...” Verona glanced at Sally. “Sorry. Some stuff I probably shouldn’t be talking about in front of someone so young.”

“I...Don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

“Perhaps that for the best.” Verona smiled and clapped her hands. “Now. Did I hear correctly that you were going to be a Principle Mage?”

“I...” Sally felt her lips and jaw harden. “I don’t know. I don’t know anything...” Inside she felt the same anger, frustration, that she had felt when she yelled at Ulyaa.

Kal, knelt before Sally. It took her some effort, most likely the baby was draining some of her strength.

“It’s okay to not know what you want to do.” Kal held her hand. Unlike Ulyaa’s hers were clearly not human. No human had claws after all. “I didn’t. I’ve spent most of my life by myself, hiding from humans.”

“But you’re not a Beast-kin.” Sally said softly.

Kal smiled and pulled back her hood. Despite her human face she had large fluffy ears. Even her teeth weren’t human, jagged, like a predators, but she didn’t seem scary.

“I’m a Half-breed. My mother, Marion, is a Beast-kin. My father...It’s best that I don’t think about him.” Kal shuffled forward. “But I didn’t know what I wanted to do. Even coming here, and finding the man that I was destined to be with, I still didn’t know. But...And I know this is going to sound a little odd, but I still tried.”

Kal was right. She didn’t understand.

“What I mean is that I didn’t know that Anton was going to be the man that I fell in love with. But, even if I didn’t, I was still going to help him. And it was through that, that I fell in love.”

“You think I should fall in love with Mezot?” Sally raised a brow.

Verona burst into laughter. “Not going to happen. Well, Mezot’s got eyes for one person and one person only.” She held a finger to her lips and looked down. “Even her daughter...”

“Ignore Verona.” Kal smiled. “It gets easier.”

“Hey!”

“But I think that you should still try to learn Principle Magic. While it can’t do anything to undo what has happened to you, it can help to stop it from happening again.”

Sally looked to Ulyaa, who merely smiled. What Kal was saying felt very similar to what she said.

“And, you never know, maybe you will find some to love as you learn Principle Magic.” Kal bit her lip as she shook her head. “Anton and I started to bond over cooking a mushroom soup. Can you believe that? This,” Kal pointed to her stomach. “So you never know.”

“I don’t know anything about that. I’ve never...” Sally took a deep breath. “But I’ll try. I can’t read, and I don’t think I’m that smart, but I’ll try.”

“That’s the spirit.” Verona brought Sally into a tight hug before she could respond. Verona was equal parts soft and hard, and extremely warm. “You never know what’s going to happen unless you take that first step.”

“Indeed.” Kal still held Sally’s hand. “But we should keep moving.”

“Do we?”

“Yes.” Kal refrained from rolling her eyes. “You said you wanted to take a walk because your eyes were hurting from looking at those feathers all day. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten already.”

“No. Of course not.” Verona relinquished her hold on Sally. “But I got a little too engrossed by Ulyaa’s new friend.”

I don’t understand this woman. What is she saying? What is she trying to do with me? Is this what Ulyaa meant?

“We’ll see you later then.” Verona waved as they began to head towards the centre of Atros. “Don’t hesitate to swing by our house if you want to talk about something. We’re not always there but...Do if you can.”

“We will.” Ulyaa gently waved. “Be safe you two.”

Kal gave a quick wave before catching up to Verona.

Ulyaa stood perfectly still until they were well out of hearing range. “Gods. That woman...Verona, not Kal. Verona’s a strange one.”

“Yeah...” Sally patted down her shirt. “She was very odd.”

“But do you see why I said you have to be careful around her?”

“She seemed nice. Just a little...” Sally jolted forward. “That.”

“Yes.” Ulyaa smiled. “But see what they did when they were working together? Verona comes in too hard, then Kal speaks nicely and you’re a lot more willing to agree to what they had to say in the first place. No?”

Sally thought long and hard before responding. At first she just didn’t know what she wanted, whether or not to be a Principle Mage. However, putting it all together, it seemed like Ulyaa might have had a point.

“Maybe.” Sally watched the two disappear behind the gate. “Kal was a Half-Breed?”

“Yes. When a Human and a Beast-kin have a child, sometimes they come out like her. But Kal is especially rare, since the division, as Marion called it, is perfect. She doesn’t have one arm that’s human and the other Beast-kin.”

“And her father?”

Ulyaa’s eyes turned hard and her body shuddered. “Best not to ask that question, if you want to remain on her good side. Her father was a terrible, terrible man. A very terrible man. But she never got the chance to kill him. That’s what one of the daggers she carries with her is for.”

“One of?” Sally asked as they began walking once more.

“Yes...” Ulyaa placed a hand on her shoulder. “I think the other is for her first friend. Lucia.”

“Who’s Lucia?”

Ulyaa did not answer, even when Sally repeated the question. She decided not to inquire any further, at least for today.

---[]---

“And this is my home.” Ulyaa said proudly as she opened the wooden door. “It’s not much but it’s my home. So, so much better than what we had in Seocuria.”

Sally entered Ulyaa’s home at her request. It was slightly more furnished than her own but mainly from small items and trinkets that Ulyaa had collected after being freed from the Seocurian slavers. A few pieces of dried food, a small bundle of blue flowers and a collection of bright blue and orange clothes. Since Ulyaa only needed a shirt, and a long skirt, she had no pants. Sally smiled at the idea of Ulyaa only covering her front spider legs.

“At least we have some privacy here.” Ulyaa muttered. “Some mornings I have to spin my silk here, otherwise I wouldn’t make it to the north.”

“Is it really that bad?” Sally looked to the rear of Ulyaa’s spider body.

“Yeah. Some days…” Ulyaa moved to the messily made bed. “Some days I can barely move until I do.”

Ulyaa stepped onto the bed, spun around and tucked her legs underneath. She smiled as she pulled her cloak tight.

“I never thought that I could make so much. I think it’s kind of like Rasha.”

“She...The Blue woman?”

“Yeah.” Ulyaa laughed as she gripped her breasts hard and lifted them high. “The one with the giant breasts. But, since she’s a Minotaur, she produces milk. A lot of milk. And from what I’ve heard she’s making more than ever since she’s been healed. I guess my body is kind of similar.”

“But isn’t she with Anton?” Sally moved to the other bed. A small plume of dust emerged from around her rear. It had not been used in some time.

“Yes. But...I don’t really want to get involved with all of that.” Ulyaa shrugged. “I’ve thought about it but I don’t want to be jostling for my partner. It seems to work for some people, but not for me. Not for me.”

Sally slowly nodded. She had never given much thought to boys, in a romantic sense, especially since the offerings in Soulthor were very poor. She understood that they were poor, extremely poor, but it didn’t mean they couldn’t try and wash themselves from time to time, nor act like creeps when they spoke to her, especially some of the older men…

“Sally?” Ulyaa slunk from the bed, her human half did not dip down while her spider legs silently stepped onto the wooden floor. “What’s wrong?”

“What do you mean?”

Ulyaa gently held her face. “You can tell me what’s wrong. We’re friends, right?”

“I don’t know what…” Sally stopped when Ulyaa brushed just beneath her eyes. “What are you doing?”

Ulyaa’s fingertips were wet. Sally touched just beneath her eye. Tears were running down her face. She was crying, and yet she didn’t know why.

“Why…”

Ulyaa hugged her tight, the warmth from her body flowed through her thick cloak and into her heart. Something within her snapped and she began to cry. She couldn’t stop herself, the sobbing grew more and more uncontrollable, until she could barely breathe through the wet sobs.

“I watched them all die!” Sally tried to push Ulyaa away but she wasn’t strong enough. “Everyone! My mother, my father...Everyone. And they only kept me because I might have been useful to them...Why? Why did I get to live when no one else did?”

“I don’t know.” Ulyaa squeezed her tighter. “But you are alive. Alive to warn everyone of what lies to the south and to stop anyone else from becoming their victims. I didn’t know anyone in your village, but I know that they wouldn’t want you to spend every waking moment in terror or regret.”

“I-”

“There was nothing that you could have done. But you have done everything that you can to stop them from doing it again.” Ulyaa smiled. “Your parents would be very proud of you.”

“I...I suppose so.” Sally’s body shuddered as she wiped away the fresh tears. She cried so hard that she could even feel the redness around her eyes. “I suppose you’re right.”

Ulyaa backed away. She opened her mouth to speak but quickly closed it, instead tilting her head to one side.

“Sally...Are you sleeping by yourself?”

“Yes.” Sally wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “They gave me the entire house to live in. I don’t have anything but my clothes.”

“Apparently it’s going to be a very cold night tonight.” Ulyaa stepped back to her bed. “How about you spend the night here with me? It is quite cold by myself. Even when Eider was here it wasn’t good. She is cold blooded…” Ulyaa shrugged, almost cracking a smile. “Probably why she spends a lot of her time with those Beast-kin bodyguards of hers.”

“I…” Sally slowly calmed now that she was thinking about something else. “I...Can I? They won’t get mad for me being somewhere I wasn’t…”

“It’ll be fine.” Ulyaa pulled her towards the bed. “They won’t mind. I’m sure of it. Besides, I don’t like being cold either. For all the horrible, horrible things the Seocurians did to us freezing wasn’t one of them. Of course they didn’t have a chance.” Ulyaa shrugged again. “But I’m glad that I’m having this problem now.”

“I suppose so.” Sally didn’t have the strength to argue. “I am feeling very tired. Still. It’s…”

“It’s been a long day. For all of us.”

Sally shrugged. She really didn’t have the strength to argue and a warm bed was a very tantalising prospect. She kicked off her shoes and flopped onto the bed beside Ulyaa. It was surprisingly soft and comfortable, the material giving away just enough to form around her body.

“Do you like it?” Ulyaa skittered towards the end of the bed, never raising herself more than an inch.

“Yeah...I’ve never had a bed this soft.” Sally pulled her head up. “Not even in Surdon.”

Ulyaa smiled as she pulled the sheets out from underneath her. “We, I say we but it’s really Anton that gives the final say on whether something or not is bought, but it was bought from Bebbezzar. It’s really good. Says...He said that it’ll improve our standing with them. Or something like that. That we’re good trading partners.”

“Bebbezzar?” Sally’s eyes began to feel extremely heavy, her muscles were having an increasingly hard time keeping her head upright. “How...How did he get there? And back, with this?”

“An interesting story.” Ulyaa waved Sally towards the soft looking pillows. “But I’m not that strong. And if you fall asleep right here, I’m going to have trouble moving you to the right position.”

“Right.”

Sally maneuvered herself to the correct position while Ulyaa easily stepped from the bed, collected a set of thicker fur blankets and placed them on the far side of the bed.

“There.” Ulyaa looked rather pleased with herself. “Normally I have to have this, otherwise I’ll be freezing, but it’s better to be too hot that cold.”

“Yeah.” Sally forced a laugh. “I know exactly what you are saying.”

Sally did not intend for it to sound snide but she doubted Ulyaa, or anyone in Atros knew what true cold was like. She knew what it felt like, and being a little chilly was nothing by comparison. Ulyaa, for her part, acted or simply did not know and ushered Sally further towards the far edge. She lay next to her, her human body on her side while her spider body lay on its back, her legs curled towards the centre.

“I normally sleep like this.” Ulyaa smiled as two of her spider legs reached for the cloth sheets. “It’s a little bit weird, I know, but every other position just hurts when I wake up.”

Sally didn’t comment as Ulyaa deftly pulled the cloth and fur sheets over them. After a few breaths Sally felt her eyes close, but the tears returned. Ulyaa wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into her chest. Sally managed a faint grumble as she buried her head into Ulyaa’s breasts, frustratingly both were almost the size of her head and incredibly soft and warm.

“Ulyaa…” Sally looked up at the Arachnid, half of her face still buried in her soft, warm chest. “Do...Do you think that…”

Ulyaa smiled and gently stroked her head. “It’ll be alright. We’re safe in Atros. Nothing can hurt you here. So let’s just go to sleep. We have a lot of work in the morning. It’ll be the first time that you get to see magic, though thinking about that will probably just keep you awake.”

Sally smiled and pulled herself closer to Ulyaa. After a few more breaths her eyes closed and darkness covered her thoughts. As Ulyaa continued to gently her head Sally slipped into the first calm sleep since she was taken from Soulthor.