Alistar awoke the next morning with a renewed sense of resolve. Prior to falling asleep the night before, he’d thought about the course that his life had to take if he wanted to have any sort of shot at freeing Kaila from Crystellum. She was eleven-years-old, so there wasn’t much time before she would have to start mining like everybody else. He wasn’t sure if she could handle the workload, but knew that she would manage to get by so long as Talon was around. Terrible as it was to think it, everything depended on how long her grandfather survived.

At the very latest, Alistar had to return to the mines within five years. Any sooner and there wouldn’t be any chance of success, while any later and his remaining loved ones would definitely have died. Even five years from now, he doubted that he could actually achieve his goal, but he couldn’t afford to wait any longer than that.

Before then, he had to become strong, like Servan. Ideally, he would reach a level where he could defeat at least two cave lizards on his own, so that he could travel safely throughout the Tall Mountains by himself. He would infiltrate the mine disguised as a guard and flee with Kaila into the restricted lower levels, which they were more familiar with than anybody else.

As he tidied up his room, his mind was filled with thoughts of his future.

Recently, while flipping through an old book, he’d discovered a brief description of a specific type of danger beast called the rock worm, which was known for creating massive networks of tunnels underground. He suspected that the ancient network of tunnels beneath Crystellum had been created by these creatures. Supposedly, they were extinct, but the entry had stated that they always created multiple exits when shaping out their dens, which were usually beneath great mountains. That meant that there had to be another way out, somewhere along the gigantic mountainside of Mt. Barosh that nobody else had noticed.

Alistar’s plan wasn’t foolproof, but he had several years to figure out the details.

Once he’d finished flattening out the surface of his freshly-made bed, he retrieved a water bucket that one of the house servants had left outside of his room, as they had done since the day of his arrival. He carefully wet a cloth and wiped himself clean, before he donned his second set of clothing and set off for breakfast.

He was happy to see that both Caedmon and Anice were speaking quietly over their untouched plates as they awaited his arrival. Caedmon looked more like his usual self today, eyes brighter than they had been since he had received the dreadful news of his sister’s demise. His skin was smooth and unblemished, his dark hair combed and slicked back. As Alistar slipped into his seat across from Anice, his uncle rested a hand on his shoulder.

“I’m glad to see that you’re in higher spirits, Alistar.”

“You as well, Uncle.”

They shared a smile.

“Anice tells me that you two plan to go into town today. Is there anywhere you would like to see in particular?”

He thought for a moment. “I’d like to see everything, if I can. I want to become more familiar with the city.”

Anice withered when she heard how much sightseeing Alistar planned on doing. But she had offered, so he planned to take full advantage.

Buttering a slice of bread, Caedmon made some suggestions. “I would recommend visiting the local collegia. It is a centre for study in Mayhaven, and the library there is many times larger than my own.”

More books than he has here?

Seeing the sparkles in Alistar’s eyes, his uncle added, “Try and visit the church as well. You’re set to be baptized next week, after which you’ll take your holy oaths and make your First Communion with Lord Lucian.”

The thought of a library larger than Caedmon’s was quite stirring, but the last part caught him as an unpleasant surprise. Holy oaths? First Communion? “Forgive me, Uncle, but what do you mean by holy oaths and communion with Lucian?”

“Each and every person residing in the Holy Lucian Empire must practice the Lucian Faith. This applies to everybody, no matter their social standing.”

“You didn’t get the holy day off in the mines?” said Anice. “Slaves here don’t have to work on Sundays.”

“I thought you said there weren’t any slaves in the empire, Uncle.”

Caedmon donned a complicated expression. “There are slaves everywhere. It’s just that some are treated better than others depending on where they serve. I said that there aren’t any in Distan, and that’s because all slaves within my territory can earn their freedom within five years of settling down. Because of this, nobody who owns slaves will move here.”

“Who wants them here, anyway?” huffed Anice. "The slave owners, I mean."

Do I really have to convert? Alistar should have expected as much after reading up on the empire.

“Don’t look at me like that,” sighed Caedmon. “That’s just a part of the way of life here. Anyhow, when do you two plan on setting out?”

“Afder breakfad,” Anice spoke through a mouthful of ham and eggs.

“Mind your manners, Anice,” her father scolded. “So, bright and early, is it?” He withdrew a folded piece of parchment from his pocket and ran his eyes over its contents. He fixed a stare on Alistar. “Try to be back by evening. There’re a few things that I wish to discuss when you return.”

They spent the rest of their meal engaged in idle chatter, which was a wonderful change from the dreariness of recent days. After they finished eating, Anice ran off to change out of her night clothes while Alistar accompanied Madeline and Patricia, the two house servants whom he was most familiar with, to assist in washing the dishes.

Patricia had long, straight hair that was black as night, which Alistar found so pretty that he couldn’t help but tell her so as they scrubbed the dishes clean in the main kitchen. They relied on a large tub of water that Stason had carried in from one of the many wells that dotted the property. Growing up, most women he’d known had been starved, sick and ragged, and had gone years without bathing. In contrast, the female house servants were always so clean, their cheeks flushed and full, and usually smelled of berries or wildflowers. Each had her own positive traits, and her own brand of beauty. They tended to smile whenever he voiced his opinions, which he did often. Talking to people outside of his family and not feeling fear was new, and he found it quite lovely.

He made it back to the great hall on time, though it hardly mattered as Anice was fifteen minutes late. Surprisingly, she wore clothes more fitting for a boy. A fine, black waistcoat atop a tunic of silver satin, with gold lace beneath the neckline, and loose breeches of gentle grey—

“Hey!” he shouted. “Those are mine!”

“Madeline just had them cleaned!” she laughed. “And since they’re your only change of clothes, it looks like you’ll have to wear them tomorrow.” Giggling as she ran, Anice rushed out of the entranceway and down the smooth, stone steps outside.

He chased her through the gardens and up to the heavy gates that marked the property’s end, where they both stopped for breath. She teased him by showing him the sweat lines that had formed on his clothes, so as punishment, he chased her all the way to town. By the time they stepped onto the beginnings of West Street, she collapsed onto a strip of grass that ran along the roadside, red in the face, covered in sweat, and almost in tears as she gasped for air.

“L—look how much sweat is on them now!”

“You’re the one who has to wear them.”

Madeline hadn’t cleaned them, anyway. He’d just folded them and returned them to his drawers the night before, unbeknownst to his foolish cousin.

Once Anice caught her breath, the two of them followed West Street down to the marketplace. Yesterday, Alistar had marvelled at all of the shops and stalls, and the different wares that they had advertised. He’d gawked at the pretty women selling perfumes, been caught staring at peculiar-looking townsfolk, and had even patted a handful of sheep when their owners weren’t looking.

Today, there were at least five times as many people as there had been the day before, which Alistar hadn’t expected. Shouts flew around from within the thick and disorderly crowd, a variety of smells mixed in with the incomprehensible din that made up the backdrop. Food stalls sold bread, meat, and ales, while local farmers offered barley, wheat, oats, and rye. Blacksmiths and other craftsman showcased their workmanship, while traders sold jewels, silks, and pungent spices. Many families stood out front of tables laden with fresh fruits and vegetables, while nearby guards kept an eye out for any mischief.

“There’re so many people!” he exclaimed. “Even though it’s so early…”

“It’s almost time for lunch,” complained his cousin. “You made father and I wait for too long. Why do you think I was so hungry?”

“You’re always hungry. And do you really want to talk to me about making people wait?” He felt a strong urge to dive into the crowd, to hop from stall to stall.

“Take that back,” she said, shoving him.

“What? About making people wait?”

“I’m not always hungry.”

He abandoned the conversation and ran to the nearest stall, a broad tabletop with jewelry and figurines on display, shaded by a thick, white canopy. The gemstones were brilliant, though none of them compared to the ones he’d seen. A few minutes later, he moved on to the next stall over, a small table filled with magic crystals of various sizes and shades. Some were the size of a fingernail, while the largest could cover one of his palms. Most were blue, arranged from left to right, darker to brighter, though there were a fair amount of green ones as well, and even a few yellow ones. He’d only mined three yellow crystals personally, but he’d seen every shade of every type, and knew that in the grand scheme of things, the majority of these crystals were common.

Anice observed him for a while before speaking up. “You won’t be able to buy any of these unless you save up your allowance for a long time. Not that you could use them.”

“What’s an allowance?”