Ethan grabbed Jasper by his belt and lobbed his small partner into the air. The gremlin landed on the ledge he’d jumped off a few minutes before, sending up a puff of snow.

“Warn me before you do that!” Jasper yelled down at Ethan.

A backpack sailed through the air and narrowly missed Jasper’s head. The gremlin had the good sense to roll out of the way moments before the woman followed suit. A few moments later, Ethan’s hand appeared at the top of the cliff and the tall man pulled himself up.

Jasper waved down at the caravan. Then he snapped his fingers, and every change he had wrought vanished. Guards popped back into existence and their swords reappeared on the ground.

“Chop chop. Time to go,” Jasper said. “We don’t want them following us.”

“I doubt they can get their wagons up a cliff,” Ethan said, but he didn’t slow down.

The tall man picked the woman and his pack up off the ground before striding away from the cliff and deeper into the mountains. Jasper followed at his heels, jogging to keep up.

A few hours later, long after the sun had fallen below the sprawling peaks of the snowy mountains, they arrived at a large flat plateau. At the left side of the plateau was a sheer cliff and at the right, the wall of a mountain with a small cave in it. There was already a pile of wood set up within the rocky niche.

The wind howled violently as they crossed the lengthy plateau to reach the cave at the far end. After nearly a minute of hurried walking, the three of them rushed into the shelter of the rocks. Jasper pulled flint and steel from a small pouch at his side and, after several strikes, the sparks caught. Ethan set the woman down and walked over to Jasper.

The two men shielded the flames as they slowly spread to the rest of the wood. Once the fire was roaring, Ethan plopped down beside it.

“You can stop pretending to be unconscious,” Ethan informed the woman without looking back at her.

A few seconds passed. Then the woman sighed. She sat up and scooted closer to the fire without hesitation. Her nose was twisted slightly in annoyance.

“How long have you known?” She asked Ethan.

The tall man shrugged. “Your stomach grumbled while I was walking.”

“That doesn’t mean I was awake,” she protested.

“Then you grabbed the strip of dried meat I was saving for lunch out of the pouch on my back,” Ethan continued dryly.

“Ah. Didn’t think you noticed that. I was really hungry, and I hadn’t eaten since yesterday.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Ethan said with a chuckled.

Jasper grabbed a strip of dried meat for himself and tore into it, chewing loudly. Both Ethan and the woman shot him annoyed looks. The gremlin swallowed and pointed an accusatory finger at the woman.

“You made us do basically all the work. You even made Ethan carry you all the way back here. That’s fine. But taking our food…? Don’t you have any shame?” He asked.

“All the work? I’m the one who had to infiltrate the stupid caravan for an entire month! And who found all their valuables and told Ethan where to look? I did just as much as you did. I reckon I earned myself a good bit more than just a strip of dry meat.”

“She’s not wrong,” Ethan laughed. “But let’s not argue. This is a time of merriment and feasting. We’re rich!”

“For now,” Jasper muttered. “We still have to give Lima her cut.”

“Linna,” the woman said.

“Pah, whatever. You’re a terrible hostage,” Jasper said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

“Accomplice,” Linna corrected. “Now, how far away from Rellen are we? I’ve got a crew to hire.”

“That eager to return to the Asharr Islands?” Ethan asked. “You’ve only been on the mainland for a little over a month.”

“More than enough for me,” Linna said, not bothering to hide her distain. “I don’t need some musclebound idiot stabbing me because I look like an Asharr Pirate.”

“Not every islander looks like you. When Jasper and I traveled to the Islands, there were just as many that looked similar to mainlanders,” Ethan said.

“You are putting a lot of faith in the intellectual capabilities of the common masses,” Linna scoffed.

“Whoa, stop there. Big useless words. Just get to the point,” Jasper said through a mouthful of meat. “Also, you are an Asharr Pirate. The musclebound idiot would be right.”

“That’s beside the point,” Linna said, grabbing another strip of meat from Ethan’s pack and stuffing it into her mouth.

Jasper grunted but let the matter drop. They quietly watched the fire flicker for a few minutes. The gremlin let out a loud yawn and laid down against one of the bags.

“I’m going to sleep. I’ve seen enough of your ugly mugs for today, and I don’t think I can handle any more without throwing up,” Jasper said. He was fast asleep within minutes.

“Wow. That was quick,” Linna said.

“He is a gremlin of many talents,” Ethan agreed. “Go ahead and get some rest as well. I’ll keep watch.”

“Nah, it’s too early. Say, you’ve travelled over the mainland, right?” Linna asked.

“We have. We spent some time under the employ of the Gellan kingdom a long time ago,” Ethan said.

“Tell me about it,” Linna said, leaning forward.

“There is much I should not say. We have an…interesting past, and Jasper would not appreciate me sharing our secrets.”

The gremlin muttered something angrily in his sleep and rolled over, presenting his backside to them.

Ethan raised an eyebrow and Linna forced herself to stifle her laugh.

“But I suppose a little talk would hardly hurt anyone, especially after a successful job,” the tall man admitted. “Take a look at this.”

Ethan shifted his cloak to the side, pulling his sleeve back and revealing his right arm. With a hiss, a cloud of steam rose from his skin. A black rectangle traced itself along his forearm. The swordsman pressed it lightly and it swung open with a gentle hiss. The inside of his arm was filled with thick gray tubes and gears humming gently with purple energy.

“Typhon’s beard, what is that?” Linna cursed, peering closer at the machinery.

“The scars from a battle that nearly killed Jasper and me. The only reason I’m still alive is because a large portion of my body has been rebuilt. It makes for a fascinating trick, doesn’t it?” Ethan asked with a warm smile.