“This place is quieter than I expected,” said Jaslynn, her voice reverberating through the sleepy tavern.

We sat at a table in the corner, allowing a full view of the ground floor. Ten people in cloaks with their hoods up, nursing pitchers of mead; most were on their own eating their watery soups in silence, and those in groups spoke in low murmurs. Jaslynn and I had our hoods off, something that would have made me stand out were it not for the mask that covered my face – even in the tavern one person wore a mask that hid half their face, its colouring matching their skin tone.

“What did you expect? Bandits the moment we arrived?” I asked, nose scrunching at the scent rising from the mead. I took a drink and my expression twisted at the bitterness — Jaslynn had said there were hints of honey deep enough into the jug, but I hadn’t tasted them yet.

“I expected we would be accosted by scavengers at the first opportunity,” she said, her own pitcher nearly finished. Jaslynn’s eyes slid over me and then to a large man sitting on his own, eating a meal that was mostly meat; he wore clothes made from animal pelts and resting at his side was a hammer with a long handle. “Most people know there is little recourse to those who travel at the time of our arrival.”

“And you wanted that?” I asked, my attention still on the man. He wasn’t handsome, but he had a good-looking body and maybe Jaslynn thought similarly. An idea began to percolate, a way to give myself an opening.

“You should know me well enough to have our answer, Champion,” she said.

Jaslynn had thin and long fingers, ones that I could look at and think they were delicate; she had lightly tanned skin, dark hair, and eyes that were a vivid green. Her frame was narrow and her features hawkish, lady-like in a way that was different from Freda or Ellora. It wasn’t the first time that beautiful was the only thought that ran through my mind when I looked at her or was entranced by the way she moved; but as was often the case with her, a crushing panic also settled on my chest.

“That guy looks handsome, huh?” I said when her gaze went back to the large man.

“Are you interested in him?” she asked. “I thought you and that huntsman’s squire were a match.”

“I saw you looking at him,” I said, choosing to sidestep discussions about Anthony. Just as I was leaving the princes, I was also leaving Anthony and his family. The less I thought about it, the less guilt I could feel. “If you and he want to disappear upstairs, then…” I shrugged. “It must suck being the castle with the nobles. They don’t have the sex appeal of that guy.”

She snorted. “It sounds as though you want him, Jordan. Are you a watcher? I have known men who enjoy such an activity. It would take some doing, but I am sure I could get him to agree to the arrangement.”

“Maybe we should drop it,” I muttered, taking another drink from the mead. It still hadn’t gotten to the point of tasting good yet. Silence stretched, getting awkward as Jaslynn’s eyes went over to the man again. “We should be out in the forest, camping. Getting started on what we came here to do.”

“Soon,” she said absently. “We decided that we would be building your legend, didn’t we? I am in search of opportunity.”

“Can’t that wait for tomorrow?” I said, my fatigue bleeding through. “I’m really more in the mood to sleep right now instead of vigorous activity.”

Jaslynn snorted “Scared again?” she muttered. “I thought you would have overcome that by now, but it seems courage has yet to set its claws firmly within you. I am sure given enough time that I can cure you of your malady.”

A long sigh left me. I rubbed my eyes and stretched before rising.

“Are you already tired of my company?” she asked, her tone subtly different. It was possible that she might be offended, but my capacity to care was very limited.

“Going to take a piss,” I muttered.

“You will find me occupied,” she said. Jaslynn’s eyes drifted to the large guy again, a sly smile appearing on her.

“If you’re not here when I get back you’ll find me in our room,” I told her.

Jaslynn laughed and I shivered. I couldn’t put a finger on it, but there was something about her general demeanour that confused and unsettled me.

After one last drink of the mead, I pulled on my rucksack. She didn’t ask about it, too distracted by the guy she was obviously attracted to.

“You should go talk to him,” I said, one last push.

“I think I will,” Jaslynn said.

Eyes turned in my direction as I made my exit, conversation slowing or stopping all together. There were people with weapons and I noticed hands straying close, too many people were on their guard, which was why Jaslynn must have chosen this place. Everyone here looked like the type who generally minded their own business.

The door was heavy and old, with rusted hinges that stuck as I pulled; they creaked and groaned, breaking the silence in a way that left me self-conscious. I was hit by cool and crisp air as I stepped out, making me starkly aware of how stuffy it had been inside — Malnor castle had spoiled me with its air conditioning.

Are you even going to be able to survive out there on your own?

The night was dark and the torches set outside the Crack-Marred Pitcher weren’t as bright as gemlight, meaning that only a few steps beyond it was pitch black. The scene was similar to back home and I’d walked there in the middle of the night without worry, but it had been in a village where I knew everyone. Danger hadn’t been something on my mind.

Well, except in the form of witches.

Does this world even have Tokoloshe? I thought as I stared into the abyss. A smile appeared and it snowballed into a need to move. There was hope in Susserton, something that didn’t exist in Althor. As scary as it was, it really was better in the long run.

An impression moved. I closed my eyes and leaned on the temporal ring to slow things down. Using my mental map, I got a sense of where our table was and the direction of the large guy — Jaslynn was the one moving and she was going to talk to Hammerhead.

My heart jumped and my throat dried. My hands shook in anticipation as hope burgeoned, then that hope turned into a deep and dark dread.

I took a deep breath, held it and then let it out.

The Crack-Marred Pitcher sat at the outskirts of Narlen’s Grace. Immediately around the town were a stretch of farms before foliage started to grow and a forest divided Althor and Susserton. It was possible that if I walked the winding path away from the inn, I would eventually find myself at the shores of Lake Gris.

You could run now. No grand plans. No thinking about it. Just doing it before you have any second thoughts.

But if I did, Jaslynn was going to chase after me.

She’s going to chase you no matter what happens. It’s better to just get it over with. Get as far away as possible. And she’s busy with that guy. They could be distracted for the rest of the night.

I started walking, half telling myself that I didn’t want to piss near the door, but the other half telling me not to stop. An impression moved, not headed towards the door but away. I couldn’t figure out if it was Jaslynn so I stopped and looked back.

This wasn’t smart. If I was going to do this, then it had to be intentional and calculated.

Walking away opened up the possibility that Jaslynn would just chase after me. If she caught up and we fought, then I would lose. It made the most sense to make sure she wouldn’t be able to follow after me.

You’re just making excuses. You’re scared and you’re looking for a reason to stay because it’s what you know.

I ignored the thought and changed track, going to the stables. I knocked and one of the young boys who worked there opened the doors, rubbing his eyes.

“It’s you, sir,” he said. “Will you be taking your horse?”

“Uh—” I stopped as the impression moved to the door. Jaslynn stepped out a moment later, her backpack over her shoulder. I raised an arm as she turned my way, frowning at the smirk I saw from the torch light. She approached. “Just wanted to see if it’s okay.”

“She’s been fed and watered, sir,” said the boy. “She’s settled for the night like the others. It’s a good horse you have, even-tempered.”

“Good. Just checking on the horse,” I said when Jaslynn arrived. “I thought you were going to the guy.”

“You’ll have to wake her, stable boy, we’ll be leaving.” Jaslynn reached inside one of the pockets of her backpack and pulled out a lumpy coin purse. It was made from tanned leather and it was aged and scratched. There was something about it that didn’t sit right to me, a niggling feeling of something wrong.

“We are?” I asked, my mind fixating on the coin purse. It was lumpy, which wasn’t something that happened with gulping toad purses, even when they were filled to capacity. “What did you do?”

“Hurry, boy,” she said, pulling out two fat silver coins. “And you will have these.”

“Yes, m’lady,” the boy said before rushing away.

“Jaslynn,” I said when she didn’t answer my question. Heat and anger ran through me, and I was surprised to find that it wasn’t directed at Jaslynn. It was directed at myself. I’d been dithering, forgetting how much there was to hate about this situation.

“I ensured we had the opportunity to build your legend,” she said. “Just as discussed.”

Fuck you so much, Jaslynn.

“Rollo, come,” I said. The goat rippled into existence, his eyes opening from a heavy slumber.

“Is that goat always saddled?” Jaslynn asked with humour.

I glared. “I’m sorry to call you like this, boy, but I need you awake and ready.”

Rollo got to his feet, shaking his head. I gave him a few brushes and climbed on. Rollo and I turned and headed down the road, leaving Jaslynn behind. Her horse arrived a moment later and she caught up soon after, smug amusement plastered across her expression.

“If you wanted to escape our pursuer then you should have chosen another path,” she said.

“What did you do?” I asked again. “Specifically.”

“Stole the hammer wielder’s coin purse. He will chase us, and such is the way of the world that he will assume that it was your plan. You will have to defeat him Champion, at which point we will return to the Crack-Marred Inn — sans that mask of yours — so others know of our victory.”

“Give me the purse,” I said.

“Why?” she asked.

“Because I have a plan,” I lied, my tone edged with panic. “Give it to me.”

“No,” she said with a chuckle. “I think the purse is safe on my person.”

There was movement from the inn before the creak of the door rode through the night. I glanced back to see the large man, wearing a wolf-pelt cloak and his hammer in one hand. The man didn’t run so much as teleport — disappearing from the door and appearing nearer to the stable. I frowned because teleporting people was supposed to be hard, how had the man been able to do it?

Did I tell Jaslynn about that or did I keep quiet?

I had wanted the man to be a distraction of the sexual kind, but I could still pull off something similar. As Hammerhead rode his horse I knew he would catch up, which would serve my plans well.

If this guy is strong, Jaslynn could die. I hesitated, biting my lip, until I remembered that she’d pushed me in the way of death and that all of this was her fault. She had made this bed, hoping that I would lie in it, but I was returning the favour.

“Fuck it,” I muttered under my breath. Rollo slowed, giving me space to pull my gun out of my rucksack. We stopped and turned, facing the direction the man would be approaching from. “Do you have light?”

Jaslynn reached into the back stowed at the horse’s side and pulled out a luminous orb the size of a tennis ball. She rubbed it and the thing started to glow, its light growing in intensity with the motion. The glee she wore so unabashed it made what I was about to do much easier.

Hammerhead appeared behind a line of trees and slowed. He and his horse stopped a bit away, stepping off the road towards a tree to fasten the horse, all done without ever completely turning away from us. The man’s eyes were hard as he approached, his wolf-pelt cloak making him bigger and the hammer he carried so easily all the more intimidating; there were two gems on the weapon, a large earth gem and a smaller gravitational gem.

“Can we talk?” I said.

“You stole from me,” said Hammerhead, his voice deep and yet low.

“I didn’t steal from you,” I said.

“My purse is gone,” the man said, his tone taking on an angry air. “And it disappeared after she came to talk to me.”

“Yeah. She stole it.” Jaslynn turned to face me, sitting straighter. I didn’t look at her. “She’s been aching for a fight for a while now and wanted to cause trouble. If it were up to me I would have just given you your purse back, but it’s not. If you want it, you’re going to have to take it from her.”

“You would lie, so, Jordan?” Jaslynn asked, her voice catching. She sniffed, the sound threatening a sob. “Y—you said you would protect him. That’s why I did it. Please, good sir—”

“Listen, guy,” I cut in. “She probably charmed you before she stole your purse. She’s very good at acting. Are you really going to buy what she’s selling? She has your purse and if you want to, you can take it from her.” I raised my hands in surrender. “I’m not even a fighter.”

“Give me my purse and there’ll be no trouble,” said Hammerhead, wary.

“And what if we want trouble?” Jaslynn asked, her voice now a purr.

“Listen,” I said. “I’m not a fighter and I don’t know what your deal is, but…why is she confident when she doesn’t have help? What advantage does she have over you that she thinks she’ll win? As much as it sucks, as much as it’s not fair, I wouldn’t pick this fight.”

“I’ve fought many who thought they were stronger than me,” he said, still wary which was unsettling. If he was overconfident then I could imagine him underestimating Jaslynn, but if he was scared we might have a problem to deal with.

She might have a problem to deal with, I thought. But it’s a problem she made for herself. You’re gonna run. No second thoughts, just action.

“I am no man, hunter,” Jaslynn returned, tone playful, but with an undercurrent of danger. I needed to find a way to make sure she didn’t have a horse to chase me when I ran. “I would heed my companion’s words. It has been a short while since I was in mortal combat. I yearn for it,” she finished.

“Then stand and fight,” said Hammerhead.

“Tend to my horse, Jordan,” she said.

I nodded first taking the luminous orb and then the horse by the reins, pulling it away from the coming fight.

The man’s attention was divided between us, devoting an appropriate amount towards Jaslynn, but making sure not to forget about me. I had to remember that muscle wasn’t everything in this world, even if I didn’t have a warrior’s build there was always the possibility that I might be a mage.

“I give you leave to make the first move,” Jaslynn said, moving like a cat in a half circle, pulling more of the man’s attention.

It looked like she expected me to help her, but I could use that against her. One hand settled over my gun and the other loosely held the reins of Jaslynn’s horse.

By some unspoken signal the two moved. Jaslynn grabbed at her back and threw, her discs glowing pink as they hurtled towards Hammerhead. He responded by slamming his hammer into the ground, making the earth rumble as a misshapen wall jutted up.

Earthbending, I thought, eyes wide and my stomach doing flips. Auks had done something similar, but it hadn’t been to this scale which made it distracting.

Jaslynn — running so she could see beyond the wall — moved her disc at either side of the barrier. A piercing crackle filled the air but two spikes had already appeared with their own rumble; rock broke as lightning slammed into it, massive chunks falling away either because the rocky creations were fragile or Jaslynn’s blasts were that strong.

Rollo and the horse shifted, the former trying to get away while the latter tugged at her reins. I pulled on Rollo to get him to calm down, but I gave the horse a bit of my attention, my mind running through my next steps.

A deep rumble reverberated while Jaslynn’s discs changed direction, one going high and the other low; the rumble was from a manoeuvre by Hammerhead, calling into existence a cloud of dust that hurtled out in every direction.

Lightning flashed in a line, passing through where Hammerhead had been, but the man had already moved, using the cover to hide his teleportation. I felt him as he appeared, squinting because the rush of dust had surged in my direction; the ploy hadn’t been to surprise Jaslynn, it had been to catch me off guard. Hammerhead started to run, hammer at the ready and me as his target.

Why not teleport again, I thought for a fleeting moment before I pushed myself to action. My gun came up and pointed, held very close to the horse. A loud bang joined the harsh crackles and a fireball hurtled forward. The man dodged and the horse panicked, pulling against the reins with more power. I didn’t stop it and, detecting its freedom, it darted away.

Four of Jaslynn’s discs were in the cloud of dust, moving in a wide circle and flashing streaks of lightning between them. The man must have had a sensory ability because he was unimpeded by the cloud of dusk, running most of the time but teleporting when things got rough.

He can teleport but it has some recharge, I thought, just like wherewolves.

I shook my head and focused.

Jaslynn’s horse had bolted and as I filtered my sense to include horses I knew how far it was. I had my excuse to leave. All I had to do now was run.

And yet I still hesitated.

The earth rumbled again and more dust shot up, so thick that even my gemlight could pierce through it. Jaslynn pulled two of her discs back and it was the right move because Hammerhead teleported closer, putting both of them further away from me. The earth rumbled and shook, this one prolonged, and then a pink flash of electricity darted across the dense cloud of dust.

No time like the present, I thought, but I kept watching instead of moving. She’s on the backfoot. She’s not as skilled as she thought and you’re in the clear.

So why wasn’t I running?

“You can’t fucking do this,” I muttered to myself. “Not when this is the perfect opportunity.”

I swallowed, terror seizing me hard. My usual instinct in dangerous situations was to run, and yet when I wanted it to be that, I froze.

Fuck me.

Crackles of electricity and rumbles of the ground reverberated, spires of earth sometimes jutted out from clouds of thick dirt. Jaslynn and Hammerhead moved erratically, the former faster and more agile, but the latter augmented by bursts of teleportation. They moved further and further away, with the former trying to get out of the dust while the latter tried to produce more.

“Fucking go,” I said desperately as the impression of Jaslynn flew up and back, holding two of her discs in hand, a spire of rock growing beneath her. She disappeared as another cloud of dust surged up.

Rollo took the first step.

Momentum. When the ball started rolling it was easier to keep going, even though my mind kept telling me how dangerous what I was heading was and how much safer it was to be back in the castle. Allyceus had promised that I wouldn’t get hurt, hadn’t he? And he would be king. Maybe the mages didn’t know how to send me home, but they would work at it, right? My chances were better at the castle.

But at a certain point there could be no turning back. Surely Jaslynn would know that something was wrong. I hadn’t helped her even though it seemed like she’d been losing. If I didn’t do this she would be suspicious.

For half a kilometre I kept track of the fight, worried that it would stop and Jaslynn would give chase, taking the man’s horse. But it continued until they were beyond my spatial range, leaving me in a metaphorical darkness.

Without much conscious awareness I was surprised to find that I had been leading Rollo in the direction Jaslynn’s horse had run. I found the beast, breathing deeply, settled near a cluster of trees.

You could still turn back, I thought. Say you were chasing the horse.

I got off Rollo and approached the horse, it had Jaslynn’s bag with her supplies, probably more comprehensive than my own. I took the backpack and tied it onto Rollo’s saddle. For a moment I thought about taking the horse too, selling it in the next town, but that would be too much of a risk.

After sending the horse off, I got onto Rollo, putting on the Feather-Light Circlet to reduce my weight on him. I looked down at the luminous orb, it was light to see but also a beacon. It took a bit of work to figure it out, reversing the gesture so it dimmed until I was left in literal darkness.

“Let’s go, buddy,” I whispered.

And together, we were off.