Short, stubby fingers tanned and wrinkled by years under the sun ran over my bare chest, eliciting a wince as they pressed too hard on an area that still felt tender. The healer had a heart-shaped face and kind hazel eyes, though as they took me in, they were confused and a little afraid. She pulled her hand away and turned it over to look at her palm, rubbing her hands together; the woman’s eyes then went to pouches settled not too far away from her.

“Your skin is dark,” she said finally, her words rising above the hum of people around us. It was late afternoon and the sun would be setting in a matter of hours, the train had stopped and people were beginning to set up tents. The healer – Mother Tulip – Rollo and I were on one amongst a few blankets laid out below a large tree; to my left was Luther who had his own healer working on him, a young woman, Sister Lavender, with a hard expression and whose fingers moved with practiced ease.

“It is,” I said, stiffly, pain singing through me every time I breathed. “It doesn’t come off.”

Mother Tulip hummed, her lips pressed together. “My eyes aren’t what they used to be,” the healer told me. She ran her hand over my chest. “It does not feel broken, which is good, but I cannot see how hurt you are. I can’t tell the colour of the bruise.”

“Ah,” I said, feeling a bit of relief. “That makes sense, I guess. Look at the skin around it. My people bruise darker instead of turning colours like yours.”

“I can’t make it out,” she said.

“Why does it matter?” I asked, better to sidestep the entire inquiry. “Can you give me something to heal me?”

“You are not of this world, yes?” Mother Tulip asked. I nodded. “I can’t fathom what your healing arts are like, but stories my gran told me say the world of Champions is without magic.”

“There’s something that’s said in my world,” I told her. Breathing was painful, but with Ji-ho’s elixir in my system meant there wasn’t any hesitation before taking another breath. I knew it would hurt, but it was easy to logic my way past any trepidation. “Sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”

“I don’t understand the sayings of nobles,” the woman said.

“Just…that the magic of this world isn’t something that my world has, but if you saw some of the things we do have, you’d think that it was.”

She hummed, nodding sagely, though her eyes told me she only wanted the conversation to move forward. “My ointments are strong,” she said. “If I were to put too much on you, the healing would be quicker, true, but you would be addled in the head. I cannot know your strength, Champion, but there are some who have a weakness to my ingredients, savouring them as one may savour a drink.”

I hummed back, worry riding through the sound. “Maybe be conservative,” I said. “One of my friends is a healer and she should be coming back soon.”

The woman nodded and her hand reached for her tools. Three bags, a mortar and pestle, and a skin of water; with expert deftness she began to work, adding dry leaves into the bowl and pouring a bit of water before she ground it down. It was the work of a few minutes, adding more contents when the thickness wasn’t to her liking, before she was done.

“Tell me where the pain is worst,” she said before prodding my chest, testing things out until we found where the bolt had slammed into me. Mother Tulip started to spread the paste over me, rubbing it in which hurt a fuck of a lot. When she was done, she wrapped me in sweet smelling bandages, binding my chest so tight that each breath fought against the binding. In seconds I felt hazy and floaty, as if my head were only connected to my body by a string, with the pain further away. “That’s all I can do,” the woman finished.

“Thank you,” I told her.

“You and your mage kept the remaining sons of my village from dying,” she said. “I’m the one who owes you my thanks. Now sit up.”

I did and she put pillows behind me. Rollo stood and Mother Tulip tensed. The goat pushed the pillows away and sat behind me. I leaned on him as he settled into a doze, smiling like a dope.

My position gave me a good vantage point to see all the work that was being done, how the children were being corralled so that they focused before they inevitably lost this ability and started to play around. Everyone was thin and shabby, and more than a few people pale in a way that spoke to ill health.

“What happened?” I asked my healer. She hadn’t used up all the paste and she was moving it to a small, sealable wooden box. “Why are you travelling to Susserton?”

“We hope that Susserton will take us in,” she said. “Everywhere else we’ve gone, they’ve turned us away, telling us to return back where we came.”

“Why?” I asked, hoping I didn’t sound callous. Memories kept flickering through my mind of conversations I’d had while under the effects of the Hardened-Heart elixir. There were a lot of times I’d said things without giving a second thought to how they might have made people feel, and I cringed as I re-experienced them now.

“Because we are bound to Lord Bowers, and his noble kin don’t want to go against him. Even if it would save us from our plight,” she said.

Lord Bowers. I knew the name. He’d been one of the lords that had attended the party where I’d challenged Owain. I hadn’t seen the man, but I remembered the situation he’d been mentioned in vividly because I’d outed a person who’d been trying to get himself some investment capital for a project — another faux pas that made me cringe as it ran past my mind.

“Are you in pain?” Mother Tulip asked, likely because the cringe had crossed my features.

I shook my head. “Can you explain the situation to me? What happened? Why your village chose to leave — everything.”

“We are a small village that tends sheep, selling wool through the year, but particularly in the spring. It makes us enough that our village can make it through the winter. This year we were struck by disease. Most of our livestock died and thus our yields were low, meaning we had no wares to sell, there was no money to buy supplies from neighbouring villages, and we could not pay taxes to our liege lord and to the Church of the Fates. We needed help, a postponement of these costs, but Joshua, the heir of Lord Bower, was not so forgiving. We were forced to pay in whatever ways we could, and that was the death of us.

“Lands which had belonged to our village for generations were rented out to pay our debts, our surviving livestock was sold, and,” and here her voice wobbled, “there were murmurs that some of our sons would be taken and sent to the mines to work. That was the final straw. The hardier people began to leave and Lord Joshua and his men became meaner, suspecting insurrection. We saw that we would not survive his wrath and left.”

“How long have you been on the run?” I asked.

“Three full moons,” she said. “We moved from place to place, not welcomed in any. We saw it for what it was, beating us with inaction. There were no knights coming after us, then. I think they wanted us to see how futile our journey was. But since we’ve come so close to Susserton, and since it looks as though there might be hope, the troubles have gotten much worse.”

“You’re almost there at least,” I said. “The border’s what…a few days away?”

“That’s if we run into no more trouble,” she said, “and…and if we are indeed welcomed there.”

“Do you have any writing implements, here?” I asked. We’d known we were getting into a fight and anything that might weigh us down had been buried lieges away from the fighting. Surya and Hatim were supposed to double back and pick them up, but the group hadn’t come back yet and I was starting to worry. The earthquakes had stopped a while back, but they hadn’t made it into my spatial range yet.

Mother Tulip shook her head.

I had an idea, a way to help — hopefully — but I needed to send a message through, something that needed me to have my stuff.

I just need to wait, I told myself, taking as deep a breath as I could muster. The group was made up of fine warriors. If Luther and I had managed to make it out of the fight alive, then they would too.

“I can’t believe I fought like that,” Luther said, the man had moved to settle on Rollo too. The goat hadn’t protested so I let it be. He had his sceptre still in one hand and he wore a dopey grin. “I saw a great boar and I survived its wrath. This’ll be a story I tell my children and grandchildren,” he said with a chuckle.

“Crazy the life we live, huh?” I said and I was surprised that I still wasn’t used to this world. Being in another world and living in a skyscraper of a castle had been one thing, but since my escape I’d been in three battles and survived them. Crazy didn’t even begin to cut it.

He nodded, blinking his eyes slowly.

“It’s not anywhere I thought I’d ever be,” he said. “Amongst the company of Prince Matthaeus? The Champion of Althor? Likely to meet the Champion of Washerton?” Luther let out a bark of laughter. “When I was on my own I feared I’d be killed by a bandit before I reached Susserton. Now…” He laughed. “I don’t think I fear death any longer. It’s freeing to feel like this!”

Guess our earlier disagreement is forgotten, I thought. Which probably had a lot to do with the high the paste we had been given; from the looks of it, his was higher than mine.

Various fires were lit in little camps, and pots came out from carriages. There wasn’t a river anywhere near us, but all the same they had water, which said they might have had a water gem; smells of cooking drifted up into the air and made my stomach grumble.

The work done, a group of children drifted close to Luther and me, staring and muttering between themselves. They pointed at me and then whispered to each other. I was supposed to be used to it, but I really wasn’t.

If you stay here, that’s how you’ll be seen for the rest of your life. As something out of the norm. Other.

I chose to let myself drift instead of fixating. At some point I closed my eyes because the sun was becoming so bright its light stabbed into my eye, causing a throbbing headache to form. Closed eyes made it so much easier to drift into unconsciousness, but I was on alert and that made me jump at the slightest disturbance.

Most times it was nothing, people dropping something or a laugh being too loud, but after an hour, I awoke to an impression in the sky. Moments later Surya landed with a limp, one wing coated with blood and his breastplate pockmarked with holes from arrows.

He smiled as he looked down at Luther and me. “You fought the Caller of the Boar and won,” he said with pride. I winced at the words, they sounded too loud and they made my head pound and my stomach lurch. The feeling was eerily reminiscent of a hangover.

“All in a day’s work,” I whispered, throat dry and all of me yearning for some water. “The others?”

“Battered but alive. Ji-ho is tending to them,” said Surya. He reached into a pouch that was set on his belt and pulled out two vials, stoppered by cork. Luther was already reaching out for one, his expression not as marred by pain as my own.

“Stop,” I said, a little too loud. The effects of the paste on my chest meant that my head felt like it was connected to my body by a string, but Ji-ho’s elixir leaving my system felt like the string was being pulled and a finger was striking the balloon. Not hard but incessant. “They gave us something. I don’t think we should be too drugged up without Ji-ho being here.”

Surya nodded. “I was sent here to give you these,” he said, “and to tell you not to worry. We should be joining you soon.”

“We beat the Caller of the Boar,” said Luther and he chuckled. “He went off running instead of fighting.”

“I saw the tail end of the battle,” said Surya. “Both of you did very well.”

“What happened with Corneleus?” I asked. “Is he still alive?”

Surya’s expression grew serious. He let out a long breath, clenching his teeth together. “Alive and our hostage,” he said. “It was Hatim’s idea and one I saw the merits of, much to Marcus’ displeasure. If we have Corneleus as a hostage, then there is more of a chance of these people reaching Susserton unaccosted.”

“Sounds like a smart plan, and ancestors know, these people need it,” I said. “I was thinking…it might be a good idea if we stuck with them until they got to Susserton. They’ve been facing more troubles since getting close to the border, more pressure to return to their former home. I think we should help them.”

Surya smiled and nodded. “What say you, Luther?” he asked. “Do you agree that we should help them too?”

“My word isn’t as important as the Champions nor Prince Matthaeus,” said Luther, his tone slightly detached. “If they say we should, then we should.”

I frowned, but bit my tongue. The talking wasn’t helping my headache and I wasn’t as eager to rebuke Luther as I had before, not when I knew that he’d likely accept just because I was higher on the social rung. Social structures were a deeply ingrained part of people, something that was easy to forget when I was coming at things from the outside. I couldn’t expect that a few days with me would have Luther questioning structures he’d grown up with.

Surya only nodded. “My horse,” he said, looking around.

“Hurt,” said Luther. “It broke its leg. I’m—”

“To be expected,” Surya cut in, his voice stiff. “We should be here before night falls. Stay safe, both of you.”

A look of pain flashed across him as he opened his wings, and he grit his teeth as he took off. He wasn’t flapping his wings as often nor moving as fast as he became a speck in the distance.

***

The others arrived in the dead of night, causing sounds of panic to rise out across the tent village as night watchmen screamed their warning; fires were lit and people exited their tents, going towards the intruders, pitchforks in hand. Then they saw Surya’s auburn wings and they calmed down. One of the younger men found me and helped me up onto Rollo, and together we rode to meet them.

Cuts and scrapes for the most part, Hatim had one arm in a sling, Ji-ho’s eye was puffy, and there was a bandage stuck to Matthaeus’ neck, its edges showing burnt skin. Corneleus was with them, bound and gagged, his hair slick with blood and anger rolling through grey eyes. Matthaeus rode next to his cousin, pulling the man’s horse along by its reins; his horse carried Matthaeus’ giant hammer and Corneleus’ flail without bucking — something that looked comical, but was impressive all the same. Surya rode a new horse and there were three other horses without riders, carrying all our supplies.

“This is a lord,” said Clyde, his eyes stuck on Corneleus’ standard. He was a bent-backed man with brown hair and tired looking eyes. We’d spoken and I’d learned that he was the chief of the village — a new position. Clyde turned to me, worry written on his features. “I don’t mean to speak out of turn, Champion. We’re grateful for your help, but this will bring only trouble.”

“We think this might help, Clyde,” I said, keeping my voice to a whisper. People carried torches and their amber glow was piercing. “No lord will chance the risk of an attack if we have one of their own as a hostage.”

“But the lords of Susserton might feel different,” said Clyde. “You and Mother Tulip spoke. She told you of our hope. This might make the people of Susserton think we’re too much trouble. They might think it will earn reprisal.”

My lips pressed together and I turned to the others for direction. I hadn’t thought about the political implications and they made my plan a little more complicated. King Orpheus had thought of Susserton as a potential ally — hence why they’d invited them to meet me — but my northward journey must have told them that that hope was lost.

“I think I might be able to help you,” I said. “But I’ll need a bit of time. Can you give me until tomorrow to sort things out? Then we can touch on this topic again?”

Clyde sighed but nodded. “You’re free to our company,” he said. “If you’re hungry, there’s still some soup that can be warmed up.”

“That will be greatly appreciated,” said Ji-ho. “You’ll find us in the Champion’s company.”

I led them to Luther and my spot, where he was sitting up waiting for them. He smiled as he saw them. “I’m glad to see that you’re all alright,” said Luther.

“You too,” Hatim said as he jumped off his horse. He winced a little, went to tie his horses to a tree and sat beside Luther.

The others did the same. I watched as Matthaeus put the artefacts on the ground and then pulled his cousin off his horse, tying him against the tree.

“Will you be a nuisance if I remove your gag?” he asked. Corneleus only glared. Matthaeus pulled it off all the same and got a gob of spit on his face for the trouble. We all froze.

“Traitor,” Corneleus said. “Betrayer. Every action you take acts against your father’s will.”

“I have heard your words, cousin,” said Matthaeus. “These are feelings I have felt before. Your words are but a breeze to the tempest within my mind.”

“But maybe if I shout them loud enough they will follow you until your last days, traitor,” Corneleus said.

Ji-ho closed the distance and reworked the gag over the man’s mouth. “I am tired and hope to sleep,” she said. “I cannot be listening to his mutterings for the entire night.”

Matthaeus looked like he really appreciated it which made my stomach turn.

My friend Anda had been devout when he’d been younger, but he’d slowly trended away from it, first becoming agnostic before giving atheism a try. In the first days of the decision, one of the things that had left him most forlorn had been the fact that he couldn’t go to church anymore, which meant losing that sense of community. Relationships had changed after and he’d had to find new interests he shared with like-minded people.

The prince had abandoned his family, found new friends and now even those relationships were strained because of who he was. On both sides he was being reminded that he was alone and it kept being reinforced.

And the worst part was that I was a part of things which made them complicated. Matthaeus was part of a structure that harmed a lot of people and I didn’t want to forgive that, but there was also the person underneath and I didn’t want them hurt.

“Khaya,” said Surya, pulling me from my thoughts. “Be so kind and help me with my breastplate.”

“Give me a bit,” I said and I used that time to find my luminous orb from my supplies, filling our site with a brighter light than the one in the rest of the grounds.

Surya had already found a place to sit and his wings were spread wide apart. In the new light I could see some of the damage his wings had taken, little nicks that had removed feathers and places where blood had congealed. I ignored them, got on my knees and worked to pull apart his breastplate, built so that it had to be tied together between his wings. Ji-ho had tied the knots and they were a little hard to free, but when I got one, the process was easier.

The man let out a breath of relief as it came off, revealing a shirt beneath that didn’t have much of a back, just more rope so it would get past his wings; through the little spaces I could see where his skin puckered up to meet his wings. It wasn’t as ugly as I’d expected, the connection between skin and wings looked almost natural.

“Shirt too?” I asked and he nodded. Those knots were a little easier and he pulled off his shirt. Surya let out a relieved breath and spread his wings. “You look like you’ve been bleeding.”

There was a wound on his later back, small but it looked like something had broken his skin. I ran my hand around the area but never got close.

“Only pinpricks,” he said. “Nothing that needs us to waste Ji-ho’s supplies.”

“Gotta take care of yourself,” I said. “We don’t wanna go losing you.”

“I’ll make a note,” he said. “You mentioned a plan to that man.”

“Ah, right,” I said. The tip of Surya’s wings were large and they bent in a way that felt uncomfortable to allow him to sit. “I’m gonna feel out how things are.” I glanced at Corneleus. Did it make sense to try and hide things? “I’m gonna feel out how much of an ally Susserton is. I’ve been in this world long enough to know they have a reason why they’re helping me — they want me for a purpose. I do too…”

Though I’m not sure if things are still as simple, I thought. The Hardened-Heart elixir had fully left my system and its courage was gone. While under its effects I’d thought through what it would mean if I stayed here, the potential to help people, to do good; but now I was afraid of what that meant, of the prospect of never seeing my family again.

“But…maybe I can use them to help these people,” I finished.

“Helping others suits you,” he said, turning up to face him, his hair resettling.

“Yeah?” I said, smiling. Surya nodded. “I think I like it too. I think I owe it to the universe to do so after…everything.”

“Everything?” he asked, looking forward towards a village that was trying to get back to sleep again.

“I was a propaganda tool for the king to keep his power,” I said, whispering so Matthaeus and Corneleus wouldn’t hear. Without really thinking about it, I ran my fingers through Surya’s hair, finding knots and untangling them. “I know, it wasn’t my choice and there was nothing I could do at the time that wouldn’t have gotten me killed. But it still means something to be working against it, no? Destabilising things, hopefully for the better.”

“I know the feeling,” Surya said, his voice soft.

“Yeah?”

He hummed and nodded. I thought he would expand but he didn’t. “I should let you get started on this plan of yours,” he said and it felt like a bubble had popped. “I don’t want to keep you, and it looks as though Ji-ho is hovering. She so enjoys looking over my body.”

“It’s a good body,” the words slipped out. My eyes closed and I took a breath, using the ring to stretch the moment out as long as possible. Between the drugs and the falling high, it felt like I wasn’t completely myself and my walls were still rising to their full height — the words were true, but I hadn’t meant for them to slip out.

Instead of dealing with the moment I stood, turned and strode away. I passed by Hatim who chuckled. He’d heard. I bit back a groan. Picked up my satchel — wincing as I twinged my arm — and moved as far away as I could without being apart from the group.

“Hey, Rollo,” I said. “Come over?”

He over and settled beside me. I pulled out a quill, ink and paper from my satchel. There wasn’t a lot left behind. I’d have to either cut down or we’d have to pass by a place large enough that I could get more supplies.

To Whom It May Concern,

I’m writing this because I need help. I know that there’s much I might not understand about the geopolitical relationship between Althor and Susserton, but I do know there’s word of High Chief Ran holding the well-being of commoners highly in some respects.

Such a plight befalls us now

While making my way north I came across people travelling to Susserton for a better home. They have nothing but hope, and even that is feebly because their own people have turned them away. I think they expect more of the same and I hope that Susserton may be different.

I ask that you help them instead of turning them away.

Regards,

Champion Khaya.

And you thought you’d never use your skills on writing a formal letter, I thought as I blew on it to dry, rolled it up into a ball, then fed it to Rollo.

“I’ll see you in the morning bud,” I said, giving him a final brush before he disappeared with a sigh. As was habit, I went to check the messenger box and opened it to reveal nothing but its inside. The princes hadn’t sent any missives after Matthaeus had sent his letter.

The others were given their food and so was Corneleus. I kept my distance until Ji-ho neared. She was smiling and I didn’t like it.

“Please don’t say anything,” I said.

“I want to see your body,” she said and I groaned. “Show me where you were hurt and tell me everything they gave you.”

Unlike Mother Tulip, Ji-ho held no qualms about asking questions that might have been awkward. There was an almost childlike curiosity as she prodded my chest, smelled the paste and asked in detail every feeling I’d felt while under its effect.

“I think it’d be better if I didn’t touch you until tomorrow,” she concluded. “The headache isn’t as bad as it could be and I don’t want to overload you with too many potions, pastes and elixirs, especially when I don’t know them in depth. I’d like you to introduce me to Mother Tulip tomorrow. It’s always best to learn from those who came before us.”

Morning came quickly and with it was a splitting headache. Thankfully Ji-ho and Hatim were early risers and I didn’t have to experience the main for too long before I was gulping down a potion that caught the back of my throat and made me wretch. The pain didn’t disappear but dulled, the light was still too bright but it didn’t cut as deeply.

“Rollo, come,” I said and he appeared, wretched and then spit out a roll of paper.

Champion,

Your request has been heard and I will be speaking with High Chief Ran to look at our options given where you will cross the border — I hope you understand that there are political considerations to take into account. There are other matters to be discussed, matters which are worrying to hear since they might be leading to a trap. Is Matthaeus Mandaron in your company?

Yours,

Quinn Doyle, Daughter of Rowan Doyle, Champion of Washerton and Grand Spatial Mage.

I wrote a return letter explaining how things Matthaeus had played out and told him that the prince wanted to speak to Rowan himself. Quinn sent another letter without much of a wait, wanting to know how I had escaped the castle and I did, stowing it on Rollo’s saddle since it was on their wordier end and we no longer had to work about information security.

Travel north to the Town of the Weeping Wench, Quinn finally wrote. There we will finally meet in person. I look forward to it.

“Did it work?” Surya asked me, not wearing a shirt and showing a chest that was marked with old scars. “Your plan?”

“Hopefully,” I said. “But I’ll be meeting Rowan’s daughter, so that’s a plus.”

“They’ll know about my presence,” said Matthaeus. “We should expect a trap. I know you trust them, but we cannot be sure what their true intentions are.”

“It’s someone from my world,” I said, careful not to add onto how Matthaeus was already feeling. I didn’t want to dismiss him, but I was also cautious about his true allegiance. “That’s enough.”

“Rowan is a person,” he said, “and he will have flaws. Be prepared that he might not be the person you expect.”

“But you still want to speak to him,” I said. “There’s still something that you want from him.”

Matthaeus pressed his lips together, looking at me with hard eyes. “I do,” he said. “There’s honour in Rowan, at the very least. But it is clear, even though it’s quite convoluted, that he has some plan for the Commonality.”

“Caution should not be dismissed entirely,” Surya agreed. “We don’t know who these people are. Until this moment I did not think Rowan had children.”

“He’s a man,” said Ji-ho. “All of you have a fondness for spilling your seed.”

I couldn’t help shivering at the mental image that flashed through my mind. I sighed and nodded. “You guys know best,” I said. “We have a few days to figure out at least.”

***

Ji-ho spent a lot of time with Mother Tulip and Sister Lavender as we made our trip. I had thought it would be a few days, but with over a hundred people logistic issues quickly arose and that meant we moved slower: we had to hunt so there was meat, supplies were starting to run low and people needed to go out looking for any food growing out in the wild.

“There’s a farmholds not too far from here,” said Matthaeus. “They belong to House Orlain.”

“No lords help us,” said Clyde. No one had discovered that Marcus was Prince Matthaeus yet, which seemed crazy with the giant hammer — you didn’t know who he was — and the man spoke to him with an air of familiarity.

“I think we might be able to convince them,” Matthaeus.

“Do you think that is a good idea?” Surya asked when Clyde was gone and we were alone. “There will be trouble when you are seen.”

“I think this might be important if I want us to remain friends,” he said, the statement directed at Hatim more than anyone else. “That is not something I want to lose.”

Hatim sighed. “Neither do I,” he said softly. “But things have changed, Marcus, and they can’t return to what they once were.”

“I think I understand that,” he said. “Nonetheless I do not want your friendship lost to me. You once thought me a noble and you did not care—”

“I thought you were the lowest of the low,” said Hatim. “Someone who couldn’t do a lot of harm. When you were the highest of the high. It might be hard for you to understand, Marcus, but…the people who…those who could kill my brother without reprisal could do so because of the inaction of your father. We offered to go to the mines, to face a sentence, but because we harmed their egos, they took his life.”

That’s the point, I thought. I really wanted to say it but I wanted to be careful around Matthaeus. The point is the bad shit that happens because of the people in power. It's why everyone — except Luther — was upset about Corneleus being kept alive.

The thought that I was fully willing to see a man dead, that people had no doubt died made my stomach sink.

“Your idea is a good one,” said Ji-ho. “These people are sick and more nourishment would do them good. If you think it will work, then you should go.”

“Marcus, Hatim and I should go,” said Surya, which was a little disappointing because I wouldn’t have minded going with them. The three left with extra horses and they returned with some carriages that had fresh supplies of vegetables.

“How did you manage this?” I asked.

“I asked and they acquiesced,” said Matthaeus.

We made it past the border over a week later and there wasn’t any trouble while we travelled — something I appreciated because it gave me time to heal. Even past the border it took us a few days before we reached the Town of the Weeping Wench, a place that was bigger than I expected and held a lot of brothels.

Luther and Surya flew in a wide range around the town, sensing if there were any armies hidden. There were none which was cause to believe that Quinn was on the up and up. Even so, it was only Matthaeus and I who went to the Town of the Weeping Wench, the train was further south and Luther, Surya, Hatim and Ji-ho were in the wings with Rollo, ready to descend on the town if I summoned the goat and showed that we’d been hit by trouble.

The Town of the Weeping Wench also had an inn called the Weeping Wench and it was there that Matthaeus and I waited for Rowan’s daughter. We weren’t there too long before a woman with dark hair and green eyes sat at our table with three mugs of ale.

“Champion Jordan,” Quinn said, “and Prince Matthaeus.”

“I prefer Khaya,” I said, as Matthaeus said, “Well met, Lady Doyle.”

“Oh I’m no lady, Your Majesty. Only a commoner with some education.” Quinn turned to me. “I’m sorry, Champion, but from all we’ve heard, your name’s Jordan.”

“That’s a false name I gave out to make things easier,” I said.

She nodded and took a long drink of her mead. “Makes sense.”

“How do we know that you are really the daughter of Rowan?” Matthaeus asked, not hiding his suspicion.

“I don’t know where in particular,” said Quinn, “but you’re from the continent of Africa. Your country, and indeed most of your world, was conquered by people like me, and the problems of that history linger even today.”

“Which country did that?” I asked.

“My sister might know better,” said Quinn. “But I think it’s a country called Europa? Or America? By the time I was born, Father had left teaching our family’s history to my siblings and they weren’t as good as it as he was.”

“Where is your father?” Matthaeus asked. “I expected him here.”

“Father is busy with his own endeavours,” said Quinn. “He entrusted me with getting the Champion to him. If you want to go to him, that is.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, feeling a sense of trepidation. There was something about Quinn that unsettled me. Maybe it was the fact that she’d come here seemingly alone, or how up front she was with her information, or how it felt like she had the reins of the conversation.

“In a moment, Champion, I’m only wondering. Why are you here, Your Highness?” she asked. “The Crowned Prince of Althor, slumming it amongst commoners, and working against the interests of his father to let the Champion escape.”

“I wish to speak to your father,” said Matthaeus, “so we might discuss terms.”

“But what does that mean?” Quinn asked. “My father keeps his locations a secret and very few people in this world know of it. Why would I take you to him? What advantage would it be to us?”

Matthaeus was quiet for a long moment, his eyes deep in thought before he said, “Champions come and bring with them major change. I am not Odysseus, but I know some history, and I know what lies in the future. Rowan, from the looks of it, has set Althor in his sights and he wishes to upturn everything. I want to ensure that my family comes out alive.”

“A tall order,” said Quinn, capping it off with a drink of her mead. She held a smile but her eyes were deathly serious. Taking her in was a picture of contrasts, the easy smile, the hard eyes and shoulders slouched as if she wasn’t afraid of us turning on her. “Most people in power don’t want to lose their power. It’s the way of things.”

“Rowan has made deals before and kept to them,” said Matthaeus. “If he were to make this deal with me, then he would have me at his side.”

Well fuck, I thought. So that’s what this has been all about.

“Well fuck,” Quinn said. I’d only just met her, but I already liked her. “That’s something worth considering. How do I know that this isn’t a trap of some kind?”

Matthaeus turned to me.

“I don’t think it is,” I said and shrugged. “If it means anything.”

Quinn nodded slowly. “Can you give us a moment?” she asked Matthaeus, dismissing him without a second thought. The prince nodded and walked to the bar area. We both hadn’t drunk the mead she’d over. I was tempted for a taste but I didn’t know what she could have put in it.

“Champion,” she said. “You sent a request, that the people you crossed the border with be given a home on these lands and protected so if anyone in Althor crosses onto Susserton they are pushed back. High Chief Ran has wanted the border on his side for quite some time and it seems your interests align with his. He would greatly ensure these people a new home—”

“But I’d have to help him,” I interrupted.

“Yes,” said Quinn. “Do you know how the title of chieftain passes in Susserton?” I shook my head. Ji-ho had been about to tell me a while back but we’d been interrupted. “Through blood, in both meanings of the word. The title can be passed onto an heir, or fought for in battle by one of noble birth. Recently, High Chief Ran brought into effect a law that made it so even bastards could challenge a chief and take over their lands, but not many have. At least not to the likes that he expected.”

“And let me guess,” I muttered. “There's a threat of reprisal and he needs a Champion on his side to secure relationships so he isn’t unseated. This is the same fucking thing that I was running away from in Althor. Being used as a fucking pawn.”

“Except this time you get something out of it,” said Quinn. “Was the same true in Althor?”

I bit my lip, feeling irritation run through me. “Is this what being on Rowan’s side is?” I asked. “Is he a part of this system?”

“Father was a strong believer that fire oftentimes needed to be fought with fire,” she said, the word hard and full of passion. “This is the fire, Champion. So what say you?”

I swallowed, feeling uncomfortable before I asked, “What’s the alternative? If I don’t choose to work with High Chief Ran?”

“I will start preparations that will take you to my father,” she said. “But I do warn you, if you choose to abandon these people, they will be overlooked much as one overlooks a single leaf in their efforts to protect the tree. The High Chief and I have plans for the Commonality — ones I think you would stand for if the plight of your people is as my father said — and your involvement with Prince Matthaeus has already pushed things along faster than we predicted.”

I took a deep breath and leaned on the temporal ring, thinking through before something hit me — there was a way in which people framed things that limited options in order to get their way. I had been so caught up in the rhythm that Quinn had set that I had let her put up artificial walls.

“Why not both?” I asked. “To see if you’re really on the up and up? Because I can see a lot of ways that I can get swept up in your momentum if I let you dictate terms. I do want to meet Rowan, but I also want to help these people. I’m choosing both.”

“You can’t always have what you want,” said Quinn.

“Maybe,” I said with a shrug, “but I’m gonna stand my ground here. I want a meeting with your father and I want those people to have a plot of land. I know that’s being unreasonable, but…you went through all of this trouble to send Rollo to me—”

“Rollo?” Quinn interrupted.

“Yeah?”

“Fuck him,” she muttered. “I told that fucker to send Trojan. No wonder it took you so long to figure him out. Gods. Idiot. How did you even know you were supposed to come here?”

“He mentioned Usher,” I said, off kilter. I had been building to something and I was left trying to catch up to her pace again.

“Thank the gods he still remembered that,” she said. Quinn took a long deep breath, one hand on the bridge of her nose with her eyes closed before she opened them again and gave me her full attention. “Thank the gods you found your way to us, at the very least. Even if Ran’s idiocy meant it was in a way we couldn’t control.”

“Sure,” I said. “Back to what we were talking about—”

“Of everything I heard about you, Champion, obstinate is not one of them,” she said jokingly. “Can you not compromise? Time is of the essence.”

“Sorry,” I said. “I can’t let what happened in Althor happen to me again. You know my terms.” I looked at Matthaeus. “And you know his. I think if you didn’t make this work, he’d be less willing to betray his family even more. That’s what I bring to the table, the ear of the prince,” I lied, doing my best not to let it show in my expression. “More incentive for you to make this work.”

Quinn let out a huffed brow. “Okay,” she said. “It will take me some time, but, given he’s the reason you’re here, I think father would be open to a meeting.”

“Wait, what?” I said, as her words hit me. The fact Rowan might not be up to a meeting and also that he was the reason I was here.

Quinn took one last gulp of her mead. “It was good to meet you,” she said, ignoring my befuddlement — probably intentionally put in place. “Have your people find a good place to settle, but they shouldn’t impose themselves on any of the locals. I’ll speak to Ran and have him send emissaries to help you. Gods, this is going to be a mess that sets us back.”

“Oh,” I said. “We might also have something that’ll make us less likely to be attacked.”

She raised a brow and stopped as she was about to leave.

“Corneleus Marlin is our hostage,” I said. “Maybe we can ransom him for a deal or something? The lives of the hundred people?”

“That’ll keep your people from being attacked, but it will still sour relationships between Susserton and Althor.” Quinn waved a hand. “I’ll figure something out. Let’s keep in communication. Tell the prince I’ll send a message through you.”

“Sure,” I said.

Quinn gave me a short nod and walked off, going towards a more clustered part of the inn. As she moved through two people I found that I couldn’t see her anymore — as if she’d suddenly disappeared — and because I hadn’t had the forethought to focus on only her with my spatial sense she was quickly lost to me.

Matthaeus returned to the table. “She disappeared,” he said, just as confused as me.

“Yeah. Is that not a thing?”

“Not as far as I know,” he said. “Did the meeting go well?”

“Only time will tell,” I said. “We should head back to the others.”