The warm breeze passes over me and I sigh as the smell of the sweet grasses reaches me.

Something tickles at my nose, they’re back. I hold back my smile as I bat gently at the soft offender.

The silence is broken by the sound of giggling children.

Folding my arms behind my head I begin to work my head into them when the tickingling comes back. Jerking my head away from the grass I snort.

They giggle again.

Pullihg toi thye side I let my head loll to the side and release an exaggerated snore.

“Can you believe he’s just laying there again? Pathetic.” The voice is faint, coming from the top of the gentle slope.

Smacking my lips I rolll onto my side a smile splitting my face. I love it when they get jealous.

Another voice answers him. “Why are you complaining? He gets his work done.”

“Gets his work done? He ploughs the ground with a wheel and a pulley! And gets larger results than either of you!”

“Pena, don’t make me sock you right in the face.” The voice of the first came again.

I have to stop myself from bursting out laughing. My work is half again everyone elses. And I still finish before they do.

Every day.

The girls giggle as the long piece of grass makes it up my nose and wiggles about.

“Bede’s right, you should relax York. He’s always great with the girls.”

Bede snorts and clears his throat. “He just so short dark and handsome.”

Okay, thats a fair impression of a few girls in the village but a few is hardly the majority. Besides I don’t think that’s what she meant by girls. I mean, she’s the girls mother.

“You’ll not mock him.” A stiff voice chimes in. “He turned against his own peole for the sake of a handful of our soldiers. He deserves our respect!”

Thank you! Tama, you’ve always been my favorite, I just didn’t realize until now.

“Just because he’s short and exotic and knee-knockingly pretty—“

Oh thank you! That’s so sweet! The girl is nothing like the stiff appearance she gives off.

I resolve myself to get her something nice next time I hit the market. I might have even seen her eyes a klorian carving.

The grass slides across my nose again and I act. I lean forward sharply my arms moving above my head as I begin to roar like a beast.

The girls giggle and squeal at the same time, a very distinct sound that’s taken me a long time to fully distuinguish between one of terror. They run a few paces away before turning around.

“Mr. Kimball, Mr. Kimball.” The shorter of two yells as she hops up and down. “I brought these for you!”

She pulls out a bar of fire baked oat and honey clusters.

I snag the first piece as I ruffle her head.

“Thanks kiddo!”

She laughs and grabs my hand, then with supreme effort she picks it up off her head and jumps back letting it fall to my side.

“I’m not a kiddo! Those are the fluffy yak babies!” She yellls and points at me as if she were making a grave accusation.

“You know, I think your right! I’m so very sorry. I shouldn’t be calling you a yak baby!”

She folds her arms over her chest. “It’s okay, just don’t do it again.”

“Tandy, he’s tricking you.”

Placing my hand over my heart and shove a shocked look on my face. “Me? Never!?”

“See Philly! Mr. Kimball wouldn’t do that!”

Wow the kid really believes in me doesn’t she.

Philly rolls her eyes and pouts but I shoot her a wink that has her grinning like a tiny loon.

“Mr. Kimball, we want to go to the lake to skip rocks! Come with us!”

I smirk. Her parents must’ve told her they’d need supervision.

Pointing at the children I give my answer.

“I like your energy. Yes, I say let’s do it.”

Throwing a hand into the air I leap to my feet.

Throwing their hands up into the air they begin to cheer like I’ve just told them they get to eat sweet buns every night all night with their parents approval and its essential for a growing body.

Each took a hand and guide me back up the slope. Sadly as things stand I’ve no chance at stopping them. At six and seven years respectively the two had the actual power needed to pull me.

Talk about emasculating.

“Taylor, Good day!”

Mr. Doll calls as he looks up from replacing a beam on one of the houses. His strength makes the job a breeze.

“Good day to you Mr. Doll! Hows your wife?”

He laughs. “Ornery! Just like I like her.”

I laugh as the next person greets me. An older hunched woman that even hunched as she is, is nearly my height.

“Entertaining the Kids again?”

“Of course Mrs. Roote! Who wouldn’t want to spend some time with these knuckleheads?”

I slip a hand from Tandy’s hand to lightly grind my knuckles into philly’s scalp.

Mrs. Root laughs a creaking laugh. “You’d be surprised, so many don’t understand the wonder that children are!”

She smiles showing off how she’s nearly toothless.

“You’re more than welcome to join us! I believe the girls are taking me to skip rocks.”

She shakes her head, “I’m out for my afternoon constitutional. Perhaps next time?”

Laughing I nod. “I look forward to it!”

The next is a younger woman, around my age who’s walking with a friend. She giggles as she looks us over, though it must be quite the sight. The kids jerking me this way and that.

“The young men around here could do learn a thing or two from you!”

Her friend elbows her and the both look at me full of regret.

I shake my head and raise a hand. “Please don’t think anything of it. Let them be young for a bit longer. With any luck they’ll mature in time.”

The words feel hollow.

It’s been nearly five years since I came to Brace. In that time I’ve come to love the town and its people. But, the fact that I’ll never see Saria again, it still breaks my heart every day. Plus, there’s the fact that I betrayed my nation, the soldiers who acted as my brothers and sisters.

Taking my hands back I brush my fingers across the dartite pauldron on my shoulder and then grab my wrist my thumb pressing against the ivy mark that's imprinted in my flesh just below my thumb. The sign of the family Kimball. One that I’m only technically still a part of.

“Mr. Kimball.” Tandy whines reaching for my hand again.

Pressing the smile back to my face I offer my hands to girls and look up. “Apologies ladies, the girls and I are heading out to the lake.”

With a small twitch of my wrists the girls start tugging me along again.

Just out of the village proper we move off the path and head toward the glistening crystal waters that playfully dance amids the winds pushing and pulling.

The grass shifts and I narrow my eyes.

“Girls step back.” Many children would have argued but not these two, and just like that the two are behind me. From the pouch at my side I pull a coiled length of chain and clip it to an iron ball.

A single twist of my wrist and its spinning. Another and its sailing to the air and with a push in plunges into the ground creating a shower of brown and red. Mud and blood.

Another section or grass bows.

The moist earth squishes between my toes as I dig my feet in. Jerking the chain I set it spinning above my head as I trace the path of the scurrying creature. Its running. Good.

“Stay here.”

Shrinking the distance of the chains rotation I move it to my side and move forward. It only takes me a minute to find the slain animal.

A basalisk. Its spine and neck crushed but its tail still thrashes and its clawed feet scrabble at the air..

“You’ve began migrating early.”

Quickening the rotation I slam the orb into the beasts skull again and again until its little more than a flat mass of mush beneath the iron ball. Only once thats done do I take hold of its thrashing tail.

Glacing toward the grassed around the lake I sigh.

There’s no way its the only one.

Taking care to watch my step I back my way through the grass until I stand near the girls both of whom stare at the basalisk terrified. And rightly so. The damned things couldn’t care less how thick the skin of the Reversalar are, they spit their globs of poison at the face.

“We’re heading back girls.” I tell them pointing at the village.

“Fine.” They grumble. Of course the two charge toward the village. More than likely wanting to be the first to tell everyone what they’d found while on the way to the lake. Only once the the girls are on the path proper do I stop spinning the chain. Still, I don’t put it back in my pouch.

As I reach the village I find several of the elders there, their eyes locked on to lizard in my hand.

“Its been many years since they’ve come so early.” Tira, the oldest woman, person in fact in the village at eighty-nine years old. Or so she says.

“The last time was when the desert beasts fled the sands.” Dode, the youngest elder in the village at forty-nine years old, adds.

“Spread the word, stamping rods are to be used whenever leaving the village. We’ll decide who to send as an emissary to the desert peoples tomorrow.”

A young man who’s never said much to me, though his parents are the sort to only say the most negative of things so it might be a good thing runs off into the village.

Dallas, the oldest man at eighty-six claps me on the shoulder. “We appreciate your aid.”

Smiling I nod. “It’s my pleasure to return the kindness you’ve shown me through years Dallas.”

He ruffles my head and leads the way back into the village leaving me to stand there. Still holding on to the basalisk.

Cocking my head I stare at the lizard as a question pops into my head. “I know your tail is good eating what about your arms?”

It doesn’t respond save to conitnue wriggling as if its still alive.

“I wonder why you do that?”

I head for the kitchens and with no one stopping me it only takes me a minute to reach it. Pushing the door open I hold my kill out in front of me and slowly inch my way into the room.

“Roxie, I’ve brought the first basalisk of the season, don’t start throwing things at me.” I call softly into the room.

She doesn’t answer and I don’t expect her two. Breakfast is the only meal everyone is expected to take care of themselves. Beyond that she cooks for the entire village unless they want something thats cooked in the market of course. Reaching the small Island counter I peer around it and find her. Curled on the floor with her knees pulled to her chest is Roxanne Doll. Mr. Doll’s daughter.

I place the basalisk on the counter and back my way out of the room making sure ot make the least amountt of noise possible.

“I’ll just ask you about his arms later.”

As I walk out of the building a very eyecatching red bird speeds through the air and alights on a small sign post. The sign has but a single word printed on it. Alahara.

I recognize the bird well enough. It’s the one that Dallas’s contact in Pria, the Romabaec’s primary city. Narrowing my eyes I inch toward the bird.

“Just stay there bird. I’m not going to hurt you. Dallas is going to want that message you’re carrying.”

The bird warbles, chirps and cocks its head at me.

The same young man who ran off to spread the word runs up to the bird and scoops it into his palm before running off back the way he’d come.

For a minute, just a minute, maybe two I’m jealous of the kid. He’s about as soft footed as a drunken klorian, yet he just walks up and take the bird. I walk toward it and boom its all wary.

But thats fine, it’s fine.

I make my way over to the nearest tree and pluck a fallen branch as I drop to its base and sit with my back against it. From my side I draw the dartite knife they’d given me with the pauldron so long ago.

I can still feel his blood flowing across my fingers. The surprised look on his face. The sound of his final breath.

A shiver rushes up my back.

“Damnit Horace.”

My heart begins to race as the screams that followed Horace’s death fill my head. Running my hand over my knuckles I begin to breath deep.

As I exhale I speak. “Deeper still into the well, this endless nightmare, this unending hell.”

“You don’t have the right to use their techniques. Those are reserved for soldiers that defend their homeland, not slaughter the other members of their team and run away.” Benno says.

“Be quiet, Benno.” I whisper and take another breath.

The mantra comes again.

“It’s not working, because you don’t deserve it.”

Deeper still into the well, this endless nightmare, this unending hell.

I reach into my pouch and pull out a corked vial. Popping the top I bring it to my nose. As I breath in the sweet herbs scent I sigh. After another breath I replace the cork and return it to the pouch.

Finally I turn my attention to the knife in my hands.

Its dull orange-yellow edge a tell tale sign it hasn’t seen the light of the sun in weeks. Perfect.

Putting myself to task I drag the knife across the branch shearing away the bark and revealing the light green wood beneath. Each subsequent stroke tears at the wood until before I know it minutes have become hours and hours flowed until evening arrived.

The smell of the meat cooking at the central fire catches my attention. The slight spice that burns at my nose tells me Sera’s the one cooking.

Sheathing the knife I add my current project to my pouch and clamber to my feet.

“Bolton your not getting the biggest portion tonight. I’m not letting that happen!” I say to myself and nearly break into a run.

I’m still not the first to arrive but I do manage to make it into the line at least six people in front of Bolton and his bulk.

“Sera!” I greet the tall woman, “ravishing as always! Did you do something with your hair.”

She smiles, blushes and looks away. Tucking her dark hair behind her ear she slices a slab of meat from what looks like long horned shoat. A four legged creature with three hooked prongs, the first two extend from its mouth and the third from its nose. To top it off they like charging anything they think of as a threat. Which just so happens to sometimes be everything. But considering they primarily eat mushrooms they make for great eating.

“I’ve told you,” she says softly, “no one gets an extra portion. I don’t care how much you try to sweeten me.”

Despite saying that she cuts a second if thinner slab and drops it on to my plate to join the first as Roxie holds a bowl in my direction.

“If your done, people are waiting.” She says.

Nodding I smile once more at Sera and bow all to theatrically. “I would gladly brave their ire for the wonderful fare the two of you provide!”

They laugh.

“Get out of the way you bum!” Bolton snaps.

“You see! Already insults begin to fly my way and I care not!”

Roxie smacks me on the arm and I stumble to the side.

“Get going, and we are going to talk about where you leave those gifts of yours! On top of the counter as the first thing I see when I wake is not where it should be.”

I grin. “You jumped.”

She rolls her eyes. “Of course I did! Than I cleaned up the blood that spread across the counter and killed all the flies that’d begun to gather.

I wince and drop my head. “Apologies. I’ll be sure to bleed it next time before I leave it for you.”

“Good. Now go eat, your food cooling.”

She pushes me much more gently this time toward the dining hall and I take up my traditional place at the smallest table between the kids table and the one set for the adults.

The kids call a greeting and I wave at them before turning to my food. Just as I’m lifting the first bite to my mouth I notice a man with no plate of food in his hands enter the dining hall. From the solid green of the pattern he’s a soldier and since the only military force that the Reversalar keep is the one they use to blockade my people on the peninsula I’m not surprised he makes a beeline for me as he spots me.

“Taylor Kimball?”

I roll my eyes, as if there’s another Gerosin wandering about with a pauldron that shows he’s a free man. But I don’t say that.

Instead I smile and upon standing offer him my hand. He regards my hand as if its a basalisk and doesn’t take my hand.

“That’s me.”

I still don’t lower my hand. If he thinks he’s going to just get away with being rude he’s got another thing coming. You’d think being a free man comes with a sense of trust.

“I am here to inform you that several of your people managed to slip through the line ealier this month.”

Ah. I drop my hand. I doubt they’re coming for me. Except traitors don’t last with them. In fact most end up hanged. Their corpses used as a prime ingredient in the menagerie bait.

“Do you know what they’re after?”

“One of those they tortured came back alive. Said they were asking about you. Hence why I am here.”

Right.

Damn. Which means they’re already here. Injure the prey and follow it back to its nest. A simple tactic and the favorite of the fourth kingdoms assassins. Shit.

They’re already here.

Glancing out into the darkness I bite my lip. I can hide in the crowd but if any of them have cinder arrows— I don’t think a single one of them would hesitate to fire the poison fog releasing arrows. Hell they might consider it an advantage.

They won’t care about the children. It’s not in their nature and if it ever was that’s been stamped out during their time in their military arts academy.

Do I run? I have one transformation left in me. And its for a Reversea. Not helpful in the grasslands and in a lake they’ll just fill it with poison.

What I need is a dummy, somethiing for them to target.

Of course that’ll only work if they haven’t infiltrated the village yet.

Gods be damned Greater’s and their ability to fully take the form of the DNA.

Of course if I’m being honest its partly jealousy. My life would be so much easier if I wasn’t the average Lesser who gets the smaller boost from the same genetic material. A bit thicker skin, or a few extra inches in hieght or mass aren’t helpful comparatively.

So what do I do?

Quit panicking and think for a minute why don’t you?

Saria words echo through my head and I take a breath.

The answer isn’t out my reach. The path is only as clear as I allow it to be. There’s however a price. All I must do is decide if the answer is worth the price.

Deeper still into the well, this endless nightmare, the unending hell.

I don’t need to hide in the crowd. I don’t need to run. At least not yet. I need them to think they’ll have an easier target. A place I can control. A place like my room.

My eyes snap open and I find the soldier still in front of me looking at me with no small amount of worried wariness.

Why is he still here?

“With all due respect, why are you still here?”

His mouth closes with a harsh click and from a pouch at his side he pulls a key.

“Five years ago, you saved our soldiers and we granted you your freedom and a place to stay. However, we must prioritize the safety of our people and as such must ask you to leave. We will of course provide you with supplies.”

He tosses me an all to familiar key. One that will work on the locked box in my pouch. The one that holds the slurries.

I never thought they’d be so desperate to get rid of me as to allow me to weaponize myself.

My jaw works silently up and down as a cold pit forms in my stomach. I don’t blame them. Its the smart move.

“I understand. If you’ll gather me a weeks worth of supplies for me and a klorian I’ll be on my way in just a few minutes, I just need to gather my clothes.”

He nods and turns his attention to the crowd that’d gathererd around us. How had I not noticed them? Shit.

“Mr. Kimball! You can’t—“ I hear Philly start but an adult must’ve covered her mouth.

Good.

I lock eyes with the soldier and glance to my right, out into the darkness and than back to him. His eyes widen but it’s too late.

Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.

Three smoking arrows strike against the railing releasing clouds of purple and yellow smokes. A poison and paralytic. Two of Callum’s three P’s.

“Take the children go.” I snap looking at the soldier.

Pandemonium ensues.

The crowd begins to scream and trample their way from the raised pavilion. Right through the railings. But no arrows follow them.

Good. It just confirms what I already know. I’m the target.

Crouching below the smoke, I begin my prepartations. After all, proper preparation prevents piss poor performance.

From my pouch I pull the mask that’s part of the standard equipment of the nine kingdoms soldiers. I keep my eyes locked in the direction of the arrows as I struggle through the pouch at my side to the bottom.

I pull from it the smooth red-brown box that’s bound my a lock bigger than it is. It takes me to thrusts to fit the key into the lock and shiver as it goes ‘click’ and pops open.

Within are three vials. One green, one blue and the last a tart yellow color. Plucking the yellow vial I move my mask just long enough to dump the contents into my mouth. Raising my tongue I allow it to settle as it begins to fizz.

I push the box back into my pouch. Taking hold of a table I tip it over and begin the next step. I pull the cable from my pouch and once more attatch the iron ball.

The fizzing stops.

“Deeper still into the well, this endless nightmare, this unending hell.”

As soon as I finish speaking the words the change begins and an image of the trinniel that the sample came from appears in my head.

Gritting my teeth against the violent cramps that come with growth I grip my cable tightly. My limbs grow only inches longer, as does my hair. My skin begins to itch as some of it dries and falls away as black and pink liquid, replaced my a flexible metal.

It ends just as quickly as it began.

There’s only one upside to being a lesser and that’s the time to change is far less.

The pavillions creaks to my side and I turn to find Roxie and Dallas there. “Taylor is that you?”

I nod and glance to forest and then back at them.

“You’re not sure that we’re us, are you?” Roxie asks quietly. Demurely even. Like Sera.

I sling the cable out and it wraps about her throat. “I know your not Roxie at the very least. You got her confused with the other cook.”

Tensing all the muscles in my arms electricity begins to flow from me to her and she begins to flail.

Dallas turns red. “I thought you were—“ his comment stops as the one posing as Roxie stills and begins to melt in mass of black and pink liquid.

“Gods, I thought your people melting was a myth my ancestors told us!”

I shake my head. “Afraid not. But if it helps it only happens with violent deaths.”

“How often does that happen?”

I shrug, “For soldiers? About one in nine? Or at least that’s what it was when I was still on the other side of the border. Who knows what it is now.”

Even as I glance into the hanging smoke I keep an eye on the older man. Most would think the assassins would choose a child to get close or an able adult but seniors are labeled the best skins for a reason.

No one thinks old people are dangerous.

“That doesn’t help in the slightest!”

I shrug.

“Not anything I can do about it. Anyway your should leave. Fair warning if you stay I’ll assume your one of tha assassins.”

Dallas looks conflicted but starts backing away. “I’ve sent Mr. Doll to your place with a klorian and all the supplies we could gather in such a short time.”

That more than anything suggests that he might be the real one. Unless they’re gift is incredibly strong they’re not getting even a hint of the memories of the person they take.

He stops his retreat and looks me square in th eye. “News has come North. Vampiric Hares are moving west through the desert and apparently one of the princes there is apparently conencted their goddess. On top of that they’ve opened trade negotiatins with the Trinniel.”

I have no idea the point to his statement but he doesn’t elaborate. He returns to making his retreat.

Soon he’s disappeared in to the thinning fog.

Apparently they’re not total fools who just blast the area with arrows and hope the fog does their work for them.

Not the best news for me but I can do it. Think. Think Think.

Thunk.

An arrow bites into the wood to my side. Damned snipers. I suppose I should be pleased that they’re not the best shot. Did they send an underprepared team? First the guy who could remember the right persons mannerisms the next an archer who can hit a guard rail but not me?

That should be harder actually.

And it does mean I don’t have time to plan.

So its a good thing I don’t need one.

Throwing myself into a run I rush down the stairs and delve once more into my pouch. You can’t hit what you cant see after all.

Funny thing about light. If you light it at night it creates an area thats bright but everything else is comparatively darker.

From my pouch i pull a pair of stone rings, a candles and a small mirror and a small bit of dried klorian pie. As soon as the rings are on my fingers in click them together creating a handful of sparks that fall onto the patty. It doesnt catch.

I strike again. Nothing.

Damnit. Gathering my supplies shuffle through the grass knowing full well they’ve drawn a bead on my last location. Annoying but not enough to stop me.

About ten feet away I set it all up and strike the rings again. This time the chunk ignites and I dip the wick into the flames and settle it atop the mirror with the patty. It creates a bright cone of light and I hug the ground.

Like a bug dragging itself across the ground I move toward the market. With any luck they’ll assume I’m travelling in a different direction. At the very least they won’t be sniping me for a minute.

Crawling forward the grasses tickle at my nose and it only gets worse with each movement adding to the tickling sensation. I can feel the insects crawling along my back some of them biting.

I don’t dare make a noise or slow long enough to swat them. I know my luck. It’d just make things worse.

Be patient, be smart, move and act with purpose. The words my teacher left me with before training each day.

They serve me well even today.

As I arrive home there’s no more doubt in me that it was Dallas in the pavillion with me. The klorian is already saddled and waiting.

Untying it, I clamber up on to the beast and flick the reins. It jerks into movement a step below full speed and just like that I’ve left the only home I’ve known for the last few years.

A desert prince willing to trade with the Trinniel? Running my fingers over the layer of metal I smile. The reason behind Dallas’s words clearing.

“Looks like I’m heading south. I just have to find a way to get past the hares.” I mumble.

Three arrows whiz by me into the night. Damnit. I spoke too soon. Okay, options.

Adjusting myself so I stand more forward in the saddle I flick the reings again and the klorian’s speed nearly doubles. I know it can’t maintain it but I doubt the bows they’re using are anything special meaning they have a severly limited range.

A fact I’m all to happy to take advantage of.

“Come get me! I dare you!”

Definitely not my smartest move.

***

Guidding Rocco to the water I look around searching the area. It wouldn’t surprise me to find a half dozen arrows pelting out of the woods toward me. But there’s none coming.

Ahead of me the road begins to slope upward and at its top there’s a sign. I don’t need to read it to know what lay ahead.

The cyprix desert. Inhospitable is a good descriptor and thats of the people, the enviroment is supposedly worse.

Numerous creatures that use other living things as their sole source of water, hunters that will track you based on your steps. And those are the nicer beasts. Then there’s the icy cold nights and day’s so hot it might end up feeling as if your very brain has began to melt.

Still might be a better option than the one trailing after me.

Four days have passed since I yelled my challenge and they’ve been putting in the work. But no one, no matter how well trained can afford to be one the move forever. And its starting to look like four days might be past their maximum.

“Taylor Kimball, how long do you think you can keep evading us?”

I ignore the urge to hang my head. I should know better than taking a chance with luck. The lady just doesn’t like me.

“I’m honestly not sure. But you could least introduce yourself. As well as your companions.”

There’s a long pause before he answer’s. “I am Templeton Tyll. As far as I’m concerned, you’ve the right to know the man who had evey design on taking your head.”

Oddly admirable. Adjusting my hold on the Klorian I move it to it can feed on the grasses.

“You know you’re no longer in the kingdoms. You could just leave. The kings can’t reach you here. Just find a place and settle down.”

There’s no pause this time and its not just Templeton who speaks.

“Ludacris!”

“How dare you!”

“Freedom for our people!”

“Shut up!” Templeton roars.

With the attacker from the first day that makes five. Well I’ll be damned, they set an entire team after me. Never thought that anything I’d done would merit an entire team unless its a new standard operating procedure.

Which I doubt.

“If you’d like we can settle this right now. Just come out and we can fight until only one of us walks away.”

Glancing at my mount who’s greedily partaking in the grasses I look toward the forest, almost hoping at least one would step out. If they all did, well that’d be all the better.

“You’re rather confident in your victory.”

Templeton calls, he seems truly curious.

Patting the lizards neck I focuse on the forest as my other hand slips into my pouch. “About as confident as Callum was he’d beat Cynbell Tyll.”

“If you think my grandfather’s loss bothers him or I than your mistaken. You wish to use direct combat to decide this? So be it. Woould you prefer being stabbed or” he pauses and when he speaks again his voice id much deeper.

“Crushed.”

“Neither sounds like the best option I’ve heard all day! In fact lets take it one step further!”

Templeton and his team step from the underbrush. Only Templeton has chose to use the faccade of a Reversalar the rest are reversea. Likey those with the ability to discharge large jolts of electricity. Of course if they try it on me, they’ll likely end up being dissapointed.

“Four against one hardly seem’s like a fair fight.”

Pulling the mount around I tap on its flank. Its mouth opens and its forked purple tongue pops out and presses against the space between its nostrils. From a hole on the underside of its tongue it begins to fire seeds.

Shot after whistling shot the hardened seeds speed through the air. Thck. The first seed strikes and blood spills into the air. The next shot meet with the same result. Soon enough the the only one still standing is Templeton and he’s covering his face to save himself from the onslaught.

“Did you know? The klorian here aren’t like the ones in the marshlands. There’s no shell, no bubbles to walk on or silk to spit. This one spits seeds with enough force that even the Reversalar are wary of the wild ones!”

The shots peter out and I sigh.

“Sadly my friend here, I think I’ll call him Freddy doesn’t have an unlimited supply of munitions. Not that he needed it. Did ya buddy?”

The klorian snaps at my approaching hand causing me to jerk away.

“You managed to kill them.” Templeton says sounding in no small part shocked. Well in all fairness they are supposed to be well trained killers even if they seem to be lacking the well trained part. Which just makes them killers.

How far had the Kingdoms fallen if they’ve resorted to this. Each of them is pathetic!

It however does kind of suit me. I shrug and smile at him. “What can I say? I’m pretty good at this type of thing even if I’m from the seventh kingdom.”

Leaning forward he charges at me looking llike he wants nothing more than to flatten me beneath his large feet.

Slinging my Cable out I prepare to send current through it as soon as it makes contact.

He blocks with a wooden rod.

Narrowing my eye I swing again, but he just knocks it away.

Dropping my reins I smack the lizard on its haunches and bolt in the other direction as Templetone barrels through where I’ve just been standing.

What do you know he really is trying to run me over. Not exactly what most would consider to be an inspired plan. Then again it does work for the reversalar.

Of course they have numbers to back up the charge as well.

As he circles around for another pass I shift my target. As he nears me II send the line sailing through the air and it lashes around a nearby tree and rush to the side.

The line goes taut just as he hits its. My feet leave the ground. Heart races. I watch as the word shift so that the sky is in front of me. Shooting pain through my back. Air ripped from my chest. The entire world resonates around me alot like a bell.

Tilting my head backwards i peer at Templeton. Like me he’s on the ground and he’s clutching at his ribs. Funny thing about Reversalar. It takes something harder than them to hurt them but when they fall they get hurt like everyone else.

Reaching into my pouch I pull another length of chord and fasten to a second iron ball and heave it at the lumbering oaf. My throws crap, barely able to get it to land on his back but its enough.

Fry damnit! Fry!

Templeton’s attempts to get up falter and he falls back to the ground twitching violently. My lungs demand air, ache for it even but the breath is barely filterng in. The sound of my rushing blood fills my ears. SOme part of me reminds me I need to stop.

I don’t. A black veil is pulled down over my eyes and I know nothing.

Its hours later when I wake surrounded by the puddles of ooze that are the carcasses of my once enemies. The veins of pink swelled and was deep into the process of festering.

My chest aches as I roll on to my front and push myself to my feet. Staggering to the side I barely keep from tipping over. The smell is awe inspiringly awful. I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.

A wind rips past me and I shiver. Autumn seems to be extending on forever.

Worse, the klorian is gone and with it my gear. With any luck it hasn’t strayed to far either but I’m not for a moment going to believe I’m lucky.

My stomach grumbles.

“Really? You couldn’t have spoken up on the ride?”

It grumbles again. It almost sounds victorious.

The only thing that would make this worse is if it was raining. Thankfully they’res not a cloud in the sky. Than again what do I expect considering I’m only a hop skip and jump away from the desert.

Looking at the puddle I spit into it. “I really hate you, you know. You couldn’t just leave well enough alone.”

With that said I make my way into the trees to find something, anything to use as a makeshift shelter.

Fallen tree’s make for decent shelter between the branches you can repurpose and the ability to put a huge hunk of wood at your back. Not to mention it may serve as decent firewood. Not that I can make many more of those without the klorian around.

Sadly after an hour I don’t manage to find a down tree but I do manage to locate a decent sized burrow. And after heaving a number of rocks and the like into the hole it’s occupant is more than happy to give it up.

Taking my knife i cut into the soil again and again until it moves beneath my fingers and I use it to widen the space between the roots enough for me to fit through. As my right foot comes down I both feel and hear a ‘crack’ sound.

Even with the glow from my pauldron I can barely see but it’s enough to make out that I’d just crushed a sizable egg.

That might not end well.

At least not if its, what did Dallas call them? Odd creatures that look like they should be swimming about in water but prefef to live in the ground? Mole something.

Course its not like there’s changing things now and its not like it’ll have a chance to do anything even if it is.

“Don’t just stand here Taylor, get to it.”

I mumble to myself as I scramble my way back out of the burrow.

What does matter is with eggs I have food. Actual food! As in, not rations. Now I just need a flat stone.

Maybe its because of the dark, or the facts that I’m so deep into the woods, or it could be because the sky is blue and not purple but I can’t find a rock despite looking for well over an hour. Night’s fully set in and if it weren’t for my pauldron I’d not have found the burrow again.

Its a cold night and with an empty belly hounding me sleep is difficult but i manage, even if its not overly restful.

I jerk away at the sound of shuffling. And its close, meaning I forgot to set my traps.

“Seriously Taylor how have you managed to keep yourself alive when you have the survival tendencies of the most suicidal bird in the world?”

What is it again. Dallas pointed them out once as they migrated over us a few years back. The a dotted drayn? No that’s not even close.

The aquatic one with the green heads and sharp bills… Razor billed budgy?

No.

Never mind. I don’t care. I’ll remember if it comes up. I’m sure of it.

Reaching out I poke the creature it squawks, snaps its flat beak at me and runs off. At least its not to much a pain.

As I start to climb my way out to the burrow I slam my foot into something and double time it out of the hole. I hiss as I poke at the bleeding digit. Why do toes seem to be magnets? Better question, why does it seem to hurt the Reversalar just as much as it does me? They have armor!

Roxie dancing about cursing like a soldier may undoubtedly be one of my favorite memories but it give me more questions than it answers.

Another upside. As soon as I crawl under the tree I find what my foot knocked into. A white stone.

“Haha! Now i can decide what to do on a full stomache!”

Of course even as I dig the stone from the soil I know what I have to do. I have to find someone willing to and able to offer me protection.

Dallas’s words flow into my head.

The desert prince has opened up trade with the trinniel.