>

Horatio woke early, at dawn. He hadn’t been worried about waking up on time—the sun always woke him up early anyway, usually with thoughts of his parents, and what he was going to do in this life to make something of himself, and lately of Ceres too.

Today, however, the first thing on his mind was what in Gard it was that the dancer from last night wanted to talk to him about.

He dressed quickly, taking care not to wake the others, who were still slumbering, and made his way down the creaky stairs.

The Wolf Clan innkeeper was already up too, behind the bar, heating a kettle on a stove. That was good. If the dancer-woman tried anything…peculiar, at least there would be a witness. ‘Mornin’,’ grunted the innkeeper. Horatio nodded to him and accepted his offer of tea and porridge, then took a seat at a table.

There was no sign of the woman.

Huh. Maybe she wasn’t coming. Maybe it had been some sort of odd trick. Maybe she had been drunk.

The woman walked in through the front door.

It took Horatio a moment to recognise her. She was still wearing the same revealing silk outfit as last night, which was how he did recognise her, and still sporting the same brilliant red hair—similar to Egea’s, but with a touch more strawberry to it—though it was somewhat more bedraggled and tangled today. But he hadn’t seen the rest of her face without the dragon-shaped-tiara before.

She had clearly once been very beautiful, with a slim chin, high, hollow cheekbones and thick lips. But around her mouth, which yesterday had been hidden by the head-dress, and on her forehead above her eyes, which had been hidden by the tiara, were a collection of lumps and bruises whose varying colours indicated that they had been made at different points in the past. These were decorated in places with thin, pale scars that raked her face to make it look like a canvas painting that had been smashed and scratched.

‘Are you okay?’ was all that Horatio could think to say.

‘I’m fine,’ said the woman, dismissing his strange question with a wave. She nodded a familiar greeting to the innkeeper and came over to sit down next to Horatio. ‘Listen; I don’t have much time. I’m a dancer with some magical skill, and I want to join your band.’

‘You what?’ said Horatio. He wasn’t entirely sure what he had been expecting, but it hadn’t been this.

‘What are you doing up so early, boy?’ said Primus, making the sellsword jump. The old Professor had come down the stairs into the common room. ‘Ah! A rendezvous! Qind, but you’re a sly one, Horatio! I thought you were interested in one of the two upstairs, but I saw you talking to this lady last night! Oho! To be young! Well, you don’t have time for anything now I’m afraid—we’ll be heading off straight after breakfast!’

Horatio opened his mouth to justify himself, but then realised he didn’t need to.

The dancer put her head-dress and tiara, which she had been carrying in a small silk bag, back on her face.

‘Primus,’ Horatio said, ‘it’s nothing like that. This lady wants to join our band.’

‘What?’ said Primus, surprise crinkling up his forehead. ‘Impossible! Absolutely out of the question!

‘What’s out of the question?’ said Egea as she came into the common room too.

‘This lady wants to join our band,’ Horatio said.

‘Oh, great!’ said Egea. ‘I knew our daring exploits would catch the attention of somebody!’

‘She’s not joining our band!’ said Primus. ‘And we aren’t a “band” anyway, we’re just a travelling party made up of me you three adventurers I hired!’

‘Who’s not joining our band?’ said Ceres, the last of the party come downstairs.

‘This lady want to join…’ started Horatio again, before realising he didn’t even need to finish the sentence this time.

‘Oh, lovely!’ said Ceres, clapping her hands together.

‘But she’s not going to!’ repeated Primus.

‘Look,’ said the dancer. ‘I believe you that you managed to make your way through the Sealed Cave, and I am impressed, and as a result I really would like to join…what’s your band’s name, anyway? What are you called?’

‘We’re called Mighty Gard,’ said Egea.

They all looked at her for a moment.

‘What?’ said Egea. ‘It’s a good name. I came up with it last night.’

‘It’s a stupid name!’ said Primus. ‘And we don’t need a name because we’re not a band! Look, young lady, I’m very sorry but I’m not recruiting. I have simply hired these three young adventurers to assist me in a personal matter, and I don’t have the coin to take on any more people.’

‘I’m not interested in coin,’ said the dancer. ‘All I ask is that you let me travel and lodge with you. I can pay my own way if I need to. As I’ve said to your swordsman here, I have some magical ability, so I can also fight my own way. I won’t slow you down. All I’m looking for is a band to travel with for a while to keep safe.’

‘No, absolutely not,’ said Primus, shaking his head.

‘Professor Primus!’ said Ceres. ‘I think you are being quite dismissive here. Qind’s doors are open to all.’

‘No. She’ll be a dead weight, and only slow us down. She’s slowing us down already! We should have left by now—Olivia could be gaining ground on us.’

Ceres was not satisfied. Her eyelids fluttered. ‘Well I don’t see why she can’t come with us. I think you’re being ungenerous, Professor. First you lie to people about the contents of the chest last night, and now you are refusing to let this woman join us. I must say I am a little surprised at you. In fact…’ She looked from side to side, and something seemed to war with itself behind her eyes. ‘...In fact, I might even consider leaving your service and this party at this point—I wonder if I might be able to do more good travelling with someone else, such as this young lady.’

Horatio did not like the sound of that. Sure, he could always leave and go with Ceres and the dancer too. But Primus had coin, and Horatio needed the money.

‘Er…yes,’ he said, ‘I think this lady should come with us as well.’

‘Yeah!’ said Egea. ‘Me too! More travellers means we need more supplies, and that keeps me in coin! And I’m leaving if she doesn’t come with us too! You were going to ditch me anyway, so this way I get to leave of my own accord.’

A muscle in Primus’s jaw twitched, pulling up part of his beard. ‘Rrrrr!’ he growled. ‘Fine! I don’t have time to hire another three magic users at short notice anyway... Listen, young woman—what is your name, in any case?’

‘Wyvera.’

‘Listen, “Wyvera”, if that is your real name, if you are really able to fight, you can come and show us. We’ll be leaving Balamb now to head North (right after we eat breakfast, of course) and we’re bound to encounter monsters soon enough on the road. If you really can fight, you can show us by fighting them with us. Consider this your audition.’

‘Yes,’ said Egea. ‘Your audition to join Mighty Gard.’

‘Your audition to join my traveling party,’ Primus corrected.

‘Thank you,’ said Wyvera. ‘You won’t regret this.’