Mahon came back to consciousness with the rocking motion of the cart that transported him. A memory flash woke him up instantly, but after a look at his surroundings he realized he wasn’t in Ratho anymore, but in Finem.

The sun was low on the horizon, and the landscapes around him were already tainted by dusk lights. As the familiar train of carts was stretching behind him, Mahon realized he was still with the Frontaliers’ caravan, probably going to the next city.

Did we leave Stonewell already?

Mahon opened the curtain separating him from the driver, and Siraye and Jorik welcomed him with a bright smile.

“Oh, the sleeping beauty finally woke up?” Siraye taunted.

“How do you feel?” Jorik asked at the same time.

Mahon sat between the two before he took a deep breath to feel his body. Nothing hurt, and the big gulp of air sent satisfying sensations through his whole body. He was full of energy, and his mind felt fresher than ever.

“I’m actually feeling very well.” He finally said.

Memories of his fight with the sorcerer came back to him, and although he could guess what had happened given the current situation and Siraye’s presence, he still asked his comrades.

Siraye beamed a beautiful smile while she answered.

“You fucked him over as you said you would. Everybody was left speechless when you blew out Varek’s fire just like that. I didn’t get what happened exactly, but it seemed to me that you played with him from beginning to the end. Letting him believe he had won, then counter attacking suddenly to wound him, letting him believe he would be able to heal his wound and then snuffing out his fire. Beautiful!”

She looked at him from the side, her happy smile still lighting up her face.

“Jorik told me you needed to rest after such a draining feat, and I won’t pry further if you’re some kind of magician able to control the fire of others, but every single noble wanted to know how you did it. Even the mayor ignored his own son to try to befriend you. Jorik stopped them all and with Edwin we brought you back to the caravan. Edwin still didn’t feel very safe after that victory, and he ordered we would depart just after the market closed, a bit after lunch. And here we are now, moving towards Lakefield, our final destination. We’ll soon stop for the night I think.” She added after a look at the sun height.

“Thanks.” Mahon said in the end. He eyed Jorik and nodded slightly to him. The noble nodded back and gestured it was nothing.

“Bah! I should be the one thanking you!” Siraye intervened, oblivious to the silent exchange between the two. “You saved me from a dark and difficult future… But enough about that! We talked a bit with Jorik about your next steps. You plan to stay a bit in Lakefield, is that it?”

“Hmm. Yeah.” Mahon nodded pensively. “Stonewell’s librarians mentioned books that would interest us at Lakefield’s library. And you said we would meet mathemagicians there too, right?”

“Yes, that should be possible.” She acquiesced. “I can’t guarantee anything, but if you can’t even find one in Lakefield, there is no need to mention the rest of Finem.”

“We’re intrigued by the capital of Finem in any case.” Jorik chimed in. “Sorcerers, magicians, mathemagicians, Fada… Everything seems appealing to us. We’ll probably stay a couple weeks at least.”

“Right! So you need to make plans for the future, eh?” She exclaimed. “What will you do once the caravan stops? Where will you sleep? How will you earn money?”

“I’m guessing with your tone that you have solutions to these problems...” Mahon smiled.

“Yes! That’s what we were talking about actually before you woke up. First of all, I would like to invite you to my lovely house! It’s not very big, but more than enough to accommodate the three of us, and I could give you a tour of my smithy. It could be a temporary solution until you find something else, but you could stay months there and we wouldn’t even hinder each other!”

“It’d help us, that’s sure.” Mahon didn’t need to think for long. “But you don’t have to if…”

“Stop right there!” Siraye raised one finger. “Although I’m indebted to you, I’d have proposed regardless of what happened in Stonewell. Aren’t we friends now? I’ve a place big enough to accommodate you, and I like your company. You’re invited, that’s it. And if you don’t accept, I’m breaking your fingers.” She added with a smirk.

Mahon chuckled. “If that’s the case, then I guess we’ll indulge you.”

“You better do!” She retorted. “And given your talents in the arena, I also thought of the perfect job for you. What do you say about becoming a bodyguard?”

“A bodyguard?” Mahon repeated while frowning.

His understanding of the different orders in Finem wasn’t very profound. Fortunately, Siraye knew that look quite well, and she started explaining.

“Yes. I told you there are two ways of obtaining your star rank among warriors. The first one is the adventurer guild. Adventurers wander around the world as they please, they take jobs of exterminating monsters or escorting caravans. They never stay long at the same place. The Frontaliers are the perfect example of adventurers. The second option is the bodyguard center. But the name is a bit misleading, as they aren’t really bodyguards. They’re more like sedentary adventurers.”

Siraye had mentioned before about the two entities that delivered star ranks, but she hadn’t got the time to explain what they were exactly, and so Mahon and Jorik listened attentively to her explanations.

“Bodyguards accept missions like escorting people, ensuring the security of events or fending off monsters that get too close to a city. Most of the time, though, they’re simply fighting duels. People hire them to defend their cause. Given how strong you two are, and that you want to stay in Lakefield for a while, the best option would be to join a bodyguard center. You’ll both be able to get your true star rank after some time and win some money by participating in duels or other activities. Win-win, right?”

Mahon nodded pensively. “That actually sounds like a good idea. How much money do we need to live in Lakefield exactly? We’ve earned quite a bit from the caravan already.”

A few days ago, Mahon wouldn’t have dared ask such a question as it told way too much about their complete ignorance of Finem, but they were long past this with Siraye now.

“Life in Lakefield could get very expensive.” Siraye explained in a serious voice. “Especially for people like you. You need to get information, and that’s never cheap. Plus, you need to maintain your condition and weapons, so you’ll need both facilities and tools. I’d say warriors at your level easily spend a silver a day in total. You’ll only have to pay half of it since you’ll live at my house and the rent is free, but that’s still a silver a day for both of you.”

Mahon checked their purse. “We’ve got close to thirty silvers already. So we’re not at risk, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

“Right. Although you’ll not have to worry for long. Once you’re an official seven-star, you’ll win dozens of gold for each of your duels.”

“That much? I guess that’s a deal then! How do we become bodyguards?”

“There are multiple centers in Lakefield. Some you can directly go there and pass the test, and they will gladly welcome you. Others are more elitist, and they only accept a minimal rank. It turns out I work personally with the best bodyguard center in Lakefield. They only accept four-star rank at the bare minimum, but I could introduce you. What do you say?”

Mahon exchanged a look with Jorik. “Great idea.” The noble nodded.

“Excellent! I hope you’ll remember me once you rise to formidable ranks. I could very much use your incoming fame as an advertisement for my shop.” Siraye smirked.

“Oh, so it wasn’t simply helping friends out.” Mahon grinned back.

“A business opportunity is still a business opportunity.” She answered with a straight face before the trio started laughing out loud.

They switched topics and continued their discussion leisurely as the landscape around them slowly changed. From the rocky Stonewell, the vegetation turned more luxuriant as water grew more abundant in their surroundings. To travel from Stonewell to Lakefield, a walking person would need two days, but the caravan needed three.

During these three days, Mahon spent his time with Jorik and Siraye, talking about everything during the day and focusing on their objectives or emitting hypotheses about the Immortal Kings during the night.

The capital city appeared on their last day as they reached the highest place of their journey. They were atop a large hill a few kilometers away from Lakefield, and from up there, they could see the road continuing forward and winding between the countless lakes that punctured the landscape and surrounded the city.

From their point of view, the lakes were reflecting the sunlight, and it gave an eerie vision of a shining panorama. Lost among the lights, they could see the city’s defensive walls and its highest buildings standing out. They were too far away to notice anything else, but the beauty of the view left them breathless nonetheless.

Even Siraye, who had seen it dozens of times already, wasn’t numb to the scenery. Edwin ordered a short break and asked for everyone’s attention.

“We’ve now arrived at the end of our journey together.” He started with a loud voice that carried over the dozens of carts around him. “We’ll reach Lakefield in three to four hours, and by then we’ll disband and everyone will go on with their own business. It’ll be too much of a hassle to deal with the last procedures in Lakefield, so we’ll settle them now. I’d also like to remind you that the Frontaliers will leave Lakefield with another caravan in a month or so, if you would like to join… And now, onto business.”

Edwin then moved from cart to cart, making sure everything was completed regarding payments and that everyone had said what they needed to say. Edwin also gave the guards their last payroll.

When he reached their cart, he handed Mahon another purse full of silver coins and bowed with admiration to the two men. He exchanged a few words with Siraye, trying to convince her to join their next expedition, but Siraye refused, saying she needed some time in her forge.

Once he completed the last transaction, Edwin said a final goodbye to everyone before he led the caravan for the last leg of the journey. Maybe it was the steep descent, or it was all Edwin’s doing, but the caravan moved very slowly as they went down the hill, and everyone could enjoy the beautiful view a bit longer.

Once back at ground’s level, the city disappeared behind the horizon, and the caravan continued his long monotonous journey. Having seen their final step, though, everyone was growing more enthusiastic.

As they progressed along the road, they started meeting more and more people. Either merchants or people leaving the city by the same road they were taking, or simply fishermen and kids working or playing within the lakes.

Some lakes were as large as the whole Stonewell and others were only a few houses big. The former had little boats swarming over its surface, while the latter only had a few kids jumping and swimming inside while laughing. Although the caravan hadn't arrived yet, the cheerful mood was so different to the last, more serious, days of travel that it was almost as if they were already there.

As they grew closer and closer to the city, it appeared back in sight, with its tall, imposing walls and impressive gates. From this angle, it was all they could see of the city, the tall walls masking everything else as if all its secrets were kept hidden inside, within its compound.

A few warriors guarded the door, but they didn’t stop everyone. They were looking attentively at the passerby, with the phlegmatic face characteristic of such a job, and from time to time they would ask for someone’s purpose or identity. Edwin walked directly to them, and after a short minute of conversation, the guards’ leader gestured for the carts to move into the city, at which point everyone went their own way.

Siraye led her muxale with expertise through the doors of the city, and she heaved a sigh of satisfaction as they passed the walls and entered Lakefield.

“Home, sweet home… Welcome to Lakefield, guys!”