“Simple Tsunashi. Stupid Infernus. Or whoever the hell he is. They’re both idiots!” Glacia trod along a crowded street, with children and adults, both wearing imitations of dragons on their heads. “If it weren’t for them, I’d probably have everything I’d require to bait the Ash. Now I have to pick the trail up from somewhere.” She sat down near the side of a building, going through the inside of her bags. A leathery aroma slapped her nose and an empty wrapper reminded her she was both hungry and penniless.

“I should’ve considered this beforehand. I presume this is what Seriara means when she tells me to slow down and think.” It was unnaturally quiet as she spoke to herself. Where have you been, Seriara? Her question had no answer and, to some extent, she was glad it didn’t get one. For once, she was completely alone with no one to nag her or tell her what to do. “Finally.” She said under her breath, turning her attention to the road before she got up and walked again.

“Why are there still so many people out this late? It’s like no one’s tired.” Abruptly, her stomach growled. “I should do something about this. Maybe that elf would give me a free meal.” Her head shook. “A dumb thought. Persuading her might be more of a challenge than stealing from one of these stores.” A shadow passed from the corner of her eye, coming close to her. She pivoted to the side, pulling back a punch and lunging forward until she realized she’d never seen the person before.

The boy didn’t move, a bright smile lived on his face despite her nearly harming him. He swept his brunet hair away from his covered eye and fixed the bow tightened around his torso then waved a hand. “Yo!” He said nothing else.

After several seconds of staring, Glacia dropped her fist, spun around, and walked the other way with her ponytail lashing the boy's face. Stammering steps circled around her. The boy blocked her with a more urgent look on his face.

“Wait… uh! How are you doing this delightful evening? Are you enjoying the festival? Find anything of interest that catches your fancy? Food? Events?” He cleared his throat. “A partner, perhaps?”

“Festival?” Glacia asked, squinting at him. “Despite the kidnappings and wartime, your leader thought it’d be an excellent idea to throw a festival?” He gave her an astonished look in response.

“How did you know that? You’re not from here with that getup.” A scan over her attire and he straightened out his face, then stood straight. “Are you from a guild?”

Caught off guard, she answered. “N-no, I am, uh, a mercenary.” She took an immediate breath, trying to recompose herself and remember the recent information she’d be told.

“A mercenary?! Wow. I apologize on behalf of Accolade. It would make sense if you heard about goings on around here from certain fixers. We’ve sent several requests for aid with the disappearances. But for the sake of both of our skins, let’s not talk about that in public. If a guard hears us, they’ll interrogate both of us.”

“Right…” It became apparent that this boy may know more than she’d first thought. With that, she decided to ask another question. “So, why the festival? Do you celebrate for a reason?”

“Tradition. It doesn’t stop just because times get hard.” The boy said. “We’re honoring the creation of our city and the everlasting fire lit at the top of the hill there.” He pointed his finger toward the palace above and the smoke that drifted from its center. “It’s also a day we arranged to welcome the guilds that arrived in defense of our city. From the ones that were said to answer us, the only two have been reported to arrive soon. Sol Impact and the Dawn Scholars. Mercenaries and guilds are to report to the palace grounds in the morning, in case you didn’t know.”

“I see.” Glacia said. “Events are progressing rapidly. It’s important that I get my job done.”

“Important? I guess, but not as important as an alluring woman like yourself. Do you have any free time on your hands?”

A furrow of her eyebrows with a simultaneous blush was Glacia’s response. Who does this guy think he is? No way I wou-! The roaring of her stomach was loud enough for both of them to hear. “Plenty!” Glacia said in the highest pitch voice she could. “Would there be a chance that we could get a late dinner?” The boy’s back went straight and his eyes shot open.

“Absolutely! But before we enjoy the night’s festivities, what is your name?”

I can’t give him my actual name. What if he’s connected to the Tarragon somehow? Then they’d do nothing but keep an eye on me. What’s one of those girl’s names? She thought hard on what to answer until a name slipped from her lips. “F-Fumi!” Her eyes went wide, realizing the name she’d just said. She’s a part of the Tarragon too!

“Fumi?” The boy scratched the peach fuzz on his chin. “That’s a name you don’t hear too often. Must be one of those migrant names. Am I right?”

“Y-Yeah! Something like that!” I gotta use that old trick Fumi taught me. Boot licking! Can’t have him asking anything too personal and I get my stories mixed. It’ll shift the discussion off of me and onto him! “What’s your name? Something heroic maybe? That bow on your back makes it seem so.”

***

Lesson one in the art of boot licking, learned from within the Tarragon. Members would grovel to their superiors whenever they were desperate for extra food, time off, or whatever they thought they could get away with. It’d usually depend on the superior, but complimenting little things such as the shine in their armor or the way they did their hair would ease them up and often make them forget about the task at hand. Glacia remembered a time where she and Fumi were trainees assigned to cleaning the armory. Fumi complimented the senior officer’s glasses, saying they made him look intelligent. Given Fumi’s naturally sarcastic tone, he took it the wrong way. And not only did they have to clean the inside of the armory, but the outside and each individual weapon too.

***

A wink from the boy confirmed he took the bait as he ran his fingers along the quiver at his side and seized a silver-headed arrow. “It’s like you’ve heard the tales. I’m one of the best hunters from these parts. The festival practically canceled because of a lack of food, but luckily I was here to round up all the meat I could before things took off. Just another accolade in Accolade under the belt of Kayron, Master Hunter.”

Unimpressed, Glacia kept an astounded look on her face to keep him interested. “My! I would love to try some of the game you’ve killed! With those discerning sharp eyes of yours, you definitely recovered the best there is!” Kayron’s face lit up, placing his hands on his hips to bask in her praise. Is it really this easy? I should’ve tried this sooner.

“Sure! We’ll go to one of my favorite cooks to come about. Not only are her creations to die for, but she’s one of the cutest Minhki I’ve ever seen! Nuts to think she used to live in Morath!” He led the way, urging her along with a wave of his hand. “Cmon! Her skills should please that empty belly of yours!”

Glacia remained quiet but followed along. Survivors made it here? Whoever rules this place must be awfully generous to allow them into their walls. Unless there’s a catch of some sort. The two broke away from the teeming streets and walked uphill in the palace’s direction, that still bustled with activity. They walked on a slope, surrounded by buildings that ran on both sides. Kayron stopped before her. His head turned towards a shop and stall.

“Sweet rolls for sale! Come and get a sweet roll! Every five minutes there is a lucky customer who gets one! On the house!”

While some buildings had shops built into them, there were several minor stalls placed beside them. This one seemed in competition with the store.

“Why get a sweet roll when you could eat some delicious elk caught by our local hunters themselves? Top of the line, primed meat here at a fraction of the price of a roll!” The stall’s owner’s voice projected much louder than her competition. As she noticed, more patrons would stop to turn their head toward her stand. She walked from behind the stall, in a maid’s outfit, and spun about, waving her arms. “Cooked fresh for you, so believe it true! Titania’s best, above all the rest!”

Kayron flung his arm into the air over the crowd. “We’ll take two, Kiyomi!”

Kiyomi peered through the crowd, spying both of them as they strode toward her. “The first of many! Coming right up!” The rear end of her dress lifted, her tail reaching out and slapping a switch that sent the top of the stall ablaze.

A Minhki. One a lot louder than Fumi. I thought they liked to stay low key, but… Glacia observed third-degree burns that spanned over most of the left half of her face. With a scar like that, people would notice anyway. The pressure of the fire blew against them, despite standing several feet away. Wouldn’t surprise me if that’s how she got it.

In a great spectacle, Kiyomi reached under the stall, revealing two large pieces of meat, and tossed them above the flames. “Titania’s technique number eighty-four! Bull Rush Blitz!” Sliding a pair of knives from her lower hips, Kiyomi stabbed at the food as it hovered in the air. “Overdrive!” Her movement increased, arms becoming nearly invisible. She withdrew one arm, returning one knife to her waist, then she pulled a shaker from the same area.

“Where is she getting those from?” Glacia asked.

“That’s the magic of it!” Kayron said with glee.

Kiyomi’s tail slapped the switch, considerably lowering the flame, and doused the contents of the shaker on top. “Seasoned to perfection! Now stand back!” As she said that, a last burst of flame ignited from the stall until only the meat remained. “Prime.” The steamy aroma drifted between the viewers. With every whiff followed a stomach growl. Kiyomi lifted the meals into bowls and passed them off to Kayron.

“Put one on my tab, Kiyomi. I’ll be right over there.” She shot him a wink, and he passed the bowl over to Glacia.

“Who’s next!”

As they barraged the stall with Drax, Glacia stared at the food on her plate. All she wanted for so long from her was all within this simple bowl. Freedom became tangible in this small object. Something she could smell, feel, and taste. The heat burned at her chin and the smell sent her stomach into a frenzy with a growl lasting thirty seconds. If anything else were to inspire her to break away from the Tarragon, it was this. She licked her dry lips, placing a finger on the contents to feel its warmth. An uncontrollable urge overcame her as a realization came to thought. This is mine! With that, she devoured the food. Piece by piece, she ripped it apart. The seasoning sizzled at the touch of her tongue, sending pangs through her jaw. Invigorating her senses. Placing the bowl on the ground, she clawed the dish with both of her hands, gulping as the other made its way to her mouth. Before she knew it, the contents were gone. “That’s it!?” Her attention turned to Kayron, who hadn’t even started his bowl yet. He looked at the contents on her face, in horror at what he’d just seen, reluctantly passing his bowl to her. Without a word, Glacia snatched the bowl from him and the cycle began again.

***

For once in her life, Glacia felt as if she could think clearly. Hunger was no longer a factor and the want for anything more. She stacked a bowl atop eight others, then walked over to a chair by another stall. “Delicious…”

“Glad you think so.” Kiyomi said, wiping down her knives. “Been working on that technique at a place I worked for a long time. All I needed to do was get out of a toxic environment and I perfected it in a year’s time! I owe everything to Kayron here, for giving someone like me an opportunity to prove myself in this city.”

Kayron waved away her gratitude. “It’s nothing, Kiyomi, really. The guys up top wanted my siblings and I to bag some game before night came. I just thought I could get some extra practice and slide you the extras.”

“For that, I’m truly grateful.”

“There were a lot of last second questions about whether this festival would happen. With the dragons wandering about and all. Glyzel pushed it while the elders argued. Said it would be a sign of submission if we stopped tradition and we may as well cut off our own toes.”

Kiyomi’s expression twisted. “Graphic… but I’m following.”

“Sorry. If you’ve been here as long as I have, you’d know tradition is everything. There're loads of books about it in the grand library up in the palace. Then again, you can’t get to that one. But I’m sure there are plenty of standard libraries that are cluttered with historical stuff.”

Grand Library? Glacia listened attentively. Remembering Tsunashi had spoken of such a library and the knowledge that could be found there. Then I have to get into that palace.

Kayron sighed, leaning on his hand. “While my siblings are having dinner up there, I’m stuck down here on guard duty. It’s like no one up there thinks I’m not capable of being anything more than a guard.”

Sympathizing with him, Kiyomi gave him a pat on his shoulder. “Well, at least you’re a man of your word. There’s so few of those in the world. You’d be the second I met that’s earned a spot in my memory.”

“Just the second?” Kayron said with a pout on his face. “Even then, I fall behind another.”

“The first is tough to pass, sorry. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have had the money to establish a stall as soon as I got here. He was in Morath before that attack happened. I hope he’s doing alright, if he’s still around.” Now focused on Glacia, who slumped in a chair, Kiyomi looked as if she were expecting something. “Nine bowls. That’s a beast’s appetite. This is a pretty expensive price you’ve racked up.”

“Fumi was plainly starving when I found her. So I brought her to you because I knew you’d fill her up. She was wandering alone, looking for a place to try. It surprised me that she could eat so much. As rich as she looks, I thought she’d be more… proper?”

“Fumi is her name? Strange. That sounds like a Minhki name…” Kiyomi glared at Glacia, whose heart went into double time. “I don’t care either way. As long as you pay me.”

A glance at Kayron, followed by a point of Glacia’s finger, gave Kiyomi a clear sign she meant him to pay. Kayron’s palms came up in response.

“I never said I’d pay for you!”

Silence occurred between the three of them, and the only thought on Glacia’s mind was. You piece of shit! The ringing of bells from the top of the hill interrupted her, echoing through the sky as the three of them stared at one another. Glacia’s eyes bounced between the two of them, while Kiyomi kept an eye on Glacia. She bolted out of her seat, Kiyomi cutting her off. Glacia scanned the downward slope again, making a bold move and flipping toward an adjacent stall.

“What the hell are you doing?!” The owner before the stall yelled.

She kicked the brake that bound the stall place, and it immediately began rolling. Glacia rolled herself on top of it, steering it out of the way of Kiyomi, and straight downhill. Kiyomi could do nothing but watch. She looked back at Kayron, who was still at Kiyomi’s stall.

“You certainly know how to pick’em, don’t you?”

***

“How did this stall wind up down here in an alleyway?” A semi-armored guard.

“The owner uphill must have lost control.” Another guard answered. “I heard Captain tried to convince Lady Glyzel to place them elsewhere, but she insisted the ground level be clear enough for the guilds.”

“Well, the bell just went off. Means one of the guilds is here. We should get to our posts before the Captain sees us missing.”

“Yes, sir.”

The guards raced away, their clattering steps fading in the distance. From beneath the stall, behind the drape covering, Glacia revealed herself. “Just as lazy as the Tarragon. Wouldn’t even return the stall to whoever lost it.” She rolled from the cramped space, brushing off her outfit. “So, this Grand Library in the palace. How am I supposed to get in there? Seri, did say if I let them know who I am then I’d be able to get it. But after what happened with that weird guy, I’d rather not. Man of his word, my ass.” She observed the buildings leading up to the palace. “Shouldn’t be too bad to jump to each one. Just have to be careful of other guards.”

Glacia walked back toward the road, seeing crowds of people spread on each side of the street. Down the middle, a parade of folks rode into the city on horseback. There was a woman at the head with blazing blue hair that was wrapped in a ponytail and shaped like a wildfire with two braids laying on her collarbones. At her sides were a black-haired woman and a purple-haired man. The black-haired woman’s eyes timidly scanned the crowd, hand crossing her chest and laying on her shoulder near the handle of the knife on her chest. The purple-haired man remained composed, happily waving to the cheering crowds.

“That’s Sol Impact!”

Glacia heard individuals from the crowd speak.

“Is that their leader? She’s awfully young ain’t she? I thought their leader was older.”

“That isn’t their leader. The Titan of the North is pretty old, but he doesn’t seem to be amongst this group. The one in the middle there must be his daughter. She’s built up a reputation as a fighter, but I wonder if she’s as fearless as he is.”

Couldn’t care any less. Glacia continued walking through the crowd looking for a place to reach the rooftops. As she passed an opening, a long groan went off in her right ear, followed by a sloppy lick across the face. “What the…” She turned to a large curly haired animal, who snorted upon seeing her face. “That girl’s bison!? If you’re here, so must…”

“Cha!” Tanka’s voice rang out as she revealed herself from the cloth on Trillon’s back. “Do you always yell?” Tri glanced around, then looked to the sky as Tanka adjusted herself on his back. “What are you still doing out so late for?”

“What do you think I’m doing?! Finding out how I can get into-!” Trillon gave her another lick.

“Not here! And stop being so loud! Cha… You’re definitely more trouble than you’re worth.”

Glacia’s frustration was reaching its peak. The bison gave her, from what she could tell, was a joyful look. She gave him a pat on the head, which he accepted.

“That’s a first for him. Tri rarely gets along with people. He tolerates them at best.” Tanka leaned forward on Trillon’s head, her beads clattering. “Come with me. I was planning on meeting with Mushi for the job that we’re supposed to be doing. Now that you’re here, we could use the extra eyes.” A scoff was the response.

“You’re still working for that idiot, Tsunashi? You and the old woman are just wasting your times working for him. The idiot’s done nothing but waste mine.”

“So spiteful! If you hate him so much, tell me why you remember his name?”

Glacia glared at her, prompting Tanka to laugh at the reaction.

“You think I didn’t notice you haven’t bothered remembering anyone’s name but his? This pristine memory makes up for the lack of eyesight, gal. But even I’m not blind enough to see how riled he gets you.”

“Choose your next words carefully.” A low growl came from Glacia’s throat. “Just how are you out here? Aren’t you supposed to be blind?”

“Later, little dragon. We got our end of the deal we need to uphold. If you’re nicer, maybe we can get to know each other since we’re teammates and all for now.” Tanka scratched her head. “It’s also not everyday you get asked to do something directly from the deity of fire. Mushi and I had been cooking up a plan since before we left that farm and since you’re here, I guess you can be a part of it. I’d think Mushi should be okay with it, given the peculiar favor she seems to give you for being a White Dragon and all.” Tri started strolling through the crowd as Tanka announced their departure. “Excuse us, big guy coming through.”

Tanka’s comment latched onto Glacia's thoughts. It was something she herself hadn’t noticed, but it was an interesting detail that even she was left to question. Why do I remember him? He’s nothing more than a stranger and a fool. And yet… She didn’t like him. That she was certain. However, there was something stirring within him that held him in her thoughts. Could Seriara be the reason? A sharp whistle drew her attention. Tanka fluttered her fingers at her from the bison.

“You coming, little one? Party’s just about to get started! If you wanna be useful, let’s get moving!”