“This is a bad fucking idea,” Nate muttered to himself as he hauled himself over the ledge onto the balcony.

  Enemies approach, Trini whispered in his mind.

  Nate crouched low against the wall and held his breath. As he did, a cool, tingling sensation spread across his skin.

  {Your familiar has used the skill Concealment.}

  “I don’t understand why everyone is so paranoid all of a sudden,” came a whiny male voice from distressingly close. Nate kept his breathing slow and shallow.

  “That’s because you’re an idiot,” answered an annoyed woman. “Haven’t you been paying attention? Omen found a fucking Jewel. Everyone is on high alert.”

  “I’m not an idiot,” the man said, clearly stung. “It’s a big deal, sure. But why do we need to increase patrols? Why would anyone want to come after us?”

  “Because we’re dealing with something that has never happened before. Who knows what the other Factions might do? Everyone is acting crazy. Better to be on our guard.”

  As the two patrolling guards spoke from the dark interior of the building, Nate felt a presence wash over him, a brief sense of weight that pressed down for a moment before it seemed to slide away. The tingling on his skin intensified.

  Be still, Trini warned.

  {A Detection skill has failed to break your Concealment. Experience earned.}

  “It’s all clear up here,” the woman said. Her companion grunted.

  “Of course it is. I told you, everyone is just being paranoid. Why would anyone try to break in here, anyway?”

  Nate waited for a long while, listening carefully long after the sound of departing feet disappeared. Then he let out a long sigh of relief. He hadn’t been sure this would work.

  I told you it would work, Trini scolded in his mind.

  Nate didn’t answer. He rarely did. A part of him was still trying to pretend that the tattoo on his hand was purely decoration. But he did listen. It was the only reason he was even trying this. Trini claimed she had a skill that could hide him, even from the senses of those at a higher level, provided they didn’t look right at him and he kept still. Without that assurance, Nate would have given up the whole idea as a suicide mission.

  As for his objective, he had to credit the idea to Sentry.

  “Why do you want to know about the Factions?” Sentry asked.

  Nate, Sentry, and Christophe sat at a table in a well-appointed restaurant. It was tasteful and expensive, not the kind of place Nate could afford, or at least not somewhere he would want others to see him spending money lest questions arise about where he was getting his funds.

  “They are the power here,” Nate said with a shrug, trying to appear nonchalant. “Christophe and I don’t come from Factions. But you do. I figure I might be in Dawn for a while. I’d like to get a better understanding of the lay of the land.”

  Christophe nodded enthusiastically, though Nate didn’t think he was really listening. The mage was eagerly shoveling small pastries from a serving dish into his mouth, humming contentedly.

  “That is wise, I suppose,” Sentry said, though she still seemed a bit suspicious. “There are many Factions across the universe, of course. But there are three that have established a base of power here in Dawn, dividing the city between them. One you’ve already had some dealings with. The orcs of the Burning Brand.”

  Nate snorted. He had been keeping an eye out for Grundar, though the orc hadn’t shown himself since the attack at the ravine.

  “There is a human Faction, the Clear Eyes,” Sentry went on. “From what I’ve gathered, they are roughly equal in strength to the Burning Brand. Each has around fifty members capped at level 10, and maybe another two hundred at lower levels.”

  Nate only nodded, though inside he suppressed a shock. Those numbers were far higher than he would have guessed.

  “The third Faction is Omen. Everyone agrees they are the strongest, though I haven’t been able to find anyone who can put numbers to their strength. They are an odd one. It seems that the core of their membership is made up of elves, but they have members from many other races. They are also the group that found the Jewel of Farandway.”

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Nate didn’t respond to that last part, though he noted the interest in Sentry’s voice when she mentioned the Jewel. That was good. That was where he wanted the conversation to go, too.

  “What about you?” Nate asked. “Which Faction are you in?”

  “I don’t belong to any of those three,” Sentry said, and there was a hint of scorn in her voice. “We have never tried to establish a base of power in Dawn. It’s supposed to be nothing but a staging area, a safe zone to build levels and master some basic skills before venturing out into the wider world. The Burning Brand, the Clear Eyes, and Omen aren’t big players in the universe outside Farandway. They have power here because they don’t even try to play the game. They horde their members in the city, refusing to join the hunt for the Jewels. They have made themselves big fish in a very little pond.”

  Nate didn’t miss the fact that Sentry hadn’t actually told him what Faction she belonged to. But he was fine with leaving her to her secrets for now.

  “What about the City Lord and his guards? Where do they factor into all of this?”

  “Darlish? In theory he is in charge. But all the guards really do is police the unaffiliated and try to make sure the conflicts between the Factions don’t boil over into open conflict.”

  Sentry studied Nate for an uncomfortable moment, as though trying to read him. He saw her glance down to the tattoo on the back of his hand. Her eyes lingered on it for a moment, but, unlike Christophe, she didn’t ask him about it.

  “Why do you really want to know all this?” she asked suddenly. “If you just want to get strong enough to leave the Valley, your best bet is just to avoid the Factions. Quest outside the city and build your levels. I can help you with that.”

  “I think that’s a good idea,” Christophe interjected, crumbs spraying from his still full mouth. “Fighting those Monitors was exciting! I want to get back out there.”

  Sentry gave Christophe a half-smile, though Nate could see her thoughts. She hadn’t actually invited Christophe to join her. Only Nate.

  I’ve just been thinking,” Nate said. “The whole point of being here is supposed to be to get strong enough to go out and find some of those Jewels, right?”

  “That is the purpose of Farandway,” Sentry acknowledged. Nate watched her eyes. There was a glint of something there.

  “And one of them was just found, right outside Dawn. So, what happens next? What will Omen do with it?”

  Sentry was quiet, as though considering this question for the first time. But Nate saw that same glint in her eye, sharper and more focused than before.

  “It is difficult to say,” she finally spoke. “If I were in charge of their Faction, I would assign a party to leave the Valley and take the Jewel to the High King. That would earn them a boon, gain recognition for their Faction, and set them on the path to greater rewards. But I don’t think that is the way Omen thinks. They have focused all their resources on dominating Dawn. Whatever they plan for the Jewel, I think they will keep it here.”

  “That seems like a waste,” Nate said. “Maybe one of the other Factions will decide they have a better use for it and try to take it away.”

  “I’m sure they’d like to,” Sentry said with a wry grin. “But I don’t think it will come to that. They will all want the Jewel, even if they don’t know what they would do with it if they got it. It represents power. But none of them wants to risk breaking the peace of angering Omen. Tensions will be high for a while. But I don’t think it will lead to conflict.”

  “What would lead to conflict?” Nate asked. He tried to make the question sound casual. But Sentry raised an eyebrow.

  The conversation was going better than Sentry could have hoped. Her only goal with this meeting had been to get Nate to agree to party with her to gain some experience and levels outside the city. She was even willing to accept the inclusion of Christophe, if that’s what it took. The mage was odd, and his magic wasn’t particularly useful. Still, he had proven surprisingly resilient in their fight in the ravine. She would do her best to keep Christophe alive if it meant gaining Nate’s trust.

  But now the conversation had moved away from that short term goal to the prize that Sentry truly coveted. Nate was clearly interested in the Jewel, though he was trying to hide it. If she could engage him in her true cause, it would be well worth the ridiculous price of this lunch.

  She glanced again at the tattoo on Nate’s hand. The black spider was oddly menacing, and it was clearly magical. Something had happened down in that ravine. Nate hadn’t talked about it, and she refused to ask.

  She recentered herself and tried to hide her excitement at the turn in the conversation.

  “If either the Burning Brand of the Clear Eyes made a move against Omen, that would certainly do it,” she said, answering Nate’s question. “Short of that, if Omen was convinced that one of the other Factions was planning to try to claim the Jewel, that might be enough. Especially now, while everyone is still trying to adjust to the idea. Tensions are high.”

  “And if the Factions started openly fighting with each other, there would be chaos,” Nate said, as though musing to himself. “The City Lord would almost have to get involved, making things even more unpredictable. Who knows what kinds of opportunities that might create?”

  Sentry gave Nate a sharp, appraising look. He gave her a mischievous wink.

  Yes. This was going far better than she could have hoped.

  The door to your right, Trini whispered.

  Nate stopped, pressing his ear against the door. His body was bathed in sweat, though from fear and tension rather than exertion. They had skirted past three more patrols. Each time, Nate was sure he would be discovered and brutally executed. Each time, Trini’s mysterious concealment skill had succeeded in keeping them undetected. Now, apparently, the had reached their target.

  Hearing nothing from inside, Nate eased the door open. He was surprised to find it unlocked considering the security he had seen, but was less so when he saw what was inside. It was a simple storeroom filled with unmarked crates. A single glow lamp cast a dim light over the crowded space.

  “Are you sure?” Nate asked aloud.

  Yes. Two crates in the back. They are old, but still functional.

  Nate moved to the back corner. He didn’t know how he knew which corner the spider was indicating. Somehow, he could just feel it. The sensation made his skin crawl.

  You should not fear me. I am your ally, Trini said.

  Ignoring the voice, Nate used his dagger to pry the lid off one of the crates, working as quietly as he could. He grinned when he saw what lay inside.