"So your old girlfriend is here in Reial?" Vral was sprawled out on their shared bed back at The Golden Sea Inn. "The bitch is strong, I'll give you that. You sure know how to pick 'em."

  "Old co-worker." I pinched the bridge of my nose. "But yeah, she's here."

  "And she warned you to not get involved any further?" Tristan frowned.

  "Yup."

  "That is curious indeed," mused Sophia.

  "Right? Why warn us away if she means us no harm?" Tristan asked.

  "I agree. It's like when a villain reveals their evil plans." Vral snorted.

  "She wasn't that bad," I grumbled. "At least back when I knew her."

  "Wasn't she?" Tristan asked. "Didn't you say she admitted she could have killed you if she wanted?"

  "Yeah."

  "And you felt pressure coming off of her?"

  "A ton of it."

  "If you felt all that without even being trained to, you were in a lot the danger." Tristan walked up to me. Wrapping her arms around my waist, she said, "I'm glad she let you go."

  I kissed the top of her head. "Yeah, me too."

  Something didn't make sense. "I don't understand it, though. I got here almost two years ago, and I was five years older than her on Earth. How is she older than me now?"

  Sophia chimed in from across the room. "From the legends I've heard, most people who come from your world come from the same few periods. However, when they arrive in this world seems to be random. I've heard of people with stories like yours mingling with people from an empire in your distant past. Unfortunately, no one but the Goddess knows why that is."

  I sighed. "So she's been here alone for years? Maybe decades?"

  "It's likely, yes. Especially since the higher our level, the slower we age."

  I immediately felt guilty. I should have been there for her.

  "Don't do that." Tristan's eyes met mine. "It's not your fault."

  Vral huffed. "Enough about her. What're we doing? Are we tucking our tails between our legs and hiding back at the temple or what?"

  I shook my head. "No. Not until we get Elna. We've come this far, and we made a promise to Farvad. We can't go back yet."

  "Still, shouldn't we proceed with caution?" asked Sophia. "Devon seemed adamant that there are powerful people on the move around us, and if they're as strong as she is, I don't know if there's anything we could do to stop them."

  A fire lit up in me. "Yeah, we definitely should be careful. But we're stronger than before. If someone wants a piece of us, maybe we'll surprise them."

  "Hell yes," hissed Vral.

  "Don't encourage him, Vral."

  "Fuck that. We fight until we can't anymore. That's how this goes." Vral pumped her fist.

  Tristan shook her head. "You two..."

  "Two seeds in a stalk." Sophia matched Tristan's energy.

  "They really are." Tristan sighed. "But, I don't exactly disagree. We made a promise. We'll see it through." She looked at Sophia. "But, that doesn't mean you need to involve yourself. It was already risky bringing you along with us. You should go back to the temple and stay safe."

  "What? No way!" Sophia frowned and put her hands on her hips. "I'm invested now. I'm not just going to abandon you three." She looked at me. A look I didn't recognize crossed her face. "Plus, Alex has proven himself to be both kind and as worthy as any knight I've known. I believe I would be safest at his side." She looked at each of us in turn. "If you all will have me, of course."

  Vral whistled. "Damn stray." She looked at Sophia for a long while. "Yeah, okay. I like having you around anyway. It's not all that bad. I vote we keep her."

  Tristan laughed. "I don't like the idea that we may not be able to keep you safe, but if you're willing, I believe we could use the help."

  Sophia nodded. "I'm not so helpless as I might appear. And my knowledge may prove useful to you yet."

  "She's got plenty of potential, I can feel it." I agreed.

  "Yeah, in the chest especially," Vral smirked.

  "Vral!" Sophia blushed and crossed her arms over her chest.

  "So it's decided? We'll be proceeding as planned?" Tristan confirmed with the group.

  "Yeah. I think we have to." I walked to the door. "Let's meet up with the others. I'd like to let them know what's happening and tell them to go the other way. I have a feeling Devon knows who we've been traveling with and how. And if she doesn't yet, she will. We shouldn't involve them any further."

  Tristan nodded. "I agree."

  Sophia shook her head. "Before we leave, I need to talk to Harry." Sophia nodded to me. "Mind accompanying me, Alex?"

  I nodded. "Yeah, let's do it." I looked at the others. "You two, go meet with Borun and tell him what's up. We'll be back soon."

  ***

  Sophia and I were in a small, cramped office set deep into the cliffside. The smell of mold and fresh water permeated everything, and the walls practically glistened with moisture. Sophia and I were sitting on one side of a stone desk that looked like it had been carved out of the earth, and Harrick was on the other.

  "Glad you came, lass. Real glad you came." His eyes flicked between me and her. "Wasn't sure if I'd hear from you in time, but you made it just in time. I've a trip north scheduled for later. Our ship leaves in four hours."

  I looked at Sophia. She shook her head and spoke. "What for?"

  The man stroked his salt and pepper beard. "We took a right thrashing yesterday. All but one ship was damaged, and our shipwright took a thrashing yesterday. I need to go to Llyn and find some craftsmen who're willing to come on short notice and help us out until she's healed." He sighed and patted a bag on his desk. "For extra pay, of course."

  Sophia's brow furrowed. "That's terrible. I am sorry for your troubles."

  Harrick chuckled, but his eyes narrowed on the noblewoman. "I know when someone is buttering me up to haggle. What do you want, girl? I'll hear you out. No need to play games with me."

  She laughed. "Fair enough. I have a favor to ask of you."

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Harrick straightened up, his interest growing. "What kind of favor?"

  "The easy kind."

  "I like that kind."

  "Carry us with you to Llyn."

  "Why?"

  "For our own reasons."

  He stroked his beard. "How many passengers are we talking?"

  "Just four." She raised four fingers in the air.

  "It's a small boat. Would be tight."

  "Besides Alex here, it's just three women, one of whom is a goblin. It wouldn't be much weight, and we do our best to stay out of your way."

  He laughed. "I can make room for you. We don't have extra cabins, though. All I can offer are boxes, hammocks, and rough seas."

  "That would be fine."

  "And the cost?"

  She looked at me. "Easily paid, as long as it's fair."

  "Ten crystals per person for three days of passage. Can't do it for less."

  "Five."

  "Done."

  He pointed at me. "And I'd need his muscles. Extra weight means extra work."

  I nodded, but Sophia shook her head. "If you need help, we'll all work. Every last one of us. And we'll bring our own food. We won't be a burden to you."

  He chuckled. "Tough negotiator, eh?" He stroked his beard. "So what's in it for you?"

  "Llyn was our next stop, and we need a discreet way to travel."

  "Discretion's my specialty." He looked up at the ceiling. "I can do that."

  She smiled. "Thank you."

  "It's the least I can do." He picked a pipe off his desk and began tamping it. "Mind telling me what got you spooked?"

  She looked at him for a long time. I could tell she was weighing the options. "Can I trust you, Harry?"

  He sparked his pipe up. A serious look crossed his face. "Your father trusted me with his life more than once, and he took a risk on me when I was barely a man. Made me who I am. I'd do much for him and his."

  She chewed on her lip. "Someone... powerful showed up after the storm. Warned Alex to not continue on. That powerful people are moving around us."

  While it was barely perceptible, his face grew a shade darker. "And you're heeding that advice, yeah?"

  "No."

  He took a long draw of his pipe. Blowing out a cloud of smoke, he said, "Don't like the sound of that."

  She looked at me. "Neither do I. However, my Guardian here has sworn to protect someone in Llyn, and I trust him." She reached out and placed her slender hand on my bracer. "I wish to honor his oath."

  His eyes settled on me. "Guardian, huh?" I could feel him sizing me up. "Can you keep her safe?"

  "I can try."

  "That's not good enough."

  "I know."

  "You understand your responsibility in all of this?" The gravity of the words weighed down on me.

  "I do."

  He took another draw. With a grunt, he bent over and open a drawer in his desk, a cloud of smoke pouring from his nose as he did. Digging around for several seconds, he finally came back up with a wooden box the size of a loaf of bread. He opened it, placed it on the desk, and pushed it toward us.

  Sophia's eyes grew wide. "Harry, we can't—"

  "You can, and you will." He pushed it toward her. "You get in trouble, you use that. If not, you come find me and give it back."

  I looked inside the box. Within, a piece of parchment was rolled up. Indecipherable writing covered its surface. "What is it?"

  She took it in her hands like it was precious to her. "It's a teleportation scroll. The kind that anyone can use, not just mages. It's worth a fortune."

  "Figured if we ever got in too deep, I could get us all to safety. It'll send you wherever you can visualize." His face soured. "Cost me a pretty penny."

  She closed the lid. "Are you sure?"

  "I am. Now, knowing what I know now, I have more to say. You ready to hear it?"

  We both nodded.

  "Good." He blew out a thick cloud of smoke. "When we saw that black storm, we knew shit was afoot. Isn't normal." His face got deadly serious. "Something bad is happening in Fairview. People've been saying so for months. Someone's moving around in the shadows, and my people and I don't like it one bit."

  "Your people."

  "Another conversion, another day."

  She nodded. "How can you be so sure?"

  "I've got my reasons." He smiled.

  "Harry..."

  He scoffed. "Don't you 'Harry' me, girl. I've been around a long time and heard that tone more than once from a pretty woman. Won't work on me."

  My eyes trailed to her just as she gave him the biggest doe eyes I'd ever seen.

  "Damn it all..." He took a long drag of his pipe. "Alright. Few days ago, right when I was planning my monthly trip to Llyn, two randoms turned up and asked for passage. I gave 'em one look up and down and told them to shove off. Something about them made my skin crawl." He shivered. "They offered to pay double my standard rate, but something in me made me refuse. Didn't think I'd come back from that trip if I went. After that, some of my dockhands disappeared, and then the storm came. Thought it was a coincidence, but now I'm sure my gut was right."

  My heart beat quickened. "What did they look like?"

  "A youngish woman and an older guy."

  "Did the woman have brown hair? Short? Pretty? Mid thirties?"

  "The same."

  Sophia rubbed her arms. "Who was the man?"

  "I've seen him once before. Can't remember his name for the life of me, but I know he's a bigwig over in Galden. Briarpatch?"

  "Baelgrim?"

  "Yeah, that's it. How'd you know?"

  Sophia's eyes met mine. Slowly, she nodded. "The man who gave me the quest we're on told me about him. He's part of a cult operating in the region. They're trying to bring back the Dark Lord, or something like that."

  It was Harrick's turn to be surprised. "I've heard of them. Cult of the Fallen or some such rot." He took a long draw of his pipe. "Damn glad I listened to my gut that day."

  Sophia cocked her head at me. "So Devon..."

  "Seems like it." That stung. I wanted to believe she'd only gotten bitter over the... however long she'd been in Reial. Instead, it looked much, much worse. Guilt bubbled up in me, but I could hear Tristan's voice too. It washed the guilt away.

  "That changes my plans, then." Harrick pushed his chair back and stood up.

  "How so?"

  "Get your friends. We're leaving within the hour."

  ***

  "I don't like it one bit." Borun scratched his head. One of the oxen flicked its tail behind the dwarf. "And you say they're here in this town?"

  "Most likely still, yeah. That's why we're leaving town another way."

  "I don't envy you one bit, my boy. Not one bit." Borun clapped my shoulder with his large hand. "But, I appreciate you trying to spare us from getting involved." The dwarf turned to his son and partner. "I think it's as good a time as any to head to Light's Hope. What do you two say?"

  Eadrun and Vassa both nodded.

  "It's decided then." The dwarf held his hand out to me. I took it in mine and gave it a good shake.

  "I'm glad you're choosing to go another way. I wouldn't want any of you to get hurt."

  "And we won't, lad. We won't." His face got a distant look. "It's about time I paid my respects anyway."

  Tristan stepped up to him. "My She light your path."

  "Bah, none of that sappy stuff. We'll be fine. I promise." He picked up the reins. "But thank you, little miss."

  Tristan nodded and said a prayer under her breath.

  "Until we meet again, friends." With a flick of his reins, the wagon lurched and began rolling away toward the southern gate.

  Turning to my party, I took them all in. "You ready?"

  Three nods followed, and we were off to the docks.

  ***

  On the way, we stopped and grabbed some food at a shop, making sure to keep our heads covered as we did, and Sophia wore her mask, making her look nothing like herself. Despite our precautions, nothing out of the ordinary happened as we shopped.

  Shortly after, we arrived back at the docks and headed to the only ship that didn't look like it had been through a blender. On it, six or seven men were tying things down, and by the looks of it, they were nearly done.

  Heading aboard, we found Harrick smoking on the quarter deck near the stern. When he noticed us, he waved, then called for one of the other men, who hurried to take his place at the wheel.

  "Glad you made it. Now, come on. Let's get you down below."

  He led us down a hatch in the stern, where four hammocks hung in two neat rows. Around the hammocks were barrels of a variety of shapes and sizes. He'd converted storage into living quarters for us.

  "For now, you four are going to stay down here." He looked at me. "Make sure they all stay put. Especially the duchess. She's strong-minded and likes to do what she wants when she wants." He pretended to glare at her. "No climbing the masts this trip, little miss."

  "Harry, I want to hel—"

  "No. Not today." After checking the hammocks, he walked back over to the ladder to the top. "Let's get away from town, see what happens, then we'll think about it. Until then, stay down here and out of sight."

  "Are you worried about your men?" I asked.

  He shook his head. "I trust every one of them with my life. It isn't just eyes I'm worried about. There are plenty of ways to find people if you know how, but this room's got some precautions against that." His eyes trailed to the walls.

  I hadn't noticed it before, but there were a dozen magic circle things burned into the walls at even intervals. I didn't know any magic, but I had a feeling they protected the cargo. From what, I had no idea.

  Harrick took two steps up the ladder and stopped. "There are things you don't know, girl. Maybe one day we'll have another chat. Until then, keep your heads down and your ears open." With those words, he climbed up the ladder and secured the hatch.

  The four of us stood there without moving. Things were moving fast for me, and I was sure it felt the same to them.

  After a few moments, Tristan spoke. "This is all kind of scary, but I've never been on a ship before. I can't help but be excited." She was beaming.

  Sophia's face dropped. "Never? As in not once?"

  The priestess shook her head. "Nope. Is that bad?"

  "Oh... Oh, honey..." Vral snickered as she threw herself onto the closest hammock.

  Sophia's face dropped. "I'll grab a bucket."

  "Why?" Tristan's voice was so pure and innocent.

  I walked over and kissed her on the forehead. "You're going to do great. Don't worry about it."

  Vral snickered harder as she bit into some jerky. She, at least, was feeling better.

  "Should I be worried?"

  Sophia handed her a bucket. "Keep that close."

  "Don't listen to them." I hugged her and kissed her head.

  "You're being weird. Why are you being weird?"

  I shrugged, then chose the hammock closest to the window. Setting down my gear, I threw myself into my hammock and got comfortable.

  This was going to be a long trip.