I think I am here.

Price looked at Sagitta as they walked, frowned slightly. “I’m not sure myself.” He fell silent when he realised that wasn’t helpful. So he tried as best he could. “A mercenary?” He suggested, then explained. “I don’t mean any offence by that. I mean that mercenaries are warriors bound by a contract, right? And in exchange they get money — but in this exchange you get a place to sleep, food, and resources.” He paused, remembered something. “And a way back to Ta’e’ilo, after all of this is over. As we agreed.” Gesturing a lower-ranked scribe over Price told him what they needed and the scribe write down on his own ledger, moving away to get everything organised. “So yes, a mercenary. Outside of our organisation, but working for it nonetheless. Does that sound good?” Turning a corner he addressed the other thing she said. “And yes, I’ve got some scribes to organise some things for us like clothes and weapons. But horses are something we will need to pick ourselves. Which is why we are going to the stables. By the time we pick a horse the rest of the resources should be ready for our departure.” With a smile he added. “I love Tühinine efficiency.”

“Fortification,” Rob said quietly as well, held up a small book he’d gotten about castles. “We can make our walls thicker from the outside with enough stone. And we should make a moat. So no one can go near.” Putting the book down he looked at Shana again. “I won the debate. All, because of you. Thank you.” Picking up the book again he gestured to a diagram of a castle. “We could refashion the roof to be flat and able to be accessed from the second floor. Then set up areas people can scout out and fire ranged attacks from. A vantage point.”

“Cuttin’ his hair sounds like a fair bet,” Aoryen said cheerily. He gestured to follow him and walked up to the vendor. “Now watch what I say,” he said quietly to the girls before approaching the man when there was no one he was selling to. “You look like a right young lad makin’ a killin’ off of that bread. Surely you wouldn’t spare a loaf or two for me and my companions?” He gestured to Ophelia and Ana.

“Yes, sir?” Price looked up at the general. The general paused, looked towards Sagitta’s ready position and Price’s posture, ready to write down things on his ledger, and smiled. “Alright,” he began. “There is a merchant in Tiska named Wassi who scammed me a long time ago. I want you to kill him.” Price stopped his writing and looked up to the general. The man spread his arms opened and shrugged. “That’s it. Find him and him. Nobody scams me and gets away with it.” Slowly Price nodded. “Thank you, sir,” he added and slowly stepped out of that room, away from all of those weapons and past those guards. One of them handed back his poison knife and he hid it back into those robes. “That’s it, then,” he said excitedly to Sagitta. “We have approval!”

“It depends,” The General stated, looking up. “The page says you’re to go to Tiska. How long do you plan for this mission to take?” Price looked up. He wasn’t sure how long the Gods were planning to stay in Tiska for, but it would be better to give a longer length than a shorter one. “No more than a month, sir. We wish to study the nomad’s strategy of combining Instincts and engineering to create weapons. After thorough research we should be able to replicate their strategies, a secret weapon to use against Cahaya.” Price didn’t like the words, but the General sure did. “Then no changes are necessary. Good luck.” He smiled at the prospect, looked at the ledger page he held and walked over to his desk. With a quill and red ink he sighed the sheet and wrote his permission, before walking and handing it back to Price. “However,” The General said, looking to Price and Sagitta. “I do have a little task for you myself. An errand to run while your out in Tiska.”

“And that concludes the debate,” The chairperson stated, and the adjudicator began looking up at the kids, cleared her throat. The rest of the class was watching in the audience, and Rob kept a straight face, even though he was nervous inside. The debate had gone well, but then again, every debate seemed to go good, until they were announced as the losing team. “This debate was a curious one,” the adjudicator began, looked to the opposing team, and began giving them feedback on how they went. Someone had gone overtime, and that had gotten points deducted. Another hadn’t presented enough evidence, and the remaining needed to make more eye-contact. In the end they had a score of 216. A higher score than Rob had expected. “And now, onto the affirmative team,” the adjudicator said, turned her attention to Rob and the other two next to him. “Maria, you did a great job of introducing your team. You had good eye-contact...” the adjudicator droned on while Rob kept sitting at his desk. He had read out the speech Shana had written out. Some of it was too long so he had to summarise it, but most of it was really well done, at least according to Rob. Briefly he wondered whether Shana would be up for debating. She was really good at writing speeches. “Ethan, you...” the adjudicator turned to her next target and Rob leaned over slightly, whispered to Maria. “What she’d say about you?” “That I need to stop pacing around when I talk. And that I need to work on my emotional delivery.” She looked distraught. “I got a score of 81.” 81 was beyond good, according to Rob, especially because he normally got 0s in debating. “Don’t worry,” Rob said plainly, trying to comfort her. “If you think you’re doing bad in ‘emotional delivery’, just wait for me...” Maria laughed a little but held herself back as the adjudicator glanced sharply at her. Rob decided to stop talking. Finally Ethan’s score was announced. 70. Rob did the math. That meant he would need a score of 65 for both teams to draw, and at least a score of 66 to get his team to victory. Ethan already had his head in his arms. “There’s no way we’re going to win,” he stated. “And now, onto Robert,” the adjudicator said, narrowing her eyes at Rob. Rob met them with a blank stare of his own. The adjudicator consulted her clipboard and then looked back at him. “I am pleased you have actually put effort into your speech this time. However, your work still leaves much to be desired.” Ethan groaned and the adjudicator ignored him, continuing. “Your ‘manner’, that is, the way you delivered your speech was atrocious. Strong eye-contact, but no changing in tone, no expressions, no adjustment of pitch or volume, and certainly no emotional attachment to this topic. You just stood still, like a rock, and delivered.” Rob tried not to see the irony of that. “However, and this is a change from your last couple debates, your ‘matter’, that’s your speech, statistics and arguments, were excellent. You displayed good understanding of the topic, and some of your arguments were hard to rebut. I feel like this is a testament to what you can do if you actually try hard in debating.” Rob refrained from telling the adjudicator that someone else had written his speech, he doubted he’d get the points otherwise. “I hope in the future you try to focus more on your delivery now that you know you can improve. You’re score is 71. Affirmative team wins.” The opposing team stood up and left, and Rob’s eyes widened only slightly. Maria told Ethan that they were the affirmative team and he was in disbelief. The first win Rob had ever had in debating. ———— Shortly after that, the bell had gone and it was time to switch classes. Rob had some time in the library, and as he entered, he tried looking for anyone familiar.

“Thank you,” the General said, cast a look at the vast assortment of knives, swords, bows and other weapons laid out across the wall. “It’s the only way I can feel like a true general anymore, especially while being cooped up in a place such as this, surrounded by scribes and books. But, alas, it is my fate. What do you come for?” “Permission for a list of supplies,” Price said, ripping out the list from his ledger. “And allowance to go on a research mission to the Nomad Lands.” “Nomad lands?” The General looked to Sagitta. “And that’s why you’ve got a Ta’e’iloan? Take one of our nomad prisoners, they can be a guide.” “Sir,” Price began. “In addition to knowing about the geography, she is also a soldier and is no prisoner.” The General looked at Price, and then at Sagitta again. “It seems like a lot of resources,” he said, glancing at the list. “For a ‘research’ mission.” Price wasn’t sure how to respond, so he looked to Sagitta.

“Good good. Yes, he was the right choice. Now, we’ve picked our target, now all we gotta do is get him to bet. Which means: we need to have somethin’ he wants. It can’t be money, seems he has enough of that already. Hm...” Aoryen scratched his head and looked to the girls. “What could it be? Perhaps it could be something we don’t even have. We aren’t goin’ to lose anyway.”

“No, I’m fine, thank you,” I say and turn to Taron. I need to make sure I don’t get too comfortable. Even though he may not like the wet clothing, I’m not one to risk wearing someone else’s clothing in their own house. And besides, I like my clothes ow they are. They say it isn’t a proper night where I come from if it doesn’t rain. Inside I take off my fedora, allow it to reveal my ruffled up black hair. But instead of giving it to Taron I keep it with me. It’s a nice hat, and I would hate for it to go missing. “Are you against smoking in this house?” I ask. It’s only polite.

The knife sliced a deep cut in Wes’ throat, and killed him almost instantly.

Price looked at the guard, paused and then dipped a hand deep within his robes, took out a small but slender knife with an edge that curved back and forth. He handed it to the guard and then turned, watched as the door opened wider and he stepped into a large room, though an armoury would have been the better word. All along the wall were an assortment of weapons, polished and shining. Some Price could recognise, some looked foreign. They lined the walls from the ground all the way to the ceiling. “Welcome,” said a man standing at the far end of the room. There was a desk, but he instead was standing. He had a tall and muscled build, and he meandered further to both of them. As he got closer Price could see a thick brown moustache and a crumpled up military uniform. “I understand you’re here for me?” The General said. He nodded to Sagitta. “Good to see another soldier.”

“It’s okay,” Price said, shutting his ledger and he smiled at her. “I would love to see Ta’e’ilo. Once all of this is over.” He looked ahead and gestured for her to follow. “But come. The general’s office isn’t a long way from here, I think. I haven’t been there too many times.” He walked through hallways, and the number of guards kept progressively increasing in number as they walked. “He’s a paranoid one,” Price said quietly. “That’s why we needed the referral.” A guard walked up to them, a bored expression on his face. “What business do you have here?”

The two were ready to fight follow and Aoryen marched onwards, until they were in the centre of a food-court type area of the marketplace, selling all types of food and drink, foreign and domestic. All for a price, of course, but Aoryen was sure that was one rule they’d be able to circumvent. “Alright, remember what I said about pickin’ a target,” Aoryen told the girls, gestured to all of the vendors. He wanted to see what they’d learnt. “Which do you think would be the best one to challenge to a bet for food?” The vendors were an old man selling fish, a couple selling skewered food on a cheap wooden rack, and a young man making a lot of money with some sort of bread he was selling.

I pause, take my time observing the house before I take that first step in. It seems final, the point of no return. However deep I am in Raphael’s world, there’s no turning back now. The wood is steady beneath my feet and I can smell slight whiff of smoke that I’m sure isn’t coming from my cigarette. It’s a nice place, but I’m sure I don’t need to tell him that. Instead I tread one step deeper within the house, burn tin and hear quick footsteps coming towards us. My hand hovers over my hip, but I don’t want to be too presumptuous. “You live with someone here?” I ask. “Or do you not normally have foreign footsteps running around?”

“Don’t you be worryin’, girl,” Aoryen said to Ana, gestured to himself. She was poor, and yet she’d given food to Ophelia and him? That was something he could respect. “Follow me. You too, Ophelia lass. We’re eatin’ tonight a proper meal — and so is your father. Just don’t tell him we gambled for it.”

“No, I don’t teach,” Price said, stopped his writing and closed the ledger. “I need to have written more before I become eligible for it. And as for extracting, after someone finishes a full ledger, they compile all of their research, organise it and hand it over to curators who file everything away properly. What was I writing now?” Thinking he flipped back to his last page and showed her. It was a copy of her description of Ta’e’ilo. “We can also write personal things for ourselves in it. But those don’t get included in the final compilation.”

“Ow, ow ow,” Wes said, continued the choke with one hand and tried to grab her wrist with the other. His arms stung.

“I guess we’ll have to see,” I say, blowing out a puff of smoke into the rain. He’s said my name just as I’ve said is, it’s almost a test period, a trial ground for introductions. The new side of him I’m seeing sounds good, the serious voice goes well with how well he holds himself together and the way he steps in close, draws out his words... I try not to show any effect it has on me, keep my face still and try to feign indifference. “You’re residence is close-by? The sooner we find it the sooner you’re out of this rain, correct?”

“Yes. Thanks,” Marcel said, words short and when Wita tugged his sleeve he obliged, sat down next to her and distracted himself by counting the seconds, looking down at his watch. Just after midnight. They had a couple hours. Slowly he tried relaxing in his seat. Sometimes he wished he was like Wita, with her blissful ignorance sometimes. “In a rush?” He heard from the side, saw that ‘groovy-Gabe’ had noticed him checking his watch. Gabe smiled, sat up on the couch and picked up his guitar. “Don’t be, Mr. Corporate. Live in the moment. Oh wow. I just had, like, another song idea.” “Ooh,” Faith said, looked to Wita. “His songs are the best. Hey, are your other friends hopping on? We’re scheduled for lift-off in a bit.” She smiled and looked outside to Lewis and Kira. @Eluvianii @Ookla the Random

If you are a guard and reading this, this is a personal endorsement for Ms. Sagitta T’Sora and Mr. Pryclin Evada for an audience with General Fäsimir Kair. If you are the General, consider this a favour to approve their mission. Signed, Olin Macon. “Just a simple note allowing us to get past guards,” Price said, offered the note back to Sagitta and looked towards her. “He liked you. Or maybe he really likes Ta’e’ilo.” Price shrugged. “I’ve never seen him around any other foreigners, though. He’a smart through, really smart.” Smiling, Price remembered a fact. “Did you see those ledgers hung up behind him? They’re the amount of ones he’s filled in his career. A show of how much you’ve done for the country, as a researcher. I’m still on my first,” he said, opened up his large ledger again and wrote something down.

“Ah,” Aoryen said. He was leaning over her. “Yer’ up. About colours-cursed time. Though, I can’t say I didn’t feel the same when I killed a man.” Stepping back he tilted his head at Ana. “Don’t ye’ have a house? Won’t you find food there?” He looked to Ophelia and raised a hand. “I’ll teach y’later, lass.”

As they walked out of the room, Price sighed, looked towards Sagitta and the note she tucked away. “He never acts like that,” Price said, frowning. “Age must have made the old man melancholy. Though, as far as I can remember he’s been old.” Price made the joke, but didn’t laugh. Quickly he looked at Sagitta. “That note: what does it read?” There had to be a reason he’d given it to her.

“Ah,” the old man said, wonder in his eyes. But sorrow too. He finished writing his note and slid it over to her. To her, not Price. “I see. And I am sorry. It appears your country is just as beautiful as I remember all those years ago. But in danger. Please, task this. It is a note signed by me for General Kair to give you an audience. Hopefully I’ll be seeing more of you, Sagitta T’Sora.” Sighing he coughed and returned to his solitary work, and Price wondered whether that was the cue to leave. Unsure he stepped back, gestured for Sagitta to take the note so they could leave. “Thank you, sir.” “Hum.”

“Probably would blow mine off too,” Brillin mumbled, took the rifle. He’d learnt a little bit in the outer towns. “But I’ll heal faster, so there’s that.” Cocking it back he looked to Attayl, realised he couldn’t say much now that Nerin was here. “You’ll be fine. You’re probably less scared than me. And yes, I will,” he said earnestly. A promise.