“Turn around, kid.” A group of guardsmen were watching the gate leading outside the city. They were quick to clock my approach; a jogging child followed by a dog almost as tall as an adult wasn’t exactly subtle. Not even the evening gloom could hide something like that. I slowed to a stop, enjoying the satisfying sense of exertion before a pulse of Recovery tended to the slight aches in my muscles.

  “Is there a problem, sir?” I suspected I knew what the problem was, but oftentimes in asking a person could learn more than just the answer to their question.

  “Gates will be closing soon.” The spokesman of the group gestured behind himself to punctuate his point, drawing attention to the alarmingly hairy knuckles he had. Fudge padded up to stand beside me, his tongue lolling happily from the side of his mouth. He had been especially approving of my conviction to hurry from place to place, if only because he loved running in the way only an excitable dog could.

  “That is not a problem,” I countered. “Worst case, I spend a night practicing bushcraft in the shadows of the wall.” I donned a warm smile.

  “Actually, it-”

  “Just let him through,” another of the guards, smaller in stature, spoke up - one I realized I recognized from the training ground. Hairy-knuckles turned to glare at the interruption. “He is the kid Eaehdro is teaching.” Evidently I was the subject of some gossip.

  That was enough to give the first guard pause. He looked back down at me.

  “Him? Right. The weird dog.”

  A third guard chose that moment to chime in.

  “I always say, Will, it is your attention to detail that makes you so good at your job.” Evidently, hairy-knuckles and I shared a name. A round of chuckles at his expense passed between his coworkers and he feigned outrage before joining in himself. It was the kind of casual comradery that never failed to improve my opinion of a group.

  “Alright, kid, off you go,” Will said, waving me through. “Seriously, though, the gates will be closing soon.”

  “Thanks, I will keep that in mind. You folks keep up the good work.” I received a couple of genuine smiles, for that. No matter the world, an expression of appreciation was always appreciated.

  -0-0-0-0-0-

  Outside the walls, there was a distinct lack of spectacle. It wasn’t like I was expecting some kind of distracting circus tent adorned with lights and laughter to lure away the downtrodden, but the modest campsite just off the main road was distinctly bland. The glow of several fires warded off the twilight and the hearty smells of an evening meal drifted on the breeze. Robed figures patrolled the outskirts, and one of them walked out to greet Fudge and I before we reached the camp proper.

  “Good evening, child.” The voice reminded me of my father’s, deep and stoic. “It is uncommon to have one so young visit our campsites. Are you lost?” His hood remained up, casting a deep shadow that obscured most of his face.

  “I do not believe so,” I replied. “It is academic curiosity that brought me here. I saw your group in town and am curious as to why your reception was the way it was.”

  The figure nodded.

  “Curiosity is a wonderful thing and an admirable trait. That you would ask beyond your kin shows wisdom. I sense no deceit in your words. You are welcome here.” He turned and gestured for me to follow. “Come. There are those better suited to such things than I.”

  Carts, carriages and wagons had been circled, forming the core of the campsite. A herb garden covered the roof of one of them, likely kept healthy through the application of some Skill so as to withstand the burden of travel. There were many such little things, like that, hints that spoke of how accustomed to the road the people were. They may not have been a circus as I jested to myself in hyperbole, but they certainly shared some overlapping lifestyle traits.

  An impromptu hitching post had been erected to which a group of stout horses had been tethered. I could sense Fudge’s excitement at their presence through the Tamer Bond and clicked my tongue to remind him to stay close.

  As we entered the firelight, soft smiles and slight nods greeted me. Most of the people were quietly working on the numerous chores that a campsite required. There were no overzealous exclamations of welcome, just a quiet acknowledgement of my presence. I did catch one of them giving me a complicated look, though, something that I could best describe as confused scrutiny.

  I wonder what that’s for. There was no time to question it further, but if not for Cruz’s assurance that the cultists were peaceful it might have put me more on edge than it did. As it was, I had come to accept that, for all he was very much a dick, Cruz wasn’t a bad person. It was an important distinction.

  Set slightly away from the general cluster was a wagon with a guard posted out front, the robes doing little to disguise a distinctly feminine frame. It almost looked intentional.

  “This one wishes to learn of us,” my escort said.

  The woman nodded and took a step forward.

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  “Be welcome.” She turned her head slightly, looking at Fudge briefly before turning back to me. “Please, extend your hand.”

  “Might I ask why?”

  “You may. There are things I must check for, and they require physical contact.” She held up a hand, revealing close to a dozen rings on her fingers, each set with a small mana stone. “Now, please extend your hand.”

  It was a rather overt display of excess given how comparatively modest the rest of the cultists appeared in my limited experience with them. Strangely, my thoughts turned to Bella. It had been a while since they had, given how I got so absorbed in my own challenges. I thought how useful her Skill would have been in that moment, to be able to confidently clock subterfuge.

  I should write her a letter, I thought. I couldn’t help but feel guilty that it was only my selfish wants that brought her to mind.

  I extended my hand. I’d gone through security screenings before, and based on the reception the group had received I couldn’t exactly blame the caution. A pair of fingers pressed into my palm and, after a few moments, one of the rings on the guard’s fingers glowed a deep blue. In the resulting light, I saw the frown on her face as she pulled her hand away.

  “You have the Taming Skill,” she said, sounding… disappointed.

  “I suspected as much,” the guard who escorted me chimed in. “The unity he shares with the dog is clear to me.”

  “Is this a problem?” I asked.

  “That is a matter of perspective,” the guard with the rings answered. “To us, it is a tragedy, but not one that will bar your path tonight.” She stepped to one side. “You may enter.”

  Cryptic words aside, I nodded and turned to Fudge.

  “Wait here, bud.” I reinforced the instruction through the Tamer Bond, since the casual words alone did not constitute one of his commands. Fudge compiled by sitting down and wagging his tail. “Good boy.” I turned and stepped into the wagon.

  A spartan interior greeted me. There were no adornments or lavish silks, just a familiar figure sitting cross-legged on the floor, their form illuminated by the flickering light of a small oil lamp.

  Is that safe? I was hardly one to judge, but the thought came all the same.

  The woman who spoke on the stage in Dorbe smiled a warm greeting at me. Her hood was down, allowing me to see her face clearly.

  “You have a guest, Speaker.” The introduction came from behind me, the voice putting enough emphasis on ‘Speaker’ to let me know it was a title, of sorts. When I turned to look, the guard who spoke had already withdrawn their head. Through the opening, I saw their back as they returned to their original position. I also saw Fudge watching them curiously while his tail continued to slowly thump back and forth.

  I returned my attention to the Speaker, who was watching me patiently, wearing an expression of faint amusement.

  “Welcome, guest, I am the Speaker. Please, sit, if you wish.” She gestured to the ground in front of her.

  “Thank you for seeing me.” I accepted the invitation and sat facing her. “I hope I am not interrupting.” I was mostly curious as to what she might have been doing before I entered.

  “You are not interrupting. I make myself available to all who come to speak with us. When no guests come, I use the time for reflection.” She studied me for a long moment before frowning, slightly. “It is a shame you possess the Taming Skill - I believe we could have helped you.”

  Her knowledge of my Skill didn’t surprise me all that much. Either she overheard, or maybe the guard signalled to her when my back was turned. It was largely not much of a muchness; I didn’t consider Taming a secret given Fudge’s presence. Instead, I raised a sceptical eyebrow at the second part of her statement.

  “Is that so?”

  The Speaker nodded.

  “It is. You are one who struggles with their identity, with their sense of self. You often feel like you do not belong. It is people like you who we can help the most.” Raw sincerity coated her words.

  I had to resist the urge to recoil as a seed of panic settled in my gut.

  “What makes you say that?” I endeavored to keep my composure. The Speaker had struck alarmingly close to what was probably my deepest secret, as if-

  “My Core Skill helps me deduce a person’s insecurities.” When she saw me struggle to muster a response to that, she continued. “It is my way of assessing the suitability and sincerity of those that come before us.”

  “That type of Skill seems…” I trailed off. Seems what? Dangerous? As if I hadn’t seen people capable of extreme violence. If anything, it sounded like a cousin to Bella’s Core Skill, so I decided to pivot. “Desirable. Were you not a target for Crown conscription?”

  The Speaker laughed, at that, a joyful, sweet sound just as seemingly genuine as the rest of her.

  “I see the confusion,” she said reassuringly. “I am not from this wonderful country of yours.” She gestured vaguely around herself. “None of us are.”

  So some kind of diplomatic immunity, maybe? I’d never really thought about the lands and people beyond the one I found myself in. I’d barely scratched the surface of what it had to offer as it was.

  “That is actually why I came today.” I mimicked her gesture. “All of this? It is new to me. I am curious as to why you got such a bad reception, and I wanted to take the opportunity to hear it from the source before I asked the people in town.” I shrugged. “You are apparently only here for one night, so I had to act fast.”

  “Curiosity is an admirable trait. Truly, it is a shame we cannot help you.”

  “Also, that,” I quickly added, taking a moment to reposition since the wooden floor wasn’t the most comfortable to sit on. “You are unable to help me because of Taming? Why?” I almost reiterated that my interest was strictly academic, but I figured nailing that point in too hard without justification might stray too close to needlessly abrasive.

  “It is a long story, and I should not keep you too late,” the Speaker said. Before I could object, she raised a finger. “But, I can tell you the short version, if that would suffice.”

  “I will take what I can get.” As with most things, something was better than nothing.

  The Speaker nodded. “This is a story, but it is also history, so be sure to listen closely, for this is the truth of the matter.” When I nodded my understanding, she continued. “Very well. Let us begin.”

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