Irinia looked toward the sun and saw it was getting later in the afternoon. She had been walking around the town for hours collecting supplies and looking for a gift for Croix. She knew that it was time to make her way to the bakery. Turning east to walk until she passed a shop she had not seen earlier. She looked around and realized that she had been on this street several times but could not remember this shop being here. it looked interesting though, so she walked in.

  Inside it was dark and damp. There were candles lit sporadically throughout, but there were no windows to let the light in. Several strange objects hung on walls; swords and axes with writing on them she could not read. Skulls, bones, and talismans were among the items. Something glimmered and caught her attention. She approached the far wall and saw a gauntlet hanging on the wall. Perfect. The gauntlet would cover Croix's wrist in battles offering protection. Better still was the articulation at the wrist so he could still move his hand. She took it down off the wall and realized there was more to the piece than she had noticed form the back. There were cascading metal panels on the opposite side where the knuckles would be. He did not seem to wear any armor so she figured this would be a nice addition to his equipment.

  She shrugged and carried it to the middle of the store. There was an unattended desk with a quill in an inkpot next to a single candle. She approached the desk. There did not seem to be anybody in the shop with her. "Hello?" Her voice echoed strangely for a room so small. There was no response.

  Irinia looked down at the ledger and saw that it was blank except for one name. "Croix..." She read to herself. Next to it was an item with no price. It said ISATUM. She looked at the gauntlet in her hand and pondered replacing it on the shelf thinking he had already purchased something from the shop but decided against it. She was not sure how much coin to leave, but it looked expensive, so she dropped two gold pieces and eight silver pieces on the ledger. After writing her name down, she walked to the door and turned to look back into the shop for a clerk one last time. She stumbled into the door when she saw a silhouette in the darkness staring at her. One could barely make out the outline of a person, but their eyes were clearly visible. There was a motion that looked like a wave of thanks before he disappeared in a wash of darkness. She quickly exited the shop. When she stepped out onto the street she turned. The shop was gone. In its place was a general store. It was not the weirdest thing she had seen since leaving home, but it was unnerving. People were milling about the street and did not seem to notice anything amiss, so she headed for the bakery.

  As Irinia approached the bakery she saw Croix with his back against the wall. Bern stepped out and said something to him as she was approaching before saying his farewells to both of them. From there they headed toward the gate. It was a large archway with ornate symbols from a civilization long past. She remembered seeing some of the symbols in books in the library back home in the castle. Still, she had no idea what they meant. They stopped there for a moment. He looked at the town, then through the gate, and then to Irinia.

  "Ready to leave?"

  Irinia shifted her bag on her shoulder and nodded. "Whenever you are."

  Croix turned his gaze back towards Orin. "I never like leaving this place. There are so many nice people." He sighed. "Onward. We will make our way east and then turn toward the north."

  "Where are we going?"

  Croix grinned. "Millenian Mountains. Coldest most inhospitable place you'll ever go." They proceeded through the gate together toward a mountain range in the distance. Irinia pointed towards the mountains. "Are those the mountains?" she asked.

  "Those. Those mountains don't exist." Croix replied.

  Irinia squinted into the darkness. "They look real enough to me," she said.

  "An intruder could wander around trying to escape for eternity and never get out unless he knew the way." Croix gestured toward the mountains and said, "They are just a background of a painting. They never move, you never get closer or further away."

  "Then how do we get out of Orin?"

  Croix clapped her on the back almost making her stumble. He pulled his hand back quickly looking apologetic. She guesses that he had never travelled for very long with a companion. Or the ones he had travelled with must have been seasoned warriors and mages, not teenage princesses. He must not know how to treat me. She realized that this arrangement is as strange for him as it is for me.

  Croix broke the silence saying, "The same way we arrived. I hope you didn't eat too much in the city."

  Irinia felt her stomach turn. She wished she could say that she had not stopped into the sweets shop and helped herself to a fair share of treats. She hoped that this time would be gentler on her stomach, and she wouldn't embarrass herself again.

  "You ate, didn't you?" Croix asked with a humored smile.

  She looked away from him not wanting to admit it, "Yes, a bit."

  Again, he clapped her back, but very gently. "I'll try to go slower this time. I don't have much control over the speed of the tears I do not create. Also, the more you do it, the easier it gets on you physically."

  They walked for a few hours, to Irinia's best guess from the shift in the sun, about four hours. They discussed events from their past, but only the little things. No battles, politics, or anything like that. No princess discussions or ancient warrior talks. Croix stayed quiet and listened for most of the conversation. Irinia was enjoying herself, but she wanted him to contribute more the conversation. She wanted to get to know her teacher more.

  Croix came to an abrupt stop. He looked around at five large stones arranged in a circle around where they stood. The stone to the east was a vibrant white. Brighter than most silks she had seen at home. The other stones were various shades of gray.

  Croix gestured for her to step out of the circle. She saw a bead of light appear on his finger as she moved away. With speed and a praticed hand, he drew several complicated patterns into the air in front of him. The lines burned orange brightly in the night. The bead of light spilled, literally spilled, down the sides of his index finger moving to each other finger. Each of his fingers were outlined in light. Croix proceeded to maneuver his fingers through the patterns arranging them. Stepping back, he observed his work. Shaking his head, he lightly tipped a deformed triangular shape slightly to the right and nodded.

  Irinia swallowed. She proceeded to step into the circle of stones, but Croix quickly gestured for her to stay where she was. Taking a step back she watched Croix bring his hand back behind him. Quickly he brought his hand over his head and down into the sigil shattering it through the middle. The grass beneath his feet smoldered and orange lines ripped through the earth connecting to each stone forming a five-rayed star. A pillar of fire erupted from the ground in front of Croix. The force of the heat that was emitted from the pyre was strong enough to knock Irinia to the ground. Slowly the flames began to flatten until only the outer edge had the unruly characteristics of fire. The middle was as flat as glass. Irinia looked into it as she lifted herself back to her feet. The tear seemed to go on forever.

  Croix stepped back and observed his work before smiling and said, "This should do." He reached an open hand toward Irinia. "It's time to go."

  Irinia was nervous about stepping into the tear again. She did not want to get sick again, yet she had no choice. She grasped his hand and he fell into the tear pulling her in. The last thing she remembered before falling in was Croix saying, "Hold me tight. I would hate to lose you in there. One can never tell where they will end up." She pulled herself closer to get a better grip on him, wishing he would enter these things any other way that simply falling into them.

  When Irinia was in the portal she felt the same pulling sensation on her body. She wrapped her arms as tightly around Croix as she could. It was difficult to hold on though. It made her feel better that he had one arm around her waist. This portal was a fiery orange on the inside. As they moved ripples pulsed in the opposite direction they were travelling. They looked like water made of fire. After a few minutes she felt pressure all over her body. Like a hundred hands pushing on her. Then the fire faded and there was the dark night.

  She fell to the grass on her hand and knees. Croix already had her hair wadded up in his hand. At first, she felt the urge to vomit, but she willed herself not to. Swallowing repeatedly, she remained on the ground. After a few moments she laid down on the grass. He released her hair as she moved.

  Croix crouched beside her and said, "Nicely done. It was only your second trip through a tear and in spite of all the food that you ate you didn't drop it all over the field." He stood and looked to the east. "Take as much time as you need. We can either make camp here for the night or continue onward. I believe there is a small town not far from here where we could stay." He looked back down to her, “I’ll leave that decision up to you.”

  Irinia pushed herself to her feet, brushing the grass form her clothes. Laying down for a bit helped to make her feel better. She still felt ill, but she felt well enough to walk. “I can make it to the town.”

  “That is good news. Follow me; watch the sides of the road though. This area is thick with daem.” Croix said as he began to walk down the road. She picked up her bag and followed.

  They walked until dusk. When they rounded a bend in the road before Croix stopped and raised his hand. He looked around at their surroundings. Irinia could see the village in the distance with firelight dancing out of the clearing on the northern side of the road. The air was quiet, no wind or sounds of any kind. She thought that was odd with a village so nearby. With his hand still in the air gestured with two fingers slowly, signaling her to approach him slowly she guessed.

  Irinia took slow deliberate steps until she was standing next to him. She was about to whisper to him when Croix pointed toward the village. He shook his head sadly. He placed a hand on the side of her head, pulling her ear to his face.

  “Stay close,” he whispered, keeping his gaze toward the village. “I fear for the people here. We may have arrived at a bad time.”

  They slowly approached the village, listening for signs of an ambush along the way. Croix shifted his cloak to one side. It covered his entire right side. Nothing attacked them as they approached, but they saw no people either. When the entirety of the village was in sight Croix stopped again and grasped her hand and gently pulled her down into a crouching position next to him. He pointed to a flag flapping in the wind. It was made of fabrics of various colors stitched together. A set of four concentric circles was painted in alternating colors in the middle of both sides. Again, he pulled her head close and whispered, “It is a warning signal. There are daem here. Hopefully the villagers are safe in the homes. Stay close and do only as I say.” Irinia nodded in agreement. This felt to her like the first real threat they had encountered since leaving Larin. She hoped she was wrong, but Croix's seriousness implied otherwise.

  They walked to the center of the village where there was a fire burning strongly. A noise caught their attention to their left. It was the clicking sound of a door being unlatched. Irinia was about to turn her head when Croix said, “Don’t look.” He gestured to the person behind the door to close it. The clicks were heard again as the door was secured shut.

  “Normally those sounds would attract the daem; however, they are looking for the bigger kill. They’re trying to use us as bait to get the villagers to leave their homes.” He had stopped whispering, no longer caring who heard.

  “Villagers,” he addressed the locked doors, “stay inside. Exit only after the silence has returned.”

  Croix tipped his head and roared at the sky. Irinia could hear the sounds of leaves rustling, twigs breaking, and small grunts from all around them. Two daem emerged from the trees, one in front of them and one behind them. “Stay close and keep your eyes open.”

  She braced herself for the attack. The sentinel in front of them leapt into the air but landed in two pieces behind them. Daem blood spattered the ground around them. The other daem charged at them as the first one had except it shifted directly at the last moment and darted to the side. It struck at her chest, but Croix wrapped his arm around her waist pulling her away from the attack. He kicked out and caught the sentinel in the throat with a solid kick. The creature gurgled. Croix lashed out with a downward punch that shattered the smooth gem-like eye in the center of its face. The daem immediately stopped moving.

  Six more daem came rushing at them from all directions. Irinia could hear Croix unsheathe his blade again. Two fell as they came within striking distance. A bead of light appeared on Croix’s finger as he traced a burning red and orange pattern into the air. Slamming his sword into the ground he pulled Irinia close with the arm that was still around her waist. He pushed three fingers into the sigil and broke it as four more daem closed in. Streams of fire shot out of the flame built by the villagers engulfing the four attacking sentinels.

  Then only silence could be heard save for the crackling of the fire. Croix grunted, “There were only eight of them. That was a small hunting party.” Croix said to Irinia. He pulled his sword form the ground, wiped off the tip on his pants, and placed it back into the sheath. He looked down at his arm and quickly released her.

  “You did well,” he said.

  “I didn't do anything.”

  “You moved where I pulled you and you kept your eyes open. You watched the whole thing. A lot of new recruits try to run or end up cowering somewhere.”

  Doors began to click open all around them as the villagers peeked out to see what had happened. Croix and Irinia stood in the center by the fire, which was noticeably smaller now. Croix shoved a sentinel carcass aside and tossed two more logs of wood onto the fire. The fire burned brighter as it engulfed the logs.

  "You will participate more in time, but first you must learn the basics. Let us sit. They will come to us." He lounged next to the fire. Irinia sat beside him. One by one, the people of the village left the protection of their homes. They looked absolutely horrid.

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  How long have they been locked in their own homes? It looked like it had been for several days.

  "I'd say a tick over a week," Croix offered.

  This made the third time she had thought something, and Croix had responded. She had to ask, "How do you-"

  One villager who was dressed differently than the others approached them and cleared his throat. He looked to be a man that had seen thirty years or so pass him by. A long dark beard with flecks of gray hung from his chin. The hair on his head was kept short. He must be their leader.

  "Excuse me," the man said in a raspy voice, "who are you?"

  Croix straightened himself. "I am Croix and this here," he pointed to Irinia, "is my student, Irinia."

  Irinia had not known that it was possible to bow so low until the man before them did so. "We thank you for your aid. Those monsters have been stalking the village for just under a fortnight."

  Croix snapped his fingers and wrinkled his face.

  Damn, I was close... Irinia heard in her head as though she had thought it, but it was Croix's voice. The man sat beside them. Other villagers approached but maintained a safe distance.

  "Your names," the leader spoke again, "they sound familiar."

  "I used the be the prince-," Irinia began, but Croix interrupted.

  "The names are fairly common. You have probably heard of many people going by the same names. May I ask a favor?"

  "Anything, sir."

  "Could we have a place to stay until sunrise? It doesn't need to be fancy; anything will do." Croix looked around at the homes surrounding them.

  The villagers stood around silently. Irinia looked over to Croix to see his adjust the way he was sitting so the cloak stayed over his arm. It was the one with the markings. She wondered why he was hiding it. The silence continues on for some time. He had said they were heading to a town to sleep though, not a small village. Croix stood. "Well, then. Irinia, let's go." He reached a hand down to her and pulled her up. They began to walk away from the village when they heard movement in the surrounding forest. Irinia turned and saw the villagers standing where they left them. There was no fear. Irinia was in disbelief until she realized what was happening.

  "Did you see any women or children?" Croix asked. She scanned the crowd again. There were no women or children. "They always get rid of the women and the kids first when this happens."

  "When what happens?"

  "When people join the daem," he said quietly. There was more rustling in the surrounding trees. "Sometimes there are exceptions, but they make fighters out of the strong ones." He sighed. "They are no longer people." He drew his blade and spread his stance for stability. He shifted his cloak to its rightful position on his back. When Croix exposed his arm the village all stepped back when they saw it.

  Croix sighed, "This whole village needs to be purged."

  The movement in the trees was getting closer. Irinia glanced back at the people who were looking increasingly nervous. They were not looking at the trees, they were looking at Croix. "What about the villagers?"

  "Them too. I'll explain later."

  Irinia took a step back toward the village. "Croix, I can't hurt people."

  "Irinia, they sacrificed their own to the ancients in order to make their pact. Those are not people." He stressed each of the letter of the last sentence.

  She did not know what to do. They looked like normal people. At the least, they showed fear like normal people. She felt an arm wrap around her throat and a hand pressing against her neck. She started to struggle.

  They're trying to kill me.

  The other villagers stood and watched. She tried striking her assailant with her elbow, but it had no effect. She was feeling lightheaded. She knew that she was about to lose consciousness. Lights were beginning to burst into her vision. She was going to die here. The arm around her throat went slack, as did the hand pressing against her neck. She felt liquid dripping down her neck and back. She looked back and saw only part of a head attached to the body that had been trying to choke her. Her vision quickly returned to normal as she caught her breath. Croix took another step closer to her.

  "They only mean us harm..." Croix's gaze narrowed.

  The daem began to emerge from the tree line. He grabbed his blade and cut three of them in two as they leapt at him. He drew several sigils into the air and four more daem burst into flame. The villagers began to move towards them even as the daem approached from all directions. It was a trap...

  "Irinia, to me quickly." Croix said calmly. He plunged his blade through another sentinel making it gurgle in pain. She ran to him quickly. "Front," he ordered. She moved to stand in front of him in time to avoid a sentinel's claws. As it recovered from its attack Croix struck out with his blade decapitating it. He wrapped his arms around her and said, "Don't move."

  She looked at his right arm. The markings on his arm did not change as they had at the tower in Larin. A bean of light appeared on the tip of each index finger. He released her from his grasp and rapidly drew sigils into the air all around them. Quickly, and with skilled precision large burning symbols illuminated the space surrounding them. They burned orange in the dark. Once again, she felt his embrace. More sentinels and villagers moved in closer for their kill. She felt herself tense up.

  He squeezed her for a moment. Was that a signal? The villagers and daem were close enough now that the light from the sigils was illuminating their faces. "Be ready for some heat," Croix warned her. She saw a hand reach for them on one side and a claw on the other. She wanted to scream. His face next to hers she saw Croix closed his eyes before there was a sudden rush of wind. The sigils around them broke simultaneously. An intense heat enveloped them before a deafening explosion.

  The silence fell on her like stone. There was no sound, but the ringing in her ears. She opened her eyes to see charred bodies all around them, human and daem alike. The entire village was leveled, all the houses destroyed. The forest surrounding them was black and broken. How far into the forest the fire had gone she could not see. She had seen mages draw energy from other elements before, but not like what Croix had just done. She had too many thoughts in her mind. What is he? What did that make her? There were more important things right now though, so she stored those questions for later.

  Croix was standing beside the remains of several of the villagers shaking his head. The hardness of battle was no longer present in his eyes, all that remained was sadness. He looked up at her and said "We continue east for several hours. Then we can make camp and rest. A few more days will yield the mountains."

  "What happened here? What made these people do such a thing?"

  "Sometimes a person gets pushed to the end of their limits. A king who wants more power, a mother that needs to feed her children, or a father that wants to keep his family safe from harm. These things sit in the recesses of a person's mind. Sometimes they aren't even aware that the thought is there, but it is. Contractors," he paused for a moment. "Contractors are a form of daem that go out into the world looking for people to recruit to their side. That is what happened here. Tired and broken for whatever reason, they gave in."

  "We could have helped them then."

  "No, we couldn't have. The daem infect the mind. Once you make the pact there is no turning back." He sighed, "Ever. I've seen this... a lot."

  He began walking away toward the east. Irinia stood amongst the wreckage for a few moments before running to catch up with her teacher. When she finally reached him, she saw that he was still upset about what he had done. It made her feel better knowing that he was not some monster roaming the countryside killing innocent villagers. The sight of his emotion brought a calm to her in a strange way. They walked in silence for a time before Croix stopped walking. He looked around, crouched, and examined the ground.

  "We can make camp there." He pointed to the side of the road. "We can continue at sunrise."

  Irinia nodded and started gathering firewood. She had collected almost had her arms full of dry wood when she heard Croix clear his throat. She looked up to see him shaking his head with a smile. He let his arms fall to his sides gesturing for her to drop the wood.

  "We need it for the fire," she protested, but he shook his head again. She gently lowered the wood to the ground and walked over to where he was standing.

  Croix crouched down and brought a bead of light to his fingertip. He drew a tear shape vertically about two hand lengths from the ground. More symbols were added around the outside before he made four vertical lines in the middle. "Take a step back, please." She took two. He gingerly grasped the bottom in between his thumb and forefinger and twisted it quickly. The sigil shattered and fire came spiraling upward.

  "Odorless and smokeless," he smiled.

  "Why didn't we use this outside of Larin?"

  Croix laid down next to the fire. "That sentinel had been following is since we had left, and that barrier I set up requires wood. Also, the sentinels love smoke, it's the scent of destruction I assume. I thought he would attack us as soon as you fell asleep, but he waited until sunrise." He chuckled, "It didn't help it much though."

  "Not in the least," she agreed.

  Irinia awoke before the sun peeked over the horizon. Croix had already collected her belongings and stacked them neatly beside her. She yawned as she sat up, leaned back, and stretched. She looked toward the trees to see Croix drawing patterns into the air in a seemingly random manner. There were blue lines intertwined with green lines and some red. He wrapped a white line around all of them and pulled it tight until they all burst into and aurora of colors. It was beautiful. She stood and placed her pack or her shoulder.

  "Two more days and we should be there. Maybe one if we walk straight through the night." He looked to the horizon. "We should eat first before we go." He produced a loaf of bread from his pack.

  "Do you ever grow tired of just eating bread?" Irinia asked.

  "I indulge when I reach cities and towns. Bread is better for travel." He glanced around the trees. "Hunting is always an option too, but it's wasteful when there are so few people."

  "Try this." Irinia reached into her bag and removed a jar of honey. "It will probably be difficult to spread, but it's worth it." She handed it to him with a smile.

  Croix took the jar from her hand and turned it over in his own. He drew a red sigil in the air chest height and parallel to the ground. He dropped the jar through the sigil, breaking it. He caught it by the lid before it hit the ground. "That should make it easier," he said as he removed the lid and poured warm honey over a chunk of bread and handed it to her. She accepted and took a bite. Memories of breakfast in Larin washed over her mind. Maybe she was starting to get homesick.

  Croix poured the warm honey over his piece as well and took a bite. He closed his eyes and smiled as he chewed. "I suppose you're right. Eating plain bread does grow tiresome after a while."

  "The magic techniques that you know have a multitude of uses, don't they?" Irinia asked to get a conversation going as they ate.

  "Certainly," Croix replied, "everything from combat to defense, to repairs and little tasks like warming honey. Once a person learns how it all works the capabilities that the Balance holds in endless."

  "The Balance?"

  "It is what the power of the sigils is referred to as. It has several names, but the true name is the Balance." He explained. "It is because it is a tool given by the gods to maintain a balance in the world."

  "What if somebody uses the Balance for more sinister actions." She remembered several occasions throughout history where mages had gone mad or were evil from the start and had killed many.

  "Then another will come to restore the balance in the world using the Balance." He looked up in thought for a moment. "I've never really had to explain that before in such a manner. The Balance really is a bad name for it." They both laughed.

  Once they had finished their bread they sat and talked. Irinia was telling him stories of her father. Some of which Croix said were greatly elaborated, others he had not heard about and found quite funny.

  "Tarin had always been an odd one. A great man, but an odd one nonetheless." He looked toward the horizon again before standing. "The sun will break soon. Let's get started."

  She stood and walked to his side. They had been walking a short time before the rays of the sun burst from the treeline. She looked to him and asked, "How did you know it was so close?"

  He tapped two fingers on his chest. "I'm a fire adept. The sun is the greatest source nearby."

  "Oh," she ran her fingers her the bracelet on her wrist, "does everyone have one particular element that they can use?"

  Croix nodded, "Some folks can use more than one, but it's rare."

  They had traveled for several hours in silence before Croix spoke again. "Once, I had traveled down the road just as this. Forest on both sides," he gestured toward the trees lining the road, "we thought that it would be the easiest way to bait any daem out of the trees that were waiting to ambush travelers. We had walked for hours and saw nothing. We knew they were there, but we decided to make camp anyway just after sunset. We laid no traps since they would see them anyway. While the daem are predictable, they aren't stupid.

  "The first of us fell asleep and movement in the trees began. Far away from us at first, but the sounds moved closer. We had guessed that there would only be sentinels in the area, which was a mistake." Irinia was looking ahead, trying to visualize what the tale. "We heard a second distinct sound; the sound of the earth being torn. That could only be one of two things, both of which are a terrible thing to face in combat. By this time my comrades had awakened. As they rose to their feet, the earth was torn open from below. Four lithe daem burst from the ground. Their skin was a dark brown in color with strong arms that led to sharp claws. Faces coming to a point. There was no time to think before they lunged toward us, claws extended. Liandan took a few claws across the side of his face but survived. We circled up and fought them for a short while. After we had silenced the assaulting daem we cleaned up and returned to sleep."

  Irinia was puzzled. "I don't understand."

  "What don't you understand?"

  "The reason for that tale."

  "Always be wary, even in your sleep." He gestured to the tree again. "There could be anything hidden in those woods. Deam, people, or animals. Be ready for anything at any time. Even on quiet days like this." Irinia nodded, straining to hear anything suspicious that would have prompted the story.

  They had been walking for several hours before they stopped and prepared their camp. Croix created the fire again and they ate together quietly. Croix wrapped himself in his cloak to brace against the night's chill air and flopped to the ground. Irinia laid on the opposite side of the fire. She was beginning to fall asleep when Croix looked back toward her and said, "There is a small town a few hours down the road slightly larger than the last. We will reach it before midday tomorrow and we will stay the night there. Last I had been there they were good people."

  Irinia did not want to enter another village after what had happened the other night. She did not want to watch more people die if she could help it. Though, she was beginning to realize it was likely unavoidable in the future. She was traveling with an experienced warrior and learning his ways. Combat, and death, were inevitable scenarios.

  "They know how to defend themselves. All will be well." Croix said before falling asleep. She drifted off soon after.

  Just like every other morning Irinia awoke to see Croix packing up their things in preparation to leave. She was beginning to wonder if he really slept at night or if he was faking it. Slowly, she stood and picked up her pack and started to follow Croix.

  When she finally caught up with him, he said, "A few hours walking, and we'll be there unless you feel like running." He looked at her curiously.

  "I'd rather walk if that is alright." The truth was that she did not think that she would be able to keep up with him. She made a mental note to start running more to increase her stamina, but even walking the distances Croix had been taking them exhausted her. He would not even be sweating at the end of the day.

  Croix chuckled, not in a mocking way, but as though he was laughing at some inside joke. "The life of a princess. We may walk."

  Irinia smiled at him, "Thank you, though I'll need to get used to it soon." He nodded.

  Several hours had passed before they could see the town in the distance. There were some tall structures for a small town out in the middle of nowhere. She could see people milling around outside. As they approached, she could hear shouts, calls, and the din of conversation and city activity.

  "What is this town called?" She asked.

  "Prind. Quaint little place, but kind people. They do well for themselves. They do not rely on any sovereigns at all. Crops, smiths, mills, and healers. They have them all. They work together and protect each other. They are a shining example as to how all populaces should behave." Irinia nodded. "Also, they are deep in daem territory." Croix added.

  That made Irinia uneasy. She found herself scanning the trees and hearing more sounds coming from the forest than she had before. Croix patted the top of her head, "There aren't any around at the moment. You can calm down."

  "How do you know?" She asked.

  "When you spend as much time around the daem as I have you will be able to do it too. I'll explain in more detail after your first kill. It will make more sense then."

  They stopped outside of the town for a moment so that Irinia could take it all in. On the outside of the town were small wooden sheds full of spears, swords, and lances. Beyond those were several shops selling various foods and wares. The further into the town they walked the more complicated it became. The streets turned sharply and abruptly, going this way and that. At the center of town, next to what guessed was the town hall, was a larger armory building reinforced with stone. They passed the armory and saw the clinic where several men, women, and some children were laying on beds outside in the shade. All of them wounded.

  "What had happened here?" Irinia asked Croix. She looked to each person in a bed.

  "They defend themselves, but only as well as they can. This town has no mages, so they need to rely on traps and cunning. Unfortunately, those are not always guaranteed. They lose their people to the daem all too frequently." He smiled to her and said, "Maybe we'll have an encounter tonight and I can show you firsthand." She was not sure, but he seemed like he was looking forward to it. As though he wanted a battle to happen. She remembered watching how quickly the people in Larin were killed and they had an entire regiment of trained soldiers.

  Not trained against the daem though...

  "For now, let us work out a place to sleep." Croix said as they walked deeper into town.