Date: 2018-03-17 04:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Fantasy; Fiction
Description: A Lost Princess and the Swashbuckling Game of a Lifetime Cari Dix didn’t know her whole life was a lie, she only knew she didn’t belong here. Growing up with the most ordinary parents ever, all Cari wanted was a life of adventure and a little bit of fun. When she discovers an old, restored computer from her father’s past, Cari stumbles into a fantasy game world she’d always thought a part of her childhood imagination. Taking her combat fencing skills with her, she sets out to explore a world her parents said didn’t exist. Come along and play the game. Join Cari in this swashbuckling LitRPG adv

Accidental Duelist

A LitRPG Swashbuckler

Jamie Davis

C.J. Davis

Contents

More Books

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Epilogue

Also by Jamie Davis

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About the Author

Copyright © 2018 Jamie Davis

All rights reserved.

This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, businesses, events, or locales is purely coincidental.

Reproduction in whole or in part of this publication without express written consent is strictly prohibited.

The authors greatly appreciate you taking the time to read their work. Please consider leaving a review wherever you bought the book, or telling your friends about it, to help them spread the word.

Thank you for supporting their work.

Cover art by CoversByChristian.com

Created with Vellum

To all the brave, independent women in my life, I hope Cari makes you proud.

Jamie Davis

To Madison, the Mona to my Hal.

C.J. Davis

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Prologue

Reading the dispatch one last time, Her Imperial Majesty Empress Kareena, Defender of the Realm, Warden of the Northern Reaches, Uniter of the Races, and Lady of the Crystal City, folded the heavy paper so the broken wax seal of the Imperial Courier Service showed once more on the outside. Six times she'd received one of these messages and six times she'd sat on the throne maintaining a visage of stone, impassive to those viewing from the outside despite her inner emotions.

"My Lord Colonel, you are quite sure? All of them perished?"

“Yes, I'm afraid so, Your Majesty,” Colonel Sharp of the Imperial Dragoons said. “The ship's wreckage was found off the coast. It may have been the result of a recent storm, as the message suggests, or —“

“Or what, Colonel?”

“There has been raider activity in the area, Your Majesty. Were I a betting man —”

"You're not paid to bet on anything, Lord Colonel," Kenton, the Duke of Charon snapped, inserting himself into the conversation.

When she was younger, Kareena might have dressed down the Duke for interrupting her family’s chief bodyguard. Under the circumstances, with no one else to guard after the loss of her eldest son’s family at sea, she remained silent, lost in her thoughts and sorrow.

The Duke continued.

"Please keep your reporting to the facts and let those of us who are your betters take up the matter of deeper meaning. Were you and your vaunted Dragoons better at their jobs of protecting the Imperial Family, we would not have had the crown prince and his entire family on an ill-fated journey away from the protection of the capital in search of sanctuary to the west. I counseled against it at the time the plan was put in motion and I’m still against it, even as we find ourselves having to relay such sorrowful news to Her Majesty."

Kareena forced herself to push her sadness away and focus on her two top advisors. They looked as if they might come to blows. She couldn’t afford to lose either of them to anything as stupid as a duel of honor.

"Gentlemen, gentlemen, arguing amongst yourselves does not serve the Empire or my wishes. As much as this saddens me on a personal level, the needs of the Empire are paramount. With the death of my eldest son, his children, —” Kareena took a deep breath before continuing, “and grandchildren, the question of succession is foremost on my mind. Lord Colonel, I believe that leaves my only remaining grandson, Timron as the sole surviving heir to the Crystal Throne. I don't suppose you know where he is at the moment?"

The Lord Colonel of the Dragoons spared a brief glance away to his aide standing along the wall. She caught the nearly imperceptible shake of the woman's head and knew the answer before he said it in words.

"I'm afraid, young Timron has evaded his keepers once more, Your Majesty. We are working to find him and will spare no effort until he is recovered safe and sound."

“I’m sure you will do your best, Colonel," the Duke of Charon sneered. "My only fear is your best may not be good enough. You and your Dragoons are supposed to be the family's personal guard and yet over these last five years you've managed to lose every one of them to one fell disaster or another. Now you tell us you cannot find the Empress's only surviving heir. That is most unsatisfactory, Lord Colonel, most unsatisfactory."

The Duke turned his back on the old soldier who struggled to find words to counter the accusations leveled against him and his household troops. Duke Kenton pulled a rolled paper from inside his jacket and handed it up to the Empress where she sat on the throne.

Kareena reached out and took the document from him. She noted the seal of the Privy Council and suspected what it was right away. Kenton confirmed it a moment later.

"Your Majesty, the members of the Privy Council have all voted on the matter and must recommend that you disband the Empress's Own Imperial Dragoons at once. Not only are they a needless drain on the royal coffers when more affordable and effective alternatives exist for your protection, their substantial forces can be better used to reinforce our army on the eastern reaches. They are mostly ceremonial anyway and, based on the most recent news, clearly serve no useful purpose as bodyguards to you and your family anymore."

"Who would you propose be responsible for taking over those duties, Duke Kenton?" Colonel Sharp sneered.

Kareena already knew the Duke’s answer.

"My own personal guardsmen are highly trained and are already in the Crystal City, helping the local city guardsmen maintain order in these divisive times. It would be a small matter to detail some of their number to your personal security and to secure the whereabouts of your recalcitrant grandson, Timron, at the same time. It would require only a small fee on the Empress’ part."

Kareena saw Colonel Sharp’s chest puff up in indignation at the slight on his troops. She raised a hand, palm outward as she spoke.

"Duke Kenton, you and the Privy council have already siphoned off most of the troops from my loyal Dragoons for the war effort to the east. You and the Privy council have also forestalled them from taking any new recruits. What was once a proud regiment with two battalions of mounted Dragoons is now little more than a platoon of foot guards, most of them well past their prime. Now you would have me disband them entirely? Members of the Dragoons have protected me and my family since before I took the throne."

"And yet, as you said yourself, they are past their prime and have served their purpose," Kenton said. "You need guardsmen who will fulfill the charge to protect you and not let every little natural disaster or mysterious coastal raider wipe out what little remains of your Imperial line. It is high time you stopped holding on to old, outdated conventions and traditions rooted in past glories long forgotten."

"I'll not let you disband the remaining Dragoons. Under the charter you and the Privy council forced me to sign, I’m still entitled to a minimum force of household retainers. I shall keep the ones I have. The Dragoons in the Crystal City will remain here with me. That is all, My Lords, you may go."

Kareena held her gaze on the Duke of Charon, he glanced her way once before turning and leaving the audience chamber with only the briefest of bows in her direction. Colonel Sharp’s bow was deep and reverent in contrast as he backed toward the door. She waited until the room cleared and no one was left but her two ladies-in-waiting, then the facade came down.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she opened the letter once more detailing the children and grandchildren lost in the shipwreck. The names were listed like they were only so much cargo on a ship’s manifest. They hadn't even been able to recover most of the bodies. Most were washed out to sea, drowned or taken under by sharks and other sea creatures. It was more than the ninety-seven-year-old Empress could bear and Kareena finally let the tears flow freely.

Deep, soul wracking sobs filled the audience chamber while the few servants remaining stared straight ahead, pretending they didn't hear, giving their Empress the semblance of privacy in a place she had none.

---

Later that evening after her supper, Kareena retired to her chambers. Her bones ached and the weariness she’d encountered more and more frequently weighed upon her. There was so much she must do to ensure the Empire remained in the hands of one who would serve it and not treat it as their own personal playground and treasury.

She knew what Charon was up to. She'd lived through one coup on the throne already, when as a child, her father was deposed and she was sold into slavery. Only through escaping her master and enlisting the aid of the great champion Hal Dix, sent to her world by magical means, had she been able to restore her family to the throne and assume her place as Empress.

Now, Kenton, Duke of Charon pushed to do it all over again. He sought to take it all for himself as Kang had done all those years before. In reality, Kenton’s plans were almost more insidious. The plans to politically reduce her power over the Empire’s government had come along so slowly she hadn't seen the changes at first. They had reduced her to little more than a figurehead. Two tragic accidents took her daughters from her first. Then her youngest son was killed in a duel before she realized what was happening to her family.

Kareena took steps to protect the remaining members of the Imperial family but nothing she did appeared to work. By the time she realized it was someone on the inside, perhaps within her own Privy Council, leaking information, most of her family had been killed in one sort of assassination or freak accident after another. She’d suspected Kenton was behind it but could prove nothing, despite Colonel Sharp’s investigations into the source of the leaks.

She didn’t think she needed an official answer. She’d put it all together and saw Kenton, Duke of Charon as the most likely traitor. Unfortunately, he had strengthened his position on the Privy Council. He’d brought his own retainers and guards into the Crystal City under the pretense of helping to retain order and was now all but untouchable.

The move to send away her beloved Crown Prince Hamilton and his entire family, including her great-granddaughter, Jaycee, who reminded the Empress of her younger self. They’d left by ship, traveling to distant Tandon, where she still had a loyal Duke and Duchess. The move had only served to give Kenton a single grouped target and he’d managed to wipe out all of the remaining family even though she’d taken steps to keep their itinerary and destination from the traitorous Duke.

Now they were all gone. All gone, that is, except for Timron.

He had to be next on Kenton’s list. Despite knowing he was a target, she wasn't sure she could do anything to protect him. The man-child was a fool, a fop, a gambler, and a womanizer in the worst ways. It had kept him in constant trouble. He was also the only family she had left. She had to protect him at all costs. But how?

Kareena sat on the edge of her dressing room's divan, her hands resting on her cane. Her thumb idly caressed the carved jade handle atop the cane’s ebony shaft. She'd been given this cane by Hamilton on the occasion of her ninetieth birthday. The carved knob resembled a hooded figure from the shoulders up. He'd given it to her as a reminder of the stories she'd often told him growing up of her exploits during the war with her mythical companion known as Prince Hal.

A wry smile crossed her face. If he were here, her onetime friend and companion, Hal Dix, also known as "the Hood,” would just announce he’d come up with a clever plan and it would all somehow work out. It was why she’d named him a prince-protector of the realm. He and his family were granted to be of royal blood though they could not inherit the throne. As prince-protector, he was her official champion. It was a title he and his descendants would carry forever, no matter what happened to her.

Prince Hal, his wife, Princess Mona, and their young daughter Princess Cari had left the world of Fantasma long ago, returning to their own world. After they left, stories popped up in taverns across the Empire of Hal and his family being seen in this land or that. Eventually, even little Cari became the basis of the legend of the lost princess of old. She’d smiled as she learned of the tales and often had bards come to the palace to share the latest stories being told of her old friend and his family.

That had been a happier time though. It was a long time ago in another time and place in her life. She had not seen or heard from her friend since he left Fantasma for his home nearly eighty years ago. Kareena still remembered when he left. Hal and his wife had determined they must return to their own world permanently.

Time moved differently between their Earth and Fantasma. Family back home questioned how fast Cari was growing up after spending so much time in Kareena’s realm. Princess Cari had been nearly four years old in true years though she would have been only two and a half in official terms back home. Mona had said her parents in particular were starting to ask awkward questions.

A memory crossed her mind and with a grunt of effort, Kareena levered herself to her feet, steadying herself with the cane. Ambling across the carpeted floor, the Empress opened a drawer in the tall dresser against the wall. Lifting the silk undergarments free and setting them on top of the dresser, she reached into the bottom of the drawer, pressing against one of the rear corners.

A false bottom levered upward. She removed it, revealing a hidden space about three inches deep. It was empty save for a small wooden box sitting in the middle of the secret opening.

Kareena picked up the box, covered in ornate carvings of mystical runes, inlaid with gold and mother-of-pearl. Releasing the latch, she opened the lid to reveal an ovoid object resting on black velvet inside. It was gray with a transparent layer stretched over the top of the base material. The top layer was made of a strange substance Kareena had never seen before. At one end of the object, were two, rectangular buttons.

She turned the object in her hand. She remembered the arch-mage Tildi the Elder called it a mouse, though she’d been unable to explain the name to Kareena at the time. The Empress ran a finger across the smooth surface and over the two buttons at the end. It fit well in her hand with one end in her palm so her forefinger and middle finger each rested on a button.

Long ago, when Hal Dix returned to his own land with his wife and daughter, Tildi had given her this box with its strange contents and told her she could use it in her time of greatest need. It would call her hero back to Fantasma once more. She had forgotten all about it until now. The memory of it returned when she'd looked at the hooded figure carved into the head of her cane.

"This is crazy," the Empress muttered to herself. "Hal is older than I am. Even with the strange difference in time, he’s probably dead and gone, like all my companions from the war."

Kareena stared at the magical device in her hand. What would happen if she pressed the buttons? Magic didn’t work as well as it used to.

Before the mage Tildi died years before, she had explained how the advent of gunpowder and other technologies stole energy from magic, making it far less reliable. There were no more arch-mages in the land. Only the healing power of earth-magic had any reliability any more and even that didn’t work as well as it used to.

If she pressed the buttons on the mouse, there was no guarantee the magic still existed to bring Hal here. Even if it did, he could not be young and vibrant enough to take up the call and return to Fantasma.

Still, Kareena had no choice.

She had to try before it was too late and even young Timron was taken from her.

Returning to her divan, Kareena sat once more and stared at the strange device in her hand. With a final nod, she pressed her fingers down on both buttons at the same time and waited.

When nothing happened after nearly a minute, Kareena tried pressing them one at a time, in different orders and combinations. She continued trying to activate the "mouse" for almost an hour before she gave up. Whatever magic had once been housed in the device must have faded with time, like much of the magic in Fantasma.

Kareena shook her head. Tildi must have been right when she said magic and advanced technology, like gunpowder, could not coexist in the world.

She stared at the useless device in her hand. Perhaps it never worked at all, no matter what Tildi said it could do. She would never know. There was no magical help coming, no mythical hero to swoop in and save what was left of her family and the Empire from those who would steal it away.

Her failing health would bring about the end of her dynasty and all hope for a Fantasma where all races and peoples were respected would be ended. Soon, opportunistic nobles like the Duke of Charon, who believed in the ascendancy of man over the other races, would take over and divide the land up between them until their petty squabbles tore apart everything she'd worked so hard to bring about.

Kareena, the last Empress of her line, placed the mouse talisman back in its box and closed the lid letting the latch snap shut, sealing the device away forever. She would not take it out again. The time to believe in such things as a mythical hero had passed.

Inside the box, Kareena didn't see the red light on the underside of the mouse blink once, twice, and then repeating again and again in a rapid succession of flashing patterns too quick for the eye to track. It sent its magical signal across time and space to a world far very away.

Chapter 1

Cari Dix ducked under the lunging thrust of her opponent's rapier, raising her off-hand dagger upward to push the blunted tip up and away to the right. She used the opportunity to press her rapier attack with a lunge of her own.

A grunt from her opponent, as well as the jolt up her extended arm from the contact, told her she'd connected for a hit as much as the flashing message in her mask’s heads up display.

She pulled back, laughing with delight, retreating as the rules of the sparring ground required so the two in the ring could reset for the next point. She waggled her dagger back and forth in front of her masked face, as if to say, "not this time." Cari had been giggling at her opponent's expense since the bout began.

There were few who were her equal in here despite the fact she was barely sixteen years old. Her fencing master often told her she possessed the physical maturity of a woman several years older than others her age.

Her masked opponent surprised her when he shouted in anger and charged at her as she walked back to her starting point in the ring.

"Don't you dare laugh at me. I won't be beaten by a girl."

He launched a flurry of rapid attacks, pushing Cari to retreat as she danced backward around the ring. Despite being on the defensive, she was having fun, laughing the whole time as she parried every blow with either her rapier or dagger.

Finally, though, she'd had enough and she decided to end the contest. Technically it had ended already when her brutish opponent broke protocol and pressed an attack before both of them reset. Cari decide to teach this misguided man a lesson about his betters.

Engaging his blade against hers, sliding her rapier up his until their guards met, Cari stomped down on her opponent’s foot, driving her booted heel down on the bones of his instep. At the same time, she punched out hard, once, twice, and then a third time with the blunted tip of her dagger against the padded tunic her opponent wore.

The man doubled over in pain, dropping his rapier and dagger to clutch his middle with a groan.

"Miss Dix! That will be quite enough!" Master Thorne shouted across the practice arena.

Cari spun around and pulled off her wire mesh mask with its heads-up display and threw it to the floor in anger. "He came at me first, Master Thorne! I was only defending myself."

The tall, broad shouldered weapons instructor crossed to the sparring ground to stand between Cari and her hapless opponent. The man who’d been sparring with her still clutched his belly, groaning in pain as he limped away. He didn’t bother to hide the naked anger in his eyes. Cari thought she caught a hint of fear in his gaze as well. That brought a fresh grin to her face as the fencing master approached her.

"And you wonder why no one will spar against you."

"Am I not supposed to defend myself? He broke protocol when he refused to disengage between points."

Her opponent straightened despite the pain in his abdomen and pointed an accusing finger at her.

"You, young lady, should learn better manners and sportsmanship when sparring in the arena. Someday, someone's going to put you in your place."

"Yeah, well it won't be you, that's for sure. If this were a real fight, you'd be dead six times over by now."

"Well I'm never sparring with you again and I'm filing an unsportsmanlike conduct complaint against you with the HEMA central authority for your poor attitude during the bout. You’re a danger to anyone who steps into the ring with you."

The angry man turned and stalked away after gathering his mask and blades from the floor.

The master of the practice arena watched him leave then turned back to her. He shook his head. Disappointment revealed itself in his expression.

"Cari, you are a gifted swordswoman, but you have a chip on your shoulder that I don't know how to train out of you. I’d hoped pitting you against more skillful opponents might help challenge you enough to break the attitude but I see no change at all.”

"I'm not going to let anyone tell me what I can or cannot do. He challenged me today after I told him I could best any person in here, with any HEMA-approved weapon he chose."

"You showed up today looking for a fight. I can only assume you’ve been arguing with your parents again. I watched you goad him in front of his friends until he had no choice but to challenge you. That is what I'm talking about, Cari. You walk around like you always have something to prove. Sometimes it is best to let the hidden challenge lie. It only matters that YOU know you're better. Proving to everyone in the room, over and over again only serves to make more enemies."

Master Thorne held out his hand.

"Hand over your practice weapons. I think you're finished for the day."

"But I want to spar some more."

"I said you're done. When I agreed to instruct you in Historical European Martial Arts, you agreed to listen, obey, and learn at all times when you were here. Well it's time to listen and obey. Go home and think about how you can avoid the next challenge for a change. That is what you have to learn now: when NOT to pick a fight."

"Where's the fun in that, Master Thorne?"

"This is a sport that is supposed to be instructive and fun for all participants. You have to respect your opponent and offer them the opportunity to bow out of a fight gracefully, not press the fight until you've proven they're defeated in every possible way. Think on that while you head home. Don't return until you can offer a sincere apology to Mister Head for embarrassing him today in front of his friends and colleagues from work.”

Cari almost said something else about many men needing to be embarrassed sometimes but stopped herself at a warning glance from Master Thorne. He’d made her swear to follow his instructions without question. She’d already gone too far. Cari swallowed her anger and gathered her gear from the sparring platform, heading off to the locker room.

It did her no good to argue with Master Thorne. He was the one person in the room who could best her almost every time they sparred. He was blindingly fast and seemed to have an unlimited list of new tricks to best her. Him, she respected, mostly because he didn't look down on her just because she was a teenaged girl. That idiot Head had made one too many blonde jokes to his friends while she warmed up and stretched nearby. She listened and knew they were talking about her while she danced around the sparring robot, parrying each cut and thrust in a dizzying array of attack after attack.

She'd like to see him try and take on the bot at those settings. He wouldn't last ten seconds. He was just another dumb man who thought ladies shouldn't play at swords with the big boys, just like her father.

It was 2032 for God's sake.

Women had proven they were just as capable in almost every other endeavor. While they had to concede men had the edge in most sports due to their increased strength, in edged martial arts like HEMA, speed and quickness were almost more important than brute strength.

Cari had plenty of both and didn't back down from anyone when it came to proving it.

In the locker room, Cari pressed her thumbprint against the locker's touch panel and the door popped open. She reached in and grabbed her gym gear, slipping the electronic mask and padded tunic covered with tiny touch sensors to register hits in the sparring ring.

Cari glanced at her watch. Damn, she was running late.

That last sparring match had put her over her planned workout time and she'd have to make good use of her time on the ride home. She was supposed to finish up her weekend homework tonight so she'd be allowed to go to the Renaissance Faire with Julie and Stella over the weekend.

Cari ran, pulling her long strawberry-blonde hair back into a pony tail and through the back of her baseball cap before slipping the duffle bag's strap over one shoulder. She might be able to make it home in time for dinner if she hurried. The last thing she wanted was a fight with her parents again, especially over being late due to something as frivolous as practice sword fighting.

Placing her hand on the window of her car, the door popped open after reading her implanted biometric chip and identifying her palm print. Cari threw her duffel in the back and climbed in. As the door swung shut, the internal voice prompt sounded.

"Good afternoon, Cari. Would you like to go home?"

"Yes. Use the fastest possible route."

"Travel will begin once seat belts are fastened for all passengers."

Cari pulled the belt across her body and snapped the buckle into the receiver. She didn't understand why cars still had safety belts. There hadn't been a fatal car accident since autonomous cars had been mandated five years before. It was hard to believe her parents survived to adulthood at all given all the ways people could die during routine highway travel back in their day.

As the electric motor quietly spun up to speed and the car pulled away from the curb, Cari opened up her personal communications interface between her implanted comm chip and the car's wireless transceiver and selected her history assignment from the recent documents on the holographic display before her. She began dictating the next part of the report while the car took her home via the interstate. She had a half hour between the HEMA gym and home. That would be plenty of time to finish her report on the historical importance of simple explosives, like gunpowder, on warfare in the late renaissance period.

Cari had just finished up the report as the car pulled into the driveway at home, the wrought iron gate closing behind the red sedan as it drove up the lane and into the garage bay. A glance at the car's dash chronometer told her she was late for dinner despite hurrying home. She hoped her mom didn't go into the whole personal responsibility thing with her again. If she heard one more time about how important trust was between children and parents in the digital age, she'd scream.

As soon as the car pulled into its charger in the garage and the parking brake engaged, Cari slipped out of her seatbelt and grabbed her duffel. She jumped out to head inside. Mom and Dad were already seated at the kitchen table when she walked in.

"Cari, you're late," her dad, Hal Dix, said. "You were supposed to be home an hour ago."

"You know you're supposed to call us or leave a message in the family comm system so we know you're running late," Mona Dix, Cari's mom added.

"I know, Mom. I got distracted at the arena."

She saw her dad's glance at her duffel with her practice blades attached to the outside. He shook his head.

Here it comes, she thought.

"Cari, your mother and I have been more than patient with your extracurricular activities, no matter how strange they are, but they do not take the place of real life responsibilities. You can't just disappear into your little fantasy world of swords and battles and not tell us what you're doing or when to expect you."

"Your father's right, Cari. You owe us the respect you give to your blade instructors at the very least. What would Master Thorne think of the way you treat us at home? If you were unable to attend one of your planned sessions or were going to be late, you'd comm him about it as soon as you could. Why won't you extend to us the same courtesy?"

Cari started to roll her eyes at her mother's tone and tried to stop herself before it was too late. She was unsuccessful.

"Don't you make that face at me, young lady," her mother snapped. "Perhaps we have been too lenient with all this swordplay nonsense you've insisted on engaging in. It's time to join the real world, Cari. You’re not a child, living in an imaginary, made up world anymore. Have you finished your homework assignments?"

"Yes, I completed the last one this afternoon on the way home. And my work with my swords is not nonsense. It's a sport that is every bit as real as your triathlons or Dad's golf outings. Besides, I would think you'd want a daughter who knew how to defend herself."

Her dad sighed.

"Cari, this is just a holdover from your obsession with that fantasy from your youth. I fear we indulged your imagination a little too much."

"Dad, just because I choose an unconventional sport like HEMA doesn't mean I still believe in Fantasma. I gave that up a long time ago. I know it's not real. You wasted a lot of money on Dr. Susan just so she could convince me that magic and alternate universes were not real. I'm not a child anymore. I'm nearly a grown woman."

"Sixteen is not a grown woman by any stretch, Cari," her mother replied. "We just don't understand why you won't hang out after school with your friends like everyone else. We made sure you're birth control implants were up to date. You should find a nice boyfriend like your friend Stella."

"Mother, for the last time, I'm not having sex with some random guy just to prove to you I'm a normal teenager."

"I don't think that's what your mother is suggesting, Cari. Besides, you know how I feel about such talk."

Hal's face reddened at the mere mention of Cari having sex. That annoyed Cari even more.

"Just because I told Mom I'm not having sex to prove her right doesn't mean I don't have the same rights every other girl my age has. I'll have sex when I'm good and ready and I don't have to tell you anything about it."

Her dad opened his mouth to say something then shut it. He looked at her Mom and the two of them shared a look that told Cari she'd won this particular skirmish. She resisted the urge to smirk in satisfaction. Her parents were so easy to manipulate.

"Just sit down and eat with us. Dad and I are going away for the weekend again and it's important we spend some time together before we leave.”

"You're going away?" Cari said as she slid into her seat. "Let me guess, another road race, or is this one a couples golf outing?"

"Actually, a bit of both. I have a triathlon on Saturday in Raleigh and then we're meeting work friends of your father's in Atlanta for golf on Sunday. We'll be back late Monday evening. You'll probably already be in bed so we'll not see you until Tuesday morning."

Cari shrugged. She wasn't surprised the two of them wouldn't be home with her. They had their lives and she had hers. The three of them had drifted apart more and more in recent years.

"I hope you guys have fun. I'm planning on spending the weekend with Julie and Stella at the Ren Faire."

She couldn't help but notice the glances her parents exchanged.

"I don't know why you don't approve of the Ren Faire. We used to go as a family when I was little."

"Mom and I just wish you'd spend the money we give you on something other than swords, daggers, and your silly costumes. We hoped you'd give up this obsession long ago."

"It's not an obsession. It's where I fit in, where I belong. The people there aren't pretentious business executives without anything interesting or meaningful in their lives like you two."

"Those pretentious executives are the ones who make your extravagant lifestyle possible, Cari," her mother snapped. "I think perhaps it's best if you take your plate up to your room. None of us are going to be able to finish dinner at this rate and I need to eat something since I'm in training. Maybe you'll think about what you said and remember how much of what you have you get from us, young lady."

Cari stood up. She knew she'd gone too far. That didn't mean she was going to apologize, of course. She picked up her plate and the chilled water canister and went upstairs to her room. She couldn't believe they sent her to her bedroom like that. What was she, ten?

Cari kicked the door closed with her foot as she entered her room. She set the plate down on her desk and looked around her sanctuary at home. Almost every wall was covered in competition posters from various HEMA events. The pink walls her parents had painted underneath years ago only peeked out here and there around the edges.

She shook her head. Cari knew her parents weren't the worst in the world. Heck, at least they were still together, unlike most of her friends. They just didn't understand her or accept her the way she was. Didn't they see she didn't want to be just another teenager going to high school?

Cari had always had trouble fitting in at school. She'd been big for her age and more mature than most of her classmates. She was smarter, too, and mastered things the other kids took much longer to understand.

That was why she hung out with Julie and Stella when she wasn't at the gym. They were two girls she'd met in the community college history classes she took outside of high school. She felt like she had so much more in common with the two nineteen-year-olds than her sixteen-year-old classmates.

Cari looked at her desk chrono. Both Julie and Stella were at work right now so she couldn't jump on the holo with them to tell them about her parents and the latest clash with their unconventional daughter. She flopped down on the retro beanbag chair next to her bed and decided to finish her dinner while she watched a holovid on sixteenth century fencing techniques. Swordplay always settled her mind and helped her sort out her feelings. At least when she had a blade in her hands, she knew who was on her side and who wasn't.

Chapter 2

The next day after school, Cari decided to skip her usual trip to the training arena across town. She wasn't ready to apologize to Master Thorne yet and he wouldn’t let her even have a practice bot, let alone spar against a live opponent, until she did.

Instead, she told her car to take her home and settled in to thinking about what she'd take with her to the camp out at the Ren Faire that weekend. She was looking forward to seeing the blade smiths who came from all up and down the coast to sell their wares at the Faire. She’d bought all her steel at one of the weekend Ren Faire’s in the region including her favorite rapier and dagger combo.

After saving her money for several months, Care was ready to buy a new sword. She'd had her eye on getting a saber this time. It was a blade style she was still mastering and she was keen on having a real, functional version to practice with at home and in the arena against the bots.

She’d have to hide this purchase from her parents like she had some of the others. That wasn’t a problem. Cari had gotten more than a little of her mother’s mechanical engineering genes and it had paid off when she built the hidden panel into the back of her closet where she kept her swords on a wall rack she’d installed there.

Cari liked working with her hands crafting things and had always wished there was a blade smith close enough for her to apprentice with on the weekends. She’d created all her Ren Faire costumes, including her scabbards and her basic weapons harness to hold her rapier and dagger. If she was going to buy a new sword this weekend, she was going to need to check out some of the available options so she could buy the raw materials to craft a new scabbard and belt to go with it.

Cari pulled up the sites of the two weapon sellers and blade smiths who frequented the Renaissance Faire on the weekends. Hopefully they would have a list of the stock they were bringing to the faire and the blade dimensions available.

The online sword shopping occupied her time for the remainder of the drive home. The chime signaling the completion of her trip caught Cari by surprise. Looking away from the holo screen in the car, Cari realized she was sitting in the garage at home with the vehicle already docked and charging again from the solar array on the roof.

Her parents' work sedans were parked in their docking stations but her Dad's Tesla was gone. The missing sports car meant her parents had already left for their weekend away. A glance at her personal comm screen showed the flashing message icon. She had been so wrapped up in looking at the swords online, she’d failed to notice it when it came in.

A small part of her felt bad they'd left without giving her a chance to apologize for the previous evening's outburst. Both her parents had left for work before she got up that morning, probably because they planned on leaving halfway through the day. She'd hoped she would see them before they left for their trip but they must have decided to leave early.

It irked her she’d missed their call when it came in. Cari didn't like it when she argued with her parents even though it seemed to happen too often. They used to be so close as a family. Lately, that had changed and it saddened her a little.

Grabbing her coat from the seat next to her, she climbed out of the car and went inside. Sure enough, there was another light flashing on the home holoboard in the kitchen. Her parents had left a message here, too.

"Play messages, Alex," Cari called out to the home's digital butler.

The chime sounded and then a holographic video of her mother started playing, hovering over the kitchen counter.

"Cari, your father and I were able to slip away from work a little early today and decided to get started on our trip south sooner than expected. I made sure there was plenty of food for you in the fridge. Make sure you take enough with you to the faire camp out so you don't starve. Dad and I'll be home late on Monday so don't wait up for us. We can all have a nice breakfast on Tuesday morning and you can tell us all about your weekend with your friends. Love you!"

Her mother signed off with a wave and a blown kiss, something she had done when saying goodbye to Cari since she was a little girl. The hologram disappeared as the message ended and the blinking light on the console built into the kitchen counter stopped. There was just the one message.

"Well, Alex, it's just you and me once again."

"I'm sorry, Cari. Was there something specific you wanted?"

"No, Alex, disregard."

The home's digital butler chimed once and fell silent, waiting to be invoked with a specific voice command.

Cari grabbed a meal bar from the cabinet and filled her chiller canister with water from the faucet before heading up to her room. She wanted to get into her Ren Faire costume as soon as possible. If her parents had left for their weekend trip early, there was no reason she couldn't do so as well. Stella was getting to the campsite tonight after work and Julie would be there first thing in the morning. Cari could have everything all set up for them so they could all get an early start on the Faire's festivities.

Pulling open her closet door, Cari started picking through what her mother called her war chest. These were the small subset of swords her parents knew about. On one side was a series of pegs and hooks set into the wood paneling of the closet. Swords, daggers, and a selection of other blades hung from the weapons rack. Most were blunted practice blades of one type or another but a few were what she would call real weapons.

On the opposite side of the closet, there was an array of Renaissance period men's clothing. There wasn't a dress among them, much to her mother's consternation. Cari had tried to explain to her mom once how only the men's styles of the day allowed her the freedom to carry weapons and be prepared for sparring and dueling. She told her mother she and her friends believed they should dress as they would if the Renaissance period were to return today, with women having equal rights under the law.

Pulling a pair of red-dyed leather breeches out, she selected a matching pair of knee-high boots to go along with the pants. For her top, Cari donned a white cotton shirt, pulling it over her head and down to cover her sports bra. A blue wool waistcoat with gold piping on the seams and brass buttons on the sleeves went atop the shirt.

Looking in the mirror to appraise her look, she grabbed the final part of the puzzle, a broad brimmed, black hat with one side of the brim folded up and pinned to the crown. Cari tied her blonde hair back at the nape of her neck with a length of leather cord then braided the length of it with the leather cord running down through it to tie off the end of the braid. She finished the ensemble as she settled the hat on her head at a rakish angle.

Satisfied with how she looked in her outfit, Cari considered the weapons to accompany the choice of garb. While she could choose a practice weapon, Cari decided to go with her favorite blade. She reached up to the side of the weapons rack and released a hidden catch she’d designed. The rack swung aside with a smooth action she was quite proud of. Behind it was a much more extensive layout with many more blades from which to choose.

Reaching out for the custom rapier that was her favorite, she took it down and turned it so the polished, tempered steel blade caught the overhead light. It was a custom blade she'd had made especially for herself, according to unique specifications. It had taken her more than a year to save up birthday and Christmas money on top of her weekly allowance before she could afford to order the custom blade from the area's top blade smith.

The rapier was a cross between a typical Italian rapier, suitable for thrusting and penetrating hits, and a type of blade called a side sword by most modern enthusiasts. Side swords were better suited for cutting and slashing attacks. The combination offered her a nice balance between the two styles, giving her the decent reach of a longer rapier with the slashing efficiency of the side sword. As far as Cari was concerned, it was the perfect blade, at least for her.

Sliding the custom rapier into its scabbard, she settled the sword's belt diagonally across her shoulders so the blade rested on her right hip where she could easily draw it with her left hand. For her offhand weapon, Cari selected a basic ring dagger of excellent quality she'd purchased at the Ren Faire just a few months before. That blade went into the scabbard on her left hip, tilted to the front just enough that she could cross draw it with her right hand at the same time she drew the rapier with her left.

Cari stood admiring her costume in the mirror and snapping a few holo-selfies to send to her friends when a strange chime sounded from down the hall. She’d never heard that sound before and she called out to Alex.

"Alex, what was that chime. Do you have an alert or message to share with me?"

"The sound to which you refer was not from my system. I have no messages or alerts for you at this time."

"Where did the sound come from, then, Alex?"

"The alert chime came from your father's upstairs office."

Curious, Cari turned and left her room, heading down the hallway to the small office next to her parents' bedroom. Her dad kept a home office, but it was really more of a hobby room where he liked to restore old video games and electronics from years before.

Opening the door, Cari looked inside. There were drab beige cases in various stages of disassembly scattered around the room, both on the floor and on the two long tables on the wall. In the center of the room was her father's desk where he had his pride and joy, an old desktop computer with an actual physical monitor and keyboard, not a holographic interface.

The chime sounded again and drew her attention to the restored computer on the desk. Her dad must've forgotten to power it down before he left for the weekend. Cari crossed the room to see if she could figure out how to shut it down. The thing would probably overheat and burn the house down while no one was home.

As she approached, Cari saw a flashing text prompt on the screen. It drew her attention right away.

Fantasma DLC update downloaded. Click enter to install it.

Fantasma? That was strange. Why would her dad have a program named after that old, imaginary world from her childhood? She smiled and wondered if he had created something for her as a surprise gift.

Curiosity got the better of her. She had to know what this program did.

Cari reached out with a fingertip to tap on the word “enter” on the ancient flat screen several times before she realized it was too old to even use a simple touch interface. She had to use the old fashioned physical interface of the keyboard and mouse below on the desk to activate it.

Placing her hand down over the restored Logitech mouse, Cari moved the archaic pointer on the screen until it hovered over the word enter.

She clicked the left button and the screen cleared for a second before another prompt appeared.

New warrior subclasses installed. Click yes to choose one.

Cari clicked yes again and another screen message appeared on the display.

Choose class:

Paladin

Duelist

Ranger

Cari smiled to herself. The choice was obvious to her. Sliding the mouse up, she clicked on "Duelist" in the menu. A final message appeared on the screen.

Are you certain you wish to enter Fantasma at this time?

Click yes to continue.

"Yes, yes, I'm sure," Cari said aloud. Excited curiosity overcame her earlier desire to get to the Ren Faire early. This was much more interesting than setting up camp all by herself.

Cari clicked yes and the screen cleared again. She wanted to see what her father had hidden in this program. It had to be for her.

The old LED monitor started flickering and, at first, Cari was sure it was broken. She reached out to slap the side of the flat-screen when a series of solid colors started flashing on and off before her, filling the screen then going black for a split second before the next color filled the screen.

The flashing seemed familiar in some strange way. It was like she'd seen this before sometime in the past, but Cari couldn't remember when or where. It made her a little dizzy watching the shifting color patterns and she started to reach for the power button on the front of the ancient computer tower to shut it down.

She failed to turn it off. She couldn't move her arms.

In fact, Cari couldn't do anything but stare at the screen and its pattern of flashing colors. It was as if her eyes were locked in place.

Darkness closed in around the periphery of her visual field, creating a narrowing tunnel in front of her until the surrounding room disappeared and all she could see was the colored monitor flashes. Then the room dropped away from her, or rather, it was as if she fell backward from it, down a hole as the light above drifted farther and farther away.

The last thing Cari remembered was the strange chime sounding again as the distant light dwindled to nothing.

A woman's voice followed the chime. "Welcome back to Fantasma, Cari."

Chapter 3

A thousand tiny jack hammers pounded away inside Cari’s head. She opened her eyes for an instant then closed them as the bright sunlight rushed in. The tempo of the pounding increased as soon as the light hit her retinas.

Cari remembered the flashing lights on the monitor at home and realized she lay on her back on a soft surface. It must have caused some sort of seizure or something. She raised her hand towards her forehead to shield her eyes from the glare. Slowly, she opened them again.

Blinking as the room swirled into focus, Cari shifted her eyes from side to side, taking in her position and the strangeness of the space in which she found herself. She was in a bed atop a rough wool blanket.

Levering herself up on one elbow and taking her hand from above her eyes as they adjusted to the light, Cari looked around. Her broad-brimmed hat lay on the floor next to the bed where it must have fallen when she landed here. She figured landed was the right word since the last thing she remembered was falling backward in her dad's office at home.

Someone must have found her on the floor and taken her somewhere to recover. Why they didn't take her to a hospital or the local urgent care center, she didn't know. It was obvious she was in someone's spare bedroom. Someone who had strange tastes in decorating.

Beside the small bed was a wooden table with an oil lamp, of all things. Beside the table was a simple wooden chair, rounding out the only furniture in the room. There was a board mounted on the plaster wall next to the door with three wooden pegs extending from it. It looked like it was a place to hang clothing or a coat for the room's occupant. The white plaster walls were unadorned and plain. The single door from the room made of wood stained a deep, natural brown, like aged oak.

There was something else wrong with the room and it took her a while, examining it all over again before she noticed what it was. There were no outlets in the walls and no light switch by the door. Of course, there was no LED light panel or even an old fashioned light fixture with bulbs mounted on the ceiling so why did the room's owner need a light switch. You only needed a switch in a room with electricity installed.

Sitting up all the way, Cari tried to access her comm unit directly by voice command.

“Alex, call Mom.”

When nothing happened, she fumbled at her belt pouch and pulled out her phone. She tapped the screen a few times before she realized it had been turned off. That was weird. She never turned her phone off unless it was updating itself.

Cari pressed the single button to turn it on and stared at the screen while it powered up and went through its operating system sequence. As soon as the home screen showed itself she tried to make a call by activating the voice commands again.

"Call Mom, Alex."

"I'm sorry, Cari. There is no wireless carrier signal or net connection available at this time," the phone's dispassionate male voice replied.

Sure enough, the corner of the screen showed no signal bars.

Getting up from the bed and walking around the room, holding the phone up in the air, Cari tried to find a place where there was a signal. After a minute of trying, she lowered her arm. The phone could not connect to the network. Opening the map app, Cari checked to see if her location was recorded there.

No luck with that option, either. She had hoped at least to use the GPS to get some idea of where she was before she opened the door and confronted whoever had brought her here.

The thought that she was somewhere with no wireless connectivity annoyed her. Cari refused to admit to herself she was afraid. There was, however, a nagging tension in the back of her mind. Everything about this place was strange.

Her hand fell to her right hip and felt her sword’s familiar hilt resting there. If she'd been kidnapped or something, whoever did it was incompetent. They'd left her armed and more than capable of defending herself. If somebody was playing a joke on her, it was no longer funny. She intended to have a few stern words with whoever was responsible for bringing her here.

"Time to go and see what's on the other side of the door, Cari," she told herself.

Quest accepted - Explore the Empress's Rest Inn

Cari froze as the glowing, golden letters appeared in front of her eyes. As she stared at them, they slowly faded from view and disappeared. The strangest part of it wasn't that she saw glowing words in front of her face. The strangest part was how familiar it seemed, almost as if she'd seen it before, triggering a vague memory from far in her past. She closed her eyes as it came back to her.

A much younger Cari Dix toddled down a long hallway with an ornate, mosaic tile floor until she turned a corner to find a small, white dog with curly fur sitting and waiting for her with its tail wagging. A similar glowing golden message appeared before her eyes. Her two-year-old self couldn't read the message, but older Cari could.

Quest completed - Find the puppy

For a long time, Cari stood in front of the door from the bedroom and tried to make sense of the strange message she'd seen a few minutes before and what it had to do with the memory it triggered. Once again it occurred to her how this place seemed strange and yet in some ways, also familiar.

Cari shook her head. This was insanity. Remaining here worrying about what happened to her wasn’t going to solve anything. There was only one way to find out what was going on. She had to leave this room and confront whoever brought her to this place.

Reaching out and grasping the door knob, Cari pulled open the latch and swung the door in towards her.

The buzz of many voices and the faint lilt of music drifted in as soon as the door was pulled open. There was a faint odor of wood smoke, too. A long hallway stretched out before her, a long-patterned rug ran across the dark hardwood floor. At the end of the hallway, a banister angled downward suggesting a staircase. Along either side of the hallway, there were six doors. Each door had a number painted on it in silver.

Looking behind her, Cari noted her door was numbered thirteen. The other doors had numbers in descending order moving away from her towards the stairs. Cari snorted a half-laugh at the number on her door. Good thing she wasn't superstitious.

Her father taught her from a young age, every person made their own luck in life and nothing she'd seen growing up had changed her mind about that. She had friends, though, who'd freak out about staying in a room with the number thirteen on the door.

The strange glowing message had said something about an inn to explore. These must be the rooms for the guests. Judging by the faint noise of music and voices coming from the far end of the hall, the rest of the inn, or tavern, or whatever it was must be down there.

Cari stepped into the hallway, her boots making no sound on the thick carpet beneath her. She pulled the door shut behind her and walked to the next two doors. The one on the left was locked but the right-hand door opened when she tried it. Inside was a room much like the one she'd just left, though the bed was large enough for two people. There was also a second chair beside the table.

She pulled the door closed and continued down the hallway checking the doors as she went. All the other rooms were locked, probably indicating they were occupied or at least rented to someone. Cari wondered if she should go back and lock her door. She hadn't seen a key anywhere in her room and she opened her belt pouch to check there for one. She had nothing in there other than her credit chip, a few elastic hair ties, her miniature holo projector cube, and a stylus for her phone. She'd have to leave the door unlocked for now. It wasn't like there was anything valuable in there.

A glance at the phone screen still showed no signal. The building she was in must have a steel frame with no repeater antennas added to it. It was strange. Most buildings, even the oldest she’d seen, had full wireless coverage and net connection. Returning her phone to the pouch and shaking her head, Cari started down the stairs towards the noisy room below.

The staircase proceeded down to a landing and turned to the left to continue down the rest of the way to the lower floor. The sight that greeted her as she descended was not what she expected.

She stepped down into a large open room. A huge stone fireplace was built into one wall on the right. A fire blazed inside it. That explained the smoky smell. Opposite it, on the right stood a long bar, patrons lined up filling the length of it. In between were tables of various sizes and shapes, also mostly filled with patrons.

It was the patrons themselves that delivered the biggest shock. All were dressed in colorful, period clothing not dissimilar to her own modified Renaissance garb. Even the musicians on a low platform beside the fireplace were dressed in cosplay outfits of surprising detail.

Cari appreciated as well that once again she didn't see a single modern device or electric light anywhere. The light provided in the room came from dozens of candles mounted on a pair of large, brass chandeliers suspended from the ceiling.

Even the bar continued the old world theme. It was devoid of anything that looked like a modern cash register, refrigerator case, or even a sink as far as she could see. The lack of modern conveniences clued her in to where she must be.

Somehow, she'd been taken to the Ren Faire. That was the only explanation for what she saw. Cari didn't remember this particular establishment from past visits but this had to be somewhere at the Faire. It must be one of the newly constructed buildings for this year's festival that had opened in the last few weeks. It had been that long since she was last there.

With that mystery solved, Cari decided to find out exactly who might have brought her here and placed her upstairs. One of the bartenders must know who's responsible. She'd start there.

Winding her way through the crowd she noticed everyone in the room was armed in some way, which had to be some sort of record for cosplay fans. Cari also saw none of the blades were peace bonded. She looked down to check her own sword and dagger. Hers weren't peace bonded either. How did all these people get through the gates carrying real weapons without security using plastic zip-ties to hold their blades in their scabbards?

Cari shrugged off the discrepancy. Obviously, they'd gotten through security somehow. She'd find out soon enough. She'd reached the bar.

"Excuse, me, bartender? I wonder if you could tell me how I came to be upstairs in one of the lodging rooms? I don't remember coming here."

The tall bartender had his back to her. His broad shoulders and the long black braid that hung down between his shoulder blades showed he was into cosplay as much as his patrons. Then he turned around and Cari saw his face.

His skin had a slight green tint to it but that wasn't what caught her attention the most. It was the two small tusks that extended up from his lower jaw over his upper lip. That caught her by surprise. They looked so real.

"I don't keep the inn's guest book here behind the bar, miss. You'll have to check with Arno. Do you want something to drink? The new shipment of goblin ale from the Valley of the Sun is excellent."

"Uh, no, that's alright," Cari stammered. She was caught off-guard by the realism of the man's costume and make up as well as the offer of alcohol to her since she was a minor. Every restaurant and nightclub she’d ever been to had used her bio-chip’s automated system to verify her age before offering her something to drink.

"Do you know where I can find the manager, this Arno?"

"He's floating around in here somewhere."

A few patrons from down the bar called out for more drinks and the bartender hooked a thumb in their direction.

"I have other folks who want drinks so if you're not going to order anything…"

Cari noted the thumbnail right away. It was thick and pointed like a talon and it, too, looked very realistic. This guy was serious about his cosplay look. Whatever he was supposed to be, he certainly had purchased or made for himself the full package.

"I'll wait here while you serve them. I really need to speak to Arno."

"Suit yourself. I'll send him over to you if I spot him. He's hard to see among the crowd since he's so short."

The bartender turned and went back down the bar to the other end to pour drinks for the waiting patrons. One of them was also in some sort of non-human costume. He looked different from the bartender. His make up was much darker, almost a gray-green color. He saw Cari staring at him and he smiled, displaying teeth filed to points. He ran his tongue over his upper lip and winked at her.

Cari blushed and turned away. She wasn't used to such forward behavior. She suddenly felt very exposed. She scanned the rest of the room until she’d seen everything in plain view.

Another glowing message appeared before her.

Quest completed - Explore the Empress's Rest Inn

200 experience awarded

A tap on her shoulder distracted her from the new message that appeared. It had already started to fade away like the others. She turned to see who tapped her.

A woman with long blonde curls stood there with her hands on her hips. She had a dress with a low-cut bodice and an exterior corset laced up the front. She looked Cari up and down with a curious look on her face.

"Hey, missy, my friends and I saw you come down. We wondered why you weren't wearing your faction colors?"

"I'm sorry, what are you talking about?"

"Your colors," the woman pointed to a length of red ribbon woven into the laces of her bodice. "Where are your colors?"

Cari looked around the room. She noticed for the first time everyone in the room wore some sort of prominently displayed red ribbon or string on their costumes. Some had them on their chests, others pinned to their caps, and still others tied about their weapon's hilts or scabbards.

She realized she must have stumbled into a private gathering for some charity or cosplay organization.

"I'm sorry, I don't have mine. I-I just arrived."

"I figured as much. Well, you have to wear your colors if you're going to remain in here for long, honey. People will start to judge you if you don't pick a side. I mean you aren't in favor of that would-be usurper the Duke of Charon, are you? You're for the Empress, right?"

"Oh, yes, of course. I just got here, but I'm on the right side," Cari said, trying to think fast and not offend anyone in earshot.

"Good, then here you go. The Empress can always use another supporter willing to stand up for her and the Empire."

The woman handed Cari a twelve-inch length of red ribbon. She took it and checked others near her for placement before deciding to tie in a bow through the brass buckle of her diagonal sword belt so it was displayed in the middle of her chest. As soon as she tied the ribbon in place another of those strange messages appeared in front of her eyes.

Faction accepted - support the Empress

Blinking her eyes and trying to understand what it was she was seeing, Cari reached out to introduce herself and shake the woman's hand as she recovered from the latest hallucination.

"Thank you. Um, I'm Cari. I'm looking for the innkeeper, Arno?"

Instead of grabbing her hand and shaking it, the woman reached past her hand and clasped Cari’s wrist in a strong grip. Cari was surprised by the strange greeting but she returned the gesture and the woman smiled.

"Hi, Cari, I'm Merry. I just saw Arno go out the front door. He shouldn't be long coming back. Why don't you come and sit with me? There's another traveler sitting with me who's new in town. The two of you can compare notes."

Merry turned and Cari followed her through the crowd to a table against the wall to the left of the fireplace. A young man, perhaps eighteen or twenty years of age, sat at the table watching them approach with a cheerful grin on his smooth-shaven face. His shoulder-length brown curly hair was partially hidden by a large, floppy forest green beret pulled down atop his head. He'd pinned a short length of red ribbon to the front of his cap.

The rest of his outfit was as impressive as everyone else's costume in the tavern. He wore a white linen shirt with bloused sleeves cuffed at the wrists. The shirt was tucked into tight, brown pants and he wore a matching brown leather vest over the shirt. He also had a long coat draped over the back of his chair. The young man was armed with a long rapier as well as both a dagger and belt knife.

"Rod, you were right. She's with the Empress but she's new in town like you and didn't have a chance to get her faction badge."

"I told you she was too well equipped to be unaligned."

The young man stood and bowed, sweeping the beret from his head as he did in a broad, graceful arc.

"Rodrigo Dumont at your service, milady. And you are?"

"I'm Cari, Cari Dix."

"Aha, so your parents are traditionalists, naming you after the lost princess of legend. That must be why you support the Empress given her supposed place in those stories."

"I guess so. It's just my name," Cari said, shrugging. She took the chair across from Rodrigo and sat down.

Merry sat between them.

"Why are you looking for Arno, Cari? Is there a problem with your room? Are the rats back?"

"Rats? No, nothing like that. I'm hoping he can tell me who brought me here."

"What do you mean?" Rodrigo asked. "Did you come with someone else?"

"Not exactly. I know this is going to sound crazy, but I just woke up in the room upstairs. Frankly, I don't remember coming here at all."

"You must've had a fun evening last night if you don't even remember renting a room," Rodrigo said, laughing.

It was a pleasant laugh and his good-natured grin told Cari he meant nothing insulting but the statement irked her, nonetheless.

"I wasn't out partying last night, Rodrigo. I was home last night. I got up this morning, made plans to go out with friends and I woke up here in this inn. I just want to find out how I got to the Faire without remembering the journey."

"What Faire?" Rodrigo asked. "I didn't hear there was a festival in town."

"Wait," Cari stopped him. "This isn't the Renaissance Faire?"

"No, honey," Merry said, laughing. "I don't know what a 'Renaissance' is, but this isn't it. What part of the Crystal City do you live in anyway? Maybe we can take you home, or are you from out of town?”

"I don't live in the Crystal City." The name seemed familiar like so many other things about this place. "I'm from Baltimore."

Cari stopped and looked around the room once again. She took in all the things she'd seen earlier, but she focused this time on the discrepancies in what she'd expected to see. Cosplay depicting different races like orcs or goblins or whatever they were supposed to be wasn't part of the typical Ren Faire groups she knew. She'd also never seen so many people armed with naked steel weapons. Every weapon she'd seen so far showed signs of regular use and wear, unlike what you'd see in the well cared for replicas she usually saw at the Faire.

"Where am I?" Cari’s voice was barely a whisper and meant more for herself than her new companions. They heard her question nonetheless.

Rodrigo waved his hand around, gesturing to the room.

"You're in the Empress's Rest Inn, one of the fine establishments in the Merchant's District of the Crystal City…"

Cari remembered why the city's name was familiar and she met Rodrigo's eyes as he finished his answer.

"…The capital of the Empire of Fantasma."

Chapter 4

"No, no, no. This can't be right. This is crazy."

Cari stood up and stared around the room, looking for anything that might reassure her she wasn't going insane.

"I must've hit my head when I fell at home. I'm dreaming, or hallucinating, or something."

Merry and Rodrigo shot each other worried glances. Rodrigo extended his hand to her.

"Cari, why don't you sit back down? If you did hit your head, you shouldn't be up and wandering about. We'll find out what happened to you. I'm sure there's an explanation. Perhaps we can seek out a healing mage to check you over."

Cari backed away from the extended hand, jostling a few of the tavern patrons in the process. This earned her several annoyed glances.

"No, you keep away. I can't stay here. This is all wrong. I need to go home."

Cari turned and pushed her way through the crowd towards the exit at the other side of the tavern. Rodrigo and Merry called out to her but she didn't reply or turn to see if they followed her. She had to get out of this tavern and make her way through the Ren Faire back to more familiar territory.

Bursting through the tavern door, Cari stumbled out onto a cobblestone street in the middle of a bustling market district. She turned around looking everywhere for something familiar, a sign, a streetlight, a holoscreen with a "You Are Here" marker, anything at all to tell her where she was. All she saw were horse-drawn carts and wagons as if someone was making a medieval history holovid, and not a particularly accurate one. For instance, there weren't green-skinned aliens mixed in among the patrons on the street in the real world of medieval scenes.

She turned in place searching for reassurance she wasn’t insane or hallucinating. She needed to know she hadn't somehow been taken to the imaginary world of her early childhood. It couldn’t be real. Her parents had told her again and again Fantasma wasn't real, paying a lot of money to send her to several child psychologists over the years to cure her of her obsession with the fantastical world of her imagination.

If Fantasma wasn’t real, though, why did her father have that program with the same name on his old computer and how was it still active after all these years?

Cari had too many questions and not many answers.

If this was a return to an imaginary world of her childhood, it didn't feel imaginary. Everything she'd seen and experienced so far had been all too real.

Cari still stood in the middle of the cobblestone street when she was jostled from behind and someone grabbed a handful of her right butt cheek through her pants. Spinning in place, Cari landed a solid open-handed slap to the face of a mustached man wearing some sort of green and gold uniform.

"Get your hands off me, pervert!"

She raised her hand again to strike him a second time, but the man blocked the blow and pushed her backward.

"How dare you assault a guardsman of the Duke of Charon? You must've decided you wish to die today. I'm sure my companions and I can oblige you.” He stabbed a finger at her chest pointing at the red ribbon tied there. “It will be especially satisfying to kill a supporter of that hag sitting on the Crystal Throne."

He reached to his belt and started to draw his sword.

Several other men, all clad in the same green and gold uniforms as the first man, stepped up next to Cari's assailant. One placed a hand on his arm halting him with the blade half-drawn.

"Raden, you can't fight her here, we are right outside the Empress's Rest. We'll be swarmed under by other supporters. Bring her to the dueling grounds behind the central bazaar. We'll deal with her there."

"Deal with me how? Are you all perverts like your friend here?" Cari snapped.

She hated men who assumed since she was a girl, they could take advantage of her and push her around. The disorientation of trying to find out where she had found herself was lost in the heat of the moment as she confronted these rude men.

"If you all want a fight, I'm more than happy to take it out on you in a duel."

Quest accepted - Defeat the Duke's guardsman in a duel

Cari ignored the message, she was so angry at the gall of these asshats.

"Tell me where to meet you and I'll gladly show up to teach you a lesson."

"You'll be the one learning the lesson, insolent wench,” the one called Raden snarled. “You'll learn the hardest lesson of all. Meet us in the dueling grounds. If you don't know where that is, ask someone to show you to the central bazaar. You'll find us there behind the building waiting for you."

The man who'd groped her looked up at the sun as if checking for its position.

"We'll see you there in a few hours at dusk. Don't be late. You won't like it if I have to come looking for you."

"Oh, I'll be there. It's time someone taught you what happens when you try to have your way with this particular girl."

The man fixed Cari with a grin showing a lot of teeth as if he thought it would intimidate her. She responded in kind as his friends hustled him away through the crowd.

A few members of the crowd around the disturbance shouted jeers after the Duke's guards while others shouted words of encouragement to them. Cari saw those who were on her side wore red ribbons or sashes while those who were on the side of the green-clad guardsmen wore green badges of one sort or another.

After some more shouting and insults hurled back and forth, the crowd dispersed as people returned to their business of the day.

"You sure know how to make friends fast," a voice behind her said.

Turning, Cari saw Rodrigo standing in the street behind her. Merry stood next to him.

"You know those guardsmen mean what they say," Merry said. "If you don't show up at the dueling grounds this evening, they'll turn this city upside down looking for you."

"I don't back down from bullies. I've found it's a bad habit to get into."

"These aren't just bullies," Rodrigo said. "They're members of the Duke of Charon's personal guard. Since the bulk of the Imperial Dragoons were sent east to fight in the war, the Duke's men have the run of the city. They're supposed to be keeping the peace but what they really do is harass supporters of the Empress and find excuses to lock them up, or worse."

Cari's hand rose to touch the red ribbon tied to the buckle of her sword belt across her chest.

"And this marks me as a supporter of the Empress, and the green badges and ribbons I've seen in the crowd represent the interests of this Duke of Charon?"

Merry nodded.

"Things have gotten much worse since the Duke and the rest of the privy council voted to commit the Dragoons to the war effort. The Empress couldn't argue against it or they'd claim she was playing favorites with her household troops over the common soldiers from elsewhere in the Empire. Charon has been stirring up unrest in the countryside against her saying she was bleeding their sons and daughters dry to fight her petty war while her pet troops remained safe and sound in the Crystal City."

"Merry," Rodrigo said. "You don't know for sure it's the Duke who's sowing the seeds of rebellion in the outer provinces."

"Who else could it be, Rod?" Merry asked. "He's got the most to gain from a revolt against the Empress. He's tried to get her to step down from the Crystal Throne on several occasions now. She refuses to do so, knowing she only has one heir left to her name. The rest of her family has died off in one freak accident after another. I'm convinced Empress Kareena is holding on long enough to ensure her last remaining grandson, Timron is safeguarded from the mysterious accidents that befell the others in her family.”

"Kareena? Princess Kareena?" Cari asked. She knew that name from the games she used to play as a little girl. It was one more link of familiarity to this place, reminding her that her Mom and Dad must have deceived her about this imaginary childhood world in some way.

"She used to be a princess once upon a time, according to the old stories," Merry said. "Her family was deposed from the throne when she was a child. When she grew older, she was joined by the mythical Opponent of legend who helped her regain her throne."

"Those aren't just stories, Merry," Rodrigo corrected. "My uncle is a captain in the Empress's Dragoons, those stories about the Opponent really happened, at least the regimental histories of the Dragoons say so."

"I find that hard to believe," Merry replied. "You're telling me Bloody Hal did all the things the stories claim he could do? The tales don’t make sense. They can't make up their minds about who or what he was. Some say he was a master thief or assassin, others claim he was a warrior and a general of great renown, and still more claim he could control more magic than anyone who ever lived. Which is it?"

"The regimental histories claim they are all true. Each tale has a basis in fact. They claim that Hal Dix came from another world and because of that, he could do things no one else could do and taught himself things nobody else could learn."

"Excuse me," Cari said, interrupting the discussion. "What was that name again?" She couldn't believe her ears. It sounded like they claimed her dork of a father was some sort of super hero or something.

"Hal Dix," Rodrigo and Merry said in unison. The two of them laughed at the look on her face.

Cari wasn't amused. None of this made any sense. She had too many questions and no way to find the answers she needed.

"Cari, you must know the stories," Merry said. "After all, your parents named you after Bloody Hal's daughter, Princess Cari."

That was it for Cari. Everything started to spin, and she felt like she was going to fall down again. She walked back toward the Empress's Rest Inn and sat down beside the building on a ledge at the base of the inn's stone foundation.

Her new friends followed and sat down beside her.

"What's wrong, Cari?" Rodrigo asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I think I figured out what is going on." She said it more to herself than to her companions. Things started lining up in her mind and she started ticking them off one by one: her father's position as the senior developmental executive at a software giant that made the world's premier virtual reality gear; his claim that games represented more than just a diversion for entertainment that they could create real life skills if used in the proper way; the presence of the Fantasma program in his old computer and now her presence inside that world, somehow transported or living simultaneously inside it and at home.

Cari considered the list. Everything added up for her. Somehow this was all real. She had been here before as a child and her parents had taken her away from it, telling her it was all just a figment of her imagination, telling her to stop thinking she lived in an imaginary world.

Despite everything they’d told her, Cari had always believed deep down it was all real. It was why she took up the sword. It was why she became active in cosplay and in the Ren Faire community. She wanted to prove to her parents she was right all along.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She clenched her fists. Mom and Dad had hidden this whole wonderful place from her. They knew it existed and knew how she felt about it, but they’d hidden it from her just the same.

Cari pounded her fist into her hand, clenching it until her fingernails dug into her palm.

"Cari, I know you're angry about what happened in the street with the Duke's guards," Rodrigo said, misinterpreting the cause of her angry gesture. "Maybe I can help get you out of the duel with the guardsman. I can go to my uncle and see if he can pass orders to break up the fight before it starts this evening. We could tell the Duke and his men you're under the protection of the Dragoons and they have to leave you alone."

"I don't need anyone's protection. I'm not some little girl in need of a hero. I'm my own hero and I plan on going to this little duel. I’m going to teach this guy a lesson he'll never forget."

"Cari, that guard is one of the Duke's best," Merry said. "He's an accomplished swordsman and duelist. Let Rodrigo help you. His uncle can keep anyone from getting hurt or worse."

Cari shrugged off the sympathetic tone from her new friends. They didn't know how skilled she was with a blade. She was surprised at how concerned they were. They acted as if someone was going to die in this little sparring match with the Duke's guard. Cari stood and turned to face the other two.

"I think you’re both overreacting. I'll be fine. Maybe I'll see you later after I deal with this situation. For now, I'm going to explore the city a little before I head to the dueling ground. I need to make up for lost time and see the city."

Quest accepted - Explore the Crystal City

Cari spun in place and hurried off into the crowd, ignoring the new message for the moment. She didn't want to hear any more protests about her plans to participate in the duel later. She also needed some time to figure out why she kept seeing these text alerts. The way they acted it was like she was in some sort of game.

Chapter 5

Despite her bravado and what she said, part of Cari wanted to stay with the only two friends she'd made so far in this strange place. The other side of her, the part that was burning with anger at her parents, needed to break away for some time to walk and collect her thoughts. Cari also needed to track down why these game-like messages kept appearing in her vision. The way they appeared without any headgear or visor made this all seem like the best virtual reality game simulation ever.

Cari slowed her pace after she'd put some distance between herself and the inn, giving herself a chance to disappear into the jostling crowds. While she walked, Cari tried to make the messages appear again. If they acted like a real VR game, they should respond to voice commands.

"Game Menu," Cari whispered so no one around her could hear.

She was rewarded with a visual display of common game menu items.

System Menu:

Character Stats

Inventory

Quest Status

Curious about what she saw, Cari decided to try something else. Rather than speaking the menu items aloud, she focused on one, trying to open the Character Stats item from the menu.

The system menu cleared and a new set of displays popped up. It was her personal character stats.

Name: Cari Dix

Class: Duelist

Level: 1

Attributes:

Brawn: 8

Wisdom: 8

Luck: 8

Speed: 8

Charm: 8

Health: 10/10

Skills: none

Experience: 200/300

Attribute points: 10

Entry level attribute points still need to be allotted. Points may be placed in any slot. Once allotted and accepted they may not be changed. New attribute and skill points awarded with each new level.

Cari examined the different attributes, realizing she had a basic character layout and could build up the scores to focus on whatever skills she thought were most important. She scoffed at the idea of spending anything on luck. She agreed with her father’s view on luck and thought people who relied on their luck were idiots.

Speed was an attribute which served a swordswoman well in sparring and competition. Men might focus on pure strength and increase their brawn but she knew it usually slowed them down in the long run. Flexibility and quick reflexes were far more valuable to a duelist.

She decided to dump six points into her speed attribute. On a whim, because it was so silly that these random stats had anything to do with her actual abilities, Cari put all four remaining points into her “Charm” as if that changed her appearance in any way. After spending her attribute points, she considered the blank space next to the skills area. Focusing her attention on it brought up a new message.

Skill points may be used to learn new skills or advance existing skills based on your class or social position. Some skills may be learned by completing quests or accomplishing tasks within the world. One new skill point acquired with each new level. Once spent, they cannot be changed.

She assumed she'd need to level up while getting new experience points from some random quests. She remembered getting 200 experience points for exploring the inn. She only needed a hundred more to acquire the next level. Her current quest to explore the city might be enough to knock her to level 2 and then she'd see what kind of skills she could learn as a duelist.

Cari dismissed the display and stepped out into the flow of the crowd once again. She continued strolling along and tried to decide if this was a game simulation like the menus suggested. It must be some sort of new VR tech her father was working on or maybe it was all a real fantasy world from her childhood. She hoped it was more like the latter. That would be the best option in her mind because she thought this was the kind of place she really belonged. If this world was real, it was like she'd trained for this her whole life. Cari smiled to herself as she walked. Whether this was real or a game, she was going to make the most of it. She explored the rest of the afternoon, walking down the broad avenues, taking in the Crystal City's sights and sounds.

After strolling along for several hours, checking out the fine, handcrafted wares in some of the market stalls along the way, a chime and notification awarded her exploration.

Quest completed - Explore the Crystal City

100 Experience points

Level Up!

Cari pulled up her stats and saw she had two new attribute points to spend and a new skill point. She still wasn't sure exactly how upping her stats worked, but she figured it wouldn't hurt to have more speed. So, she dropped the two attribute points into her speed bumping it up to sixteen. She noticed that after putting two new points into her speed, her bonus only increased by one. It appeared each stat required two new points before her stats were really upgraded. That was good to know.

Once she'd taken care of that, Cari looked over the new notification below the stats menu with a list of skills.

Duelist skills - Acrobatic dodge, Acrobatic lunge, Ambidexterity, Bladesmith, Defensive stance, Disarm, Feint, Multi-foe tactics, Prescience, Taunt, Two-weapon combat

She scanned through them all, looking over their descriptions. There were several she considered selecting. Each of her choices offered definite benefits to supplement her fighting style. She hovered over two final choices before she selected two-weapon combat to add to her skill set. It fit her usual fighting style when she sparred, utilizing both her sword and dagger in combat.

Cari closed the stats menu and noticed it was starting to get dark. She’d found the grand bazaar an hour before and knew the dueling grounds were located behind it so she retraced her steps until she found the huge building that housed the indoor marketplace.

Walking through the building she looked over the wares in the stalls. There were many wonderful items for sale along with several food choices. Her stomach growled and Cari wished she had some coins in the local currency. She'd tried to purchase some food earlier with her credit chip and the vendor laughed at her and sent her on her way with an empty stomach.

First things first, though, Cari thought. She had to teach another rude man a lesson. She'd make sure to eat something after her bout with the Duke's guard.

As she rounded the corner to the rear of the grand bazaar, Cari heard the sound of shouting and the clash of steel on steel. She smiled. They must be sparring without her.

Her smile faded away when she saw the first bloodied body lying on the grass. The boy's sightless eyes stared up at the darkening sky. He couldn't be older than fourteen years old. His arms were covered in cuts and slashes. But the killing blow had been a thrust to the throat judging by the huge stain of blood on his collar and shirt.

Four other bodies, all dead, lay nearby as well. All killed by sword or dagger wounds.

"What the hell?"

"Ah the impetuous young girl from the Empress's Rest is finally here," the guard from her earlier encounter said. "I thought we were going to have to go and hunt her down."

There were eight of the Duke's guards present, six men and two women. They all laughed at their comrade's words.

Cari gestured around at the bodies as she stopped moving forward. This wasn't what she'd signed up for.

"You killed them? Why?" Cari asked. She still didn't understand.

"Because they supported the old hag on the throne, just like you. And now it's my turn to send you to join them."

The burly guardsman drew his sword and tested the blade by flexing it a few times before he took a few practice slashes in the air.

"Come on little lady. I want to finish you off quick so I can go and get something to eat."

Cari started to back away but the other guards moved behind her, preventing retreat. She was overcome with the horrifying realization that if the world was real, the combat must be real as well. This wasn't a duel for points or status as she’d expected. This was real combat. It was something she'd always trained for, even dreamed about. In the end, though, it was not something she'd ever expected to do for real. Her hands betrayed her, trembling as she fumbled to draw her sword and dagger.

One of the female guards laughed at her from behind.

"Look, Raden, she's shaking with fear at the mere thought of facing you. Toy with her a bit before you finish her and see if you can make the little girl cry."

"With pleasure," Raden sneered.

Before Cari knew what was happening, the guard charged at her, unleashing a rapid series of attacks. He tested her defenses with several different combinations. Cari knew in an instant from the way he handled his sword, he was one of the best she'd ever faced.

She gasped in pain as one of his attack combos snaked past a late parry and slashed a line of fiery pain across Cari's right shoulder. She couldn't spare the attention to examine the wound but she felt the slow trickle of blood start to flow towards her elbow.

Health damage - health -6

"First blood!" Raden shouted. "Gareth, you owe me a silver piece."

"I'll win it back. You'll never finish her in under a minute," the other guard called back.

These animals were wagering over her, betting on her life as if it meant nothing to them. They considered her insignificant, only something for their sport.

Burning anger welled up from inside Cari. Her eyes narrowed as her focus returned.

She wouldn't let this pig kill her. She’d show him what happened when you groped a random woman in passing.

Cari used her dagger to parry Raden's next blow and pressed forward to lock her dagger's hilt against his sword's crosspiece.

This freed her sword up to whip out and down into the guardsman's leading thigh.

His cry at the sudden pain turned into the hiss of a drawn breath as Cari pressed her advantage forcing him to backpedal despite his injured leg.

It slowed him just a bit allowing her to score a second hit on his offhand forearm. This time she noticed something she hadn't before. To the left side of her visual field, a thin, transparent bar filled in green a little more with each hit she'd made.

It was half full now after just two attacks.

"Come on, Raden," another guardsman called out, a hint of concern tinting his voice. "Stop toying with her. You've let her think she can win, now finish her off."

Raden only managed a grunt in reply. Cari's sword snapped past his face, narrowly missing a death blow but close enough to score a thin blood-red line across his cheek.

The guard snarled and began another series of attacks, pushing Cari backward across the grass.

The status bar in her display was three quarters full now. She figured one more hit would fill it and she'd learn what it meant. Of course, she had to live long enough to get there.

She'd let her guard down a little while she paid attention to the heads up display. Now she paid the price with a second hit as the tip of Raden's blade pierced her right forearm. The pain almost made her lose her grip on the dagger she held in that hand.

Health damage - health -4

Raden's sneer returned when he scored the fresh hit and it spurred him to press his attacks.

Cari parried blow after blow, using her superior speed to combat his greater strength just as she'd been taught.

An opportunity presented for a different sort of attack. She took it. This was a fight to the death and there was no room for hesitation.

When he leaned a bit too far forward on a lunge, Cari parried it and then rammed her basket hilt forward, bashing in Raden's nose. Blood started running down his face onto his chin and tears of pain sprung to his eyes.

The status bar in Cari's visual field filled to the top and flashed a deeper green.

Power up active - Unleash special innate skill - Burst of speed.

Cari didn't know what that meant but she didn't have time to look it up. It sounded like something she could use right now.

Focusing on the words burst of speed, she pressed a new flurry of attacks.

A chime sounded and, without warning, everything slowed down around her while she seemed to keep going at full speed.

An old-fashioned ticking stopwatch sound started in her head as the world slowed around her. Even a bird flying past in the background flapped its wings in slow motion.

A countdown timer next to the now empty status bar start at five and count downward.

Raden barely had time to register surprise on his face when Cari's flurry of attacks struck him four times in rapid succession before he could react to defend himself. The final lunge as the timer ticked to zero took him in the chest just below the Duke of Charon's insignia.

The guardsman clutched at his chest as he slid backward off Cari's blade. He opened his mouth but nothing came out but a spray of blood as he coughed once then fell over dead.

500 experience awarded

Level Up!

Cari felt a moment of overwhelming exhaustion, panting and gasping for breath after her superhuman exertion faded away.

The other guards stood dumbfounded, looking at their dead comrade on the ground at Cari's feet.

"She used magic," one of the female guards said. "She killed him with some sort of spell or potion."

The one named Gareth pointed an accusatory finger at Cari.

"He came here for a fair fight and you cheated. Your life is forfeit in our eyes. Tell us how you did it and we'll kill you quickly. You must have a charm or potion, something that assisted you."

Cari bent over, still struggling to catch her breath. She was amazed at what she'd been able to do during that countdown cycle but it was not without a price. Using the skill left her drained for a long time afterward. Too long.

She struggled to stand upright and lifted her weapons as the remaining seven members of the Duke's city guards spread out and circled around her. How was she supposed to explain what she just did?

Cari was sure to the guards it looked like magic. Maybe it was after a fashion. There was no way to tell them how she did it because she wasn't sure she could replicate it. On top of that, she wasn't really sure what happened either.

The status bar now flashed a dim red and when she focused on it, a new notification appeared.

Special ability cool down period engaged.

Cari figured she wasn't going to be doing that again anytime soon. Her burst of speed was a once-a-battle ability it seemed.

Turning in place and trying to keep all seven guards in view at once, Cari struggled to come up with a plan of action for fighting more than one opponent at the same time. She wondered if she should have selected that ability over two-weapon combat.

Cari tried defusing the situation. Her strength was returning, slowly. She had to buy time.

"Look, I didn't want to kill your friend. I was just defending myself. No one else needs to die."

"No one else is going to die, at least not anyone important," Gareth pointed his sword at Cari. "You, however, I'm going to gut like a fish."

"Seven on one doesn't seem like a fair fight to me," a new voice sounded from behind Cari. "What do you think, Thad? Should we lend the lass some assistance?"

Another, deep and gravelly voice answered. "Make's no mind to me. I've got a stein of ale waiting for me right now so I'd just as soon get this over with."

A third voice jumped in, a sing-song lilt to the tone. "I agree with Thad, Liam. Let's get this finished so I can return to my lady friend. She was most upset when I was roused to come out here to this place."

Cari turned to see who spoke, still keeping the guards in view as best she could. She saw three people in blue uniform tabards, trimmed in a deep crimson red, the same color as fresh blood. She didn’t even think it strange that she noticed that comparison right now.

She blinked as she looked the newcomers over. Only one of them was human. Another had green skin and a brutish face with two small tusks protruding up from his lower jaw, similar to the bartender from the Empress's Rest.

The third new arrival had blond hair pulled back in a ponytail to reveal ears that rose up to a slight point. His almond shaped eyes and high, arched eyebrows showed him to be something other than human as well, perhaps an elf?

Beside all three stood a grinning Rodrigo.

When he saw Cari looking his way, Rodrigo winked at her. Her eyes narrowed at the gesture, making him frown. She didn't like it when men winked at her. To her mind, it usually meant something demeaning and condescending.

Gareth had turned to face the new threat along with his comrades. They'd forgotten Cari was even there, it seemed.

"Ah, a few of the Empress's pet dogs are here. Excellent! We'll kill you Dragoons then we’ll finish with the girl."

"Many have tried," the tall thin man named Liam replied, drawing his sword. "None of your ilk have succeeded yet."

"Enough," Gareth shouted at his comrades. He pointed at the newcomers. "What are you waiting for? Kill them!"

The seven thugs from the Duke of Charon’s guard charged forward though two of them fell over dead as the pointy-eared fellow produced a throwing knife in each hand and took both men in the throat with a thrown blade, killing them instantly.

Rodrigo and the other two newcomers took on the surviving guards as they charged in. The tall, thin one, who the others called Liam, spun like a whirling dervish, moving almost faster than she could make out, even with her experienced eye for sword work.

He killed one of the guards almost instantly and backed another one up as that woman struggled to put up a defense. She fought in desperation as she backpedalled.

The green-skinned newcomer, the one called Thad, charged at Gareth and soon the two of them were trading blows amidst snarls of anger from both combatants.

Rodrigo drew his blade and charged one of the remaining guards while the pointy-eared dragoon engaged the final guardsman standing, another one of the women.

Within a minute, three more of the Duke's guards were down and the others were backing up, clearly looking to retreat. That all stopped when a troop of ten more guards in the Duke's livery jogged around the corner of the grand bazaar. Several of them carried long thin objects in addition to their swords. It took her a few seconds to realize they were some sort of musket firearm.

Cari called out to her new allies as she ran forward to join them.

"Hey, they've got new reinforcements coming and they've got guns I think. What do we do?"

Liam, who appeared to be the leader of the blue and red clad men, thrust his sword through the leg of the woman he was facing. She fell to the ground, her leg crumpling beneath her. He backed away rather than finish her.

"Follow me. If there are more coming behind these, we'll never disengage. This way."

He turned and ran for a copse of trees at the edge of the field. Cari followed, flanked by a grinning Rodrigo and the elf. The one called Thad with the green skin and tusks brought up the rear. The newly arrived guards took in the scene and Cari heard shouts behind her.

"Halt, in the name of the Duke of Charon. I order you all to halt and wait for arrest."

The elf laughed a reply in his lilting voice.

"Fat chance of that happening."

Rodrigo let out a shout of triumphant laughter and ran into the cluster of trees. Cari darted in just behind him. It was dark inside the small wooded area as the sun had just about set. Behind her, a series of long bangs announced the guards were firing their guns.

It took her eyes a moment to adjust. As they did, she saw Liam heading to a tall, stone wall bordering the far side of the wooded lot. He yanked open an iron gate.

"Everyone, in here."

"They're shooting at us!" Cari shouted.

"Those things aren't accurate at this range and they'll take at least a minute to reload. We'll be long gone by then. Come on, girl. Get inside and out of sight.

Cari and Rodrigo ran through the gate into a covered stone passageway leading to stairs down into darkness. She slowed down because she couldn’t see where she was going.

The elf followed behind her and squeezed past to move to the lead. When he reached the stairs, he snapped his fingers and held up his hand. A dim light appeared hovering over his fingertips.

Liam nodded. "Good work, Chance. Be a good fellow and lead the youngsters down into the catacombs. I'll help our orcish friend secure the door and we'll be right behind you."

Chance, the elf, nodded and pointed to Cari and Rodrigo.

"You two heard the sergeant. Follow me and stay close. It's easy to get lost down here and I don't want to spend the time trying to find you again."

He held his hand with the blue-white light up in front of him and started down the stairs. Cari and Rodrigo followed.

The grinding screech of twisted metal sounded behind them. Thad, the orc, had caught up to them. He grasped a bar from the iron gate and wrenched it free at one end then wrapped it around and through a ring set in the stone wall. It made a perfect locking mechanism to hold the gate closed.

She turned around and started forward at a barked reminder to keep moving from Chance. She hurried along and caught up to Rodrigo.

"Who are these guys? I'm not sure I should be following strange men into dark tunnels."

Rodrigo laughed.

"You're funny. They're from the Empress's Dragoons. Each of them are members of her personal body guard. They're on our side. You don't have to worry about them, I promise. I knew them through my uncle. He helped me find them to assist you."

Chance looked back at them.

"It's a good thing he found us when he did. We would have been perfectly happy to go on and attend to our own business rather than rescuing a young puppy in trouble. You were in way over your head, missy.”

"Don't tell me you didn't enjoy that little distraction, Chance," Liam said as he and Thad caught up. "I've been looking for an excuse to cut up some of those green-cloaked bastards for months now."

"Yes, Liam, I suppose you’re right,“ Chance said over his shoulder as he continued walking forward. “Still, the young lady I had plans to meet this evening will be disappointed when I don’t show up. Plus, now we are going to need a place to hide out until the search for us dies down. I'm sure there's a good enough description of us out there that someone will guess who we are."

“The Captain will manage to smooth things over for us, Chance," Liam replied. “He always does. After all, those guards were essentially out hunting down impressionable young supporters of the Empress and killing them in cold blood under the pretense of it being a duel."

"You pretend this is no big deal. You do notice it is us running and hiding in the catacombs and sewers while they get to stay up in the fresh air above. I'm not sure this is a win for us."

"You don't hear Thad complaining, do you?"

"That doesn't count. Thad rarely says anything."

"I'm not saying anything because I'm trying to listen to see if we are being followed,” Thad said from the rear of their group.

Chance stopped and turned back to the group.

"Well?"

"Well what?" Thad asked.

"Are they following us?"

"How can I tell?" Thad complained. "The two of you won't shut up."

The conversation paused. Cari strained her ears to try and listen. She couldn’t hear anything other than their own breathing. She had no idea if others were coming or not.

"It is clear," the orc said at last. "They are not pursuing us."

"Good, perhaps we should meet the young lass in distress we were tasked to rescue," Liam said, turning his eyes on Cari.

She forced a smile as she scanned the faces in the dim light of Chance’s magical whatever it was he did.

"Um, thank you, I guess. I have to say, though, I don't take kindly to being called a lass in distress. I did manage to kill one of them in a fair duel after all."

"There's no such thing, young lady," Liam said.

"No such thing as what?"

"There's no such thing as a fair duel. If it's fair, you're doing it wrong. Remember that and you might just live to see your next birthday. Now, what's your name? You said you don’t want us calling you Lassy or Little Sister."

"I'm Cari, Cari Dix."

"Ah another child of wishful parents steeped in the lore of our past and believing in a world full of heroes," Chance said, rolling his eyes. "Wonderful."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Cari asked, her temper starting to rise again.

"It means your parents named you after the daughter of a long-dead hero in the hopes that you'd grow up to embody some semblance of that hero's lineage," the elf said. "I'm here to tell you there aren't any heroes like that anymore. I knew Hal Dix, and I'm here to tell you, he could do things no-one else I know could do. In the eighty years since he left, I haven't seen anyone come close to duplicating his abilities. We're better off not believing in mythical heroes. We must learn to trust ourselves to solve our problems. It’s the only way.”

Cari bit her tongue to stop herself from asking about the person who had the same name as her father. It couldn't be the same guy. Chance said it was over eighty years ago after all. She couldn't help thinking it was more than a simple coincidence though.

"Leave the girl alone, Chance," Liam said. "Not everyone is as depressing as you are regarding the future of our empire. You should have a little faith. The Empress told the Captain she called for help. Maybe the Opponent of mythical lore will return and save the day."

"Probably just the rantings of a senile aging human mind,” Chance proposed. “You humans are so short-lived it’s amazing you manage to retain anything when your minds wither and die so soon. How could she summon help from someone who's either dead or as old or older than she is?”

When no one answered him, Chance pointed at Cari’s wounded arm.

“Here girl, turn around so I can put a bandage on that shoulder and forearm. We can’t have it getting infected before we can get you some healing.”

Cari listened as the two continued what seemed to be a regular ongoing argument between the pair about the Empress’s state of mind. All the while, Chance tended to her arm, putting a dressing on both her wounds and wrapping clean strips of cloth around her arm to hold them in place. Once he was finished, the group started down the passage again.

Cari had a lot of random thoughts swirling around in her mind while she followed this strange collection of companions to whatever hideout they had. Many questions occurred to her about her father and the things they said about him or someone who had the same name. None of it made any sense at all and yet, she didn't think it was a coincidence.

Chapter 6

The group walked through the dark and dank catacombs and sewers for what seemed like an hour or more. Cari hoped no one else could hear her stomach grumbling while they trudged along. She hadn’t eaten a thing since breakfast at home that morning. Who knew how long ago that was?

Finally, Chance and Liam led them down a narrow side passage to a set of spiral stone stairs up.

Liam held a finger to his lips and whispered, "I'll go up first to make sure it's clear. Cari will follow, then Rodrigo, Thad, and Chance last of all with his light."

"What's up there?" Cari asked in a whisper.

"It's an old stable. It hasn't been used for many years but I haven't been here in a while. Someone may be up there now. If so, we'll have to go somewhere else. I'd rather not have anyone learn of this access point to the catacombs if at all possible. It's nice to have a secret place to hide out or get out of sight in a hurry when needed."

Liam disappeared up the stairs while Cari and the others waited below. Chance held his hand up over his head so they could all see the staircase. After long minutes, Liam returned.

"It's clear. Come on up."

Cari followed up the spiral staircase, feeling her way along after it became dark as she left the magical light Chance somehow created out of thin air. After another twist in the stairs some warm yellow light filtered down from above and eventually the stairs ended in an open wooden trap door in the floor of a horse stall.

Old moldy straw had been pushed aside and there was still a lot of dust in the air from the disturbance. Cari stifled a sneeze as she climbed out onto the stone floor.

A lantern hung from a hook on the stall's door providing light enough to see out into the main part of the stable. Cari heard Rodrigo coming up behind her so she moved away from the opening in the floor and left the stall to explore the rest of the stable.

There were lines of stalls all along both sides of the building with a large central area big enough to drive a truck through, or a couple of horse-drawn wagons or carriages. Liam was down by the far end of the open area, peering out the window of a large sliding door. Cari could see some light from the street outside filtering in through the window. There must be some of the gas street lamps she’d seen in the city earlier outside the stable.

When she turned around, Chance was exiting the catacombs. When he climbed out into the lamplight, he extinguished his blue-white ball of light.

"How did you do that?" Cari asked pointing to the elf's extended hand.

"It's just a little earth magic I picked up when I was a guard to an elven mage a long time ago."

"Can I learn to do it?"

"It's possible to learn if you aren't born with the ability but you'd have to spend many years studying with an archmage to do that and no one has seen an archmage in close to fifty years."

"You're fifty years old?" Cari asked. "You don't look more than thirty."

"He's much older than that," Liam said returning from checking the street. "Elves live very long lives unless they're killed or choose to die early."

"Elves do not choose to die. Some choose to cross the bridge of light before their life energy is used up here on Fantasma. Those that do so, live on, but in another plane."

"Can they come back?" Thad asked in what Cari discovered was his normal, grumbly tone.

"No, once one crosses the bridge of light, one may not return."

"Sounds like dead to me," Thad snorted.

The orc stalked away, chuckling to himself and began arranging old bales of straw into a platform against the wall of a nearby stall. He spread his long black cloak over it and lay down on the makeshift bed.

The sound of snoring mere seconds later surprised Cari.

"Is he already asleep?"

Liam laughed. "That is his super power. That orc can fight better than anyone I know. He's strong as an ox, too, but the thing I envy in him the most is his ability to sleep anywhere, any time."

Cari sat down on a crate and tried to not think about the empty pit in her stomach. Once again, she was surprised by how real all the sensations were in this game, or whatever it was. If it was in fact real, it had been at least twelve hours since she'd eaten last. It could be longer. She had no idea how long she'd been unconscious before waking in the inn. Her stomach rumbled again.

"Is someone going to get the girl something to eat?" Chance asked. "I can't be the only one who's been putting up with the non-stop growling of her empty stomach."

"You're the one with the elf ears, my friend," Liam chuckled. He pointed to the large sliding door at the end of the building. "There's a tavern across the street. It's likely they're still serving something at this hour. I can't attest to how good it will be, but at least it’s food. The boy will have to go. I'm sure the girl's description has been spread around among the Duke's guard by this point and they know who we three are and what we look like. It’s unlikely they know who he is, though. He'll be able to walk over and back unnoticed."

Liam pulled a drawstring pouch from his pocket and handed a handful of silver coins to Rodrigo.

"See if they'll let you take a tray of food if you promise to bring it back when you're finished."

"What if they asked who the food is for?" Rodrigo asked.

"Tell them you're having an orgy over here for all I care. Make something up. I'm sure you'll come up with something."

"You want me to lie? A Dragoon candidate is ever faithful and honorable. They never lie."

A snort of laughter from Chance punctuated what Rodrigo said.

"Boy, two problems with that. First, it's a load of crap. Everyone lies for one reason or another. Second, the Dragoons aren't taking new candidates and probably never will again so don’t worry about that old oath. Now go and get us some food."

Rodrigo, appearing a little deflated, left via a small door built into the bottom corner of the larger sliding one. The way the others dressed him down didn't seem fair to Cari.

"You didn't have to dash his hopes like that," Cari told Chance. "He came here to join you not to be shot down for aspiring to something great. Why aren't the Dragoons taking new recruits? I’d think you’d want someone like him in your ranks."

"We've been all but disbanded," Liam replied. "Most of the regiment has been sent east to fight in a war Charon started against our formerly peaceful neighbors to tie up the Imperial army. The reduced company left to guard the Empress has been whittled down to a skeleton force. There aren't many of us left, and the Duke has branded most of us as petty criminals and not worthy to watch over Empress Kareena."

"But why so few left? Surely there are those who defend you and your comrades in the government? What about the Empress?"

"The Duke controls the government and the privy council now. He arrests those of us his guardsmen find outside of the Crystal Palace. He has them make up trumped up charges to have us jailed for one thing or another. If we fight back, it only adds to our crimes. The Empress used to stand up for us, but lately Her Majesty has fallen into a deep despair after hearing about the death of her oldest son's entire family in a shipwreck."

"It was pirate raiders, Liam, not a shipwreck," Chance snarled. "You know that as well as I do. That's a story to cover Charon's tracks so no one can pin it on the Duke."

"What I know and what I can prove are two different things, Chance. In the end, the result is the same. Her family has been destroyed and, for all her supposed power, there's nothing she can do about it. Now there is just one living heir remaining to inherit the Crystal Throne."

"Who's that?" Cari asked.

"He's an idiot, that’s who," Chance said.

"Prince Timron is not my first choice to take the Crystal Throne, but he is the rightful heir, provided The Duke of Charon doesn't manage to kill him off with a sudden accident like all the others."

Chance scowled but didn't answer. He turned away and pulled out his sword. After examining the edge of his finely crafted rapier, the elf pulled out a whetstone and began running it along the edged portion of the blade. That amounted to roughly the last third approaching the tip.

While the elf tended to his blade, Liam walked to the window in the door and watched the street. Cari sat for a time in the relative silence amidst Thad's snoring. She was sore and her wounds hurt. Thinking of her injuries reminded her she had leveled up again during the fighting at the dueling grounds. She opened the hidden menus to peruse her personal stats.

Name: Cari Dix

Class: Duelist

Level: 3

Attributes:

Brawn: 8

Wisdom: 8

Luck: 8

Speed: 16 - +4

Charm: 12 - +2

Health: 20/30

Skills: Two-Weapon Combat

Experience: 800/1,200

Attribute points: 2

Skill points: 1

With two more attribute points and a skill point to use, Cari had some decisions to make. First, she added the two attribute points to her Brawn score. It added a bonus of plus one to hit and damage done.

That left the ability point. She brought up the skills menu again to look over her choices. It looked like along with choosing a new ability, she could also upgrade her two-weapon combat skill.

Duelist skills - Acrobatic dodge, Acrobatic lunge, Ambidexterity, Bladesmith, Defensive stance, Disarm, Feint, Multi-foe tactics, Prescience, Taunt, Two-weapon combat

She decided to choose something that might keep her from getting injured in combat. That left the skills acrobatic dodge, defensive stance, disarm, and prescience. After looking each over and weighing them against her fighting style, Cari chose acrobatic dodge to add to her skill set.

It appeared, according to its description, the new skill would let her execute a physical disengagement move to avoid an enemy's attack. That sounded good to her. She'd taken bruises from blunted practice weapons before in training, but getting cut by the real thing hurt a lot more than she'd ever imagined.

"Someone I used to know would stare off into space, just like that, with their eyes tracking back and forth as if they were reading something."

Cari closed the menu and turned to Chance, who'd broken her concentration. The elf stared at her, a quizzical expression on his face.

"I was just thinking about something, that's all."

"No, you weren't. You looked like you were doing something with a purpose. Just like —" Chance trailed off and a look of surprise spread across his face. He sat back and set his sword aside, staring at Cari. He shook his head as if trying to deny something to himself. After a few seconds he smiled as if he’d come to a decision. He glanced around to make sure none of the others were close before he leaned forward.

"You resemble him, Your Highness," Chance said in a quiet voice after studying her for a few more long, uncomfortable seconds.

"What do you mean? What did you call me?"

"Prince Hal. You resemble him, especially around the eyes. I can't believe I didn't see if before now, but then again, we were a bit distracted trudging through the catacombs. I see it now, though. You act strange like he did. You ask questions anyone raised here in this world would already know, and your aura seems somehow detached, as if it is not entirely of this place."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Cari protested. He was talking about something she wasn’t ready to admit but already suspected was true. She wanted him to stop, but she was also intrigued by what the elf knew about the man who must be her father.

"He told me once that time moved differently between our worlds. That explains why you're not over eighty-years-old yourself. It was why he and Princess Mona took you home in the end. You grew up faster here than in your world and they had trouble explaining your sudden aging to family and friends. You were nearly four when they took you back, though back at home everyone thought you were just two."

Cari wanted to deny what Chance said and keep her suspicions about her identity to herself but his mention of her parents removing her from this world for her own good opened up a sore subject she couldn't let lie.

"They didn't just take me home," she hissed. "They took me away from something wonderful and told me this place never existed. They made me believe that Fantasma was just a figment of a child's imagination, that all my dreams and passion for swords and the things of this world were the frivolous pursuits of a little girl. Now you tell me I’m actually two years older than everyone at home thinks I am."

"You're angry with them." The elf said, a smile spreading across his face. He seemed happy his suspicions had been confirmed.

"Damned right I'm angry." Cari kept her voice low so Liam couldn't over hear from the other end of the stable but there was ice in her words. "They took this wonderful place from me and told me I was crazy for having dreams about it all the time. Now I discover it was real after all? Yeah, you’re damned right I'm pissed at them. Wouldn't you be?"

"I'm not the daughter of a hero, or a princess protector of the realm. I don't know what I'd be in your shoes. How did you come to be here? Did your father finally relent and offer you a chance to return?"

"They have no idea I'm here," Cari snapped. "I came on my own. It was by accident." She shared a brief account of how she'd come to find herself in Fantasma. At the end, she finished by saying, "Now, I'm just trying to figure this place out and what I should do here."

"To me it sounds like a summoning."

"A what?"

"A summoning. Someone here summoned you to come for a purpose. They may have been trying to call upon your father and got you by mistake, but your appearance in this place and at this time can't be accidental, Your Highness."

"Don't call me that, I'm no princess and I don't want to be known as one."

"Oh no, but you are. You cannot ascend the throne but your title and rights are still yours whether you want them or not. Still, that is not what is important. What is important is your presence here in Fantasma. I suspect you have a very special purpose to fulfill. I'll keep your secret for now, at least until we discover what it is you're expected to do. Your family has a history of great acts of bravery and heroism in the service of the realm."

Chance stopped talking and picked up his blade and whetstone again. He shot a glance of warning at her when she started to speak. She hadn’t realized Liam had drawn close again.

He broke the momentary silence as he walked back to them from the other side of the stable.

"I don't know what's taking that boy so long. I'm hungry enough to start munching on moldy hay myself. Maybe we can pass the time more constructively than just sleeping our lives away like old Thad there."

"What did you have in mind?" Chance asked.

"Our young lady here clearly has a few limited skills with that fine blade she carries but she could learn a few things. Perhaps we can spar a bit and see what she knows and what she still has to learn."

Cari bristled a little at the insinuation that she didn't have good enough skills with her sword. She was among the best with rapier work in her HEMA gym at home.

Liam must have seen her back stiffen and her expression change. He laughed at her reaction.

"You take offense at my suggestion you need work on your sword skills? Perhaps you'd care to teach us a thing or two?"

Cari opened her mouth to argue and defend her abilities with him. She stopped herself. A common guard had nearly killed her. If she hadn't used that burst of speed skill in the duel earlier, she might have been killed before help arrived.

It helped as well that she’d seen the amazing skill Liam and the others demonstrated. She knew she could learn a great deal from them. Cari took a calming breath before saying anything.

"No, you're right. I still have a great deal to learn if I'm to remain here."

"What a strange thing to say. Where would you go if you didn't remain here?" Liam asked.

"I think the girl means she intends to remain with us for the time being," Chance suggested.

"Well, in that case, stand up and assume a fighting stance, Cari. Let's see what you know and don't know."

Despite her fatigue and injuries, Cari stood and drew her sword and dagger.

"A two-weapon technique I see," Liam observed. "And you hold your dagger in an appropriate grip and not like you'd hold a hammer. Someone has at least taught you the basics well enough."

Liam tapped his chest.

"Come at me. Try your hardest to strike me. Don't worry, you won't hurt me."

Cari's eyes narrowed at the challenge. Here was another man discounting her abilities just because she was a woman.

Quest accepted - Train with Liam

She assumed a guard position and then lunged at Liam, her blade snaking out at her best speed while still retaining enough control to retreat and parry if needed.

Liam met her blade with his, pushing it aside easily as he smiled.

"Again."

The smile infuriated Cari for some reason and she went into a series of her best attack moves until she'd exhausted her repertoire and herself. Each time he blocked her attacks, he returned to the en guard position and repeated his order.

“Again.”

After more than two dozen attacks, she'd been unable to get past his guard. The exertion of the sparring, along with her injuries, taxed her strength and left her gasping for breath.

"You've got some excellent basic moves but your style is too formal, as if you're in a contest and not the fight of your life. There are no rules in a real fight and anything you do has to focus on disabling your opponent as quickly as possible. Chance, come here and join me. Let's see how she does against two opponents."

The elf stood and readied his blade. Cari had never trained against two opponents at the same time before. It wasn't something she'd see in a competition so she'd never learned how to manage it. She tried to twist and turn to keep both of the men in front of her.

They both lunged at her simultaneously and she attempted to parry one with her sword and the other with her dagger.

She managed to block neither attack very well, and she received a painful tap with the flat of each of her opponents' blades for the failure.

"You can't block each of us at the same time," Liam advised. "You have to move so as to keep us from coordinating our attacks. You must feint at one opponent while launching the real attack at the other. Then you repeat the process right away against the other. By mixing up these shifts between attack and defense with each opponent, you disrupt their attacks long enough to break through their defenses. Now, do it again, this time the right way."

Liam's attitude frustrated Cari. She wasn't used to being unsuccessful in her sword skills. Gritting her teeth against making a snide comment about his teaching style, she raised her sword and dagger and faced off against the two dragoons.

As soon as she raised her weapons to the ready position, the two moved forward to attack again.

This time she was a little more successful but still wound up getting whacked with the flats of their blades across her back and thigh. She huffed in frustration.

"It's not fair. You both know what I'm trying to do."

"It's never fair," Liam countered, his voice taking on an angry tone. "We're trying to kill you. Do you think we care if it's a fair fight? Any opponent worth their salt is going to know how to fight multiple opponents, too. Therefore they will try to predict what you will do based on the same training. Now, swords up and try again."

This time, she didn't even get a chance to raise her blades to the en guard position before Liam leveled a slash at her head forcing her backward into Chance's attack on her back.

Cari didn't want to get slapped by their blades again and she was tired of the humiliation. Anger flared inside her as she moved on pure instinct. Cari bent at the waist and twisted as she snapped a perfect back round house kick at Chance's face. She knew she wasn't close enough to connect, but he danced back with a shout, anyway. Having made him commit to moving away, Cari continued her spinning move while she crouched down and lunged at Liam on the opposite side.

She forgot for a moment she wasn't using a blunted blade. Had she connected, Liam would have had a nasty sword wound to his thigh. He managed to parry her blow at the last instant but she saw the surprise in his eyes as he danced backward away from her dual attack.

Quest completed - Train with Liam

200 experience awarded

New skill learned - Multi-Foe Tactics

Approval showed in Liam's smile and he nodded at her, raising his sword in front of his face in salute.

"Well done, Cari. You nearly had me with that one."

"Agreed," Chance added. "Had that kick connected it would have broken my nose at the very least. What do you call that technique?"

"It's called Taekwondo where I come from. My father had me study with a friend of his for a while in an effort to get me to stop my fencing classes and get my head out of the fantasy world. All they ended up doing was give me the additional skills and balance needed to take my fencing even farther."

"It's a good complement to your fencing style," Liam said. "Chance is right. It caught us both by surprise, which is the point in a fight. Don't get stuck in a rut with your attacks. It makes you predictable, and that makes you vulnerable. Always be prepared to improvise with any skill you have. It could be the difference between life and death."

A knock at the door interrupted the lesson.

"That's the boy coming back with our supper," Liam said. He pointed to her shoulder. "Your wound is seeping through the bandage. Let Chance take a look at it and see if he can do anything with it now that we're not moving anymore."

Cari hadn't even noticed the burning pain in her shoulder in the midst of the sparring. Her anger had blinded her to it. Now, however, the pain burst through her awareness and she drew in a sharp breath as she flexed her arm to sheath her dagger.

"Liam's right. I'd forgotten your injury. I should have tended to it as soon as we arrived. Here, let me take those bandages and dressings off and have a good look at them."

The elf took her over to stand next to the lantern and his skilled fingers unwrapped the bandages on her shoulder and forearm. Both wounds had broken open again and were seeping bright red blood through the dressings.

Cari wasn't shy about the sight of blood but she was concerned about the scars those two wounds were going to leave behind. It wasn't like she was going to find a surgeon or even a decent doctor in a place like this to stitch them up. Her mother was going to kill her.

"Hold still," Chance said. He placed a hand over each wound with his palms covering the injuries beneath. The elf closed his eyes and muttered something under his breath Cari couldn't quite make out. A gentle warmth flowed into her arm, growing in strength until it was nearly hot enough to burn her. A yellow glow showed beneath his palms where they covered her wounds.

"Hey!" Cari tried to pull away from the uncomfortable sensation.

"Hold still," Chance hissed at her. "I'm almost finished."

Cari steeled herself for what she knew was going to be excruciating pain and held still. The sensation didn't continue to intensify as expected though. Instead the heat rapidly faded, and she was surprised to feel the pain leech away along with it.

Cure light wounds - +10 health points

Chance opened his eyes and lifted his hands away. Cari stared at her right arm in disbelief. She could see the crusted blood and stains on her shirt from her injuries, but of the wounds themselves, there was barely any sign, just a slight scar.

"How did you do that?"

"I possess a small ability with earth magic. I asked my mistress to teach me before she left Fantasma. I cannot heal life threatening wounds but lesser injuries are within my ability to heal. Magic is harder to work now than it used to be. Back in my mistress’s day, such healing would have left no scar at all."

Cari felt a little silly at her reaction to the healing — she guessed "spell" was the best term to use.

"Uh, thank you, Chance. I feel much better now." Cari rotated her arm and raised it over her head to show him she didn't have any lasting effects from the wounds.

"I'm glad I could help Your Highness. I'm sorry I took so long to remember you needed healing."

"Stop calling me that," Cari said. "I told you. I'm no princess and one of the others might overhear you. We need to keep this between us for now. I don't want the others treating me differently because of some legend."

"My comrades are not stupid. Neither is Rodrigo. They will figure it out, eventually. You are your father's daughter and I suspect you have his knack of finding the center of the action without even trying. The first time you do something no one else can do, someone is going to put your name and the legend of your father together."

"Well let's just let that happen on its own, shall we?"

"As you wish, Your Hi — um — Cari."

Chance punctuated his answer with a short bow of deference, anyway. She supposed that was the best she was going to get. As long as the others didn't pick up on it, it was fine. She didn't care that some legend labeled her a princess in this place. That kind of attention wasn't something she needed to deal with right now.

Luckily, Liam returned from the door carrying a small crate loaded with food. Rodrigo was right behind him carrying another crate with several bottles and a stack of pewter tankards.

Food! Thank God. Every other concern melted away at the thought of eating something. She'd worry about the others finding out who she was at another time. For now, she'd eat and forget her troubles for a while.

Chapter 7

Cari sat back against the bale of straw behind her and let out a loud belch. The roasted half chicken, small loaf of heavy brown bread, and two wedges of sharp yellow farm cheese filled her to the point of bursting.

"Ho ho!" Thad called out. "I accept your challenge, young lady."

"What are you talking about?" Cari asked.

She was cut off by the single loudest burp she'd ever heard in her life. It went on for at least ten seconds and seemed to shake the stable's rafters with is reverberations.

"I wasn't challenging you to a burping contest," Cari laughed. "I couldn't begin to compete with that ridiculous sound, anyway."

"I accept your concession," the orc grinned. “I win again."

Thad picked up another of the half chickens and started tearing into it while she stared with her mouth open in shock. She looked at Liam.

"Where does he put it all? Isn't that his fifth half chicken?"

"Sixth I believe," the Dragoon sergeant replied. "I gave up a long time ago trying to figure out that one's eating habits. I will say he has much better table manners than when I met him."

"He still eats like a barbarian," Chance said. "You can't take him out in decent company. He invariably does something embarrassing."

"You don't complain about me being around when there's fighting to be done," Thad interjected around a mouthful of food.

"True," Chance agreed. "You are useful when a fight is at hand."

"At least I'm not all uppity like you. I'm surprised you can eat at all without a properly set table in front of you."

"I make do," Chance said. He punctuated it by carefully folding his linen napkin and placing it back in his coat pocket.

"So, what do we do now that we've eaten and found a safe place to wait?" Rodrigo asked while he gathered up the empty wine bottles.

"We wait here and rest until early morning," Liam said. "You told your uncle you were staying at the Empress's Rest, didn't you, boy?"

Rodrigo nodded.

"Then that's where we'll return the two of you. He'll likely meet us there if I know him."

"What about the Duke's guard?" Cari asked. "Won't they be looking for us in the morning?"

"You'll be safe enough if you stay inside the inn. It's a known haven for supporters of the Empress. They wouldn't dare come inside to search for you there. Too many people to stand against them. Still, you both should make plans to leave the Crystal City as soon as possible."

"I don't want to leave," Rodrigo protested. "I came here to serve the Empress and become a Dragoon."

"Son, your uncle should have sent you on your way as soon as you arrived," Chance said. "We told you. The Dragoons have essentially been disbanded. We aren't taking on any new recruits. It would be like asking them to sign their name and then step up to the headsman's block."

"Gloomy much?" Cari asked.

"Realistic," Chance replied. "There's no future for us. Those of us already sworn into the Dragoons will continue to serve the Empress as best we can despite the obstacles placed in front of us but at least we're all realistic. There's not much going in our favor. We're certainly not going to take on a pair of youngsters like yourselves and ask you to take on the same dangers we face in our hopeless quest to serve the Empire."

Rodrigo started to protest but Liam held up a hand to forestall him.

"Listen to what he says. There's no future for you here, boy. Let those of us who know what we're doing deal with the problems here. You'd be better served to go back to your father's farmstead and take up an honest trade."

Rodrigo turned away and stared at the floor.

"There's nothing for me there anymore. We're on the coast and raiders hit last year. I've got no one left but my uncle and the Dragoons. I'm not giving up."

The three soldiers exchanged glances. Liam started to say something but Chance shook his head. Cari wondered what they would do with Rodrigo if he refused to leave the city. She decided to throw her hat in the ring to back him up.

"I'm not going anywhere either. You all stood by me when I was under attack by those thugs. I figure the least I can do is offer my sword to yours, Rodrigo. Besides, maybe someday, we can go after those sea raiders and get some revenge for you."

"The raiders are a front for Charon," Liam said. "It's all part of his bid to destabilize the Empire just enough that folks think it's time for a change of leadership."

"If you know that, why don't you have him charged?" Cari asked. "Surely there are those who wouldn't support him in treason if they knew."

"Knowing something and being able to prove it are two different things, Lass," Thad said around a mouthful of food.

Liam nodded. "Plus, the Duke has a lot of the nobility in his pocket because he's loaned a bunch of them money. If he calls in his loans, he'd bankrupt most of them and they'd be out on the street."

"You make it sound impossible to fight him," Cari observed. "I guess you should all surrender now."

"Now you see why we want you two youngsters to get out while you can," Liam explained. "We three swore oaths to defend the Empress. We'll do that until we die but there's no reason to drag you two down with us."

"Maybe it's not as hopeless as you think. My dad always said there was no such thing as a hopeless situation. One of his favorite stories from his childhood was about a ship captain famous for cheating on an impossible test called the Kobayashi Maru just to prove that theory."

Chance held Cari's gaze as if trying to measure her mettle against what he knew of her father. After a moment, he nodded.

"Let them stay if they want."

"What?" Liam asked. "You know what we're up against, Chance. How do you expect us to do what needs doing and keep an eye on these two at the same time?"

Chance shrugged and smiled at Cari.

"I don't know. You never know who'll turn out to be the next hero in a story. Maybe they'll surprise us. Besides, if they're not going to leave anyway, they're better off sticking with us."

Liam scowled at his friend when he heard the answer. He threw his hands in the air in exasperation, getting up and walking over to the crate to retrieve the last fresh bottle of wine from it.

"So be it. But their lives are on your head, my elven friend. If they die, I expect them to come back and haunt you, not me. I'll take first watch, you all get some rest. We'll get moving again in a few hours and head back across the city to the Empress's Rest just before dawn."

---

Cari woke up a few hours later to the gentle nudge of a boot against her hip. She opened her eyes, disoriented by the strange surroundings and trying to understand why her sheets were so scratchy.

It took her a few seconds to remember where she was. A part of her wanted to wake up at home in her bed with all of it just a strange dream.

When she realized where she was and it wasn’t all a dream, she let out a gasp of alarm, sitting up and trying to get her bearings. Her senses poured all the information into her brain at once, from the musty smell of the moldy straw, to the sound of the orc snoring nearby, to the dim lamplight showing the interior of the stable.

A chuckle sounded from next to her. Rodrigo smiled at her reaction.

"Forgot where you were for a second, didn't you? I experienced the same thing when I woke up."

"Yeah, I guess I'm still a little tired."

"Welcome to the life of adventure," Liam said as he peered out the crack in the door of the stable. "Never enough sleep and always pressed to do more with less. Come on, gather your things, we're going to get on the move. Chance, wake up Thad."

"Not me, it's your turn."

"We could have the girl do it instead if you'd like," Liam suggested.

"Never mind, I'll do it. It wouldn't do to go to all that trouble to save her yesterday just to have her die waking a sleeping orc today."

The tall elf walked over to where Thad still slept on the pile of straw bales he'd arranged the night before. Picking up a broken broom handle from the floor, Chance reached out and poked Thad hard on the shoulder once then danced backward as the burly orc dragoon bolted upright on the stack of hay bales with a dagger in each hand, ready for blood.

"Easy friend. It’s nearly dawn. It's time to move."

Thad's tensed shoulders relaxed as soon as he took in the situation and their location. He sheathed his daggers on either hip as he rolled off his makeshift bed to his feet with a smooth grace that didn't fit with his bulky frame.

He sniffed at the air and looked around. "Any food left?"

"You finished everything last night," Liam said with a laugh. "Don't worry, we're headed to the Empress's Rest. Arno will fix you up with a breakfast fit for your appetite."

Thad grumbled something under his breath then turned and grabbed his cloak off the bales of hay. He pulled the black fabric across his shoulders and slid his sword's scabbard into the loop on his belt to hold it in place.

Cari picked up her sword and dagger where they rested next to her and settled her sword's belt diagonally across her torso. Her fingers traced the red ribbon supporting the Empress still woven around the brass buckle in the middle of her chest. Strange how such a simple symbol had caught her up into this whole mess.

"Shouldn't we at least return the tankards to the tavern across the street before we leave?" Cari asked as the group prepared to exit the stable. She'd seen the two crates from their dinner the night before by the door.

"They know where we were staying the night," Rodrigo said. "The tavern owner said he'd send a scullery boy over for the crates in the morning if we stacked them by the door."

"You told them where we were staying?" Liam sounded alarmed.

"I had to tell him something about why I was taking enough food and drink for a small army all by myself."

Chance walked over to the window in the door and peered out into the night while Liam ran to peek out one of the side windows.

"Are we expecting trouble?" Cari asked.

"We're always expecting trouble," Liam said watching Chance as he checked the street outside. "What does your night vision see, Chance?"

"Nothing out there but I can't see the whole street from here. I'm not sure what we're walking into."

"We'll have to risk it. You and Thad go first, then the girl and boy. I'll bring up the rear."

Cari bristled a little at being called "the girl" but she didn't think this was the time to make a point in support of feminism. She readied herself for a fight, just in case their suspicions were right.

It turned out the street was deserted when she stepped outside into the misty early morning grayness. Thad searched the end of the street in one direction while Chance watched the other.

Liam joined them and pointed in the direction Chance watched.

"Take the lead, Chance. Your eyes are better in the dark than ours. Take the shortest route but watch for patrols. It wouldn't do to have to explain why we're all up and about during a burglar's hours."

Chance nodded and started down the street followed by Liam then Cari and Rodrigo. Thad came behind, watching over his shoulder for anyone following them.

It was time to return to the Empress's Rest where Cari's adventure had begun the day before.

Chapter 8

The journey through the city to the Empress's Rest passed without incident for the most part. They did duck into an alley on one occasion and wait in the shadows while a mounted patrol of the Duke's guard went past.

Cari caught sight of the Duke's men from her hiding place behind a stack of crates. They seemed tired and not particularly alert. She suspected they'd been out searching the city all night for the ones who'd killed their fellow guardsmen. That meant they’d be angry and ready for a fight if they ran into anyone they thought had played a part in that battle at the dueling grounds.

The thought brought back the memory of her blade sliding so easily into the chest of the guard she’d fought. Raden was his name. She’d killed him. She remembered the surprised look on his face as he slid backward off her blade to the ground, his life fading away with each passing second. It had been so easy when she thrust her blade through his heart.

Were other hearts broken by his death? Did he have a family or a daughter like herself who'd wonder where her father was and why he didn’t come home last night? Part of her knew she'd been in a fight for her life and he would have killed her without hesitation if given the chance. She’d seen the bodies as proof of his intention. That didn't change the sense of deep, gut-wrenching guilt she suddenly felt over his death. It left a roiling darkness in the pit of her stomach even when she wasn't thinking about it.

She wondered if her father had killed anyone in his time in Fantasma. Certainly he had, given how he'd apparently risen to become a legendary hero in the eyes of the people here. Her hand fell to her belt pouch where her phone, credit chip, and other connections to her home still sat, useless here in this far away land.

A sad smile crossed Cari’s face. She'd reached for her phone because she wanted to text her father and ask him how he dealt with the guilt of killing people. It made her sad she couldn't reach out to him at a moment's notice like she could at home. That sadness quickly faded.

Anger replaced it. Her father hid all of this from her, making her find it on her own, forcing her to stumble around this world on her own without knowing the rules. He and her mom were as responsible for Raden’s death at her hands as she was. Cari missed her family even though she usually felt distant and disconnected from them at home. That said, she wasn't quite ready to forgive them yet.

Her parents put her through years of therapy, making her doubt her own memories. At times, just talking with the therapist made her feel like she was crazy. Those memories had been so real that when she was told they were only her imagination, she doubted her sanity and her connection to any reality. She struggled to wrap her head around why her parents would have let their daughter go through that hardship knowing that she was right all along.

She had to force down the fresh surge of anger welling up from deep inside her. There was no point in getting angry now. Her parents weren't here. They had gone away for the weekend leaving her alone as usual. Cari wondered what they would think when they found her missing, gone without a trace. Would her father come looking for her here in Fantasma? She hoped he would so she could confront him somewhere he wouldn't be able to brush off her accusations of abuse and neglect when she was younger.

"You look preoccupied by something," Rodrigo said, interrupting her train of thought.

Cari looked up from staring down at her feet as they walked along. She was so lost in her thoughts, she hadn’t even realized they’d started moving again. Liam and Chance had moved ahead a few yards and Thad was still well behind them watching for anyone following them. She and Rodrigo had some privacy for the time being.

"I was just thinking about my family. They'll be wondering where I am and when I'm coming home. I wish there were a way to contact them and let them know I'm alright."

"I suppose we could hire a courier or messenger if it was that important to you to reach them."

"That isn't really an option. They're too far away in a - call it a distant land." Cari had to catch herself before she revealed too much. She wasn't sure she wanted all the attention her true identity would bring.

"It can't be so far away," Rodrigo said. "You made it here after all."

"You'd be surprised."

"At least you have a family at home. All I have left is my Uncle Shawn. I don't know him all that well. He's been here commanding a company of the Empress's personal guards in the Dragoons since before I was born but he'd come visit my father from time to time on the farm. He always seemed larger than real life in some ways. My father didn't see him that way. Dad resented my uncle’s freedom to travel and see the world in the uniform of the Dragoons. I guess he just saw a big brother who left the family estates and his responsibilities behind for a life of adventure."

Cari nodded. Her father had apparently done that when she was little. She could imagine how that would have felt if she'd been old enough to remembered any of it.

"Have you talked to your uncle much since you came to the city?"

"Only once before yesterday when I went to him about your duel. He told me the first time to go back home and rebuild the farm, to find a wife and settle down far away from what he called the mess of the Empire."

"You decided to stay, anyway. Why?"

"I put that life behind me. I've heard the rumors about who's behind the raiders hitting the coast. If the dragoons are standing against the Duke of Charon and his attempts to usurp the Crystal Throne, then I’m with them in that quest. If my uncle won't let me officially join the Dragoons, then I'll find an option allowing me to help in another way, like when I fetched help for you."

"Thank you for that, by the way," Cari said. "I don't know how I would have gotten myself out of there if you hadn't fetched Liam and the others."

"I'm glad I was able to find them in time. Uncle Shawn wasn't sure where the three of them were and I had to do some quick searching of pubs and taverns."

"They do seem a bit rough around the edges to be royal body guards. I wouldn't have guessed that was their job from looking at them."

Rodrigo snorted a laugh.

"I got the sense from the way my uncle talked about these three they were both the best and worst of his men. I think it is what makes the Dragoons so effective. They take their job and oaths seriously and not the pomp and circumstance of the position. It's what makes them so annoying to the other nobles. They don't care about rank and privilege. All that matters is the protection of the Empress. It is said they’ve been like that since all the way back when Prince Hal transformed them from a simple household guard to the unorthodox unit they are today."

Cari shrugged off the reference to her father again. He seemed to come up in conversations a lot. It irked her. She decided to change the subject.

"Where I come from, we don't have Empresses or nobility."

"How strange," Rodrigo said. "How in the world does anything get done. Who rules over your land."

"We elect ordinary citizens to gather together and govern us. One of these elected citizens is called the President. They act as our central leader. The President works together with the other elected officials to create and pass laws."

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. I can't imagine anything useful gets accomplished."

"Sometimes you're right, but for the most part it works."

They stopped their conversation as ahead of them, Liam and Chance stopped at the corner and waited for the rest of the group to catch up. Cari and Rodrigo joined them, followed a few seconds later by Thad.

"No one is following us," the orc said.

"Good," Liam said. He hooked a thumb over his shoulder. "The inn is around this corner. Chance had a look around and there doesn't appear to be anyone watching the entrance so we should be able to get in without any trouble. The early morning market vendors are already setting up their stalls so there are a few people in the street already."

Chance nodded and continued the plan.

"I'll go first and pass by the inn just to be sure there isn't a trap set up for us. Then Liam and I will find places to watch from across the street while Cari and Rodrigo head inside. The three of us will join you once the coast is clear."

Cari didn't see anything wrong with the plan and apparently, neither did Rodrigo. They both agreed and Chance left around the corner, followed ten seconds later by Liam. Cari moved up to the corner of the stone building and peeked around the side to watch Liam walking along the street, staying to one side. Liam moved to the far side of the small square and stopped just past the inn's entrance. He looked left and then right before meeting Cari's eyes and nodding once.

"Let's go."

Cari stepped out and Rodrigo followed right behind her. They walked across the street and through the door to the Empress's Rest without incident. They’d made it and she let out a deep sigh of relief as they entered the deserted common room.

It took a moment for Cari’s eyes to adjust. There was a fire burning in the fireplace and she heard voices coming from behind the bar in the direction of the kitchen. The staff was up and getting the morning meal together for the inn's guests.

"About time you showed up, Rod."

Cari tensed at the sudden realization there was someone else there. Then a man stepped from the shadows on the far side of the room. He smoked a pipe, the gray haze from the bowl obscuring his face as he puffed away after speaking. He paused and pointed at her with the pipe's stem.

"Is this your friend who got into trouble with the Duke's thugs? I didn't chalk you up as one to get caught up in trouble just because a pretty girl is involved. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised."

"Uncle Shawn, this is Cari, and I didn't get caught up in anything. The Duke’s men accosted her. It was they who forced her to defend herself."

"That may be what you saw happen but that's not what the Duke said in the Privy council last night. He said his men were set upon by common thieves pretending support for the Empress as an excuse to rob them. Luckily, no-one got a good description of any of you. I managed to point out that any brigand could have dressed up in Dragoon colors and started the fight."

Rodrigo's uncle looked past them at the door to the street.

"Where're the rest of them? I assume based on the Duke’s account of the fight you found the three idiots I sent you out to find?"

"We're right behind you, Cap'n," Liam said.

Liam, Chance and Thad stepped out of the Inn's back hallway into the common room.

It startled both Rodrigo and Cari but the captain just smiled.

"I hope you made sure no one was watching the inn?"

"No one is watching the inn, at least, not anymore," Thad said, sporting a vicious grin.

Captain Shawn pointed at a long table with benches on either side.

"Good. Sit down. I told Arno to bring out breakfast as soon as it was ready. He knows I'm expecting friends."

Cari followed Rodrigo's lead and moved up to take a place on the bench opposite the dragoon captain, Liam, and Thad. Chance came around and sat next to Rodrigo.

"I would have thought you'd have encouraged this young lady to leave the city," Shawn said, “perhaps with my wayward nephew?"

"It was discussed while we hid out last night," Liam said. "They both are a bit stubborn about staying and helping out, despite my efforts to convince them otherwise."

"Chance, can't you magic her to want to leave or something? If she remains in the city, it will cause more trouble."

Cari bristled at being talked over and around.

"I have my own voice and can answer for myself. If you have a problem with me staying in the city, take it up with me."

"Ah ha! So, you have some spunk to go along with the pretty face."

"I'm pretty good with my sword, too, if you'd like to give it a go."

Shawn's face darkened at her challenge. Chance slapped a hand down on the table, distracting everyone from the escalating situation.

"She has a role to play in the current troubles now, Captain. I've determined she may be useful in what we have to do to ensure the Empress's safety and continued rule."

Shawn leaned back and considered what Chance said while taking a few puffs on his pipe.

"Magic elf intuition, I suppose?"

"Something like that."

"Well, of the three of you, you've never lied to me yet. But if you involve her in this, she's your responsibility, all of you."

"I can take care of myself," Cari said again.

"Yes, and that's why my three wayward soldiers here had to come and rescue you last night and kill a squad of the Duke's finest in the process. Do me a favor. At least take a hint from my nephew there and keep silent unless you have something useful to add to the conversation. I’ll take your word for it that you know how to fight. If that wasn’t the case, Chance here wouldn't vouch for you. Now, show me you know how to listen and follow instructions, too."

Before Cari could respond with another quip, Liam held up a hand and asked, "You act like there's something you need us to do. What is it?"

"That idiot Timron finally surfaced again, thank the gods. I was beginning to think he was going to turn up dead like the rest of the Imperial family."

"Where is he?"

"He's here in the city. My contact spotted him entering Seraphina's place yesterday. They're watching the place and will trail him if he leaves but they're not up to protecting him if real trouble comes."

"You want us to pick him up for you?" Liam asked.

"No, I want you to trail him and try to figure out if anyone is plotting to kill him. When you find them, stop the plotters and find out who sent them. If we're going to stop the Duke, we need hard evidence he's behind the deaths of the Empress's family. Without it, we dare not confront him directly. He holds too much sway over the rest of the council."

"Timron knows us, Captain," Chance said. "If he spots us, he'll bolt and go back into hiding. How are we supposed to protect —," he trailed off and turned to look at Rodrigo and Cari. "Unless — we had someone else he didn’t know tail the young prince.”

"We just got the girl and my nephew out of trouble and now you want them to jump back into it?" Shawn barked, clearly finding the idea ridiculous.

"Don't worry, Captain. Liam, Thad, and I will be close by. We just need them to be the face of the operation."

"Chance is right," Liam agreed. "We are too well known, especially at Seraphina's in Chance’s case. It would be better if these two did the bulk of the surveillance work and reported back to us. I know of a place with rooms to rent nearby. We can remain close by if trouble starts but out of sight from anyone who knows us."

The captain leaned back and puffed on his pipe a few more times, his brow creased in thought. He glanced at Cari and Rodrigo several times then pointed at the two of them with the stem of his pipe.

"Alright, now you can speak. What are your thoughts? Do you think you can follow our young imperial heir around and keep him out of trouble while watching for any attackers who might seek to harm him as well?"

Rodrigo nodded with unfettered enthusiasm. Cari paused and considered what the Captain said. If she accepted this task, she'd have to postpone any efforts to find out how she could return home again. As she thought about it, though, she realized she didn't really feel like going home right now. She was definitely in no mood to see her parents any time soon. At the very least, her mother would notice the scars on her arm and ask where they came from.

Cari decided she didn’t want to have that conversation right now. Remaining here in Fantasma intrigued her. She wanted more time to explore it some more. She honestly couldn't care less about returning home now that her childhood "fantasy" had been vindicated.

"I'm in." She added with a smirk.

Quest accepted - Protect Prince Timron

"Good. Now for the rest of what has to be done."

Captain Shawn pulled out three folded papers from inside his uniform coat. He placed one in front of each of his Dragoons.

"What's this?" Liam asked as he picked the paper up and unfolded it.

"It is your letter of resignation from the Dragoons. The Duke of Charon has finally pushed the council to send the rest of the dragoons to the war in the east. I will be able to stay due to my position as an assistant to Colonel Sharp on the council but all the others will have to march from the city tomorrow."

"This is insane!" Thad shouted, his booming voice echoing in the empty common room. "Who will protect the Empress?"

"The Duke has put his men in charge of palace security for the time being. That is why I'm asking the three of you to resign your commissions. Once that's done, I cannot order you to march east with the others or even to leave the city. Of course, I will also be unable to come to your defense if you are caught up in anything illegal, whether real or imagined."

The three dragoons looked over the papers for a few seconds. Liam was the first to answer.

"I've been meaning to retire, anyway. Now's as good a time as any."

"It's too damn hot in the east for me. I prefer the climate here. I'll sign," Thad growled.

"More time to spend with my lady friends," Chance added. "Where's the pen and ink?"

The Captain pulled a small, corked bottle from his coat and a short quill pen to go with it.

Each dipped the pen in ink and signed their paper in turn, Thad going last and marking his with just an "X" at the bottom.

Captain Shawn gathered up the signed resignations with care so as not to smudge the ink.

"Good. You're all now civilians."

"Sure, we are," Liam said with a grin. "Like you won't tell us what to do if you can find us."

"Yes, but now I'll have the paperwork to show plausible deniability if you screw up."

The door to the kitchen opened and two serving women came out with big trays of food. A short, rotund man who must be Arno the innkeeper followed them out and started filling tankards of ale from behind the bar.

Cari realized as she smelled the fresh bread, country sausage, bacon, and eggs how hungry she was even after the chicken dinner the night before. She was spending a lot of energy just walking around in this place. She’d never been somewhere there were no cars, automated sidewalks, or the other transportation advances from her modern world.

Filling her plate, Cari dug in with gusto and smiled as she heard the good-natured banter start up around her. Thad let out a bellowing laugh at some story Liam was telling about Captain Shawn. The Dragoon officer smiled and waved off the story with his hand, starting the telling over again from his point of view.

Cari decided if she was going to go on an adventure, these were the kind of people with whom she'd most like to associate. She was glad she’d decided to stay.

Chapter 9

Cari stopped again as she strolled along the street and pretended to inspect the wares in the market stall. The wooden bins were all full of turnips and rutabagas. A quick glance to the side showed her charge, Prince Timron, still talked with the silk merchant outside his storefront. They appeared to be arguing about something and the prince wasn't winning.

Rodrigo, who had been across the street watching from the corner, crossed and passed behind Cari as he walked by.

"I'll get closer and try to determine what the problem is."

Cari gave a small nod to the vegetable vendor and turned around to cross the street and take up an overwatch position from the other side to cover both Rodrigo and the prince. They'd been tailing the overdressed dandy for two days now. The only danger he was in apparently had to do with all the businesses to whom he owed money. It seemed like he owed everyone for the debts he’d accrued.

Taking a position across the street from the prince, Cari snorted in disgust at the prince’s financial problems. She'd taken up this quest expecting adventure and action. Instead, the last two days duty had filled her time with routine boredom of listening to the man whine at his creditors about why he couldn’t repay them right now.

The current argument was not the first they'd witnessed since the two of them first undertook the task of keeping Timron safe from an anticipated attack or kidnapping. So far, the worst danger had been a glass of wine tossed in his face at a tavern during an altercation with one of the waitresses. If there was anyone trying to kidnap or kill this guy, they were taking their time setting up the play against his life.

Cari walked further down the opposite side of the street, taking up a position against a gas lamp post where she could see up and down the street in both directions and keep Timron and Rodrigo in view. Rod walked past the prince and then stopped checking the sky as if looking for rain. He brought his gaze down and shot her a wink.

Cari suppressed a chuckle. They'd talked the night before that the only thing that would have made the current task worse would have been a cold rain to soak them while they stood on the street trailing the prince.

Raising her hand to her mouth to cover the laugh with a cough, Cari scanned the street for any signs of trouble. The prince started moving again, heading down the street at a brisk pace. He scowled and the one hand she could see was clenched into a fist. He must have lost the argument again.

She turned and paralleled the prince from the opposite side of the street while Rodrigo trailed their target about ten paces behind. Even though her partner was closer, she spotted the trouble first.

As the prince passed by a narrow gap between two buildings, a pair of men stepped out, grabbed the prince and dragged him out of sight into the gap.

"Rod," Cari shouted. Her partner had been pretending to window shop and missed the abduction. He looked at her and held his hands out after scanning the street for the prince, unsure where Timron had gone.

Cari pointed to the narrow gap then she drew her sword and dagger and darted across the street. Rodrigo nodded and rushed forward, reaching the opening first. A booted foot met him, kicking him in the chest as he rounded the corner to follow the prince. Rodrigo fell backwards, rolling to a stop a few feet away on the cobblestone street.

Darting past her fallen comrade, Cari shouted a challenge and swung her sword down at the broad, shadowy figure filling the passageway before her. She had to get to the prince before they had a chance to get him out of the area or kill him outright.

The glint of sunlight on steel warned her of a blade sweeping down at her. She caught the descending blade on her dagger hilt's crosspiece, designed for the purpose of deflecting larger blades in a fight. She flicked her rapier forward aiming for the large man's armpit.

A grunt of pain greeted her attack and the man backed away, trying to disengage from the fight by pulling back into the narrow passageway. On the edge of her vision, the power up bar started to fill once more. Cari pressed her advantage and advanced on her opponent timing another lunge to take him in the leg when he glanced behind him to keep from falling over debris in the alley.

This time, a spurt of blood flowed from the wound as she pulled her blade free. That told her she'd hit a major vessel. The man's leg crumpled and he overcompensated for the sudden shift in his balance, lurching forward and bending down giving Cari a perfect shot at his neck and shoulder.

She stabbed forward with her sword's point, sinking twelve inches of it into the base of the man's neck. He let loose a gurgling scream and collapsed to the ground.

300 experience awarded

Level Up!

Cari jumped over the man's still quivering body and ran to the end of the passageway. She skidded to a stop when she came face to face with a pair of men holding flintlock pistols. One pointed his weapon in her direction and the other leveled his at Timron.

"Stop, mistress. You're far too pretty to have your brains splattered across the stones of this alley."

The speaker wore a black cloak atop a well-made red coat with bold embroidered patterns in many colors down the front. A row of polished brass buttons ran down one side of the open coat. He stood to the rear of the two thugs holding the pistols.

She heard Rodrigo's footsteps down the alley behind her and dropped her hand to her side and tried a halting gesture to stop her companion from rushing into the path of the guns. Her other hand, she held out in front of her with her sword at the ready while her mind whirled through the possibilities for a solution.

Quest accepted - resolve the alley standoff

The message gave her an idea. She could try to get out of this without anyone else dying.

"Hold on, there's no need to escalate this further," Cari called to the men in the alley. "I saw you abduct this man and came to lend aid."

"Nonsense, young lady. I've watched you and your companion following our friend the prince for the greater part of two days now. At first, I thought you had designs on accosting him, as well, but then I realized you were some sort of protection detail, probably from the palace."

Timron's eyes narrowed as he met Cari's eyes. Seeing him up close for the first time, she noticed he had a certain smoldering quality to his gaze.

"I've never seen this woman before today, Merrick. She's not a member of the palace guard or my family's retainers as far as I know. Let her go and I'll agree to talk with you about your grievances with me."

"That's very noble of you, my prince, but you don't have anything to trade. I plan on having a chat with you whether you agree to it or not. That is why I set up this little meeting."

Merrick looked back at Cari.

"Did you kill my man in the passageway? I heard him call out."

"I did. He was in my way." Her bravado hid the wave of nausea she managed to push down after killing the man. She wondered if this was going to happen every time she killed someone, always taking her back to remember the death of that guard on her first day in Fantasma.

She must have succeeded in sounding callous enough because her response angered the thug holding the pistol aimed at her. She saw him tense and grimace at her. She prepared to dodge back into the alley if she saw his finger so much as twitch on the trigger.

"Hold your fire, Quint. If your brother couldn't hold off a girl half his size, he didn't deserve to live."

Judging from the way Quint's eyes narrowed, he didn't like that last statement. The next few seconds seemed to last an hour, then the thug's shoulders relaxed a bit and it seemed the situation settled back into the original standoff.

"Mr. Merrick, I'm Cari Dix and you're right. I'm charged with keeping the prince safe. Surely there's something we can do to resolve this without anyone else getting hurt."

Merrick laughed.

His response puzzled her.

“What are you laughing at?”

"Is that really your name?"

"It is." The answer slipped out before she could think to lie. It might be a good idea to start going by a different name if she didn't want people to connect the dots on who she was.

"Well, boys, we have to be careful here. We are facing down against a lost princess from children's stories. Now I'm truly scared."

The regret at giving her real name faded as his response irked Cari. She wanted to wipe the smirk from this guy's face and show him what a lost princess could really do. Instead she forced herself to project a semblance of calm.

"Blame my parents for being hopeless romantics," Cari lied, "It doesn't change what I have to do. I do have one question though."

"And that is?"

"Is there anyone this idiot prince doesn't owe money to?"

Merrick stared at her for a minute and then burst into laughter, shaking a finger in her direction as he tried to get control of himself again.

"That was not the question I expected, young lady, not the question I expected at all."

Merrick wiped away a tear brought on by the laughing and shook his head.

"To answer your question, not that many to my knowledge. Our prince is a particularly poor gambler and a worse womanizer. That pair of bad habits have depleted an entire royal inheritance to a pittance of what it was. Which brings us to the impasse at hand."

Merrick turned to Timron.

"Let us get back to my original question before Miss Dix interrupted us. Do you have the money you owe me or not?"

"It's not as simple as that, Merrick."

"Ah, but it really is. It's a simple question with an equally simple answer. Either you answer yes or I must have my friends here take it out on your body. Perhaps the loss of a few fingers would help you find the money you owe me."

Timron held up his hands then, stared at his fingers and thrust them behind his back as if to hide them.

"No! No, there's no need for anything as barbaric as that. I have the money, just not on me."

"Then you can take me to the money. Is that what you're saying?"

"Sort of," Prince Timron whined. "You see it is money I have coming but I haven't received it yet."

"Please, Timron, don't play me for a fool." Merrik said.

The thug holding the prince pushed the barrel of his pistol against his forehead.

"I'm not!" Timron shouted hurriedly. "Surely, you've heard of the demise of my uncle, the crown prince, and his entire family at sea."

"I do remember hearing something of that," Merrick said after a brief pause. "Go on."

"I stand to inherit all his estates now that I'm the crown prince. I should receive a delivery of the deeds to be signed very soon. Once that has been completed, I'll be able to draw upon the income from those estates with local bankers. Then I can repay you."

"I'm not sure I should let you go in the meantime, Timron. You've given me hollow assurances before. I think I must ask for some sort of collateral to hold in place of your pledge to repay me. Do you have anything of value I might hold against your debt or do I take those two fingers as a down payment?"

Timron shook his head and shot a worried glance at Cari as if asking her for assistance. She had no idea what he expected her to offer as collateral.

"I'm afraid I cannot stand by and let you harm the prince, Mr. Merrick. I do have my orders as you noted earlier."

"Then we are at an impasse, Miss Dix. I have a business to run and a reputation to uphold. If it gets around that I let this fool off for not paying his debt to me, others will think they can stop paying me as well. That I simply cannot abide."

Cari brought her hand up from her side and her arm brushed against her belt pouch. It held the only possessions she had from her life at home. It held her phone, her credit chip, and a small portable projector cube, a simple add-on for her phone.

"What if I put up the collateral?" Cari asked.

"You? You have enough coin or something of equivalent value against his debt that could serve such a purpose."

"I have a family magic item you may have until the prince's property deeds are delivered."

"Why would you part with such a thing of value for the prince? He is nothing more than an assignment to you."

"And yet, here I am risking my life for him. What do you say? Do we have a deal?"

"I would have to see the item of which you speak to assess its value."

Cari slowly brought her hand up to her belt pouch and opened the clasp. She brought out the projector, a one inch aluminum and plastic cube. She held the device out in her palm.

"What does it do?" Merrick asked.

Cari's thoughts raced. The only things loaded on the projector were her recent history project presentation on medieval wars during the Renaissance and a few old photos of her family vacation from a few years before.

"It is set up to display a window showing weapons and other devices used in the wars of a faraway land."

"Show me."

Cari sheathed her rapier and tapped the button on the top of the tiny cube. There were gasps from the people in the alley as a holographic image of DaVinci's drawing of a wooden tank appeared in mid air. Cari had animated it to show it rolling across a grassy plain while the cannons on board fired.

When the animation played out, Cari tapped the button and the display turned off.

"Well, well, that is a remarkable device. It makes me wonder where an ordinary palace guard came to have such a thing."

"I'm not your ordinary palace guard. Let's just say I'm a special player brought in for this particular situation."

"That answer intrigues me more than your magical cube, but I'll wait for you to answer that at another time. Miss Dix, you have a deal. Your magical window device is sufficient as collateral against our recalcitrant prince's debt."

Cari nodded and took a cautious step forward to hand over the projector cube. Merrick took it and nodded to the man holding Timron. The thug lowered his pistol and shoved the prince towards Cari.

Quest completed - resolve the alley standoff

500 experience awarded

"What about my brother?" Quint asked. "You're not just going to let her go after what she did?"

"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll see Miss Dix again. She will want this wonderful item back I'm sure. Come along, gentlemen. Let us leave our new friend to her charge. I'm sure they have much to discuss.

Quint lowered his pistol and shoved it in his belt. He muttered something Cari couldn't hear and shot her a scowl before he turned away, following Merrick down the rest of the alley and out to the street. They turned and walked out of sight.

Cari felt her shoulders sag as she let out the breath she'd been holding. She hadn't been sure they could get out of that confrontation without further fighting. In the end, she'd been able to puzzle out a solution that didn't involve more killing. For that she was proud.

In the days leading up to this confrontation she had inquired with Chance about some of the stories involving her father. She had a hard time equating the tales of heroism and adventure with the man she knew as a simple and rather ordinary business executive.

She found herself both in awe of and disgusted by all the deaths attributed to him. One of her father's hallmark lessons to her, especially given her penchant for the martial arts, had been avoiding unneeded violence. He had preached to Cari about always trying to find another way out of conflict. How could the Hal Dix she knew be the same as the Hal Dix known in Fantasma? If the stories were true, he didn’t live up to the standards he’d set for her at home. She determined she was going to be better than her father. Cari was not going to be the cold, heartless assassin the stories made Hal Dix out to be.

Returning to the present problem at hand, Cari sighed and held out a hand, gesturing at the prince who stood speechless staring at her with a strange grin on his face.

"Come along your Highness. It's time we got you somewhere where you're safe from creditors and others who might wish you harm."

They left the alley in a hurry, stepping over the dead body of Quint's brother. While they walked back to the hideout Liam arranged for them, Cari pulled up her stats and worked out where she'd spend her newly acquired level points.

She opted to drop both attribute points into her speed and her skill point into her Acrobatic Dodge ability. If she ran into other folks with firearms like those pistols, she hoped it would help her get the drop on them. Based on what little she knew about them, pistols and muskets of this period were notoriously inaccurate. If she could power up the way she did against the Duke's guard at the dueling ground, she might be able to use that slow-motion speed ability to avoid getting shot.

She glanced one last time at her stats and nodded. They'd shaped up well in just a few levels. She smiled. This world of Fantasma was becoming more like home to her and Cari liked the way she could game the system.

Name: Cari Dix

Class: Duelist

Level: 4

Attributes:

Brawn: 10 - +1

Wisdom: 8

Luck: 8

Speed: 18 - +5

Charm: 12 - +2

Health: 40/40

Skills: Two-Weapon Combat, Acrobatic Dodge - 2, Multi-Foe Tactics

Experience: 1,800/2,400

Chapter 10

If Cari thought the difficult part of watching over Prince Timron was trailing him and the subsequent rescue from Merrick and his men, she was mistaken. The following three days cooped up with the prince in the apartment Liam and Chance secured for them proved to be more trying by far. Cari gained a much greater appreciation of why so many people wished the prince harm.

It started as soon as they arrived at the address given them by Liam after they brought the prince to him. The apartment included a small cast iron stove in one corner of the main room with a small table and four chairs. The separate bedroom had two beds and a rickety table between them.

Timron stood staring around the room with his mouth hanging open for all of two seconds before the complaining began.

"This will simply not do. Not at all."

"Your Highness," Rodrigo said. "As Liam explained, we cannot protect you if we stay in one of your usual haunts. Your enemies know to search for you there. This is owned by a friend of the crown but not one who is well known. It will help us keep you safe. We've also spread the rumor you've left the city to avoid your creditors. Hopefully, that will keep people from looking too hard for you."

"If this is what it looks like being safe, I'd rather be in danger. This place is deplorable. Look, there aren't even cushions on the chairs. I can't even begin to think about staying here."

"I don't think you understand the situation, Prince Timron," Cari said. "This is the best option to keep you safe. We don't like it any more than you do but it is the best we can do for now."

As soon as she spoke, Timron's demeanor changed.

"I suppose if I must be cooped up in a dunghole like this, it is a good thing they gave me someone like you to watch over me. Perhaps we can retire to the bedroom and test out the springs on the beds."

The prince made a grab for Cari's arm and she stepped backwards to avoid his clutching fingers. The leering grin on his face raised the hair on the back of her neck. For the third time that morning, she resisted the urge to lay him out with a roundhouse kick to the head. Maybe she'd be satisfied with a jab to the face, breaking his nose.

Rodrigo must have seen her clenched fist. He stepped between them, his hands raised to his shoulders, palm outward to try to indicate surrender to both sides.

"Your Highness, Cari is here to protect you and that is all. She has made that clear on several occasions. Perhaps we can try to make the best of things in the meantime. I have a deck of cards. Would you care for a game?"

"I hardly think you can match the kind of wagers I'm used to making."

"I wasn't thinking of gambling, just playing for fun."

"Fun," Timron spluttered out a laugh. "Who plays cards for fun?"

"Perhaps," Cari said, "If you practice a little bit, you won't lose so badly the next time you play for real stakes."

Timron stopped, and for a second, considered what she said.

"If you were to play as well as your young friend here, I might be persuaded to join you for a few hands. The chatter of a friendly card game might help us to get to know each other a little better."

"As long as it keeps you here with me and Rodrigo, I'm happy to join you in a game."

"Excellent. Do either of the two of you play crowns?"

Cari looked at Rodrigo. She'd never heard of the game before.

Rodrigo smiled. "I know how to play, Cari. Don't worry. It's not hard to learn."

Crowns turned out to be a game very similar to Gin Rummy. It took her a few hands to learn all the cards from the stylized images. Eventually she figured out the Empress outranked the Prince Consort, who outranked the Duke. Below that were numbered cards from one to eleven. There were five suits instead of the four she was used to including shields, swords, anchors, roses, and crowns in ascending order of rank.

Once she sorted out the nuances of the game, Cari made a decent showing for herself. It helped that the prince was a horrible card player. He took foolish chances and forgot which cards she and Rodrigo collected from the discard pile, allowing them both to fill their hands and lay down sets and runs for points again and again. After playing cards with him for the first hour, it was no wonder to Cari why he was in debt to loan sharks and bookies. She and Rodrigo could have taken him to the cleaners if they'd been wagering on the games.

Playing cards wasn’t enough for the prince. Timron continued his advances towards her over the next two days, trying again and again to get Cari alone in the back bedroom. She restrained herself from taking any overt action other than slapping his hand away when he attempted to grope her or pull her close for a kiss.

He seemed to think it was his right to do whatever he wished and the more she resisted, the more persistent he became. She needed to blow off some steam before she killed the man she was supposed to protect.

Heading down to the small, open courtyard in the center of the building, Cari took her sword and started running through a series of training maneuvers in an effort to clear her mind. She became lost in her workout and didn't notice the prince standing at the door to the courtyard with Rodrigo, watching her exercises.

When she did notice him, she realized she dripped with sweat and her blouse stuck to her torso like a wet t-shirt. She didn't need a mirror to know her face turned a bright red. It might be anger or it might be the embarrassment. To Cari, the distinction didn't matter.

"You have a strange style to your sword work, Cari. It is unlike any of the martial schools I've studied in the past. I wonder how it holds up in a true fight?"

"It holds up fine, Timron."

"What, no 'Your Highness' this time?"

"Where I come from, people earn their honorifics."

"Perhaps I could spar with you some. I had young Rodrigo fetch the rest of my luggage yesterday. There are a pair of blunted blades there which are close to your own in size and weight."

Given how Cari felt about the prince at that moment, it might have been a good idea to turn him down. She didn't care. She wanted to teach the dandy a lesson.

"I think a sparring match between the two of us is an excellent idea."

Quest accepted - Win sparring contest with the prince

Rodrigo shook his head. "Cari, do you…?"

"I said it's a great idea, Rod. Get the prince's practice blades."

Rodrigo hesitated for only a few seconds then turned and went back up to their apartment. He came back minutes later with a pair of basket-hilted practice blades. They each had a small, steel ball welded to the end of the blades, preventing them from being lethal in a duel. Nonetheless, they'd both deliver painful blows, especially since neither of them had padded sparring vests or arm and leg guards.

Cari took one of the blades from Rodrigo and tested the spring of the steel, grabbing the end and flexing it a little. These were of excellent quality, unusual for practice swords which only had to approximate the heft and feel of a real blade.

"Shall we make it interesting, my lady? Perhaps a kiss to the winner of the bout. First to three touches out of five?"

Cari, disgusted by the wager but still angry at the prince, nodded agreement and assumed a guard position.

"If I win," Cari countered, "you cease your romantic advances on me once and for all."

"Agreed," Timron said, sweeping his blade up until it pointed to the sky just in front of his face in salute. "En guard."

She returned the gesture and the bout began.

Cari was unprepared for the blazing speed of the prince's attack. She’d assumed he was inexperienced with a blade and as inept at fighting as he was at cards. She was wrong.

The first jab slipped past her attempted parry within seconds, punching her with the ball tip just above her navel. She let out a grunt and doubled over as the powerful lunging strike drove the air from her lungs.

Health damage - health -2

"Touch," she croaked, though she didn't need to say it. It was clear he'd made contact.

Prince Timron stepped back and waited for Cari to regain her wind and composure. As soon as she assumed her guard position again, he unleashed a new attack combination, once more catching Cari unprepared and unable to counter.

The tip whipped in against her right shoulder, the steel ball leaving a red welt on her exposed skin.

Health damage - health -2

"Touch!" Timron yelled this time as soon as he connected. "One more and I win that kiss, my dear."

"You'll not get through my guard again," Cari hissed. Her anger masked the pain of the two touches.

"Temper, temper. Didn't your sword master teach you to control your emotions? They have no place in a fight."

"En guard," Cari said as she took her defensive stance once again.

This time she didn't try to attack Timron at all, focusing all her attention on blocking his attacks. She refused to admit he was a better swordsman than she was.

It didn't matter whether she admitted it or not. The third touch snaked past her defenses and struck her just above the kneecap of her left leg.

Health damage - health -2

The strike buckled her leg and caused Cari to fall to the side, landing on the flagstones of the courtyard hard enough to scrape her elbow on the rough flooring and draw blood.

"Touch," Timron announced, sweeping his blade up in a brief salute before he tossed it hilt first to Rodrigo by the door. The prince stepped forward and extended a hand to Cari.

"Here, let me help you up."

Without thinking, Cari reached up to the offered assistance. Timron grasped her hand and pulled her to her feet, standing her up directly in front of him. As her face came close to his, he leaned in and planted a firm kiss on her lips. His other hand snaked around her waist and held her close in that position for several seconds before the shock of the situation wore off and she pushed away from him.

Quest failed - Win sparring contest with the prince

Cari opened her mouth, fumbling for the words to protest the imposition of the kiss and then remembered he was only collecting the winning wager. She snapped her mouth closed, swiping the back of her hand across her lips, trying to wipe away the memory of his lips on hers. She stalked away past a smiling Rodrigo to head back upstairs to their apartment. His grin angered her even more and she ran up the stairs, ignoring the pain in her injured knee.

She burned with fury, mostly angry at herself for allowing him to trick her into a contest he could control. She should have guessed he was a better swordsman than he let on. Any royal would have grown up with the best tutors. That would include the most accomplished sword masters to teach him the use of a blade. Why else would he carry such fine practice blades around with him if he didn't spar with them regularly?

Cari considered leaving Timron and Rodrigo to fend for themselves if trouble arrived at their doorstep. She could just go and explore the rest of the world, letting the others deal with the political problems facing the Empire. Her personal sense of honor wouldn't let her go though. She'd agreed to protect the fool and besides, she had to stick around long enough to exact payback once she learned a few new tricks of her own with the sword. She'd have a rematch with the snooty prince and when she did, she didn't intend to lose again.

Chapter 11

After Timron won the sparring contest, Cari was certain he'd be even worse in his efforts to woo her. The opposite was true, however. It seemed defeating her settled something in the prince's mind about Cari and he ceased his repeated overtures, at least for the time being. He still made occasional comments about her outfit or her hair but after the constant attempts at physical contact, she was willing to put up with what amounted to a war of words even though it irked her.

Cari wondered how much longer they were expected to remain hidden, cooped up in this apartment. The answer to her question came two days after the sparring match. Merry, Rodrigo's friend from the Empress's Rest Inn, showed up at their door early in the morning while the Prince was still asleep.

"Merry, what are you doing here," Rodrigo asked, sticking his head out into the hallway and checking to see if she’d been followed. "How did you find us?"

"Your uncle delivered a message from someone named Liam for you. He told me where to find you and made me memorize it before he returned to the palace. He told me it was imperative to deliver it as soon as possible."

"Hopefully it's an opportunity to get on the move and out of this place," Cari said.

Merry nodded. "The message told me to send you to a tavern called Sailor's Home in a town called Morton Creek on the southern coast. The man named Liam will either meet you there or leave word on where to go next." Merry paused and shook her head. "The next part doesn't make any sense to me."

"What?" Cari asked.

"The message says to take his highness from the city as soon as possible. The Duke of Charon has started searching for him and will close in on you soon. That is the part I don't understand. Who is it talking about? Who do you have here with you?"

Merry craned her neck to look past the doorway, searching the apartment for another person. Cari stepped into her field of view.

"It's probably better if you don't know, Merry. The less you know, the better off you are."

"But the message made it seem like you have someone like Prince Timron here holed up with you. That doesn't make any sense though. He is supposed to have left town days ago."

"And that's all you need to know," Rodrigo said, echoing Cari's words. "Honestly, I'd tell you if I could."

"What's all the noise out here and why are you keeping that lovely blonde-haired beauty standing in the hallway? Invite the poor girl inside. I could use some company besides you two for a change."

A half-dressed Timron strolled into the main room of the apartment from the bedroom and crossed to the door.

Cari sighed and stepped aside.

"Merry, this is his Highness, Prince Timron. Highness, this is Merry, a loyal subject of your grandmother's. She arrived with a message from Rodrigo's uncle on what we're to do next."

"I hope it includes leaving this hellish place. I've tired of staring at these drab walls. I long for some excitement."

Merry stared wide-eyed at the prince then dropped into a deep curtsy.

Cari caught the prince's leer as Merry's curtsy caused her to lean forward and show a great deal of bosom.

"Oh, for God's sake," Cari gasped. "Get up and come inside Merry so we can close the door."

Merry stood and came inside the apartment. Rodrigo closed the door behind her. Prince Timron bent forward as the dumbstruck girl stepped into the room and lifted her hand to kiss it. Much to Cari's consternation, Merry let out a little giggle at the grand gesture.

"Don't encourage him, please." Cari turned to the prince. "We've got word the Duke is searching the city for you. He didn't buy the rumor you left the city which means we need to leave for real now."

"Wonderful, I have a country home a few days from here where we can settle down and enjoy some creature comforts for a change."

Cari shook her head.

"No, nowhere you are known to frequent and especially no properties you own. Our instructions are to take you to —"

Cari trailed off and glanced at Rodrigo. She'd forgotten the name of the town on the coast.

"It's called Morton Creek," Rodrigo said. “I know of it. It used to be a small seaport renowned for smuggling. That's all changed now and it's become mostly a town of fishermen and their families."

"I've never heard of it," Timron said.

"Good, maybe no one else has, either," Cari said. She tapped her chin in thought. "The question now is how do we get the prince out of town without anyone seeing him?"

"If we had a private carriage, we could drive him right through the gates with the curtains drawn," Rodrigo suggested. "We could go at night and slip the guards at the gates some coins to open them and let us drive through. They only care about keeping people out. Nobles do it all the time. That plus a disguise for Timron will serve to get us out to the countryside."

"Arno has a carriage he keeps in the stable at the inn," Merry suggested. "I bet he'd be happy to let us use it for such an important purpose."

"I don't want to let anyone else in on this plan than we have to," Cari said. "More people means more chances for the word to leak out."

Rodrigo shook his head.

"Merry's right. Arno's the perfect person to help us out. He's a huge supporter of the Empress and her family. He'll help us for sure."

"And I get to wear a disguise?" Timron said, smiling. "I love disguises. Who shall I be? A daring rogue or perhaps a pirate captain out on the town?"

"Actually, your Highness, I was thinking we'd disguise you as the carriage driver. No one pays attention to servants. All the interesting people ride inside carriages."

"Well, that's no fun at all. It's like I'm not wearing a disguise at all if I'm going as the driver."

"That's the point," Cari said. "Just play the part and we'll get you out of the city in one piece. This isn't a fancy costume ball where you get to dress up, it's a getaway."

"Oh, very well."

The prince's disappointment put a grin on Cari's face as she watched him sulk on his way back to the bedroom.

"Merry," Rodrigo said. "Time is of the essence if your message is right. Can you get back to Arno and arrange the carriage for tonight?"

"I think so. Where do you want me to have the driver meet you?"

"We'll come to you after dark," Rodrigo said, fleshing out the plan for them. “Have the horses harnessed and the carriage ready in the inn's rear stable yard. We will pick it up there after we secure the rest of our disguises."

Cari blinked and turned to her companion.

"What other disguises."

"You'll see."

Quest accepted - Help Timron escape the city

---

Cari pulled at her skirt, trying to arrange the fluffy petticoats underneath her dress. She couldn't decide which she hated more: the voluminous petticoats or the constricting corset. The former would trip her up if she had to run or fight and the latter's stays dug into her ribs and kept her from drawing anything approaching a full breath.

"This getup is ridiculous," Cari complained. "What if we get in a fight? I can't even wear my sword over this dress."

"You'll have to settle for keeping it close at hand in the back of the coach. Besides the whole point is to avoid a fight, right?"

Cari couldn't avoid the logic but she didn't have to like it. She hadn't worn a dress since she was twelve-years-old.

"Rodrigo, she's a lady. Always compliment her first before you tell her the bad news," Timron said. He turned to Cari and bowed. "Your driver is at your service and might I say you look positively ravishing this evening."

Cari couldn't decide if the prince was mocking her or if he was serious and starting to hit on her again. Letting out another groan of frustration, she picked up her skirts in one hand while she grabbed her sword and the pack holding her regular clothes and spun around to head down the stairs. They still had to walk across town in their new getups and pick up the carriage.

With any luck, she'd fall down the stairs and break her neck before she had to wear this dress out in public.

Chapter 12

The three of them made it across the city to the Empress's Rest without incident, though Cari swore under her breath most of the way there while she fought with her skirts as she walked. Nevertheless, they made it to the inn and now stood in the stable yard next to the waiting carriage.

Cari stowed her baggage inside on the bench seat opposite where she would sit facing forward. The bag sat there and she planned on changing back into her usual gear as soon as they got outside of the city. It would be good to get out of the dress and into pants again. She couldn’t change yet though. It was her part to play the wealthy noblewoman on a late-night excursion outside of the city to her estates in the surrounding countryside.

Timron played the part of her driver while Rodrigo acted as her footman. If they were stopped, she would take the delay in her travel plans out against the guards with indignant outrage suitable for a spoiled noblewoman. Cari didn't think she'd have trouble with the deception. Indignant outrage fit her current mood very well.

She had to admit, once the prince had accepted his role in the escape plan, he'd dug into playing the part with gusto. If she were to pass him on the street in his current outfit, she would have had to look at him closely to be sure it was him.

Timron wore a sort of fat suit created with cotton padding underneath an oversized shirt and overcoat. That coupled with some artfully applied dirt and grime completed the deception. He looked like a stable hand pressed into service to drive a lady around late at night.

"Remember," Cari said as she fidgeted with the corset, desperately trying to find a position that provided some kind of comfort. "We head straight for the city gates, bribe the guards to open the gate and let us out. As soon as we're outside of the city, I get to change back into my regular clothes."

Rodrigo laughed. "You sound like you're more interested in taking off that dress than you are in helping his Highness escape."

"The two goals are not mutually exclusive," she grumbled in response.

Timron bowed low at the waist and then extended a hand to steady her as she started to climb into the back of the carriage. Cari batted his hand away, eliciting a chuckle from the prince as he climbed up onto the carriage’s driver’s seat. Once she was inside, Rodrigo shut the door and disappeared from view.

Cari hated the plan even more now that she was in the back of the carriage. The windows were narrow and small, affording her only a small view of the surrounding area. She was almost completely at the mercy of anyone who came at her from outside of the vehicle if it came to a fight. She decided she'd be sure to get out of the carriage before any fighting started so she didn't get caught inside by an enemy and cornered.

With a lurch they started forward, leaving the gates of the fenced-in stable yard at the inn. The carriage transitioned to the rougher cobblestones of the Crystal City's paved streets.

The carriage wasn't very comfortable considering it was supposed to be a luxury mode of travel reserved for the wealthy. The padding on the seats in the back was meager and the thick leather straps suspending the carriage’s boxy cabin from the wheeled body of the vehicle didn't provide much in the way of shock absorption.

The drive through the nighttime streets moved them faster than expected. The route was almost deserted and they made good time on their way to the western gates. It wasn’t long before the carriage pulled to a stop as they reached their destination on the western edge of the Crystal City.

Cari heard the gate guards call out for them to halt. It was time for her to play her part. Grabbing the small pouch of coins Timron had given her, Cari slid forward, making sure her sword lay close at hand next to the carriage door in case she needed to reach for it when she was outside the carriage.

Cari opened the door and leaned out. They were stopped in front of a pair of double gates. She could see a portcullis raised just inside the closed gates. It had a ratcheting pulley and crank mechanism holding it suspended by way of a thick hemp rope wound around the huge spindle meant to raise and lower the secondary barrier.

"Rod, what is the problem? I told you I was in a hurry to reach the country house."

"I'm sorry, ma'am. I tried to tell you the gates would be closed at this hour. The guards wish to speak with you."

As Rodrigo spoke, a uniformed guard, carrying a musket with a fixed bayonet and wearing the uniform of the city watch walked back to stand beside the carriage. He spotted Cari and dipped in a small bow before he spoke.

"Pardon me, milady. We've been ordered to search all vehicles leaving the city for a person of interest to the members of the privy council."

Cari tried adopting an air of annoyed indifference.

"I don't know what they'd want with little old me." She waved a hand in the air in a gesture she'd seen Timron use on more than one occasion to display his annoyance. "I merely wish to retire back to my country estate outside the city. Surely I'm not the person you're looking for?"

"Uh, no ma'am. We're looking for a nobleman in his late twenties." The guard came closer, trying to look past her into the interior of the carriage. "There's no one else in there with you, is there?"

Cari settled back on the opposite seat so he could lean into the carriage and inspect the interior. As she sat, she lifted the edge of her skirts to cover her sword and pack on the seat next her. It wouldn't do to have him asking questions why she was armed.

The guard leaned into the carriage and glanced around before standing up, giving Cari a brief salute.

"Sorry, ma'am. We had to check." He stood just outside the carriage with a hand outstretched.

Cari remembered the pouch and opened it to spill a few silver pieces into her hand. Reaching out through the open doorway, she dropped the bribe into the guard's outstretched hand. With a smile, he nodded at her once more and turned towards the gate.

"Open the gates. These folks have business outside the city."

Cari leaned out to thank the guard and saw two other guards pushing the gates open in front of the carriage. Just as they were about to pull through the gates, the sound of galloping horses came from behind them.

Rounding the corner of the street behind them came a quartet of mounted guards in the livery of the Duke of Charon.

"Stop that carriage. Stop them in the name of the Duke of Charon!"

The city guard's confusion quickly turned to realization something was wrong. His reaction was a second too late. Cari lifted her skirt swung the door of the carriage open and planted a booted foot in the center of the guard's chest. Her move caught him by surprise and he toppled over backwards.

"Rodrigo, Timron. Go!"

The carriage lurched forward and Cari, teetering in the doorway, lost her balance and fell out to the street beside the stunned guard. Her hands tried to grab the door frame to stop her fall, but all she managed to grab was her sword belt, pulling it and her pack of clothes out with it as the carriage pulled away while she fell to the ground.

The galloping horses were getting closer and Cari realized they'd quickly overtake the carriage, stopping the Prince's escape unless she managed to stop them.

Cari climbed to her feet, ripping the hem of her dress in the process and nearly tripping her all over again. Her eyes fell on the portcullis capstan which wound to raise and lower the barrier. She only had a few seconds.

Darting to the mechanism, Cari studied it in the little time she had, thanking the stars above she’d inherited some of her mother’s engineering skills. It was a simple device and it didn’t take her long to figure out how it worked. Beside the winding mechanism was a long lever with a brake release trigger atop it.

Hoping she guessed correctly, Cari squeezed the trigger's long paddle, so it flattened to the handle, unlocking the lever from its locked position. Grabbing it with two hands, she yanked as hard as she could, pulling the long metal bar back.

The sudden release of tension unwound the thick rope wrapped around the capstan and the portcullis came crashing down just as the carriage passed underneath it, missing the back of the vehicle by inches.

Rodrigo shouted for Timron to stop as he realized Cari wasn't with them. Cari shook her head.

"No! Go, get out of here. I'll catch up with you later. Go."

Rodrigo seemed torn based on his expression but Timron nodded and slapped the reins down on the horses' backs and they picked up speed again, racing off into the night, disappearing into the darkness outside the gates.

Quest completed - Help Timron escape the city

1,200 experience awarded

Level Up!

Cari ran to where her pack and sword lay on the cobble stones and reached out to draw her blade just as the four guardsmen rode up. The city watchman stood up and retrieved his musket from the ground.

She tried to pick a direction in which to flee but realized she would never outrun the guards on horseback, especially in the confinement of the dress. As the quartet of green-clad soldiers dismounted, Cari realized she had nowhere to go.

The city guardsman leveled his musket at her. “Drop the sword and put your hands up.”

Knowing she couldn’t outrun the guards in her current outfit, let alone a bullet, Cari stood upright, dropped her sword to clatter on the cobblestones, and raised her hands over her head in surrender.

She tried to hide the slight tremble in her hands betraying the fear of being captured and what might follow it. Cari was a strong-willed person and wasn’t scared of much, but what would happen if they decided to torture her? She prayed there'd be an opportunity to escape and vowed to keep her eyes open for the chance, no matter how slight.

Steadying herself and firming her resolve, Cari focused her mind instead on how she'd eventually catch up to Rodrigo, the Prince, and the three Dragoons in Morton Creek. Then everything would be back to normal.

One of the Duke's men dismounted and crossed over to her.

"You shouldn't have done that. The Duke don't take kindly to people who get in his way."

"He should get used to it," Cari snapped in reply. “I suspect it's going to keep happening."

The guard growled and grabbed her by the arm, pushing her towards the watchman.

"Detain her and put her in irons. We'll pick her up on our return from chasing down the others."

He turned to his three companions.

"Don't just sit there. Get over there and wind up the portcullis. We still have to try to catch that carriage. If our informant is correct, that's the one seen leaving Empress's Rest earlier this evening."

The watchman, clutched at Cari's arm while another of the gate guards collected her belongings from the ground at her feet. Her hands were pulled forward and heavy iron bands joined by a thick chain were locked over each of her wrists.

The Duke's men still struggled with the portcullis mechanism as the watchman led her away to the gatehouse. Cari smiled. At least she'd managed to help the others escape. Now it was time to see what fate had in store for her.

Chapter 13

Cari sat in her small cell. It wasn’t much, really just an alcove in the stone wall on the ground floor of the gatehouse. The space was barely six feet across and four feet deep. Bars made from straps of black iron, riveted together into a grid, blocked off the alcove’s opening. There was a small, narrow door hinged into one section of the bars. She had to duck and turn sideways when they pushed her through and into the cell.

Having nothing better to do than wait for the Duke's guards to return and collect her, Cari took the opportunity to review her character stats in the game menu. She was convinced Fantasma was a real place but there was also a mystical nature to it. That was the only way she could explain her ability to treat some aspects of her interactions here as if it were a game.

She had leveled up again upon ensuring Timron's escape from the city. She decided she needed some luck to get out of the current situation and placed her two attribute points into her luck. She had scorned the idea of relying on luck when she had first arrived in Fantasma. Now, it seemed that she was in desperate need of something a lot like luck to turn the current situation in her favor. She couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened tonight if she’d invested some of her points in luck earlier on.

Continuing on with the theme she’d eventually escape, Cari used her single skill point to increase the level of her multi-foe tactics capability. She was sure she'd have to fight her way free of the Duke's clutches and that likely meant she'd have to battle through multiple opponents.

When she was finished, she looked over the transparent menu hovering in her field of view before canceling it with a wave of her hand, making it fade away.

Name: Cari Dix

Class: Duelist

Level: 5

Attributes:

Brawn: 10 - +1

Wisdom: 8

Luck: 10 - +1

Speed: 18 - +5

Charm: 12 - +2

Health: 50/50

Skills: Two-Weapon Combat, Acrobatic Dodge - 2, Multi-Foe Tactics - 2

Experience: 3,000/4,800

While she was waiting, one of the gate guards entered and placed the bundle containing her pack full of clothes and her sword on the table against the far wall. He admired her sword, drawing the steel blade from its scabbard and examining its edge. He peered at the base of the blade for a moment before turning and staring at her. He had a curious expression on his face.

"Where did you get this blade?"

"Somewhere far away from here. It was custom made to my own specifications."

"So, this is your name?" The man pointed to the base of the blade where it met the hilt.

It took a few seconds for Cari to realize what he pointed to. Then it hit her. The blade’s smith had etched her name into the steel. He had thought it was a clever way to identify its owner and he did it with all his swords. The words he used in this case were "Cari, of House Dix."

"Yes, that's me. Why?"

The guard shook his head.

"My grandfather used to tell me tales of the old days when the war of succession was fought bringing the Empress to the throne. He told me of fighting under the legendary General Hal Dix, the man who was later named Prince Hal. Who are you to claim membership in that royal line? They’ve been gone from the kingdom for many years. My grandfather said he was still a young man when Prince Hal took his family and left Fantasma through a magic door in the palace. There has been no mention of the House of Dix since."

He carried the sword over to her, examining the inscription closely before he stopped and stared her in the eyes.

"You claim to be a descendent of Prince Hal?"

Cari thought for a second as she realized that this might be her way out if she played her cards right. She eyed the guard, choosing her words with care as she responded.

"Something like that."

If she had read him correctly, this guard was still somewhat loyal to the empress.

The gate watchman carried the sword over to the barred alcove. He stared at the blade and then at Cari. For almost a minute, he stood there, silent, lost in his thoughts before he spoke again.

"Who else was in that carriage that the Duke's men wanted so badly? They weren’t looking for you. We were told to watch for a man. Who were we told to watch out for?"

"I can't tell you that but I suspect you can puzzle it out on your own. Why don't you let me out of here and give me a chance to escape and join my friends?"

The watchman shook his head.

"I cannot. Don't get me wrong. I am a loyal subject of the Empress, but I also want to live to have grandchildren of my own someday. I can't afford to cross the Duke or his men. They’re the ones in charge of this city right now. It don’t make sense to stick your neck out when there’s no hope of winning."

"What do you think will happen when the Duke's men return and come to collect me?"

"I suppose, if you’re really of the House of Dix, you'll make your own luck and escape in some grand fashion. Every story tells of Prince Hal's uncanny luck. If you’ve descended from him, use that to your advantage."

The sound of horses outside and men shouting commands stopped the guard. He looked over his shoulder to check the door and turned back to Cari.

"I cannot help you now, but if you really are of Prince Hal's line and not just someone pretending to be related to him and the lost princess Cari, then you'll find a way to get free. If you do get away, seek me out at a tavern called The Last Retreat just inside the southern caravan gate. My name is Harley Denne. I might be able to lend you aid in secret in honor of the memory of my Gramps."

The door swung open and the leader of the Duke's guard Cari had encountered earlier swaggered in followed by two of his men.

"You there. Is that the woman's sword? Put it back with her things. We'll take it all with us."

He walked over to the bars and leered at Cari.

"His Grace the Duke of Charon is going to enjoy meeting you. If you were sent to protect that idiot we're after, you probably know where your companions took him."

"From your words, it sounds like they gave you the slip outside of the city."

"We found the carriage a mile down the road but the horses had been unhitched and they've probably struck out across country. That is why you're going to tell the Duke where they took him. Maybe if you are helpful, the Duke will spare your life, though I doubt it."

He pointed to his two companions.

"Get the keys from that buffoon over there and take her into custody."

Cari was tempted to try to fight her way free now but decided to bide her time. She'd found an unlikely ally in the city who might help her get away if she was able to escape the Duke and his men. She was not without her own abilities to defend herself. As long as she could survive, she could wait for the right opportunity for escape to come along.

The Duke's men were rough in their handling of her and she was dragged as much as walked from the gatehouse. They had procured a small farm wagon from somewhere and the two guards lifted Cari up by her armpits and dumped her over the side of the wagon to fall to the wooden planks inside.

She rolled to her side and sat up so she could see over the sides. Another guard took her bundle of clothes and her sword from the gatehouse guard, dumping them in the back of the wagon before climbing up to the seat and taking the reins.

The others mounted their horses and started leading the way back into the city. The blue-gray light of the early dawn hours lit up the eastern sky as Cari was taken through the city streets, heading towards the center of the capital where the enormous homes and palaces of the Empire's most powerful nobles stood like broken teeth against the dim back light of the dawn sky.

The Duke of Charon had a compound adjacent to the Crystal Palace itself. It was to be expected for the leader of the Empress's Privy Council. The wagon trundled through the gated opening in the tall stone wall surrounding the small palace and grounds.

Stopping alongside the main building, two of the guards dismounted and grabbed Cari by the ankles, dragging her to the back of the wagon bed before lifting her out and setting her down on her feet. They gave her a shove between the shoulder blades, propelling her forward towards the open doorway. The wagon driver came behind the other two and brought her pack and sword along inside.

Cari entered a long hallway with a black-and-white checkered marble floor. There were doors on either side leading off the hall. She kept walking until a hand on her shoulder yanked her to a stop and turned her to the left.

The guard shoved her into a carpeted room with a broad desk made of dark, stained wood. There were stacks of papers and ledgers on both sides of an open area in the center of the desk where a man sat. He had black hair with white streaks at the temples. He wore a black collared shirt buttoned up to the neck and a black brocade vest with strands of what looked like silver thread woven into the embossed fabric's pattern. He was talking with another well-dressed man as she was marched into the room.

"…Take this message to the council of captains. If the rumors of a royal survivor of that shipwreck are true, it will not sit well with me. Tell them to make it right and finish the job if that is what is needed."

“I will pass along the message, your Grace,” the other man said, bowing and turning to leave.

Cari decided the first man must be the Duke of Charon himself. He waited until the other man left before turning his attention to her and the quartet of guards around her.

"What is this? This is not Prince Timron."

"Uh, no your Grace. But this is the woman who helped him escape. We think she is the same woman who was involved in the deaths of the guards at the dueling grounds last week."

"Oh, really? Well, well, that is a nice surprise. I didn't expect the two things to be related at all. Sometimes you do get to kill two birds with one stone." He waived a hand in the air to dismiss them. “You may leave. I will speak to her alone."

The Duke stood and walked around from behind his desk. He was tall, perhaps six inches taller than Cari's five foot ten inches. He was a strikingly handsome man and Cari drew herself up straight despite the weight of the chains on her wrists and tried to match him gaze for gaze.

He chuckled at her obstinance. "You’d do well to act more humble in the current circumstances. Who are you, young lady, to have gotten mixed up in all these things?"

Cari started to say something but kept her mouth shut. She decided to hold her tongue for the time being. She didn't want to give too much away to the Duke if she didn't have to.

"You've been accused of several serious crimes. You don't have anything you'd like to say in your defense? You brought about the slaughter of a squad of my guards. I can’t have that. It sets a bad precedent."

That brought back the memory of all the bodies she saw stacked by the dueling ground when she arrived there on her first day in the city. She could feel the familiar nausea starting to build in the pit of her stomach again. She once again relived that horrible moment when her blade slid into Raden’s chest, killing the man instantly. As the dread of that memory washed over her, Cari blurted the first thing to come to her mind, anything to justify what she’d done and keep herself from dwelling on the first man she’d ever killed.

"Only after they caused the slaughter of at least a half dozen innocent supporters of the Empress. They'd done nothing wrong other than have an opinion."

"So, you do have a voice after all, and a naïve one at that. You'll find, my dear, that opinions get people killed far more often than you might think."

"Why do you hate the Empress and her family so much that people must die over it?"

"It's not that I hate the Empress but she and her family have served their time and function. The Empire is stable now and the Empress is old. I tried to advise various family members to come to my way of thinking that a time for new leadership and government had come."

“A government led by you, I suppose?”

“Led by a council of powerful nobles, headed by me, of course. What is wrong with that? We run most of the Empire as it is. Ridding ourselves of the Imperial family is really just a formality.”

The Duke stopped himself and cocked his head to one side as if surprised to hear himself talking so much.

Charm attribute bonus - persuasive conversation successful

He shook his head, seeming to dismiss the thought and continued. "Curious. I've told very few people that much about my plans before and yet here I find myself bumbling along simply because a pretty face is brought into my office. Who are you?"

Deciding there was no need to hide her name, the connection to her father's time here might even help. Cari lifted her head, met the Duke’s eyes and said, "I'm Cari Dix, THE Cari Dix."

She smiled. Let him chew on that for a while.

To her surprise the Duke let on no reaction to her announcement one way or another. He kept the same unusually pleasant smile on his face and made a shushing sound before continuing.

"So, the Empress got that old artifact to work after all. I heard she thought it was broken when she didn't get an immediate response. At least, that's what my palace sources say. My advisors on things magical, on the other hand, said they sensed a powerful force in the city a week ago, though they couldn't localize it. That would be about the time you and your friends killed my men wasn't it."

Cari didn't answer but the Duke must've taken her lack of response as an affirmation of his supposition because he continued as if she'd said yes.

"Now it all makes some sense. First my men are killed and the perpetrators escape without a trace. Then, I had a firm grip on Timron's whereabouts when he suddenly disappears and no one knows where he is. Now that fop of a man is spirited away from the capital leaving you in his wake to cover his trail."

The Duke of Charon stopped and smirked at Cari.

"I suppose I should bow or something. If you are who you say you are, you are a princess of the realm and technically outrank me."

"I'm no princess, trust me," Cari snapped. She had the preconceived notions of cartoon princesses in her mind. She was definitely not one of those.

"No, you aren't are you, at least not in the way most would think. You intrigue me, Cari Dix. It was said your father had amazing powers to do all sorts of things while he was here. Do you?"

"I'm not without my own abilities. Would you care to match me blade for blade? Perhaps I can teach you a thing or two." She finished the remark by spitting at the Duke's boots.

"You are a spunky one for someone standing in chains. Most people in your position are blubbering for mercy by now. You're beautiful, too. Think of the children I could father with the daughter of the great Prince Hal of legend."

That comment caught Cari completely off guard. How had the conversation drifted that way? Cari was still in shock as the Duke walked around behind Cari. The heat of his breath on the back of her neck shook her back to reality. It made her skin crawl.

Cari felt fresh anger rising inside once again. First the advances from Timron and now this pompous man. They represented just the sort of misogynistic ass she hated. She'd had enough.

Nodding her head forward and rocking it back with all the force she could muster, Cari slammed the back of her head into the Duke's face as he was leaning forward to brush his lips across the nape of her neck.

"Ow!" screamed the Duke, "Dammit you wench. You'll pay for that."

Cari couldn't help but smile as she heard the nasal quality that had been added to the Duke's voice. She turned to survey the damage she'd done.

The Duke's nose was almost certainly broken by Cari's reverse head butt. Blood streamed from both nostrils dripping off his chin onto the expensive shirt and vest below it. He had a hand cupped to his face to try to stem the flow but didn't seem to have much success.

"You know, your Grace, I think I'll decide when and with whom I decide to have children. But I can promise you one thing. It won't be a disgusting old fart like you."

"GUARDS!" yelled the Duke as he pulled a silk handkerchief from his pocket and pressed it to his mangled nose.

Two of the guards who'd marched her into the office burst in, their hands on their sword hilts. They seemed shocked by the bloody face of their master and the smirking young woman standing next to him.

"Take her down to the darkest, nastiest cell I have. I need to consider just how I will deal with her insolence. And fetch me a healing mage. I have a formal ball to attend this evening and I can't go with my face looking like this."

"Something tells me that even a mage wouldn't be able to make your looks any better. They can’t work miracles," Cari laughed as one of the guards grabbed her by the elbow and yanked her out of the room.

She heard the Duke's rage-filled shouts at his retainers while she was led away. It probably wasn't a good idea to antagonize him that way but Cari didn't care. In her mind, he had it coming. She was just the instrument of some long-delayed justice.

Cari kept smiling all the way down to the depths of the dungeon beneath the Duke's palace. She'd find a way out of this place, she just had to wait for the right opportunity. There was still more justice to dispense after all and she had decided she was just the person to serve it.

Chapter 14

Cari discovered being in a windowless cell for an extended period of time caused one to lose all track of time. The only thing she had to gauge the hours was when the guards brought her a bowl of food or water. The meals consisted of some sort of thick porridge with chunks of greasy meat mixed in it and a mug of lukewarm water. The food left a lot to be desired and the water wasn’t much better. Cari hoped the anti-infection implants she’d received at home still worked.

She couldn't decide if the three meals given to her meant she'd been there for one day, two days, or maybe even three. The bowls were small and didn't fill her up very much so gauging based on her level of hunger was a no go as well.

In the end, she decided it didn't really matter how much time passed; she needed all the time she could get to formulate a plan before they decided what to do with her. Cari ran idea after idea through her head, considering first one thing and then another in an effort to escape before the Duke decided what to do with her.

The plan she kept circling back to involved her ability to "power up" during a fight. She'd only ever used the skill once and she did not have her sword or any other weapons. Cari had received some training in open hand martial arts, but she wasn't entirely sure if that skill would transfer to Fantasma. She was practiced in two-weapon combat in the real world, but the skill hadn't shown up until she had used her first skill point on it. She wasn't positive what would have happened if she had fought that guard before gaining the skill.

Unfortunately, she had used her most recent skill point already and she was still 1200 experience points away from her next level up. Cari would have to make up her plan as she went along — a skill her mother said she shared with her father.

Cari knew she was a good mix between her parent’s strengths. She had her dad’s ability to be spontaneous in a crisis and still come out ahead while she could also apply her mother’s innate skill with all things mechanical. There had to be a way to use both to get herself out of here.

Given the quality of the food and her general well-being, Cari knew she had to act sooner rather than later. She would weaken over time the longer she stayed in the cell and eventually lose her ability to fight back and defend herself. Cari made the decision. The next time the guard came with the food, she had to be ready.

Quest accepted - Escape the Duke's palace

It wasn’t long after she made up her mind when the tap at the door announced the delivery of her meal. The gruff voice of one of the guards outside followed the tap as he slid the locking bar back from the wall outside.

"Back to the wall, girl. Food's here."

Cari braced herself against the wall. She'd ripped open the front and back of her top skirt and removed all of her petticoats. This freed up the movement of her legs, but left her vulnerable to the cold of the dungeon cell. This crazy plan had to work.

The door cracked open and Cari squinted against the bright lamplight streaming in from the hallway. The first guard shuffled in a few steps and bent to set the bowl on the floor.

Pressing her foot back against the wall, Cari propelled herself forward like a rocket so she landed on top of the guard's back as he bent over. When she landed, she looped the chain of her shackled hands over the man's head and leaned backward, pulling with all her strength.

The guard's companion tried to shout a warning, but he was too late.

"Hey, watch out!" The guard in the hall followed it with, "I'm coming Bernie. Hold on."

That was just what Cari wanted to hear. If the guard in the hall pulled the door shut and went for help, the whole plan fell apart. Instead of doing the smart thing, the second guard came to his friend's aid.

The first guard had stood upright at this point with Cari hanging on his back, slowly choking the life out of him. The sound of the man's choking noises made Cari's stomach churn, but she managed to push it aside for now. Hearing the second guard announce his approach, she twisted around so her back rested on the back of the first guard with her hands in an x over her head. It hurt like hell as the metal cuffs dug into her wrists but the pain helped push away the nausea in her gut as she killed yet again. She knew she had no choice. It was kill or be killed. Despite that, her protesting stomach didn’t seem to get the message.

The second guard pulled a wooden truncheon from his belt and raised it over his head to strike at Cari. She waited until the last minute then snapped both legs up in a double kick aimed at the man's chin. His head rocked back with a sickening crunch she felt as much as heard.

500 experience awarded

As the second guard slid to the floor, Cari leaned forward, putting more tension on the chain working to finish off the first guard. He'd weakened at this point, falling to his knees while he struggled with his fingers tugging at the chain stretched tight around his neck.

Cari considered ways she could simply knock the remaining guard out to avoid killing another man, but then she felt a burning pain in her side.

Health damage - health -4

The guard had managed to pull his belt knife and flailed with the blade behind him with one arm, trying to score a blind strike. The hit he'd managed to score, sliced a gash in her side just below her armpit. Luckily the bone corset stays acted as a sort of armor, lessening the severity of the blow. It still hurt though.

Cari let out a growl, the plans to try to spare the man’s life leaving her in an instant. She yanked forward, pulling hard on the chains attached to the shackles on her wrists. The flailing arm holding the knife slowed and then fell to the guard's side, the blade eventually sliding out of his hand to clatter on the stone floor of the cell.

500 experience awarded

She held this position, horrified once again at what she’d done. A part of her mind kept repeating that she had had no choice. It had been either him or her. She finely managed to push through the shock as the pain in her straining arms and wrists emerged through the thoughts streaming through her mind. Cari leaned back and let her body relax and the guard toppled to the side, taking Cari along for the ride. She grunted as her shoulder was nearly pulled from its socket.

Health damage - health -4

Taking care not to injure herself further, Cari twisted around until she could get enough slack in the chain to slip it off over the man's head.

It felt good to relax her arms and she worked at her sore shoulder to try to see if she'd done any permanent damage. It felt like it was just a pulled muscle, so she'd have to be careful with any maneuvers using that arm for a while.

A quick search of the guards turned up a set of keys that opened the outer corridor door and her shackles. Once she removed the metal cuffs Cari let out a sigh of relief. She rubbed at the red welts on her skin for a few seconds even though she knew there was little time.

The guard she had kicked into the wall was tall and skinny and after a brief pause, Cari stripped the pants from him along with his belt and removed the rest of her skirts along with the uncomfortable corset. Pulling the pants on and belting them at the waist, she was able to tuck the extra length into the boots she'd worn under the dress.

She slipped the belt knife from the first guard into the waist of her pants and pulled on guard number two's shirt. She wouldn't fool anyone who got a really good look at her, but out of the corner of the eye, Cari hoped the outfit would allow her to pass through at least part of the palace unnoticed.

After closing the cell door and locking it to hide the dead guards, Cari tiptoed up the long hallway of cells to the door leading out of the dungeon. She knew once she unlocked that door, it connected to the palace’s wine cellars by way of a small guard room.

Listening at the door, she heard no voices. Cari turned the heavy key in the lock, wincing as it let out what sounded to her like a very loud grinding noise. There was no response if anyone nearby heard anything.

Cracking the door open a bit, she peered into the room. It was empty. Those two must have been the only guards on duty. The room held only a table, four chairs, and a wooden cabinet against one wall.

She checked the cabinet and had to stifle a cheer. Her clothes were stacked on one of the shelves along with her sword and dagger in their scabbards.

She didn't have enough time to change, so she opted to slip her sword belt over her head, settling it across her chest. She stuffed the rest of her clothes into a satchel she found hanging on a peg.

Cari figured she was as ready as she was going to get. It was time to make a run for the exit and hoped she could find a way free before the alarm sounded. She had considered a slow, sneaky approach to get out but decided a faster method of escape was preferable. Once the alarm was raised, there was little chance she’d get away on her own. She couldn’t take the chance the missing guards were found before she got away.

Slipping out the far door and into the wine cellar, Cari moved from rack to rack — all filled with wine bottles. She had almost made it to the stairs when she heard a voice echo down from above. She darted to the shadows under the staircase to hide.

"I'll be right back. The Duke wants to talk with the girl. He wants to see if she's ready to tell us where the prince was taken."

Booted feet descended the stairs. As they reached the bottom, Cari recognized the head guard she’d first met at the gates the night she was captured. He stopped as soon as he saw the open door to the guard room at the far side of the wine cellar. She let out a muffled curse; she'd forgotten to close it.

"Bernie? Rand? Are you in here?"

She had to act quickly before he realized something was wrong and called for help.

The guard had already put his hand on his sword’s hilt when he got no response. Cari barely dared to breathe. She didn't want to do anything that might give away her position. The man moved away from the stairs towards the open door.

"Bernie and Rand, if you two are asleep again, the Duke is going to fire you for sure."

He walked past the final wine rack and Cari made her move. She ran as quietly as she could towards the guard's back, grabbing one of the bottles as she ran past.

Just as she was about to swing at the guard's head, her foot scraped the stone, alerting the guard to her attack. He ducked causing Cari to miss just by a few inches. The bottle shattered as it struck the rack next to where the guards head had been.

The man cursed, as he backpedaled, drawing his sword, and leveling it a Cari.

"Did you kill Bernie and Rand?"

Cari forced herself to stay emotionless as she drew her sword.

"I did what I had to do," she responded through gritted teeth as she forced down the increasingly familiar nausea.

As soon as Cari drew her sword, the "power-up" bar appeared in the corner of her vision. It was already partially filled. It seemed that some progress had carried over from her fight with the first two guards.

Her opponent made a few quick strikes, testing her defenses. The guard’s saber was much heavier than her own modified rapier. That required her to adopt a more defensive posture than she would have liked, especially given the time-sensitive nature of this fight. She had to end this quickly before anyone came to investigate the clash of steel on steel downstairs.

She drew her dagger in her off hand even though that shoulder still ached.

The guard struck again and Cari managed to execute a perfect riposte counter attack, scoring a deep slash across the guard's chest. The power bar filled a little more. She guessed that one more strike would fill it completely.

Voices sounded from up above and Cari knew mere seconds counted now. She used one of the feint and lunge combination attacks Timron had used against her in their sparring match.

Luckily, the guard fell for it just as she had and she felt her blade grate along the bone to slip through the man's ribs into his heart.

500 experience awarded

New skill learned - Feint

The power bar flashed a full deep green on one side of her visual field followed by a text message.

Power up active - Burst of speed now enabled

Two men came down the steps and took in the scene, drawing their swords. Cari didn't have time to deal with them. She had to get out of this cellar before more help arrived.

Activating the burst of speed ability, Cari ran at the two men coming down the steps.

Once again, the whole room slowed except for her. The ticking sound started and this time the countdown timer started at twenty-five. This skill must improve by five seconds a level. Cari made good use of the time, remembering the exhaustion that had struck the last time.

Cari slashed left with her sword at one opponent while stabbing right with her dagger at the other. She connected with each blade, the first cutting open the leading man's throat to the bone.

The blood fountained out in a slow-motion spurt worthy of her favorite vintage Tarantino film. The sight of it sickened a part of her deep inside but the stress of the fight kept it out of the way.

500 experience awarded

Level Up!

Her dagger strike sunk home in the second man's chest with similar results. Neither had a chance to react with more than a groan before they crumpled dead to the floor of the wine cellar.

500 experience awarded

Cari didn't stop to watch them fall in slow motion as if suspended in gelatin above the cellar floor. She raced up the steps and into the broad hallway with the black-and-white checkered floor. Unable to get her bearings, Cari made a guess and turned right to run down the marble-lined hallway.

She caught sight of a familiar door ahead of her. It was the entrance leading to the courtyard and it almost made her cheer. She held in her elation and continued running at full speed. The clock on her power-up display had only ten seconds left. She had to make it count.

It was dark outside when she flung the door open and ran into the central courtyard. Someone had left a saddled horse tied to a post by the stable nearby. Without missing a beat, Cari used the last of her speed burst to vault into the saddle and kick the horse in the flanks with her heels while she pulled the loosely tied reins free of the post.

The horse whinnied but bolted ahead towards the open gate and the street beyond. The clock ran out and Cari heard shouts of alarm behind her. She gasped for breath as the aftermath of the speed boost gripped her. She lay forward against the horse's neck and let it carry her forward while she fought off the exhaustion that followed the use of her burst of speed skill.

Cari smiled at the message displayed as she rode away.

Quest completed - Escape the Duke's palace

2,000 experience awarded.

Chapter 15

By the time the fleeing horse took her out of sight of the Duke of Charon's palace, the effects of the cool down had worn off and her strength started to return. She loved the rush of the burst of speed ability but the cool down period afterward reminded her there was a downside to everything.

She glanced back while she rode on down the avenue. She couldn't see any signs of pursuit but she was certain the Duke's men would be out in force looking for her soon. She had to be off the city streets as soon as possible. A lone woman on horseback racing through the streets in the dark would draw attention. People would remember her passing.

Cari decided the best option was to ditch the horse and proceed on foot. She waited to dismount until she was well away from the palace district of the city and into an area of smaller, more closely packed buildings.

Walking the horse around behind a line of row houses she went down an alley behind the homes and stopped in the cover provided by high wooden fences on either side. In the shadows there, Cari changed back into her own clothes, praising heaven above to put on her normal, comfortable clothing again, including her spandex sports bra. She wished she had more of those with her than just the one. It was worth its weight in gold.

Back in the outfit she wore when first arriving in Fantasma, Cari let the horse loose to roam and find its own way home. She decided she was never putting on another dress again, at least not if it was part of a plan that left her all but defenseless when a plan went south.

Now she was on foot and could move through the city without drawing as much attention. Making a snap decision and selecting a direction, Cari started towards the southern edge of the city. That was where she assumed she'd find the Caravans Gate and the tavern known as The Last Retreat.

On the way, Cari dodged into a hiding place in a hurry as a patrol of mounted guardsmen rode past. She saw others in the distance on three different occasions. They roamed the city in groups of four or five and appeared to be searching the few pedestrians out and about on the late-night streets. She had no doubt it was her for whom they searched.

Taking care to avoid detection, Cari was able to reach the southern gate where she saw travelers of all sorts entering and exiting the city, despite the late hour. She also saw more people of different races including more goblins, orcs, and elves than she'd seen in any other part of the Crystal City. This had to be the Caravans Gate for sure.

The relative hustle and bustle of this district in the middle of the night disoriented her for a bit. She wasn't sure where to start looking for the tavern in question so she just asked a few passersby.

"The Last Retreat? Have you ever heard of it?"

An orcish guard finally answered her in his gravelly voice. "It's over that way on the right-hand side of the street. Look for the sign with a broken war banner painted on it."

"Thank you, friend."

"No problem, miss. Be wary. It can be a rough sort of place."

"I can take care of myself. Thank you again."

The orc flashed her a grin around his protruding lower tusks and went on his way disappearing into the crowd again.

Cari marveled again at how the people who most would consider the scariest were the friendliest here and the so-called pretty people like the Duke, and even Timron, were the ones she must be wary of.

Walking down the street in the direction the orc indicated, The Last Retreat was just where he’d said it was. The sign stuck out above the door, suspended from a crossbar extending out from the second floor of the tavern by a few links of iron chain. It did indeed have a painted picture of a wooden staff sporting a horizontal, triangular banner. The banner tilted to one side above the place where the staff was broken.

Cari pushed open the door and went inside. A wave of raucous voices and music met her as she walked into the common room. If an establishment's quality was to be gauged by its popularity, The Last Retreat must serve excellent food and beverages. Cari's stomach growled loud enough she heard it over the rumble of voices in the common room. She remembered how hungry she was. Her escape caused her to skip her evening meal and the Duke's men hadn't been feeding her very much anyway with the other two meals she had.

She had no money in her pouch. The guards had emptied the few coins she had there. They left her phone and credit chip even though those artifacts would have been worth a great deal more to the right collector.

Deciding it didn't do any good to start begging for food, Cari went about looking for her potential benefactor, Harley Denne. She figured begging would get her kicked out as soon as she started. Better to find help first.

A cursory examination of the crowd didn't reveal him to her and she opted to ask for him at the bar.

"Harley?" the barmaid said as she drew a tankard of ale from the enormous keg laying on its side at the end of the bar. "I haven't seen him yet tonight. He usually don't come in until he finishes his late shift at the western gate. Who should I say’s looking for him?"

"Just tell him it's an old family friend of his Gramps. I'll find a seat over by the musicians to wait for him."

"Can I get you a drink or some food while you wait?"

"I'm a little tapped out, I'm afraid. I recently fell on some hard times. I'll just wait, if that's alright."

"No, it's not alright, missy." The barmaid looked Cari up and down as she said it.

The response made Cari step back thinking she was going to be ejected. She was about to argue her case but stopped as the woman behind the bar continued, a broad smile appearing on her face.

"I've had my share of tough times. There's no reason we can't spare a single tankard of ale and a plate of mutton stew for you. If you're a family friend of Harley's like you said, you're good for it. His Gramps fought in the war with my grandfather right before he came back and opened this tavern. My name is Mitzi, Mitzi Berry."

The woman handed Cari the tankard she'd just filled and reached for another.

"Go and have a seat. I'll have one of the girls bring you out some food. You look like you’ve had a long day."

"Thank you, Mitzi. You have no idea how true that is."

Cari raised the tankard and took a sip while she weaved her way through the crowded establishment. She found a small table just vacated by a couple who looked like they were headed off to find a place to be alone for a while.

The ale was strong and Cari tried to pace herself on an empty stomach while she waited for the food to arrive. It wasn't long before a brown-haired waitress, close to Cari’s age, carried a tray of food over.

"Mitzi says you're hungry. Here's a big bowl of stew and I found a half loaf of bread another table didn't want to finish to add to the bounty. Let me know if that's not enough."

“Oh no, this is wonderful. Thank you.”

"Good enough. I’ll be back to check on you in a little while. Flag me down if you need anything before then."

The waitress left to deliver the rest of the food on her tray and Cari started to eat while she listened to the three musicians play on the small platform stage nearby.

There was a guy playing something like a guitar but with only five strings, a woman playing a wooden flute and a goblin boy playing a hide-covered drum. It seemed an odd combination but Cari found she liked the music they produced and soon she was tapping her foot along with one song after another while she waited.

She remembered she’d leveled up again and took this opportunity to distribute her new attribute points. She dropped them into her Charm attribute. They’d come in handy when dealing with the Duke. Cari used the single skill point to upgrade her new feint ability to level two.

The waitress dropped off a second bowl of the excellent stew when she picked up the empty one. Cari leaned over and dug in again. It was good.

A voice interrupted her in mid-bite.

"I didn't really think you were who you said you were, yet here you are," Harley said. “How'd you escape?”

The city guardsman stood across the table from her, an incredulous look spreading across his face.

"It wasn't easy and they're out looking for me all over the city."

"I know. They brought your description back to the Western Gate just in case you came that way again. I couldn't believe it at first and thought the Duke's man was joking with me."

Harley sat down at the small table's other chair and leaned forward.

"He said you killed five men all by yourself in the escape."

"They all had it coming, believe me."

Cari pushed the bowl away having suddenly lost her appetite.

"You really are her, aren't you?"

"I suppose so. To me I'm just, well - me. Nothing special."

Harley apparently didn't know what to say to that and he fell silent for a time while the two of them listened to the music.

Cari drained the last of her ale to help banish her dark thoughts. The slight buzz from the alcohol helped a little bit and she wished she had some more. That wasn’t going to help her get out of here and on her way to Morton Creek wherever that was.

"Harley, you said you could help me if I managed to escape. Well, here I am. I have to get out of the city and make my way south to the coast."

"You're not going to get out through any of the usual gates, not any time soon anyway."

"But I have to catch up with my friends. It's been at least two days already."

"I understand that, Princess, but your description has been circulated to every watchman and guard in the whole city. The Duke has put a price on your head of five hundred gold crowns. It's enough to make most people rich for life."

Cari didn't know if she should be flattered or worried by the news of a price on her head.

"What's to keep you from turning me in, Harley?"

"I told you. I'm a loyal servant of the Empress and like I said before, I believe in all the old stories. My gramps never told me a single lie as I grew up. I always knew the stories he told had to have at least a hint of truth to them. Now that I've learned who you are, I find that I believe them even more now. I'd be crazy to line up on the side against the Dix lineage in the coming fight. I'm with you."

“How come you think there’s gonna be some kind of fight? I just want to get out of the city. I’m not sticking around to raise some sort of rebellion.”

“Princess, why else would you be here when someone is trying to take the throne from the Empress if it wasn’t to help fight the Duke? I’m with you. You’ll be back.”

"Alright if you're with me, then first of all, stop calling me princess. I may technically be a princess according to your rules, but I wasn't raised that way and calling me that will only draw more attention to me. Got it?"

"Yes, Pr-, I mean, yes, uh, Cari."

"Better. Now, you said I can't get out of the city by the gates. It sounds like there's another way."

"There is, but we'll need to be careful. I know some people who could help you but they're not the most trustworthy folks in the city, if you know what I mean."

"I get it, they're part of some criminal underworld, right?"

"Something like that. I can't vouch for them other than I know they smuggle things in and out of the city. I figure they should be able to smuggle a person, too."

Cari couldn't argue with the logic of the statement but she was wary of putting her trust in people of questionable moral quality when she had a price on her head. Still, she didn't have the luxury of being choosy in her options. She'd have to trust Harley and his contacts if she wanted to catch up to Rodrigo and the Prince in Morton Creek.

"When do we meet your friends, Harley?"

"We can go now. It's best to travel at night when people won't recognize you as easily by your description. I'm sure more will be out scouring the city for you tomorrow so we should get you into hiding tonight."

Cari stood as Harley got up.

"Lead on, my man. I'm kind of at your mercy here."

"No worries. I won't lead you wrong."

Together the two of them headed out of the tavern and back into the night's chill. Cari hoped this whole thing worked out. She was putting a lot of trust in a guy who decided he believed in what amounted to tall tales told by his grandfather.

Quest accepted - Escape the city

Chapter 16

The Crystal City, grand capital of the Empire sat astride the River Mepesi. Harley led Cari through the city's streets to the part of the city called "The Banks" by the city's residents. Here the river passed through the city via a system of canals, each crossed by bridges of all shapes and sizes from simple footbridges to broad stone structures built to carry freight wagons laden with goods.

Harley brought her to this part of the city navigating through back alleys and secondary streets, keeping away from the major thoroughfares. It was a route only a city native could follow and, because it avoided the main roads, they only had to hide from a roving patrol once. Cari would have never been able to find her way using this route on her own. She was already hopelessly lost after all the twists and turns taken by her guide.

As they reached the edge of the district, Harley stopped and surveyed the expanse of the first bridge they must cross from the shadows of a nearby alley.

"Are you looking for something, Harley?" Cari asked.

"Each of these neighborhood enclaves between the canals is run by a different smuggling family. Generally, they allow free passage across the bridges and through their area of control, but if someone here knows about the reward on your head and has your description, it could mean trouble. If I were to decide to capture you, this would be the place to do it. We must be careful crossing the bridges."

"How many of these enclaves must we pass through to get to your friend?"

"Three. The last is the enclave run by the person I think can and will help you escape the city, though he might exact a price of some sort."

“That sounds ominous. I don’t have any money, Harley.”

“He’s a trader of many things, including information. I’m sure we’ll be able to come to some sort of agreement with him.”

Harley went back to scanning the sparse bridge traffic for trouble while Cari checked over her stats before they continued across the bridge. She still hadn't returned to full health, but she didn't have time to waste searching for a healer or an apothecary selling potions. Her first priority now was to get out of the city.

Name: Cari Dix

Class: Duelist

Level: 6

Attributes:

Brawn: 10 - +1

Wisdom: 8

Luck: 10 - +1

Speed: 18 - +5

Charm: 14 - +3

Health: 52/60

Skills: Two-Weapon Combat, Acrobatic Dodge — 2, Multi-Foe Tactics — 2, Feint — 2

Experience: 7,500/9,600

Cari closed the menu and turned back to Harley.

"Let's go. I feel like the longer we stay here, the sooner another patrol of the Duke’s men will come along.”

"Alright, stay close to me, Cari. If we are confronted, let me do the talking and don't draw any weapons unless they draw first."

Cari nodded and followed Harley who stepped out of the shadows in which they'd been hiding. Together they headed across the first of the three bridges they had to cross.

The first two crossings passed without incident. Only a few people were up and about at this late hour and those all kept to their own business.

On the last bridge crossing, however, two men stepped out from the shadows just as Cari and Harley passed the center of the span.

"Look, Red, I told you we should watch the bridges."

"You were right, Ritchie. You said the one the guard is looking for might try to cut through The Banks and look, there she is."

Harley held up his hands in front of him showing he held no weapons.

"I don't know who you're looking for but this is my sister. We're headed to meet a friend near here."

"Well, mister," the one called Ritchie said. "Your sister looks a lot like a woman with a price on her head. I'll tell you what. Come with us peacefully and if she's not the one they're looking for, you can go about your business."

"But then we'll be late for our prior engagement," Harley said. "I'm telling you this is not a wanted criminal. She's with me. Can't you see I'm wearing the badge of the city watch?"

"Yeah, I still think we should take her in and let the Duke's guard decide if she's the right one or not. What do you think Red?"

"I think it would be better to take her in than to let her go."

"See, friend, I'm afraid your sister must come with us."

"I'll not go anywhere with you," Cari said placing her hand on the hilt of her sword. "If you want to come and try to take me, you'll be met with bare steel."

A new voice sounded, coming from the darkness to the left of the bridge.

"There'll be no blood spilled in our enclave this evening. Safe passage is guaranteed to all. That is the rule of this travelers enclave. We enforce it. We live by it and you both know that."

Red and Ritchie seemed to lose their bluster and they each took a step back from the end of the bridge.

Four hooded men in black cloaks climbed up and over the low stone rail at the far side of the bridge, close to where the two would be abductors stood. Ritchie held out his hands, palms wide in surrender as he spoke to the newcomers.

"I didn't mean no harm, Sir. My brother and I were just trying to make some money. That's all. There's a price on that woman's head. I'm sure of it. The Duke’d appreciate it if you turned her over to him."

The man at the front of the quartet, standing with his back to Cari and Harley, pointed down the street to the next bridge in the distance.

"The rite of passage is guaranteed to all who pass. That includes you. Go on your way and leave these people to their travels. If you choose to remain after you've made threats inside this enclave, we will assume your intentions are vile and must be dealt with. Go now and you may leave in peace. Remain and you'll leave in pieces, fed to the carp in the canals."

The two men backed away a few more steps then turned and ran down the street, crossing the next bridge and disappearing into the darkness of the next enclave. The man leading the group turned around and lowered his hood.

"Well, my girl," Merrick, the loan shark said. "It seems you've found your way into trouble once more."

Harley looked at Cari, a confused look on his face.

"You already know Merrick?"

Cari nodded.

"Our paths crossed a several days ago."

"When I heard the description being passed around by the Duke's guard, I wondered if it referred to you. I hoped you would find your way to escape the city. I don’t care for his Grace all that much."

"Perhaps I have found a way out of the city. That likely depends on you, I suspect. My friend Harley here seems to think you can help me get out of here.”

Merrick smiled.

"I might at that. Come let's get inside before someone else seeking easy gold spots you and decides to violate our rules of safe passage."

Merrick gestured to the side of the bridge where they'd climbed over the rail moments before. Cari walked to the edge and looked over. A large, wide barge was docked below, tied up so it rested under the bridge's eastern edge. A ladder rested on the stone railing lining the side of the bridge. That is where the four had climbed up from the barge below.

"Well, Harley, I guess we take the chance Merrick isn't going to double cross us."

"He won't. I wouldn't have brought you here if I didn't trust him. He might send you on your way but he takes the right of safe passage in his enclave seriously. Come on. I'll help you climb down."

Cari swung a leg over the railing and shrugged off Harley's offered hand to assist her.

"I don't need any help. You watch out for yourself."

She sidestepped along the outside of the railing until she reached the ladder and climbed down to the barge. Merrick and his men awaited her there.

Cari hoped trusting the loan shark was the right thing to do. She remained ready for trouble, watching for signs she was being double-crossed.

Harley climbed down beside her and Merrick gestured to the barge's cabin door.

"I have food and drink below. We can talk about what you need of me there."

"Lead on then. I'm right behind you," Cari said.

Merrick smiled and bent down to open the door and step through the low-ceilinged entry to the barge's interior. Cari followed, Harley right behind her. She spotted one of Merrick's men, as she entered the surprisingly spacious cabin. He was the one called Quint. He glared at Cari.

Merrick followed her gaze and leveled a stare at his subordinate.

Quint didn't need a verbal order. He muttered something under his breath and turned to exit through a door leading deeper into the barge's interior.

Merrick watched his man leave then turned back to Cari.

"Sit, please. I'll have the men brew some tea. It is a much more civilized beverage for negotiations than ale or even wine, don't you think?"

Cari found herself returning his smile. It was the kind of thing her mother might have said and it made her think of home. Were her parents frantically searching for her right now, thinking she'd run away or something, or had her father figured out where she'd gone? Would he find a way to come after her?"

She was still lost in her thoughts when a pot of hot water was brought and a sailor poured three cups of tea for Merrick, Cari, and Harley.

"To our mutual friend," Merrick said, raising his tea cup to Cari. "May he live to pay his debts."

Cari raised her cup and then took a sip, the warm tea felt good going down, banishing the last of the night's chill from her core. She hadn’t realized how cold she’d become walking through the dank streets at night.

"So, this is all about the money he owes you?"

"Is there anything else? I'm hoping if I help you reach him, you'll continue to watch over him and ensure he pays his debt to me."

Merrick reached into his pocket and pulled out Cari's projector cube.

"I still have this strange artifact you gave as collateral. Don't you want it back?"

"It would be nice," Cari admitted. "I don't suppose you'd let me have it now?"

Merrick laughed and returned the cube to his pocket.

"What kind of businessman would I be if I gave up my collateral for sentimental reasons? Don't worry. I'll keep it safe for you until you return with either the Prince or the money he owes me."

Cari supposed that was fair but she would like to get it back. It held photos and holovids of her family in addition to her school work and she didn't want to lose them if she was truly stuck in this world.

"Let's turn to what you said about getting me out of here. You can get me out of the city and on my way to catch up to Timron and my other friend?"

"As a matter of fact, I can get you out of the city before the sun rises this morning. This barge is set to leave with cargo bound for the coast. The city's river watch is expecting it to pass through the river gate in a few hours."

"What's the price of my passage? I assume you don't offer your services smuggling people and goods in and out of the city without some sort of fee."

"In your case, I'll add it to the cost of collecting the Prince's debt. Let him pay for it since he's already late on his payments. We’ll call it an additional collection fee."

"That's very generous of him," Cari chuckled. "Are you sure he won't mind?"

"Seeing as how he's not here to complain, we'll have to assume he's in agreement."

"Then I accept your offer to take me down the river and leave the city."

"Excellent, we'll be casting off soon, probably within the hour. I'll show you where you can wait and hide until we're past the River Gate."

Cari turned to Harley.

"I can't thank you enough, Harley. You've helped me when you had no need or duty to do so."

"Not true, Cari. It's a duty owed by my family for the person who freed my Gramps from slavery many years ago. I am honored to pay back that debt and help free another."

Harley extended a hand and Cari reached out and clasped wrists with the city watchman.

"I'll be here when you return. Don’t hesitate to seek me for more help if you need it."

"What makes you think I'll be back?" Cari asked.

“The Empress is here and she still needs your help,” Harley said. “You'll be back. I'm certain of it.”

Cari smiled. Perhaps he was right. She turned and followed Merrick down the barge's passageway to her hiding place. For now, though, it was time to leave the city.

Chapter 17

After Harley took his leave, Merrick led Cari down into the bowels of the barge amidst the cargo bound for towns down the river. Beyond the cargo hold were two more rooms. The larger of the two housed a double row of bunks for the small group of river sailors who crewed the barge up and down the river. The other contained ropes, pulleys, and a host of tools used to manage the cargo and repair the vessel when needed. All were hung on pegs and hooks mounted in the walls of the small room.

Stopping outside the tool room, Merrick stepped inside and pulled a hidden lever. The back wall of the room popped open a few inches. He stepped back and gestured to Cari.

"Behind that panel is a small space where you may wait while we pole the boat through the city canals and locks to the River Gate. Once we're away from the city, I'll send someone to fetch you. An inspector from the city will surely board us when we arrive at the gate. Just remain quiet while we handle the business of the inspection. It should only take a few minutes and then we'll be on our way."

"This will be fine," Cari said after stepping into the tool room and pulling the panel open. The space behind the panel was tiny, but there was room to sit down and rest. She could use some rest.

Cari turned to Merrick. "Thank you again for helping me on my journey."

He shrugged.

"It's good business. You just make sure I get paid."

"I'll do my best. You understand I can make no promises."

“I know but I believe you are a person of your word. If you say you’ll do your best to make him pay me, you’ll do just that.”

Cari nodded and pulled the panel closed until it clicked. She could see the latching mechanism on the inner side of the panel. It looked easy enough to operate from this side so she wouldn’t be trapped. The light in the tiny space dimmed as Merrick shut the outer door. It was dark in the smuggler’s hiding spot but some light filtered into the room through the cracks in the wooden wall between her and the hold.

There was a crate on the floor and Cari sat down on it leaning against the outer hull, settling in for a long wait. The motion of the barge in the water changed a little after a few minutes and Cari realized they'd cast off and were moving down the canal towards the River Gate. She was on her way.

Cari leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes. She'd been up for almost a full day and was still slightly wounded from her escape from the Duke's palace. The barge's gentle rocking completed the equation and soon she was asleep.

———

Voices just outside the hidden room jerked Cari upright and for a few seconds she experienced complete disorientation. She dreamt she was home in her own bed and waking up here in the hidden compartment of a medieval barge was jarring. Cari gathered her wits quickly and strained to listen to the two muffled, unidentified male voices outside in the hold.

"I don't care what the usual inspector accepts as a bribe, I'm not the usual inspector and I intend to search every inch of this barge."

"If you'd just tell me what you're looking for, I could perhaps help you find it."

"We got word from a source in your factor’s enclave that a fugitive is on board this vessel."

"This is a cargo barge. We don't take passengers. We don't even have cabins except what passes for a crew bunk room right there."

"Yes, and you've shown me that rat hole. But don't tell me you don't smuggle things on this barge. You’re all smugglers at heart. I know you’ve got some hidden hole or compartment where you keep things from people like me. It will go a lot better for you if you show me where it is so I don't have to find it for myself. Otherwise, you're not going anywhere and I'll bring a whole squad of the Duke's guard down here and tear this place apart."

Cari drew her dagger and held it ready in front of her. There was no room for the sword in this cramped compartment so her dagger would have to do. The outer door to the tool room opened and additional light from a lantern poured in. Cari could see through a crack in the planks of the false wall as one of the barge's crew pointed into the tool room. A man in the uniform of the Duke's guard stood next to him peering in.

She readied her blade to surprise the guard. It was only a matter of time before he found the hidden lever.

"Stop!" Merrick said from somewhere out of sight. "I demand you stop harassing my crew and let this vessel pass down river."

The guard took a last look into the room and turned away to face back into the hold.

"And who are you to make such a demand? You aren't my superior officer."

"I'm the owner of this barge and I have this letter of passage signed by the Duke himself. When I am traveling aboard, I'm not to be detained from my duties. I have to be down river for an important meeting by tonight and you and your mysterious inspection are going to make me late. I'll have you fired, or worse, if you don't let me pass immediately."

"Let me see this letter of yours."

The sound of rustling paper was soon followed by a curse from the guard suggesting Merrick’s letter from the Duke was real. What a handy thing to have, Cari thought. It wasn’t by chance she was sure. Merrick didn’t seem to be a man who took unnecessary risks.

"As you can see," Merrick said. "The letter and seal are genuine. Now it appears you've inspected the vessel. Have you found anything to lead you to believe there is anyone here but myself and the crew?"

"No, but…"

"There are no 'buts' about it. You haven't discovered anything at all. I don't know who you got your information from but there are probably fifty barges out there waiting for inspection. Your fugitive is likely on one of the others because I can assure you there is no one on this barge that I don't know about."

"Yes, sir. Of course, you're right, sir."

The guard stepped away from the doorway and the crewman closed the tool room door.

Footsteps moved away from Cari's hiding place and another door shut leaving her in relative silence once again. Realizing she'd been holding her breath, Cari let out a long sigh and sheathed her dagger.

She'd been sure she was going to have to defend herself and make a run for it right past a squad of the Duke's guards.

The barge began rocking again and soon they were on the way down the river. She heard shouts of orders from up above and the sound of running footsteps pounding overhead as the crew went about the work of running the barge once it was underway.

Fifteen minutes later, the outer door opened and Merrick called in to her.

"You can come out now, Cari. We're out of the city."

Cari popped open the panel and shot Merrick a smile.

"That was a close one with the inspection, right?"

Merrick shook his head.

"Closer than I expected. I need to have some words with my people back at the enclave. Someone tipped off that guard captain."

Cari walked with Merrick back towards the stairs up to the main deck. A thought occurred to her.

"You think it was Quint? Isn't he here with us?"

"Him, or more likely one of his relatives in the enclave. I'll get to the bottom of it. This isn't personal, no matter who you killed. You’re under my protection. It's business and there's no place for feelings in it as far as I’m concerned."

Cari pondered how callous it was to think business outweighed someone's death, even if it worked to her benefit. Either Merrick was a cold-hearted individual, or he was up to something else. Her arrival on deck distracted her from her suspicious thoughts as she got her first good look at the countryside outside the Crystal City.

The view from the river was spectacular. A broad plain stretched off in both directions, dotted here and there with small farm communities and tilled fields. Beyond the river plain, Cari could make out rolling hills stretching into the distance.

The city filled the horizon behind them with the great reflective walls of magically polished stone rising up from the ground giving the capital its name. She took a deep breath and smiled. She wasn't smelling human waste and other odors common to the city anymore. The fresh air made her grin. She'd become used to the dirt and grime of the medieval city over the last week or so and didn't even notice the smells anymore until they were gone.

Merrick noticed the look on her face.

"It's good to get away from the city and see the way the ordinary folk live, isn't it?"

"I didn't know what it looked like outside the city. It's beautiful. Is the whole journey to the coast like this?"

"How is it you've never seen outside the city's walls? Were you kept prisoner inside all your life or something?"

"I came to the city by, uh, unconventional means shall we say," Cari said. "Where I come from, there are few places of open land like this anymore."

"What a shame for you and your people, then. It is a joy to drink in this view as we travel down the river. If you think this is good wait until we pass among the trees of the great southern forest. It all depends on how long you intend to stay with us. I’m not sure how far you’re going. All we discussed was getting you outside the walls."

Cari decided she had to share some of what she knew with Merrick. He had gotten her this far after all.

"I need to get to a place called Morton Creek. I haven't even seen a map but I get a sense it is four to five days by fast horse from the capital."

"It is, though we'll cut off some of that time for you. If we put you ashore when we get to the other side of the southern forest, you'll be about one and a half day's travel on foot from Morton Creek."

"When do we reach the forest?"

"With the current behind us, it will be two days from now. That should cut a day or two off your trip."

A crewman came over and whispered something in Merrick's ear.

"Um, if you'll excuse me, I have something else to attend to. Feel free to explore the ship but try to stay out of the crew's way. The cook will prepare a midday meal which we eat up here on deck when the weather permits. Until then, I'll leave you to your thoughts."

"Thank you, Merrick. See you at lunch."

Cari walked to the rail and spent the morning watching the countryside pass by and listening to the crewmen at work. They told some interesting tales of their exploits in love and other adventuress. She suspected less than half of what they claimed was true but the stories did make her smile.

After lunch, Cari decided to try to stretch out her sore shoulder injured during her escape. According to her stats, her health points weren't healing on their own, though she probably needed more than a few hours’ rest for that to work.

Stretching seemed to help, though, and after going through a routine from her Taekwondo training, a new message popped up.

Healing action - Health +2

A quick glance at her health stats revealed she'd regained some of her health points.

Health: 54/60

Her sensei had always touted the benefits of the meditative routine she’d used. Cari had always thought he was just spouting off some sort of eastern mysticism. Given how effective it was, she'd try the stretching and training routine again tomorrow after a good night's sleep and see if she could regain more points. It would be nice to be fully healed before she headed out across country alone.

For now, Cari sat back against the deck rail and watched the countryside drift by, enjoying the view, free from the concerns of the past few days. She was happy to let her mind wander as they floated down the river. It would be time to revisit everything all over again soon enough once she was on the road to Morton Creek.

Chapter 18

Merrick had the barge pull up to a small landing on the river's western bank two days later. Cari, fully healed and rested, gathered her few belongings and prepared for the journey.

"You have the map I prepared for you?" Merrick asked.

"It's in my pack, along with the traveling cloak, blanket, and food. You've been very generous."

"One last thing, then."

Merrick held out a small, leather coin purse with a drawstring top.

"What is this?"

"It is some money for the journey. You mentioned the Duke's men took what little you had."

"I cannot accept a loan from you. I don't want to be in debt to you like Timron is."

"You misunderstand me, Cari. You are performing a task for me and therefore, as my employee, you must be paid. The coins in here will cover the cost of your time. Take the purse."

Merrick shook the purse a little. The clink of the coins bouncing against each other inside helped her decide. She could use the extra coin on the road south. Cari reached out and took the purse, tying the drawstrings to her belt next to her leather pouch.

"Thank you again for your help. I will deliver your message to the Prince and encourage him to make good on his debt."

"That is all I ask. Goodbye Cari Dix. Godspeed."

Merrick stepped back onto the barge and the crewmen pushed the vessel away from the stone landing, leaving Cari behind. She watched them drift downstream for a few minutes then started down the road leading westward.

According to the directions she'd received, she should head due west for half a day until she reached the north/south road. Turning south from there would lead her to Morton Creek along the coast perhaps one day later.

There was supposed to be an inn at the crossroads where she could stay the night. If not, and the weather held, Cari thought she might opt to stay the night under the stars and enjoy the outdoors for a change. It would save her money though Merrick had been more than generous in his gift of the purse.

While Cari enjoyed backpacking at home with her family, by the time she arrived at the crossroads where she was to turn south she remembered how much she liked staying in a warm bed, too. Luckily, Merrick's information was correct and there was a small inn located at the crossroads.

It was dark when she pushed open the door at the Merchant's Hostel and stepped inside. Heads turned to see who entered as a slight breeze caused the candle flames on the tables to shift and waver when the door opened. The faces registered mild interest at seeing a strange face but turned back to their conversations and food almost immediately.

The common room was small in the tiny, two-story inn. She approached the bar where the bartender met her with a smile.

"What can I do for you, young lady?" The portly man asked. "We don't get many travelers through here so it's a pleasure to serve a new face."

"I think I'd like a room for the night, and some dinner if I have enough coin for it. How much?"

"A silver piece for the room if you don't mind sharing a bed with Grandma Gerald in the corner over there." He referred to a striking silver-haired woman seated at a table by herself. "She's on her monthly trip to visit her daughter in Morton Creek. Two silvers if you want a room to yourself. Dinner is another silver but includes all you want tonight, breakfast tomorrow before you leave, and a tankard of ale. What'll you have?"

Cari thought about what she had from Merrick. She could afford a private room and dinner but hated to waste money when she didn’t know if she’d get more anytime soon. She decided to suck it up and share the room with the old lady to save a little bit.

"I'll share the room if she's alright with it. Dinner sounds good, too."

"Excellent. I'll get right on it. Hey Granny, you've got a bunkmate for the night." The bartender called while he drew a tankard of ale for Cari.

"Send her over to sit with me, then. I'd like to know who I'm sleeping with tonight."

"Don't we all," a farmer said as he laughed at another table. "She's welcome to come over here if she'd rather share a bed with me."

"Oh, hush, Jym Price," Grandma Gerald said. "Leave the girl be. She's young enough to be your daughter's age by the look of her. What would your wife say to you if she knew what you just said?"

The farmer blushed at being chastised and his companions burst out laughing at his expense reaching over to jostle him a bit. There were other bits of laughter around the common room as folk settled back into their conversations.

Cari crossed to where Grandma Gerald gestured to her to sit.

"Don't pay Jym no mind. He's harmless enough. What's your name, sweetie?"

Cari sat down and introduced herself.

"I'm Cari, Cari Dix."

"Ooo, named after the princess, are you? Did you choose that name or is it the name your parents gave you?"

"My parents named me."

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you. I like the name. I almost named my youngest daughter after the legendary princess, too. Did your parents tell you stories about her growing up?"

"Not as much as I'd have liked."

"Well you're in for a treat. A traveling bard is passing through tonight. Maybe we can entice him to share one of the old tales with us."

"That would be nice, Grandma Gerald."

"Call me Granny. Everyone else does."

Cari smiled, nodded, and took a sip of her ale while she studied some of the others in the room. The other patrons all seemed to be local farmers coming to the only tavern in the area to share tales and complain about their lives. The locals didn’t have much in the way of money judging from their rough clothes and weathered and tanned faces.

"Where are you bound to, Cari? Are you traveling far?"

"I'm trying to catch up with friends heading to Morton Creek. Hopefully they haven't left without me."

"Oh, what a nice surprise. I'm headed south to Morton Creek myself. My oldest daughter lives there with her husband and three of my grandchildren."

"That's nice. How many grandchildren do you have?"

"Twenty-two."

Cari raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"I have six children and they've all had more than a few of their own. It's one of the joys of my advanced age to spend as much time with them as possible."

"Are the others in Morton Creek, too?"

"No, only my Darla moved away from the farmstead. The others remained close and took up farming like me and my husband. Darla always had stars in her eyes though. I knew she'd opt to leave as soon as she got the chance. She met a nice young man traveling south to Morton Creek. He was on his way to take over for a retiring smith there. She told me she planned to marry him mere minutes after she'd met the boy."

Granny shook her head and chuckled.

"I can't say I was happy at the time but he's been a good husband and provider to her and he's raising those boys of his in a good trade so I cannot complain after all is said and done."

"It sounds like it all worked out," Cari remarked.

"What about you? Why's a girl your age out roaming the countryside with a sword at her waist like some young ruffian?"

Cari shrugged, unsure of what to say.

"I just wanted to get away from home, I guess. I've always been good with a blade despite what my parents wanted me to do. I feel more at home with a sword in my hand than anything else."

"Given who you're named after, maybe you've soaked up some of your namesake's prowess for adventure."

"What do you mean? I thought Cari disappeared with her family when she was a young child."

"That is true, but here in these western parts of the Empire, we hold a real close affinity to Prince Hal and his family. Did you know Prince Hal traveled right down this road almost a hundred years ago on his way to Morton Creek?"

"No, I didn't know that," Cari replied. She was curious to hear that she might be retracing some of her father's travels about Fantasma.

"Yes, he came through on his way to rescue the arch mage Theran from capture at the hands of a bandit king who'd taken over Morton Creek. At least that's what the legend says."

"Really? I suppose he was successful."

"Of course, he was. That was how Prince Hal learned fire magic in the stories. He was taught the magic spells in exchange for rescuing the mage. In the end, it played a great part in his defeat of the usurping Emperor and his lackeys, if the tales are to be believed."

Cari smiled at the thought of her father involved in some sort of epic adventure. It all seemed so strange to think of her dad, the business executive running around with a sword in his hand and learning to cast magic spells. Even after her own adventures over the last week and a half in Fantasma, it was a little hard to believe.

Over the course of the long evening in the inn's common room, Cari heard many more tales of her father, each more fanciful than the last. The traveling bard obliged Granny's requests for stories about Prince Hal and told one after another.

At the end of the final tale, telling the story of the great slave escape from the city of Hyroth, Cari looked around and was surprised she and Granny were the only ones left in the common room. The farmers had all gone home long before.

Granny pushed her chair back and stood, fishing in her coin purse and pulling out a silver piece.

"You should offer a token to the bard as well for his entertainments this evening."

"I will," Cari said, digging out a silver coin of her own. "I learned a great deal from his stories. I'd never heard so much about Prince Hal before."

"Like I said, we here in the west country consider Prince Hal one of us. He's even more revered in Tandon, farther west. That's where he first showed up and vowed to take on the Emperor, you know."

Cari nodded. She'd heard that in several of the night's tales. She followed Granny over to the bard and handed him her coin, thanking him for the night's stories.

He took the coins with a bow and a flourish of his hands then set to packing up his lute and gathering his belongings.

Cari followed Granny up the narrow stairs to their room. The bed they were to share was smaller than she expected but Granny was a thin woman. Hopefully she didn't kick in her sleep too much.

She needn't have worried. The long day of traveling and the late night in the common room both conspired against her and she soon fell into a deep sleep.

She didn't remember a thing until Granny shook her gently by the shoulder the next morning.

"Cari, dear. I'm leaving. Would you like to travel with me south? I'd appreciate the company for the trip and you wouldn't have to walk. I have a buggy with room for us both."

Cari rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She didn't have to think long on it. Her evening with Granny had been her most pleasant so far in Fantasma. She'd enjoy sharing a ride with her south to Morton Creek. Plus, the buggy ride would offer her a faster option than walking.

"I'd like that Granny. Do we have time for some breakfast first?"

"I had the innkeeper wrap up some ham, cheese, and fresh biscuits for us to take. I got enough for both of us, hoping you'd say yes."

"Give me a few minutes to freshen up and I'll meet you outside in the courtyard."

"Alright, but don't dally. I want to get there before my grandchildren go to sleep for the night."

Cari nodded. She rolled out of bed, gathered her things, and poured some water in the washbasin to scrub her face and wash her hands.

By the time she arrived in the courtyard, Granny was already seated in the two-wheeled buggy, hitched behind a swaybacked piebald horse.

Cari tossed her backpack under the seat with Granny's things and climbed up into the seat next to the old woman.

Granny clucked and shook the reins and the horse started off at a trot for the road south. Cari looked up and let the sun warm her face in the early morning chill. The trip south had taken a turn for the better when she met Granny Gerald. Cari hoped the luck continued to hold in her favor. She estimated she was nearly eight days behind her friends. She hoped they hadn't left without her.

Chapter 19

After traveling all day with Granny Gerald, Cari was almost sorry to leave her behind when the old woman pulled up outside the Sailor's Home inn.

"Thank you for going out of your way to bring me here directly rather than going straight to your daughter's, Granny."

"Nonsense, my dear. It wouldn't do for you to wander about, new in town, looking for this place. Besides, it's not that far out of the way. My Son-in-Law's smithy is just five minutes from here, near the Baron's castle."

Cari climbed down and retrieved her pack and sword.

"I hope you have a nice visit with your grandchildren, Granny. They're lucky to have someone like you in their lives."

"Yes," she laughed as she lifted the reins. "Yes, they are. Hopefully they know that, too. Best of luck to you Cari Dix. I hope we get to meet again someday."

"I'd like that, Granny. Farewell."

The old woman shook the reins and the horse trotted away, leaving Cari outside the ramshackle inn overlooking the harbor below. Cari shouldered her pack on one side and her sword belt over the other and went inside to find her friends.

As she stepped through the door, Cari wrinkled her nose. The interior of the inn was smoky and smelled of fish. The combination was a bit unpleasant. The door opened to a small entry hall that opened to the left and right. The right-hand side led to the tavern and, judging from the noisy carousing coming from that end of the building, the joint was jumping. The left side led to a small counter and a staircase up to what Cari assumed were the inn's rooms.

Cari decided her best option to find Rodrigo, Timron, and the others was to head to the left and speak to the clerk at the counter there. The greenish tint to his skin and the smile showing a mouthful of pointed teeth revealed him to be at least partly of goblin stock. He was polite enough though.

"Can I help you, miss? We have the finest rooms in town."

"I hope you can, sir. I'm looking for a few friends who are staying here. They are probably waiting for me."

"Do you have a name, miss? We have several people staying here."

"I'm supposed to ask for Liam or maybe Rodrigo?"

"Your name wouldn't be Cari would it?"

"Yes, it is. Oh, I'm so glad my friends are here." She pointed back to the tavern side of the building. "Are they in the tavern? I'm sure they'll be excited to see me."

"Miss, uh, you misunderstand me. I have heard of your friends but I'm afraid they are no longer here."

"Not here?"

"No, but they did leave a note for you in hopes you would arrive, eventually. Wait here. I have it in the back office."

The clerk held up his hands in front of him to keep her there and left through a small door behind the counter. He returned after a few seconds, handing her a folded piece of paper. It was sealed with wax and the emblem of the Dragoons was pressed into the seal closing the message.

"I was just wondering how long I should hold onto the note. They had no idea how long it would take you to arrive. I didn’t think you’d come at all, honestly, but surprise here you are."

Cari stared at the note in her hand and struggled with what to say next. She'd counted on getting here in time to go with them. Everything she'd done was focused on that goal. She'd been imprisoned, escaped, fought tooth and nail to get away from her pursuers, and now the rug had been pulled out from under her.

"W-when did they leave?"

"Oh, it must be two days ago. I think it was because one of your friends had gotten into a mix-up with a bad element in town. He apparently gambled away money he didn't have and a few burly gentlemen came looking for him. It was a nasty business and the local constabulary was called to settle the peace. Your friends left early the next morning."

Cari could guess which of her friends the clerk referred to and she cursed under her breath at Timron and his personal habits. If not for him, Rodrigo, Liam, and the others would still be here.

Sliding her thumb under the folded paper note, breaking the wax seal, she unfolded the letter and read the words Liam had written there.

Cari,

It is my hope you arrive soon and are safe and sound after your delay in the capital. We were forced to leave Morton Creek on short notice and took the first available ship leaving the harbor. It is bound for Tandon, which is good. The Empress has a friend in the Duke and Duchess there.

We will await you in Tandon. Seek us out at the Duke's palace. They will know where we are if we are not in Tandon anymore.

Godspeed,

Liam

She folded the note and considered what it said. If they left by ship, she'd have to book passage as well. The few coins she had left from what Merrick gave her would not be enough to book passage on a ship, she was sure. She only had enough left for two or three nights at an inn and a few meals.

"Did you find out what you needed, miss?" The clerk asked.

"No, not what I needed at all," Cari said, letting the bitterness and disappointment creep into her tone and demeanor.

"Will you be needing a room perhaps while you work out what your next plans are?"

"I'm not sure, I have to consider my options for a bit." Cari trailed off and walked away from the counter, soon finding she'd retraced her steps and stood once more on the street outside the inn. The harbor lay below with a few larger ships bobbing in the waters there. Most of the boats were smaller fishing vessels.

There was no way she could afford passage on a ship with what she had on her and Cari was at a loss for what to do next. She didn't know anyone in this town and had no resources at all to build upon in order to earn her passage to Tandon. She supposed she could try to make the passage overland but she had no idea what that entailed or if she was equipped to make any sort of protracted overland journey.

A thought popped into her head. Her previous supposition wasn't entirely true. She did know one person in town. The question was, would Grandma Gerald help her out and how would she even find her in a town of several thousand people?

All she knew was Granny's son-in-law owned a blacksmith shop near the baron's castle. The castle was easy enough to see, sitting on the opposite side of the harbor overlooking a point of land jutting out and creating the inlet that sheltered the ships below. There couldn’t be that many smiths in a town the size of this one.

Cari folded the message from Liam in half twice until it was small enough to fit in her belt pouch and slipped it inside. She looked up the hill at the castle and took a deep breath.

"Alright, Cari. You've got no one but yourself to rely on here. It's time to go and find a way to make this work. You’ve got to get to Tandon."

Cari started up the street towards the castle, navigating her way in its general direction. She had to make several twists and turns as she headed up the hill towards the far end of town. She was determined in her purpose. Cari would find Grandma Gerald again and with the old woman’s help, work out a way to earn enough money to buy passage to Tandon.

Quest accepted - Earn passage to Tandon

Chapter 20

It took several tries and backtracking from two dead end streets before Cari found the correct combination of streets that wound around the harbor inlet and led to the castle. By the time she found the street leading up to the castle and started looking for the blacksmith shop Granny mentioned, it was starting to get dark. Lucky for her, she didn't have to look far.

Cari first heard the sound of pounding steel on steel off to her left as she walked along. Following the sound, she discovered an alley leading back to a large open building with a stone fire pit beneath a chimney jutting up through the roof. The open forge generated enough heat that she felt the temperature rise as soon as she was within thirty feet of the glowing bed of coals.

A tall, broad-shouldered man stood with his back to her, swinging his hammer down at a bar of glowing metal laying on the anvil in front of him. A boy of about twelve stood nearby, holding a rope attached to a giant bellows attached to the side of the fire pit. As the smith returned the bar of metal to the coals, he nodded at the boy who pulled down on the rope, pulling the opposing sides of the bellows together, blowing fresh air into the forge. The coals glowed white as the fresh flow of oxygen fed the fire, super-heating the metal bar under the blacksmith’s watchful eye.

The boy pulled on the rope three more times until the smith nodded again and pulled the bar from the forge. He laid it back on his anvil. The metal now glowed with the same white heat of the forge’s coals and he began pounding on it again in smooth measured strokes as he shaped the bar, stretching it out while he flattened it.

It took her a moment and then she realized he was shaping a sword blade. He returned what must be a high-quality carbon steel to the forge and looked up at the boy again. The child wasn’t paying attention to the smith though. The apprentice was distracted by her arrival and looked at her, not his master.

Seeking the distraction that pulled his apprentice's attention from his work, the smith turned around and spotted Cari standing behind him.

"Excuse me, miss, I didn't know you were standing there. Do you need something, perhaps a look at your blade's edge? My son here is very good at sharpening fine blades on our wheel if you'd like."

Cari shook her head. Her hardened, special steel alloy blade rarely needed sharpening even after the battle conditions she'd tested it with over the last two weeks.

"I'm not here for sharpening services. I was looking for someone and hoped you could help me."

"I'll try," the smith said. He walked to a bucket and lifted a ladle to take a sip, pouring the remainder over his head to wash the sweat away. "Who are you looking for?"

"Do you know Grandma Gerald by any chance?"

"Yes, she's my wife's mother. Why? Is everything alright?"

"Oh, yes, she's fine. My name is Cari and we traveled together here to Morton Creek and she left me a few hours ago on her way to your home to visit. I assume she's already there."

“What can I do for you, then. Did you forget something in her buggy?”

"This is a little embarrassing but I am having a little trouble and hoped Granny might be able to help me out. She's the only person I know in town and I really could use a friend right now."

Cari struggled not to cry. Heroes in the stories never cried and she was determined not to be the first. She could imagine the way the bards would play that up fifty years from now if anyone ever wrote a story about her like they had her father. "The Tears of Crying Cari," they'd call it.

The thought of it actually made her chuckle and brought a smile to her face. It reminded her she wasn't the sort to hold a pity party for herself.

The smith must've noticed some of the war of emotions playing across her face because he waited until she met his eyes again before he spoke.

"Don't worry, miss Cari. If you were kind enough to keep Granny company on her way here to visit us, then of course we'll try to help you. My son and I will be happy to take you there, only we are backed up on an order of swords for the baron and we have to finish two more blade blanks before tomorrow so we can have the full order done by the end of the week."

"I understand. I'm not a smith but I know my way around a sword. Is there something I can do to help you and your son?"

"I'm Heath Fletcher and this is my son Sterling. Let me think for a second and see if there is something with which you might help."

"We have hilts to assemble, father. Could she help with that?"

Heath snapped his fingers.

"An excellent idea, son. Cari, you look like you understand the heft of a blade and how balanced it must be. Would you be able to assemble the hilts and add lead shot to the pommel blanks until the balance for each blade is right? Then all I have to do is melt and pour the proper amount to fill them tomorrow to finish the hilts with leather wrapping for the grips."

Cari smiled. This was something she'd enjoy doing. She loved handling swords of all types. It looked like they were making sabres and she'd trained on them with her sword instructor at home.

"I'd be happy to help out. If Sterling can get me started, I'm sure I'll be able to get the job done for you."

"You heard her, boy. Show her how it's done and we might get out of here before midnight tonight."

Sterling smiled at the thought of finishing early and Cari followed him to a table where he showed her how to fit the two wooden halves of the handle over the tang extending from the blade. Then he had various sized lead rings to fit over the end and finally a hollow steel cap for the pommel that she could fill with small lead balls until the balance was right for the weight of the blade.

"You try one while I watch," Sterling said.

Cari started assembling the pieces under the boy's watchful eye and soon she was holding out the blade, tilting the tip forward and side to side, testing the balance. The steel pommel cap wedged over the wooden grip tight enough not to fall off while she tested the counter weights inside. It was just a little heavy in the hilt.

She set the blade down and popped the cap free to remove a few ounces of the lead balls. She reassembled the hilt and pommel and hefted the sword again. It was perfect this time and she smiled and handed it to Sterling.

He stepped back and took a few practice swings. Even for twelve, you could tell he worked in a smithy. His young muscles managed the heavy saber well.

"That is perfect, Cari. I think father is right. You'll be perfect for this job. Go ahead and do another. I'll go back and help him at the forge so he can work faster."

Cari was happy to help out and she felt like she was accomplishing something on a day full of disappointment.

New skill acquired - Bladesmith

The acquisition of a new skill, along with the crafting of the hilts and pommels took her mind off her troubles. Cari lost herself in the task until she'd completed balancing all thirty finished saber blades with their hilts and pommels. She had a huge grin on her face as she finished the job. This was satisfying work and helped center her mind.

Heath came over from the forge as she laid the final blade on the table after testing it one last time. He picked up a few and tested the weight and heft of each in turn.

"You've done well, Cari. And you've saved Sterling and me a great deal of work. Come, it's time to go home. If you'd like, you can come back tomorrow and help some more. I can pay you, especially if it helps me get the swords completed early. The baron will pay me a bonus for that."

"I'm not going anywhere anytime soon, Heath. I'd be happy to help. I like to work with swords and it interests me to see how swords are made up close in this manner."

"Wonderful! It's settled then. You can work for me until this order is finished and if you like it, we'll see about what you can do after that. For now, though, you're coming home for a late supper."

"I'd like that very much." Her stomach growled at the mention of food. She hadn’t eaten since the breakfast Granny brought from the inn that morning.

She helped them close up the smithy and then the three of them walked through the nighttime streets of Morton Creek until they reached the Fletcher's home. It was a two-story stone cottage with a small fenced-in area with a garden and chickens running loose. It was only a few minutes’ walk from the smithy.

Cari followed them through the gate, careful to close it behind her. They were just about to enter when the door opened and a woman about her mother's age stood inside the door holding a toddler on her hip.

"Oh ho, did you bring another stray home with you, husband? Or do you think I'm the sort to let you take another wife?" Cari was about to take offense until she saw the broad grin on the woman's face.

Her husband had dropped to one knee.

"My fair Becca, how could any woman take my heart when you already hold it close to your own where it truly belongs."

Becca laughed and reached out to rub her fingers through her husbands sooty hair. "Get up you fool and come in here. I've been holding a pot warm just for you and Sterling. Tell me who your friend is?"

"I'm Cari, Cari Dix, ma'am. I stopped by the smithy and -"

"Cari, my dear?" Grandma Gerald must’ve heard Cari’s voice and pushed past her daughter to hug Cari. "What are you doing here, dear? Is everything alright?"

"My friends had already left the town for their journey west and I didn't really know anyone else in town, so…"

"Aren't you a clever girl. Becca this is the young lady who kept me company on the trip here."

"So I gather," Becca said. "Well, come on in. There's plenty of food and we can find room for you to sleep on the floor somewhere. I'll not put a stranded traveler out on the street. Lord knows I wasn't raised that way."

"No, you were not," Grandma Gerald laughed. "It's good to see your hospitality lessons took hold."

Cari followed everyone inside, and before long she found herself feeling more like a long-lost family member than a guest in their home. After a dinner of roasted pork and fresh bread, they all sat by the fire and Cari listened while Granny shared stories of Becca's childhood, before she settled down on a pile of blankets on the floor near the fire.

It wasn't as soft as a real bed but it was the closest she'd been to feeling at home since she came to Fantasma. Cari would never admit she missed her parents, but it felt good to be fussed over by a mother-figure. She closed her eyes and fell asleep without feeling alone in a strange world for the first time in almost two weeks.

Chapter 21

The sharpening wheel spun with a smooth continuous action as Cari's foot worked the wooden pedal up and down. She lay the saber's blade at an angle on the spinning stone, running the edge across the abrasive wheel, honing it to razor sharpness.

The work gave her a sense of satisfaction and each new skill of sword making she'd learned over the last two weeks working in the smithy added to her Bladesmith level on her character stats. Cari had reached level four in that skill already and she started noticing something unusual sometimes when working.

It happened again while sharpening the current saber blade. An orange glow formed along the blade edge as it ran across the stone, darkening in color to a deep umber as she watched. The problem was, she had no idea what it meant.

She'd asked Sterling if he could see anything unusual when it happened before. He stared at the blade on which she was working and shook his head. She told him it was her imagination and went back to work.

This time, instead of ignoring it, as she'd done before, Cari focused on it and tried thinking about a game menu while she sharpened the sword.

Crafting Menu: Bladesmith

Enhanced blade - damage

Enhanced blade - speed

Enhanced blade - durability

Well, Cari thought, that was new. Selecting the speed option, she continued to hone the edge, paying attention to the areas highlighted by her new skill. Eventually the entire blade took on a slight green glow while she worked. The magic started happening before she knew it as the steel itself transformed under the grinding wheel, thinning and elongating until a good deal of the weight had been removed.

She had no idea where the excess metal went but when she was finished; she had to go and re-balance the grip and pommel. The resulting blade was lighting fast in her hand as she went through a training routine with it.

Cari focused on the blade in her hand and brought up the inventory listing for it.

Saber of Speed - +1 to hit, +1 defense

She smiled. If she could make magical swords like in the stories, it would be totally awesome. Cari decided to try again with another of the pile of swords she had to hone.

Again, she started her normal routine working the edge of the blade with care. The orange glow returned and deepened as before. This time, she selected the damage option.

The blade's glow turned crimson and Cari's field of view where the blade met the spinning stone zoomed in. She could see the edge in much finer detail now, especially the beveled angle of the sharpened edge.

There was a geometric pattern represented by various shades of red along the sword's cutting edge. By focusing on each area in turn, Cari saw a change in the angle. Now she understood what she was seeing.

A blade with a double bevel to it not only cut better, it stayed sharper longer between honing. The glowing red showed the perfect angle for this particular piece of shaped steel. Cari set to work matching her grinding angle to the guidance given by her newfound ability.

Once again, she created a higher quality blade than originally planned. She checked the blade's description in her inventory while holding it.

Saber of Sharpness - +1 to hit, +2 damage

A third try while activating the durability function in the new crafting menu caused the whole blade to glow blue. She used the glowing indicators as a guide once again changing the shape and composition of the blade in subtle ways. The result was a much stronger blade suitable to battering through even the toughest armor.

Saber of Strength - +1 damage, +2 vs. armor

Cari tried the swing and the balance of each blade again, making fine adjustments to the balance on the grip and pommel in light of the changes she'd wrought. When she was finished, she beamed with pride at what she'd done.

"Heath, could you come here for a second?"

"What is it Cari? Is there a problem with that blade?"

Cari handed the smith the blade enhanced for speed.

"Take a look at it and tell me what you think. I, uh, tried something new on it when I honed the edge."

Heath peered at the edge, running his thumb across it, a grin appearing on his face. The grin deepened when he took a few practice swings and then lunged forward with it.

"This, this is amazing. How did you do this? It's as if you created a new, lighter alloy from the steel I forged."

Cari didn't know how to answer. She honestly didn't know what she did from a technical standpoint or how she could teach it to someone else unless…

"I don't know what I did, Heath. I saw something as I was sharpening it and tried to just go with the flow. Maybe if you sit down and sharpen while I watch, I can show you what I did while you do it yourself."

"Cari, if you can show me what you did and I can replicate it, I'll be able to do something no one else I know can do. This blade is like one of the swords from the legends the bards tell of when they come to town."

"I'll try. Sit down and pick up one of the fresh blades."

Heath sat on the bench in front of the sharpening wheel, picked up a saber blade from the pile next to him and started working the pedal until the wheel spun at a steady, constant speed.

He looked up at her, holding the blade edge just above the stone. This was the moment of truth. It would either work a transformation like she'd been able to do or nothing would happen but the creation of a sharpened saber with normal qualities.

"Lay the blade on the stone and kind of let your mind relax so you're looking at it but looking past it at the same time. You need to find the zone."

"The zone?"

Cari winced. She didn't have a better word for it.

"It's a technical term. Just do it and then tell me what you see after a while."

Heath started honing the edge, expertly grinding away small amounts of metal while shaping the blade. He worked faster than she did, but he was the master smith after all.

She saw his face the moment it happened. The orange glow started along the edge as she'd seen before but this time, his eyes widened. He saw it, too.

He started to turn away to look at her.

"No, don't stop, keep going until it turns the color of light brick orange. When it does, I want you to think about what you'd like the blade to do. There are three options: Speed, Cutting power, or Durability. I chose the speed option on the blade I showed you. Use that as a guide."

Heath continued to sharpen the edge as the orange glow deepened just as before.

"Now, think about the type of enhancement and continue working the blade until you're finished."

The blade started to glow green, just as it had with her and Heath got the smile of a kid on Christmas morning as he moved the sword across the stone. His blade changed even more than hers had and when he finished, he held up a sword with a slightly different quality than hers.

Skill taught successfully

Skill level increased to Master Bladesmith

2,100 experience awarded

Level Up!

She held out her hand to try the blade and he gave the saber to her. She focused on it.

Excellent Saber of Speed - +2 to hit, +3 defense

Damn, he did even better than she did and on his first try. He was the master smith after all. Of course it made sense he'd be better at this than she was. He probably saw possibilities she couldn't, even at her newly raised level. She handed the blade back to him after a few practice swings.

He took it and held it up in salute before going through a whole routine with the sword.

"Cari, this is the finest thing I've ever crafted. How is it you are able to do this, to teach me this?"

"If I knew for sure, I'd tell you. I can tell you this. I think if you experiment, you'll find you can work enhancements like this into anything you make in the smithy. Now that the door is opened to you, you should be able to do anything you can dream of."

"Have you tried this new skill on your modified rapier? It's a fine blade made of an alloy I've never seen before but perhaps you can enhance it as well. While you do that, I'll fetch Sterling. He can finish the honing. The remainder of the blades are for the baron's men-at-arms. They need only normal edges ground into them."

As Heath left to get his son, Cari thought about what he suggested. Her sword was as much a part of her as her arm. She didn't want to do anything to it that might destroy its quality. Still, applying this new technique could make it even better. She fetched the sword from her belongings and drew it from the scabbard.

The long, thin, blade only had a cutting edge along the last third of its length. This lent it strength and versatility as both a piercing and slashing blade. She wondered what enhancements she might prefer.

Considering her personal stats, Cari opted to try to enhance it for speed. Sitting once again at the wheel, she started to hone the edge, careful to maintain the alloy's quality and dual-angled edge. The orange glow began again and changed to green when she chose "enhance for speed" from the menu.

She followed the glowing guides, making subtle adjustments to what was already a very quick sword blade. She could see how what she did removed small amounts of excess weight while maintaining and even enhancing the blade's strength.

When finished Cari stood and took a few practice swings. It felt quicker, more nimble in her hand. She checked her inventory. Before it had been listed as a "fine quality rapier."

Rapier of Quickness - +2 to hit, +3 defense

Cari nodded and smiled. This would come in handy in a fight, even more so given her special burst of speed ability. She wasn't really looking forward to testing it against an actual opponent. She also knew that it might be unavoidable. She was in no hurry to enter combat again, but when she did, Cari and her newly enhanced blade would be ready.

Heath returned and set Sterling to work on the remainder of the blades to fill the order for the Baron. He and Cari gathered up the four enhanced blades and took them into the small office at the back of the smithy.

He opened an iron bound chest there, wrapped each blade in a cloth and set them one at a time inside the chest with some other very fine examples of his smithing skill. Heath closed the chest and locked it before turning to Cari.

"Here, this is for you. You've earned it."

He held out his hand. In it he held a bulging pouch. When Cari took if from him, she felt and heard the slight jingle of coins from inside. Working the drawstring and opening it, Cari saw flashes of both gold and silver.

"That should be enough to purchase you passage to Tandon and then some."

Cari tried to hand the pouch back. She knew Heath wasn't a wealthy man and she'd come to know his family over the last two weeks. This represented their life's savings.

"I can't take all of this, Heath. It's too much."

"Given what you just taught me, I'll make it back and more in a day at the weapon faire this year in the capital. No one will be able to replicate what I can now do with a blade of sufficient quality. When word gets out about the quality of my blades, I'll be commissioned to make blades for the highest of the nobles."

"As long as you're sure. I understand if you want to discuss this with Becca first."

"I will but she won't make me take it back. She will see the possibilities even more than I. Becca always has had a better head for business."

Cari smiled, excited to get back on her quest to find her friends. She also had a moment of melancholy, too. Her time here in Morton Creek had been peaceful and almost like home in its sense of belonging. She'd miss it.

"Go to the harbor, Cari and ask about a ship to Tandon. There'll be time to come back and say goodbye to Granny, Becca, and the kids."

Tying the pouch to her belt, Cari grabbed her sword and coat and headed down the street towards the harbor. She was on her way.

Quest completed - Earn passage to Tandon

2,500 experience awarded

Quest accepted - Travel to Tandon

The notification reminded her to check her level status and she looked over her stats once more before adding two more points to her brawn attribute in an effort to balance things a bit. She also spent her skill point to acquire a new ability, Prescience. The Prescience skill gave her the ability to detect sneak attacks from people who were behind her or out of sight. She figured it would come in handy if she ever faced multiple opponents in combat like had happened at the dueling ground back in the capital.

She scanned her stats as she finished her adjustments and thought about future upgrades and possibilities as she walked into the center of town to book her passage to Tandon.

Name: Cari Dix

Class: Duelist

Level: 7

Attributes:

Brawn: 12 - +2

Wisdom: 8

Luck: 10 - +1

Speed: 18 - +5

Charm: 14 - +3

Health: 70/70

Skills: Two-Weapon Combat, Acrobatic Dodge — 2, Multi-Foe Tactics — 2, Feint — 2, Bladesmith — Master, Prescience

Experience: 12,100/19,200

Chapter 22

Cari hugged Becca and then Granny Gerald. They'd accompanied her down to the docks to see her off despite the early morning hour. The eastern horizon showed the promising glow of the coming dawn but stars filled most of the early morning sky.

I expect you to send word when you reach your friends in Tandon safely, young lady," Grandma Gerald said. "I'll be worried sick about you in the meantime. Raiders have been active in these waters of late. Have the captain send word to Becca when he returns here to Morton Creek on his return journey. She'll pass it along to me."

"I will, Granny. Thank you both again for letting me stay with you over the last two weeks. I can never repay you for the kindness you've shown me."

Becca smiled. "Think nothing of it, Cari. It was nice having another girl in the house for a change. Having all boys can be more than a little taxing for a mom."

Captain McShea called out to her from the ship, the Bethany.

"Miss Dix, we're ready to cast off. It's time and we must catch the morning tide."

Grandma Gerald handed Cari a bundle of cloth. "Just a few odds and ends every girl should have on a long trip. You've been traveling light, I know but you can make room for them."

"Thank you," Cari said taking the gift. "Well, I'd better get aboard or they'll leave without me. Goodbye."

"Safe journey child," Grandma Gerald said. "I hope we can see you again, but if not, I hope you find everything you're searching for."

Cari smiled and walked up the narrow gangplank to the ship's rail. She jumped down to the deck and turned to waive one last time.

The captain shouted orders and the crew began rushing about, climbing up into the rigging and spreading out up and down the three masts to unfurl the sails and get the ship underway.

"Miss Dix, ma'am. If you'll come with me?"

A boy who couldn't be older than ten years of age stood next to her.

"And what's your name?"

"I'm Percy McShea, Miss. I'm the ship's boy. The cap'n asked me to show you to your room. If you'll come this way, please?"

Cari followed the boy down the stairs beneath the quarterdeck, along a narrow corridor until he stopped at one of the doors.

"This'll be your cabin, Miss. You're right next door to the Cap'n. I expect he'll want you to take your dinner meal with him. The other meals are served in the galley with the rest of the crew one deck down from here."

"Thank you, Percy. Did I hear your last name was McShea just like the captain?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'm his nephew. My Ma wanted me to learn a useful trade. He took me in and plans to teach me to be a captain, just like him."

"That sounds like an exciting life, being the captain of a ship at sea."

"Oh, yes, it is. I'm very lucky. Um, if you don't mind, I should get back on deck. I have duties to attend to."

Cari smiled at the young boy's serious expression.

"Of course. I hope I'll see you later. You can show me the rest of the ship if your duties will allow it."

Percy's face split with a huge grin.

"I can do that, Miss. I'll ask the cap'n if he can spare me later once we're into open water."

Percy left and Cari opened the door to her cabin. It was a tiny room with a built-in bunk along the outer hull with cabinets built in below and above the bunk. A small table and chair were the only furnishings, not that there'd be room for anything else. Cari could stretch out her arms and touch the cabin's walls on either side of her.

She unpacked her few belongings, placing the only personal items of clothing she wasn't wearing into the cabinets below the bunk. Once that was finished, Cari opened the cloth bundle given her by Grandma Gerald.

The contents brought an instant smile to her lips. A matching bone-handled comb and hair brush with bristles stiff enough to work through her thick strawberry blonde hair lay inside. A rectangular bar of home-made soap and lavender sachet rounded out the gifts from her elderly friend.

Cari carefully packed the new items away in her cabinets and decided to head back up on deck to see the sights and get her bearings on the ship.

The bustle of the crew setting sail had calmed some by the time she climbed the ladder to the quarterdeck. Captain McShea stood by the ship's wheel, pointing to something mounted on a post in front of the spoked wheel. The helmsman nodded and made an adjustment with the wheel.

"Ah, Miss Dix. It's going to be a fine day at sea today. Once we round the headland and are free of the harbor, the wind will be at our backs and we can set a direct course to Tandon. I just directed the helmsman with the proper compass setting. The Bonnie Beth is a good ship. She'll make good time on this journey."

"That is very good, Captain. I hope that's true. I have friends waiting for me in Tandon and I don't want to have them worry about my delayed arrival any longer than necessary."

"Unless we run into trouble of some sort, I think we'll have you there in a fortnight."

Cari turned and leaned on the rail at the edge of the quarterdeck overlooking the main deck below. It was her first time at sea and she wanted to take it all in and learn as much as she could about how the ship operated. It seemed like a glamorous life to live like this, traveling from place to place, wherever the winds took you.

"Excuse me, Captain. Are those cannons down there on deck?"

"Uh, yes they are. We just had them fitted in Morton Creek on the visit before this one. Not many merchantmen have them. We only have the four, two on each side, and they’re relatively small when compared to the Empire’s warships, but they should be enough to scare off most of the raiders plying these waters."

"Don't the raiders have cannon, too?"

"A few do, but most do not. Having cannons on a ship, especially a privately owned merchant ship, are a relatively new innovation. Don't worry about raiders, Miss. Most of them run to the south and east where the spice traders and large merchant ships run between the larger cities of the Empire."

"I'm glad to hear that, Captain."

"If you'll excuse me, I have other duties to attend to. Would you be so kind as to join me at eighteen hundred hours for dinner?"

"I would be happy to."

"Excellent. If you have any other questions, I'm sure my first mate, Mr. Bowcott can answer them or my nephew Percy, for that matter. Mr. Bowcott, the deck is yours."

The captain executed a slight bow in her direction and turned to head down from the quarterdeck to his cabin below. The man indicated by the captain stood on the opposite side of the quarterdeck. Mr. Bowcott called out more orders and sailors in the rigging above unfurled more sails as the ship rounded point at the end of the harbor.

The first mate was a big man, easily a few inches over six feet tall. He had tattoos up and down both arms, most with a nautical theme from what she could see.

The vast expanse of the open sea stretched before them as the ship picked up speed, racing through the ocean swells. As the up and down motion of the ship increased, a queasiness welled up inside her, along with the small amount of breakfast she'd eaten at the Fletcher's before she'd left that morning.

Cari rushed to the side rail, leaning out over the passing water below as she vomited her breakfast into the sea. Soon, the food within her was all gone, but the nausea was not and she collapsed to sit beside the rail, afraid to move lest she have to throw up again.

A booted foot shoved a bucket with a rope handle next to her.

"Here you go, Miss," Mr. Bowcott said. "I'd rather you throw up in here than lean over the rail like that. It wouldn't do to lose our only passenger on our first day at sea."

"Thank you, sir."

"No need to call me sir, Miss. I'm no officer. Mr. Bowcott or First Mate will do."

She sat there for a long while, at least four hours, leaning over the bucket on occasion to deal with her protesting but now empty stomach. She felt embarrassed by what she considered a display of weakness on her part.

It was sometime after noon when Percy showed up with a small ceramic cup.

"Miss Dix, drink this."

“I don’t want anything to eat or drink right now, Percy.”

“It will help you feel better, Miss Dix. I promise.”

"What is it?"

"Ginger tea. It is something the cook made for me when I first came aboard. I was seasick something awful in my first days on the ship. This helped a lot though. Don't worry, with the help of the tea, it will pass as you get used to life on board."

Cari doubted she'd ever get used to this, but she took the warm cup of tea and sipped at it, trying not to upset her delicate stomach once more. Surprisingly, her nausea lessened almost right away and soon she was standing at the quarterdeck's front rail again.

She wasn't a hundred percent by any means but she felt better than she did for sure. She'd have to remember to thank Percy when she saw him again, and the cook, too.

Cari sipped at the remainder of the tea determined to finish all of it to get the maximum benefit of the herbal remedy. She decided to see if she could get some more later in the afternoon so she'd be able to eat dinner with the captain in a few hours. Heading below, she searched until she found the galley. A short, squat goblin with a big round belly pushing out from under his shirt stood before a stove. He stirred something in a big pot while he added a pinch of some spice from a bowl on the counter.

"Um, are you the cook? I'm looking for some more of your ginger tea."

The cook answered her without turning around.

"You must be our passenger. Percy's been talking my ear off about you. He's excited to have someone new on board aside from his usual crew mates."

"He seems like a nice boy. Do you have any more tea?"

"Yes, yes," the cook said, still intent on his stewpot. "There's a kettle warming over there. Help yourself. I'll keep some brewing all the time in here as long as you need it. You can help yourself as much as you want."

"Thank you for brewing it."

"Can't have you throwing up my food. It's wasteful and I can't stand waste."

He looked her way for the first time, flashing his pointed teeth in a big grin. His face was covered with blue tattoos, tiny dots forming a complex pattern on either side of his broad, flat nose and circling either eye.

"You don't look like the other goblins I've seen. Are you from a different tribe?"

The cook turned and spat on the floor.

"I ain't no goblin. I'm a grendling, from the north. We're not bound to the land with no sea legs or longing for the sea. We’re not like our goblin cousins to the south."

"Oh, yes, I'm sorry. I didn't know. Perhaps we can start over. Do you have a name, Mr. Grendling?"

He cackled at the name she used for him and waggled a taloned finger in her direction.

"Mr. Grendling. That's a good one. Perhaps you should just call me Cookie or just Cook. That's what the others aboard call me. I don't think you could pronounce my real name."

"Alright, Cook, in that case, you may call me Cari."

She poured a little more tea from the kettle to top off her cup.

"Thanks again for the ginger tea. I'll look forward to whatever it is you're making me and the captain for dinner."

Cookie waved a hand in answer as he took down another covered bowl and pulled out a small root of some kind from which he scraped shavings into the pot with a paring knife.

Cari left him there, grumbling over his work. She decided it would be best to get some rest before dinner. The bout of seasickness had taken a lot out of her and she hoped the nap would refresh her.

Sipping at her tea, Cari returned to her cabin, happy she was on her way to catching up with her friends once again.

Chapter 23

Each day at sea, Cari found she needed the ginger tea less and less, allowing her to spend more time on deck. She started lending assistance where she could, always at the direction of Mr. Bowcott who followed her progress on the tasks he assigned with a steely gaze and sharp criticism if she did something wrong.

"There is no room for halfway or almost on board a vessel at sea. That can mean the difference between survival or being lost at sea with all hands, especially during a storm or sea battle."

Cari took the criticism as a challenge to do better, working even harder at her tasks until she could tie off lines or coil hawsers as well as any crew member, man or woman. The hard work paid off on the sixth day at sea when she heard a chime and a new message appeared in her vision.

New skill learned - Seamanship

In the evenings, after their dinners together, Cari inquired about how the captain navigated in the open ocean. Where she came from, satellite communications made knowing your location anywhere on the planet a simple thing. Here, she had no idea how they could know anything about where they were.

Captain McShea offered to answer her questions about navigation, along with the disposition of different parts of the Empire he’d visited on his travels as a merchantman. He started off showing her his collection of charts, noting areas with dangerous shoals and regions most likely to be inhabited by raiders, the pirates of the seas around the Empire. She noted how he left hand-written comments on them to remind him of important things to remember when navigating in those waters.

Cari pointed to the area labeled in the captain’s hand with the single word “Raiders.” She noted they skirted around it on the way to Tandon.

"Why do all the raiders seem to congregate in this area, Captain?"

"Two reasons in my estimation. First, it is farthest from the closest Imperial naval base and second, there is an island chain off to the south which most of the raiders call home. In the time of my youth, they used to be a people who valued trade and traveled far and wide all along the coast. They’re fine seamen. That changed about twenty years ago when most of them started taking up piracy as a profession over merchant trading.”

“It is why we don't sail directly to Tandon in a straight line but curve around, taking a great deal more time to get there. To sail directly through would be suicide for a small ship like mine. I don't even think a naval vessel would try the transit unless it was part of a flotilla. I still don’t know why the Imperial navy doesn’t make it a priority. I guess they’re too busy with the war to the east."

"It must be harder to navigate when you must make all the turns to curve around the raider territory."

"That is why I take readings with my sextant in the morning, at noon, and at the evening bell every day. It helps me locate my position on the chart with greater accuracy. Here let me show you how it works."

Cari watched as the captain showed her how he worked out his position using the navigational tools he had at his disposal. By using his compass, sextant, and charts, Captain McShea said he could gauge his position on the chart with great precision. He used a great chart under a plate of clear glass in his cabin to follow his position, marking each day's progress with a line drawn on the glass using a soot-blackened wax pencil.

On the third day of teaching her his charting techniques, he allowed her to take the morning readings under his watchful eye and make the notation of their progress overnight. As she drew the line on the glass, she thought about how the use of what she thought of as basic math had practical applications she'd never dreamed of in Fantasma. She might have paid more attention to trigonometry if her teacher had explained how ships used math to chart their course.

That revelation set off a new chime in her head and a flashing menu popped up. When she checked the notification, she saw she'd gained another new skill on this journey.

New skill learned - Navigation

As soon as the new skill was added to her stats, Cari looked at the chart spread on the table. She saw a range of possible course corrections displayed on the glass next to her course markings. As she focused on each, she saw potential adjustments for things like currents, shifts in the winds, and total sail surface area. Cari suspected the broad variations could be refined more as she leveled up the new skill.

Captain McShea seemed pleased with her progress and the next morning he handed the sextant to her and told her to take the readings on her own and report the ship's position to him on the chart along with the distance from their destination when she finished her calculations.

Cari smiled, beaming with pride and headed up to the quarterdeck to "shoot the sun" as the captain said. She was making the final adjustments before taking her reading when a voice from the lookout drifted down to the deck.

"Sail ho. Ten degrees off the port bow."

Cari turned and looked to port from her position at the rail. Mr. Bowcott stepped up next to her with the ship’s main spyglass raised to his eye. When he was finished, he cursed under his breath and handed the glass to her.

"Percy, fetch the captain if you would and then tell the quartermaster to unlock the armory."

The boy raced off below and Cari put the long spyglass to her eye and leaned over to steady her hip on the rail. The approaching ship leapt into view. She could see it cutting through the sea in their direction, a black and red checkered flag flying from its foremast.

"Raiders?" Cari asked the first mate.

"Aye, they’re flying the flag for all to see which is pretty brazen, if you ask me. It’s a good-sized ship, too. If she's got the number of cannon to match their size, we're in trouble for sure. If not, we might be able to fight them off. They'll not expect us to have guns, too. Given their position in the wind, we’ll never outrun them. They’ve got the angle on us to cut us off. We’ll have to trade a few broadsides before we can cut past them."

Cari handed the spyglass back to Mr. Bowcott and ran for her cabin. She stopped long enough to put the sextant back in its case in the captain's cabin next to the chart locker.

Returning to her room, she opened the cabinet and pulled out her things. She slipped the sword belt over her head, settling the blade and scabbard at her right hip. She slipped her dagger through her belt on the left side and then headed back to the quarterdeck and the captain amidst a flurry of activity from the crew.

"Keep that cannon port closed!" Captain McShea bellowed. "Let's now show our hand too fast."

A group of the crew around one of the guns saluted and replaced the removable section of the ship's rail to keep the cannon hidden. Each of the guns, two on each side, had a crew of three or four prepping them for action.

Mr. Bowcott walked up to the captain with a large wooden case in his arms. He set it down on the deck and opened it.

"Cutlasses and boarding axes are being handed out to the crew now. I brought these for the quarterdeck crew."

Cari peered over his shoulder to see flintlock pistols arrayed in a rack inside the wooden case. The lid had a built-in rack with a row of thin paper tubes tied with string at both ends. They were about the size of her forefinger. There was also a small horn with a wooden butt and a removable cork stopper attached with a string at the small end. That must contain gunpowder, she thought.

"Good work, Mr. Bowcott," the Captain said. "Hand them out to the crew up here with us. I'll take two for myself."

The first mate selected two of the pistols and started loading them, selecting two of the paper tubes.

"I can help load those for you, Mr. Bowcott," Cari said, kneeling down next to him on the deck. She was curious about the process. This was the first time she’d had an opportunity to handle firearms here in Fantasma.

"Have you handled one of these before?"

"No, but I learn fast. Show me and I'll get them loaded for you."

"Alright, watch closely while I load the captain's brace of pistols."

The first mate picked up one of the paper tubes and demonstrated how to tear open the top of the tube with his teeth. He explained that each tube containing a pre-measured amount of gunpowder and a lead ball. She then took one of the other pistols from the box and followed along while he loaded the second of the captain's two pistols.

"Good, you've got it. Finish the rest of them and hand them out to the helmsman and the others up here on the quarterdeck. Save one for me. I'll get it later. I've got to get down to the main deck and supervise the loading of the cannons. We haven't drilled on them nearly as much as I'd like."

Cari set to work while the first mate left to deal with his other responsibilities. There were ten pistols in all inside the case. It didn't take her long to finish the task. When she finished Cari, wished she had a canteen or something to wash the acrid taste of gunpowder from her mouth after tearing open all the cartridges with her teeth.

Picking up the heavy box, Cari brought it to each person around her starting with the captain. He seemed startled to see her there with the pistols but he reached in and took the first two in the double row. He shot a glance down at her swords and up at her determined face. After a moment of thought, the captain nodded.

"Stay back and out of the way until we close. If they manage to board us, fight as if your life depended on it. You don't want to be taken prisoner."

"I understand, Captain."

"Good." He forced a smile on his face. "We'll get through this in one piece. Just keep your head down."

Cari nodded and moved around to the rest of the crew on the quarterdeck with the pistols. There were three left when she was finished. She set aside the one for Mr. Bowcott and shoved the final two into her belt.

Standing there with her wide-brimmed plumed hat, hands on her hips, bristling with weapons, Cari figured she cut quite the figure. She let a smile play across her face, despite the deadly seriousness of what the crew of the small merchant vessel faced.

The raider ship was close enough to see without a spyglass now. She could see men climbing the rigging as the ship put on more sail to catch the Bonnie Beth. Others clustered along the rail and pointed in the direction of their intended prey.

All of them were armed, carrying everything from cutlasses, to wicked looking battle axes. It was going to be a dire fight indeed when they caught up to the merchantman.

The chase was a foregone conclusion. Cari had learned enough of navigation and seamanship to see the angle and judge the wind. It would take perhaps half an hour or so, but soon they would be alongside preparing to board.

For now, all they could do was wait. A chill raced down Cari's spine as she stood at the stern rail, watching the raider closing from behind. It wouldn't be long now.

Chapter 24

Cari was in no way prepared for the carnage she saw from the first canon broadside from the raider ship. Two of the shots knocked out one of the two guns on the port side, blasting apart the rail and killing the entire four person gun crew.

Holes were blown in the rail in other areas, killing the members of the Bonnie Beth's crew sheltering behind it. Two feet away from her, the helmsman was decapitated by a cannon ball flying across the quarterdeck. His headless body collapsed to the deck in a spray of blood, the ship's wheel spinning free causing them to start turning in the direction of the raider.

Seeing what was happening before anyone else, Cari ran over and grabbed at the spokes of the wheel as they spun by, halting the turn. Pulling with all her might, Cari brought the ship back around on course to hold them away from the raider ship. Judging by the angle and the sudden shift in their direction while the wheel spun free, she realized it might be too late.

Another broadside, this time firing balls connected together by an iron chain causing them to spin through the air, took out whole sections of rigging and ropes holding the masts and sails as they passed through air above the deck. The foremast tilted as the mainstays were cut. The weight of the wind in the sails was too much for it. The mast snapped in half and came crashing down to the deck, crushing several crew members beneath it.

The second broadside was followed by a dozen thrown grappling hooks as the Bonnie Beth slowed from the loss of sail. Most of the ropes and grapnels connected, clawing at the wood of the smaller merchant ship, the tines digging in as the ropes attached were pulled taught.

The raiders hauled on the ropes, pulling the two ships closer and closer.

Mr. Bowcott called down to the main deck for men armed with axes to cut the ropes as fast as they landed but there were too many to cut before the raiders pulled their ships together.

The captain spotted her by the wheel, trying to turn the ship against the inexorable pull from the grappling lines.

"Tie off the wheel, Miss Dix, and ready yourself for boarding. Here they come."

A shouted cheer sounded from the raider ship as the two ships ground together with a crash. Raiders, men and women alike, started leaping across to the Bonnie Beth, yelling their battle cries.

The leaders of the charge were met at the rail and pushed back, some of them falling back to plunge into the sea below. Others followed, though, and soon the main deck was a mass of men and women, all fighting for their lives.

A group of raiders raced up the ladders to the quarterdeck. The first two up the ladder fell back as the captain fired his pistols into their faces. Those following snarled with rage and swarmed up to engage the captain, the bosun and the two other crew members assigned there with them.

Two charged past them to where Cari stood by the helm.

She drew her sword and dagger and crouched to meet them.

Her sword whipped up, the speed enhancements she'd added back in Morton Creek bringing a vicious smile to her face.

The first raider tried in vain to bring his cutlass up to parry the lightning fast blow. He shouted a gurgling cry as his throat was slashed open.

1,200 experience awarded

The second man had to jump backward to avoid the first as he fell over clutching his neck. This gave Cari the opportunity to lunge forward and try to catch him unawares.

The raider parried the attack and jumped over his fallen shipmate to take the attack to her with his shorter cutlass blade.

Cari retreated to give herself some room, parrying the first cutlass slash with her dagger. The heavy cutlass blade pressed her arm back against her chest bringing the raider so close, she caught the fetid stench of his breath passing through his clenched, discolored teeth.

She couldn't bring her sword to bear with him this close and he tried to grab her wrist to pin her other arm in place.

Cari brought up her knee as hard as she could, driving the man's balls up into him so hard he screamed like a young girl.

He didn't break away from her, though, and when she tried the knee again, he twisted and took the strike on the hip.

He twisted the cutlass and slid it downward, pulling it away from her dagger and slashing open a long cut in her arm.

Health damage - health -10

Hissing at the pain, Cari stomped down with her boot's heel on the raider's instep crushing the bones in his foot. He hobbled backwards, favoring the crushed bones in his injured foot. She brought the sword around once again using its enhanced blade speed to drive past his defenses.

The raider managed desperate parries of the first and second attacks but that left him open to an upward slash from her dagger. It passed up beneath his sternum and drove into his heart. He shouted a pained gasp and fell to the deck.

1,200 experience awarded

An explosion from just below on the main deck picked her up and threw her all the way to the stern. Cari landed hard, her ears ringing. She sat up, seeing double for a few seconds. Everyone on the quarterdeck was down, raider and merchant sailors alike.

Captain McShea's sightless eyes stared back at her, his chest stained with blood around the two-foot splinter of wood protruding from it.

Fire and smoke rolled back to the stern from the main deck. One of the gunpowder kegs for the cannons must have ignited. It managed to kill most of the raiders who’d been massed on the main deck, luckily. They had driven the surviving crew members back against the forecastle and took the brunt of the blast for the crew.

Some of the crew were fighting the remaining raiders, the others were fighting the fire. There was no organization to anything they were doing though. It only took Cari a split second to realize no one was left in command. She didn't know where Mr. Bowcott was but the captain was dead, as was the bosun and the helmsman.

Over on the raider ship, she saw the pirate captain shouting orders and the few remaining crew members on board were hacking at the lines tying the ships together. If they managed to cut themselves free, the survivors of the Bonnie Beth would die when the ship burned and eventually sank.

Cari had to get things under control or they were all going to end up floating out here on bits of charred wood.

She sheathed her sword and ran to the front quarterdeck rail, leaping up and springing off it over the burning main deck. Before she fell into the flames, Cari grabbed at a line tied off from the mainmast and slashed it free with a sweep of her dagger.

She swung out over the flames to the far side of the main deck. Timing her release so she cleared the fire, Cari let go of the rope, landing with a tumbling roll. She popped back to her feet as soon as she landed looking around for nearby raiders.

One of them stood over Percy with his cutlass raised to kill the boy.

Cari's dagger thrust took him in the left kidney and she drove the blade up and to the side, severing one of the great vessels in his abdomen.

The raider crumpled to the deck with a single, choked-off scream of pain.

1,200 experience awarded

Cari offered a hand to help Percy to his feet.

"Where's Mr. Bowcott?"

"He's unconscious up on the forecastle, Miss."

"We have to get out of here or we're all gonna die on this ship. We’ve only got one option. Run up to the forecastle and get someone to bring the first mate to the rail. Send everyone else to me."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to capture us a pirate ship."

Quest accepted - Capture the raider ship

Cari waived her sword in the air over her head as she raised her voice over the shouts and screams.

"Men and women of the Bonnie Beth, to me. Rally to me. We must take the fight to them or we'll all surely die here. Follow me!"

A ragged cheer went up from those closest to her. It would have to do.

Cari ran to the rail, planted her booted foot on it and vaulted across the gap between the ships. Only two or three lines still held the two ships together.

She kicked downward at an axe-wielding raider below her as she landed. Her boot caught him in the face and he fell backward.

Drawing her sword, Cari stabbed down at the raider on the deck beside her. He spasmed once and lay still.

1,200 experience awarded

A thump beside her, then another, announced the arrival of two of her crew mates from the burning ship.

Cari pointed along the rail with her sword.

"Stop those men from cutting us free. We need to give our survivors time to come over."

"Aye aye, ma'am."

Both men ran forward and attacked the two raiders cutting at the lines tying the ships together.

More survivors from the Bonnie Beth came over and she sent the first arrivals to help the first two. The rest she formed into an expanding defensive semicircle around their little beachhead on the raider ship.

When she had fifteen armed survivors standing with her, all wounded in one way or another, Cari made the decision to try for the raider's quarter deck and control of the ship.

"Come on, let's take them!"

She ran toward the stern, hoping the others followed behind her. If they weren’t, this was going to be a short fight.

Reaching the steps up to the quarterdeck at the stern of the raider ship, Cari raced upward, taking them two at a time. She swept the legs out from under a raider trying to defend his position at the top of the steep stairs with a slash of her sword. As he fell to the wooden decking, a sweep of her dagger laid open his throat as she leapt up over him to the quarterdeck.

1,200 experience awarded

A shot rang out to her right and she was knocked sideways into the rail, almost tumbling over into the sea.

Health damage - health -22

Cari pressed her forearm to her side. She'd been shot. Every breath was like inhaling fire. She must have broken ribs at the very least.

Another crack.

Something whizzed past her face buzzing like a bumble bee.

A raider officer raised the pistol like a club over his head and ran at her.

She sheathed her dagger and drew one of her own pistols using the side of the hand holding her sword to lever back the hammer.

Leveling the pistol at her attacker, Cari fired point blank into the raider's face. The bullet took the top of his head off after passing through his left eye.

1,500 experience awarded

Level Up!

A surge of the remaining raiders stopped the rest of the Bonnie Beth's crew following her on the main deck. They fought to put down the raiders in front of them, trying to reach Cari on the quarterdeck. More of her shipmates crossed over from their burning vessel across the narrow gap between them and the raider ship.

Cari realized she was cut off from aid and stood alone on the quarterdeck. She felt the blood seeping from the bullet wound in her side. She had no idea how serious the internal injuries might be.

The raider captain sneered at the wounded girl who dared to stand against him on his ship. He raised his sword overhead as he charged at her.

Cari drew the second pistol, planning to dispatch the lead raider the same way she killed the previous one.

He moved too fast for her and chopped down at her with his cutlass blade. She had no choice but to try to parry his sword with the pistol.

She managed to bring the pistol over in time but the jarring hit of the cutlass on the pistol barrel knocked it from her hand to fall spinning across the deck's planking.

The raider danced backwards, avoiding a return attack from Cari's rapier blade.

Her sword cut nothing but air and swung wide as she fought to pull the wild swing back under control.

Pain lanced through her from the wound in her side. It was difficult to move the way she wanted to in this fight. She'd have difficulty scoring any kind of killing blow.

Her only chance was to make enough light hits to power up her burst of speed and take him down that way.

Cari assumed a defensive posture, taking a cue from competitive fencing. She only needed a light touch to score a hit.

All she had to do was draw a little blood each time. Oh, yeah, that and avoid getting killed in the process.

The captain laughed and charged forward again seeking a quick kill.

Cari used her blade's defensive bonus and inherent quickness to deflect the incoming attacks until she saw her opening.

There!

A lunge and a flick of her wrist left a deep gash in the raider's cheek.

Blood streamed down the side of his face.

The power up bar on one side of her vision filled a little.

"You'll pay for that, girl!"

"Worried you'll be too ugly for your raider hags to sleep with you, pig?"

Taunt engaged

The raider captain snarled something incoherent and charged back in at her.

Her taunt worked just the way she wanted it to.

The raider’s attacks, uncoordinated by his blinding anger at her words, missed again and again. It only made him growl and get angrier.

Once again, an opening in his defenses appeared.

Cari used an unconventional attack, hoping it would anger him more.

She feinted with her blade and then spun in place, leveling a roundhouse kick at his chest.

Cari felt the foot connect, knocking the raider back onto his butt. The progress bar filled some more.

The exertion of the kick and the contact with the raider jarred her and sent spasms of pain through her whole body.

Health damage - health -8

Cari’s broken ribs must have gotten worse from the effort of the attack. She coughed once, spat on the ground, and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

It came away covered with blood.

Cari looked down and realized she was bleeding internally.

A quick check of her health status showed significant damage.

Health: 30/80

Cari had to work fast. If her lungs filled with blood, she'd never last long enough to finish the captain.

It might take one more hit to finish filling her power up progress bar. Maybe.

She had to try to score a solid hit with enough damage to complete the power play.

Maybe it was a flicker of the captain's eyes as something else drew his attention, or perhaps the tickle of sensation raising the hair on the back of her neck. Cari realized at the last instant, via her prescience skill, someone had gotten behind her and was about to attack.

Cari dropped to her knees and twisted her body backward in a reverse lunge.

A cutlass cut through the air a scant inch above her face as she leaned back. A raider had gotten behind her.

She extended her blade out from her arched body slicing into the groin of the surprised raider.

The spurt of bright red blood showed she'd connected with one of the femoral arteries, slicing the large vessel open with the tip of her blade.

The man dropped his cutlass, clutching at his crotch, trying to stem the flow of life-giving blood as it spurted out from his body. His eyes glazed over and he fell to the side.

1,200 experience awarded

She’d avoided the sneak attack, but most important of all, her power bar filled and flashed green.

Power up active - Unleash special innate skill - Burst of speed.

Cari powered up just in time.

The captain saw his opportunity as she recovered from her most recent attack. He charged in to finish her off while she was overextended backwards.

It would have worked, too, except now she was too fast.

The familiar stopwatch tick, tick, ticked around in her head letting her know how much time she had left: 40 seconds.

Cari rolled out from beneath the slow-motion attack from the captain, groaning in pain as she pushed herself up to her feet.

The surprise showed in his eyes as she dodged his blow with impossible speed. The captain struggled against his forward momentum to turn and meet her in the new position beside him.

It was too late.

Cari lunged forward, piercing the captain's side and running her blade through his entire torso, skewering both lungs and his heart in one shot.

Withdrawing, she pulled her sword free from the raider's corpse.

2,500 experience awarded

Clamping her elbow against her side, trying to splint the broken ribs beneath her wound, Cari ignored the pain shooting through her torso and charged at super speed down the steps onto the main deck. Like a roving blur of death, she wove her way through the remaining raiders, dropping one after another before they knew what hit them.

The visual display showed the message for experience points awarded. It flashed eight times with the same message before her power up combo timed out.

1,200 experience awarded.

The remaining raiders surrendered, no more than ten in number, dropping their weapons and falling to their knees.

The power down period hit Cari and she fell to the deck in front of Percy. The boy stood over Mr. Bowcott's wounded body, a bloody cutlass in his hand.

"Miss Dix, that was the most amazing thing I've ever seen. How did you do that?"

Cari gasped, trying to catch her breath from both the exertion of her burst of speed and the injured ribs.

"Just something I learned along my travels. Who's the most senior man we have left?"

"That would be Marlin Dawkins, ma'am. He's the assistant bosun's mate."

"Tell him to gather and secure the prisoners, cut the Bonnie Beth free, so she doesn't burn this ship down with her, and find me a healing potion."

Quest completed - Capture the raider ship

4,000 experience awarded

Her orders given, Cari succumbed to the pain and fatigue, a wave of darkness closing in around her.

Percy's words filtered through to her sleepy ears just before she fell into unconsciousness.

"Aye, aye, Cap'n Dix."

Chapter 25

Distant shouts, and orders barked and repeated overhead awakened Cari. She opened her eyes and didn't recognize where she was. The cabin was large, decorated with gaudy paintings of dancing girls with gilt paneling everywhere she looked.

"You're awake, ma'am."

Her eyes tracked to find the source of the voice.

Percy sat on a stool a few feet away, next to a large table or maybe it was a desk.

"You had me worried, ma'am. Even when we found the healing potion you requested and managed to wake you enough to drink it, you fell right back to sleep."

"Where am I?"

"In the captain's cabin. Aboard the raider ship Bloodletter. Mr. Bowcott and Mr. Dawkins have her underway again, on what they think is a general heading for Tandon town."

Cari sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bunk. It was easily twice the size of the bunk in her previous cabin aboard the Bonnie Beth.

"How long have I been asleep?"

"A day and a half, ma'am. While you were asleep, we’ve made all the necessary repairs and we're underway again."

She groaned as the pain in her side flared again. It wasn't as bad as she remembered it during the fighting but it still smarted quite a bit. She placed a hand on the wound. Someone had bandaged it, pulling the wrappings tight, no doubt to help hold the broken ribs in place.

Cari blushed as she realized the bandages wrapped all the way up to her breasts. She hoped it was one of the Bonnie Beth’s few female crew members who’d done it since they would have had to remove her shirt to do the work.

There was a light knock on the door.

"Come in," Cari called out.

Mr. Bowcott stuck his head around the doorframe then stepped into the cabin.

"Ah, you're awake, Cap'n. I'm glad to see it. How do you feel?"

"I'm well enough." Cari stood and winced a little at the movement. "How are the rest of the crew?"

"I'm happy to say everyone who we got over from the Bonnie Beth survived. As you ordered before you lost consciousness, we searched the ship and found a cache of healing potions. After we administered one to you, we divvied up the remainder based upon the injuries each man had. I hope that was alright? There were some who wanted to keep giving you potions until you woke up. Once I was awake, I said that wasn't what you ordered us to do."

"That makes sense, I didn't need the additional healing and you used the rest to save the other crew members. Good job."

"Yes, ma'am. Thank you, ma'am. Did Percy tell you we're back underway to Tandon?"

"Yes, he did. Hopefully the authorities there will know what to do with the prisoners."

"Prisoners, ma'am? There aren't no prisoners."

"What happened to the surviving raiders? I ordered them secured."

"Aye we secured them, tried them, and pitched every last mother's son overboard with a cannon ball chained to their feet."

Cari's horrified stare must've been strange juxtaposed against Mr. Bowcott's beaming smile at his pronouncement.

It took the man a few seconds to recognize the look on Cari's face.

"Did we do something wrong, ma'am? That is the customary treatment for raiders taken at sea."

Cari recovered her composure and steeled her features so she didn't show her emotions so plainly. It took a bit of work to wipe the image of men and women sinking to their deaths, drowning as they struggled to reach the surface.

"No," she finally said. "No, you did what you thought was right. I didn't make my orders clear. Were the raiders the only people aboard. They had no prisoners of their own?"

"Only a young girl we found hiding here in the captain's cabin. She couldn't have been more than four years old so she obviously wasn't a raider herself. A few of the female crew members have taken her in and are tending to her. Don't worry, they'll keep her out from under foot."

Cari was glad her crew hadn't killed the raider child, too, given their bloodthirsty moods. That might have broken her. People lived hard lives here in Fantasma and made hard decisions because of it. She had to remember that. It puzzled her why the raider captain brought his daughter aboard in the first place. Maybe it wasn’t his child but one taken in a raid on shore or during the capture of a ship.

"Good, perhaps we can figure out if the child was a prisoner or not. Maybe she has a home and a family somewhere looking for her?"

"She don't talk much, ma'am," Percy said. "She asks for her mum and dad but that is all."

"Well, we'll follow up on that later. For now, Mr. Bowcott, we need to continue to Tandon as planned."

"Yes, ma'am. About that. We know the basic direction we must travel but without a proper reckoning of our course, we're afraid we'll miss the coast and sail past the mainland out into the endless western sea."

Cari realized none of the remaining crew knew how to navigate the ship as the captain did.

"Let me come up on deck and see the crew. I think we should show them I'm alive anyway. Then I'll come back here and see what charts and navigational tools this raider captain had at his disposal."

"The crew will be happy to know you're on the mend, Cap'n." Mr. Bowcott said.

"I'll be right up after I finish dressing."

"Yes, of course. Percy, come along, lad. Let's leave the Cap'n her privacy."

Cari marveled at how she'd ended up as the captain in this whole affair. She wanted to hand off the job to Mr. Bowcott. He clearly didn't want it, though, and if he couldn't navigate the ship, he didn't have the necessary skills anyway.

Speaking of skills, Cari needed to attend to her own. She'd leveled up during the fighting and she pulled up her stats.

Name: Cari Dix

Class: Duelist

Level: 8

Attributes:

Brawn: 12 - +2

Wisdom: 8

Luck: 10 - +1

Speed: 18 - +5

Charm: 14 - +3

Health: 64/80

Skills: Two-Weapon Combat, Acrobatic Dodge — 2, Multi-Foe Tactics — 2, Feint — 2, Bladesmith — Master, Prescience, Seamanship, Navigation

Experience: 36,900/38,400

Attribute points: 2

Skill points: 1

Even with the healing potion they gave her, Cari still wasn't fully healed, which explained the pain in her side. She'd have to get something to eat. She wondered if Cookie had survived the fighting. It would be nice to have some of his stew.

Cari looked over the stats attribute scores, trying to work out in her mind where she'd best use her two points available. Given as how so much depended upon her ability to lead and navigate this ship, she decided to place her two points in Wisdom.

She also decided to increase her Navigation skill to level 2 since she was expected to bring this ship in to port safely.

That done, Cari pulled on her boots and waistcoat, grabbed her hat, and headed for the quarterdeck to see the crew in action and for them to see her up and about. Appearances were important, so she moved with care so she wouldn't wince when she twisted her torso to climb the steep, ship's stairs. They needed to see a captain who was whole and capable. It was hard enough being a young woman in the role.

A cheer went up from the crew when she stepped out into the bright sunshine on deck. She smiled and waved before turning to climb up to the quarter deck. There were signs of damage, especially on the starboard side where she could still see charred wood from the close proximity to the burning Bonnie Beth.

Approaching the helm where Mr. Bowcott and Mr. Dawkins stood watching the young helmsman keep them on course, Cari smiled at the deadly serious stare on the face of the man at the wheel. It was an important job and essential to keeping them moving in the right direction.

She knew she was expected to say something. Unable to come up with anything else, Cari simply said, "Things seem well in hand, Mr. Bowcott and Mr. Dawkins. Good work."

"Thank you, ma'am."

"How many are we? How many made it across from the Bonnie Beth?"

"Thirty-two, counting yourself and the girl we found here aboard the Bloodletter."

Cari scowled. "I don't care for that name. Do either of you?"

"It is your ship to name," Mr. Dawkins said after a glance at Bowcott. "You ordered its taking. Your actions saved the day and most of us. We can rename her if you want."

Cari wanted to argue their account of what she did but knew it wasn't the time and place to do that. She wanted the name on the ship changed, though, and they’d given her the right to do so.

After a little thought, a name came to mind.

"Vengeance. We'll call her the Vengeance since we took her in revenge for sinking our own ship. Let the crew know."

"Excellent choice, ma'am," Mr. Bowcott said. "I think the crew will like that very much."

"Make it so, then."

Cari shielded her eyes and tried to gauge the angle of the sun. It looked to be one or two in the afternoon. She'd have to come back and take a reading to determine their approximate position, provided she could find a sextant somewhere in the captain's cabin.

If only they'd been able to save the Bonnie Beth's excellent charts and progress logs. Then she'd at least have a starting point from which to work. No use worrying about what was done. She had to look forward to the future.

"I'll be in my cabin if you need me. I'm going to locate the Vengeance's logs and navigational charts and put together a plan for us. For now, hold this course until further notice."

"Aye, aye, ma'am. Holding course," the helmsman replied.

Cari nodded and returned to her cabin once again moving with care and attention to hiding her injuries as she descended back to the lower decks.

Unlike the precision and order she’d seen in Captain McShea’s cabin, the built-in drawers holding the raider captain's charts had no organization to them at all. They did have a few markings on them with notations in a flourishing script. It took her some studying to parse out the notes, comparing them with entries in the ship’s log. When she did, she found each marked a ship captured or sunk, or a coastal community raided.

The captain's sextant was in a box next to the chart cabinet. It was a cruder model than the fine instrument she'd used on the Bonnie Beth, but it would serve its purpose well enough.

She went up and took her readings on the quarterdeck and returned to the cabin to spread out the charts and mark their supposed location based on the last known mark the raider captain made. Once the chart was marked, she moved to transfer the daily notation to the ship's log.

While shuffling through the captain's logbook, Cari discovered a letter from another raider captain.

Jacobus,

Our benefactor has additional orders for us following your successful raid to intercept the family on their voyage. Return to Cairn Island to retrieve the message from our agent and deliver a package north with further instructions about the surviving heir.

Desmond Thorne

Master of the Tigershark

That name, Cairn Island, Cari had seen them on the charts while she examined them.

Finding the chart for which she looked was easier now that she’d reorganized them, Cari found the place on the map in the middle of Raider territory and stabbed a finger down on it. The island chain containing Cairn Island was only four days travel south. Based on the positions marked on the main chart, it was likely the captain was headed back to the islands when he crossed the path of the Bonnie Beth.

Cari read the note again. It mentioned an heir, a family voyage, and raised many questions in her mind. The heir in the note probably referred to Prince Timron. Who was the inside agent mentioned though? Could one of the three dragoons with Rodrigo and the prince be a traitor?

With so many questions and no real answers, Cari had a tough decision to make and she didn't want to make it alone. She opened the cabin door to see Percy waiting outside in the passageway.

"Good, you're here. Please ask Mr. Bowcott and Mr. Dawkins to come here. There is an important matter we must discuss. Also advise the helmsman to come about to a South-Southwest heading."

Percy repeated the orders back to her for verification as he'd been taught and then scampered off to deliver his new captain's orders.

Cari returned to sit behind her desk, reviewing the message one more time. She had to be sure because she was about to test the resolve of her new crew and their loyalty to the Empress and the imperial family.

Quest accepted - retrieve the orders from Desmond Thorne

Chapter 26

Cari gauged the sun's angle again. If her navigational calculations were correct, they'd arrive at Cairn Island soon. It should be the large land mass ahead, the biggest of the islands they'd passed by so far.

The black and red checkered flag flew from the mainmast again. The crew had originally taken it down when they’d seized the ship. She’d had them run it back up the mast as soon as they entered raider waters.

They were all raiders now and they flew the flag signaling to other ships around them of their allegiance to no one and nothing other than profiteering from the misfortune of others.

The whole crew surprised her as they gave a resounding cheer when she asked them to help save the last heir to the Crystal Throne. Now they'd assumed the role of a raider crew returning from a successful cruise up and down the coast of the Empire to the north.

All of the crew were armed with cutlasses, axes, or pikes, as raiders would be when sailing in to a port filled with potential rivals. Cari looked out from the quarterdeck as they passed another raider ship heading out to sea.

The captain waived at them then stopped when Cari waived back. Clearly, he didn't expect her to be the one in charge.

She wasn't sure how exactly she was going to pull this off. First, she had to find Captain Desmond Thorne and his ship the Tigershark. Then she figured she'd play it by ear.

"Mr. Bowcott, I'm relying on your knowledge of the raiders for this to work. They have to recognize this ship and know I'm not the captain it left with."

"There's a great deal of turn over as you might expect in a den of thieves, Cap'n. These raiders never stay with the same vessel very long and often jump ship in harbor when a new captain defeats the old one in personal combat."

"But I wasn't a member of the original crew."

"I don't think it matters. You did defeat the original captain and took control of the vessel known as the Bloodletter. That makes you the captain in their eyes. At least, I think it should."

"Mr. Bowcott. In the future, leave the expression of any doubts out of these conversations. I’d like to think my plan is good enough to stand on its own two feet."

"Aye, aye, ma'am," the first mate chuckled.

They rounded the headland of the big island, revealing a sheltered harbor in the lee of the cliffs.

"Helmsman, bring the Vengeance about and take her into the harbor. Bosun Dawkins, prepare to lower a boat with a crew to take me ashore."

"Aye, Cap'n."

The crew bustled about, taking in sail to slow them as they drifted on a light breeze into the harbor. Soon they dropped anchor in a crystal clear blue lagoon. She watched the anchor drag along until it snagged on a rocky outcrop jutting from the sandy bottom.

The bosun barked orders and one of the long boats was taken from racks in the center of the main deck and lowered over the side. Two men and two women climbed over the side, their cutlasses shoved in their belts.

Percy came up and stood next to her. He had a long dirk tucked into his waistband.

"Where do you think you're going, mister?"

"No captain would go ashore without their ship's boy or girl along to assist them and run errands. You need me to keep up the story you're going to tell."

"The boy's not wrong, Miss," Mr. Bowcott said. "It might be nice having someone around no one will pay much attention to. The boy's resourceful when it's needed."

"That is true, Mr. Bowcott. Alright, Mr. McShea, over the side with you."

Percy beamed a smile reaching from ear to ear and he disappeared over the side to join the others.

"If all goes well, I should be back in a few hours. If trouble starts or I don't return in a day, set sail and make your best time to Tandon on the course I marked. You're to deliver that sealed message I gave you to the Duke there in person. Got that?"

"Yes, ma'am. Your orders are clear."

"Don't be a hero and come to rescue me, Elrod," Cari said using the first mate’s given name. “I’ll be alright no matter what. You have to deliver that message if I don't return. The fate of the Empire may rest upon it.”

The first mate didn't answer aloud, merely nodding. She didn't want to press the issue. Her father had told her once that a leader never gave an order they knew would be disobeyed. She had a sneaking suspicion Mr. Bowcott was already planning a rescue for her if she didn’t come back.

Cari wondered what the great Hal Dix would do in this situation. She decided she didn't care. This was her life and her role to play.

Now, it was time for her debut. She smiled about the name she’d chosen for herself.

The Dread Raider Cari was about to land on Cairn Island.

---

The air in the tavern swirled with smoke, the haze obscuring the details in a room filled with dozens of people, most of them raiders from one of the warships in the harbor. The dockworker who helped tie off their small boat told her she'd likely find Captain Thorne here.

She had no idea who she was looking for since the man on the docks had been unable to provide a decent description. She stopped a man stumbling past her in the tavern common room with a tug on his arm.

"Hey, leggo. I gotta go pee."

"Point out Captain Thorne to me and you can go do your business."

"Over there. In the red fez."

Cari followed the man's pointing arm and spotted the man to whom he referred.

She dropped her hand from the raider’s arm and the man stumbled out the door. Judging from the smell outside as she’d walked in, the patrons here didn't wander very far when nature called.

"Percy, stay close. This is a lot rougher than I thought."

"Don't worry, ma'am. I've got your back."

Neither the quaver in his voice nor the way he stood wide-eyed behind her with a white knuckled grip on his dirk hid his nervousness. Still, despite his anxiety, Percy followed his captain across the tavern's common room until she stood across a table from the man in the red fez.

"You Captain Desmond Thorne, master of the Tigershark?"

"I am. Who wants to know."

"I'm Captain Cari Dix. Master of the former Bloodletter, now called Vengeance. I want the message and the bounty named in this letter."

Cari dropped the letter from Thorne to the former captain of the Vengeance.

Captain Thorne unfolded the letter, scanned it and dropped it back on the table, pushing it towards Cari with his fingertips.

"This is a private matter. You're lucky I don't kill you just for having it. What happened to Captain Holley?"

"He decided to run into the end of my sword several times until he died. She reached out and pushed the letter back across the table. You know the code. I inherited his ship. That means I get his open jobs. I want in on this one."

One of Thorne's crewmen on Cari's right swaggered over towards her.

"What did you say your name was?"

"Captain Cari Dix."

"What? Like the fairy tale princess? Who's supposed to be afraid of you?"

Cari didn't miss a beat.

She spun in place, executing a perfect roundhouse kick. She caught the unsuspecting raider in the jaw with her boot's heel.

The blow launched the man backward into a group of his comrades knocking a few of them down, too.

A group of others surged forward.

"Hold!"

Captain Thorne's bellowed order stopped his crew in their tracks.

"My apologies for my man's disrespect, Captain Dix. I do appreciate you taking the initiative in disciplining him appropriately. Perhaps we should take this matter to a private room. The subject is, as you know, one of a delicate nature."

"I think that is a splendid idea, Captain Thorne. Is there a room here we can use or would you like to return to my ship with me and talk there? I inherited an excellent collection of the finest wines from across the Empire."

"We'll meet here. There's a room upstairs. Have your boy bring up a tray of drinks for us while I go and get the key to the room."

Cari took Percy to the bar and ordered a bottle of red wine and two glasses, leaving the cabin boy to bring it up when the bartender retrieved the bottle from the tavern's cellar.

Captain Thorne held up his hand, showing a black iron key and turned towards the stairs. Cari followed him upstairs and then down a long hallway, stopping at the first door on the right.

He opened the door and gestured inside.

"After you, Captain Dix."

Cari walked in and sat down at the round table, her back to the corner so she could watch the door.

Captain Thorne chuckled and took the seat opposite her.

"So, Captain Thorne, what's the big secret? I earned the right to be in on this job. I expect to be let in."

"First, call me Desmond. Second, I'm not the one you need to talk with. When Jacobus didn't show, I gave the job to someone else. Another ship already left with the assassin on board earlier today."

"Then why did you call me up here?" Cari asked, trying to hide her surprise at the mention of an assassin. "You could have said that downstairs."

"Because, Cari - you don't mind if I call you Cari, do you?"

Cari shook her head, trying to understand what the other captain was getting at.

Desmond stood and closed the door, turning the key in the lock from the inside and placing it in his pocket.

"Because, Cari, Jacobus was a friend of mine and I wanted to take a little personal pleasure out on the person who killed him before I turn you over to my crew."

Cari's eyes narrowed.

"You don't want to do this. I have no beef with you."

"Honey, I've wanted to do this since your pretty little blonde head walked in the tavern door."

Desmond lunged at her, throwing the table to the side with one hand.

Cari used her acrobatic dodge skill to roll to the side off the chair, bouncing back up to her feet. She drew her sword and dagger in a single motion stepped to the left as she started to circle the room’s perimeter.

Desmond laughed and drew his own blade.

"Do you actually think you can use that thing? I haven't met the girl yet who could best me with the sword."

"You have now."

Cari knew she had no chance to run. He had the key to the door and there was no window. She had to take him down to get out of here uninjured. Surrender wasn’t an option.

The biggest problem was the room was too small to maneuver much and take advantage of her superior speed and quickness. That gave his greater strength and reach the upper hand.

She feinted an attack to the right and dodged his follow up attack to cut a deep slash across his chest with her rapier.

The raider captain growled deep in his throat as he swiped a hand at his chest and stared down at the blood smeared on it.

"You're gonna pay for that my girl. I'm gonna enjoy taking you down and teaching you how to treat a man the right way."

"Seriously, is that all you've got? The typical misogynistic talk isn't going to have any effect on me. You're obviously compensating for something. Are we a little small in the manhood department?"

She held up the hand holding her dagger and waggled her pinky finger at him.

The raider captain growled with rage and the message appeared before her eyes she was waiting to see.

Taunt engaged

It was a mistake. Too late, she realized the error of enraging him inside such a small, enclosed space.

Ignoring his own safety and catching her completely by surprise, Desmond charged at her, snarling incoherent words under his breath, with his arms outstretched so wide she couldn't get past him to escape his attack.

She scored a deep gouge to his left leg before he reached her but then he slammed into her, spun her around, and pinned her arms to her side. The raider captain lifted her feet from the ground while he leaned backward and squeezed her chest hard.

The air pushed out from her lungs as the raider squeezed harder and harder.

Her newly healed ribs cracked again.

Health damage - Health -8

Cari struggled to draw in fresh air as the combination of the increasing pressure on her chest and the searing pain of her broken ribs made breathing difficult.

Desmond shook her side to side, swinging her legs around like a rag doll.

Her attempts to stab and slash at him with her dagger failed to connect.

Cari felt hot breath on her neck and the bastard bit down hard on her shoulder, drawing blood.

Health damage - Health -4

Cari had to break free. In desperation, she slammed her head back once, twice, and then a third time, bashing at her attacker's face.

The third hit met with a crunching sound she felt as much as heard.

Desmond let out a grunt and dropped her as his hands went to his face.

She whirled in place, pressing her attack.

A lunging slash took the raider captain in the gut with her dagger, then she danced back and lunged in again, her sword blade cutting open his throat in a spray of bright red blood.

His hands clutched at his throat as he sank to his knees. Cari walked up to him and placed her foot against his chest.

"I did warn you. The Dread Raider Cari doesn't like to be trifled with."

Desmond's mouth moved but nothing came out but bloody spittle. Cari pushed him over backwards with her boot, knocking him to the floor where he writhed until he bled out a few seconds later.

3,000 experience awarded

Level Up!

Cari leaned against the wall, breathing hard, wincing at the pain in her side. The nausea that followed for her after killing came once again, but not nearly as strong as it usually did. She didn’t like the reaction she had each time she won a fight but she also hoped the lighter reaction didn’t mean she was growing callused to killing people.

Clearing her mind and taking a deep breath to settle her stomach, Cari leaned over and rifled Desmond’s pockets until she retrieved the black room key. She also discovered a single, folded paper.

A quick glance at the paper brought a smile to her face, despite the pain in her side. This was a lucky turn of events.

Quest completed - retrieve the orders from Desmond Thorne

5,000 experience awarded

A tap at the door jerked her attention away from the dead captain.

"Cap'n Dix. I heard noises. Are you in there?"

"Hold on, Percy. I'm coming out. See if there's a back stairway down from up here."

"Yes, ma'am. Let me look."

Cari fumbled with the key, the adrenaline draining from her muscles causing her fingers to tremble. It took her a few tries, but she finally managed to open the lock.

Percy waited for her on the other side.

"There's no stairs other than the ones we came up but there is a window looking out over the alley behind the tavern. It's not far down to the ground, ma'am."

"Good man, Percy. That's the way we'll go, then."

Cari pulled the door closed and locked it, bending down and shoving the key back under the door.

"That should keep the crew from bothering their captain for a while. Come on, Percy. We've got to hurry and get back to the Vengeance before they discover we're gone."

"I'm right behind you, ma'am."

The two of them raced to the window at the end of the hallway. Cari climbed through and dropped to the muddy ground behind the tavern. Percy landed right next to her. The landing jarred her ribs, causing her to gasp in pain.

“Are you alright, ma’am?”

“I’ll be fine. The captain proved harder to deal with than I expected. Let’s get back to the ship and we’ll see if one of the ladies can’t bind up my broken ribs again.”

The boy shot her a worried glance but nodded and followed her back towards the docks. Together they ran into the deepening dusk of sundown.

It was time to head for Tandon. They had an assassin to catch.

Chapter 27

Cari stood at the stern rail, watching the lights of the raider town and Cairn Island dim in the distance. It looked like they'd made it clear of the harbor and no one was in pursuit.

Her hand reached across and clutched at her cracked ribs as a muscle spasm caused her to wince in pain. She waited for it to subside before turning to her first officer.

"Mr. Bowcott."

"Yes, Cap'n?"

"I'll be in my cabin if anyone needs me. Continue on the North-Northeast course I set."

"Aye, ma'am."

Cari needed to wrap her torso in bandages to splint the ribs while they healed. Again.

"And send one of the female crew members down to assist me."

"Are you injured, ma'am? Do you need help?"

"I'm not an invalid, Mr. Bowcott. It's the damned ribs again. Painful, but nothing that won't heal on its own in time. I just need some assistance with the binding bandages to splint them."

"Yes, ma'am. I'll send Helen down. She's helped you before I believe."

"She'll do fine. You have the deck."

"Yes, ma'am."

Cari went down to her cabin and waited for Helen. She took the opportunity to pull up her stats and look at her options for the latest level up.

Knowing she faced an accomplished assassin on this part of her quest, Cari added two more points to her speed attribute, increasing her defense bonus. She also bumped her Prescience to level two. It might help her avoid an assassin's sneak attack if he or she got the drop on her.

When she finished, she checked them over one last time before dismissing the display.

Name: Cari Dix

Class: Duelist

Level: 9

Attributes:

Brawn: 12 - +2

Wisdom: 10 - +1

Luck: 10 - +1

Speed: 20 - +6

Charm: 14 - +3

Health: 52/90

Skills: Two-Weapon Combat, Acrobatic Dodge — 2, Multi-Foe Tactics — 2, Feint — 2, Bladesmith — Master, Prescience — 2, Seamanship, Navigation — 2

Experience: 44,900/76,800

A tap sounded at her door.

"Come in."

Helen, a woman in her forties, entered. Streaks of gray wound through her braided brown hair. She was lean and fit though and looked like she'd lived a hard life. Her skin was tanned and creased by long days sailing in these tropical waters.

Despite how she looked on the outside, Helen’s touch was surprisingly gentle. The woman had a reputation for a delicate hand and knowledge of herbal remedies. She often tended to injuries for members of the crew.

"The first mate said you injured yourself again, Cap’n. Let me see what you’ve done."

“It’s the ribs again, Helen. Someone tried to squeeze the life out of me back on the island. I’m afraid he’s re-broken the ones I broke before.”

"You should be more careful, ma’am." Helen pointed to her linen shirt. "Off with the blouse. I can’t tend to what I cannot see."

Cari unbuttoned her shirt and winced as she slid her arm out of the sleeve and pulled the shirt out of the way. Her whole side was bruised black and blue.

Helen made a ticking sound while she shook her head.

Cari chuckled and cringed at the searing muscle spasm caused by her laughter.

"You should see the other guy," she managed to croak out through the pain.

"He better be dead for doing this to you. Otherwise, I'll swim back and finish the job."

“Don’t worry, he won't be attacking innocent ladies any more.”

"Well, that's good to hear."

Helen fetched the wide strips of muslin cloth they'd used to bind Cari's ribs before and started wrapping them around her chest while Cari raised her arms.

"There's blood all matted in your hair. Is it yours?"

"No, he had me wrapped up from behind. That's from his nose when I broke it, I think."

"My goodness, I think I'd have paid to see that fight."

"Honestly, it was terrifying. I'd rather not repeat it again. I much prefer not having to kill people. I’d rather try to find a non-lethal way to solve my problems."

"Well, as you said, Cap’n, you dealt with him when you had to. Plus, you got away to tell about it. Good for you. Now, let's get you to your bunk. A good night's rest will help start you healing. I’ll bring you some willow bark tea to help with the pain. Don't worry about the ship. Mr. Bowcott and Mr. Dawkins have the Vengeance and the crew well in hand."

Cari smiled and let the older woman help her over to the bed. Once she laid down, she was surprised at how fast her exhaustion caught up with her. She barely managed to remain awake long enough to drink the bitter willow bark tea Helen brought back for her.

She lay back down and was asleep before she could thank Helen for her help.

———

The seven days at sea on the way to Tandon gave Cari plenty of time to ponder questions raised by what Captain Thorne let slip before she killed him. On top of that, she had the paper she’d retrieved from the raider captain’s pocket.

It was a Letter of Marque, directly from the Duke of Charon to any ship’s captain holding it. It gave the bearer the right to engage, board, or otherwise fight suspected smuggler ships operating off the southern and western coast of the Empire. It also offered the captain in possession of the letter some limited protections from Imperial Naval vessels chasing raider ships.

Since any ship could be considered a smuggler, it gave the bearer unlimited rights to chase down and board any merchant vessel it encountered.

Desmond almost certainly used the official document from a member of the Empire’s Privy Council to avoid getting searched by naval boarding parties after capturing and sinking merchant ships, or raiding coastal communities. If one of the raider captains had such a license to act as a privateer from the Duke, it was a sure bet others had similar letters.

Cari wondered if the Vengeance’s former captain had one like it. She’d been unconscious when his body had been dumped with the other dead overboard. No one had thought to search his body for papers beforehand.

Given what she’d discovered, she couldn't wait to hand over the letter to Liam. He'd know how to present it in the capital in such a way that it offered proof of the Duke's operations against the Empire.

Thinking of Liam, Rodrigo, Chance, and Thad got her thinking about the possibility of a traitor among them again. The information she had so far pointed to someone feeding the Duke’s agents information on their whereabouts.

She went over and over their conversations and interactions in her mind to try to see if there was any indication who it might be.

Cari was pretty sure it wasn't Rodrigo. He’d had ample opportunity to kill Timron and herself while she slept when they were cooped up in that apartment back in the Crystal City.

Of course, he also was one of the only ones who knew of their plan to escape in the coach wearing disguises. Had he merely waited for a more opportune moment for his treachery when it wouldn’t betray him?

Cari didn’t think so, but she couldn’t be sure.

She didn't know the other Dragoons well enough to make a decision either way. Thad didn’t seem to have the sophistication to undertake such subterfuge. Chance had been the only one to figure out who she was in the beginning. He seemed loyal to the Empress as well.

Given the uncertainty of the situation, Cari decided to keep the Letter of Marque to herself rather than disclose it to Liam right away. If he was the traitor, she'd only be handing valuable evidence against the Duke right into the hands of one of his agents.

Realizing that rehashing the same questions over and over wasn't offering her any answers, Cari tucked the official document into her coat pocket and headed up to the quarter deck.

The bosun had the watch and he was taking advantage of the fair weather and light winds to teach Percy to handle the ship's wheel, under the watchful eye of the helmsman, of course.

"Good day, Mr. Dawkins. How is our young crewman doing with his current lesson?"

"Very well indeed, Cap’n. He's coming along nicely. Mr. McShea is a born seafarer for sure."

Percy tried without success to hold back a smile. Cari chuckled and walked back to the stern rail to look out over their wake.

Mr. Dawkins soon joined her.

"Um, Cap'n, if I may, can I ask you a question?"

"You just did," Cari said using a quick comeback to that question she had often heard from her father.

"Yes, I did at that," he replied with a little laugh under his breath. “I have another question, too."

"What is on your mind, Dawkins??"

"Mr. Bowcott and I were talking amongst ourselves and we wondered if you'd given any thought to the disposition of the Vengeance after we arrive in Tandon."

The question caught Cari by surprise. It wasn't something she'd considered at all. Mr. Bowcott explained the law of the sea pertaining to captured vessels away from land. The ship, or at least a significant share of it, belonged to her as the captain. The remaining shares usually belonged to the crew.

She pondered the question. What were her intentions with the ship after they arrived at their destination?

Her time over the last three weeks at sea, while harrowing, had been among the most freeing moments of her life. For the first time, she'd earned something on her own merits and abilities. She'd fought her way, literally, to become what she was sure was one of the youngest sea captains ever.

The crew of the Vengeance was behind her. They’d proven they were willing to follow her into the teeth of the enemy without blinking. She'd shown her own loyalty to them in return, getting them safely away when her work was finished.

Cari realized Mr. Dawkins was waiting for her reply. She sighed.

"Will it disappoint you if I tell you I don't know?"

"No, ma'am. We thought with all you had on your mind, you might not have considered it."

"And you and Mr. Bowcott have, I take it."

"Yes, ma'am. It all hinges on determining how long you think you'll be after we dock in Tandon."

"I'm honestly not sure. Why does that matter?"

"Well, ma’am, the Vengeance is in need of some refitting and repair and the hull is in need of a good scraping to remove barnacles. There's a pretty good shipyard in Tandon. Mr. Bowcott and I thought we could use some of the raider treasure to reinvest in the ship and make those repairs. That would likely mean a couple of weeks in dry dock."

"And you'd like to know if I intend to return to the captain's job after my work ashore was completed."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Who'd take the job if I didn't return?"

"Elrod, um, I mean Mr. Bowcott, is the senior and more experienced of the two of us. I'd step in as his first officer. But that is our option of last resort. We'd like it if you'd consider returning and taking the job yourself."

"Are you sure?" Cari asked. "This is the opportunity for you both to take on new and lucrative opportunities."

"Neither of us is Cari Dix, if you pardon my forwardness. You’re lucky, ma’am, far luckier than either of us. It's like you really are the lost princess of legend, returned to take on the enemies of the Empire like her father did before her."

That elicited a smile from Cari. If they only knew.

She thought about it for a few seconds. The man deserved an answer. The whole crew did. The problem was, she couldn't offer them any assurances, no matter what her personal desires were. There were so many variables in play.

"Whether I return to the Vengeance or not depends on things I don't yet know. If I had the choice to make on my own, I’d return and sail away with you all on the Vengeance in search of adventure and fortune on the high seas. The problem is I have other potential obligations I have to discharge first. I know that's not the answer you wanted so let me tell you this. You said the refit of the ship will take a few weeks, right?"

Dawkins nodded.

"Then I say go ahead with the refit. If I'm not back by the time it's finished, then you and Mr. Bowcott may split my share of the ship and take her to sea as joint owners of the Vengeance. How's that sound?"

"But if you do return, we get you back as our captain, right?"

"If that's what you and the crew truly want, then I'll do my best to come back. Honestly, Mr. Dawkins, I've enjoyed my time aboard the Vengeance these last few weeks immensely. If things ashore work out in the right way, I'll try to return. Otherwise, I'll be happy in the knowledge that you both will take good care of her for me."

"Yes, ma'am. We'll do our very best. Thank you, ma’am."

The bosun left her alone at the rail once again alone with her thoughts. Her brow creased with worry.

Now she had even more to think about when she went ashore in a few days.

Chapter 28

"Land ho!"

The cry from the foretop lookout carried down to the stern on the wind.

Cari pulled the spyglass from her pocket and scanned the horizon. She could just see the tops of distant hills over the swells of the sea. They were making good time and with this tailwind, they'd be in Tandon harbor before they knew it.

Percy bounced on the balls of his bare feet next to her and she handed the spyglass over to him so he could take a look. She had some other things to attend to.

"Mr. Bowcott, have Helen bring that young girl we found up to the quarterdeck once we reach the docks. Make sure she has whatever belongings she has with her. I'd like Helen to go ashore when I do and try to find an appropriate foster family for her. A child her age has no business living on a ship like this."

"It would offer her the chance at a trade someday, ma'am."

"That is true, but we can always come and collect her once she's older if that's what she wants to do."

"We, ma'am? Have you decided to return to us for sure?"

"You'll be one of the first to know when I make that decision, Mr. Bowcott, I assure you."

The headland ahead of them revealed the mouth of the harbor as the Vengeance continued cutting through the calm waters towards the city.

“Have the crew prepare for arrival and let's see if we can sell off some of the contraband cargo we have in the hold. That'll get us a nice profit, too, on top of everything else we have aboard to divide amongst us.”

"Aye, aye, ma'am."

The Vengeance's crew took in the most of the sails as they reached the inlet leading to Tandon's harbor, slowing their progress. With only a few sails to catch the wind, they moved in closer to the docks.

Mr. Bowcott, along with Mr. Dawkins and the helmsman, showed great seamanship and expertise as they brought the ship right alongside one of the wooden piers jutting out into the harbor.

Sailors hurled the thick hawsers over the side to the dockworkers ashore who secured the ship in place at the dock. Cari looked out at the huge city sprawling out from the harbor.

They'd done it. They'd finally reached Tandon.

Cari left to go below and finish packing up her things. It didn’t take her long. She didn’t have much.

Once her leather backpack was stuffed full of everything she owned here in Fantasma, she checked her coat pocket one more time feeling the two letters she kept there. One was the Letter of Marque and the other was the cryptic message to the Vengeance's former captain about the plot to reach Timron in Tandon. Those were essential because they represented the evidence she thought they needed to implicate the Duke of Charon in treason.

Cari spent her final few minutes aboard straightening up the captain's table, returning the charts to the chart locker's drawers and placing the sextant back in its case. The cabin was in much better order than when she’d taken over from the previous resident. She wanted to leave the cabin in good shape for the next occupant if she didn't return.

Returning to the deck, Cari spotted Helen and the young girl they’d rescued in the capture of the ship. She joined them at the end of the gangplank.

“Helen, I have something for you to give to the family you find to foster our little Jane here.” Cari named the girl Jane when she’d refused to talk at all or help them discover her real name.

Cari handed Helen a small purse with a generous collection of silver coins.

“Use this to help defray the cost of adding an additional mouth to feed to their family. Tell them a member of the crew will check in with them whenever we come back to Tandon to check on the girl and attend to her welfare as needed.”

“I’ll do the best I can, ma'am. I’ve been here before and I have a few contacts in the city who should be able to help me find a suitable and trustworthy family for Janey.”

“Good. I knew I could count on you. Come I’ll walk with you part of the way until I have to head up to the palace.”

Cari nodded a brief farewell to Bowcott, Percy, and Dawkins on the quarterdeck by the wheel. They trio waved back at her. Cari turned and walked down the narrow plank to the dock, following Helen and the girl into Tandon.

She looked up the hill to the palace battlements standing out above the rest of the city. Cari knew where she was headed even if she didn't know the specific route to get there. The Duke's castle sat on the cliffs overlooking the harbor. That was her destination.

Quest completed - Travel to Tandon

4,000 experience awarded

———

The city of Tandon stretched out from the harbor district, spreading in three directions to branch off into the merchant district, caravan district, and temple district. While not as large as the capital by any means, it was a virtual metropolis in comparison to a place like Morton Creek.

Cari enjoyed seeing the sights, taking in the differences in this region as she worked her way through the various districts. Here in the western cities, there were more orcs and goblins present in the city than in the capital. She’d seen only a few non-humans in Morton Creek while she was there in comparison.

Because of her leisurely strolling pace to take in the atmosphere of Tandon, it took her more than an hour to reach the gates of the palace where the Duke and his family resided.

The guards at the gates watch with wary eyes as people passed by on the way about their business. They stopped every person who approached the gates for any reason. Some they turned away, others were allowed to pass through to the palace.

Cari didn't know what to say when she approached other than she was told to go to the Duke to find her friends. She shrugged and walked up to the lead guard. He had a sergeant's chevrons on his chest.

"What can I do for you, Miss? You'll need a pass to get into the palace. Do you have an appointment with someone inside?"

"I am looking for a group of friends. They left word for me to seek them out here at the Duke's palace."

"And who might these friends of yours be?"

"They are former members of the Empress's Dragoons here with a special charge."

"Ah, yes, the ones with Prince Timron. I don't remember anything said about them having a companion they were expecting though. What did you say your name was?"

"Cari, Cari Dix."

"What, like the lost princess?"

Cari tried not to roll her eyes as she answered.

"Yes, exactly like the lost princess."

"Alright, come with me and I'll take you to the officer of the watch today. He'll determine if you are allowed to enter or not."

The sergeant escorted Cari into the gatehouse, shooting her a sideways glance as he let out a chuckle.

"Is something funny, sergeant?"

"Well, Miss, I always wonder what parents are thinking when they name their children after old heroes. I don't think any mother in her right mind would want their son or daughter to be caught up in the kind of trouble and war someone like Hal Dix dealt with."

"You sound like you know something about it," Cari remarked. "Surely you're not old enough to have been alive when Prince Hal was here in Fantasma."

"I wasn't, but my Grandpappy was. He met and fought beside Prince Hal in the war. Even knew him from his days as a thief on these very streets. He said Hal fought hard to help his friends, but he never did it to become a hero. Even in the end, when the Emperor kidnapped his wife and daughter, Hal only did what he had to do to free them. Legend says he disappeared into a magical void as spells began to fail even back then. My Grandpappy told me the truth. He said Hal just went back home to a land far away from Fantasma. He said the lost princess was just a girl like any other, with parents who cared about her and wanted her to grow up in their home."

"I've never heard that version of the story before. Everyone says it was all dashing about and heroes winning the day."

"War always looks that way when the people who didn't fight in them talk about what happened in the past. The reality is much worse for those who had to see it firsthand. I don't have to tell you that, though, do I? You have a few scars I can see, more than I'd expect for someone your age."

Cari put a hand to the healed scar on her cheek. She forgot it was there and there weren't a lot of mirrors to be had among the common folk of Fantasma.

"No, I guess you don't have to explain any of that to me. Thank you for sharing the story about Prince Hal from your Grandfather. You must be very proud of his service to the Empire."

"I am, Miss. Thank you. He passed two years ago, but he always had fond memories to share of Prince Hal from the early days."

The sergeant stopped outside a door just inside the gates.

"Here you are, Miss. Lieutenant Claridge is the officer today I believe. He can help get your situation sorted out."

The sergeant offered a brief bow and returned through the gatehouse corridor to his post in front of the palace.

Cari lifted the latch and walked into the gate officer's office.

A young man, not much older than herself sat behind a desk, he was picking at the dirt under his fingernails with the point of a dagger when she walked in. He sat up so quickly, trying to put the dagger away, that he pricked his fingertip on the sharp blade.

"Ouch, damn."

He stuck the tip of his finger in his mouth, then realized how that must look and dropped his hand to his lap. He braced his shoulders back, sitting up as straight as possible.

Cari covered her laugh by turning it into a cough and covering her mouth.

"Yes, Miss, how can I help you?"

"I'm Captain Dix, of the merchant ship Vengeance."

"A captain? You?"

"Yes," Cari said, her eyes narrowing. "Is there a problem with that?"

"You just seem so young to have such a great responsibility."

"One could say the same thing about you, Lieutenant. I earned my position through hard work, sweat, and more blood than I care to think about. Who birthed you to give you this position?"

Cari knew she'd gone too far with the last question. The reddening face on the young officer in front of her told her that much. Damn it, Cari, your temper got you again.

"Miss Dix."

Cari noticed he did not call her captain.

"I'm afraid the palace is not taking any visitors today. Perhaps you'll have more luck if you return to your, uh, Vengeance, was it? You can always return and try again tomorrow."

So, it was going to be a battle of wills. So be it.

"That is unacceptable, Lieutenant. I'm a personal friend of Prince Timron himself. I know he is staying here at the palace. I have a personal letter telling me to meet both him and his traveling companions here when I arrived. Now do your job and tell my friends I'm here. Or, better yet, get off your butt and escort me to them!"

The lieutenant shot to his feet.

"No girl talks to me that way."

"Really? One just did. Now take me to His Imperial Highness right now if you want me to forget to mention this whole matter to the Duke when I seem him."

"That shows how much you know, Miss Dix."

"CAPTAIN DIX to you."

"It doesn't matter what I call you. You're not going to see the Prince, the Duke or anyone else in their party today or anytime soon!"

"And why not?"

"Because none of them are here."

Cari took a step back.

"What?"

"Just what I said. None of them are here. The Prince asked to go hunting and the Duke, his entire court, and I presume your friends as well, all took His Highness off to the Duke's country estate."

"Why the hell didn't you just say so? We could have avoided all this shouting."

"You never asked."

Cari remembered why her mission was so urgent. The assassin had at least a few day’s head start on her. Surely they knew where the prince and the others had gone as well.

"How long ago did they leave?"

"Why…"

"Never mind that. When did they leave?"

"Two days ago."

"I have to go. I have to get to the Duke's estate."

"It's a full two days' travel north of here. You can't leave now. It'll be dark soon. And you're not equipped for travel overland. You'll need camping gear, supplies, stuff like that."

Cari's mind raced. Two days. She'd missed them by two days. That, and she was still at least two days away.

"I don't care about traveling at night. I'll have to chance it."

"You'll never make it alone. You don't even know where you're going."

"Who's going to show me? You?"

"I suppose I will have to. You will just get lost or worse and if you are a friend of the Prince, I'll get the blame."

"I can take care of myself, I assure you."

"Not unless you've got the right gear," Lieutenant Claridge said. "I'll be off duty in a few hours. That's enough time for you to cross town to the Caravansary Outfitters. Colin, the shop’s owner, will be able to equip you for the journey there."

"How am I supposed to find this place?"

"Anyone in the city can give you directions. Just head to the edge of the merchant's district where it meets the caravans district. You can't miss it."

Thinking about what she’d need for a two day journey into the hills north of the city, Cari realized this annoying boy was right. She was going to have to get at least a sleeping bag and a tent for the journey.

"Where will I meet you when I'm finished?"

"You can meet me at the Caravan Gate. I'll bring you a horse along with mine. You can ride, can't you?"

"Of course I can ride," Cari lied. "Can't everyone?"

She couldn't wait to bring this up with her parents. She'd asked for riding lessons when she was twelve and they'd said no. Her mother told her it wasn’t fair to the horses and it was too expensive.

"Alright, I'll bring you a horse from the Duke's stables. We'll make better time if we can travel on horseback rather than by carriage or wagon."

Cari realized he was right and she'd make better time and be able to find the estate more quickly if she had a guide. She could put up with this idiot for a few days if it meant stopping the assassin.

"I'll see you at the Caravan Gate in two hours. Don't be late. It's urgent we get to the Prince as quickly as possible."

"I'll be there, don't you worry." Lieutenant Claridge said. "Don’t get lost wandering the city."

Cari huffed, spun around and stormed out of the gatehouse office. She made sure to slam the door for effect as she exited.

She grimaced. That could have gone way better. At least she’d managed to find out where everyone had gone and secured a guide for the overland trip, even if it was this Lieutenant Claridge. This was going to be a long two days.

Chapter 29

Lieutenant Claridge was right. Everyone did know where the Caravansary Outfitters was. In fact, most thought it strange she didn't know the way to the shop.

Cari wasn't sure what she expected by the time she arrived. It certainly wasn't the ramshackle collection of interconnected buildings she looked at now as she stood outside the entrance. The way people talked about it when she asked for directions, it was the best establishment for what she needed and there was nothing like it anywhere else in the Empire. Based on the reaction she got from the city’s residents, Cari figured it would be lit up like a Vegas casino or something.

This jumbled heap of buildings was, frankly, a bit of a letdown.

Cari walked up and pulled open the door to go inside. Halfway through the door she stopped and stared at what awaited her.

Somehow, some way, the Outfitters was bigger on the inside. Aisles stretched in every direction as far as she could see. It was bigger than the biggest megastore back home.

On top of that, every surface from the floor to the ceiling was covered with something. Shields, helmets, chain mail, racks of weapons of every kind, and more all sat in plain view wherever she looked. It was like one of those theme restaurants back home whose walls were covered with random junk and knickknacks, taken to a new degree of the ridiculous.

Cari didn't see anyone to wait on her so she started wandering down one of the aisles at random.

A rack of two-handed broad swords stood to one side against a column. Cari reached out to pick up one of the swords.

"Don't touch that."

Cari jumped.

A strange little man stepped out from behind a stack of portable propane cook stoves.

He had to be the oddest person Cari had ever seen. He wore baggy cargo shorts held up by rainbow suspenders. Below the shorts, he wore socks pulled up to mid-calf and secured by black men's garters wrapped just below his kneecaps. On his feet, he had what looked like a waterman’s duck boots from back home. From the waist up, he wore a khaki shirt under the suspenders and on his head, there sat an honest to God pith helmet.

Cari found herself standing there with no other thought but to stare at the guy.

The oddest thing was, he took one look at her and stared, too.

"You!" He shouted. “Do your parents know you're here?”

That surprised her. It wasn’t what she expected at all and she didn’t know how to answer. She'd never seen this guy before in her life.

"How do you know my parents? How do you know me?"

"I felt the portal, but I figured it was your father checking in on Kareena in secret. She's so old now and I’ve heard how ill she’s become. I doubt she even knows he does it."

"Stop. I don’t care what my father does in his spare time. Answer my questions. How do you know who I am?"

"Because I helped create the game that brought you here. I'm Colin and I own this shop. I know who your father is, too. I can see the resemblance in your auras. I know you can see the menus just like he and I can. Only people from our world can do that."

"So, are you stuck here, too?"

"No, of course not. I only pop in when someone special comes into the Outfitters, otherwise my regular employees handle things."

Cari was afraid to ask the next question because she didn't know how she'd react if he said yes. Her lips trembled and her eyes got all misty.

"Can you take me home?"

It was the first time she admitted she wasn't sure she wanted to stay. Now that she knew she could go back, somehow, she had to face her feelings.

"Unfortunately not. The portal I have only opens for me. You have to go see the Empress herself. If you’re here, she must have found a way to bring you here. Either that or you stumbled onto your father’s portal. I'll bet she used some artifact and thought she'd get your dad."

"That isn't helpful at all, Colin."

"I don't make the rules, Cari. I can only help you get the things you'll need to beat them. Tell me why you're here."

"I have to get to the Duke's country estate. He and Prince Timron went there earlier this week to go hunting and there's an assassin brought to the city by raiders. He’s bent on killing the Prince."

"Hmmm." Colin mused. "Are you walking or going on horseback?"

"Horseback. I meet my guide in an hour at the Caravan Gate."

Colin glanced at his watch, staring at the hands of the cartoon mouse on the old-fashioned analog dial. It the first timepiece like it she'd seen since she'd been in Fantasma.

"You'll need a lightweight kit either way. Come with me."

Cari followed the little man while he wound his way down the aisles occasionally grabbing something off the piles and handing it back to her to hold.

Before she knew it, she was back at the shop's entrance with her arms full of all sorts of gear.

"Set that pile down on the table there and open this pack," Colin said, picking up an ordinary leather satchel with a shoulder strap.

"I'll never get all this in there. You call this the lightweight kit?"

"I've been able to code some new enhancements in an update for people like you and me. That's not a normal bag. Stick your hand in and touch the bottom."

Cari opened the flap of the black leather satchel and reached her arm in, expecting to hit bottom right away. Before she knew it, she was armpit deep in the bag and she still didn't reach the bottom.

Dumbfounded, Cari looked around the outside to the bottom of the bag. All she saw was black leather. Her arm should have been waving at her but it wasn't.

"See, I told you," Colin cackled. "Now load it up or you're gonna be late meeting your guide."

Cari didn't know how it worked other than to say it was magic. She tucked in a tent, a sleeping bag, a small metal box with flint and tinder, and two large bricks of what looked like some sort of fruit bar, sectioned so pieces could be broken off for meals. And that wasn't all.

She stuffed everything inside and she still had room on top.

"Colin, I can't reach the bottom. How do I get anything out?"

"Think of what you want and reach inside."

Cari thought of the fruit bar bricks and reached her hand in the top of the pack. Her hand closed on one of the bricks and she pulled it out. It was right on top.

"That is handy."

"Exactly. Now get your pack on and I'll let you take the tunnel out to the gate. You'll get there faster if you go that way."

Colin pulled at a panel in the wall. A rack of spears and pikes swung back revealing a long tunnel lit by torches.

Cari started to step inside and then stopped.

"Wait, how much do I owe you?"

"Call it a favor for your dad. It's the least that I can do. And, now that I know you're here, I'll keep an ear out for you and lend a hand when I can."

"Thank you. I appreciate that. I've been feeling kind of alone since I've been here."

"Well, not any more. Now git, girl. You're already late."

Cari picked up the new pack again, marveling at how light it felt given all she knew was inside. She laughed as she thought about what her mother would do with a purse like this. It always seemed like she carried everything in the world around with her. Cari wondered if this was how she did it. Would such a magic bag work back home?

She started down the passage while pondering the question. She picked up speed to try to make up some time. Colin told her it led to the gate but other than that, she had no idea what to expect at the far end.

The passage ended in a plain stone wall five minutes later. She found an iron bar bent into an “L” shape and she twisted it. The lever worked just like a door handle and the wall swung back. The sound of the city washed over the silence in the hidden passage as noise of the crowds at the gate came through from the other side. She stepped through the opening and found herself standing along the city wall next to a large set of gates.

A click sounded behind her and Cari turned around. There was nothing but solid stone there. She ran her hands over the space through which she just stepped. There were no detectable seams.

Cari wished she had time to examine the wall longer but a familiar voice sounded behind her in the street.

"Where did you come from? I was scanning the crowd for you and then turned around and you were right behind me," Lieutenant Claridge said.

Cari smiled at him. "A girl never gives away all her secrets. All I can say is you should pay better attention. Shall we go?"

The Lieutenant clearly didn’t care for her answer but he didn’t seem to have anything to say about it either. He shook his head and pointed to two horses tied up at a post nearby.

"Here's your horse. You can tie your pack on the back of the saddle. There are straps there attached to the saddle for that purpose. Is that all you brought? Don't you have a bedroll or a tarp or something?"

"I've got all I need. Don’t worry."

She finished tying the pack in place and then reached up and grabbed the pommel of the saddle. Now was the moment of truth. She’d seen this done in holovids and adventure flicks. How hard could it be to ride a horse?

It took her two tries to pull herself up and get her feet situated. As soon as she did, she realized something wasn’t right. The straps holding the stirrups were all sized wrong. Cari's toes barely touched the metal stirrups once she was seated. They were sized for someone much taller than she was.

Lieutenant Claridge rolled his eyes as she tried in vain to stretch her legs to fit the saddle’s adjustment. She had to give him credit. He didn't say a word. With nothing more than a stern stare, he climbed down from his mount, a slight smile gracing his face as he adjusted the straps on her stirrups until they were sized properly.

He met her eyes only long enough to let her know he knew she'd lied about riding a horse before then remounted. Cari refused to look away, her stubbornness getting the better of her.

"We'll take it slow at first since you're still used to a ship under foot rather than a horse," the Lieutenant said, offering her a face-saving excuse. "It shouldn't take you long to get used to riding again, I’m sure."

"Thank you," Cari said, swallowing her pride. He deserved that much.

Together, the two of them rode out Tandon's Caravan Gate, heading north. Cari worried about what was happening two days ahead of her. She had no idea if her friends and Timron were safe or not.

Cari hoped she made it in time.

Chapter 30

After riding for three hours in the deepening shadows of late afternoon, Lieutenant Claridge pointed to a copse of trees beside the road up ahead.

"It's getting dark. We should stop for the night. The trees will offer us some cover if it starts raining."

"I want to keep going. It's imperative we push through to the Duke's home as fast as we can."

"You said before it's important. What is so urgent that you have to get there right away? It would help if I knew."

"I think the Prince is in danger."

Cari's mind raced as she came up with a story to explain how she knew this.

"I ran into some raider trouble on the way to Tandon. We fought them off but in the process captured information about an assassin sent to Tandon to kill a noble there. It didn't say who but I believe it's the Prince."

"It's still better to stop for the night. I know of a way we can cut across the hill country rather than follow the road through lowland farms. It will take maybe twelve hours off our trip but it goes through some rough country for a new rider."

"Don't worry about me, I'll keep up."

"Good, then we stop and get rested tonight for the long slog tomorrow. You’ll thank me for it later."

Cari decided he knew best. She imagined riding through the dark, trying to avoid tree branches and the like while they cut across country. He was right. It was better to stop for the night and start fresh early tomorrow.

The cluster of trees had a small open area in the middle where they set up their camp. The Lieutenant pointed to a place where two trees grew right next to each other.

"I'll use my tent canvas to rig a lean to for you over here so you have some shelter."

"I told you I'm fine. I have everything I need in here," Cari said lifting her pack from the saddle.

She untied the flap and reached inside while thinking of her tent. When she pulled her collapsed tent from the bag, the Lieutenant's mouth opened, astonished at what he saw.

"How did—?”

"I guess it's magic for lack of a better explanation. This bag is bigger on the inside than it looks."

"Wait, you’re telling me you have more in there?"

Cari smiled and pulled out one of the pressed fruit ration bricks, breaking off a sectioned bar and handing it to the Lieutenant.

"I have enough in here to get us to where we're going. Now finish your dinner and then help me get this tent set up."

While the two of them set up the campsite Cari decided she needed to know her travel companion better.

"I don't know your name," Cari said breaking the awkward silence.

“Yes you do. It’s Claridge. I’m a Lieutenant in the Duke’s guard.”

“Not your family name, silly. What’s your given name? I can’t keep calling you Lieutenant all the way to the Duke’s estate.”

"It's Stefan. Technically my whole name is Stefan Claridge, the Viscount of Wimple Cote."

He laughed a little as he continued.

"Lieutenant Claridge is so much better, don't you think?"

"Stefan is nice, too," Cari said with a smile at the ridiculous sounding title Stefan held.

"What about you? I can't keep calling you Captain Dix all the way to our destination."

"It's Cari."

"Seriously? Like the lost princess?"

"Don't make fun of me." His tone irked her. She blurted out a retort without thinking. "Maybe I am the lost princess. You don’t know."

"Then you'd be like a hundred or something."

"Well, I could be magical, like my father before me, so much so I'm younger than anyone thinks. Remember, no one knows where Prince Hal and his family went to when they left."

Stefan started to respond but then closed his mouth and shot Cari a sideways glance, then looked at her magic backpack for a long time. He opened his mouth to say something but changed his mind again and closed it, answering her with only a shrug.

He turned and went back to work, hammering in a tent peg then tied off a corner of his tent's tarp to it.

Cari wondered if she'd been too clever. She'd done a good job keeping the people who knew who she really was to just Chance, Colin, Harley Denne, and maybe one or two others who suspected something but weren't sure.

She feared Stefan was now in the latter group. She tried to hide her identity because she didn't want to be the equivalent of a local celebrity everywhere she traveled. If she was a princess, no one would let her go anywhere by herself or do anything approaching the type of adventure she'd been on so far.

It was better if she was just Cari, a young adventurer named after a princess and nothing more.

Stefan defused the momentary tension by changing the subject.

"Are you feeling more comfortable on horseback now you've ridden for a few hours? I made sure to pick you a docile mount. You know, even for adults, the first time riding can be a little, um, challenging."

"It takes a little getting used to," Cari admitted. "How did you know I couldn't ride a horse?"

"I guessed."

"I didn't mean to mislead you. Once we started arguing, I didn't want to give you any reason to think less of me."

"You're a ship's captain, the youngest ship's captain I’ve ever seen. That’s quite an accomplishment for anyone our age. I figured to get there you spent most of your life at sea rather than on land that's all. You didn't have to hide if from me. I wouldn't have a problem telling you I had no idea how to sail a ship. It's the same for you."

"Since that's out in the open, can you answer a question for me?"

"Sure, what?"

"Is it normal to be this sore after just a few hours in the saddle." Cari rubbed her backside without a hint of shame. Her aching muscles needed the attention.

Stefan laughed.

"Wait and see what you feel like after we cut across country tomorrow. I think it will redefine the meaning of sore for you."

Cari suspected he'd never been stabbed in a fight or shot by a pistol before to say something like that, but she let it drop. It would open up too many questions she didn't want to answer. How many girls her age had been hit by a pistol bullet or stabbed in a fight, not once, but several times?

It had been a long day and Cari pulled back the flap of her small tent and started to climb inside. She turned back to Stefan.

"See you in the morning?"

"I'll be up before dawn," Stefan said as he banked the wood in their fire to keep it burning safely into the night.

"I'll be up, too. I want to get back on the road as soon as possible. Lives depend on us making the best speed we can. Good night. See you in the morning."

“Good night, princess,” Stefan quipped as he slipped under his own tent’s tarp.

Cari let it drop, realizing he was trying to make a good-natured joke. She pulled the flap closed and wondered if their plan to cut across country would help them make up enough time to catch up to the assassin. They couldn't be more than a day or so ahead of her, maybe less depending on when they left Tandon to follow after the Prince.

She pondered what would happen if the Dragoons were caught unawares by an assassin. Were they good enough bodyguards to catch the plot before it was sprung? The thoughts swirled in her mind and it took her longer than she thought it would take to fall asleep because of it, even given how weary she was.

Sleep did eventually come, though, and Cari's worries were lost in the world of her dreams of being at home in her own bed with her parents down the hall.

Chapter 31

Cari rolled over and groaned. She hurt in muscles she'd never known she had before.

"You alright in there?" Stefan chuckled. He was already up and packing up the camp.

"I'm fine."

Cari opened the flap on her tent and climbed out into the early morning chill.

Stefan had saddled the horses and was in the process of tying his tent and blanket roll behind his saddle. He finished and turned back to her.

"Here, let me help you break down your tent."

Cari smiled at the gesture. With his help, together they finished packing up the camp. Within a few minutes everything was stowed away in her magic pack and they were back in the saddle, heading up the side trail off the main road.

"I figured we can eat on horseback," Cari said, handing Stefan another section from the ration brick. “I’ve got these yummy trail rations after all."

"You know, these aren't as bad as I thought they would be. When you first gave me one, I had the impression it would be like chewing shoe leather from the look of it."

“They are surprisingly tasty at that," Cari agreed. "I’ll have to compliment Colin at the Caravansary Outfitters on the recipe when I get back to Tandon."

"I've never met him in person, only heard stories. What's he like?"

"A very odd, little man. He has the most eclectic collection of weapons, armor, and gear I've ever seen. He knows his shop though. He had me loaded up with everything I needed in only fifteen minutes or so."

Cari described following Colin through his shop while he selected things for her. Soon the two of them were talking about various types of gear and weapons. Stefan related some of his martial education when he joined the Duke’s guard as a young officer.

“I trained with the traditional knight’s long sword as is required of all nobles of my station but I much prefer a lighter blade like yours, Cari. Since gunpowder made armor pretty much useless, speed and quickness with a weapon is as important as pure battering power behind a blade.”

“It’s the only advantage I have over male opponents. I’ve focused on increasing my speed and blade skills all my life.” She drew her rapier and held it out hilt-first to Stefan while he rode next to her. “I recently discovered how to enhance the edge grind of my blade to increase its quickness. I’m pretty proud of it.”

Stefan took the sword from her and looped it through a few practice swings on either side of the horse as their mounts walked along the forest trail.

“That’s impressive,” he said as he examined the length of the blade. “I can sort of see what you did but have no idea how I could pull it off for myself. Do you think you can do something similar with my blade if we made it to a smithy?”

“Probably, if you trust me not to screw it up.”

“If you can do for my sword what you did with your own or even come close, I’ll be very pleased with the result. I’ll be the envy of the other junior officers at court.”

“Very well, remind me when we get to the Duke’s estate. I’m sure they have a blacksmith there. If he as the proper tools and a decent grinding wheel, I’ll be able to give it the old college try.”

“You say some of the strangest things. Why would a building full of old, gray-bearded scholars have anything to do with blade smithing?”

“Never mind, it’s just a saying where I come from.”

“Oh, back in the land of Prince Hal, Princess Mona, and the lost Princess Cari?”

Cari laughed. If he only knew. “Yeah, something like that.”

The conversation continued through the early morning hours. It was a much more relaxed leg of the journey than their initial tense hours setting out the previous night as the two of them got to know one another.

It was nearly noon when Stefan stopped them for a break in their trip through the wilderness. They'd reached the base of a line of rocky hills rising from the line of trees ahead of them. The main trail turned east here, angling back towards the main road.

"This is where we leave all the trails behind and cut across country. If we're going to try to beat this assassin to the Duke's estate, it's our best bet."

"Don't worry about me, if that's what you're thinking. I'll be fine. This is too important to worry about a few saddle bruises and sore muscles."

"Suit yourself. Let's get going."

They rode off the main trail heading for the line of trees. As they got closer, the hair on the back of Cari's neck rose up and she had a sudden feeling of dread. In an instant, she realized it was her prescience ability. There was imminent danger somewhere up ahead.

She wheeled her horse, spurring if forward at Stefan who rode just ahead of her. She veered her horse towards his mount.

At the last instant before the horses collided, Cari dove from her saddle at Stefan, carrying them both to the tall grass that lined the road. The crackle of a musket volley sounded from the tree line at the same time she knocked Stefan from the saddle.

Rolling to her feet, Cari spotted four men running at them from the trees, all had swords out and ready for a fight, dropping their discharged muskets behind them.

She had no idea who they were. Maybe they were random thieves on the road who ambushed unsuspecting travelers, maybe they were prospectors protecting a mining claim. It didn't matter to her either way. They'd tried to kill both her and Stefan and that was enough for her.

Stefan rose to his feet next to her. He had a bit of a limp from the fall, but his sword was out and he was ready for the incoming brigands.

Their attackers split off with three heading for Stefan and one at Cari. They obviously didn't think she was much of a threat. The thought they automatically discounted her ability because she was a woman boiled her blood. It was just another man who doubted she could stand on her own in a fight.

She'd show them all the error of their ways.

Cari had to finish her man off as fast as possible. Stefan would need her aid before the three attackers advancing on him overwhelmed his defenses. She charged forward at her adversary to bring them into contact sooner.

Her rush into battle surprised the man she faced and put him on a defensive footing immediately. He was younger than the others and he stumbled over the uneven ground as he slowed and then backpedaled away from Cari's lunging attack.

He avoided the initial attack, but fell to the grass, giving Cari the opportunity she needed. She followed him to the ground with a second lunge, this time piercing his chest, her blade finding his heart.

1,800 experience awarded

The hair rose on her neck again and she dove forward, using her stabbing lunge at her initial opponent to propel her over the dead brigand's body.

The diving dodge caused the man attacking her from behind to miss by a mile.

Cari rolled over and bounced to her feet, jumping up and running back at the new attacker. He, too, didn’t expect her to take the attack to him right away and he tried to back away.

It was a mistake.

She delivered a slashing attack at the overbalanced brigand when he stumbled over the uneven ground. He was still trying to recover from his wild saber attack when Cari's sword whistled past his face.

The man screamed in pain and slapped a hand to his face. She'd managed to slash open his right eye and blood welled up between his fingers to run down his arm.

Not waiting for him to recover his wits, she ran at him, drawing her dagger. She raised her sword to block the return swing of his saber while punching her dagger forward into the brigand's throat.

Blood spurted around her dagger’s blade, liquid warmth running over her hands and splashing across her cheek as she twisted the razor sharp weapon and wrenched it free from her adversary’s neck.

The look of surprise froze on his face as he fell backward off her blade, his eyes glazing in death.

1,800 experience awarded

Two down, two to go.

By the time she’d finished off two of their attackers, Stefan already had a wound in his leg and the two brigands circled him like sharks around a drowning man. The guard officer limped as he tried to turn in place and keep both his adversaries in sight at once.

There was little time. She had to help him.

"Hey, fatso," Cari called at the rotund brigand closest to her. "I just killed two of your buddies. Why don't you try me on for size?"

The man turned towards her and his eyes widened.

She must have been quite the sight, standing there with blood dripping from her hands and weapons and splattered across her face.

Sensing his fear at the sight of her, Cari emphasized her purposeful stride as she stalked towards him, raising both her bloody blades to point them at him.

The fat brigand looked around for help but his companion had already turned to run away, realizing they were outmatched.

He didn’t get very far.

Stefan lashed out with his sword, cutting the fleeing brigand down from behind.

The sole remaining brigand dropped his sword and turned to run.

Cari was too fast for him. She leapt forward and slashed her sword blade across the man's hamstrings from behind.

The edge sliced through skin and sinew with ease.

The brigand’s legs collapsed under him and he fell to the ground. He scrabbled at the sod with his hands, sobbing as he crawled away through the grass.

Cari stalked up to him and kicked him in the ribs hard enough to roll him over.

The man whimpered and held his hands up to defend himself from the expected killing blow he saw coming at him.

Cari redirected her lunge at the last instant. Instead of running him through the heart, her sword’s point stabbed through the man's shoulder, pinning him to the ground.

The brigand writhed on the grass, blood welling up around the sword. His fingers clutched at the blade in his shoulder with his free hand, coming away bloody from the razor-sharp edge.

Cari leaned forward and twisted her sword.

The brigand screamed before his voice turned into sobbing pleas for mercy.

"Why did you attack us?" Cari hissed, unable to hide the anger in her voice. A distant part of her noticed her usual nausea at killing had not returned this time. She wondered if it had something to do with her anger.

"W-w-we were told to stop anyone who came along the trail today, to kill them or turn them back. Others from our band were hired to watch the main road. We were told to take the mountain trail just in case."

"Who told you that?"

"I don't know who he was. He was just a guy. He hired us in Tandon and gave us muskets. He said we could keep them along with the gold he paid if we did as he said."

"Where is he? How long ago did he leave you?"

"He left us here this morning when we broke camp, no more than a few hours ago. He headed up the trail and left us here to watch his back."

"Why did he want people stopped? Why us?"

"He said he was being followed by a raider captain, a woman with your description. He said he'd pay us twice what he gave us originally if we were successful in killing you and brought him your head."

Stefan hissed in anger at the open threat to Cari. He stepped forward with his blade raised.

"Stop, Stefan," Cari ordered, her captain's command voice staying his hand. "We need him. He knows who the assassin is."

The brigand stared up at Cari, a faint hope showing in his eyes.

"Who are you?"

"I'm the Dread Raider Cari. Remember the name and fear it. I’ll let you live but you're going to help me stop a murder."

She yanked her sword free from the man's shoulder eliciting a fresh series of whimpering cries from him. Cari didn't care.

He was a dead man for attacking them. No matter what she told him, if the Duke's justice didn't do the job, she would. She decided it was part of the persona she was building for her raider self though it was a side of her that was too brutal for her liking.

Stefan helped her tie up the man’s hands behind him while she slapped a simple bandage on his wound. They recovered the brigands' horses from the trees and set the captured man on one of them, using leather straps to tie him to the saddle.

Mounting their own horses, Cari turned to Stefan.

"He's not that far ahead of us. We might be able to catch him before he gets there if we’re lucky. We have spare mounts, so we can trade off for fresh horses every few hours and move faster than he can."

Stefan stood staring at her, disbelief playing across his eyes.

"What was all of that about you being a raider captain?"

"Look, Stefan, there are things about me you're better off not knowing."

"Like what? Like that ridiculousness about you being the 'Dread Raider Cari' or something? I've never even heard of that person."

"Maybe now you will. According to all the stories, including one in particular from my childhood, it’s all about reputation with these sorts of things."

"What sorts of things?"

"Being a raider captain."

"Wait, you were serious? You're the raider captain they waited for?"

"The assassin must have recognized my ship and known its previous captain. If he saw me leaving it and overheard me talking with the crew that would explain how he knew I was coming to find Prince Timron."

Confusion battled for control over Stefan’s expression with his surprise at what he’d learned about his travel companion.

"But you're a raider. The enemy of the Empire. Why are you trying to save the prince?"

"Not all raiders are what they seem. Some are solo entrepreneurs. Others are working directly for the Duke of Charon. I've seen the Letters of Marque he's given them. And at least one of us is a loyal citizen of the Empire, trying to keep the Imperial family safe."

"The Dread Raider Cari."

"Exactly," Cari said. "See, that wasn't so hard to understand. Was it?"

She kicked her horse until it sped up to a trot, turning and calling over her shoulder.

"Come on. We need to pick up our pace if we're going to beat this guy to the estate. I want to take him alive and find out who paid him for this job."

Behind her, leading the string of remounts and their captured brigand, Stefan raced to catch up.

Chapter 32

The sun went down as Cari and Stefan rode through the mountains. They still hadn't made it to the Duke's estate and the treacherous terrain and the risk of serious injury to either themselves or the horses forced the duo to pause for rest and reconsider their plans to continue traveling in the dark.

A quick assessment showed one of the horses had developed a limp as they picked their way along the thin game trail in the darkness since the last break. Stefan called for a stop to rest while he examined the spare mount’s condition.

“Cari, I know you’re anxious about stopping when we might be close enough to press onward and arrive tonight. If one of the horses has already come up lame, I fear for the others and for us if we keep going.”

“I’m afraid we will be too late. The assassin might arrive and strike against the prince in the night before we can get there.”

“It’s not worth the risk. I don’t know this part of the trail at all and I could easily miss the turn off to the valley where the estate is located. If that happens we’ll be even later. Let’s rest for a few hours until dawn and start up again then.”

Cari stared out into the darkness then nodded. “Alright, but we start as soon as it’s light enough to proceed.”

“Agreed,” Stefan said. “Let’s set up a quick camp and see to the horses and our prisoner. The animals will be better for the rest, too. We’ll all be fresher in the morning when we start up again.”

After they settled the mounts, and tied their prisoner to a nearby tree, Cari and Stefan wrapped in blankets and fell into a fitful cold sleep. She didn’t think she’d fall asleep, shivering in the mountain chill like she was. Her fatigue from the long day’s travel overcame her, though, and she soon drifted off.

Rising early again the next morning, Cari discovered their prisoner had died in the middle of the night from his wounds. He lay slumped against the tree trunk, his eyes staring out of his pale, lifeless face. She had hoped he didn't have internal injuries and bleeding but she must have been wrong. Cari stared at him for a long time, her internal emotional struggle hidden behind an impassive visage she maintained on her face. Her anger welled up at the loss of the only person who knew what the assassin looked like.

Her cursing over the body woke Stefan.

He gripped her by the shoulders and spun her around.

"It's not your fault, Cari. People die. It happens," Stefan said in a soothing tone. His hand squeezed her arm in an attempt at reassurance.

She shrugged it off.

"For once, I'm not sad he died. I know he was going to be executed by the Duke at some point anyway for being a highwayman. I am pissed he died before he could identify the guy sent to assassinate Timron. Now we're back not knowing who the hell this guy is."

"So, what do we do?"

Cari was already moving towards the mounts and saddling her horse.

"We get back on the road and hope we're not too late. We can't be far from the estate now. The assassin probably got there last night. We can pray he didn't manage to kill the prince in his sleep. If he hasn’t struck overnight, we still might have a chance."

Stefan helped her saddle their horses and they got on the trail. They left the brigand dead beside the path. Let the animals have him. They didn't have time or the inclination to spend time burying him.

Barely two hours later, as the morning sun finally crested the eastern hills, they caught sight of the estate's buildings in the valley below, including the grand home built amidst the rolling hills beside a small lake.

Cari called out to Stefan, pointed down at the collection of buildings and kicked her horse into a gallop despite the fact she was scared of falling off at that speed. She managed to hold on as her mount sped down the mountain trail into the valley.

Reaching the estate’s grounds with Stefan close behind, Cari raced through the open gates of the manor house’s courtyard, reining her horse in and slipping off to the ground before it came to a full stop.

Rodrigo, seated on a bench in the shade of a fig tree stood staring at her with an astonished expression on his face. He waved to her as he ran over and wrapped her in an impromptu hug.

"Cari, you made it! We had all given up hope of seeing you again, assuming you'd been imprisoned in the capital. Well, all of us except for Chance. He seemed to think you’d find a way out of any predicament without much trouble at all."

"Rodrigo, where's the Prince? Is he safe?"

"What? I guess so, but he's not here, Cari. I saw him this morning before they left. He seemed well enough. At least he was his normal petulant and annoying self, but what else is new."

"Where is he if he's not here? Who's with him? Who’s guarding him?"

"Cari you don't have to worry," Rodrigo said. “We're safe here. The Prince just went out for a day of hunting with the Duke and a party of nobles who traveled here with us. There are plenty of gamekeepers and other members of the Duke’s staff to watch over them."

"So, none of you, none of the Dragoons are with him?"

Rodrigo laughed. "They're probably more than a little hung over. I heard from the servants this morning they spent most of the night carousing with some of the local ladies. I suspect they're all still asleep."

"No, no, no, this is all wrong," Cari said, pacing back and forth in the courtyard. "We have to find them. We have to go out and find the hunting party."

“Cari, your friend here is right,” Stefan added. “The Duke’s staff will keep everyone safe on the hunt. Nothing will go wrong, you’ll see.”

“Who’s this gentleman in the livery of the Duke’s guard, Cari?” Rodrigo asked.

Cari started to introduce her traveling companion when there was a sudden commotion and shouting over by the stables. Several servants rushed back and forth between the house and the stables, a few of them in tears.

Cari, Rodrigo, and Stefan ran over and intercepted one of the maids from the house who’d gone into the stable and came out moments later in tears.

"Miss," Rodrigo asked. "What is wrong?"

"He's dead, sir. The body’s half buried under a pile of straw in one of the stables. The head stableman said it looks like he was strangled to death. Who would do such a thing, sir?"

The woman started crying again and ran on into the manor house before getting an answer to her question.

"An assassin." Cari replied under her breath as she thought about what the maid said.

"What?" Rodrigo asked.

"An assassin would strangle a man to death. An assassin would strangle a random stable hand if he was discovered in some way. Stefan, he beat us here, even though we cut across country."

"Cari," Rodrigo said. "You're not making any sense. What assassin? It was probably a fight between two of the servants over money or an affair with someone’s sweetheart."

Liam, Chance, and Thad came from the manor. All of them were still in the process of getting dressed. Thad was barefoot and had his boots in one hand and his sword and belt in another.

"We heard the shouts of alarm and murder in the house," Liam said. "What is going —"

He spotted Cari, stopped and then laughed aloud, slapping his elven companion on the back.

"Chance, you bastard, you won the bet after all. Look who's decided to join us."

"I never doubted she would arrive when she was needed most."

"What a strange thing to say," Liam said. "She obviously was detained longer than we expected."

The elf nodded a hello to Cari and shook his head.

"I suspect there's more to it than a late arrival. Am I right, Cari?"

"You are. I came because I've been following an assassin from Tandon who is bent on killing the Prince. Now there is a dead stableman, strangled and hidden from view. It all adds up."

"Why kill a stable hand if his target was the prince?" Liam asked.

"It's not a stable hand," Thad announced, coming out of the stables.

He'd kept going past the group and entered the stables. Now he returned.

"The dead man’s an assistant to the game keeper, according to one of the servants in there. He's also been stripped to his underclothes."

Liam seemed confused. "Why was he stripped? Maybe he had just come from his bed and wasn’t dressed yet?"

Cari snapped her fingers. "No, he was stripped to provide a disguise for the assassin. He's gone out with the hunting party. He means to make it look like a hunting accident. It's the only thing that makes sense."

"Cari, we must go after him. Let us ride out now," Stefan said.

“I’ll ask again, Cari, who is this man?” Rodrigo asked.

"This is Lieutenant Stefan Claridge from the Duke of Tandon's household guard. He came with me to show me the way to the estate. We were waylaid on the way here by brigands hired to stop anyone following the killer. The assassin has to know there's a possibility we're on his trail."

"Can you identify this man?" Liam asked.

Cari shook her head.

"No, I've never seen him. Judging by what we managed to learn from one of the men who attacked us, he knows who I am, though."

"Our young Lieutenant is correct, then," Chance said. "We must catch up with the hunting party and intercept this man. It will be a simple thing for him to put a crossbow bolt or even a bullet in the Prince's back if he’s disguised as one of the huntsmen.”

"Agreed," Liam said. He reached out and grabbed the arm of one of the stable boys passing by.

"Boy, we need our horses saddled immediately." Liam flipped a silver coin through the air to the lad. "Hurry and there's another for you and your helpers when the mounts are ready."

Thad finished pulling on his boots and stood, buckling his sword belt and settling his blade on his hip. His gruff voice broke the momentary silence.

"It's not going to be easy to locate them. The head stableman was in there examining the body. He said the hunting party could have gone to one of three different hunting areas on the estate and he's not sure which direction they went when they set out this morning."

The news deflated Cari's resolve. Three different directions meant they had yet another obstacle in the way of her rescue mission.

“It’s too late. I’m too late.”

Liam saw her shoulders sag at the news from Thad.

"Cari, you've made what I'm sure is an amazing journey to get here with this news. We don't know it's too late at all. At this point, no news is good news. If something had happened, a servant from the hunting party would have been sent back to us immediately. We just have to find them and stop the assassination attempt."

“But we don’t know where they are.”

"If there are three different directions to search then we'll split up and search each location."

He turned to their orc comrade.

"Thad, go and get instructions on where they might have gone from the Duke’s major domo. He’ll know if anyone will. Once you know where they might have gone, if you think we’ll need guides to get there faster, enlist them from among the servants."

"Chance, You and I will take the first and most likely destination. Cari and Lieutenant Claridge can take the second while Thad and young Rod here can take the third."

Rod deflated a little when Liam assigned him to go with the orc and not Cari.

Thad returned a few minutes later with three of the household servants in tow as the boys led their horses from the stables ready to travel.

Cari took the reins of a fresh horse from one of the boys as Liam passed out a silver coin to each of them. Then the Dragoon sergeant mounted and waited for the others to do the same.

"Remember, find the Prince at all costs and keep him safe until we can return here to make other arrangements for his safety."

Cari looked to the servant leading her and Stefan and pointed to the gate. He nodded and started out of the courtyard, followed by the other search parties.

With their mounted guides in the lead, three pairs of rescuers split off to search for the Duke's hunting party.

Quest accepted - Stop the assassin

Cari bent low over the horse's neck as it raced across the rolling hills, holding onto the saddle horn with a death grip lest she fall from the galloping horse. This was it. The fate of the Empire relied upon their success.

Chapter 33

Cari spent the entire galloping race to the northeast corner of the estate with her body tensed to the point she felt every jarring step of her mount's hooves. She envied the graceful ease and flow of Stefan's body as he seemed to move in tandem with the horse on the run, absorbing the up and down movement with apparent ease.

She knew she had to relax and try to emulate the relaxed carriage of her comrade or she was going to rattle the teeth from her head before they arrived. Cari took a deep breath and tried to start with her legs, relaxing her hips and knees a little.

Just as she settled into a comfortable middle ground in the saddle, her mount leapt over a small tree trunk laying in their path. The landing on the far side nearly pitched her off the left side of the horse. Her full-body tension came back as she returned her hands to a death grip on the saddle’s pommel. This time she couldn't banish it.

Cari had faced death in many ways during her time here in Fantasma. Not one of the other instances terrified her as much as falling to her death off a galloping horse.

Luckily, she was distracted from thoughts of her impending death by the distant, ragged crackle of scattered musket fire. The servant reined in his mount and turned, smiling back at them. He pointed ahead to an opening in the trees. They'd entered a small offshoot of the valley filled with tall, flowing grasses. A small river flowed through the center of the bowl, running north to south.

A cluster of people stood in a ragged line below them while a larger group worked back towards the line of musket-bearing noblemen from the opposite side of the smaller valley. Every now and then there'd be a flurry of activity as game birds flew from their cover. A few scattered shots rang out from the line closest to Cari, puffs of smoke rising from the muskets.

Cari realized what she was seeing. The people on the far side of the valley were driving forward, making noise and flushing out wild game while the static line of hunters stood and waited for a target of opportunity to launch into the air.

"Do you see the Prince?" Cari called out to Stefan and their guide, a young man named Trip. She scanned the line of hunters closest to them but didn't see him.

"No." Stefan replied. "Could he be with the other group on the far side, flushing out the game?"

Cari snorted a laugh.

"The Prince doing the work of servants and missing the chance to do the actual killing? Not a chance."

"He must be with the closer group then," Stefan said. "Come on."

He led the way now as the trio rode down into the vale.

The closer they got, the more certain Cari was the Prince wasn't present. She didn’t see him anywhere and started to wonder whether this group was from another hunting party altogether, perhaps from different estate nearby.

The group they approached consisted of a line of eight hunters. Behind each of the hunters were a pair of servants loading fresh muskets and holding them ready to hand off to the nobles in the hunting line.

A man in an officer's coat similar to Stefan's but with a lot more gold braid and decoration stood nearby holding a musket. He lowered it after firing at, and missing, a low-flying pair of geese spooked by the beaters from the area of the river bank.

When he turned to take another musket for his next shot, he spotted them approaching. He called out to them.

"Lieutenant Claridge, what on Fantasma are you doing here? Aren't you one of the officers left in charge of the palace guard while I'm gone?"

Stefan rode up to the other officer and dismounted before coming to attention. He saluted.

"Colonel, I became aware of a dangerous plot to harm Prince Timron while he was under the Duke's protection. I came to warn him of the impending threat."

Cari dismounted and her overly tensed muscled betrayed her making her limp. She moved over to where Stefan stood at attention, trying to work out her stiff muscles as she walked. They protested with repeated cramps and spasms, worn out from the tense ride.

"I see," the Colonel said as Cari approached. "Who is this woman with you?"

"This is Captain Cari Dix of the merchant ship Vengeance. She became aware of the plot during an engagement with a raider ship and brought the information to my attention at the palace as soon as she docked in Tandon. She is, apparently, an acquaintance of the Prince."

"This is most alarming, Lieutenant. I’m afraid the Prince is not here."

"Not here?" Cari blurted out. "Where the hell is he? We have to find him. Is there another hunting group out there somewhere?"

"Miss, I assure you, now that you have brought this to my attention we will deal with the matter. The Prince is quite safe. He and the Duke went off on their own with one of the Duke's game keepers. The Duke's man had spotted a rare white stag in the forest nearby and wished to lead them in a private hunt for the beast. There is no one else with them so I'm sure he's quite safe until he returns to rendezvous with us."

Cari turned to the two servants reloading the Colonel's muskets.

"You two. Who was the man who went off with the Duke and Prince Timron? Was he known to you?"

The elder of the two scratched his head.

"You know, Miss, I don't recall ever seeing him before though I don't profess to know all the game keepers. He was wearing the right livery, though, so I suppose he was alright. Those huntsmen keep to themselves in the far reaches of the Estate."

"Captain Dix," the colonel said. "Why is it important if they know this game keeper?"

"A dead body was found hidden in the stable back at the manor. He was one of the game keepers and he'd been stripped of his clothing and livery. That has to be the assassin out there with them. He's going to stage a hunting accident to kill the Prince. I know it. It's the only thing that makes sense."

"Cari, are you sure?" Stefan asked.

"Trust me on this. That is where he is. I'm sure of it." Pointing to the servant who'd answered her, Cari asked, "Which way did the man lead the Duke and the Prince?"

"They went off to the northern end of the valley, near the falls where the river forms."

Cari turned and remounted her horse, ignoring her protesting leg muscles.

"Cari, you can't go alone," Stefan shouted.

"You're welcome to follow after me once you get some people organized here. I'm leaving now."

She spurred her horse forward with a few kicks of her heels. Soon, she was galloping across the valley floor, racing along the banks of the narrow river for the northern end of the valley.

Reaching the tree line, the horse slowed as it weaved its way through the broad, moss-covered trunks and underbrush. Suddenly the horse pulled up and reared, balking at jumping a broad rocky ditch in their path. Cari pitched backward out of the saddle. She fell head over heels into the brush beside the trail, landing with a jolt of pain in her chest. She'd cracked the freshly healed ribs again.

Health damage - health -10

Her mount reared again and rode off into the woods away from her.

"Damn," she called after the fleeing horse. "Come back you stupid beast."

Cari climbed to her feet, hissing at the renewed pain in her side. She really needed to start carrying a few healing potions around with her. These ribs were never going to fully heal at this rate.

She drew her sword and started forward afoot until she reached the rocky ditch. The horse had been right, she realized. If it had tried to ride at any speed across the uneven surface, it would have broken a leg for sure.

Cursing her rotten luck, she stepped down into the ditch, going as fast as she could. It was tough, but Cari picked her way across the treacherous ditch and reached the far side.

A distant roaring sound marked the water falls the servant talked about when she’d been back with the main hunting party.

Cari started forward at a jog, ignoring the jarring pain in her ribs with each step. She'd come this far. She wasn't going to be denied victory at this point.

Far ahead, in the direction of the falls, the crack of a gunshot rang out. Fearing the worst, Cari cursed again and broke into a run. She was going to be too late after all.

Chapter 34

Cari heard the voices first, the shouts of an argument drifting through the trees as she ran. She wished for more speed but between her stiff legs and sore ribs, she couldn't go any faster.

Her ragged breaths shot stabbing spasms of pain through her side with each inhalation.

The voices got louder along with the sound of the waterfall. A few seconds later, she stumbled into a clearing on the banks of a large pool formed by the water falling from the rocky outcropping above.

Beside the pool stood Prince Timron. His hands were raised in surrender. A man in the Duke's livery stood ten feet away, holding a musket pointed at the Prince's chest.

Another man, presumably the Duke, lay on the ground a few feet from the assassin. A soft groan sounded from the prone figure. He wasn't dead, at least not yet.

"Stop!" Cari called. "Put the musket down and I'll let you live."

The assassin turned to look at her and, to her shock, she recognize him. It was Quint, Merrick's man from back in the Crystal city.

"Lookee who it is. The would-be princess hero shows up again to save this man's pitiful life. I'm afraid he's not getting away this time. This time he dies. Then, I'm going to kill you, missy, slowly, for what you did to my brother."

"I don't understand. Why did Merrick send you here after he did all he could to help me escape the city?"

Quint laughed.

"Merrick didn't send me. He fired me when he found out I outed you to the city inspectors. That was all for the best though. I found a new benefactor who is going to make me rich beyond my wildest dreams and all I have to do is kill this idiot Prince. You're just an extra bonus I didn't expect. It makes all this the perfect ending to my long journey trailing after his Highness across half the Empire."

"You've got only one musket left," Cari said pointing to the one on the ground next to him. He must've used that one to shoot the Duke. "How are you going to kill both of us? You're no match for me in a duel with blades."

Cari had to keep him talking. Stefan couldn't be far behind her. Once he got here, they'd have the advantage. She just had to stall.

"Look, I get it, the Prince is a pain in the ass. But think about it. Whatever the Duke of Charon is paying you, Timron's grandmother will match it and more. Consider that before you pull the trigger."

"The Empress is not long for this world. She's ill and won't last out the year according to the Duke. He seemed pretty certain of it. Killing the Prince is the final part of the plan to put the Duke on the Crystal Throne. With the last heir dead, killed on the estate of Charon's biggest rival at court, there'll be nothing and no one to stand in his way. Once there, he'll have all the riches in the Empire at his disposal."

"That bastard double-crossed me?" Prince Timron muttered.

Cari shot a startled glance at Timron. What a curious thing to say.

She didn't think he knew she'd overheard him and Quint was still the main threat. She had to focus on him first. She’d figure out what was going on with the prince later.

Quint raised the musket again and took a few steps toward Timron. The Prince flinched back from the killer.

"Quint don't," Cari called and she started forward herself. She knew she'd never make it in time. All she could do was try to distract the thug with her charge.

Seeing her out of the corner of his eye, Quint closed with the Prince, jabbing him in the gut with the musket's barrel.

Timron doubled over and Quint met him with the rising gun butt.

The wooden stock smashed into the Prince's face, sending him flying backward. His limp body fell into the pool at the base of the falls.

Just as quickly, Quint turned and brought the musket up to his shoulder, snapping off a quick shot at Cari.

She only got a split second's notice from her prescience skill to warn her the attack was coming. It was enough, though, barely.

Quint was obscured by a cloud of gray smoke as he fired at her. She dove to the right, in a desperate attempt to dodge away from the point-blank shot. The bullet missed killing her by only a few inches.

Red hot pain lanced through her left shoulder. The bullet struck the bone, shattering the socket and exiting in a spray of blood out the back.

Critical hit

Health damage - health -22

The sword flew from her suddenly numb left hand, clattering on the rocky ground a few feet away from her.

Despite the pain racking her body, Cari scrabbled on the ground with her good arm trying to reach her sword.

A booted foot kicked her in the side, breaking more ribs and flipping her onto her back.

Health damage - health -6

Knowing a follow-up attack must be coming, Cari used the momentum of the kick to help her propel herself over two more times, rolling away just in time.

The smashing butt stock of the musket thudded into the earth an inch away from her head as she flipped over.

Quint followed her rolling form across the ground towards the pool, raising the musket for another attempt at a killing blow.

Cari knew she had only one chance as she neared the edge of a small, rocky outcrop over the water.

Digging the toe of her boot into the ground as she rolled one last time, she pushed with all her might propelling her forward rather than to the side.

This time the butt of the musket delivered a glancing blow to her hip as she shot forward and somersaulted into the water.

Health damage - health -8

A second warning popped up this time as she plunged into the icy water from the mountain snowmelt from the north. It showed her health bar, a flashing red mark indicating she was just below half her available health.

She reached upward with her right hand while she kicked with her feet. Her injured left arm dangled useless beside her as she struggled to make it back to the surface.

Cari surfaced at last, gasping for air, bumping into something as she did. It was the Prince. Timron floated face down next to her.

Kicking with all her might while she grabbed at him with her one good arm, Cari managed to flip the Prince over to his back so his face was out of the water. The instant she did, she was rewarded with a spluttering cough from him as he gasped for a rattling breath. He remained unconscious otherwise.

Quint was nowhere to be seen on shore so Cari grabbed the semiconscious Timron by the hair and dragged him through the water behind her while she kicked for banks of the pool. It was hard work when fully clothed on a good day. Injured and with only one arm, it was nearly impossible. Somehow, though, she made it to the water’s edge out of sheer stubbornness.

Cari pushed the Prince up on shore and stood up. Grabbing him by the collar, she dragged him farther up onto the bank so he wouldn't slip back into the water. She turned him on his side to help drain the water from his mouth and lungs in case any had gotten in there. She didn’t want him choking on anything he coughed up before he awakened.

Standing from tending to the Prince, she scanned the trees for Quint. A flash of movement caught her attention out of the corner of her eye then disappeared. She stared through the trees and got another glimpse of the assassin. He ran through the trees, not too far away.

She bent and scooped up her rapier in her right hand. It felt strange to hold the longer blade in this hand rather than her dagger but she had no choice. She had to chase after Quint. If he got the chance to reload, he could return and kill both her and the Prince. Worse, still, if he managed to escape, he’d be able to set up another attempt in the future when they weren’t expecting it.

As she headed into the tree line, Cari listened for any sign of Stefan and the others coming. Where were they? Hopefully they'd arrive and find the Prince and tend to him.

With no sign of Stefan, it was obvious no one was coming to help her with what she had to do. Cari had to finish this, now, before Quint regained his nerve and came back.

Gritting her teeth against the pain in her left shoulder and the grinding of the broken ribs on the right, Cari half jogged, half stumbled into the forest after her quarry.

She started off blind for the first hundred yards into the woods. She couldn’t see him anymore and tried to approximate the bearing Quint took when she last saw him running away.

Cari stopped, trying to gasp past the fire in her chest with each breath while she listened for any sound that might tell her where Quint was.

She checked her health status again.

Health: 44/90

Cari winced. She was hurt worse than she thought. If Quint got in one or two good hits, she'd be finished. She wondered at the moment what would happen to her if she died here? Would she just wake up at home or was death here in Fantasma as permanent as back on Earth?

She continued her search while she pondered the question of life and death in this world.

The crack of a breaking branch behind her was the only warning she got.

Despite the pain, Cari activated her acrobatic dodge skill and dropped and rolled to the side in what had to be the ugliest somersault of all time.

It worked, though.

The blade whistled through the air, cleaving the space her head had just occupied.

Cari rolled through the dodge and struggled back to her feet, holding her sword in front of her.

"You are one lucky girl, I'll give you that, but you're already dead you just don't know it yet."

"You have no idea, Quint. You are right on one point. I am luckier than you. If you run now, I might just be too tired to chase after you."

"If I run now, I won't get paid. I have to kill you so I can get away clean. You already know too much."

"You fool, the Prince is alive. I saved him. You've failed all the way around in this thing."

"Well, after I kill you, girlie, I'll have to go back and finish his Highness off."

"Killing me isn't going to be easy." Cari decided to try to taunt him. Hopefully she could force the man to lose his temper.

"You must be the dumb brother. I guess I killed the smart one back in the capital."

Quint laughed.

"What are you trying to do? Make me mad? I'm already pissed at you but I'm looking forward to savoring this moment too much to let you taunt me into something foolish. Look at you. You can barely stand. You're down to one hand and I know you're left-handed. That's not even your good arm."

"People have underestimated me before." Cari sneered. "They're all dead. Why don't you come over here so you can join them?"

"Gladly, girlie."

Quint darted at her in a feint to the right and then jumped to her injured left side with a slashing overhand cut. His heavier blade came down and it was all Cari could do, even with her quicker sword, to bring it around and push aside the blow so it missed her.

It was an awkward parry, but she managed the task.

Taking advantage of his overbalanced strike, Cari whipped her sword back across his chest, cutting open a large flap of skin. Blood flowed, staining his dirty brown huntsman’s jerkin with a spreading wet stain across the embroidered Duke’s crest.

Quint stumbled back cursing at her. He brought his sword up, ready for any more attacks she might launch.

Cari knew she had to keep the initiative and tried a stomping lunge, using the movement of her foot and leg to try to distract Quint from her actual attack. It was far clumsier using her right hand than her left and he easily batted the blade aside.

She used the movement his parry imparted to her sword's tip to swing it in a narrow arc orbiting Quint's sword arm so she ended with her point inside his guard. Extending a little more rewarded her with an inch or so of her blade sinking into his leading thigh.

Quint shouted in pain and swung at her with his free hand.

Cari was a little slow pulling back. Her ribs protested the motion enough that it allowed Quint to bring his hand around, smashing his fist into the side of her face.

The strike twisted her head to the side and her vision doubled. She heard a clamor of ringing in her ears.

Health damage - health -8

Cari stumbled backwards, trying to get out of Quint's reach while she shook off the effects of the jarring blow. The punch had split the skin over her left eye and blood started to drip down into her face on that side partially blinding her.

It was hard to wipe at her eye while holding onto her sword. She managed a swipe with the back of her hand and cleared some of the blood.

Cari knew she had to land some consecutive shots to power up her burst of speed. It was her only chance.

With her off-hand wielding the sword, she couldn't put the right combinations together to win this in a straight up duel.

She was losing this fight.

Cari blinked again to try to clear blood from her eye and dodged backward just in time to avoid Quint's next swipe at her head with his saber.

He pivoted and continued the swing all the way around, bringing the sword in again at waist level this time.

Half-blind the way she was, Cari barely caught the direction of his attack in time and swung a desperate parry towards his blade a split second too late.

Quint's blade bit deep into her hip, buckling her left leg.

Health damage - health -12

Cari cried out in pain as she toppled to the ground. She dragged herself backward until she came to a downed tree trunk.

Levering herself back to her feet, Cari held the sword in front of her trying to force Quint to stay back with wild, unpredictable swings. It was all she could do to stay on her feet.

Quint laughed at her.

"Girlie, you're about finished. Give up and I'll make it quick. You won't feel a thing and it'll be over."

"Never," Cari growled. "If you want to kill me, come over here and earn it. You might be used to other women giving up to your bullying. I won't be one of them."

Taunt engaged

Quint snarled, his face turning red. He charged in, his sword held up over his head for a two-handed downward blow.

Surprised that line of taunts worked where his brother's death didn't, Cari brought up her blade in one of the first moves she'd ever learned in her HEMA fencing classes, a simple disarming twist with her rapier.

She'd never tried it with her right hand before. Hopefully it worked the same. She could use a break in her favor.

Cari caught the descending blade high up near the hilt of her sword. She slid her blade down his while she twisted her wrist in an intricate motion that moved her blade around his and used her greater leverage in this position against him.

Quint called out in surprise when his sword spun away from the battle to land in the brush a few feet away.

He didn't give up, though, instead he brought his other arm down, hammering at her wrist just above the pommel of her sword.

He struck downward, once, twice, and again. The third hit broke her grip on the sword and it fell to the ground.

Health damage - health -6

Cari worked her hand open and closed to return the feeling to it after the heavy blows from Quint's fist set it to tingling numbness.

She tried to twist and back away from him but he reached out and gripped her shirt, pulling her close and punching his other hand down twice into the open wound on her hip.

"Unngh," Cari gasped.

Health damage - health -5

Health damage - health -4

A red warning flashed in her vision.

Health: 9/90

She was down to only nine health points. Cari knew she couldn't hold out much longer. There was one desperate ploy to try. It shouldn't work, but what else could she do?

She refused to surrender. But, Quint didn't know that.

"Stop," Cari gasped, backing away from him. "I'm done. No more. Please."

She sank to her knees, looking up at Quint as he limped towards her.

"I told you there was no way you could win, girlie. Maybe I'll gut you and leave you here to die slowly while the forest animals feed on your entrails."

"You promised a quick death," Cari croaked staring up, holding his gaze locked with hers.

He shrugged.

"I lied."

Quint drew back his sword, preparing a thrust to run her through.

Cari waited until she caught the forward motion of his blade out of the corner of her eye.

This was her last chance.

Cari lifted up her hand, revealing the dagger she'd held hidden with the flat of the blade against her forearm until this moment.

She flicked her wrist, timing the parry with perfect precision even using her off-hand.

New skill learned - Ambidexterity

Quint's blade swung wide as her dagger batted it aside, missing her torso by a hair's breadth.

In a continuation of the same motion, Cari drove her dagger upward, lunging forward with all her remaining strength, digging her heels into the dirt of the forest floor to gain leverage.

Quint's own forward motion did the work for her, though.

The point of her dagger took him in the chest. She felt the scraping of the edge sliding between the ribs before sinking home to the hilt.

A sighing groan escaped Quint's lips as he fell forward atop her. With his life draining away, he pinned her to the ground.

Trapped by his body's weight, Cari stared up into his face, unable to look away.

Quint's lips moved, as if he was trying to say something, but no sound came out.

The light dimmed in his eyes and his head sagged forward to rest against her shoulder. She felt the faint warmth of his last breath on her neck and he went limp.

4,500 experience awarded

Quest completed - stop the assassin

6,000 experience awarded

The emotion of the fight for her life swept over her and tears welled in her eyes.

She'd done it.

She'd survived.

Chapter 35

Cari gathered what little strength she had remaining in her one good arm and pushed at the bulk atop her again.

It was no use. Between her injured arm and her near total exhaustion, she couldn't budge Quint's body from where it lay pressing down on her.

She was going to die here, bleeding out while trapped beneath this disgusting, smelly, pig of a man. Cari closed her eyes. Exhaustion took over and she drifted into unconsciousness.

Cari didn't know how long she'd been out when she opened her eyes again. Quint still pinned her against the ground, helpless to move or save herself.

All she could do was stare upward past the dead man's head.

A puffy, white wisp of a cloud drifted through the narrow gap of blue in the green leaves of the trees above her. It looked a little like an upside-down turtle to her, rocking on his back to try and turn over.

"How appropriate, you're trapped just like me." Cari said as the cloud drifted by.

"Who is?" Timron said.

Cari craned her neck, twisting to see where the Prince was. She couldn't see him. What an annoying man.

"Where are you?"

"Here." The Prince's face popped into view staring down at her with a smile. "Do you need help?"

"What do you think?" Cari snapped.

"You have to ask. Nicely."

Timron donned a sickly sweet smile and waited for her to say something.

"You'd leave me here, just to prove a point. Wouldn't you?"

"Is it so hard for you to ask for help, Cari? Or, should I say Princess Cari?"

Timron winked at her.

"You know? For how long?"

"It wasn't until you showed up here, actually. I had an inkling back in the Crystal City, but then you were captured and we didn't see you for so long. I figured my instincts were wrong. I thought you’d been tortured and killed by the Duke for sure."

Timron laughed as he continued.

"Then you showed up out of nowhere this afternoon, just in time to save the day. It's just the kind of thing my grandmother said your father used to do. Your age threw me off for a while, but I remembered an offhand comment Gram once made about time passing and something your father told her about a difference between our two homes. You see, I was the only one who ever paid attention to her when she told the old stories. None of the others gave her the time of day when she reminisced about the old days of her adventurous youth. They all deserved to die. It's only right you waited until the others were all gone to come back and save me."

Cari tried again to push Quint’s body to the side. She grunted in exasperation when she failed once more.

"Can you please pull this brute off of me? It's a little hard to breathe. I’m not sure I'll be able to stay awake if you keep talking and leave him where he is."

Prince Timron chuckled and reached down to grab Quint by the shoulder, rolling the lifeless body off Cari.

"My goodness, you're a mess," Timron clucked as he studied her wounds. “Still more proof of who you are. Anyone else would be dead from those injuries."

"I still might die if I don't get help."

Timron waived a dismissive hand at her.

"Nonsense. You're THE Cari Dix. The Lost Princess. You're not going to die. You will survive, be recognized as the hero and, if all goes according to plan, eventually marry the Prince. Me!"

Timron hooked a thumb at his chest while he planted a huge grin on his face.

Cari started to make a rude remark in response to the Prince’s ridiculous statement, then she remembered something she heard the Prince say earlier to Quint during the initial standoff.

"Why'd you do it, anyway?"

"Do what?"

"Why'd you side with the Duke against your family?"

"I wondered if you heard that. Well, it doesn't matter now. I'm the only heir remaining so there's really nothing anyone can do to me. I'll be Emperor soon."

"But, they were your family. Some were only children. How—?"

"How could I do it? I did nothing. I only made an agreement in order to survive when the Duke sent his men to kill me first. He thought it’d be easy to stage my accidental death. He was wrong. Afterwards, once he and I reached an understanding, the Duke of Charon took care of all the real dirty work. I would think you'd understand. After all, you made it here despite all the odds against you. You're a survivor, just like me."

"I'm nothing like you."

"You say that but you've killed people while you've been here in Fantasma, too, just like the Duke. I’ve never killed anyone. My hands are clean."

"It doesn’t matter how clean they are, you got in bed with the devil and he betrayed you. You know that."

"But his little plot against me didn't work. You made sure of that. Now I have you and your friends to defend me. They'll fight to the death against anyone who threatens me. I'm safer now than I've ever been in my life."

Distant voices sounded from back near the water fall.

"That will be the rest of the hunting party, come to see where the Duke of Tandon and I are," Timron said. "Let me call them to us. The game keepers will have healing potions. They keep them on hand in case of hunting accidents and injuries caused by some of the more dangerous game beasts. Wait here. I’ll fetch them. They’ll want to make sure to save the heroic Lost Princess of legend."

"Timron, stop," Cari said. "Don't tell anyone who I am. I'm not a princess and I don't want to become one."

"You really mean that. How curious. Well, I suppose I could consider keeping your secret, Princess Cari. The question is, can you keep my secret as well?"

Cari stared at him, even more disgusted with him than before after all she’d learned about him. He could rationalize his reasons and justification for the things he'd done and the alliances he'd made, but that didn't make it right.

But, he was probably correct in his assumption. His treachery made no difference in the long run. Without another heir, he was the last of the Imperial family. He would be Emperor when his grandmother died. What was more, Cari would need Timron and his access to the palace and his grandmother if she ever made up her mind about going home again.

Cari nodded. "Yes, I can keep your secret."

"Excellent, I knew you could."

He left her while he rushed off into the forest, calling out for assistance.

Cari stared up at the sky. Another cloud drifted into view. This one looked like a coiled snake. At least it did to her. The clouds were mocking her.

Familiar voices distracted Cari from her brooding.

Stefan ran into the small clearing.

"Cari, you're alright. Oh, by the gods, you're wounded."

He called out. "I found her. Help. Over here!"

Two game keepers rushed into the clearing. One of them fumbled at his belt pouch and pulled out a small flask. He knelt down next to her, surprisingly gentle hands lifting her head up so she could drink.

"Here, lass, sip it slowly but make sure you drink it all down. It will help you."

Cari drank as the man lifted the flask to her lips. The warm liquid went down easy. It had a syrupy consistency and was a little sweet, with a hint of peppermint.

Warmth filled her body, running like a wave from her head to her toes as she swallowed the last of the potion.

Major healing potion - 24 health points restored

Health: 33/90

"That's better, isn't it?" The game keeper asked.

"Yes. Thank you."

"Good, now rest. We're preparing a litter for you now." He looked up at Stefan. "It is safe to move her now, Lieutenant. That potion'll keep her alive until we can get her back to the manor. The Duke has a healing mage there who can deal with these more serious wounds."

Stefan nodded and lifted Cari up to a sitting position. She winced, feeling her ribs grinding in her side as he did. It was easier to breathe sitting up though.

The game keeper started bandaging her various wounds. He pressed a folded cloth dressing on the cut over her eye, partially obscuring her vision as he wrapped a bandage around her head to hold it in place. She didn't need to see anything right now and her eyelids drooped as if pulled down by tiny lead weights.

The urge to rest washed over her as the warmth of the potion’s magic continued to knit her wounds back together. Cari closed her good eye and let sleep take her away from the pain and worry of everything she’d discovered.

Chapter 36

Cari stretched her arms up over her head, waking from a very long, strange dream. She remembered men and women bending over her, muttering words she couldn't understand. They all left and came back many times to check on her over several days until she couldn't remember what day it was.

She tried to place where she was when she opened her eyes. The canopied bed in which she lay had embroidered drapes hanging down from the bedposts at all four corners where they could be pulled across for warmth and privacy.

"Oh, you're up," a woman's voice said. "What a nice surprise."

Cari turned to see a woman in her fifties sitting and working on embroidering a small piece of cloth with a needle and thread.

"You gave us quite the challenge, young lady. The Duke brought special healers up from one of the Temples in Tandon for you. The local mage healed you but she couldn't get you to awaken."

"I'm in the manor," Cari remarked aloud. “I’m at the Duke's estates."

"Where else would you be? Now sit up and I'll go and fetch you something to eat. The Temple priests and priestesses all said you'd be famished when you woke up."

As if on cue, Cari's belly rumbled and she had a sudden awareness of the ache from her empty stomach.

The woman bustled out the door of the bed chamber. As she passed through it, she nodded to someone in the next room.

"She's awake now, gentlemen. Don't tax her though. She's still weak."

She heard murmurs of thanks. Stefan and Rodrigo both appeared in the entrance to her room together. For a few seconds, they each jostled comically to enter through the doorway first. Eventually, the two of them managed to squeeze through at the same time.

Cari stifled a laugh.

Rodrigo beat the lieutenant to her bedside by a hair, reaching out to lay a hand on Cari's shoulder as he arrived.

"You should change your name to Cat, Cari. It looks like you have nine lives. You had Liam and the rest of us very worried."

"Liam and the rest of you?" Cari asked. Her face broke into a grin. "I didn't see the three of them waiting outside my room when I awakened."

Stefan jumped in before Rodrigo could answer.

"I have not left the outer chamber aside from my official duties, since I escorted you back from the valley of the hunt."

"I, along with the others have been seeing to the Prince's safety," Rodrigo said, fixing Stefan with a stare before turning back to Cari. "You understand that, don’t you? After all, you’re part of our original group of companions to rescue the Prince."

"Guys, seriously? Look I appreciate you both looking in on me, but I'm feeling much better now and am looking forward to getting up out of bed."

They both looked at her, clearly not getting the hint.

Cari pointed to the door.

"Do you mind? I'd like to get dressed."

The two of them once again stumbled over each other trying to get through the door at the same time while taking their leave.

Cari stifled another laugh at their expense. She wasn't used to this kind of attention. The boys at home and school either didn’t pay attention to her at all or weren’t worth her time and consideration. She tended to intimidate most men she ran into and those that weren't put off by her attitude were just plain creepy.

This was different. Both Rodrigo and Stefan had their positive qualities.

Rodrigo had been one of her first companions in Fantasma and he'd been the one to fetch the three dragoons to come to her rescue.

Stefan had been a pain in the neck in the beginning, but as she got to know him, she discovered he was a pretty decent guy who was loyal and conscientious.

Luckily, she didn't have to choose between them. Not now, and not in the near future either. She had some other, harder decisions to make. Picking a boyfriend wasn't one of them. Waking up brought with it all the memories of the last battle in the forest and the brief confrontation she had with Prince Timron.

Cari didn't know if she should tell someone about Timron's treachery, or even who she could tell. If what he said was true, he only colluded to protect himself and never participated in the "accidents" that killed the rest of his family.

On the other hand, he knowingly let someone else kill everyone else in line for the throne. He didn’t care if they were a man, woman, or child. All that mattered was he was all that remained. It sickened her to think about it. What she wanted to do was get far away from any of this and let it all work itself out without her. She didn’t owe anyone anything.

Cari needed to talk to someone about it all. When she had problems like this at home, she usually went to her dad. That wasn’t an option right now. Not only was he not here, but she was still angry with him for lying to her about Fantasma all her life.

The only other person she could think of was Chance, the elf Dragoon. He, like Timron, knew who she was and she could be honest with him in a way she couldn't be with the others.

Cari searched the wardrobe in the corner until she found her gear. She pulled on her clothes. They’d been cleaned and carefully folded. She also noted the places where someone had carefully mended the cuts and tears in the fabric left over from her injuries.

Slipping into her knee-high boots last of all, she picked up her sword baldric and slid it over her head placing the leather belt across her chest so her sword rested in its comfortable spot on her right hip. Her fingers toyed with the frayed and stained red ribbon she'd received when she first arrived, signifying her alliance with the Empress. So much had happened since that first day she woke up in the inn back at the capital.

Cari considered removing the tattered ribbon but changed her mind. It felt like the right thing to do to stand up for the Empress.

When she walked out into the outer room of her suite, Rodrigo and Stefan stood leaning against opposite walls and seemed to be in the middle of some sort of nonchalant staring contest and standoff.

"Guys, seriously, the two of you need to back down on the jealousy thing. I'm not on the lookout for any relationships or encumbrances right now. Back off. Can't we all just be friends?"

Both pairs of shoulders sagged a little and a split second later, both faces shifted from crestfallen to a sort of thinly-veiled, forced smile.

Cari sighed. She could tell even friend-zoning these two wasn't going to put them off their game. Alright, fine, she'd deal with them later. For now, she had to talk with Chance.

"Either of you know where Chance is?"

Rodrigo jumped in right away.

"I can take you to him. I know where he is."

"I don't need an escort," Cari replied holding up a hand. "I'm sure I can locate him if you tell me where he is."

Rodrigo deflated a little before speaking. Cari caught a slight grin on Stefan's face as the other spoke.

"You can probably find him in the Duke's library. He's been in there reading since he got here."

"Thank you. Why don't you two run along? If you want, we can work out and spar a little later to make sure I haven't lost my edge. I’m all stiff and sore from being in bed so long."

"An excellent idea," Stefan said. "I'll be in the courtyard when you're ready to begin."

"Me, too," Rodrigo echoed.

Stopping herself from a major eye-roll, Cari walked between them and out the open door into the hallway. It occurred to her as she stepped onto the long carpet running the length of the upstairs hall that she had not been inside the Manor before. She'd only made it as far as the courtyard.

"Left," a gruff voice said from beside her.

Thad sat on a bench outside her room. He leaned back against the wall with his eyes closed. He opened them long enough to wink at her and nodded to her left.

"I heard. The library is to your left, down the stairs and across the central hall. Look for floor to ceiling books. Can't miss it."

"Thank you, Thad."

He nodded and closed his eyes again. She caught the corners of the orc’s mouth curling in a slight smile around his upward jutting tusks.

Cari turned and followed the instructions. She spotted the library as soon as she reached the bottom of the stairs. The door was open and she could see the walls inside covered with full bookshelves.

Crossing to the room, she entered.

Chance looked up from where he sat by the fireplace and smiled when he saw her standing there. He closed the book he'd been reading and stood, nodding a slight bow in her direction.

"You're awake. The healing priest from the city wasn't certain how long it would take you to heal enough to awaken. He put the time frame at a week. I guessed it would be sooner. How do you feel?"

"Honestly, a little wobbly, but I think it's as much a function of being in bed a long time as anything else. How long was it anyway?"

“It’s been five days since we brought you back. The healers just left this morning to return to Tandon. Their leader, a priestess from the Sun Temple, said they’d done all they could and she was confident you’d awaken soon.”

Cari nodded and crossed to the chair opposite Chance's and sat down on the comfortable upholstered cushion. The elf returned to his chair as she sat.

"You did well, Princess. Your father would be proud."

"I told you before, don't call me that. I'm just Cari."

Chance chuckled.

"You'll never be 'just Cari' again. Word of your exploits saving the Prince has started to spread, partly because he commissioned several bards brought out from Tandon to write an epic ballad of the rescue."

"He what?"

"Yes, by now, the tale is being told in all the taverns in Tandon. Once the word reaches the sailors in the harbor, it'll spread far and wide. People love tales of your father. Imagine their reaction when they hear of someone with your name heroically rescuing the Prince from an assassin. It won’t be long before they decide you really are the Lost Princess, come back to save the Empire once more."

"That bastard. He promised he'd not tell people he knew who I was."

"Oh, he didn't as far as I know. The bards made that leap all on their own. I don't know if they believe the stories they're telling or not, but the people who hear it will at the very least wonder if the tale is true."

"Oh, this is horrible." Cari sat back and stared at the ceiling.

"Why? The people need a hero, someone to believe in. Now, more than ever they need that. The Empress is ill. It isn't common knowledge yet, but rumors have spread. They know she isn't going to live forever. It is a time of great uncertainty, Cari. During times like these, people reach out for stability from anything they can. They look for the things they can all believe in. Having the Lost Princess come back in a time of the Empire's need provides something for the common folk to hang on to."

"But I don't want that. I never asked for it."

Chance laughed and shook his head.

"Neither did your father. Yet he stepped into the role when the opportunity was offered to him and rose to the occasion."

"Then my father can come back and save the day, not me. I just want to explore this world and see everything it has to offer."

"You don't want to return home?" Chance asked, leaning forward in his chair to catch her eye. She’d looked away, uncomfortable with the question. She was torn.

"Why, do you know how to send me back?"

"Not me, but I suspect the Empress knows or can find someone who does. That requires you to return to the capital and present yourself to her. She has very fond memories of you toddling about the palace when you were younger. She'll welcome you with open arms. If anyone can find the magic necessary to send you back home, it is her."

Cari considered her options for a long minute while Chance waited in silence.

"That sounds very nice, I’m sure the Empress would help me return, if I wanted to go. As far as I'm concerned, though, I just got here. I think I'll wait a while longer before trying to find my way back."

"You know, once your father and mother find out you're missing, they'll surely come for you. They might already be here."

That caught her attention. They would come after her, wouldn't they? Where were they though? It had been nearly two months since she’d come to Fantasma.

"If they were coming for me, they'd have been here by now."

"I don’t know why they haven’t yet showed up, nevertheless, I believe they will come. You know it, too. You can't use Fantasma as a way to run away from home, Cari. The things from which you run can’t be escaped so easily. They are carried within you, no matter where you go. Until you face that, you'll run forever and never get away."

"Nice speech," Cari said. "You should get a t-shirt made."

Chance smiled.

"You have the same odd turn of phrase your father had. He used to say the oddest things like that in passing."

Cari started to snap a retort back at him. She was nothing like her father. They were interrupted by the serving woman she’d met in her bedroom entering the library.

"There you are, missy. I have your breakfast here. I had the devil of a time finding you. Luckily, the orc gentleman upstairs in the hallway was happy to tell me where you'd gone."

Cari didn't miss the chastising tone in the woman's voice. She thought Cari should have remained in bed.

The woman set the tray of food down on the small table next to her chair.

"Make sure you eat your fill. You need your strength back if you insist on gallivanting about the manor after all you've been through. I'll come back and collect the tray later."

Cari’s stomach growled as the smell of the food on the tray wafted up to her. The eggs, ham, and the small wedge of cheese looked delicious. She leaned forward and dug in with gusto.

The break in the conversation while she ate served to remind her what sent her seeking Chance in the first place. She had to tell someone about the Prince’s deception and betrayal of his family.

"Chance, I know something. It’s something I learned during the Prince's rescue. It's disturbing and I need advice on what I should do."

"I have an idea where you're going. Go ahead."

Cari struggled for a few seconds trying to find the right words.

"It's about Timron. He - uh, well, he's not—"

"… Not the innocent victim he pretends to be?"

"Yes. How did you know? I mean, do you know about his part in what happened to the rest of the family?

Chance nodded.

"We've long suspected he had some part in all the accidents that befell his relatives. We had no proof, but all the signs were there. He was easily the most vulnerable of the royals and he never requested extra protection even after the accidental deaths started. You've seen how he was in the city. If an assassin had wanted him dead, there were numerous opportunities to finish him. Yet despite all that, he lived on where others with greater protections died. The Dragoons are not idiots, Cari. We could read between the lines. What we lacked was the evidence of his treachery."

"So, if I tell you what I learned, that could provide that evidence."

"No, now it’s too late. He is the sole heir. Unless another heir is miraculously found, Timron’s protected by the position of Crown Prince. Even if we were to make a charge stick and he were executed for his complicity in the deaths of his family, who would that leave to assume the throne when his grandmother died?"

"The Duke of Charon," Cari said.

"Exactly."

"But isn't the Duke pulling the strings controlling Timron anyway? Won't it be the same?"

"Ah, but who sent the assassin here to kill the Prince? It’s obvious he’s been double-crossed somehow. He’ll not be so cozy with the Duke of Charon and his plans anymore, I think."

"But that means Timron will be Emperor. That's got to scare you. He's a pig. He'll ruin everything his grandmother has built during her reign."

"Hopefully not everything. Besides," Chance said shrugging. "We have no other choice."

Cari came here hoping that wouldn't be the answer. Now that her hopes were dashed, it spurred the thoughts churning in her head to a new conclusion.

"If Timron becomes the Emperor, he'll come for me. He knows who I am, Chance. He'll want me to become his wife, like he threatened back in the forest. It would lend legitimacy from my family to his ascension to the throne. If I refuse, he'll think he has no choice. He’ll have to have me killed. Either way, I need to be far away from here."

"Running away is rarely the answer, Cari. Where will you go?"

"I have a few options open to me."

"You could remain here. The Duke of Tandon not only owes you a debt for what you've done here, his family owes your father a debt as well. He would be honored to give you sanctuary. This is far enough from the capital, he can keep you safe."

"I don't want a protector, Chance. I can take care of myself. I just want to be left alone."

"What we want is seldom what we get. There are great forces at play directing us to make difficult choices. Those choices serve to put us on different paths. That is the question you must ask yourself. Is leaving now the wisest path?"

"Leaving?" Timron said from the doorway. "Who's leaving? Surely, you're not leaving us already, Cari? I heard you'd awakened. I came to deliver my sincerest thanks again for your timely rescue last week. As a sign of my gratitude, I’ve already sent word out about my wish to host a series of feasts in your honor, all across the Empire, as we return overland together to the Crystal City. People need to believe in heroes. You will help me show them real heroes exist."

"I'm not going to be your performing monkey, Timron." Cari retorted. "If you want to go on a cross-country victory tour after all the horrible things you've done, you can do it alone."

Timron acted like he hadn’t heard a word she said.

“To kick it all off, Cari, I’ve asked the Duke to let me throw you a congratulatory dinner here at his manor. It will be a most excellent affair."

Cari stood. She had to put an end to this nonsense. Closing her eyes, she placed the back of her hand on her forehead and feigned fatigue.

"I find I'm tired again and not quite as ready for an extended time out of bed as I thought. I will return to my room and get some more rest. Perhaps in a few days, Prince Timron, I'll be ready for your dinner. We'll see."

Cari nodded to Chance as she left the room. Between Timron's announcement and Chance's advice, she had some tough decisions to make.

Chapter 37

The moon rose over the east wing of the manor house later that night, just becoming visible outside Cari's bedroom window. The noise of the normal routine in the Manor diminished and Cari waited now for everyone in the main house to fall asleep.

She sat next to the bed staring out the window, dressed and ready for travel with her pack loaded with everything she owned her in Fantasma. She'd packed her bag of holding with as much as she could scrounge without arousing suspicion. She even dumped the bowl of fresh fruit from the table next to the bed into the bag so she would have some food for the journey.

Cari wanted to talk with Chance some more, but Timron's announcement of plans for her to go on his victory tour made the decision to leave final. If she didn't get out now, she feared the Prince would find a way to force her to accompany him back to the capital.

She waited until the moon had passed out of sight through the view from the window then slid her arms into the pack's straps and opened the bedroom door.

The outer room of the suite sat empty, with only an oil lamp casting a yellow pool of light in the room’s far corner.

Cari turned the lamp down extinguishing it so no light would show when she opened the outer door. Crossing to the exit, she pressed her ear to the cool wood panel and listened for any sound in the hallway on the other side.

Detecting nothing, Cari opened the door, peering both ways around the door jamb. Entering the deserted hallway, she sought out the servant's stairs she was told were to the right from her room.

A few careful questions earlier of her chamber maid revealed the stairway's general location. These stairs went directly down to the manor's kitchen. From there she could exit into the courtyard.

Cari almost missed the hidden panel disguising the door to the servant's staircase. It took long minutes of searching a twenty-foot section of wall until she found the door's seam hiding behind a section of wood molding. Cari stepped inside and pulled the door closed behind her.

Once on the stairs, she hurried down to the kitchen expecting to head directly to the stable. Liam's voice from behind her stopped Cari before she'd gone five steps across the kitchen's flagstone floor.

"Going somewhere?" The Dragoon sergeant asked. He sat alone at a table cutting a piece from a wedge of cheese with his dagger and taking a bite.

"I was —" Cari struggled for an answer that made sense.

"Come and sit. Have some food with me before you go. The cook leaves some items out for the night caretaker to snack on as he goes about his rounds. There’s plenty for us, too."

Knowing she'd failed to hide her plans to leave from him, Cari took the seat across from Liam. She pulled it out, turning it around and straddling it, resting her folded arms on the chair's back. Liam handed her a slice of cheese which she took with a nod of gratitude. The fresh farm cheese was tangy and delicious.

He smiled and shook his head.

"It seems Chance loses this bet."

"What bet?"

"I told him you'd never stay for the Prince's banquet for you. Your sense of honor wouldn't allow you to sit next to him and smile at everyone knowing everything he'd done to become the heir."

"Doesn't it bother you?" Cari asked. “You're just like Chance. I don't understand it. The man sanctioned the deaths of his entire family, Liam. Doesn't that count for anything?"

"The stability of the Empire counts for more. A war of succession would kill thousands and create refugees of many more. If the Empress was younger or in better health, I might feel differently. Without another heir, Timron must be our next Emperor."

Cari hadn't considered the effect on the whole Empire. She'd only focused on the apparent unfairness and immorality of it all.

"You might not be able to avoid a war if the Duke of Charon continues his efforts behind the scenes to position himself as a potential choice for Emperor. He's tried to kill Timron once now, it's only a matter of time for him to try again."

"We can keep the Prince alive, despite his best efforts to endanger himself. The wildcard here is the Duke's activities away from the capital. We suspect he's behind the raiders striking all along the southern coast. That is why we’ll take the overland route to return to the Crystal City. The Imperial navy is too small and spread too thin to stop them or protect us."

"I've seen proof Charon’s involved with and at the very least condones the activities of the senior raider captains. He's issued letters of Marque to them making them legitimate and supposed assistants in the war against the other raiders."

"How did you come by that?"

"I took one of them from a dead raider captain. That was when I discovered the plot to kill Timron and send an assassin here." Cari gave a brief account of how she'd become master of the Vengeance.

"I wondered where you'd go if you left here. It was the one thing casting doubt on my assumption you'd leave. I can’t blame you. If I had my own ship and crew waiting for me, I'd be tempted to run as well."

Liam leaned forward and cut a larger block of cheese from the wedge on the table. He handed it to her.

"Take this for your journey, along with a request."

"That is?"

"Keep your eyes open out there on the high seas. There are rumors floating around that there is a survivor of the shipwreck that killed Prince Timron's older brother and his entire family."

"That's important because…?"

"If that survivor exists and they are of Imperial blood, they would have precedence over Timron for the crown, but only if they’re presented before the coronation."

"I'll not make any promises, Liam. I'm inclined to stay as far away from the Prince as possible. I'm finished being the hero. The last time I tried to rescue the Empire, it nearly killed me and all I did in the end was save a man with complicity in mass murder."

Cari tucked the cheese into her pack, then she stood.

"Thank you for the cheese. Good luck with the Prince. I hope he turns out better than I fear he'll be. Don't let you or the others get yourselves killed protecting him."

Liam stood as well. He reached out to clasp wrists with Cari.

"Farewell, Cari Dix. I hope you find that for which you seek."

"Me, too."

Cari left Liam in the kitchen and headed out to the stables. It was time to return to Tandon and the Vengeance.

---

Cari stood on the Vengeance's quarterdeck while the deck crew hoisted the cargo net up from the dock and lowered it into the ship’s hold. The netting was filled with casks of vintage wine from the hills around the city. Mr. Bowcott and Mr. Dawkins had been busy since her departure and the hold was nearly full of goods ready for delivery to other ports farther to the east.

She'd worried at first they wouldn't be happy to see her return. Their heartfelt congratulations on her actions to the north and the welcome toast they shared with the whole crew banished those thoughts. Cari was a little embarrassed by the attention and cheers from the crew she’d received.

The tales told about her by the bards and troubadours in the taverns around the city had been further embellished beyond what Timron had told them when he commissioned the original ballads. After she heard the first one on her return to the city, she'd blushed with embarrassment and hurried out of the tavern and back to the ship.

"That's the last of the wine, Ma'am," Mr. Bowcott said. "We'll be ready to cast off within the hour. Do you have the heading worked out once we clear the harbor?"

"I was just getting ready to head down to my cabin to check the charts one last time. I'll have it for you shortly. Ready the ship to cast off."

"Aye, ma'am."

Cari left the duty to the first mate and the bosun and retired to her cabin to look over her planned route one more time. She'd laid out a course that hugged the coast, even though that put them in danger of running into more raiders along the way. That was fine with her. It was time the raider captains learned to fear the Dread Raider Cari.

It took her almost an hour to review all her calculations and check the charts to be sure. A knock at the cabin door interrupted her just as she finished the final entry in the day's log. The course was set and they were ready to head out of the harbor.

"Yes?"

Percy poked his head around the door.

"Ma'am. Two gentlemen are here. They both claim to know you and both wish to enlist and join the crew."

Cari wrinkled her brow in confusion. She could use a few more good crew members but wondered who they could be, and claiming to know her, too.

"Show them in Percy." Cari stood to await these new arrivals.

The door swung open all the way revealing Stefan and Rodrigo standing in the passageway. Once again, they jostled with each other to enter at the same time. Eventually, they sorted it out and stood before the captain's table.

"You two? I should have guessed. You both wish to join this crew, with me as captain?"

The two glanced at each other once then nodded.

"Explain to me why I should take you on. I know for a fact neither of you has any experience as a sailor."

They shared an awkward glance back and forth, then Rodrigo spoke up, shooting Percy a sideways glance.

"Um, a particular trio of mutual friends suggested you might wish to have a pair of reliable companions on your travels. We know our experience at sea is limited but we believe you could use a few more experienced swordsmen in your crew."

“If you’ll have us,” Stefan added.

Cari considered having the two of them put off the ship. It could cause some issues having them aboard vying for her attention. Rodrigo wasn't wrong though. She was going out, looking for trouble. When she found the first raider ship, having these two by her side would give her a definite advantage when it came to boarding and taking on an experienced raider crew.

"Very well, but there will be no hint of familiarity based on our past acquaintance from either of you. Do you understand?"

Both men nodded.

"The correct response is 'Aye, ma'am.'"

"Aye, ma'am," the two men said in concert.

"Very well. Percy, escort these two down to the junior officers' cabin. I think it’s an excellent idea that they share one between them. Show them where to stow their gear then take them up to the Bosun for assignment to their new duties. Also, advise Mr. Bowcott to cast off. I'll be up on deck with the course heading before we clear the harbor."

"Aye, Captain." Percy gestured to the passageway and stepped back while Stefan and Rodrigo struggled once again to go through the door simultaneously.

Cari covered a slight grin with one hand. This was certain to make the coming voyage interesting. In a way, she found herself looking forward to it.

Grabbing her hat, Captain Dix, the Dread Pirate Cari, headed up to the quarterdeck to assume command of her ship.

The Vengeance was ready, heading off on its next voyage.

Epilogue

Hal and Mona chatted idly as the car pulled into the driveway. It had been a very nice weekend away with his wife. The two of them were always so relaxed after these little jaunts together.

As he pulled in, Hal noticed that Cari's car was parked in her usual spot.

"That's strange," Mona said as she grabbed her purse and stepped out of the car. "Doesn't Cari usually have sparring practice on Monday afternoons?"

"It must have been cancelled," Hal responded as he closed the car door behind him.

Hal knew something was strange when he heard the chime of the message board as they entered, indicating there were unread messages waiting for them. It wasn't like his daughter to leave the message center unchecked. Most of them were likely from friends of hers anyway.

"Cari, we're home!" Mona called up the stairs. When there was no response she called again, "Cari? Are you home?"

When there was no answer, she glanced at her husband.

Hal stepped over to the message board and selected the most recent unplayed message. One of Cari's Renaissance Faire friends appeared on the screen (Hal could never remember her name). Hal watched intently as the message played out.

“Hey, Cari, just checking in to make sure you're ok. It's not like you to skip out on the Faire like this. Stella thinks you might have invited a boy over. If that’s the case, I totally get it. Call us. I want details!”

The board went blank as the message ended. Hal had already turned to run up the stairs. Mona beat him to it.

"Cari, where are you?" Mona yelled to the empty house, panic clear in her voice.

Hal reached the top of the stairs just as Mona rushed into Cari's bedroom. Hal was about to follow her when he noticed his study’s door was ajar at the end of the hallway.

"She's not here, Hal. We need to call the police," Mona said pulling out her phone.

Hal didn't hear her. Cari never went into his study anymore. Not since she used to visit him there before bedtime. If she’d gone in there while they were gone, he worried what she might have discovered if she poked around in his things.

His suspicions were confirmed as he pushed the door all the way open. There on his computer, was a familiar message.

It was a message he hadn't thought he would ever see again and certainly not addressed the way it was.

Welcome to Fantasma, Cari Dix

More of Cari’s adventures coming soon…

In the mean time, have you read the Accidental Traveler trilogy about her father, Hal?

Get started here with book 1 - The Accidental Thief.

Also by Jamie Davis

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The Accidental Traveler LitRPG Series

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The Accidental Thief

Accidental Warrior

The Accidental Mage

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Accidental Champion Series

Accidental Duelist

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Extreme Medical Services Series

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Book 3 - The Paramedic’s Choice

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Eldara Sister Series

The Nightingale’s Angel

Blue and Gray Angel

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The Charm Runner

Prophecy’s Daughter

The Queen of Avalon

Stolen Destiny

The Mended Throne

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Jamie Davis

C.J. Davis

About the Author

Jamie Davis, RN, NRP, B.A., A.S., host of the MedicCast Podcast and Nursing Show (NursingShow.com) is a nationally recognized medical and nursing educator who began educating new emergency responders as a training officer for his local EMS program. His programs and resources have been downloaded over 6 million times by listeners and viewers.

Jamie lives and writes at his home in Maryland. He lives in the woods with his wife, three children, and a dog.

C.J. Davis is an IT professional, an avid gamer, and a collector of all things geeky. He lives and works in Maryland with his fiancé.

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Table of Contents

- Title Page
- Contents
- Copyright
- Dedication
- More Books
- Prologue
- Chapter 1
- Chapter 2
- Chapter 3
- Chapter 4
- Chapter 5
- Chapter 6
- Chapter 7
- Chapter 8
- Chapter 9
- Chapter 10
- Chapter 11
- Chapter 12
- Chapter 13
- Chapter 14
- Chapter 15
- Chapter 16
- Chapter 17
- Chapter 18
- Chapter 19
- Chapter 20
- Chapter 21
- Chapter 22
- Chapter 23
- Chapter 24
- Chapter 25
- Chapter 26
- Chapter 27
- Chapter 28
- Chapter 29
- Chapter 30
- Chapter 31
- Chapter 32
- Chapter 33
- Chapter 34
- Chapter 35
- Chapter 36
- Chapter 37
- Epilogue
- Also by Jamie Davis
- Leave a Review
- About the Author