The alley dumped us into another stretch of unnatural black stone – seamless, too smooth underfoot. The sounds of combat continued behind us, with the added twist of what sounded like cracks of thunder joining the mix. It was quieter, though, now with some distance.

  It was… wrong. Something about this place didn’t fit. The buildings were impossibly tall, stretching skyward with an impossible smoothness and symmetry. Strange symbols glowed from signs overhead, shifting and blinking in some facsimile of a language I did not understand. Even the air smelled off – sharp and metallic, with a pungency unlike anything I’d ever experienced.

  I slowed, my brain struggling to make sense of it all. The immediate danger was gone, but my body was only just realizing it.

  All thoughts were pushed to the side in favor of one.

  I was in pain.

  Like a dam breaking, the full weight of the past half hour came crashing down. My shoulder throbbed in protest, my ribs ached from the impact, and my limbs felt like they’d been dragged behind a carriage for several miles. The book pressed against my chest like dead weight, every step jarring the bruises blooming beneath my skin.

  Kenzie threw me a glance. “Hey uh… You don’t look so good, man.”

  “Appreciate the observation.”

  “No problem,” she said, cheerfully. “Try not to pass out, yeah? I know a guy, but I don’t really wanna carry you there.”

  A deep breath to steady myself. I’d overcome worse than this.

  “I can walk. What do you mean you know a guy?”

  “As in I know a guy!” Another glance. I could hear it in her voice, she was enjoying this. “Someone who can help us, specifically. Well, can help you. I’m fine.”

  “I can see that.” I said dryly. A cleric would be useful right about now. I had a small stack of coin in my components pouch for emergencies, and losing an arm’s function definitely qualified. I’d need to save some, though, for bartering a way home once I figured out where "home" was in relation to here.

  “Anyway, you want me to grill you now or after the doc patches you up?” She slid in too close. Again. I stepped back. She matched it.

  “I really don’t know what you’re talking about, Ken-Ricochet.”

  She shot me a thumbs up. It was almost reassuring, to see a familiar gesture. Though I could do without the sarcasm.

  “Oh sure you do! You drop out of a collapsing building way after the evac signal, gripping that book like your life depends on it. So what’s the deal? Corporate espionage? Info broker? 'Cause neither explains the whole goth wizard aesthetic you've got going on.”

  I shot her my best ‘mind-your-own-business’ glare. She raised her hands, placatingly.

  “Relax, dude. Corporate espionage is a victimless crime in my book anyway. Just curious, especially since your power doesn’t really match the vibe.”

  “And what, pray tell, is the vibe?”

  I glanced up. The sun blazed overhead – too bright, too hot. No fall should feel like this. South of the equator, then? Gods, how far did I go?

  “For info brokers? I don’t know, man, all like, dark and spooky stuff? Controlling shadows, people forgetting you when they don’t see you. You know, Sneaker powers.”

  Something gnawed at me, some fragment of my brain trying to scream that something important had just been said, but I couldn’t latch onto it. I needed to sleep.

  I waved a hand, dismissively. “If someone was capable of modifying memories, I am sure they would find information broking a little below them. As for shadow control, it’s quite rudimentary, really. At a base level, at least.”

  “…What?”

  “What?”

  “You just said shadow control was ‘rudimentary.’” She spoke the last word with her shoulders back and nose raised, voice dripping with mockery.

  “…Yes?”

  “What the fuck does that mean?”

  “It means what I said. It’s only second circle. Any self-respecting Veilborn can get there after a few years of study.”

  Kenzie stopped walking. “Okay. Pause.”

  I stopped, secretly glad for the break. The sounds of battle had faded behind us, leaving only the quiet of the empty streets, except up ahead. A steady, rumbling drone underscored the murmur of voices, growing louder as we approached. Figures moved in the distance, walking unbothered alongside creatures of steel and glass, hurtling past at impossible speeds.

  Domesticated, then?

  “You keep saying weirder and weirder shit, dude.”

  I looked at her, blankly. “I am doing nothing of the sort.”

  Her eyes met mine. Unflinching. Then widened, a fraction. She grabbed me, by the good arm, and hurried me down an alley, off the street.

  “Look, I can tell it’s been a long day for you, so I am going to ask this as gently as possible.” She paused, collecting herself. “Where are you from?”

  “I told you already.” I gave a half-hearted tug to free my arm.

  She did not let go.

  “Humour me.”

  “I’ve lived at Tulsworth Academy for the past few years – I’m boarding there until I am certified.”

  “Okay. Great. And where is Tulsworth Academy?”

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  I blinked at her. Tulsworth was known everywhere. Even back at the orphanage, we played make-believe as wizards and knights, conquering the world one hallway at a time.

  The silence was stretching. Her eyes – did she ever blink? – locked on mine. There was something here that I was missing. Go along with it, for now. Get your bearings.

  “Tulsworth Academy is in Northern Elonia, a few miles from the Cerulean Sea. It’s very famous, probably the most prominent school of magic in the world – how do you not know this?”

  Her eyes closed, slowly. She thought for a moment. “You mentioned something about an overcharged spell, back at the skyscraper.”

  “I did.”

  “And that’s a real thing, and you’re not fucking with me?”

  I nodded, slowly. “To what possible end would I be fucking with you?”

  She laughed – nervously? Hard to tell without seeing her face.

  “I don’t know man. But you’re telling me you can cast magic?” She glanced around, making sure we were alone, I guessed. “Maybe keep that on the down-low for now, yeah?”

  She raised a hand to ward off my following question. “I’ll explain later, okay? I promise. Just for now… can you trust me? Please?”

  I hesitated before nodding stiffly.

  “Okay, great!” I could hear the relief in her voice. “Thank you. Now, put these on.”

  She tossed me a rather large backpack. I struggled to catch it one-handed and stumbled back a few steps. I looked up, ready to rebuke her, only to find her halfway through shedding her outer layers, the heavy jacket already bundled on the floor as she unbuckled the straps securing the exoskeleton to her frame.

  I was right, she was thin. And, to my mild alarm, her arms and shoulders were bare. She wore a sleeveless top, something that would be an undergarment at best in polite society. Yet she looked entirely at ease, unbothered by the impropriety.

  I’d heard of such casual treatment of dress in tales of adventurers. Cultural mores, I supposed. I set the bag down, rifling through it one-handed. The fabric was decent enough, but the fashion was… abysmal.

  I looked up at her, pulling the mask from my face to raise an eyebrow. She, in the midst of tying her hair back, shot me a quizzical look.

  “What’s up?”

  “Do you have anything maybe a little bit more formal? I’m not quite as comfortable walking these streets looking like a common urchin.”

  She laughed, loud and unabashed. “Sorry, your highness, but this is what we’ve got. Now hurry up, your fancy getup is gonna draw attention. News will be out by now that there’s a new Super running around.” She slung her gear into a larger bag, tightening the straps. “The Heroic Secrecy Act means the press won’t release any photos of your face once you made it clear you were hiding your identity, but your whole ‘Mr. Darcy’ vibe is gonna have people putting two and two together real fast.”

  “I understood the first half of that.” I unbuttoned my jacket, fingers brushing against the book still pressed silent against my chest. I drew it loose, carefully placing it in the backpack.

  I glanced up. Kenzie was barely a foot away, watching. Too intently. She’d seen.

  I eventually found something passable, a plain white undershirt, buttonless, with some illegible text scrawled across the front. The trousers were thick, coarse, and an unappealing shade of blue. At least the brown jacket was simple, even if it lacked cufflinks. I supposed I should be grateful my elbows wouldn’t be exposed. After a quick and hissed conversation, Kenzie left me in the alley, rolling her eyes all the while, and I got changed.

  It wasn’t quick, one handed, nor painless. But it was done.

  I emerged, freshly dressed and feeling like a slightly lesser man, to find her using one of the same glass and steel devices I had seen amongst the crowd. The screen was bright, and her thumbs flew with a practiced speed as she activated it, each tap with an associated sound and image flashing on its face.

  “I saw those, in the crowd. What is it?”

  She gave me a quick look, shock writ on her face, before turning her attention back to the device. “It’s a cell phone. It’s pretty standard around here dude, everyone has one. You didn’t have them back at Tulsworth?”

  I hummed, considering. I’d remember if I’d seen something like this before. But then magic took up most of my time. Maybe this was some niche invention I’d simply never encountered.

  “Not that I know of. What is its purpose?”

  “Oh, all sorts of things, dude.” She gestured for me to follow, slipping the ‘cell phone’ into her pocket. “Started with texting and calls, but now it’s for everything: news, maps, shopping, you name it.”

  I wanted to demand she speak plainly. To shake her, maybe. But I was spent. Instead, I fell into step behind her, too drained to keep up with her nonsense. She also seemed content to share this silence, lost in thought if her furrowed brow was to go by.

  After a few minutes of her leading us through alleys, pointedly not in the direction of the crowds and their metal creatures, she slowed, pulling level with me.

  “This is the Doc’s house!”

  The place in question was not visibly distinct from the surrounding buildings – where it impressed in size, it lost points in grime. The building appeared comprised of multiple levels of entry, though she was gesturing towards a small set of stairs that lead down, into what looked more like a basement or wine cellar. There were windows, though they were obscured by curtains – as well a thick metal bars.

  This looked less like a healer’s home and more like a place you went to disappear.

  “…And what god does this ‘Doc’ keep to, out of curiosity?”

  “Weird question!” She hopped down the steps, two at a time, before rapping on the door with her knuckles. I followed her down, slower and with a Firebolt on my tongue.

  The door opened, partway, with a small line of chain preventing it from being forced open. From inside, a pudgy man, with small, beady eyes and the deepest widow’s peak I’d ever seen looked out. He looked to be human and in his mid to late 50’s, though the unshaven stubble and sleep filled eyes gave him the illusion of being a fair bit older.

  Kenzie gave him a wave. The man grunted, closing the door. I heard the clicking of metal, and the door opened wide, the chain no longer holding it in place. “Come on in kid. And other kid.”

  The man fixed me with a look that had my hair standing on edge. Assessing me, though I couldn’t intuit what he was looking for. Whether I was dangerous? Robbable? I’d lived in comfort for too long, my senses had dulled.

  He grunted again, moving out of the way and allowing us entry. The room beyond was surprisingly well kept, despite what the stains on his shirt and the visibility of his elbows would have indicated.

  A living space, with a small table holding a half-eaten sandwich, stood before another device; one of those glass illusions. Flashes of the battle played across the glass pane, shifting images paired with scrolling text. Then – an image of me. Masked, mid-motion, Firebolt in hand. My breath caught. How had they captured it so clearly?

  The man continued onwards, and my attention was torn from my visage to the rest of the house. To the right, a small and simple kitchen, with benches clearly for the preparation of food, was filled with devices whose purposes were entirely opaque.

  Beyond that, a room with a series of beds, four in total. Each an identical, off-putting white, with strange machines sitting beside them. This was the room he was leading us towards.

  I followed, nervously, and realized that Kenzie had been talking the entire time.

  “ – appreciate you seeing us on such short notice! I’m fine, no issues at all, but my friend here had a nasty fall! Could you take a look at his shoulder?”

  The man grunted again, gesturing for me to approach with a meaty finger. I stepped forward tentatively, keenly aware of his size advantage. In my current state, if he grabbed me, there wasn’t much I could do.

  “Take off your jacket.”

  I hesitated but obeyed, setting the backpack down first – carefully, always in view – before struggling out of the jacket. The movement sent a fresh bolt of pain through my shoulder, a sharp hiss escaping before I could stop it. ‘Doc’ nodded to himself, turning away to rummage through a cupboard. He pulled a clear bag of liquid from a pile, then gestured to one of the beds.

  “Lay down.”

  I glanced at Kenzie for reassurance. She didn’t even look over, still in the other room, watching our shifting reflections dance across the glass – No concern, no hesitation.

  My instincts screamed at me to run. Something was off. But run where? With what energy? I was barely standing as it was. No real choice. Not at this point.

  Slowly, warily, I lowered myself onto the bed. Doc scowled slightly, his eyes lingering on my boots, but said nothing. He pulled up a chair beside me.

  “Alright, this is gonna feel a little funny.”

  “I appreciate your concern, but this is hardly my first time receiving treatment, ‘Doc.’”

  His hand pressed against my forehead.

  A strange numbness seeped through me, dragging the weight from my limbs. My eyelids grew heavy.

  And then – nothing.