When they reached the eastern gate, Justin was surprised by the sheer number of Fyrspawn gathered.

  At least two or three hundred crowded the narrow canyon entrance, a mix of males, females, and children. It seemed to be the entire Fyrspawn colony from Eyrth, plus perhaps family members from Solanis joining in.

  The crowd parted as Justin, Lila, and Eldrin approached with Atlas scuttling alongside them. They received warm nods and curious glances, but the language barrier limited most interactions to gestures of goodwill. For saving the colony, Justin figured they would be riding on their goodwill for quite a long time.

  Emberlyn stood at the front of the assembly, her yellow flames burning brightly in a bid for attention. She addressed the gathering in the Fyrspawn language, her flames dancing as she emphasized certain words. Though Justin couldn’t understand most of the speech, he sensed its importance from the reverent silence that fell afterward.

  When she finished, a collective sound like crackling fire rose from the assembly. Fyrspawn applause, Justin guessed.

  Then Emberlyn turned and led the way down the main road that snaked up the canyon’s north side, filing through the black stone gate.

  Justin and his companions stayed at the rear of the procession. The pace was much slower than what they were used to, given the size of the group, but that hardly mattered. They had nowhere urgent to be, after all.

  “This is quite the exodus,” Eldrin said. “And leaving so soon after arriving is surprising.”

  “They’re not leaving anything to chance,” Lila said. “Which makes sense. They need to bathe in these flames to survive long-term, right?”

  Justin remained silent, content to not say anything.

  The afternoon sun beat down on them, and as the hours passed, they escaped the worst heat of the canyon. The landscape transformed from bare rock to a dry scrubland with sparse, tough vegetation clinging to the dusty soil. Small, twisted bushes with silvery leaves dotted the landscape.

  Unlike the barren dunes south of the canyon, this more northern territory at least showed signs of life. Justin took it as a sign that the landscape would continue to improve as they approached the Emerald Mountains, which loomed ever larger on the horizon.

  As they walked, Justin found himself drawn into conversation with several younger Fyrspawn who seemed fascinated by his Vorthak’s Flame. His Fire Affinity didn’t look too different from the Ashralok’s Flame enjoyed by these Fyrspawn, just a shade that leaned more toward crimson than outright red. But he kept them entertained by moving them around, an act he was getting better at. As they interacted, he focused on their speech, gestures, and flame displays, absorbing everything he could.

  “Vash’kir,” he said to a Fyrspawn child who was staring at Atlas with unabashed curiosity. “Ra’nesh Atlas,” Justin added, flickering his flames toward his construct companion.

  Atlas gave a friendly beep.

  The child’s flames brightened with delight. “Vash’kir! Ra’nesh Pyri!” He pointed to himself.

  “Pyri,” Justin repeated. He touched his chest. “Justin.”

  A Fyrspawn female, who had to be Pyri’s mother, approached. Her flames flickered with a mixture of caution and amusement. She said something to her son, her words flowing too fast for Justin to catch.

  Justin bowed. “Ka’dek for... uh...permitting conversation.”

  To his surprise, she responded with a slow, deliberate phrase that he partially understood. Something about “welcome” and “journey.”

  She said a few more words to her son, whose flames brightened in response. The child fell into step beside Justin.

  For the next hour, the child pointed to various things—rocks, plants, parts of the road—announcing each word while looking at Justin expectantly. Justin would repeat each word and shift his flame displays if needed.

  “He’s teaching you,” Lila said, her tone amused.

  “Yes, it would seem I’ve found a tutor,” Justin said. “By the time we get to Pyrelith, we might not even need this language core.”

  “Good,” Lila said. “More money for the important stuff.”

  By the time they stopped to make camp for the evening, Justin had accumulated dozens of nouns and basic verbs. His high Charisma and Chameleon Charm boon seemed to be working in tandem, allowing him to absorb the language at a surprising rate.

  The more time he spent with the Fyrspawn, communicating in their language, the faster his comprehension would grow. Considering this was a journey of three days, he might make good progress, indeed.

  The first night’s camp was set up on a broad plateau overlooking the canyon they had left behind. The Fyrspawn needed no tents, but they created “fire circles,” rings of families and friends that provided light while sharing warmth in the cooler air. They had already gained quite a bit in elevation.

  Justin, Lila, and Eldrin joined Emberlyn’s circle, where several Fyrspawn from her original village had gathered, including Pyra, her bodyguard.

  “I believe this is yours,” Pyra said in Goblinese, handing a clay tablet to Justin. “Every gate and location we’ve mapped out.”

  The group gathered around the list. Justin confirmed their earlier guesses had been correct, including “Mount Eleanor.” Four of the gates were marked “dangerous,” including the Kaspideal Gate with the red wyverns.

  “Thank you,” Justin said. “This will help a lot.”

  “No problem,” Pyra said.

  “I do have one question. About this Mount Eleanor. Can you confirm that it’s actually Mont Elea? That’s what it’s called these days.”

  “I’m not sure. That gate is a bit... strange. It opens into a stone chamber with a heavily enchanted door and no other obvious exits.”

  “Enchanted,” Justin said. “So, is it dangerous?”

  “Maybe. Our Enchanter didn’t find anything dangerous at first glance, but she also didn’t do a thorough survey. She was our only Enchanter so it was too much of a risk. She could only tell there was significant magic. It might be nothing more serious than a locking mechanism. At worst, the door might be laced with traps.”

  Justin frowned in thought. If this gate led to Mont Elea, and it was in a stone chamber, maybe the Templars of Arion knew about it, keeping it secured behind enchanted doors. It could be a resource for the Templars, something only the highest-ranking members could access.

  Or it could lead to a hidden chamber lost to time somewhere on the mountain. There was no way to know for certain.

  All Justin knew was that his heart sank at the news since it wasn’t an obvious path forward. But among these other names, there might be some promising alternatives.

  “Thanks for the info,” Justin said.

  Pyra’s flames brightened for a moment before she walked away.

  Justin translated for the others, breaking off a twig from a nearby shrub to transcribe the runic Goblin script into Aranthian in the margins. He was grateful that learning a language from a Vault included its written form as well.

  With their translated list complete, they huddled around it.

  “Recognize any of these names?” Justin asked. “I see Eldareth is on there.”

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  “I recognize them all,” Eldrin said. “If Mont Elea is a no-go, we’ve got some likely candidates. Like Karadesh here. Called the Jewel of the Southern Seas, it is the capital of the country of the same name. It’s in southwestern Calidon, a major port where we could catch a ship to Belmora or Aetherhold. From there, Mont Elea is about two hundred miles north.”

  “Perfect,” Justin said.

  Eldrin pointed at another name. “And this is Tyrraval. One of the Free Cities, an island in the Golden Gulf north of Atelinar. It’s actually closer to Mont Elea. The only disadvantage is that it’s a smaller port and has an iffy political situation. They’re fiercely independent, a former colony of Old Serenthel, actually. But the Izmiri Empire has long coveted their trade. They were actually blockaded a few years ago until a larger truce was established.”

  “So it’s closer, but less stable,” Justin said. “It would save time, assuming things are peaceful.”

  Eldrin nodded. “Yes. I would try there first. There are bound to be Aranthian vessels; despite being closer to Atelinar, culturally it’s more Serentheli. Karadesh will have some Aranthian vessels, too, but the city has a somewhat seedy reputation. I’d start with Tyrraval.”

  “Nothing closer?” Justin asked. “Not even Eldareth?”

  “It’s an option if the other two don’t work out. But ships are much faster than walking overland. We’ll save weeks if Tyrraval works.”

  Justin nodded. They now had the information and means to return to Eyrth. The ability to potentially confront Valdrik, assuming they reached Mont Elea and the Templars didn’t discover his Earth origins.

  But that was the crux, wasn’t it? His Earth origins.

  And that was when another uncomfortable thought occurred to him.

  “If we tell the Templars about Valdrik, and they go after him, he’ll know it was because of me. There would be nothing stopping him from telling the Templars who I am, if only to get revenge.”

  An uncomfortable silence followed this.

  At last, Eldrin spoke. “Aye, I can see that. It...complicates things.”

  “So, what do we do?” Lila asked. “You could just deny it, Justin.”

  “But what if they investigate me? I have no history in this world. No backstory. No family. They can easily catch me in a lie.”

  “We don’t know if he will do that,” Lila said. “If the Templars come after him, it doesn’t necessarily have to be because of you, right? And even if Valdrik tells them about your origins, they may consider it retaliation.”

  Justin shook his head. “We have to consider the possibility, though. Assuming Valdrik tells them, and the Templars believe him, then our new allies become our enemies. The information about Earth is so specific that the Templars would have no choice but to look into it.” He watched Eldrin. “I want to help. I really do. But I need some sort of guarantee that the Templars won’t mess with me afterward, even if Valdrik tells them the truth.”

  “Could you use Gentleman’s Agreement to get them to back off?” Lila asked. “Tell them you won’t give up information about Valdrik in exchange for immunity.”

  “I mean, that could work. But the implementation is tricky. If I go up saying I have some dirt on Valdrik, but to get it, they have to make a magical contract to not mess with me, why would they accept? They’d be just as likely to take me into custody until I confess what I know.”

  “There’s always the chance the Baron is lying about Templars hunting down Earthers,” Lila said. “There’s that angle.”

  Justin shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. He’s lied about stuff before, but not about that. Both he and I are in a bind. I can’t tell on him, and he can’t tell on me. In my world, they call that mutually assured destruction.”

  He was starting to realize an uncomfortable truth: he might have to take out Valdrik without involving the Templars.

  Did he have the power? The resolve? Would he need to grind levels on this planet until he was strong enough and then come back?

  This plan, too, was flawed. Trying to level up fast was risky, and the experience requirements grew with each level. Even for Valdrik, an intelligent, capable person, it had taken him twenty years to reach Level 36.

  To even come close to that, Justin would have to take increasingly dangerous risks. And those risks would almost certainly kill him.

  And who would follow him on a suicide mission? He couldn’t ask that of either Lila or Eldrin.

  Meanwhile, Valdrik would be advancing too. Not just in abilities or levels, but by gathering power and allies.

  By the time Justin was ready, Valdrik might be Level 40 or have gained a Prismatic Core of his own in the more conventional way.

  “Perhaps the Templars could be tipped off anonymously,” Lila said. “A detailed letter explaining everything about Valdrik and what happened to Alistair. The Baron wouldn’t know it came from you.”

  “He would know,” Justin said, shaking his head. “The timing is too suspicious. We managed to escape him, and weeks later, the Templars are on his case? It’s too obvious.”

  “Just trying to help,” Lila said.

  Justin felt a flash of guilt. He hadn’t intended to come off as ungrateful.

  “The answer is out there,” Eldrin said. “It’s not likely we’ll figure it out just by talking. One thing is for sure, Justin. As long as Valdrik is alive, you’ll never be safe.”

  Justin let out a breath. “I know.”

  “This is so much deeper than we realize, my friends. And strangely, this might be even worse.”

  “Worse?” Lila asked. “How?”

  “We have always assumed that Valdrik is working alone. But what if this is a larger conspiracy? He’s hardly the only Death Worshipper around. While they tend to stab each other in the back, if they have a strong enough master, they can work together toward a larger goal.”

  “What makes you think there’s a larger conspiracy?” Lila asked. “You think Valdrik is a middle-ranking member, so to speak? That the true enemy would be someone higher on the totem pole?”

  “It’s just a thought,” Eldrin said. “The point being, yes, we may stop Valdrik. But the consequences of exposing him may be greater than we realize.” Eldrin shrugged. “Or, it’s quite possible he’s working on his own. But I doubt that greatly.”

  “What do we do, then?” Justin asked. “I don’t see any other solution besides staying out of it.”

  “That would be safer for us. But as Lila hinted, there are ways for the Baron to come under scrutiny. And those ways don’t necessarily have to point back to us. Indeed, we know for a fact that the Templars are already suspicious of Valdrik. Why else would they send Alistair to investigate the deaths in Silverton? Valdrik already knows this. So, if Alistair has indeed gone missing, and he had orders to go to Silverton…well, where do you think the Templars are naturally going to go? Even without Justin and Valdrik ever crossing paths, the Baron could find himself the target of an inquisition.”

  Justin frowned. “So the best thing to do is…nothing at all?”

  “Maybe,” Eldrin said. “But if we were to go to Mont Elea and explain things to the Templars…carefully…and emphasize we want nothing to do with what comes after, they have something more than hearsay. They have evidence. Or at least, three people who can testify to Alistair’s death at Valdrik’s hands.”

  “At Gareth’s hands,” Justin said. “The Templars must know about Gareth switching to a Death Affinity. You said he and Alistair were once brothers at the Mont together, right?”

  “That’s right,” Eldrin said. “It paints a more convincing picture. Yes, Valdrik might sow doubt on your testimony, but you can prepare yourself for that eventuality. Best case, nothing comes of it. Worse case...”

  “...I’m tortured and killed for being an Earther?”

  “Nothing so drastic,” Eldrin said. “Lila and I can vouch for you. You have Chameleon Charm, remember? You just need something of a history and perhaps a big city to get lost in. A place where you can pick up the culture, local customs, and language. And a history. If the Templars ever question you, it will become obvious that Valdrik was just trying to retaliate.”

  By Justin’s estimate, Eldrin seemed far more confident about this.

  “Given everything that’s happened, I’d be shocked if the Templars weren’t already doing something to investigate him,” Eldrin said. “But right now, Valdrik is out of Silverton, so it’s hard to investigate him. If he ever returns, he may be in for a rude awakening.”

  Justin felt like he was in way over his head. “All of this is…very delicate. And we’d be going in blind. If this is part of a larger conspiracy, like you said, it can get messy.”

  All were silent for a while, ruminating on everything that was said. They were well away from Emberlyn, the only Fyrspawn that could understand their words. Even so, Justin doubted they would mean anything to her.

  “In my mind,” Eldrin said finally, “this information about the gates gives us a very clear path forward. A path that was lacking before. Within weeks, we could be at Mont Elea. I know I expressed interest in exploring this world. And part of me wouldn’t be opposed to that. But I keep thinking about Alistair. He died for this, and if we don’t do anything, no one will. Perhaps the Templars will move without us, but that’s not a guarantee. The longer we wait to say anything, the longer Valdrik has to grow and fester.”

  That was an inescapable truth that even Justin couldn’t get around. If they waited, Valdrik might one day become impossible to stop. If he continued being careful, amassing power, gathering more undead…the result would be far worse than anything Justin might suffer.

  And Eldrin was right; he could create a detailed history just in case. And, failing that, did he not have an escape route?

  He knew about the gates. He could disappear and end up somewhere else. Not ideal in the least.

  But he had options.

  “I...need some time to think about it,” Justin said. “My gut says you’re right, Eldin. More than that…Alistair died to save me. To not see this through is to disrespect his sacrifice.”

  Eldrin nodded. “You’re right. What’s more, if we ignore this, more good people like Alistair will die. Take the time to think about it, Justin. Your safety is important, too. I’m not saying we should go back right away, but we also can’t stay here on Solanis for too long.”

  It was at this point that Emberlyn came closer to their conference. They fell silent as she approached.

  “Am I interrupting anything?”

  Eldrin watched Justin for a moment. “I think we’re finished. Trying to decide how long we’re going to stay on this world.”

  “Yes. It must be quite different from what you’re used to.” Her flaming eyes went to Justin. “At the same time, you are learning our language quickly.”

  Justin shrugged. “A long way to go still. I’m still mostly catching nouns and simple phrases.”

  “Keep at it,” she said. “By Pyrelith, you may surprise yourself. Now it’s time to rest. Sleep well. Long march tomorrow.”

  She headed off to her own sleeping spot.

  “I think she has the right idea about sleep,” Lila said. “Plenty of time to think about things on the road. Good night.”

  As Justin settled in, the night sky above was breathtaking, a deep purple scattered with stars that seemed brighter and somehow closer than those on Eyrth. It was probably something to do with the elevation or the general dryness of the air.

  One “star” glowed with a distinctive blue tint. Justin stared at it for a long time. It was hard to imagine that all his troubles were contained on that tiny point of light.

  Justin covered it with his hand. If only it were that simple.