“I’ll be back in a few days,” Shavala told Zhailai, hefting her travel pack over her shoulder.

The other woman nodded. “I should be done around here tomorrow, then I’ll head to the other village—that river campsite we scouted.”

“I’ll meet you there when I can,” Shavala said. She took one last look around the camp to make sure she’d packed everything, then joined Corec, who’d been playing with Risingwind while he waited.

He stood when he saw her coming. “Will she be all right on her own?” he asked. Zhailai was already heading out to another farm, taking the staff with her.

Shavala snickered. “She’s three hundred years old, and she’s spent more time among humans than any other living druid,” she said.

“Oh, ahh, I suppose she’ll be fine then,” Corec said. “I should probably warn you, I gave Kevik and Georg your rooms. Just until we have more of the building work done. I moved your things in with Katrin and me.”

“I shouldn’t stay in the keep anyway,” Shavala said. “Now that Risingwind is larger, he’ll just make a mess.” There were some things, it seemed, that the dragon couldn’t be trained to do. Or not to do. “Is the granary still empty?”

“The granary? Yes, but we haven’t fixed it up yet. It’s in bad shape.”

“As long as the door latches, it’ll keep him from getting out while I’m sleeping.”

“Katrin was hoping you would spend some time with us,” Corec said. “So was I.”

“I will, but I can’t leave him locked up by himself all night long.”

Corec nodded. “We’ll work it out. We’ll have to scrounge up some boards to lay over the holes in the floor.”

Shavala and Zhailai’s camp outside the village of Creekbend was only a mile from the keep, and it wasn’t long before Hilltop came into view. Risingwind had been bounding along ahead of them, his wings fluttering as they caught the wind. When he saw the village, he stopped and stared, tilting his head curiously at the unfamiliar sounds and activity. Shavala had kept him away from any settlement larger than a farm.

“I’m not sure how to do this,” she admitted. “He’s never been around this many people. And if he sees a chicken or a dog …”

“Let’s try this,” Corec said. He knelt down and gathered Risingwind up in his arms, then stood. “Oof, he’s a lot heavier than the last time I picked him up.”

The little dragon squawked in annoyance, but he was accustomed to being carried, even if it had been weeks since Shavala had been able to manage it.

They took the main road up the hill, Dot following along behind. The people in the village stopped what they were doing to stare at the sight. They had to have heard rumors about the dragon already, and while some had fear in their eyes, others seemed merely curious. Corec stopped several times to reassure the settlers that they weren’t in any danger.

Risingwind struggled in his grip, twisting around and trying to look at everything at once, but Corec kept a firm hold on him.

Excited whispers followed in their wake as people got over their initial fright. More onlookers arrived, drawn by the commotion, and fathers lifted small children onto their shoulders to give them a better view.

Shavala didn’t relax until they reached the gatehouse. She hadn’t been so tense around people since her first visit to Tyrsall, but it seemed Risingwind had made it through his first real test. The settlers hadn’t demanded that he be killed for his mother’s crimes.

Inside the courtyard, they were met by Sir Kevik.

“Bloody hell, Corec,” the knight said, staring at the dragon. “You really let it hatch. I couldn’t tell if you were joking or not. Do you know how dangerous that is?” His hand was patting the side of his hip, as if seeking the reassurance of a weapon that wasn’t there.

“We’ve got it handled, Kev,” Corec said. “If it comes down to it, Shavala and I will … take care of the matter. But so far it’s been fine.”

Shavala was careful to not think too deeply about that. Corec wasn’t part of the tree bond, but she didn’t want to pass any violent thoughts of her own to Risingwind.

“If you say so,” Kevik said. “Welcome back, Miss Shavala. It’s good to see you again.”

Shavala gave him a nod and a friendly smile in greeting.

Kevik turned back to Corec. “We may have a problem. Do you remember Eslin Hightower?”

“The baron’s son?” Corec asked, letting Risingwind down. “I know the name, but I don’t think I ever ran into him. Hightower didn’t let his kids roam around near the fortress.”

Shavala knelt to scratch the dragon’s head and make sure he didn’t dart back out into the village.

“Eslin’s the second son, and he’s not a kid anymore. He left Larso for the free lands a few years ago—to make his fortune, or so they said. There may have been more to that story, but if so, they kept it quiet.”

“All right. What about him?”

“He’s here,” Kevik said. “Along with two other lordlings. They’ve asked to speak to you.”

Corec was quiet for a moment. “Well,” he said finally, “I should have known they’d show up at some point.” He looked over at Shavala.

“I’ll be fine,” she said. “I’ll take Risingwind to see Katrin. Go do whatever you need to do.”

#

Corec recognized one of the visitors. He’d encountered Blaine Derival during the winters he’d spent in Four Roads, but had always avoided talking to the man. Back then, Corec had still been ashamed of how he’d been forced out of the knights. He hadn’t wanted to find out if the story had spread to the free lands.

The youngest of the group had to be Eslin Hightower. He was close to Corec’s age, with long, foppish blond hair. Both he and Blaine wore the finery of their previous station in life, though it had seen better days.

The third man was the oldest, perhaps in his forties. Unlike the other two, he was dressed like a freelander, though one who was wearing his best outfit for a visit to town.

“Gentlemen, welcome to Hilltop Village,” Corec said. His words echoed around the nearly empty great hall. The room was too large, really, for what they needed.

The three men stood to greet him. They ignored Kevik, who took a spot leaning against the wall near the entrance.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Tarwen,” the older man said. “Dorin Westport, at your service. I understand the appropriate term of address is Warden?”

“Call me whatever you like, Mr. Westport. We don’t stand on ceremony here.”

Hightower strode forward and clasped Corec’s forearm. “Eslin Hightower,” he said.

Blaine raised an eyebrow at the overly familiar gesture, remaining where he stood. “Blaine Derival,” he said with a quick nod. He didn’t appear to recognize Corec.

“A pleasure to meet you all,” Corec said. “Sir Kevik tells me you make your homes here in the free lands?”

Dorin nodded. “It’s a rough place, but it can be rewarding for those with the right … fortitude.” He couldn’t hide the quick smirk that crossed his face when he glanced at the two younger men.

“Fortitude?” Blaine said. “Is that what you call mucking about in your fields?”

“Now, now, there’s no need to be snippy,” Dorin said. “We’re all friends here.”

“You’re a farmer, then, Mr. Westport?” Corec asked.

“I dabble,” Dorin said. “Some farming, some ranching. Mostly, I oversee things—it’s important to hire the right people to take care of all the little details.” That last bit was directed at Blaine again. “Of course, some of my workers headed down your way when they heard there was free land to be had, but I’m not worried. I’ll find replacements soon enough.”

A gentlemen farmer, it seemed. One who’d either been careful with his money or was still being supported by his family back home.

Eslin shook his head. “You’d never get me out on a farm. I prefer the city life, even if it is just Four Roads.” Four Roads was larger than the town of Hightower, but perhaps the man had spent some time in Telfort before coming east.

“What do you do, Mr. Hightower?” Corec asked.

“I’m a businessman,” he said. “I’m sure you know how it goes—always one deal or another in the works.” He didn’t notice Blaine rolling his eyes.

“Mmmhmm,” Corec said. “So, what can I do for you gentlemen?”

“It’s quite extraordinary what you’ve accomplished here,” Dorin said. “Everyone’s heard of the dragon’s keep, of course, but I hadn’t realized the extent of it. And we must have passed a dozen new settlements along the way.”

A dozen? Corec had known people were settling to the north, and his soldiers had even made contact with the nearest group, but a dozen was more than he’d expected. And that would be just the new villages along the Farm Road. What about all the surrounding area? There was no way his few armsmen could patrol the whole region.

He didn’t let his surprise show. “I can hardly take credit for it all,” he said. “A lot of people have helped us get to this point.”

“Certainly, and yet everyone knows who’s responsible,” Dorin replied. “There’s a sense of optimism that can’t be put down entirely to defeating the dragon.”

Eslin nodded. “But such a large territory will be difficult to administer. You’ll need help.” His eyes flickered to Kevik. “The right sort of help.”

Dorin shot an annoyed look at him for speaking out of turn. Or perhaps for saying too much.

“What did you have in mind?” Corec asked.

“We’re all in the same situation here,” Blaine said. “You need leaders and administrators, and that’s what we were trained for. Between the four of us, we should be able to handle anything that comes our way.”

“And I have contacts in southern Larso,” Eslin added. “Noblemen and merchants with influence in the capital. With enough support from the peerage, King Rusol might very well grant you your own duchy!”

Corec stared at him for a moment before answering. “You know why I left the kingdom,” he said. The scattered sons of Larso in exile had an unspoken rule to not ask each other why they’d left home, but Eslin had to know about Corec, even if the others didn’t.

“Ahh, well, I …” Eslin faltered for a moment before pointing to Dorin. “Westport’s family allows magic, and most of the other western lords. Why not here?”

Dorin shrugged. “Putting aside the question of support from Larso, I do believe we can offer skills your people here may be lacking. With such a rapid influx of settlers, you’ll need help imposing order.”

Eslin snorted. “Can these freelanders even understand the concept of order? The mayor and town council in Four Roads are useless—a single actual threat and they fell apart. What did they think was going to happen with no one in charge?”

Corec forced down his first impulse. “I noticed that myself,” he said, keeping his tone slow and even. “The dragon had been menacing Four Roads for months before I arrived, and yet, in all that time, no one stepped forward to deal with it.”

Blaine and Dorin looked away, realizing the trap they’d walked into.

“Exactly!” Eslin said. “But now, we can really make something of this place! Why, it wouldn’t surprise me if more of the free lands ask to fall under your protection. You’ll need barons you can trust.”

“You say you lived in Four Roads, Mr. Hightower?” Corec said. “Tell me, where were you when the dragon was attacking the surrounding villages?”

“Me? I was—what do you mean?”

Corec glanced at the other men.

“I was home,” Dorin said. “Three days north of town. I’m not sure what you’re asking. I knew about the dragon, but I’m no soldier, and I certainly don’t have the sort of money you were throwing around.”

Blaine scowled. “What do you expect us to say?” he asked. “We could hardly have gone hunting the damned thing ourselves.”

“No, of course not,” Corec said. “That would have been foolhardy. But did you offer your services to the people who were taking care of the refugees? That so-called useless mayor and town council, who were doing everything they could to keep a bad situation from getting worse? Did you write to your families, asking them to petition the king for help?”

Eslin finally seemed to realize what was going on. “I don’t see how any of that is our responsibility, but I would have been happy to fight by your side. I spent years training with a blade, and I intended to volunteer as soon as Larso sent an expedition. Unfortunately, by the time I learned about your efforts, you’d already set out.”

What good did the man think a dueling sword would do against a dragon? And Corec had spent two weeks recruiting and training his group before they’d left Four Roads. Everyone in town had known.

“I see,” Corec said. “Well, I certainly appreciate your offer of help, but I don’t believe I have any fitting work for the three of you at the moment. I’m sorry you came all this way for nothing, but I’ll be sure to keep you in mind for the future. Who can say what will happen? Have a good day, gentlemen.”

They protested at first, but it didn’t take long before they realized the dismissal was final. Kevik offered to guide them out.

Dorin held back after the others had filed out of the hall.

“I suspect you made the right decision,” he said. “Derival couldn’t manage to keep his own farm running, and Hightower never even bothered to try. All his talk about contacts and business dealings is nonsense.”

“And you?” Corec asked.

“Oh, I’m just as bad as they are. If you’d offered us any sort of power, I’d have taken it without a moment’s hesitation. But I’ll get by. My cousin saw to it that I’d have enough to live in comfort as long as I invested carefully, and that’s exactly what I did.”

Corec nodded. “Tell Blaine there’s free land available here if he wants to try again. Same rules as everyone else—a hide per family.”

Dorin chuckled. “What, and do all the work himself? Even I wouldn’t take that offer. I’ll remind him, but I suspect he’d rather drink away the last of his coin, then slink home with his tail between his legs. Unlike the rest of us, he still has that option.”

#

Katrin crept out of the old granary building, leaving Risingwind curled up on a bed of hay. She closed the door behind her.

“He’s asleep, finally,” she said. Even after eating three fish that one of the villagers had taken from the river, the little dragon hadn’t wanted to settle down until he’d reacquainted himself with the fortress.

“Good,” Shavala said. “He hasn’t figured out how to use his elder senses yet, but I still didn’t want him to see what we’re going to do.” She nodded to Corec and Treya, who were just arriving.

Corec kissed the top of Katrin’s head. “The scouts say Hightower and the others are still heading north,” he said. “It doesn’t seem like they’re going to stick around to cause trouble.”

“Are you sure you should have sent them away?” Katrin asked. “What if they could be useful?”

“I know their type,” he said. “I doubt we’d get much work out of them. Westport, maybe, but even at the end, he was still trying to convince me he was different than the others. I don’t believe him. Besides, Kevik has some suspicions about how they all ended up in the free lands in the first place. I don’t want to be trying to figure out if I can trust them while I’m waiting to be attacked by their countrymen.”

Katrin nodded.

Corec glanced at Shavala. “I guess we should get this over with, so I don’t have to think about it anymore.”

“How do you want to do it?” the elven woman asked.

“I’ve seen you make a tiny fire. Can you do something that’s hot enough to burn, but small enough that it won’t burn much?” He and Treya had already tried testing with a regular, non-magical fire. The smell of burned skin and arm hair had lingered in the room, even though Treya had healed him immediately.

Shavala held her hand out and a flame appeared cupped in her palm. “Like this?” she asked.

“Is that hot enough?”

“It’s how I start our campfires,” she said. “It’s not the strongest fire I can make, but anything more wouldn’t be safe.”

Katrin found a twig laying near the granary and touched the tip to the flame. It caught fire and she blew it out, leaving a wisp of smoke to rise into the air.

“All right,” Corec said. He took a deep breath and plunged the back of his hand into the flame, then jerked it away. “It’s hot.”

“But did it burn?” Treya asked.

“I didn’t wait long enough.” He put his hand back in the fire and held it there. “It’s hot, but not that hot. Like the dragon’s breath after you cast your fire-protection spell.”

“Then it’s working?”

Corec pulled his hand out of the flame and peered at it. It was unmarked.

“Did you cast a spell?” Treya asked.

“I don’t think so,” he said. “I didn’t notice one.”

“But you’re not wearing your armor this time, so it can’t be from that.”

He nodded. “You were right, then—at least for magical fire. I guess we still need to ask Ellerie for her help when she gets back.”

“Don’t forget Sarette. I wanted to do fire first, since I’d already seen it working, but we should try lightning too.”

“Oh, hell, I didn’t think about that.”

Treya grinned at him. “Sorry, but we have to know.”

Shavala allowed the flame to dissipate. “Is that all you needed?”

“Unless you want to help us with the lightning magic.”

“That wouldn’t be a good idea,” Shavala said. “Sarette has more control over it than I do.”

“You’re not going to leave already, are you?” Katrin asked her.

“No, I’ll stay for a day or two.” She nodded to the granary. “If I’m going to sleep here, I should get a few of my things from your room.”

“I’ll go with you,” Corec said.

Katrin was about to follow when Treya held her back. “Can I talk to you?” the other woman asked.

“Sure,” Katrin said, gesturing to the others to go on ahead. “What’s up?”

Treya waited until she was sure they wouldn’t be overheard. “Back in Tyrsall, when we were talking about concubines …”

“Yes?”

“You asked why I couldn’t do it.”

Katrin shrugged. “I know you’re not a concubine, but you told me you trained with them.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Treya said. “I meant … why doesn’t the idea bother you? I’ve been around concubines for most of my life, but it’s never made sense.”

Katrin considered that. “I grew up in Tyrsall, in one of the poor neighborhoods. I used to walk through the rich parts of the city and dream about living in one of the big houses someday. Those men all had concubines, and I figured it was just part of that life.” She chuckled. “It never occurred to me, back when I was trying to learn to be a thief, that maybe Icould be the rich one and men would have to come to me.”

Treya smiled at the quip, but then grew serious again. “So if Corec takes a concubine, you really wouldn’t mind? You wouldn’t be mad, or jealous?”

“It depends what she’s like. You’re the one who told us how important it was.”

“Historically, it was important because most people didn’t learn to read,” Treya said. “The Three Orders tried to make sure that as many leaders as possible would have someone educated close by—someone whose advice they would trust. But that was a long time ago. These days, it’s mostly just because people want to continue the tradition.”

“So now you don’t think Corec should have a concubine?”

“No, it’s still important. It’s just important for the wrong reasons.” Treya shook her head. “I don’t know what I’m trying to say. I’ve been having this same argument with Renny for years, and it’s never gone anywhere. If you don’t mind the idea, then …” She shrugged.

“Corec hasn’t said anything about going to the chapter house, if that’s what’s bothering you,” Katrin said. “I don’t think he likes the idea of asking some random stranger to live with us.”

“What if she wasn’t a stranger?” Treya asked.

“What?”

“Shana says I need to decide who I am. She says I can’t be half of a concubine. I need to choose, one way or the other.”

“You’ve always insisted you didn’t want to be a concubine.”

“I lied.” Treya’s whisper was so quiet it was almost inaudible. “I shouldn’t want it, but everything about the Three Orders pushes us that way. I can’t help it.”

“Corec?”

Treya gave a tight-lipped nod. “If the warden bond makes us live longer, I don’t know who else it could be. But he doesn’t seem interested—he’s never said anything.”

Katrin snickered. “He just tries to not get caught staring. He thinks it’s impolite. Besides, you’ve never done anything to suggest you wanted him to show interest.”

“What should I do?” Treya asked. “I took the classes, but nothing seems to fit. I’ve known Corec for two years now, but a concubine is supposed to be able to attract a man the first time she meets him.”

“I think you already managed that part. Weren’t you naked when you met?”

Treya blushed. “Well, yes, but …”

“Let’s wait until after the wedding and then we’ll figure something out,” Katrin said. Maybe she was a little jealous after all. This was different than Shavala, who still treated her relationship with Corec as a temporary fling, even though it had been going on for a year now. A concubine was forever, and Katrin needed the extra time to get used to the idea.

Treya nodded. “Thank you.”

#

Bobo set his pen to the side, stretching his fingers to keep them from cramping up. He’d finished rewriting Ariadne’s story, at least to the extent he understood it, but she wanted to end the book with the Chosar defeating the demons at the end of the war. Ellerie had written most of the notes on that particular topic—Ariadne rarely consented to be interviewed by both of them at once—and Bobo had given himself a headache trying to translate the notes from Elven.

Either Ellerie would have to make some time in her schedule to help finish off the book, or Ariadne would have to sit down for another interview.

Someone knocked at the door to his study. The others might call it an office, but Bobo preferred the older, less formal term.

“Yes?” he said.

Carn Tammerly came in. Leena had brought the young man from Larso before she went to Terevas, and Bobo had set him to speaking to the settlers who’d asked to claim land but weren’t planning on taking up farming.

“I’ve got the last of the requests from Dobb’s Grove here,” Carn said, handing over a stack of papers.

Bobo flipped through the pages, separating them by the requestors’ professions.

“What do these fishermen need with a hide of land?” he asked. “Are they planning to farm as well as fish?”

Tammerly gave him an odd look. “A hide isn’t a measurement of area, sir—it’s a measurement of taxation. For a farmer, it’s one hundred twenty arable acres; for a rancher, it’s a hundred sixty suitable for grazing. For the fishermen, it’s fishing rights on the lake, plus twenty acres for a homestead.”

Bobo stared at the other man for a moment. Suddenly, many of Corec’s comments and the keep’s old records made more sense, as did the odd shapes and sizes of the plots of land the farmers had claimed. Bobo had assumed the differences in size were due to not having surveyors available yet, but of course the farmers would have an instinctual understanding of how large their fields could be. They’d simply included the non-arable land into their estimates to form a contiguous property.

How could he not have realized the full meaning of the word? Well, Bobo was new to this task, and it wasn’t like he could be an expert on everything. Taxes in the city were assessed by profession rather than by land, and he’d paid very little attention to agricultural pursuits before his time among the hillfolk.

But Corec would still tease him if ever found out.

“I see,” Bobo said. “We, uh, we don’t need to tell anyone about this little conversation, yes?”

“No, sir.”

“Good. I’ll look these over and get them back to you tomorrow. For now, perhaps you should continue reading through the old records. You might find something else I missed.”

The young man nodded and returned to his own office while Bobo stared at the projects in front of him. He should probably track down Ariadne and see if she was in a good mood. He might need a few attempts to catch her at the right time. But the land claims were more urgent.

Before he could decide, his vision went hazy, and then he was suddenly elsewhere—the place of endless mists he’d found himself in after the battle at Tir Yadar.

His benefactor spoke. Before you say anything, know that this is only a vision. I’m still recovering from our last conversation.

As before, the creature wasn’t visible, but there seemed to be a faint shadow hidden within the mists. Was that a hint of a bushy tail? It disappeared before Bobo could decide whether it was real or not.

“Does that mean you can’t hear me?” he asked.

I have a task for you, the being said. I would not ask if there was any other way.

An image appeared—eight lines glowing yellow, floating in nothingness. Three of the lines were close together, running parallel to each other, while the rest were arranged nearby. There didn’t appear to be any other pattern to them.

Memorize this map. Take it to your Traveler friend. Tell her that it’s time she learned to use the bracelet.